Boston Community Leadership Academy | ||||
 | BCLA Students, Mayor "seek answers" on youth violenceBefore an audience of schoolmates and adults at the Boston Community Leadership Academy (BCLA), thirteen students "Seeking Answers" read from letters about youth violence they had written to Mayor Thomas Menino. Participating in the event, the mayor and school superintendent Thomas Payzant listened intently and responded. Visit the CCE website to read the article by Robert Frank at http://www.ccebos.org/bcla.violenceletters.html. | |||
Boston Day and Evening Academy | ||||
Thriving Partnership Between Boston Day and Evening Academy and Hudson High SchoolBoston Day and Evening Academy has continued its partnership with Hudson High School. Earlier this year, students from Hudson spent the day in Roxbury and in April, forty BDEA students visited Hudson. This exchange program was initiated by BDEA humanities instructor Connie Borab. Prior to the trips, students at both schools identified stereotypes and preconceptions that they have of each other and tried to think how they appear in the eyes of each other. The actual trips provided ample opportunities for dialogue. Follow-up assignments encouraged reflection on the encounter, and allowed students to consider questions of equality that arose from the visit. Ms. Borab commented, "These trips are the ultimate example of experiential education. Students from BDEA are not just learning about other people and other places. They are getting to meet those people face-to-face, to learn from them, and to reflect upon issues that stem from that encounter." The BDEA-Hudson Exchange program is supported by a generous grant from the Foley Hoag Foundation. | ||||
Boston Private Industry Council | ||||
Building Careers Partnership Bolsters Job Shadow Day Effort
This year, 805 students shadowed professionals at 129 Boston area companies. The construction industry, led by the Building Careers Partnership (BCP), made an impressive contribution to the overall totals, hosting 70 students at 25 employer sites. Tradesmen, project managers, architects, engineers, and executives all participated in what proved to be a landmark effort by Greater Boston's construction community. BCP first convened at the request of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in June of 2004, featuring a unique collaboration of construction industry employers and associations, building trade unions, schools, and workforce development organizations. The Partnership's goal is to address projected skill shortages in the construction industry by developing career pathways for Boston youth in both labor and management. Many employers use Job Shadow Day to identify summer job candidates. BCP piloted a summer jobs and careers exploration program in 2005. Upon completion of the summer program, several students were retained in permanent jobs. Building on current momentum, BCP is gearing up to for their 2006 summer program. Drawing from a talented group of high school students, graduates, and college students, BCP employers get a first look at the industry's future workforce. In preparation for the summer, BCP program staff is assembling a pool of Boston youth, many of whom hold an OSHA 10 hour safety certification and are planning to pursue the building trades. Other candidates are enrolled in high school and college courses preparing for careers in engineering. To learn more about the Building Careers Partnership contact Chris Burke at christopher.burke@bostonpic.org or 617 438-5465. | ||||
Brighton High School | ||||
BHS Auction on Friday, May 5th
There will be both a silent and live auction. Local restaurants and parents will provide tapas and other refreshments. The auction is a testament to Brighton High School's commitment to family and community and is a festive way to raise funds for school activities. Please contact Jessica Madden-Fuoco at 617-635-9873 or brightonhighauction@gmail.com if you would like to be a sponsor, donate auction items or need more information. Tickets are $10 for non-family members of Brighton High School. | ||||
BHS Students Craft Page-turners for City's SchoolsAs a group of Brighton High School (BHS) students began the process of meticulously crafting more than 40 books for low-income preschool children, they knew they were doing something special. Through the Jumpstart early education program, which strives to ensure that low-income preschoolers enter school with the skills necessary for their future success, high school students are paired with college-age volunteers. Joanna Bell, volunteer coordinator for Jumpstart and a student at UMASS-Boston, worked alongside students from two separate classes at BHS to create the reading materials. Click here to read Robin Kaminiski's article reprinted from The Allston-Brighton Bulletin. | ||||
Boston Student Advisory Council | ||||
BSAC and the Student Engagement Advisory Council
Student Engagement Advisory Council The Student Engagement Advisory Council (SEAC), advises the High School Renewal Iniative on citywide student engagement and policies affecting young people. Goals include:
Current members of SEAC include; Youth on Board, Teen Empowerment, Boston Plan for Excellence, Boston Student Advisory Council, Mayors Youth Council and OHSR.
Boston Student Voice Project Update (BSVP)
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Center for Collaborative Education | ||||
Small Schools in New York City
Headmaster Oscar Santos, and educators Janira Arocho, Apolinario Barros, Carlos Diaz, and Elizabeth Johnson went to NYC to inspire and challenge themselves as they continually work to improve their new small school. BIHS will have its first graduating class this June. They serve a vibrant student body from 40 different countries speaking 26 languages that are not yet proficient in English. The trip to NYC was an opportunity to visit other successful International Schools and the people who helped start them.
After a pizza lunch with eloquent students and staff members, the team traveled to the NYC Board of Education headquarters to meet with Eric Nadelstern, the Chief Academic Officer for New Schools at the New York City Department of Education in charge of the city's thirty-school Autonomy Zone and the founding principal of Queens International High School (QIHS) at LaGuardia Community College, the first International High School. The discussion ranged widely from lessons of the early years at QIHS to the challenges experienced in starting 180 new small schools in NYC since 2001. The day continued with a meeting at the Internationals Network for Public Schools to explore future connections and ended with a group dinner in Greenwich Village. The trip continued on Friday with a visit to QIHS. The BIHS team felt that the trip exposed them to many valuable ideas, from how to structure their school to specific curriculum ideas. They were able to ask for opinions on important questions (such as exploring the possibility of expanding to a 6th through 12th grade school) from people involved in the International schools movement on many different levels. From the feedback of others on the trip, the experience of the BIHS team was indicative of the success of the trip for all. One participant said “People were really asking the right questions….about how to handle advisories, heterogeneous grouping, school culture and ways to approach standardized testing.” Participants felt that the trip inspired and challenged them to continue their important work. Jeremy Nesoff, Program Associate, Small Schools Network at the Center for Collaborative Education. jnesoff@ccebos.org. | ||||
English High School | ||||
La Organizacion Latina de English High
Club OLEH is currently planning an educational trip to Washington, D.C. at the end of May to visit museums and the White House. We have been working extremely hard to raise $3,000 so all club members can participate. Being $800 shy of the goal, members are selling brownies and little fried, meat-stuffed pastries twice a week. In addition, Mr. Art Garcia, Boston English High School Science Teacher is helping us organize a raffle. If you would like more information, please contact Art Garcia at agarcia3@boston.k12.ma.us. -Odalis David Diaz, President of Club Oleh, Boston English High School Class of 2006…Boston College Class of 2010 | ||||
Fenway High School | ||||
  
| In the Big TentFenway High School, April 2006 It has been over eight years since Fenway engaged in a strategic planning process. In that initiative, a key group of staff, students, parents, and community collaborators met to formulate core principles and long-range goals for the school. In preparing for a new process, Fenway's Board reviewed the Strategic Plan from 1997, and was heartened to see that the goals had been met and that the core principles continue to guide major school decisions. Fenway expected to develop another strategic plan three to five years out from 1997, but was taken up instead with the leadership transition that established Peggy Kemp as Head of School. Ms. Kemp has championed the "Big Tent" approach adopted in this latest round of strategic planning. In the Big Tent model, the aim is to involve as many community members as possible to ensure that every point of view contributes to the vision for the school's future. Inclusion is a deep Fenway value, reflected in almost all gatherings, so it is not suprising that even the volunteer Strategic Planning Committee, consisting of Board members, parents and faculty, had more participants (10-12) than most such committees (3-5). In fact, the outside facilitator selected to lead the three Big Tent meetings in November, January and March, used one word to summarize the turnout: "Amazing!" Each meeting drew 80-100 people. Almost all faculty and staff chose to participate, from the most recently hired teacher (who started in January) to veterans who have been at Fenway over 20 years. Students represented three Houses and three grade levels (10-12). Parents of current and former students swelled the ranks, bringing perspective from families and neighborhoods and helping to connect Fenway's internal and external worlds. One parent commented that the most significant outcome of the meetings was "finding so many folks who are interested in the success of Fenway and getting to think through the issues with them." There were colleagues from other schools, the BPS administration, from the Center for Collaborative Education, and colleges and universities. Special notice goes to Wheelock College for providing the grand space for the Big Tent meetings. Community supporters, too many to name, included Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Project HIP HOP, the Museum of Science, and the Pfizer Research Technology Center. "Personally significant," a supporter wrote, "is to see the dedication of so many people, [and] hearing about the work being done, all in a spirit of respect and openness." There is much work still to be done by the Strategic Planning Committee in shaping the specifics of the plan and having it ratified, but the input and spirit of the Big Tent participants is now deeply embedded in Fenway's vision of the next three to five years. | |||
Health Careers | ||||
A Promising Future in Health Careers: Sixth Annual Health Careers Expo – Thursday April 6, 2006
It's a parent's worst nightmare. A twelve-year old boy has had a bicycling accident. He was not wearing his helmet and has had a head injury. An eager Health Careers student gets the case and must coordinate the care plan by meeting with the appropriate service providers. The student's enthusiasm grows by leaps and bounds and he negotiates the urban setting with other students, health care providers and college representatives. Sounds like a typical hospital scene, right? Not quite. This Health Careers student was one of over three hundred young men and women attending this years sixth annual Health Careers Expo, which was held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center last Thursday. The students who participated in the Expo attend one of the following schools: Health Careers Academy, Parkway Academy of Technology and Health, Community Academy of Science and Health, Monument High School, Brighton High School, J.E. Burke High School and the Health and Human Services Academy of Madison Park High School. Students came to the Expo prepared to discuss their "patient case study." Elizabeth Buckley, Health Industry Cluster Coordinator, had visited each class the week prior to the Expo to assist students in developing a treatment plan for their patient. Upon arrival, the students had the opportunity to discuss their patient with over fifty health care providers, college representatives and college students whose very presence at this event validates the important work that our students, teachers and administrators do every day in our high schools. All volunteers, these dedicated professionals hail from a number of organizations such as Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, Hebrew Senior Life, the Boston Public Health Commission, Children's Hospital of Boston, the American Red Cross and Boston Medical Center. We are serious about preparing our young men and women for challenging careers in the field of Health Professions. This experience is just one example of the exciting opportunities available in our small high schools and small learning communities that focus on health careers. Elizabeth A. Buckley, Health Industry Cluster Coordinator, High School Renewal | ||||
IMPACT II | ||||
IMPACT II Salutes Teachers and Students as Partners in Service Learning
BPS high school teachers and students continue to learn and serve Boston thanks to grants from the Community Higher Education School Partnership (CHESP) supported by Learn and Serve America and the Massachusetts Department of Education. This year teachers and students collaborated from the very first notice of a CHESP grant opportunity. In October, BSAC (Boston Student Advisory Council) members helped advertise and disseminate Grant Guidelines. Then BPS high schoolers were selected from the CHESP Youth Council (a sub group of BSAC) to participate in IMPACT II grant reviews. Guiding and mentoring students was a Tufts Scholar from the project's CHESP Higher Education partner, Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service. Fast forward to the December 12 Awards Orientation that brought together teacher/student partners. The event at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School let grant holders meet and exchange ideas. Awarded CHESP Service-Learning projects cover a wide range of community service, including:
Here is a follow-up to our November article on how CHESP Summer Institute teachers researched Boston women's contributions. Working with Boston Women's Heritage Trail members, participants met noted guest speakers, authors, and historians, and explored local sites including the Adams National Historical Park, Boston Women's Memorial, Museum of Afro American History, and Old State House. Did this professional development opportunity support students in research and literacy activities? Absolutely. As school year 05-06 got underway, Summer Institute teachers engaged students by using Boston Women's Heritage Trail materials from its Boston Women's Memorial Curriculum Writing for Change and the Adams National Historical Park unit Pen and Parchment. Classes visited the Adams site and reflected; visited the Boston Women's Memorial and reflected. Best of all, nearly 600 high schoolers from several disciplines shared project results with administrators and other classes.
A major thesis of CHESP grants is that schools need to work closely with community and higher education partners. By teaming with Boston Women's Heritage Trail and Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service, IMPACT II continues to encourage and support Teachers and Students as Partners in Service Learning. | ||||
Josiah Quincy Upper School | ||||
Underwater Vehicle Visits JQUSImagine a day when we may have robots that will assist us with many of our tasks. Actually, that day has arrived, albeit on a very modest scale. For example, we have all seen television ads for a disc-shaped robotic vacuum cleaner. We suspect that the company that produces this machine is already "cleaning up." MIT reports that "troops in Afghanistan use such machines to explore enemy caves, and soldiers in Iraq use battlefield robots to detect improvised explosive devices and inspect weapons caches." An unmanned jeep is in use to "shuttle supplies to and from combat zones." Researchers continue to work on labor-saving robots from lawn mowers to mobile helpers for the elderly. Grade 6 students had the chance one March morning to get a glimpse of what the future might bring in one area thanks to three research engineers from MIT. Mr. James Morash, Mr. Vic Polidoro, and Ms. Milica Stojanovic, research engineers from MIT's Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Lab, brought to the swimming pool at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School three AUVs to demonstrate underwater robotics. Ms. Stojanovic, we should note, is the parent of a Grade 6 student at the JQUS. Grade 6 students were brought to the pool in groups of 30 to not only observe first hand the intricate maneuvers the AUV can make in the pool, but to have a chance to direct their movement by remote control. They witnessed the robots as they located specific targets under the water. One thing is sure: the robots did not have to worry about chlorine hurting their eyes. | ||||
Harvard Professor Meets with JQUS StudentsGlobal warning, ozone layer, ancient plankton fossils, and carbon dioxide are phrases we hear on television and read about frequently in newspapers, magazines, and scientific journals. Yet how many of us, if asked, could give clear definitions of these terms and clarify their relationships? Well, students in two of our sixth grade classes can probably do a fair job of explaining these phrases and what scientists are doing to better understand their impact on or their relationship to the weather and the environment. This is due to two events, one of which was an informative presentation made to Grade 6 students at JQUS by Dr. Daniel Schrag, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. Professor Schrag is also the Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment. He was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule working in his laboratory and teaching graduate students to visit the Church Street campus. There he spent the morning responding with the assistance of slides to the many questions on global warming that students had raised. In a thank you letter to Professor Schrag, a student wrote, "Before, I thought the world is warming up, big deal. But now I think it is important to stop global warming…When we hurt our environment, we hurt ourselves." The second event was split into two days, with students divided into two groups. Both groups traveled on snowy, blusterous or bitterly cold days. Despite the terrible winter weather, the students, along with their teachers, Ms. Woo and Mr. Crane, and intrepid parent chaperones trucked valiantly through the horrendous weather to get to the T to ride to Harvard Square. There they trudged further across the Harvard Yard to visit Dr. Schrag in his laboratory where they learned how Dr. Schrag and his colleagues analyze the weather from hundreds and thousands of years ago by examining coral samples. Afterwards, they viewed the global warming exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Students not only observed the climate change exhibit including an interactive video featuring Professor Schrag, they also got to see other amazing exhibits and displays at the museum. These included dinosaur skeletons, stuffed wild animals, and the world's only collection of flowers created from glass. | ||||
Multicultural Festival at JQUS
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Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | ||||
National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
Last month, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury inducted 47 Junior Class members into the National Honor Society. This class joined the 42 seniors who were inducted in the early fall. Mayor Thomas Menino and Superintendent Thomas Payzant were on hand to celebrate the qualities of: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character that make students eligible for membership in the National Honor Society. In what may be Superintendent Payzant's last remarks to MP students, he advised students to "Never, ever allow anyone to make you believe that being smart isn't cool." Headmaster Chuck McAfee and students honored two supporters of Madison Park during the induction ceremony. Mayor Menino's Educational Advisor, Martha Pierce, was recognized for all she has done for to support Teaching and Learning at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. In addition, recognition was given to MP Alumni Association member, Karmel Williams, for her volunteer fundraising work to support the NHS. | ||||
Monument High School | ||||
Donation and New Volunteers Expand Monument High School e-Pal Program
Old Mutual Asset Management joined the Monument High School e-Pal Program by provided a $5,000 donation and volunteers that provided a new classroom match. The Monument High School e-Pal Program matches 9th grade students with professionals in the Boston community. The e-Pals develop a mentoring relationship by exchanging weekly emails based upon classic novels that students read in class. Together, e-Pals have read Of Mice and Men and Romeo and Juliet this year and the students exchange literacy based emails on using school's new mobile lap top computer lab. In partnership with Robinson & Cole LLP and WriteBoston, the e-Pal program was piloted in one freshman English classroom last year at Monument High School. This year, with new volunteers from Old Mutual Asset Management, additional volunteers from Robinson and Cole and continued management from WriteBoston, the e-Pal Program expanded into three freshman English classes, impacting 75 students. Based upon the e-Pal Programs success, Monument High School seeks to match all of its freshman students with professional e-Pals in school year 2006-2007. | ||||
National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship | ||||
NFTE Students Meet NFL Entrepreneurs
For more information on NFTE's programs, contact Lori Perlow at 781-239-3869 or Lori.Perlow@nfte.com. | ||||
Heidi DeRosa Recognized for Commitment to Entrepreneurship Education
In announcing the teacher awards, NFTE founder Steve Mariotti noted, "This is one of the top awards an educator can win. Our winners are not only top in the education field but also world class in their social commitment, creativity and talent in teaching entrepreneurship. These teachers are representative of the best the education system has to offer, and it is our pleasure to recognize their contributions to the success of NFTE." Heidi DeRosa became a Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher in 2001, and has been teaching the NFTE curriculum at East Boston High School ever since. Last year, her students "sweeped" NFTE New England's Citywide Business Plan Competition - one of Ms. DeRosa's students won First Place in NFTE's Citywide Business Plan competition and another student won First Place in the Citywide Business Exposition. The First Place winner then went on to win Second Place in the Regional Business Plan Competition. Ms. DeRosa teaches two NFTE classes a year, with an average of 25 students in each. For more information on NFTE programs, contact Lori Perlow at 781-239-3869 or Lori.Perlow@nfte.com. | ||||
Excel HS NFTE Students Visit Putnam Investments
For more information on NFTE's programs, contact Lori Perlow at 781-239-3869 or Lori.Perlow@nfte.com. | ||||
Noonan Business Academy | ||||
  | Update from NBA's business-based curriculumTrue to our name and our mission, we continue to strengthen the business-based, economically minded, "consumer savvy," curriculum that Mr. Edward G. Noonan, Jr. developed years ago for Dorchester High. Just this past week, the junior class went on the annual "Business Basics Workshop" put on by TJX Companies at the Framingham, MA headquarters. Students learned about five departments including Finance, Merchandising, Marketing/Advertising, Real Estate/Legal, and Human Resources. One example of the amount of preparation and creativity put forth by TJX for this workshop is the presentation put on by the Finance Department. The Finance team created a lesson to explain how the proceeds from the sale of a sweater are allocated. To do this, they designed and built a giant, sweater-shaped puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle represented a percentage of the proceeds. They used the pieces to demonstrate distribution of money to taxes, overhead, salaries, waste/loss, and finally, profit. The students were encouraged to handle the puzzle pieces and talk about the concepts. The team then gave the students a quiz in the form of a game show. They provided electronic buzzers and timers and assessed what the students learned in the workshop. The students ultimately use what they learned at the "Business Basics Workshop" to inform their culminating project: the Business Plan. The Business Plan Competition is the zenith of many lessons incorporated in the 11th grade Marketing class at NBA. Students present their Business Plan proposals to a panel of judges comprised of business leaders from TJX Companies, Sovereign Bank, Verizon Foundation, and other community partners. The Business Plan Competition has proven to be the highlight of the business curriculum at EBA and we want to continue to make it an activity that students eagerly anticipate, work diligently to complete, and are proud of as they reminisce on their high school years. We've also been working closely with our university partners, UMass Boston and Bunker Hill Community College, to make sure we're utilizing the university and college resources to their optimal potential. Our students are working with in-house pre-collegiate program tutors from UMass Boston as well as with a part-time Math tutor. Some students are taking courses, such as psychology, communication, sociology, math, and creative writing, at UMass Boston allowing them to experience what it feels like to be in college and earn university credit. And all NBA students who pass the 11th grade Marketing class with a B or better earn credit for that equivalent at Bunker Hill Community College. Additionally, EBA is in the process of bringing university and college faculty to the high school to align the curriculum with that at the postsecondary level. There are some fun, extracurricular activities happening at NBA. This year, we are looking forward to the end-of-year performance by the drama class. Our Graphic Arts class continues to produce artwork that brings joy to the school and community as it shows up on t-shirts, backpacks, and hats. We look forward to initiating projects outside of school that will mesh the business themes with art. We continuously search for funding sources to increase innovative and exciting offerings and opportunities for our students. At this writing, half of our NBA seniors have been accepted into college. Two students have been awarded full scholarships, one to Emanuel College and the other to Boston University. Additioanally, Boston College and Northeastern University are among the many colleges that will welcome students from NBA. NBA has had a productive year and plans are already underway to make next year even better. High priorities include professional development, alignment of the curriculum with the postsecondary programs, increasing extracurricular offerings, and making sure to stay reflective so we can learn from our experiences and keep improving the Noonan Business Academy. | |||
Office of High School Renewal | ||||
A Week in the Life…The High School Renewal Newsletter staff would like to share some of the new and important roles that have been created as a result of the renewal initiative. Our first spotlight is placed on the Industry Cluster Coordinator for Business, Finance, and Entrepreneurship - Martin Kennedy.
Here's what Marty says about a recent week in his life… Coming directly into a new position as Industry Cluster Coordinator in the Office of High School Renewal from a job in a publishing company, I am still looking at things with the eyes of a visitor. Let me take you on just a quick tour as I share my week. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to sit in on a discussion led by Dr. David Thomas, Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment at the Harvard Business School. Dr. Thomas led a discussion at the Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy at the West Roxbury Education Complex for Juniors and Seniors. His lively, interactive presentation was all about what makes a business successful. Watching the high school students interact with a professor from The B School was impressive, especially when they turned the tables and started to ask him questions about his own professional consulting practice! On Wednesday, Kathi Mullin and I met with representatives from The New England College of Finance to discuss how BPS and The New England College of Finance can work together to build exciting educational opportunities for students in preparation for higher education or employment in the financial sector. The sixth Annual Health Careers Expo was held on Thursday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. I greeted students who arrived with patient case studies, provided by Health Industry Cluster Coordinator Elizabeth Buckley, before they met with Health Care Providers they needed to see based on the needs of their "patient." It was a terrific event for students in enrolled in Health related courses. On Friday morning I met with a teacher to put the finishing touches on an accounting course proposal that will be submitted to Sid Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Practices for consideration as a course offering. Building in a strong literacy component was our goal along with a unit on business ethics. Another project that has grabbed my attention is supporting TechBoston students as they prepare to leave school and work in their own businesses as hardware and software technicians. This summer the students will participate in a month-long program to enhance their business and technical skills. Drawing on community resources, we will create an innovative curriculum with the potential for replication in other schools. I see students with hope in their eyes and I see staff and faculty drawing upon their professional and creative resources to help students reach their goals. In my own career I have been acutely aware of the challenges faced by urban schools and I am proud to be part of what is an exciting and dynamic process of renewal. Our students truly are our hope for the future and it is exciting to see the creative process at work. Martin Kennedy, Industry Cluster Coordinator | ||||
Parkway Academy of Technology and Health | ||||
COACH at Parkway Academy of Technology and Health
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Social Justice Academy | ||||
Social Justice Academy Celebrates Dr. King, Dr. Howard Zinn and the Exchange Program with Newton South High School
This rare opportunity for SJA's students to meet and pose questions to the author of their Humanities text book, A People's History of the United States, developed when a few SJA and NSHS teachers met at one of Dr. Zinn's speaking engagements in Waltham, MA. After Dr. Zinn accepted the invitations to both schools, the teachers began to discuss the concept of an exchange program that would encourage urban and suburban students to engage in meaningful social and political discussions, to bridge the gap between their communities. Dr. Zinn spoke to SJA and Newton South students about his activism experience in Georgia while teaching at Spelman College during the Civil Rights Movement. In addition, his views on Affirmation Action and his anti-war philosophy challenged students' perspectives about the United States' social and political policies. The culminating event was when the students at the Social Justice Academy performed reenactments of major speeches and events that took place during Mr. King's short life. The vignettes included, A Letter from the Birmingham Jail, The March on Washington, the attempted assassination of King in New York, and his speech I've Been to the Mountaintop. On Tuesday, April 11th, SJA were guests at Newton South High School to meet again with Dr. Zinn, who spoke on student activism and how historical events can help us analyze our country's current state of affairs. Beforehand, students read key excerpts from the majority and dissenting opinions from the Tinker v. Moines (1969) case and the opening of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. These articles were the themes for a discussion with Zinn after his lecture. Submitted by Ms. Ernestine Mason-Phillips and Ms. Mawakana Onifade | ||||
Tech Prep | ||||
Boston Community College Fair
The first Boston Community College Fair was held at the Reggie Lewis Center on Friday, February 17, 2006. The Career and Technical Education office sponsored the fair in collaboration with Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, the Office of High School Renewal, TechBoston, and BATEC. The goal of the fair was to highlight the programs of study offered by the greater Boston community colleges and to share information about the unique economic, educational, and career advantages inherent in a community college setting. Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, Massasoit Community College, MassBay Community College, and Middlesex Community College were represented at the fair. Guest speaker, Walter Clark, Dean of Enrollment Management at Roxbury Community College, inspired students with a personal rendition of his educational journey. Current and graduate students from RCC and BHCC spoke to high school students from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Noonan Business Academy, and Charlestown High School. The college students illustrated how they were able to balance their responsibilities as students, workers, family members, and maturing young adults. The fifteen Massachusetts state community colleges offer education in a variety of formats; distance learning, web-based courses, traditional classroom, combined distance and classroom, and internships. Representatives from the five community colleges at the fair provided students with information on financial aid, completing applications, Accuplacer placement testing, and the two year and certificate programs of study available at their colleges. The Tuition Advantage Program, the Joint Admissions Program and the Tech Prep Program were also described. The Boston ACCESS Program provided information about their free financial aid and scholarship advising services for Boston students. Approximately two hundred students attended the fair. Several attendees applied to participate in the Accuplacer Project. The Accuplacer Project will offer workshops and a complete practice Accuplacer College Placement test to juniors and seniors. The Accuplacer is the most important assessment for students planning to attend community college in Massachusetts and is currently used by all fifteen colleges. Results from the student satisfaction surveys administered at the fair indicate a high interest in community college as a primary post-secondary destination. Results from the most recent one-year follow-up study of Boston Public School graduates (2004) demonstrate that community college is increasingly a viable and desired next step for many students. The plan is to offer the community college fair as an annual event with the intention of emphasizing the significant advantages community college offers to all Boston Public School students. Contact Information:John Zinkowski, Tech Prep Planner, at jzinkowski@boston.k12.ma.us. | ||||
Write Boston / MCT | ||||
WriteBoston/Media Communications Technology High School StudentsOn April 12, 2006, before an audience of peers and adults at the Media Technology Communications High School (MCT), a WriteBoston partner high school, 3 students will read from narrative essays they have written to Mayor Thomas Menino. These three students won 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in a narrative essay writing contest held school wide. Cash prizes were awarded to the three winners; the three students who won honorable mentions will each receive a rhyming dictionary. The participants in the contest included members of Ms. Demetra Stavrianidis and Ms. AnnMarie O'Keefe's 12th grade classes. The narrative writers focused their stories around challenging events that have happened in their lives and offer insight into the complex and difficult experiences many Boston Public School students live. For example, Marcos Rodriguez, 1st Place Winner, wrote about the confusion and fear he experienced upon witnessing his father strike his mother when Marcos was five. From that experience, Marcos emerged with a very strongly held value "that no child should ever have to witness a situation like mine….[and] no woman should ever have to suffer from a man's words or hands." 2nd Place Winner Milouse Senecharles describes the fear she experienced one evening while making her way home on public transportation. "I thought my day had come," she wrote, "I thought I wouldn't get home that day." Third Place Winner Venus Trent told how her family struggled to hold itself together after the premature death of her father and discussed the strength she and her family had gained from its struggles. From struggling through homelessness to low income, Venus' family's determination to succeed places their accomplishments in a very special context. "My older sisters are now in college. My twin sister and I got accepted to two out of four colleges we applied to and my brother got his GED. My mother…is now reaching for her Master's [degree] in SPED." Each of the essays illustrated reflection and insight the writer had gained, not only into their own psyches, but into the complex arenas of adult relationships and social problems. Furthermore, many of the essays entered into the contest show an enormous wellspring of compassion and moral clarity. For example, Mirna Encarnacion, who wrote about how fear had kept her from intervening on behalf of a gay man on the Orange line beaten by a gang of youths she knew, expressed outrage about the lack of respect thieves possess. "Don't they think that maybe that person worked very hard to get what [sic he or she] had"? This compassion and moral clarity Boston Public School students exhibit shows their wisdom gained through suffering is powerful and life-shaping. The essays emerged from a project at MCT run by WriteBoston Writing Coach Barbara Ohrstrom. In three English classes, students were presented with a model and a lesson on how to write narratives. Students in Ms. Stavrianidis' class had written a minimum of three drafts and received revision letters from the writing coach. Many students did not think they could write as much as they eventually wrote, and many had not practiced an extensive revision process prior to this contest. Mr. Sunny Pai, Headmaster, Ms. Stavrianidis, and Ms. Ohrstrom are pleased, not only with the writing development of these students, but with the way in which they have discovered that writing is a powerful tool in which students can gain insight into themselves and teach audiences how their lives, their families, and their communities offer hope in the midst of pain. Written by: Barbara Ohrstrom, WriteBoston, 2201 Washington Street, Roxbury MA 02119 | ||||
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: CITYLAB ACADEMYCityLab Academy
BU is now recruiting for the Class of 2006. We seek Boston residents who have finished high school or have a GED and can commit to four evenings a week for two semesters September to May. If you are interested in science and working in a lab, please call (617) 638-5664 or visit our web site at http://www.bu.edu/CityLabAcademy. RESOURCESSignature Courses: Background and ResourcesSignature Courses provide students with an interdisciplinary learning experience focused on a career theme. The courses feature community connections, such as signature projects, community service learning, and shadowships/internships. The courses are structured around Boston's citywide learning standards, with students gaining skills in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies and economics. As new courses are approved, they will be added to the list at http://www.highschoolrenewal.org/courses/courselist.asp. Click to download a template for developing signature course outlines: SignatureCourseTemplate.doc [Word]. Signatures Projects that are published to welcome replication or adaptation are at:
A template for developing signature course outlines is found at: http://www.highschoolrenewal.org/signature.htm. Boston high school teachers are encouraged to use the online Checklist of BPS Learning Standards at http://www.skillslibrary.com/cdir/bpsstandards.asp. This checklist has selected learning standards for the secondary level. Teachers can check the standards that are relevant to their courses or projects and easily create a list that can be copied and pasted into a course guide, project description or other template. Recommended Resources from Leslie Texas, Educational Consultant, on the Boston TeachNet siteThe Boston TeachNet site, at http://bostonteachnet.org/callbackmaterials.htm provides:
High School Renewal Information on Schools
Career Outlook ProjectIn the Career Outlook Project (http://www.skillslibrary.com/cdir/careeroutlook.asp) students can interview professionals and see an online collection of interviews with professionals in a variety of career fields. Answers.ComAre your students using the web for research project? Are they not sure how to cite websites in a bibliography? Visit http://www.answers.com/main/citations.jsp for some good resources about using the web for research.
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The Small Schools Network at the Center for Collaborative Education held its annual trip to visit small schools in New York City. A group of 36 people including principals, teachers and other educators visited a variety of small schools. As Tom VanderArk, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discussed in his keynote address at the “High Schools of the Future: Lessons from Reforming Schools” conference in Worcester on January 20th, these visits have the power to change our lives and inform our professional practice. The experience of the team from Boston International High School (BIHS) validates that statement.
The team's itinerary was quite packed. On Thursday morning, April 6th, the team visited Manhattan International High School. Classroom visits and meetings with administrators, teachers and students were filled with enlightening moments. Mr. Santos was repeatedly overheard saying “We're doing that! It's perfect, we're doing that project!” or “That's great – we'll figure out how to do that.”
CityLab Academy is a nine-month free academic and job training program in biotechnology at Boston University School of Medicine. BPS seniors should strongly consider this program as a transition year to full time college. Academy students receive 12 free undergraduate BU credits and a certificate for successfully completing four courses. There is an internship in a research lab as well as a free monthly bus pass, free books. Academy students also receive mentoring and tutoring throughout the program.