Adobe Illustrator Movie Posters

Student designed minimalist movie posters from Mrs. Agresti's Adobe Illustrator class.

EGHS Teachers Leading "Hour of Code"

From Mrs. Page and Mr. Revkin, who are leading East Greenwich High School's "Hour of Code"-

Pat Page and I are excited to "host" the "Hour of Code" initiative. This is an opportunity for students (and faculty!) to learn about how computer coding can help create useful and fun programs.

We ask that if you have students in your classes who are interested in coding, and it does not conflict with your lessons, to send those students to the library on Friday the 13th (oooo, spooky coding) during periods 3, 5, 6, or 7. One of us will be there to supervise and interact with the students you send. There are self-paced activities for the students to do. Space is limited so it will be on a first come, first served basis. Send the student with a note. We also created this form so you can sign up the students (to verify their interest and to ensure there is enough space.) https://docs.google.com/a/egsd.net/forms/d/1l1hHFTQ0302rz9XP33PAn0ZYlNAaOvIx6LBPW5AHxVo/viewform

Attached, please find the promotional brochure for the Hour of Code. The links below will show you some of the activities the students may do:

Create a holiday card
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tip_bar=hoc

Build iPhone games
https://www.makegameswith.us/build-an-ios-game-in-your-browser/

Build Android games
https://www.touchdevelop.com/hourofcode2

...and learn programming languages like Python and Javascript.

We believe coding is an important tool that applies to every subject, as it is a great way for students to apply their knowledge to create new apps and programs. I hope you'll join us.

Ben and Pat

PS. If you are interested in getting your whole class involved, go for it on your own! All of the materials are available online (http://csedweek.org/). There are even activities you can do WITHOUT a computer, believe it or not. The Hour of Code project is ongoing all week.

EGHS Students Selected for All-State Chorus

The following students were accepted to the All-State choirs:

Alexia Lekos,  Senior All-State Women's Chorus
Connor Ross, Senior All-State Mixed Chorus
Jazz Sussman-Moss, Junior All-State Mixed Chorus
Caroline Tweedie, Junior All-State Mixed Chorus

Congratulations to all four of these students on their acceptance! Way to go Avengers!

EGHS Students Selected for All-State Band, Orchestra and Jazz Band

Congratulations to the following EGHS students who made All-State Band, Orchestra or Jazz Ensemble.  

http://www.wallpaperbasti.com/wallpapers/music/musical-notes/4.jpg

Ian Lebovitz - Junior Concert Band

Kathy Wu - Junior Concert Band

Anthony Agatillo - Junior Jazz Ensemble

Jessie Huang - Junior Orchestra

Anthony Agatiello - Junior Symphonic Band

Anthony Soscia - Junior Symphonic Band

Andrew Miner - Senior Jazz Ensemble

Grace Miner - Senior Orchestra

Gauri Ganesh - Senior Orchestra

Chase Buckley - Senior Orchestra

Alexia Lekos - Senior Orchestra

Kathryn Hollingsworth - Senior Orchestra

Heather Shen - Senior Orchestra

Julian Wu - Senior Orchestra

Will Campbell - Senior Band

Well done Avengers!

Student Work Exemplar- AP US History

Student Work Exemplar- Wei Li, AP US History, Document Based Question (DBQ)

Prompt:  To what extent was the conflict between Great Britain and her North American colonies economic in origin rather than rooted in political and social controversies and differences?

Winners are sometimes the losers.  Such was the case with Great Britain.  After numerous wars across the globe, including King George’s War and the French and Indian War, Britain emerged as a world superpower.  It had defeated its French and Spanish foes; inturn, it received the largest share of the North American colonies.  Yet this “winner” did not win in every respect.  Though Britain had emerged victorious, it had also emerged with the greatest debt.  This debt caused Britain to more forcefully control its overseas colonies, instead of prolonging salutary neglect. To pay its debt, Britain imposed several economic acts upon her colonies, inciting the colonists anger.  Yet these acts were not the only reason for conflict as there were also social and political controversies and differences between the mother country and her colonies.  In all, the conflict between Great Britain and her North American colonies was mainly economic in origin, but social and political controversies a played a role.

The conflict between Britain and her colonies was mainly economic in origin due to the acts that Great Britain imposed and their view of the role of the colonies.  Britain adhered to the idea of mercantilism - that a country’s wealth was measured in the amount of gold and silver it possessed.  Thus, the colonies were only existent to support its mother country economically by providing goods and a market for British exports.  After the French and Indian War, Britain enforced the policy of mercantilism.  As Document D states, “The colonies are generally restricted in all of their foreign trade,” because of mercantilism as all goods were “reserved for the British realm.”  This led to conflict because American colonists soon experienced many shortages and their economy was stifled.  The paper money they printed depreciated quickly in value.  Furthermore, Britain also imposed economic acts that resulted in conflict.  One of these acts was the Stamp Act, which required that all “official documents” be stamped and subjected to a tax.  Such an act, according to Document B, was “Extremely burdensome and grievous” and “restrictions imposed… render them unable to purchase the manufactures of Great Britain.”  This act led to conflict because the colonists had their pocketbook pinched yet Great Britain saw no reason why colonists should not help in repaying the debt from war.  Lastly, other atrocious acts imposed by Great Britain were the Sugar Act and Townshend Acts which added to the conflict.  The Sugar Act was hated because again the colonists did not see why they should pay the tax.  The Townshend Acts were even more despised because it added a tax on tea, something everyone drank.  As a result of such acts, colonists rebelled as shown in Document C, the list of people who were part of the Sons of Liberty and took part in the act of tarring and feathering British officials.  These acts, particularly, the Townshend Acts led Britain to place two regiments in the colonies, further stirring the conflict.  In all, economic controversies played a huge role in the conflict between Great Britain and her colonies.  

In addition to economic controversies, social differences played a role in the conflict.  Overtime the colonists had developed different philosophies and ideologies from their mother country.  The colonists believed in republicanism and Whig ideals which emphasized the virtue of its citizenry, civic virtue, and vigilance against corruption.  Britain had none of that since corruption within its government was widespread.  This led to conflict because  the American colonists who believed in virtue could not stand the autocratic government imposed by the British.  In America people could change classes with hard work and virtue.  Yet in Britain, people were born into their social class.  The British looked down upon their American subjects as shown by the fact that during previous wars no colonists were promoted above the title of captain, embarrassing people like George Washington who was never promoted above the title of a mere “colonel.” This disagreement over ideals also led to conflict.  Lastly, Britain’s view on the colonists led to conflict because they did not give colonists, the same rights as British citizens, As shown in Document F, “All persons born into British American colonies … were well entitled to all natural rights,”  but this was not exactly the case.  Instead, colonists were seen as inferior and this led to further conflict.  As shown, social differences also led to conflict.

Lastly, political controversies also played a role between Great Britain and the colonies.  First, there were problems regarding governments.  After so many years of salutary neglect, colonists got use to self-government.  They were accustomed to making their own rules as shown by Document G, were the colonists declared their rights, “entitled to life liberty and property.”  Furthermore, colonists refused to be taxed without any representation as it is “essential to the freedom of people… that no taxes be imposed on them but with their own consent.”  (Document B)  These different viewpoints led to great controversy since Britain saw no reason why the colonists shouldn’t bear part of the debt and listen to them, since they were part of the British empire.  Moreover,  other political controversies led to conflict.  For example, the Quebec Bill, as shown in Document H, was one of the reasons America was in flames.  It granted land to the French in Quebec and gave the French the rights they had before, as a reconcilatory measure, but the Americans became furious.  They saw the move as a restriction to the movement and distrusted the bill.  In addition, Britain's political move of giving land back to the French also led to discontent as Americans saw their efforts in the King George’s War wasted.  Lastly, the Proclamation of 1763, by the British, added to the conflict as the American’s westward movement was hindered.  Colonists saw the move as stifling of their “property rights” (Document G) and the discontent added to the conflict.  Thus, political discontent helped fuel the fire of discontent.

In all, economic controversies were the main factor in the conflict between the American colonies and Great Britain, but social and political controversies also played a role.  Due to mercantilism, and the stifling acts that the British imposed, colonists rebelled by forming groups such as the Sons of Liberty.  Differing social ideologies also contributed to the conflict as the British looked condescendingly down at the colonists.  Political differences also fueled the fire as Britain made several bad moves by passing bills and legislation that further angered the colonists.  In the end the winner may become the loser and the mouse may outwit the cat.

Fall Update from the EGHS School Counseling Office

Fall Update from the East Greenwich High School Counseling Office-

• School Counselors started out the year by going to Freshmen Advisory rooms and explaining credits and GPA and how that translates on the high school transcript, showing each of them a sample high school transcript.  In addition students were shown how to track their courses and graduation requirements on the template that is on the  last page of the Program of Studies.  

• School Counselors are wrapping up the freshmen interviews that take place each fall.  Students are asked to identify a favorite class and what they like most about the high school, (more freedom and mixed classes) along with such things as identifying an academic and/or personal goal they wish to achieve while in high school.  This 1:1 informal meeting is a good way to establish a relationship with our incoming freshmen each year.

• The Guidance Office has been busy meeting with seniors, writing letters of recommendations and processing in the neighborhood of 600 applications so far this year.  If you read the list- serv announcement from the Guidance Office regarding difficulties reported with the Common Application, you are aware of the snags in their system causing many colleges to extend Early Action and Early Decision deadline dates.  However, our materials are being processed with the same accuracy and timeliness as in the past. Mrs. Mong records all of the applications going out to colleges and the subsequent decisions on each of those in our data system.  Those results create the yearly STATS Book that can be viewed in the Guidance Office by students or parents.

• Speaking of the Common Application, we again offered Common Application Workshops both during Advisory and after school.  The next workshop is Tuesday, December 3rd immediately after school.  This is our fourth workshop.

• The Guidance Office hosted around 100 College and University Representatives this year so far.  This is now likely to slow down as representatives’ return to their respective colleges and begin reading applications.  Most of the representatives that visit our school are also "readers" for our students.  A School Counselor sits in on each of these sessions and takes notes that are available to students who may have missed the session. We have Mrs. McCowan to thank for the orchestration of these appointments.

• The School Counseling Office also recently hosted the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Exam of which a number of students took advantage of this year.  Please note that should your son/daughter ever wish to take this in the future EG is able to dictate that no contact or sharing of your child's name is allowed as a result of taking the test.  The results are reviewed by a representative from the military if the student wishes to do so.

• A career awareness activity is in progress for all sophomores. This was recently started during Advisory with a pre-survey to determine how many students can identify a career of choice and what basic knowledge the student is able to provide about the career.  The answers will determine what course of action the student will follow in a subsequent online activity to take place in the next several weeks as they explore, identify and find information about careers with regards to level of education, salary ranges and outlook for job growth both here in RI and nationwide.

• Thanks again to Mary Pyne who edits and summarizes the mountains of scholarship, open house and career opportunities that we receive and posts them on the list serve.

• Hope you have enjoyed the occasional thought provoking college application/process articles I have forwarded from outside sources and will continue to do so when they are of interest to parents and students.

• As always, we are here to support your child during his/her high school years.

#EGHSRI Student Work Series- Adobe Illustrator

All this week we will be posting exemplars of student work. We hope you enjoy seeing some of the amazing work our students create daily here at East Greenwich High School.

Today's student work are "Pattern Designs" from Mrs. Agresti's Adobe Illustrator classes:

Caroline Neupauer

Kourtney Clements

Kristin Carosotto

Michael Ranalli

#EGHSRI Student Work Series- Ceramics 2

All this week we will be posting exemplars of student work. We hope you enjoy seeing some of the amazing work our students create daily here at East Greenwich High School.

Today's student work comes from Mrs. Munzert's Ceramics 2 classes:

#EGHSRI Student Work Series: Current American Issues

All this week we will be posting exemplars of student work. We hope you enjoy seeing some of the amazing work our students create daily here at East Greenwich High School.

From Mrs. Driscoll's Current American Issues Class

Prompt:  After Reading the Good Soldiers evaluate what it means to be a good leader.  Was the main character Sargent Ralph Kauzlarich a good leader?  Use evidence from the text to support your response.

            To be a leader, one must be able to evaluate a situation and decide what is the best course of action for yourself and those you are responsible for.  A good leader is one who is able to determine what to do in order to receive the best possible outcome.  Being a leader in the military is, in my mind, one of the most difficult responsibilities one can have.  A military leader is responsible for making decisions for a group of people who are fighting for our entire nation.  Many things are incorporated into being a good leader.  They must decide what to do next if they made the wrong decision, and not let that get in the way of what they decide to do next.  They must determine what type of relationship they will have with the soldiers they are leading.  They must respect you but at the same time it helps if they like you.  Being a good leader is a skill that many cannot obtain.  However, I believe Kauzlarich was able to prove himself as a great leader. 

            A leader is one who can take the worst situation and find the little dime of hope that his people need.  This is exactly what Kauzlarich did in Iraq.  “He would take in eastern Baghdad inhale its bitter, burning air, and say, its all good.”  This is just one example of how Kauzlarich is able to find one small rose in a pile of rubble.  While the other soldiers were waking up wishing they were safe at home, Kauzlarich, missed home too, but was able to keep a positive outlook on the given conditions.  Kauzlarich did not think of himself above others just because of his ranking.  “The greatest leaders of previous wars may not have had sewers, but Kauzlarich was determined to in his version, and in a meeting in mid-May he made it clear his desire to succeed.”  This illustrates that Kauzlarich is a good leader because he does not judge himself by the success of others.  He does what he needs to do in order to be the best leader he can be even if his expectations are above and beyond what may seem possible.

            A leader must also be a role model.  Kauzlarich had soldiers that looked up to him not only as a leader, but as a person.  “Part of command is to know a soldier only well enough to send him into battle, but once an injury occurred, that soldier became unforgettable to Kauzlarich.”  To me, this is how a leader in war should be.  You cannot become too close to your soldiers, but you must have a heart.  Kauzlarich was a man who was able to control when to use his heart and when to use his head.  Kauzlarich was a leader that motivated his battalion to keep fighting.”  In every case the soldiers continued to fight.  The good soldiers, as far as Kauzlarich was concerned, had become “great soldiers.”  The soldiers may have been great but they could not have become great without a great leader.  That leader was Sargent Ralph Kauzlarich.

#EGHSRI Student Work Series: Algebra 1

From Mrs. Chace's Algebra 1- "I am very proud of all of my Algebra I students!  This activity illustrates the connections they have made between an equation, a table of values, a set of order pairs, a word problem, and a graph of a line.  Awesome work!!"

#EGHSRI Student Work Series: Ceramics 1

All this week we will be posting exemplars of student work. We hope you enjoy seeing some of the amazing work our students create daily here at East Greenwich High School.

Today's student work comes from Mrs. Munzert's Ceramics 1 classes:

Day of the Dead at EGHS

Students in Ms. O'Day and Mrs. Gendreau's Spanish 3 and 4 Honors classes welcomed kindergarten students from the Frank Spazziano Bilingual School in Providence to a celebration of the Day of the Dead. EGHS has had a relationship with this Providence school for 10 years. This year students made original "books" for their young friends, teaching them about the Day of the Dead and the history of the Aztecs that they had learned about in their classes. Our students also organized interactive age appropriate activities for the young students to enjoy. All of this was carried out in Spanish; an authentic use of the language of instruction for our students. 

Click the link to see more pictures.https://sites.google.com/site/eghsworldlanguages/

East Greenwich Public Library Art Show

Foundations, Studio I and Photography I students have work on display at the East Greenwich Public Library.

Foundations of Art: Erin Culf, Raven Leshin Szewczok, Kat Mclaughlin

Studio I: Sophia Almeida, Tressa Burnett-Tessa, Maddie DiSanto, Mariola Johnson, Grace Mahoney, Margaret McCaffrey, Zane Yu

Photography I: Nina Darcy, Izzie Iannotti, Sam Badeau, Racquel Rodriguez, Marissa McCann, Garrett Elderkin, Molly Bisset, Brooke Fennell, Sydney Broman, Alea Robinson, Margaret Magee, Kayla Costanza

EGHS JV Volleyball Wins State Title for 2nd Straight Year!

Passed along from a EGHS Parent:

Congratulations to the East greenwich High School JV GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM for winning Divisional State Championship for the 2nd year in a row! This was quite an accomplishment with a small team, a few hurdles, injuries this year and a ton of determination and enthusiasm. Kudos to the team AND the coaches Terri and Ryan Garno!

Team members:    

• Tara Waters
• Maddie DiSanto
• Kaely Larkin
• Fionna Chan
• Elise Warren
• Lauren Keenan
• Lauren Chapski
• Sofia Ruggieri

Well Done Avengers!!!

EGHS New Debate Team

Congratulations to the EG Debate Team who joined the Rhode Island Forensic League as the newest debate team in the league on Saturday. Throughout the day the question: “East Greenwich has a team?” became the rallying cry “East Greenwich has a team!!” The eight members, who were paired in groups of two, competed in three rounds of Parliamentary Style Debate.  Having only has four meetings before formal competition; our students definitely had their work cut out for them.  Mr. Penza was overwhelmed by the success of the team and cannot wait for their next tournament on November 16^th.

The scoring system ranks teams (of which there were 52) and then ranks individuals (of which there were 104). At the end of the day EG ranks were:

Team Rankings: (out of 52)

6^th - Zack Johnson & Milan Toljan

9^th - Katie Allen & Katie Hollingsworth

15^th – Yash Duhri & Alexan Topalian

19^th – Jeremy Bernard – Sasges & Giulio Cataldo

Individual Rankings: (out of 104)

6^th – Yash Duhri

7^th – Katie Hollingsworth

25^th – Zack Johnson

Judges are always needed for the tournaments. Any faculty member or parent who wishes to judge should contact Mr. Penza (mpezna@egsd.net)

Below is a picture of the team waiting to see their results.

Entire EGHS Community Helps Support Auditorium Improvements

Recently the East Greenwich High School auditorium, especially the sound and lighting, has gone through a series of improvements. These improvements could not be possible without the generosity  of the entire EGHS school community.  Thank you to the many individuals, class advisors and graduating classes who helped make this all possible.  Special thanks to Mr. Petrucci, Mr. Kenney, Mr. Lussier, Mr. Carniaux, and Mr. Hyde for the countless hours spent creating new opportunities and this great auditorium for our students to demonstrate their amazing talents.
Thank you all for your support of EGHS and enjoy tonight's Cabaret!

   

EG Places 3rd at Yale Physics Olympics...and Best Costume!

From Mr. Lenox-
"Congratulations to Ali Marcus, Michelle Xiong, Chris Luo and Neil Fachon for a 3rd place finish at the Yale Physics Olympics.

They competed in 5 impromptu/inquiry events that drew upon their physics knowledge along with basic science information. Although they did not place in any of the 5 events, they did well enough overall for a 3rd place finish... very impressive. Teams consisted of 4 students, and we were one of 50 New England schools competing in this event at Yale University."

They also had some great costumes for the event!

Well done Avengers!

EGHS Student Named as 2013 US Paralympic High School Track and Field All-American

Congratulations to East Greenwich High School student Justin Ferra, who has been named to the 2013 U.S. Paralympic High School Track and Field All-American list!  Justin is one of only 55 athletes throughout the United States to receive this honor.  Justin's outstanding performances in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and Javelin helped to earn him this national recognition.

We congratulate Justin, his family, and his fellowAll-American athletes on this very special recognition. Well done!

For Your Advanced Planning Next Week- It is Spirit Week at EGHS!

Spirit Events & Activities

Monday  10/14       

            Columbus Day

Tuesday  10/15      

            Scavenger Hunt begins at 7:00 AM

            Theme day – Superhero Day

           

Wednesday  10/16 Class Theme Day

            2014: USA-wear red, white and blue                          

            2015: Decades-wear something from a bygone decade (20’s, 50’s, 80’s…etc)

            2016: Pajamas-come to school in your PJ’s

            2017: Hawaiian Luau-throw on some flower necklaces and straw skirts!

Thursday  10/17     a. Class Color Day

            2014:  Black

            2015: Blue

            2016: Green

            2017: Yellow

          

Friday  10/18           

            Scavenger Hunt concludes at 7:30 AM

            Class T-Shirt Day

            Pep Rally (1:00 PM, Day 6, period 2)

            Homecoming Football Game at 7:00 PM

Saturday  10/19      Homecoming Dance (7:00-10:00 PM)

If you are not on Twitter, but still want to see all the messages of appreciation and gratitude from East Greenwich High School students, educators and parents from 9/22/2013-10/06/2013 then please click the link below. The link will take you to the postings via Storify.com

http://storify.com/mpodraza/eghsmatters-messages-of-appreciation-9-23-to-10-6

COMMENDED EGHS STUDENTS IN THE 2014 NATIONAL MERIT® SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Press Release-

The principal, Michael Podraza, of East Greenwich High School, announced today that
Eleanor G. Bodell-Kudla, Julia E. Gowell, Christopher D. Luo and Michelle Xiong have been
named Commended Students in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of
Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which
conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.
“These four students are an embodiment of the East Greenwich High School mission and
core values,” said Podraza. “They have achieved success measured against the highest academic
standards. The EGHS community is extremely proud of them and is honored to celebrate their
accomplishment.”
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their
exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2014 competition for
National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more
than 1.5 million students who entered the 2014 competition by taking the 2012 Preliminary SAT/
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMQT®).
“Recognizing academically talented students plays a fundamental role in the
advancement of educational excellence within our nation,” commented an NMSC spokesperson.
“The young people recognized as Commended Students represent some of the best and brightest
minds in the country. We sincerely hope this recognition will provide them with additional
educational outlets and motivate them in their pursuit of academic achievement.”

Killing Bullies With Kindness...

“How would your life be different if…You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day…You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

It's part of my nighttime routine.

Before I go to bed and when I wake up I check to see what has been posted to the @EGHSMatters Twitter account so that I can retweet those #EGHSMatters hashtags for the school community and the rest of the world to see the messages of kindness, support and appreciation sent from all of the great teachers, students and community members that we have in East Greenwich sharing their appreciation for our many and diverse talents in the classroom, on the stage, field and in the community.

In just over four weeks, @EGHSmatters has grown from zero to 242 followers. In addition, 475+ messages of kindness and appreciation have been exchanged already within our school community. And we are just scratching the surface.

As you walk the halls at EGHS and look at the faces of our school community, it is easy to discover through other people's eyes that there is something different going on this year. A growing culture of appreciation and kindness among the faculty and students. It's a different feeling in the building. Smiles are greatly increased. Adults and kids are more readily recognizing one another for their successes, contributions and kindness. We are finding that recognizing the things that make each individual special- knowing that building people up rather than making them feel weak makes us all stronger. Appreciating and empowering someone and believing in them can make a difference, change their attitudes, change their lives. And it is making a difference this year. Last night was the best example yet.

While looking over the #EGHSMessages, one in particular caught my eye:

• When a twitter that could have turned into cyber bullying was created, I think it's great that EG refused to participate

This, of course, required me to investigate further... that led me to another Tweet:

• so someone started a EGHS gossip page and it's gunna cause drama just like at rocky hill I blocked them

Then another:

• RIP EGHS gossip 10/1/13-10/1/13, while you only existed for 23 minutes, you will always be remembered as the worst idea in school history

Another:

• No ones taken time to point out that eghs gossip was using askfm the biggest cyber bullying social network in existence to base their tweets

Another:

• Literally what is/was EGHS Gossip I am not comprehending AT ALL

And more:

• I wonder what attention *seeker* was responsible for the terrible EGHS gossip
• now my whole feed went from "EGHS Gossip is stupid" to "RIP EGHS Gossip even though you only lasted 23 minutes"
• My whole feed is about eghs gossip�� you're all stupid
• this is just immature.. I'm out
• i think there should b a EGHS compliment twitter not a gossip twitter tbh 

In piecing together the story of the evening, as the first Tweet indicated, someone tried to create a hateful and hurtful gossip site and our kids summarily refused to participate. They outright rejected the notion. 

In fact, they shut it down completely in 23 minutes flat. 

I don't think that I have been prouder of our kids in the time that I have been here, and the teachers whom I have shared this with have expressed that same feeling.

Bullies need to operate in the shadows to succeed. They use fear, intimidation and social acceptance in order to continue their actions. When a light is shined on them, or even more importantly, when it is socially unacceptable to bully, it stops. 

10% of kids are bullied. 10% are bullies. 80% either accept and ignore it or they have the power to stop it. Last night, EGHS students stopped it. By themselves. Because it was the right thing to do.

There are lots of reasons why people bully, spread hate, fear or try to mistreat others. Jealousy, anger, frustration, attempts to move up in a social circle by trying to stand on top of others... every bully has a story, and we should spend as much time trying to understand them as we do trying to punish or rehabilitate them. Their actions reveal their weakness, not a strength. We need to consider treating them with kindness and understanding too, because that's what our culture is all about at East Greenwich High School.

EGHS does matter. And our kids just proved it once again.

EGHS GSA Members Volunteer at 28th Annual AIDS Walk

Amy Kulm, Julia Gowell, AliceMae Goodwin and Caroline Tweetie.

On Saturday September 28th, members of the Gay Straight Alliance( GSA) volunteered at the 28th annual AIDS Walk in Providence. This walk raises money for AIDS victims and provides free HIV testing. For the last couple of years, GSA has been making AIDS quilts in memory of victims that have died. We cover the quilts with items to celebrate the life of each victim. Saturday, members worked with the AIDS Quilt Memorial in recruiting walkers to carry the quilts around Providence on a 2.5 mile course.

Thanks to AliceMae Goodwin for forwarding the information for this post.