portland high school press

PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Principal’s Corner
WINTER EDITION
Happy 2014 to Everyone!
CONTENTS
Principal’s Corner
1
NHS Inductees
2
Art Show
3
Key Club
3
Student Senate
4
World Languages
5
Counseling Center
6
Science
6
English
7
Business/Finance/FBLA
7
Robotics Club
7
Social Studies
8
Veterans Day
8
Library
9
Technology
10
The second semester will be another busy time at PHS. In March, our sophomore students will
take the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) for Science only. The State has
changed our testing requirements so now all juniors will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment. This test will cover the areas of language arts and math. The entire test is computer generated. It is the first year that all schools across the State must take this exam.
Here are some exciting highlights from our first half of the year:
Congratulations to our three January graduates, who are starting their college careers early: They are: Ben Eiss, Jackie Waller and Brittany Vogt.
They are starting their college careers early. (see photo, page 2)
Marisa DiMare and Megan Errichetti were honored at the Middlesex Superintendents’ Luncheon in November.
The following students auditioned and were accepted into the CT Music Educators Association Southern Regional Band and Chorus. For vocals: Dan DeBarge, Autumn Dupuis,
Megan Errichetti, Nick Fazzino, Briana Oakliff, Alina Pantano, and Jessica Wilcox. For
band: Emily Guilmette-trombone and Abigail Sweet-tuba. These fine musicians are now
eligible to audition for All State in February. We wish them the very best.
Jackie Otake signed a letter of intent to play Division I soccer at Wagner College! (see
photo, page 2)
We had a successful Holiday dance with over 80% of our students attending. Each couple
brought an unwrapped toy to donate to the Portland Youth Holiday Toy Drive.
November Students of the Month were: Senior-Jessica Durkin and Sean Muff, JuniorBrooke Unikewicz, Sophomore-Sophie McArdle and Freshman-Matt Breece
December Students of the Month were: Senior-Amanda Ghent, Junior-Jose Rivera,
Sophomore-Dana Doonan and Freshmen-Grace Winakor and Roland Thivierge.
January Students of the Month were: Senior-Maddie McDougal, Donahvon LaPointe,
Junior-Danielle Cote Sophomore- Isabel Dupuis and Freshman-Emma Fantoli.
“Education is the most powerful
weapon which you can use to change
the world.”
- Nelson Mandela
We hope we can all stay healthy and we ask that you encourage your teenager to get
plenty of rest, fresh air and exercise during these bleak winter days.
Most seniors have submitted their applications to colleges. Now they have to wait for that
special envelope to arrive in the mail! Parents: don’t forget to fill at the FAFSA report.
Remember: You can always call or e-mail me anytime if you have concerns or questions.
Andrea
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 2
uates
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AY DIVISIO
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Brittany Vogt, Ben Eiss and
Jackie Waller
Assist. Coach Realjo, Mr. Otake, Coach Booth
and Jackie Otake
NATIONAL HONOR
SOCIETY INDUCTEES:
Jordon Balskus
Weston Balskus
Holly Bauer
Michael Bordonaro
Daniel Cavanaugh
Danielle Cote
Emilly Dillon
Jonathan Dolan
Kelly Flanagan
Kayla Hardesty
Emilie Hernandez
Airieanna Lane
Emilie MacKinnon
Brooke Marconi
Cole Ogorzalek
Ryan Osak
Alina Pantano
Mason Rambarose
Kelsey Springer
Emma Stoker
Haley Townsend
Gavriella Varela
Mark Waldner
Melissa Wysocki
ROBOTICS CLUB
The Robotics club, "Portland Cybernetics", is a new club to Portland Secondary
Schools. The team is building a robot to the US First competition's specifications in
order to gain experience. Due to time constraints, the team will be unable to compete in official
competitions this year, but they plan to compete next year. The President is Jonathan Dolan, Vice
President is Amanda Murphy, Secretary is Kevin Ferguson, and Treasurer is Emilie MacKinnon.
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 3
Students work on display at Portland public library
Portland High School
Portfolio Art Show
Front Row- Jessica Durkin, Jenna Rudewicz, Brooke Unikewicz
Back Row- Brianna Felt, Maddi Smith, Will Cohen, Jaclyn Waller, Lena DeJong, Holly
Hetzel, Maddie McDougall
The Portland High School Portfolio Art
Show opened on February 6th in the Mary
Flood Room of the Portland Public Library. The Portfolio Show is new for the
high school featuring ten of its best art
students. Several works from Will Cohen,
Lena DeJong, Jessica Durkin, Brianna Felt,
Holly Hetzel, Maddie McDougall, Jenna
Rudewicz, Maddi Smith, Brooke
Unikewicz, and Jaclyn Waller are on display. There are approximately 40 works
in pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, pastel,
oil, and acrylic. Several students are going on to pursue careers in the art field.
The show will be up for the entire month
of February and is available for viewing
during regular library hours.
Key Club News
The PHS Key Club continues to show their support of others through the following initiatives:
Midterm Exam Hugs and Kisses
The bundles of kisses sent by parents to wish students good luck on midterm exams were a huge success. We were thrilled with the positive response and were so pleased with the excitement shared by the students.
We will be doing this again during final exams so please keep your eyes
open for the order notice as we head into the end of the year.
Care Packages for PHS Military
We are collecting items to send to our PHS graduates who are now serving in the military. Any tasty treats, toiletry items, magazines, books or
goodies will gladly be accepted. The care package drive will be held through the month of March.
5K for 5k Road Race
The PHS Key Club is gearing up for the annual 5k road race. Last year’s race was an enormous success and we expect to have the same participation and enthusiasm this year. Details will follow.
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 4
Student Senate
The fall was a busy, but exciting time for the Portland
High School Student Senate. During the days before
Thanksgiving, Student Senate ran the P.H.S. Food Drive.
Students, faculty, staff and Portland families donated
twenty four turkeys and a truck load of food. The food was
donated to the Portland Food Bank. Ruth Mayo, Director
of the Portland Food Bank, responded with a wonderful
letter thanking the Portland High School Student Senate
for its efforts at P.H.S.
On December 7th, 2013, the 26th annual Holiday Dinner
Dance took place. Again this year, the “Snow Ball” was a
huge success, with over 280 students in attendance. D.J.
Doug O’Rourke had students dancing into the night. Students also enjoyed taking funny photos with friends in the
photo booth provided by Conway Photography and more
formal pictures by Ted Milardo Photography. This was
another opportunity for P.H.S. students to once again
prove their generosity by donating a truck full of toys for
children in their community. Ruth Mayo was happy to
report that every child on her list received a Christmas
present.
The Student Senate finished its December agenda with a
salute to winter sports at the Winter Sports Pep Rally.
There was a close competition in the “Wrap a Teacher”
race, with Mrs. Miller taking the win (and being a good
sport along the way). A fun time was had by all. The seniors won the caroling contest with a strong performance
by Jess Wilcox, Meghan Erichetti, Andrew Donahue, and
Josh Labella. The last event of the rally was the “Pie a
Teacher” fundraiser sponsored by the freshmen class.
Some of P.H.S.’s finest were “pied” by lottery winning
students. The recipients of the “Pie in the Face” were the
amazing Mr.Kuckuka, the very brave Ms.Rahmy, and the
dynamic duo of Mr. and Mrs. Stotler, the strong Mr, Cunningham and the exuberant Mr. Giegerich. All agreed the
contest was a great way to start the winter break.
On February 26, 2013, Student Senate will host the 4th
annual “Golden Oldies” dinner dance in the P.H.S library.
Through the help of the Portland Senior Center, Portland
Seniors are invited to a dinner dance hosted by the
P.H.S. Student Senate. Senate Adviser and culinary
teacher, Charlie Ryan, and Senate members will prepare
and serve a delicious meal while PHS senior Chris Leslie
will play some lively tunes for all to enjoy. In the past,
Senate members, and the seniors, have enjoyed a night
of good food, good company, and lots of dancing. Please
contact the Portland Senior Center for more information.
Student Senate is also looking forward to a trip with the
honors 10th grade US History/American Studies students
to Boston on March 25th. The Students will visit many
historic sites and go on the famous “Duck Boat Tour”.
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 5
WORLD LANGUAGES
Mrs. Badulescu’s French and Spanish students are learning
about different cultures and languages through research,
projects, and real-life situation, presentations.
The Halloween French and Spanish Film Festival was an
opportunity for all students to demonstrate creativity and
enthusiasms in learning the target language. The students
loved working in groups to create and present their projects.
UCONN French students are proud of the award received at
the Quiz Bowl in Storrs, where they participated in a contest
with other CT schools. They are now more motivated to learn
the language by reading French novels like: Les Miserables
by Victor Hugo, Le Petit Nicolas By Sempe & Gosciny, and
20000 lieus sous les mers by Jules Vernes and others. The
students also watched and discussed French films (Les Miserables, Le petit Nicolas, Les parapluies de Cherbourg, Les
Intouchables) and compared some of them to the novels they
read. The students’ favorite assignment was doing a presentation about technology and robots. Each student “created” a
new robot and presented it to the class.
French 3 students created projects about daily routines and
art. They learned about the Impressionism era and some
students used the impressionist techniques to recreate their
preferred art work.
Spanish 2 students learned about the culture of Costa Rica,
Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico , then compared them to
their own culture. They learned vocabulary about travel preparations, daily routines, sports, health, clothing and legends.
Critical thinking, problem solving and the use of technology
are some of the skills students have used to create their
photo stories and video projects.
Yearbooks are on sale.
Buy one today!!!
$60.00
Contact Krista Karch for more details:
kkarch@portlandct.us 860-342-1720 x 2029
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 6
School Counseling Blurb
The 2014-2015 scheduling process is starting. We will be using
Naviance, a web-based planning and advising system to have all
students submit their requests. After requests are made, you will
be able to view your child’s requests on Naviance. Since this is a
long process, final schedules will be mailed home in August.
The week of February 24-28 is designated to anti-bullying. We will kicked
off the week with Michael Bogdanski’s presentation on Monday. Throughout the week, our Safe Haven group gave messages of kindness and empathy to all students. The week ended with everyone wearing BLUE to
support kindness.
Freshmen should be planning for their sophomore year is important and a challenging course of study is recommended.
March
Sophomore Seminar is underway and allows the counselors to
meet with small groups of sophomores to discuss a variety of
topics, to start some career planning, and to work on their student success plans. Sophomores will attend a career expo at
Wesleyan University at the end of April too!
April
Juniors are busy exploring all of their options for post secondary
education. Many are registering with www.collegeboard.org to
take the SAT or www.actstudent.org to take the ACT.
**Remember to write down your login information! All juniors will May
attend the NACAC College Fair in Hartford on Thursday, April 3rd.
Seniors are busy checking the mailbox every day! College acceptance letters and Student Aid Reports should be on their way.
Once you have all of your information, it is time to make the big
decision of where you want to go next year. Make sure you are
applying for every possible scholarship appropriate for you!
March 6- Science CAPT Testing for all sophomores
March 7 – Registration deadline for April ACT
March 8 – SAT Testing Date
April 3 – NACAC College Fair – Hartford Connecticut Expo Center
(All Juniors attend on the 3rd during school)
April 4 – Registration Deadline for May SAT
April 12 - ACT
April 24 – Sophomore Career Expo – Wesleyan University
May 3 – SAT
May 5 – 16 AP Testing
May 9 – Register for June SAT and ACT
May 16 – “Ready for Hire” day at MxCC
May 22 – Awards Night – 6pm
Science Department news
The Science Department will be conducting after school review sessions
prior to the CAPT (Thursday March 6). Sophomores are highly encouraged
to participate in these sessions as they prepare for the test. The schedule
is as follows:
The Chemistry students have finished up the forensics unit with a
midterm exam involving such suspects as Colonel Mustard and Miss
Scarlett! Students learned to use critical thinking skills, forensic
laboratory skills and technical writing skills to complete the midterm
exam which was a formal technical report of lab results as part of
Feb 27 (Thursday): Biology – room 213
the investigation, suitable for support of testimony in court. They did
a great job. As we move ahead to the second semester we will foMarch 4 (Tuesday) Physics – room 216
cus on chemistry in the environment and apply concepts to global
March 5 (Wednesday) Chemistry – 214
climate change, renewable energy resources, chemical impact on
The BODIES Exhibit- Anatomy and Physiology students were able to focus the environment and the importance of minerals and vitamins
(elements and chemical compounds) to nutrition.
on every organ system in the human body by observing real, sectioned
specimens. Some of the students favorite exhibits were the dissection of
The AP Chemistry students and some of the advanced students will
the heart and dyed blood vessels, which displayed the arteries, veins and
travel to UCONN to participate in the Chemistry Olympiad, a full day
capillaries we have in different areas of our body. Students also enjoyed
of college-bowl type competitions for chemistry students from
seeing how a fetus grows from conception to birth.
around the state.
In our upcoming nervous systems unit, students will learn the anatomy and
On a different note, our new science department member Kevin
physiology of the brain and which parts are "in charge" of which actions.
Cunningham is the freshman boys basketball couch! He is pleased
Students will apply these concepts to several labs including dissection of
to announce that the boys freshmen basketball team has had a very
the sheep brain and learned movements.
successful 2013-2014 season so far. Led by starters Austin White,
The Biology classes are participating in multiple genetics labs, focusing on Nick Piersall, Roland Thivierge, Nick Coman, and Jacob Kostraba,
dominant and recessive trait inheritance and family pedigrees. Their CAPT the Highlanders have gone 6-3 in the past several weeks. The Highexam is coming up in March and the students are well prepared with a vast landers have also been helped by strong play off of the bench from
Drew Tammaro, Jeff Albert, and Leo Salcedo. The team looks to
knowledge of Biological concepts. We look forward to their hard-earned
improve upon their record even further as the season goes on.
scores.
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
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ENGLISH
Mrs. McCormick's freshman classes are beginning their
study of non-fiction. They will be reading Mitch Albom's
memoir Tuesdays With Morrie and Elie Wiesel's memoir
Night. Their reading of Wiesel's Holocaust memoir will
coincide with students' study of the Holocaust in their
Global Studies classes. Students will also be exposed to
a variety of non-fiction books during their Friday reading
period, books that range in topics from Chemical Chaos
to Andy Warhol's paintings to crazy 911 phone calls.
The Creative Writing junior/senior elective has begun this
semester with 20 students. Students are currently sharpening their observational skills using their five senses
and experimenting writing in various perspectives.
Mrs. Wood's American Literature classes are in a miniunit on small town life at the turn of the century (1900).
We are reading Our Town together in class and students
are also reading a variety of poems and short stories.
The British Literature class is finishing up Frankenstein
and will be starting the Victorian age soon. All juniors are
working on college essays.
Ms. Rahmy's honors ninth graders have finished up Romeo and Juliet and are beginning their Holocaust unit.
During this unit, we will be reading Elie Wiesel's Night
and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. The college prep
ninth grade section has finished Tuesdays With Morrie
and is just beginning Romeo and Juliet. The tenth graders have begun a nonfiction piece: Getting Away With
Murder, which is the story of Emmett Till and the start of
the American Civil Rights Movement. This will serve as
an effective precursor to the seminal classic, To Kill A
Mockingbird.
BUSINESS & FINANCE TECHNOLOGY
Introduction to Business students have been preparing for a job interview as a
part-time sales associate with Men’s Wearhouse. Students prepared resumes,
practiced interviewing skills, and researched the company in an effort to prepare
for the mock interview process.
The Men’s Wearhouse High School “Dress for Success” presentation emphasizes
that first impressions are EVERYTHING! The most important thing a student can
do on a job interview is to make a good first impression. This begins with preparing for the job interview and dressing professionally. The Men’s Wearhouse High
School “Dress for Success” program is designed to help young adults transition
into the college and working world. Some of the topics covered during their
presentation included:
Mock interviews.
Interview preparation tips.
How to make a positive first impression.
Appropriate interview attire.
FBLA
Future Business Leader’s of America (FBLA) is on its way to Boston this
spring!!!!! First stop is the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Students will be attending the educational program “Currency and Counterfeits” which is designed
for grades 9-12. This program describes the production, distribution, and anticounterfeiting security features of U.S. currency. The program compares images
of genuine currency with examples of counterfeit money, and outlines the history
of paper money in the U.S.
The next Red Cross blood drive will be coming up in April. Please contact Ms.
Jones at ljones@portlandct.us if you would like to donate!
MUSIC
Congratulations to Emily Guilmette (Band) and Daniel DeBarge (Chorus) on their acceptance to 2014 CT All-State Festival Ensembles. The
concert will be held at the Bushnell on Saturday, April 5th at 3:00 p.m.
The Portland Secondary Schools music staff launched a department website in an effort to improve communication. All pertinent information
and documents are available at this time! The site can be accessed through the district website or directly at pssmusic.weebly.com
The Portland High School music department is traveling to Virginia Beach, VA, April 10-14. A mandatory parent/student meeting will take
place April 1st at 6:30 in the auditorium.
VIRGINIA OR BUST!
Upcoming performances:
Band Extravaganza: March 14th at 7:00 PM - HS Gym
CT Wolfpack: March 21st Game time 7:00 XL Center
Spring Concert: May 14th at 7:00PM - DWG Auditorium
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 8
SOCIAL STUDIES
As the fall semester came to an end, Social Studies students took finals and completed project-based assessments. The spring
semester kicked off with exciting new units, projects, papers, and the beginning of new electives for upperclassmen.
Mrs. Stotler’s Civics students’ town meeting assignments finished in December. These assignments were handed out on the first
day of school. Students had most of the first semester to attend a town meeting of their choice and complete a worksheet which had to be
signed by a town committee member. On the worksheets, students explained three observations they made about the meeting, the political
affiliation of the participants, and drew a picture of the room set-up. For many students, this was the first time they had ever attended a
town meeting and many found them to be both informative and interesting. Hopefully, it won’t be their last. Spring semester students just
received their town meeting assignment sheets and have until May to complete them.
Global Studies students have started their spring semester classes. Many freshmen have a new Social Studies teacher and class,
so please ask your student about his or her new experience. This semester’s units start with World War I and will cover World War II, the
Cold War, creation of religions, and the development of and current topics in the Middle East, Asia, and South America.
U.S. History students are studying the 20th Century and the impact of the emergence of the United States onto the world scene.
Psychology students start the second semester looking at the basics of Psychology before moving on to in-depth studies of learning, human
development, and personality as part of their overall survey in this course. Finally, Current Events students have been keeping abreast of
national and world events through formal units and the CNN Student News Program – which provides the information that appears each
Friday on the “news quiz”.
VETERANS DAY
On November 8, 2013, the P.H.S. Social Studies Department
proudly hosted its fourth annual Veterans Day assembly. Four
veterans, representing Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, provided
brief reflections on their time in the military to an audience of U.S.
History students in the Donald W. Gates Auditorium. In order to
personalize the presentation for the students, an effort was made
once again this year for speakers to have a connection to Portland. Portland resident and P.H.S. substitute teacher Reg Farrington (U.S. Army/Vietnam), P.H.S. teacher Wayne Kukucka (US
Navy/Iraq), P.H.S. teacher James Stotler (US Navy/Iraq), and
P.H.S. alumni Nick Caisse (US Army/Afghanistan) – provided
students with first-hand accounts of life in the military, serving
overseas, and dealing with the challenges of separation, combat,
and loss through a panel discussion format. This event continues
to be an important part of the US History curriculum and the department was pleased that many students reported attending or
viewing other Veterans Day events on November 11.
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
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It’s Library Lovers Month!! We’re
celebrating by showcasing a community of readers! Teachers have proudly displayed their recent reads and
now Students have begun to create
Literacy Lockers ~ displaying
covers of favorite or recent
reads. Stroll through the halls
and you’ll see that PHS
READS!!
We’ve begun to offer students
the chance to take Accelerated Reader quizzes online. After reading a book, stop by
the library to log in & take a quiz. Share
the results with us for a chance to win an
iTunes gift card! Ask your English teacher about
the possibility of receiving extra credit points,
too.
Seniors
2014
FOLLOW US…
phslibraryct
Portland High School Library
PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL PRESS
Page 10
TECHNOLOGY
The second semester is underway and those of us in the multimedia department are happily immersed in our classes with many exciting
projects ahead. We have a productive and innovative semester planned for each course and thus far each student seems very excited to be
participating.
Civil Engineering and Architecture
The students are putting their finishing touches on their beautiful dollhouses that they have constructed from the
ground up. Each group selected their unique dollhouse design and had the daunting task of assembling and designing.
The students worked diligently and should be very proud of the final products. Many thanks to Mr. Szyd for allowing us to
use his shop in order to complete this project. CONGRATULATIONS to the students for their collaboration, perseverance,
and ingenuity.” As we look ahead, the class will explore famous architectural structures of the world and will design ecofriendly renderings using Revit.
Electronic Publishing
The yearbook is taking shape and is developing into a beautiful publication. The class is focused on producing a book that is representative of the entire study body and encapsulates the essence of PHS. Editors, Brittney DiCioccio and Marisa DiMare, continue to lead and
inspire the class, ensuring each spread is appealing. Many thanks to all parents and businesses who contributed to the success of the book
by placing ads: we are appreciative of your generosity.
Yearbooks are on sale for $60.
Be sure to visit our school blog at: Portlandhighblog.blogspot.com
Please let us know if you would like us to add items!
TV Production Studio
Kudos to Jordon Balskus for managing WPHT and creating and implementing a successful vision for our broadcast studio. Each
day, the students are eager to participate in the show and serve as part of the team. This semester we are excited to add new segments such as: Shout Out Tuesday, Joke of the Week, and Trivial Trivia. Production Studio II students are designing graphics and
special programming that will continue to enhance the production. In addition, it is our goal to incorporate radio broadcasts as a preliminary phase to our collaborative project with Middlesex Community College, which involves developing a FM radio station.
Digital Video
The class has started their first film project which requires them to develop a script geared toward conflict resolution that adheres to the
three phases of design: introduction of character/conflict, conflict heightening, conflict is resolution. As the students work collaboratively to
meet the guidelines of the project, they will also complete the pre production, production and post production processes. The class is looking
forward to screening final products.
In the weeks ahead, the class will be watching select movies to analyze various elements of film design, evaluate plots, and
examine camera techniques. The students are enjoying the class and are eager to put their creativity to work.
Animation & Gaming
Students are implementing animation design techniques in Flash and creating 2D & 3D drawings and bringing them to life through the
various features of software. As their skills progress, they will develop more elaborate animations and stories. As the class progresses, the
animation and design elements will be incorporated into video game design which is sure to be a hit for all.
If you have any questions about the Multimedia Department, please feel free to contact Krista Karch at
kkarch@portlandct.us at any time.