Message from House Principal- Mr. Peter Parisi

The three themes that we focused on during the late winter were responsibility, creativity and discipline. While important then, these concepts are even more important now, especially as we move into the end of the year and approach the school final/regents examination time frame. We must all assume responsibility for being prepared for these exams. Everyone who works in the school must do their level best to prepare our students to successfully complete these exams. Students must also share a high degree of responsibility for doing their part to insure that they pass these very important examinations. For our teachers it takes a great deal of discipline and creativity to prepare the instruction on a day to day basis that will hopefully lead to our students developing the academic and intellectual skills and content knowledge necessary to meet with success on challenging exit exams. Our students also need to be disciplined enough to diligently prepare for examinations. They should also be creative in their approach to studying. Attend a review session with a different teacher, create a study group of friends, or share information on-line. Do whatever it takes! Nobody in this school can afford to kick-back during the last few months of school. A little more effort at the end can very likely mean the difference between winning and losing, success or failure. Be a winner, experience success!

School Final Examinations: June 9-14 (Regular busing schedule during this time)

Regents Examinations: June 15-23 *(Special Regents busing schedule during this time)

For specific information on exam busing please see the
Regents Examination Bus Schedule on the District Web-Site:
http:/www.schenectady.k12.ny.us

Students of the Month

January:
9th Sahfa Said, Andres Jimenez
10th Ashmini Singh
11th Kenya Finn, Michael Abare
12th Laura Butz, Born Farmer

February:
9th Richard Jackson, Revena Cecil
10th Shellian Shampersaud, Muktar Barros
11th Sandra DelValle, Billy Drake
12th Julian Delgado, Tarani Karmini

March:
9th Crystal Brown, Ryan Gallagher
10th Heather Galvan, Kyle Stafford
11th Anne Ottati, Rickchand Bookay
12th Dawn Santacroce, Joe Noel

Schenectady Night Off

On March 19th, all after schools program were cancelled so students/staff could spend time with their families! With such a positive response, this will be done annually!

The Counselor’s Corner

Seniors- Congratulations, you are almost finished! The year has gone by quick, and hopefully you are on your way to graduating. We are proud of you and will certainly miss you all. For those who are college bound, if you do not have everything set, now is the time to get going.

√Call your college’s financial aid office to make sure you are all set.
√Call your academic advisor and get your schedule all set.
√If you do not know who your advisor is, or are unsure of anything, just call the college’s admissions office. They will be able to help you.
√Make good choices, treat other people respectfully, and work hard.
√Lastly, stay in touch and good luck!

Juniors- Finish the year on a strong note!
√Make sure you are taking a challenging schedule next year.
√Use your time wisely over the summer to research colleges and careers.
√Visit colleges that you may be interested in.
√Do not be afraid to call or email the admissions office and ask any questions that you may have.
√Check http://www.collegeboard.com/ and http://www.actstudent.org/ over the summer for SAT and ACT test dates for the fall. Usually the deadlines for the first tests are before school starts, so you will need to sign up from home on your own.
√Do not be afraid to email us/call us over the summer if you have any questions or need help. Have a safe summer!

Sophomores-
√If you are old enough for a summer job, try to work. You get experience and save money college.
√Not old enough? Consider volunteering or enrolling in an educational summer camp.
√Also, research careers and talk with parents or other adults about goals. Find opportunities to
meet people working in those professions that you think may interest you.

Freshman-
√Research careers, and talk with parents or other adults about goals.
√Find opportunities to meet people working in those professions that you think may interest you.

Weather on GE Side

Both GE team 9 and 10 got lucky with good weather for their annual field trips. The days of their field trips started out dismally, eventually the rain stopped and a good time was had by all.

On May 5, 2010, a group of 50 GE tenth graders traveled to New York City where they visited Madison Square Garden, South Street Seaport, and Bodies… The Exhibition. Team leaders Mrs. Darlene Azzaretti and Mr. David Marinaccio, were assisted by Ms. Lauren Incitti and Paras Mr. Roger Tiberio and Ms. AnnMarie Davis.

On May 12, 2010, a group of 43 GE ninth grade students traveled to Connecticut where they visited the Mystic Aquarium and then went on a 90 minute experiment-filled Biological Cruise on Long Island Sound. A tour of the beautiful Avery Point Campus of the University of Connecticut, New London, Connecticut was also a part of the trip with lunch on campus. Team leaders Mr. John Spezzaferro and Mrs. Josephine Sorensen were assisted by Mrs. Kris Foote and Ms. Deb Larkin.

AFJROTC

AFJROTC contributed to Black Heritage Night, Darwin Open House, Moonlight Serenade, Martin Luther King Alumni Night, SHS Talent Show, International Night, We Make a Difference, Prom Night, and Undergraduate Awards Night with Color Guards, Ushers, and a workforce setting up- cleaning up before and after events. The cadets have adopted an area in Vale Cemetery and have already performed 81.75 community service hours in the clean up of the historic cemetery. Our total 09/10 school year community service hours to date are 1,304 hours!

Staff training/retreat in Binghamton, NY was productive, entertaining, and an adventure, trekking through the woods in the snow! Norwich University Leadership Weekend was an adventure of another kind... Our students interacted with 60 plus students from the North East in leadership classes, leadership reaction courses, drown-proofing, and drill. Meals in the university dining hall were great and spending the weekend at the University was a fantastic opportunity.

Six of our cadets took a flight on the 9th of May with the Civil Air Patrol. They received a full briefing on the aircraft which included flight safety and runway procedures. Great opportunity, great day!

Competition in drill and physical fitness rounded out the year. The cadets earned third place in team event in drill, and Fatima Shamsuddin and Matthew Batease were top runners. Fatima Shamsuddin was 2nd place for the overall competition for all females athletes

FCCLA Conference

FCCLA Conference “Turn Back the Clock… Look Towards The Future… With FCCLA”: Four students traveled to the State FCCLA Conference held March 25-27th in Owego, New York at the Owego Treadway Inn.

Rea Armstrong and Cindy DePoo earned a bronze medal for their Focus on Children STAR Event- Wellness for Young Children. According to Cindy, “We had a great adventure traveling out to Owego.” Rea added, “Owego was a small town full of life. Even though we planned on winning, we were so proud to bring home a bronze medal.”

Ashley Horton earned a silver medal for her project Summer Skirt and Shirt and was named as the National Alternate to the National FCCLA Conference in Chicago.

Johanna Stone was sworn in as a New York State Officer in the Historian position on Saturday, March 27th.

County Legislators

On April 13th, Mr. Christopher Ogdibene, GE Social Studies teacher, accompanied students visiting County Legislators. Students got to shadow a particular legislator for the meeting. Students also introduced themselves on camera, and got to read some of the meeting agenda. It was fun and educational.

International Night

The 3rd annual International Night was held on the evening of Thursday, April 22, 2010. Performers included: Kimberly Ramsunder (Classical Indian Dance), Sean Obach (Medley of International Compositions), Union College Hindu Dance Group, and Hamilton Hill Steal Drum Band (Caribbean Drumming). The Emcee for the evening events was Jeremy Sagaille. Several teachers contributed entrees for the evening potluck. And, the following student groups assisted: Student Ambassadors, Key Club, ROTC, International Baccalaureate, Culinary Café, and High School Family and Consumer Sciences Food & Nutrition classes.

Message from House Principal - Mr. Peter Parisi

GE House student Colby Peterson is going above and beyond to make the GE House and Schenectady High School a more comfortable place for all students! Colby recognized that eating lunch in our large and active cafeteria can be an unsettling experience for many of our students. So Colby proposed creating a quiet more intimate environment where a small number of students could gather, hang out, talk about their interests, and get to know one another.

Colby’s idea became a reality for his fellow students on January 14th. As we move forward through the remainder of the year, we are all hoping that Colby’s Lunch Life-Line will positively impact an ever increasing number of students in the GE House. Thanks Colby for your concern for your fellow students!

Don’ forget February is Integrity Month in GE House: All content area classes and some elective classes are offering simple lessons to students each month focusing on the theme of the month. Remaining Themes of the Month for this School Year include: March: Responsibility, April: Creativity, May: Discipline, June: Reflection

Students of the Month

November:
9th Mallory Schettine, Omesh Tomby
10th Angel Rivera, Rebecca Doodnauth
11th Zoeliz Santos, Joseph Comer-Leva
12th Adam Williams, Shana Joseph

December:
9th Elizabeth Lawyer, Jayce Scheuer
10th Bhanupeiya Boodram, Alex White
11th Jessica Tyree, Terry Burke
12th Alicia Brown, Screll Royal

After months of watching construction crews work endlessly in the back area of SHS, students returned to school this week to find a whole new wing available to them. E Wing, as it is being referred to, opened this week.

Effective February 1, 2010, all students and visitors to SHS will be required to enter the building through the new entranceway, located in the rear of the building, through the Sayles School of Fine Arts doorway, which is on the left side of the building if you are facing the front on The Plaza, and through the Flagpole Entrance.

The new entrance, parking lot, and bus loop can be accessed via McClellan Street. The change has been made to decongest the traffic on The Plaza and to enhance the safety and security of the students.