Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A Parent's Poem for EG Softball Seniors

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The following poem was written and read at at last week's "Senior Softball Night". Thank you to Mrs. DeFusco for sharing it with me so that I could post it for the entire EGHS Community. 

Written for Jackie, Kyra, Brooke, Rachel, Hannah & Becca.

Six little girls, with their cute little curls
stepped on a field the first time.
The balls rolled under their legs,
and they swung metal pegs
listening to mom & dad as they chimed
(but all they could hear was Mrs. DeFusco)

Coach Doug paced by the fence,
picked them up when they tensed
the bubble gum flowed by the tons;
They got close to the States,
Oh how painful their fate,
But the girls smiled as they had so much fun.

Onto Cole they did go,
Hannah pitching the show
They came close but could not capture the crown.
Then to travel they went
their whole summers they lent
to practice and traveling around.

High school, WHAT A TEAM!
Two championships! Coach P never dreamed
he would coach such talented jewels.
Who knew way back when
These girls together, a ten
Would develop such amazing tools.

Season 3 started off great.
Hannah rejoined, but too late,
to win the states three in a row.
They were not taken off track,
Season 4 brought us Black.
For games she won with her throw.
  
Ray Ray and Brooke the outfield,
Jackie and Hannah, infield steel
Becca and Kyra handling the plate.
They fight hard for their wins,
That will bring us to grins,
to bring another win home from the States.

Coach P. thanks for your hours given
Selflessly driven
to take this team to new heights.
Never imagining greatness,
these six girls and their gracious
teammates, all great in their own rights.

I must personally say
Doug, thank you, a great day
when you rejoined our girls in high school.
They love having you near
Your presence and great cheer
They will all miss you. You are SUPER COOL!
(Best I could do on short notice)

Who could forget about Amy
Taking pictures like crazy
of the girls from kids to adults.
Mike, we can’t forget you,
Beltone’s support and all that you do,
to help them bring great results.

To the parents of these girls,
My memories are all pearls,
Great times I’ve shared with you all.
Sorry if I was too loud,
It’s only cuz I am so proud
Of these six little girls who play such great ball.

We are sad to move on
from the times that are gone
But our memories blaze fiercely in mind.
Kyra, Becca and Brooke
Jackie, Ray, Hanna, take a good look.
Of your futures you are off to find.

I love you all.  Thank you for the memories.

Student Poem

John Hare
Mr. Kenney
Honors Sophomore English
22 May 2014
A soldier

For love or hate, for duty or wages,
To die in battle is their destiny.
Their names will survive through the ages
Set in stone, for all soldiers to see.
The winds of change may blow throughout the land;
Men die fighting in dreams of realms set free.
Kings come, kings go, to hold their world in hand
The names as many as leaves of a tree.
But only they, the few, remain behind
Dining in Valhalla, home of the brave.
To know themselves, no secrets still to find
Yet their lives, future, and purpose they gave.
These are men who paid the price eternal
That we, the free, will treasure immemoria

Friday, May 23, 2014

Four Paths to Senior Project Success

The following was sent to EGHS parents and guardians from Ms. Gilden-

Re:  The EGHS New Senior Project

Good afternoon.

We are pleased and excited to announce that EGHS has a new Senior Project.  We completed a review of the Senior Project revamp with your children during advisory today.  For the past year, we have been speaking with students, parents, faculty members, and community members to discover how we can make the Senior Project more relevant to our students.  We believe that student choice can be the hallmark of success in any educational endeavor.  

For this reason, we offer a Senior Project experience that can be met through the student’s successful completion of one of the following four pathways:

Academic Research:  Student to engage in thesis driven, in-depth objective research in an area selected by student in consultation with a mentor/advisor leading to submission of a minimum 14 - 16 page paper and an oral presentation and defense of thesis by student before a review panel. Student passion controls the focus of research.

Example of Research focus:  
Is the death penalty a viable sentence in today’s penal system?

Student engages in the critical examination of primary and secondary sources, synthesis of arguments, writing of a research paper, and eventual defense of student’s thesis during presentation day, applying the most rigorous of EGHS learner expectations.

Career Exploration:  Student to engage in career exploration including completion of an individual career assessment, career informational interviews, minimum 20 hours of job shadow, holistic assessment of mentor business, industry report (minimum 6-10 pages) which includes research on two post- secondary schools meeting career requirements, reflections of job shadowing experience, personal resume, and cover letter.  

We strongly believe that the participation of students in a thorough career assessment and mentorship with a member of the business community can motivate and inspire the students to think about the connection between a degree and a career. This connection can assist with selecting colleges, hopefully providing the best fit the first time and make the college experience more meaningful and easier to navigate.  This exploration is an asset for the student who chooses high school to career as well.  This pathway offers real world application of all EGHS learner expectations.

New Creative Skill:  This is similar to what EGHS currently has as a Senior Project. However, the new pathway does not require a research paper and has increased minimum fieldwork hours and journal requirements.  Student will learn a new skill, which exhibits a true and extended learning stretch requiring at least 30 hours of fieldwork with a mentor.   There are reflective journals (narrative evidence of the creative process), documentation of project (example: multimedia - video/photographic evidence) through a process portfolio, and live performance of the skill before the review panel, if applicable.

Examples:  Students can explore their creative passions.  They may compose music for a jazz ensemble, choreograph and perform a dance recital, create 3-D sculpture in stone - all opportunities to demonstrate high quality and complex new skills.

Here students choose a new creative skill that is meaningful and relevant to them.  They are in the driver’s seat.
Community Service Learning:  Student must work with local community officials, non-profit organizations, agencies, businesses, and/or community members to assess what issues matter to the community, what resources may be available, and what kinds of programs or initiatives might be possible to address community needs.  Student shall develop an action plan in collaboration with community groups/non-profits directly impacted by proposed action.  Student can consider a direct action campaign, grant, or use of community resource that is not realized. Student shall evaluate whether the initiative is working and how the initiative is best sustained by suggesting strategies.  Fieldwork must be a minimum of 20 hours; 10 hours of that time must be spent shadowing a member of the organization to understand its mission, objectives, and goals, among other things.  Evidence of learning stretch will include assessments, outline of initiative, mission statement, strategies, a final action plan, a process portfolio with copies of all written documents generated and information collected by student.  
This pathway embraces a culture of engagement through student commitment to civic responsibility.  Students will create a solution to an issue and actively contribute to the quality of life in their community.  Simply put, this pathway gives students the opportunity to “be the change”!

All pathways require an oral presentation.

The New Senior Project Website can be found at this link (double click on title):       EGHS Senior Project Revamp   
    
or go to: https://sites.google.com/site/eghsseniorprojectrevamp/

Please review the entire website, particularly the introduction and handbooks.  The handbooks for the four pathways, forms, PPT guides, student checklist (due dates), and any other documents required for Senior Project are provided in the website.   If you have any questions, please contact me at joanne.gilden@gmail.com.  I look forward to working with all of your children!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

World Language Students score Nationally

The World Language Department is proud to announce the students who received awards for their scores on the National Exams.

French
Level 2
Mariola Johnson 2016 10th in RI
Cathy Wu 2017 10th in RI
Level 3
Katherine Yan 2016 5th in RI
Ben Acker 2016 7th in RI
Grace Miner 2016 10th in RI
Jeremy Bernard-Sasges 2 in RI
Level 4
Kathy Luo 2015 3rd in RI
Thedita Pederson 2015 5th in RI
Stephanie Gibadlo 2014 9th in RI
Katie Hollingswork 2016 9th in RI
Level 5
Sarah Shoer 2014 9th in RI
Anthony Bernard-Sasges 1 in RI


Latin
Level 2
Eitan Vilker 2017 Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Timothy Sanzi 2017 Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Allison Jodoin 2016 Magna Cum Laude
Ian Lebovitz 2017 Cum Laude
Ryan Teng 2016 Cum Laude
Michael Kowalski 2016 Cum Laude
Caroline Tweedie 2017 Cum Laude
Level 3
Eva Lindquist 2016 Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Evan Carpenter 2015 Magna Cum Laude
Olivia Wiggins 2014 Magna Cum Laude
Samantha Rodriguez 2015 Magna Cum Laude
Harrison Timperle 2015 Cum Laude
Margaret Rodrigue 2015 Cum Laude
Level V
Bobby Lepre 2014 Cum Laude


Spanish
Level 1
Ian Cusick 2017 Silver 88 percentile
Erika Shipley 2017 Bronze 75 percentile


Level 2
Emily Cheng 2017 Bronze 77 percentile
Devin Kasparian 2016 Bronze 81 percentile
Level 3
Sarah Shoer 2014 Bronze 77 percentile
Nadia Halder 2016 Bronze 80 percentile
Zane Yu 2016 Gold 95 percentile
Lauren Trapani 2016 Gold 99 percentile
Zane Yu 2015 Gold 95th percentile
Rebecca Yant 2015 Silver 93 percentile
Jeremy Bernard-Sasges 2016 Silver 92 percentile
Level 4
Brian Eagan 2014 Bronze 82 percentile
Keira Meiser 2015 Bronze 82 percentile
Adam Sticca 2015 Bronze 78 percentile
Catherine Karbasiafshar 2015 Bronze 77 percentile
Catherine Streich 2015 Gold 98 percentile
Level 5

Anthony Bernard-Sasges 2014 Silver 92 percentile

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Class of 2014 Valedictorian Wins National Honor Society Scholarship

East Greenwich, Rhode Island –Heather Shen, a senior and member of the National Honor Society at East Greenwich High School, has been named one of 53 state winners in the National Honor Society Scholarship from NASSP, Two hundred NHS Finalists were first chosen from among nearly 5,000 applicants. From the 200 finalists, 53 state winners were selected. Each state winner receives a $1,500 college scholarship.

As the NHS Advisor, I can attest that Heather is a model student of our school community. In addition to being one of our top performing student leaders, she possesses a character that is friendly, supportive, and genuine. While soft-spoken, she leads by example in the classroom… in concert… and on the tennis court. She focuses her energy on one thing at a time and masters it, mostly because she sets high standards for herself and pursues them. Furthermore, she is unselfish with her time and talents.

Participating National Honor Society chapters from across the country nominated at least two senior
members to compete in this year's program. Finalists were selected on the basis of their leadership skills, participation in service organizations, clubs and other student groups at school and in the community; and their academic record. As a state winner, Heather Shen is recognized as one of the top 53 NHS members in the nation this school year.

"We are proud to recognize Heather Shen, for her outstanding achievements and contributions to her school." said Ann Postlewaite, NASSP director of Student Programs. "Students nominated for the NHS Scholarship not only demonstrate academic excellence, but also extraordinary performance in service, leadership, and character - traits that are more important today than ever before. In recognizing leadership and involvement in student activities as well as strong academic performance, the NHS Scholarship acknowledges the importance of a well-rounded education."
While at East Greenwich High School, Heather Shen has been vice President of the Student Council, and the President of the Environmental Club. This fall she plans to attend Stanford University to study engineering.

About the National Honor Society Scholarship

NHS Scholarships have been awarded by NASSP since 1946, providing more than $12 million in scholarships to outstanding NHS members. Now in its 68th year, the program annually awards $250,000 in scholarships. Only chapters with active affiliation are eligible to participate in the NHS Scholarship Program.  Additional information about the program can be found at www.nhs.us/scholarships.

About NASSP
NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance.

Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org.






Monday, May 19, 2014

EGHS Senior Wins Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship Award

We are proud to announce that Senior Jamie Fugere was recently awarded a Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship Award.  Only three students were awarded this Scholarship in the State of Rhode Island and Jamie was fortunate enough to be one of the recipients among hundreds of Statewide participants.

Jamie was required to write an essay on the importance of Sportsmanship and Volunteer Work.  This was the first step in making the cut and her essay and photo were placed on the voting site under the High School of East Greenwich.  Most High Schools were represented with numerous individuals posted along with their essays and photos.  Then there was a month of voting that took place online, from which Hood took the top ten (10) in the State and interviewed each of them individually at McCoy Stadium.

Jamie received the great news last week
that she was a recipient of one of the three Hood Sportsmanship Scholarships which will be put to good use when she attends Providence College in the fall.

We are very excited and proud of the recognition awarded to Jamie and wish her great success at Providence College.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Quick Wrap-up Wednesday's Pre-prom Assembly & Prom Reminders

Pre-prom
Wednesday (5/14) at EGHS all Juniors, Seniors and Underclassmen students who are attending the Prom today (Friday 5/16) had an assembly during the Advisory period.  During the assembly we continued to spread the message that student and community safety is everyone's responsibility.

In addition to hearing from me, students also heard from Municipal Court Judge, College Professor, EG resident, and father of three; Mr. David Bazar.  It was a pleasure to have Mr. Bazar speak and connect with students using both his professional and personal experiences.

The "stars" of the assembly however were the students themselves.  As always, our students never cease to amaze.  This time it was students from our TV Production class helped to kick off the assembly with this video.


Prom Reminders

  • Students can begin to arrive at the prom at 6:30 pm. All students must be at the prom by 7:30 pm, no exceptions.
  • The Prom will run until 11:00pm, the earliest students may leave the prom is 10:30 pm.
  • Any paperwork associated with the prom is no longer being accepted (early dismissal & guest permission).

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Parent & Guardian Letter & Schedule of Senior Activities SY 13-14

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Enclosed with this letter, you will find the "Schedule for Seniors" which outlines the responsibilities for seniors from May - June. We request that your son or daughter not make any commitments that will interfere with this schedule. Seniors are encouraged to work hard during the remaining days of school to insure their successful completion of graduation requirements.

The graduation ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 1:00 PM at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (the VETS).  Due to the large seating capacity of that facility, tickets will not be needed for seating.  Some parking will be available on the surrounding streets.  There are also several parking lots normally reserved for State offices that are open for parking on Sundays. Graduating seniors must arrive no later than 12:15 PM.  Guests will not be admitted any earlier than 12:30 PM.

Graduation from high school is a ceremony that comes only once in a person's lifetime. We attempt to make it an experience that will hold meaning for all of the graduates of East Greenwich High School. We ask that you as parents help us in impressing upon your son/daughter the dignity and honor of this occasion. Please discuss with your child the importance of courteous and appropriate behavior and proper dress throughout the graduation and Ivy Day exercises.

One of the concerns that we all share at this time of year is the increase in social activities celebrating graduation and the potential for tragedies resulting from substance abuse. We will discuss this topic with our seniors and impress upon them our concern for their safety.  Parents should take every opportunity to remind their children of these dangers and let them know how important their lives are to all of us.  We also want to remind seniors to avoid behavior which could jeopardize their participation in the graduation ceremony.

On behalf of the entire high school faculty, I would like to thank you for the support that you have given to East Greenwich High School. We look forward to sharing with you the joy that the graduation season brings to our students and the East Greenwich community.

Sincerely,


Michael J. Podraza

Principal



Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Sailing Team Takes 2nd Place at New England Championship

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Hyannis Yacht Club Barnstable HS, May 11, 2014

The women of the East Greenwich High School Sailing Team finished second
overall Sunday in the 2014 New England Women's Championship.

EGHS team captains Taylor McCann '14 and Julia Gowell '14 led the team as
skippers for the event. Crews were: Danielle Elson '15, Brittany Ingram '15,
Katarina Diepholz '15, Catherine Streich '15.

Race organizers reported that conditions were shifty in Barnstable, out of
the West/South West for most of the morning into the afternoon.  A strong
warm sea breeze arrived just after noon and kicked up to puffs over 20
knots.

The EGHS team raced strongly all day in the 11-boat fleet which represented
schools from around New England. In the end, the lady Avengers finished only
2 points behind first place Tabor and a held a commanding lead over third
place Dartmouth.

The team earned a berth at the event by qualifying earlier this season at
one of the three regional qualifiers.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Books to Film Presents...

On Thursday 5/22 at 7pm in the EGHS Auditorium, Mr. DeCubellis' Books to Film Class is proud to present the following student productions:  





Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Speakers Bio's for Wednesday's Advisory Career Forum

East Greenwich High School is pleased to welcome the following speakers who have graciously volunteered their time to speak to our students during the EGHS Guidance Department's Career Forum.

Career "clusters" were selected by surveying the student body regarding their areas of potential career interest.  The Guidance Department then solicited and secured speakers for the top four clusters.  This year's clusters are: 
  1. Arts, A/V Technology and Communication
  2. Business Management and Administration
  3. Health Science
  4. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Below are brief biographies of all of the speakers scheduled to present and answer questions from students at Wednesday's forum.

Our thanks go to all of the speakers for lending their expertise to our students. 

Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications Auditorium

Joe Madden

Mr. Madden is Vice President of Public Relations for Fidelity Investments’ Personal Investing Division, Fidelity's retail personal finance unit which provides financial planning, wealth management, retirement, insurance, college savings and brokerage products and services to more than 20 million customers. In his current role, he is responsible for broadening awareness of Fidelity’s products, solutions and expertise among its key stakeholders.  Mr. Madden joined Fidelity in May 2012 after 22 years with MetLife. He has over 25 years of experience managing internal and external communications and community affairs and providing strategic communications counsel to senior leaders to convey the value proposition of products and businesses.  Mr. Madden received his BA in Communications from Marist College in 1988 and an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University in 1995.  

John Loughlin
John Loughlin currently works as an executive with the American Motion Picture Investment Fund in Warwick, a company that seeks out and invests in motion pictures and television projects. In addition, John is an on-air talent at News/Talk 630 WPRO in Providence. John has had a varied career as a broadcasting specialist. He started at WSBE channel 36 as a camera operator and researcher, worked at Channel 64, and NBC 10 before being hired by NASA in Washington, DC as Senior Producer for the television coverage of the Space Program. While at NASA John was ‘the voice of mission control” on several Space Shuttle missions.
After NASA John was one of the founding executives of The Military Channel, which is now owned by the Discovery Channel.
John returned to Rhode Island in 2000 to work for Context Media where he was the executive in charge of production for two Discovery Channel documentaries, an NBC documentary and a Lifetime Networks series. In 2005, John founded his production company Media-Rite where he produced a wide range of TV and radio commercials for companies like Fatima Hospital, Ocean State Job Lot, Centreville Bank, Bank Newport and Party City.
In 2012, after a brief stint in Iraq (John spent 27 years as a helicopter pilot in the US Army reserve) John, with several partners founded The American Motion Picture Investment Fund, with offices in Warwick and Los Angeles. he lives in Tiverton, Rhode Island and enjoys sailing during his off time.

Josh Nathanson of  Morris Nathanson Designs

Business Management and Administration Cafeteria

David Piacitelli

Mr. Piacitelli is self-employed his business, Top Line Systems, LLC. He started TLS in 2002 after having worked for 13 years in his family's manufacturing business. He used the knowledge that he gained there to build a business model that addressed a need in the marketplace - skilled sales process for hire.  They are a contract sales company for manufacturing and industrial companies. Essentially, they contract out sales capabilities to companies that need a sales department, but can't put it together, or larger companies that need early stage sales support for their existing sales organization.

Jeff Pembroke

Mr. Pembroke is currently a Group Vice President for Nordson Corporation which is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company with multiple businesses operating around the world. He has executive oversight for three global businesses that design, manufacture and sell fluid dispensing and flow control products into industrial, electronics and medical device markets. Mr. Pembroke’s responsibilities include setting and executing strategies for growth including mergers and acquisitions, allocating resources, hiring and developing talent and achievement of all financial goals such as profitability. He attended the University of New Hampshire and earned a B.S. from the Wittemore School of Business and Economics, and joined General Electrics Financial Management Training Program upon graduation, where he spent 16 years at GE in finance, sales, marketing and general management positions. Mr. Pembroke has been with Nordson Corporation for the past 9 years in senior management positions building and leading global businesses.

Mike Gemma

Mike Gemma is a local East Greenwich businessman who started GEM Barcoding Inc in
the basement of his Danbury CT condo in1993.
GEM Barcoding sells labels, ribbons, printers and scanners to Manufacturers, Hospitals
and retailers across the United States.Most days he goes to work in sweat pants and a sweat shirt. His company operates mainly online and through email nationwide.
Success makes everything seem easy – However Mike Gemma has had far more failures
than successes in his business career. His lifelong dream was to own his own business. He has been called a serial entrepreneur. He started so many companies that he cannot even remember all of them.
It was failure after failure after failure. And yet he never ever looked at any of these businesses as failures – but rather as learning opportunities.



Health Science New Gym

Wendy Schwartz

Dr. Schwartz is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Cumberland.  She received her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan university and my Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She works with adolescents, adults and couples, and has taught at URI, consulted to nursing facilities as well as worked in emergency rooms and inpatient units.

Adam Pallant

Dr. Pallant is a pediatrician and a medical school teacher at the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. He works as the pediatric residency director and primary care pediatrician for kids between birth and 21 years of age at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. Dr. Pallant’s main focus at Brown is to help to teach young doctors how to be pediatricians and his main focus as a pediatrician is to try to help kids who have pain (like headaches or stomach aches) feel better when the cause of their pain comes from stress, loneliness, or sadness. Dr. Pallant also has experience in biology research.

Angela Ciresi

Dr. Ciresi opened Ciresi Chiropractic in 2009 following her dream of a family based hometown practice and wellness center. Dr Ciresi obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois in 1997.  Dr. Ciresi has been specializing in chiropractic wellness care for 15 years now. Always having had a passion for prevention and health working as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer throughout college, she didn't find chiropractic so much as she feels it found her.



Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Old Gym

Angela Loomis

Ms. Loomis is a Regional Technical Manager for Solutionary, a Managed Security Services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Her current role is as a pre-sales engineer for the full breadth of information security services. She supports a US sales team and primarily support the Eastern Team. Before joining Solutionary a year ago, she worked for an Israeli-based security company, and prior to that for Dell SecureWorks for over 8 years.  Her career path has taken me from working as a Technical Director for the news at WJAR to a career change just when the tech bubble "burst" in 2000, to my current role in a company focused on information technology security for businesses. Ms. Loomis started out in college as a theater major, and ended up getting a liberal arts degree in Mass Communications.

Laurie Broman

Dr. Broman is a Medical Scientist with a major biotechnology company, GIlead Sciences.  She has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.  Her job focuses on the research and development of novel medical therapies for Cardiovascular disease.  Dr. Broman was the recipient of the 2012 Alvan Fischer Award, Gilead’s highest award in Medical Affairs.  The award is granted to individuals who exemplify Gilead's core values of Integrity, Accountability, Excellence and Teamwork.

Jonathan Alberts

Mr. Alberts graduated in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Navigation and a US Coast Guard Unlimited Third Mates License. He worked on oceanographic ships for many years and obtained a Coast Guard Master’s license which allowed him to sail as captain of ships in all the world’s oceans, including the Arctic and Antarctic. In 1995, Mr. Alberts completed his Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from Antioch University in Keene, New Hampshire. After twenty-five years of working at sea, Mr. Alberts became a project manager for world-wide oceanographic expeditions and this work continues now in his position at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.