Patriots`UPDATE - American Heritage School

AMERICAN HERITAGE
•
AMERICAN ACADEMY
Patriots’UPDATE
Newsletter for Heritage/Academy Parents
WAHS Morning Show Named BEST in NATION
Room #7122 looks like any other classroom on the AHS campus. Open the door, walk
in and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to the NBC Newsroom at press time. This
is where our national award-winning WAHS Morning Show comes to you—LIVE! The
18-student crew are the first students to arrive on campus before
7 a.m. They move fast. They write the scripts, key in the teleprompter, prep the set, switch
on the lights, roll camera and in 5…4…3…2…1, the Morning Show is live at 7:45 a.m.
sharp, airing in all Upper School classrooms and streaming online. The ten to fifteenminute daily show wraps up, and first period continues. After first period, the bell rings for
second period and room #7122 clears out. It’s quiet.
May/June 2014
Heritage Student/
Athlete Earns Brian
Piccolo Award
“I have big personalities in this Broadcast Room,” said Ms. Maria Molina, Adviser of
WAHS News and teacher of the Multimedia class. “They’re like celebrities on campus so
they grow up very quickly. The students definitely have their creative differences but that’s
part of the process which helps us create such a solid show and be the best in the nation,”
Ms. Molina added.
Best in the nation, they are indeed! And they are very modest about it. Last month, WAHS
was named Best Daily Taped Show at the Student Television Network national convention,
and received eight other national awards. Not only did they receive eight awards from the
Student Television Network, but they also received $5,000 from U.S. Education TV for
(WAHS...Continued next page)
Congratulations to Nathan Kirchmier who
has been chosen as an overall award winner
for the prestigious 2014 Brian Piccolo
Award! This award is given to the top
Athlete Scholar in the county. Nate was
honored at a banquet on Wednesday, April
16.
Nate played football and basketball in
9th and 10th grades and football only
in 11th and 12th grades. Some of his
athletic achievements are: All-State
Tackle, Honorable Mention, 11th grade
for Associated Press; All-State Center, 1st
Team, 12th grade for Associated Press; AllCounty Center, 1st team for Miami Herald
and Sun-Sentinel.
WAHS swept the Student Television Network Awards, winning Best in State AND Best in the
Nation for their morning show. They also took home a $5,000 check for the Best Innovative Use of a
Website. In addition, they won six Emmy Awards!
Nate has a 5.12 GPA, and some of his
other accomplishments include: National
Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and
Pre-Med Club. He has over 230 community
service hours between American Youth
Football League and Memorial Hospital.
He will attend University of Pennsylvania
in the fall.
(WAHS...Continued from page one)
Best Innovative Use of Web Platform.
From the Florida Scholastic Press
Association, they received an All-Florida
rating for their news program, and
their new sports show received a Silver
rating. They also received a total of 92
different awards from FSPA during their
spring digital contests. To top it all off,
WAHS News received three High School
Suncoast Emmys,and three Honorable
Mentions.
“We definitely feel lucky to have this
facility here,” said Eduardo Serpa,
Executive Producer of WAHS News
and a senior who will be heading off
to USC next year to major in Broadcast
Journalism. Eduardo loves sports, news
and making movies, so there’s a little
Spielberg in him, while he aspires to
be the next Anderson Cooper. “I don’t
think I’d be the same person without this
experience,” Eduardo added.
Any underclassmen who enjoy the art of
television must first take the iLife class
taught by Ms. Denise Roldan, or the
Journalism class with Ms. Diana Adams.
Then, they take the Multimedia class. This
is an intense class taught by Ms. Molina
in which the students learn the basics of
broadcasting and everything involved in
running a TV station. Ms. Molina will
then recommend students for the WAHS
Broadcast Team.
“It is a huge time commitment,” Ms.
Molina said. “The hour and a half the
students spend in the Broadcast Room
first thing in the morning is nothing
compared to how much work they do
outside the classroom to make everything
come together in a solid Morning Show
and Broadcast Network,” she added. “I
try to find what the students are good at
and then I help them realize how they can
apply what they do best and reinforce it
so they can be successful,” Ms. Molina
said.
Benjamin Pollack is the Managing
Producer of WAHS, and he credits his
experience at the network as a big reason
for his desire to major in business at the
University of Pennsylvania next year. “I
have really enjoyed reporting the news
as it happens here at AHS,” Ben shared.
“Our goal with our Morning Show is to
be positive in our story-telling­—we don’t
sensationalize - we just take an innovative
and unconventional approach to things
which definitely gets noticed when we go
to state and national competitions,” Ben
added.
“It’s a great family atmosphere here,” said
Aaron Sortal, WAHS Crew Chief and a
Junior. Aaron is a broadcast journalist in
the making whose dream is to work on
the Olympics. “I love the theme of peace
and people coming together from all over
the world,” Aaron said, “so it would be
amazing to be part of the huge broadcast
operation. I know I am getting a good
foundation for that here, and I am so
grateful for the opportunity available to
me.”
Alex Garza, a Senior attending Full Sail
University next year , admits he got
involved when he took the iLife Class
because he needed the credit and then he
said he “got hooked and ran with it.” He’s
the WAHS web designer and is looking
forward to continuing along this path.
“My goal is to fill their portfolios and get
them ready to go to any college they want
to go to,” said Ms. Molina.
Eduardo said, “WAHS has been a big
part of my life for the past four years;
it’s going to be so hard for me to let go
when I graduate. I’m looking forward to
staying involved through the AHS Alumni
Network and website,” Eduardo added.
As for the $5500 winnings…the Broadcast
Room is equipped with a closet filled with
microphones, lights and tripods, a few
antiquated small video cameras, but most
students bring in their own DSLR cameras
to use on the show. They even bring their
own camera dollies! The plan is to use the
money in order to update the equipment.
Bravo WAHS on all of its well-deserved
awards! Signing off.
Drama Students Nominated
for
Cappie Awards
Congratulations to the following students
who have been nominated for a Cappie
Award this year! The Cappies, “Critics and
Awards Program,” is a program through
which high school theatre and journalism
students are trained as critics, attend shows
at other schools, write reviews, and publish
those reviews in local newspapers like The
Washington Post, Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas
Morning News, Kansas City Star, and The
Philadelphia Inquirer. At the end of the year,
the student critics vote for awards that are
presented at a formal Cappies Gala. Best
of luck to these students!
Make-up
Camila Estrada, American Heritage School,
Nora’s Lost
Stage Crew
Fernanda Barboza, American Heritage
School, Nora’s Lost
Ensemble in a Play
The School Girls, American Heritage
School, Nora’s Lost
Featured Actress in a Play
Jonah Stabinski, American Heritage
School, Nora’s Lost
Supporting Actress in a Play
Tess Rowland, American Heritage School,
Nora’s Lost
Supporting Actor in a Play
Sergio de la Espriella, American Heritage
School, Nora’s Lost
Lead Actress in a Play
Emily Schwartz, American Heritage
School, Nora’s Lost
BEST Play
Nora’s Lost, American Heritage School
Heritage Thespians
Dominate at State
Competition
Congratulations to Heritage’s outstanding
thespians. They spent their Spring Break
in Tampa at the Florida State Thespian
Festival and returned with two Critic
Choice awards, 30 Superiors and 20
Excellents.
Duet Musical Critic’s Choice - (Dante
Norris & Jonathan Savage)
Playwriting Critic’s Choice - (Jonah
Stabinski)
One Act - Elegies for Angels, Punks, and
Raging Queens - Superior
(Mikayla Cohen, Daniela Colon, Lauren
Davis, Lindsey Davis, Sergio De La
Espriella, Chris Essex, Alyssa Fantel,
Tyler Flanzer, Nikki Mariutto, Casey
McDonell, Chloe Nadon-Enriquez,
Dante Norris, Spencer Perdeck, Tess
Rowland, Jonathan Savage, Emily
Schwartz, Jonah Stabinski, Erin Young)
Large Group Musical - Superior
(Daniela Colon, Ryan DelGaudio, Morgan
Lennon, Delaney Lovejoy, Jennifer
Molson, Spencer Perdeck, Jake Rothstein,
Dustin Stabinski, Jonah Stabinski)
Duet Acting - Superior
(Chris Ralph & Jake Rothstein)
Duet Musical - Superior
(Sergio De La Espriella & Chris Essex;
Dante Norris & Jonathan Savage)
(Payton Guthrie & Emily Schwartz)
Playwriting - Superior
(Chris Ralph & Jonah Stabinski)
Student Directed Scene - Superior
(Josh Segall & Jonah Stabinski)
Makeup Design - Excellent
(Tess Rowland)
Publicity - Excellent
(Nikki Mariutto)
Scene Design - Excellent
(Ryan Broder & Nick Schwartz)
Student Directed Scene - Excellent
(Sarah Lazarus & Morgan Lennon)
Bravo to Jim Usher, Chrissy WrightBallard, Nina VanDerhoof and the entire
Thespian troupe!
Congratulations to...
• American Heritage young scientists. Heritage was again one of the top high schools
in Florida at the recent Florida State Science and Engineering Fair. Twelve students
(ten high school, two middle school) were chosen to compete at the state fair after winning
at the county level. Alexander Rabin and Jonathan Mirchandani each won fifth place. Harshat Gupta, Zara Joykutty,Mayuri Viswanathan and Nicholas Mirchandani all won
fourth place. Third place winners were Antares Tobelem and Angelica Gousse, Second
place was won by Kristina Thoren, Nanruoyi Zhou, and Suganth Kannan. The three
second place winners will represent Broward County at the International Science
and Engineering Fair in May. • the newspaper, yearbook, and literary staffs for their outstanding performance in the
2014 FSPA Digital Contest. Together, the three staffs entered 88 pieces for judging. Only
six entries did not place. 36 earned Honorable Mention, 28 earned Excellent and 18 won
All-Florida! Exceptional job, Publications!
• the following students who attended the PTO meeting to represent their club for the
check presentation:1st Place - National Honor Society (Pockets and Sockets Foundation)
- Lindsay Spring; 2nd Place - Free the Children - (Free the Children]) - Rachel Gilfarb; 3rd
Place - National Jr Honor Society - [JDRF] - Suganth Kannan
Suganth Kannan presents his check in above photo.
• the following guitar ensembles for receiving Superior ratings at the MPA on April 4: Guitar
VIII, Guitar VI, Guitar IV, Guitar II (first and fourth period) and Junior High Advanced.
Solos Superior ratings:Dominique Arevalo, Cristian Cane, Michael Ulrich, Spencer Ryan,
Juan Jaramillo, Etai Davidson, Nicholas Hogan, Joshua Ramer, Marcos Serur, Ryley
Hartwig, James Floyd, Lana Piwoni, Alvar Larsen, Robert Lucas, Ana Marinho, Joshua
Weltman and Tucker Leo.
• Julian Pinon, who won his first national age group title for France at the French Long
Course National Championships in Chartres, France. The South Florida Aquatic Club
swimmer and American Heritage High School sophomore won the 200-meter freestyle 1516 age group national title in 1:54.08
Broward County West Point
Bridge Competition
Students in the Principles of Engineering
(POE) class competed in the Broward
County West Point Bridge Competition
and won all three top prizes.
Under the supervision of Dr. Nagaranjan
Kannan, the students have been learning
to use the Bridge software for the past
four months. They were then all given
a code and submitted their best design
online to compete against other students
in Broward County.
The top ten students in the county moved
on to the next level and competed live
where they were given two hours to
design a new bridge. The student who
used the least amount of money to
build his bridge (the software program
calculates the cost of material they use)
was the winner.
Congratulations to our AHS students!
First Place: John Christian Riffle
Second Place: Suganth Kannan
Third Place: Alejandro Lopez
The First Place winner will compete next
in the State Competition. Good luck to
John Christian Riffle!
Marine Conservation Outreach Program
Brooke Lynn Elzweig, a sophomore, and Hannah Krohn, a freshman share an unwavering
passion for the sea. They have expressed this devotion by being active members of the
Marine Biology Club, as well as by being avid scuba divers. They are so dedicated to
promoting awareness about our oceans and some of the potential threats to the waters, that
they created a Marine Conservation Outreach Program designed for Lower School students.
“We want to teach the younger students about the ocean and inspire them to understand
that they have the capability to change our world, to help it survive and thrive,” said Brooke.
Their first Outreach Program targeted PK4 students in their classroom. The students rotated to different “stations” learning at one table about the harmful effects of pollution by
understanding what an excessive amount of litter can do to an ecosystem. At another table,
they discovered the distinct levels of the ocean floor. Aided by the PK4 teachers, along with
the support of Mrs. Chmelir, Mrs. Sheinfeld, and Mrs. Ackerman, Brooke and Hannah were
able to cultivate a connection with the students and empower them to be more inclined to
learn and experience what the ocean has to offer, and what they can offer to the ocean. “We
are very fortunate to have this opportunity, and we are anxious to further develop the future
of this Marine Conservation Outreach Program in the community,” Brooke said.
Book Buddies Project
The English IV Honors classes participated in a Book Buddies project with students in
Mrs. Lovegren’s Kindergarten through 6th grade at American Academy. Heritage seniors
interviewed the students about their hobbies and interests and then created personalized
digital storybooks from their findings. Some of the storybooks incorporated visual
elements of British literature, such as castles, monsters, princesses and knights, and some
seniors even created humorous movies, action-packed video games, and artistic hard-copy
books.
Daphney Torres worked with five-year-old Elisa on a tale of a duckling that lost its mother
in the woods. Daphney scanned Elisa’s crayon drawings into the computer and used
them to illustrate the storybook. “Not only did I befriend a kindred spirit, but I also had
the opportunity to encourage my little Book Buddy to keep her creativity flowing,” said
Daphney. “It was a wonderful experience!” she added.
Deanna Bradley enjoys her reading time with
Lower School student and Book Buddie Dante
Amata.
When all of the storybooks were finished, the seniors shared their projects with their
buddies at a cookie and punch party in the Environmental Education Center.
Heritage Debate Heads to
the Florida Novice State
Championships
April has been another exciting month for the Heritage
Debate Team, but this month, the team has dedicated almost
all of its efforts to working with the novices of the team.
In the first two weeks of the month, novice Junior High
debaters attended up to three tournaments that were
specifically for novices. Junior High student Ben Geller
competed in Public Forum debate with a High School
partner, Harrison Garfinkle, debating about whether India
should prioritize economic development or environmental
protection first. JH debaters Nithya Kasarla and Trishala
Kumar chose to compete in Congressional Debate. Nithya
and Trishala debated about whether or not the US should
provide free public preschooling across the nation, among
other topics. Public fForum debaters debate the same topic
for one month, researching that one topic in depth and
becoming experts on that topic. The Congressional debaters
debate four or more topics per tournament and research and
learn about many different topics. The winners of the rounds
are decided by judges who are teachers and varsity debaters.
(Top) Shruti Chandra, Jaime Harn and Zachary Slotkin (Bottom left)
Ryley Hartwig won several first place awards in Congressional Debate
and Public Forum Debates (Bottom right) Aima Shahid and Harrison
Garfinkle tie for Second Place at Florida Novice
In the middle of the month, AHS rookie debaters headed
to Novice State Championships, in Apopka, Florida. Ryley
Hartwig, Ramiro Steinmann, and Lorenzo Lamo, among
others, competed in Congressional Debate, arguing for and
against about 20 topics of political and economic legislation.
Ryley Hartwig made it to Finals, ranking top ten in the state.
Several Public Forum teams competed as well, including
Aima Shahid and Harrison Garfinkle who won second
place in the state, as they debated the India economy and
environment topic.
Keerthika Ravikumar competed in Dramatic Performance
and Extemporaneous Speaking to showcase her acting
abilities and her current events knowledge.
Veteran debaters Zachary Slotkin and Christal Hector
accompanied the novices to help coach and prepare the
students before and during the tournament, holding practice
rounds with them, listening to speeches, and giving them
feedback and strategy advice.
Next up for our debaters is Debate Nationals. There are
three national tournaments where the best in the nation
compete at the end of each school year.
Congratulations to the following debaters who made it to
Nationals!
Competing at
TOC Nationals:
Jared Sutton
Isa Gabaldon
Hamza Rashid
Zach Slotkin
Michael Hunschofsky
Zach Chou
Noah Goldstein
Max Brenner
Jonathan Fernandez
Max Gazeroglu
Sydney Britton
Alex Baikovitz
Competing at
NCFL Nationals:
Jared Sutton
Hamza Rashid
Sydney Britton
Alex Baikovitz
Farrah Sklar
Justin Yang
Beatrice Rodewald
Morgan Marquez
Jake Becker
Brandon Becker
Competing at
NFL Nationals:
Jared Sutton
Isa Gabaldon
Max Gazeroglu
Jonathan Fernandez
Aima Shahid
LOWER SCHOOL PTO NEWS
“In the book of life, the answers aren’t
always in the back,” said Charlie Brown,
one of the most lovable cartoon kids
of all time. The chronicle of our PTO
journey this year has been quite the pageturner, with the months passing as if in
the blink of an eye and the pages filling
with meaningful events and unforgettable
memories for our children.
Through our monthly Art Mania and
Math Lab programs, students had
the chance to apply their skills in art
and math in fun and innovative ways.
Thanks to all of the parent volunteers
who devoted their time to giving the art
history presentations in the classrooms,
along with organizing art projects, and
facilitating math games that not only
supplemented what the children were
learning in the classroom, but also
truly enhanced their knowledge of the
concepts.
Big events always require a great deal of
planning. And when the much-awaited
day arrives, it’s amazing to see how our
committee chairs, with the help of all
of our parent volunteers, dedicate their
time and work together like a well-oiled
machine to host our time-honored events
like Thanksgiving Tastefest, Multicultural
Day, Dinner with the Principal, Snow
Day, author visits, Teacher Appreciation
Week and Spirit Day. Not to mention,
every season our incredible grade liaisons
and room parents host festive classroom
parties with the wonderful help of
many parent volunteers, teachers and
administration.
Fundraising to supplement the PTO
operating budget is another big job.
Thanks to the generous support of all of
our families, we exceeded our targets this
year, and we’re thrilled! In the fall, we
held the Boosterthon Fun Run and Meal
Drive, and not only did we raise $100,000,
but we also donated over 2,400 meals to
local families in need. Meeting our goals
also meant the students accomplished
the Principals’ Challenge. Seeing our
Principals camp out in a tent on the
roof of the school is a picture we will all
remember for a long time. Springtime
and Spring Fling seem to go hand in
hand, and coordinating with the Fine Arts
Festival, our oversized class baskets and
hundreds of raffles and auction prizes
generated funds and special keepsakes
at the same time. Throughout the year,
our Box Tops collections and Family Fun
Nights at Yoblendz and Chick-fil-A were
smaller fundraisers that were fun and
social both, in and out of school.
Giving back to our school, our
community and our world was another
big goal we set for this year. Our Heritage
Helping Hands program inspired our
children to reach outside of the classroom
and “Think Locally, Act Globally.” The
Meal Drive in the fall helped other
children and families right in Broward
County. The School Supply Drive we held
in May last year, and will hold again this
year, helped children in need in Haiti.
We partnered with an orphanage in Haiti
through a local organization that made
several mission trips to Haiti throughout
the year. So, not only did all of our
donated school supplies get delivered
to the children, but, also, hundreds of
sweet Valentines and bags of candy from
our children were given to our special
“Friends in Haiti.” On Earth Day, which
is celebrated every year around the world
on April 22, our students participated
in community beautification projects at
the beach and at local parks, and learned
about the importance of recycling to
preserve our environment. Empowering
our children to realize what is possible
can help one child in need at a time,
help protect our planet, and make a big
difference in our world.
It was a pleasure to join with the Upper
School PTO and bring a coffee cart to
school so our teachers could enjoy a
nice cup of coffee during all Teacher
Conference and Planning Days. Our
PTO proudly supported the American
Heart Association by donating to the
Jump Rope for Heart campaign in
February, as well as making a donation
to the AHS Pre-Med Society’s Andrea’s
Angels Foundation in support of the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In the fall, we gifted AHS with fan misters
in the Environmental Education Center.
In the spring, we added special misters for
our beloved birds in the aviary, to keep
them cool in our tropical weather. Stay
tuned for our end-of-the-year gift and
the status of the school we are helping
to build in Kenya, through our Brick by
Brick campaign.
It’s been a great year! Thank you all
for helping us carry on our legacy and
accomplish our PTO mission. We
truly appreciate you and everything
you do, as each of us is an important
piece of the puzzle that fits together
perfectly and enriches the lives of our
children. Together with our teachers,
administrators, parents and children,
we make a fantastic PTO family, we
accomplish great things. Together we truly
make a big difference in our world!
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the
school year and a relaxing summer
vacation.
Melanie Hoffman
President - Lower School PTO
Senior Breakfast 2014
On April 10, wearing t-shirts representing the colleges they plan to attend, seniors enjoyed a photobooth, breakfast, and time with their friends at the annual
Senior Breakfast sponsored by the PTO.
Ms. Ackerman and Kenneth Barragan
Haleigh Richards and Ms. Adams at Senior Breakfast.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
5
Baked Ziti
Garlic Bread
Tossed Salad
Tuna Salad Sandwich
12
Spaghetti w/Red Sauce
Garlic Bread
Tossed Salad
Tuna Salad Sandwich
6
Corn Dog
Baked Chips
Fresh Vegetables
Egg Salad Sandwich
13
Cheeseburger
Baked Chips
Fresh Vegetables
Egg Salad Sandwich
7
Macaroni & Cheese
Corn Bread
Peas
Chicken Salad Sandwich
14
Taco Bake
Yellow Rice
Peas
Chicken Salad Sandwich
19
Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Caesar Salad
Tuna Salad Sandwich
20
White Meat Chicken Patty
on a Bun
Buttered Noodles
Peas
Egg Salad Sandwich
21
Baked Cheese Sandwich
Baked Chips
Fresh Vegetables
Chicken Salad Sandwich
26
Memorial Day
NO CLASSES
27
Oven Roasted Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Egg Salad Sandwich
28
Pulled BBQ Chicken
Sandwich on a Bun
Tater Tots - Corn
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Thursday
Friday
8
9
Personal Pizza
All White Meat Chicken
Soup
Patty on a Roll
Fresh Vegetables
Baked Chips
Ham/Cheese Sandwich
Turkey Sandwich
15
16
Personal Pizza
Chicken
Soup
Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Vegetables w/
Corn
Dressing
Turkey Sandwich
Ham/Cheese Sandwich
22
23
Fresh Baked Cheese Pizza All White Meat Chicken
Soup
Strip Tater Tots
Fresh Vegetables w/
Baby Carrots
Dressing
Turkey Sandwich
Ham/Cheese Sandwich
29
Fresh Baked Cheese Pizza
Soup
30
Fresh Vegetables w/
*Upper School Exams
Dressing
Begin
Chicken Wings
Ham/Cheese Sandwich
Yellow Rice
Fresh Vegetables
Turkey Sandwich
Register Now!
American Heritage Summer School 2014
Enrollment is now open!
Session I: June 6 - June 27 Session II: June 30 -July 18
Session III: July 21 - August 8
For more information, please call 954-472-0022 ext. 3053
or visit www.ahschool.com
Free Express Bus Transportation from many cental locations.