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Office of High School Renewal | ||||
Small Learning CommunitiesWhen schools open in the fall, five schools - Brighton, J. E. Burke, Charlestown, East Boston and English - will begin offering Small Learning Communities that include students from 9th through 12th grades. Small Learning Communities provide small, supportive learning environments within the larger high school context. Many SLCs have career themes, such as media and arts, business, global studies, or information technology. Others focus on a teaching and learning theme. National studies have indicated that students who attend small schools enjoy school more, have lower transfer and dropout rates, have closer relationships among students, teachers, and families, and do better academically. In response, the Boston Public Schools has made a commitment to creating more small learning communities and small schools in the district as part of an overall effort to dramatically improve teaching and learning. | ||||
Boston Day and Evening Academy | ||||
A New Beginning
On one of the only sunny Saturdays in May, Boston Day and Evening Academy gathered together for a community day in their school's garden. The purpose for the day was to bring together community members for a fun day of service learning as well as to prepare the school's garden for next year's curriculum projects. Members began a massive clean up of the garden, which sits behind the old Phillis Wheatley school. Old carpets and cardboard were cleared, weeds pulled, garden beds rebuilt, soil turned and debris piles full of garden snakes moved. Students, teachers, school leaders, board members and community members joined forces to create what will soon become the school's community healing garden. After a day of hard work, Head of School, Meg Maccini thanked her gardeners with a BBQ. BDEA plans to make this garden gathering an annual event. Thanks to IMPACT II and CHESP grant which help to fund this service-learning project. | ||||
Brighton High School | ||||
Brighton High School Holds NFTE Business Plan Classroom Competition
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East Boston High School | ||||
TCP Mentor Scholar ProgramEast Boston High School and the Foundation for Excellent Schools (FES) are partners in The Century Program (TCP), which endeavors to match 100 students with 100 mentors. FES has similar programs in schools nationwide. Teachers, guidance counselors and parents have identified students who would benefit from or want mentors. In addition, some students were identified for their leadership potential. As part of the program, EBHS held a potluck dinner for potential scholars in February, sent 50 students to UMass/Boston for information and tours, and hosted a leadership conference with Pine Manor College for 24 EBHS young women. A program highlight was held on May 6, as members of the New England Patriots and other influential people talked with students about the need for academic success complete with suggestions and advice for achievement. Mr. Donald Coverdale, EBHS Guidance Counselor and Nina Gaeta, EBHS Family Center Coordinator, have been leading this extraordinary program which is already making an impact in the lives of students. | ||||
East Boston, Hyde Park, and West Roxbury High Schools | ||||
Southern College Tour 2005
Every year, the Talent Search program designs this tour to give Boston's young men and women the opportunity to experience several different universities so that they are able to make an informed college decision. Students are given the opportunity to interact with the university's students, ask questions about the school, and tour each university. The Southern College Tour, for many students, is the starting point in their college exploration and application process. Now that students have returned home, they will continue to work one-on-one with Talent Search advisors to decide which schools to apply to, and to complete their college applications. TERI College Access extends congratulations to those students who were chosen to participate on this year's Southern College Tour! This year's tour was both exciting and motivating for students and their families. Talent Search is a federally funded TRIO program managed by TERI College Access that assists first generation students in preparation for college and development of careers. Located directly onsite at the public schools of Boston, TERI College Access advisors conduct various workshops and summer camps, work one-on-one to develop students' academic, social, and community-building skills, and guide them throughout the entire college application process. Advisors also help students developing college essays and completing applications, take them on college visits & tours, recommend academic tutors, and build relationships with both students and their families in order for students to realize their college dreams. In addition to school-based programs, TERI College Access also manages centers throughout Boston and in Brockton, where students and adults receive free, one-on-one guidance on planning and paying for college, and developing careers. For more information about these centers and services, call (617) 536-0200. | ||||
Economics and Business Academy | ||||
Boston Sunday Globe Article Features EBAThe Economcis and Business Academy (EBA) was featured in a May 8, 2005 Boston Globe article written by Globe correspondent Jane Manners. Manners writes "In the two-and-a-half years since Randy Browne started his freshman year at Dorchester High, something remarkable has happened: He has started liking school." The article cites two reasons for this change of heart. First, when Dorchester High restructured into three small schools within the renamed Dorchester Education Complex, Browne saw a difference in the attention and support he receives from teachers. Second, Browne, a junior, is now enrolled in a college course at the University of Massachusetts / Boston through its expanded partnership with EBA. Browne is excelling in his Psychology 101 course at UMass and is eager to take more classes next year. "Taking college classes really gives me a lot more confidence in my high school classes, and this exposure to college life when I'm still a junior makes me want to go to college even more. Of course I'll be back." | ||||
Economics and Business Academy | ||||
Boys Group Success StoryThis spring marks the fourth year of the Boys Group at EBA, with all of the first participants now graduating and continuing on to college. In the Spring of 2002, before Dorchester High's restructuring, Ann Todd - now a Student Development Advisor for EBA - recognized an opportunity to support Dorchester High freshmen. Ms. Todd realized that the culture of the school was such that "good" behavior was not celebrated and peer pressure to act out was strong. She came up with the idea for the Boys Group to support students trying to do the right thing. The boys met weekly with a counselor in a support group setting. During this time, the boys would talk about everything from academics to teen issues to problems in the neighborhood. When there were problems in the classroom or in school, teachers and guidance were welcomed to recommend to the counselor that particular problems get addressed. The boys always showed up at the meetings. They participated. They relaxed and felt accepted. It was an opportunity for them to vent their feelings, discuss problems and get advice from the counselor and each other. And now that four years have passed and graduation day is here, all are graduating and will be attending college in the fall. | ||||
Fenway High School | ||||
Project Week at Fenway High School
A Fenway tradition was revived this year: Project Week. From April 11th to 15th, every student and all but two staff left their routine studies and jobs to explore different aspects of city life. (Seniors were also away, on their six-week worksite internships.) There are many reasons for holding Project Week. One is to give students a better acquaintance with Boston, the multifaceted city in which they live. Another is to introduce them to places, people, products, talents and technologies in a subject area that interests them, such as public art or sports news. A third reason is to build relationships among students and staff who aren't in the same House, grade level, or content team. Finally, Project Week gets everyone out in the fresh air, and revives energy and imagination after the long Boston winter. Organizing a week out of school for over 200 students and 40 faculty and teaching interns is a monumental job. The credit goes to Eileen Shakespear, a senior humanities teacher and Project Week veteran. She provided the basic framework for identifying topics, signing up for groups, producing final projects, and engaging in whole-school opening and closing activities. For each group of 10-12 students, there were two or three faculty who arranged and led the field trips and reflected with students on their experiences out in the city It could have been mayhem, but Project Week showed students' capacity to stay on track when they are actively engaged in their own learning. New friendships, formed in the heat of the action, also kept the groups together. "I miss you guys!" a student exclaimed recently, on encountering Project Week pals in the hall. It is a feeling shared by many members of the Fenway community. Project Week Topics
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Health Careers Education Network | ||||
Health Careers Expo 2005On March 23rd, students actively explored health care case studies, learned about health care resources and discovered career opportunities at the Health Careers Expo 2005. Click the links below (1-35) to enjoy images from the Expo. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | | ||||
Jeremiah E. Burke High School | ||||
Family and Community Engagement Action Team
JROTC Gettysburg Trip
Mayor's Teacher of the Year Award Winner
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Portfolio Presentations
June 3rd was a big day for the Burke seniors. The seniors dressed for success and presented their Senior Portfolios to a panel of judges. The judges included community leaders, a city councilman, HRS representatives, Coaches and many others. High expectations were set for the students. Students could not receive less than a level 3 on 4-point rubric scale on each of their items. The portfolios contained products from each of their classes, a rubric for each item, resume, personal statement and a reflective essay. Some of the students created and presented their portfolios electronically as one of their products. (See the Resource Shelf below for more information). The students did a wonderful job presenting themselves and what they have learned while at the Burke High School. Spring Musical
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Josiah Quincy Upper School | ||||
"Guys and Dolls" a Smashing SuccessThe many parents, students and community residents that were able to attend the Quincy Upper School's student production of Guys and Dolls, saw a fabulous show that lived up to all expectations. What a delight it was to witness the performance! A cast of 30 students from grades 6 - 11 brought to their performance exuberance and contagious enthusiasm that filled the auditorium with excitement and pride. It was clear to all that they were having a great time. Their performance presented the audience with strong acting, delightful singing, energetic dancing, and creative sets. The actors were in character from start to finish, although this is not out of character for most thespians. After all, if an actor is in character, he/she surely cannot be out of character. We congratulate Ms. St. Peter, Director, Mr. Das and Ms. Chu, Music Directors, the entire cast for their outstanding performance, and Ms. Akagi and her student team for designing such attractive and adaptable sets. Their efforts resulted in a production that brought the audience to its feet with cheers and applause. We also thank the following staff members who helped out: Ms. Coyne, Ms. Gamponia, Ms. Li, Mr. Lorenzana, Ms. O'Keeffe, Ms. So, and Ms. Tong. What kind of a musical would it be if these individuals were to go unsung? In addition, we thank City Year for painting for the show a magnificent backdrop of the New York skyline. Unfortunately, the backdrop could not be hung because of architectural and lighting restrictions. City Year also came to the rescue by repairing the curtain's rigging just five hours prior to the start of the first performance. Finally, we are grateful to the many parents that contributed their support to this effort. RoboLab TeamThirty JQUS students took part in a RoboLab Olympics competition on Saturday, May 7 at Northeastern University. To prepare for this event, JQUS students completed an intensive after school program under the direction of Ms. Robinson, grade 6 science teacher. Anyone who has taken a RoboLab course led by Ms. Robinson knows too well the challenge that these students took on in learning to apply creatively high levels of conceptual understandings in math and physics to robot programming. Their track record shows that they met this challenge successfully. This challenge required commitment and dedication. Students had to arrive at school early, use some of their lunchtime, and remain after school to insure that they would have sufficient time to absorb the necessary knowledge and skills to make their robots perfect. On the Friday before the scheduled competition, team members remained at the school until well after dark to make sure that they were prepared for the next day’s events. The competitive events at the Robotics Olympic competition required students to design robots that could complete a number of complex tasks including traveling up a ramp; acting as a page-turner for books; functioning as a catapult; performing “double dutch jump rope”, which actually involved only one rope for all competitors except for one two member JQUS student team that went beyond using a single rope as was expected and used two ropes in the Double dutch rope event; picking up a ping pong ball (representing a book), dropping it into a basket, and carrying it a specified distance; and pushing soda cans a prescribed distance. We are very happy to report that the JQUS team did very well. The members of the JQUS RoboLab team won individually and as two member teams four gold awards, five silver awards, four bronze awards, and, a special gold award for exceptional creative robotic programming. We congratulate the JQUS’s RoboLab team and Ms. Robinson for a job well done. These results are not rare for Ms. Robinson and her team each year. Perhaps that is why we have become used to having the results come out each year “well done.” | ||||
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | ||||
Law Day at Madison Park
Thanks to the Boston Bar Association, Law Day at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School was another huge success. Working with Paul Dullea, Public Service Director of the BBA, teachers and volunteer attorneys were able to prepare students to participate in mock trials in a dozen classrooms at Madison Park. Participants this year included State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios and Massachusetts Court of Appeals Judge David A. Mills. | ||||
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | ||||
Madison Park Student Authors Published in ACT Roxbury Literary Annual Youth Edition
Recently, nine Madison Park Technical Vocational High School authors had a variety of their work published in the ACT Roxbury Literary Annual Youth Edition. Through the generosity of the Madison Park Development Corporation and John Hancock, these students celebrated their published literary work at a reading reception at the newly refurbished Hibernian Hall in Dudley Square. Students' work encompassed a wide range of genre and was a result of their collaboration with their English teachers, peers and classmates to, once again, represent Madison Park in the Annual. For more information about the ACT Roxbury Literary Annual or to purchase the Annual for $5.00 please contact Ms. Candelaria Silva-Collins at http://www.actroxbury.org. | ||||
Monument High School | ||||
Monument High School Multicultural DayHonoring diversity throughout different cultures, Monument High School's students participated in Multicultural Day on April 14th, 2005. In partnership with Youth on Board, Monument High School's Student Government organized Multi Cultural Day as part of the school's student voice project. As a result of the hard work and dedication of the Multicultural Day team, the entire day was a harmonious display of diversity that engaged students through community building Multi Cultural workshops. With the guidance and leadership from Jennifer Hames, Monument's Student Government Advisor, and Karen Young, Youth on Board's Program Manager, Monument's Student Government Central Committee worked after school to plan this event. Outside facilitators offered 25 different workshops including Irish Culture, Buddhism, Bajan Culture, Latin Dance, Ending Bias & Prejudice, Street Art, Japanese Origami, Break Dancing, African Dance, and Spoken Word. In homerooms, the Homeroom Representatives distributed Workshop Preference Forms and each student at Monument selected to participate in 3 workshops. Giving students the opportunity to select their own workshops was a key to this day's success. The day began with a school-wide assembly. After the assembly, students attended their assigned workshops. Each workshop lasted 1 hour and students participated in two workshops before lunch. Lunch time represented cultural diversity with its wide variety of ethnic dishes home cooked by Monument's students, parents, and staff. Monument Headmaster, Jonathan Pizzi, served his homemade Italian meatballs as other students and staff helped serve food to the entire school. After lunch, students completed their final workshop and then rallied for a schoolwide Multi Cultural talent show in the auditorium. Multicultural song and dance, like Taiko Drumming and step dancing, filled the air throughout the assembly. Multi Cultural Day was this year's 3rd Community Building Day at Monument High School. Community Days at Monument focus on providing student voice, improving school climate and engaging students in school through entertainingly educational activities. The last Community Day of the year will take place at Moakley Park on June 5th, 2005. | ||||
National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) | ||||
2005 NFTE Boston Youth Business Plan Competition and ExpoSixteen students enrolled in NFTE New England's Boston programs presented their finely honed business plans to a panel of Boston's corporate elite at the 2005 Boston Youth Business Plan Competition and Expo held at the Boston Public Library on May 18, 2005. NFTE New England is pleased and proud to announce the winners of the business plan and expo competitions listed below. The first and second place winners advanced to the Regional Competition at Babson College. NFTE New England congratulates all of the contestants on a job well done!
Business Plan Presentation Winners 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Business Expo Winners 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place NFTE Regional CompetitionOn Friday, June 2nd, the top six NFTE students from Massachusetts and Connecticut competed in the First Annual NFTE New England Regional Youth Business Plan Competition at Babson College. Christina Lonardo, Christina's Candy Apples, of East Boston High School, was awarded the $750 Second Place Award. | ||||
Odyssey High School | ||||
"Find your heart" Author Shows WriteBoston Students
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The art classes, taught by Yvonne Troxell, are currently exploring homelessness and used Goodman's visit to build ideas about telling a story, creating a message using both text and images. Through a grant, Troxell has had students research homelessness, raise money for shelters, donate items, and even listen to speakers about the social issue. The final project will center on students creating a poster, pamphlet, or children's book centering on an aspect of homelessness that is important to them. Goodman suggested ways to identify their issue. "Find out where the heart is. What are you sad about? Angry about? Once you find out what that is, there's your story."
One of her books, On This Spot, began this way. When hearing two young boys in the schoolyard fight and decide their friendship was over, Goodman wanted them to realize their feelings may change and their anger may pass. Instead of lecturing the two on their behavior, she realized writing a children's book with the message "all things change" would be more interesting and effective. On This Spot chronicles the history of New York City, starting with skyscrapers and traffic jams, and moves back through time until students learn about the dinosaurs that used to roam the area and the mountain ranges that used to tower over the land. "I wrote that book in order to demonstrate the message 'things change.' I knew it would be a lot more powerful to present it this way. I found what was important to me and decided to write a story about it."
Goodman presented this message to two groups of Odyssey High School art students as part of WriteBoston's author speaker series, which brings local writers to high school classrooms. Goodman has previously visited a children's literature class at Boston Community Leadership Academy in February, where she talked about effective ways of researching and writing drafts of stories.
For more information about the author speaker series or to volunteer to visit a classroom of writers, contact Amy Lantinga, Program Manager at WriteBoston (617-541-2651) or visit www.writeboston.org.
Resource Shelf | ||
Online Skills PortfolioThe online skills portfolio used by MOS students at Jeremiah E. Burke High School is the "next generation" of the PC-based School and Career Electronic Portfolio piloted in BPS classrooms during the 2000-2001 school year. During the pilot, students from ten classrooms across the city used the portfolio to display a wide variety of products, including essays, poetry, artwork, photos, certificates and awards and more. The new online Skills Portfolio uses the same general format, but with a web-based format that can display the same wide range of products, including projects in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access, as well as photos, artwork, music clips, website links and more. Jennifer Leonard and Linda Younis, who are co-editors of this newsletter, worked together on the portfolio pilot. For more information about the portfolio, please visit http://www.skillslibrary.com or email Jennifer Leonard at SkillsLibr@aol.com.
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Signature Course Descriptions Available OnlineIf you are planning, developing or updating courses this summer, be sure to visit the Signature Course descriptions online on the High School Renewal website at http://www.highschoolrenewal.org. Click on the link for Signature Courses to view an online database of course descriptions, including detailed course outlines, course sequences, task lists, resources, and MCAS-style practice open response questions. Signature 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. | ||
