Weekly Bulletin January 19, 2014
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Weekly Bulletin January 19, 2014 There is a real focus on STEAM in this issue: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Be sure to check out the Sneakers-to-Beakers story, the Fine Arts exam projects, and the Robotics Team update. We have amazing things happening in these exciting areas! At the outset, let me highlight two items: College Road and the Website Survey. College Road: We are pleased to announce the formation of College Road, a program to assist students and their families in understanding, navigating, and completing the college process. Supporting students and families throughout the college process—from envisioning a future in college to strategically pursuing that future—is vital to our mission. And we recognize that we need to assist our scholars both inside and outside the curriculum in order to give them the greatest chances for success. Indeed, college readiness involves more than just course work and standardized testing; interview skills, résumé writing, job experience, familiarity with college campuses (in order to find the right fit), and knowledge of the particular components of the process (in order to develop the appropriate strategies) are all necessary. In an effort to address these outside-of-the-curriculum components, and in collaboration with our strategic partner, Boston College, we are launching College Road. The first College Road event is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Corcoran Commons on the Campus of Boston College. Because of the introductory nature and focus of this event, it is open to students and families of the Classes of 2016 and 2017. Our friends at BC have graciously provided us with the three conference spaces—the Boston, Heights, and Newton rooms—at Corcoran Commons. There will be panel discussions and short presentations, all focused on providing an overview of the college process. We hope to have represented there a mix of BC administration, faculty, and students, perhaps with a recent graduate or two from Saint Joseph Prep. This will be an exciting, engaging, and informative evening, so please circle this date on your calendars. All 9th and 10th graders and their families should plan to attend! Website Survey: In an effort to better serve our families, we are asking for your feedback on our website, on PowerSchool, and on the Weekly Bulletin. Please click here to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sjpwebsitesurvey . The survey takes less than 10 minutes, the responses are confidential, and the results will help us to improve communication with our students, parents, and guardians. Thanks so much for giving us your feedback! And please check out the homepage of our website for stories about the SAT Prep Course, the successful FAFSA Night, and the Girls’ Basketball Team. Student Quote of the Week In last week’s edition, I neglected to mention that on our first Monday back from Christmas vacation, January 6, during our All-School Gathering and Prayer, students and faculty were treated to an excellent speech by Student Council President, DanIel DonabedIan ‘14. Danny shared with us one of his favorite stories, The Fourth Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke, which was entirely fitting as we were celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany (the Feast of the Three Kings). In the story, Artaban, the mythic fourth wise man, ends up selling the three precious gifts he was going to present to Jesus—a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl—in order to serve those in need. He dies at the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion, despairing that he failed in his ultimate goal—to meet the Savior, the Newborn King. But at Artaban’s death, he sees Christ face-to-face, and he hears the voice of the Lord say, “What you have done for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done to me.” In Danny’s thoughtful and insightful reflections on this beautifully powerful story, he encouraged all of us to put the needs of others first, to focus as much on the journey as on the destination, and to remember that the gifts we are given by God are always enough to do what God asks of us. Scholar Highlights of the WeeK Students in Mr. Shiner’s ChoIr class participated in a midterm exam project culminating in a collaborative performance of paired songwriters within the class. Each pair combined elements of their individual songs to create a new song, loosely based on the song “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. In their performances, they included additional aspects such as props, costumes, and choreography. There were several stand-outs among the presentations: Terry Shin ‘14 and Elizabeth Burke ‘14 created a song mash-up with the melody of “Love” (L is for the way you look at me..., made famous by Nat King Cole) and included Shin’s hand percussion accompaniment. Jen Holman ‘14 and Ju Eun Lee ‘14 enhanced their effort with a jazz-infused piano accompaniment and several modulations throughout. The most elaborate performance involved the teamwork of DanIel DonabedIan ‘14 and Yujee Song ‘15, which included a scripted storyline and self-deprecating slapstick comedy. All students did an exceptional job and thoroughly entertained each other in their final execution! Ms. LaFauci's Theatre Arts class also participated in a unique midterm experience—a mock audition. Each student presented a Shakespearean sonnet he/she had been preparing all quarter in front of a panel of three judges. Ms. LaFauci was joined on the panel by two guests, Ms. Katie Speed and Ms. Anne Slotnick, both of whom also direct and teach high school theatre. Ms. Speed is currently a student teacher at Wellesley High School, having recently completed her Master’s in Applied Theater at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London and her Bachelor's in Theatre Education/Acting at Emerson College. Ms. Slotnick also graduated from Emerson College, with a Master’s in Theater Education; she previously studied Theatre at Colgate College, and now teaches a theatre class and directs plays at Westborough High School. Each student received marks for professional dress and demeanor, diction and volume, and effectively putting forward the message and motivations of their character. Our guest “auditioners” were very impressed with the students' work and had many positive comments about the actors-in-training here at Saint Joseph Prep. Congratulations to all on a job well done! 2 Students in Mr. Shiner’s GraphIc Design class created digital versions of their own personal logos for their midterm exam project. Drawing from their understanding of the fundamental elements and principles of design, as well as from their developed experience working with design apps on the iPad, students creatively expressed themselves in graphic visual icons tantamount to the simple elegance of the Nike swoosh. Anthony Goncalves ‘14 suggested that he initially felt challenged by the project, but ended up creating arguably the most inspired design, reminiscent of some of the great icons of Paul Rand. Anastasia Ricoy ‘14 converted her own signature into a vector-based image, effectively maintaining the intricate texture of her pen stroke against a rough canvas. Students had to make sure their marks were compelling as black-and-white line art before elaborating in color and detail, and they were all successful! Sneakers to Beakers: The following students participated in our collaboration with Sneakers to Beakers (www.sneakerstobeakers.org), a start-up non-profit afterschool program whose mission is to inspire children to become engaged in STEM-related fields: Alexandra Hung ‘16, Vanessa Alvarado ‘16, Sarah Murphy ‘16, Emily Petrillo ‘16, Amanda Hernandez ‘16, Anna Daher ‘16, Lauren McCarthy ‘16, Liam Fitzpatrick ‘16, Natalie Fitzpatrick ‘16, Hannah Walsh ‘16, Neema EllIe-Joseph ‘16, TonI Gardner ‘16, Jenaya Hobson ‘16, and Rachel Sansone ‘15. These scholars braved the snow on Saturday, January 18, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM to work with Curriculum Developers, Ms. Maryann Stimmer (named Informal Educator of the Year for 2008 by the National Science Teachers Association) and Joseph Fabio to create curriculum for the program. Thanks to Mr. Bob Sansone P ‘15 for providing this opportunity. Kudos to our students for sharing their passion for learning, and congratulations to Sarah Murphy ’16 on winning the drawing for the Celtics tickets! Student-Athlete Highlights of the Week This week in Girls’ Basketball could most aptly be described as a “roller coaster.” After a road loss to Lowell Catholic ended the team's six-game winning streak on Monday, the Phoenix roared back to life with one of the most exciting wins in school history on Wednesday. Despite trailing Weston HS from the opening tip—and losing senior captain Aria Ross ‘14 to an early ankle injury—Saint Joe's erased a 12-point fourth quarter deficit with full-court pressure and a 22-4 run to close the game. Mercedes Edwards ‘14 paced the team with 9 of her 12 points coming in the final frame; the senior also added 3 assists and 2 steals in the victory. Captain Rachel Sansone ‘15 once again demonstrated her versatility, scoring 12 points, pulling down 7 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and collecting 4 steals. Playing out of position at center, captain Lexie Corey ‘15 hauled in 19 rebounds against a towering Weston front line to go with 9 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals. The following night, the team took on Maimonides in Brookline and lost a heartbreaker, 52-51. Game officials and fans of both teams commented that it was one of the best basketball games they'd seen in recent history (the quality of the preceding SJPHS-Weston game notwithstanding).