Message from House Principal - Mr. Peter Parisi

We all live in a time when instant gratification is the rule. Cell phones and computers allow us to talk, shop, and argue at will. Video games, cable, and digital television allow us to channel surf until we eventually find a television show or an athletic contest that holds our interests. We are all affected by this culture of instant gratification, to one degree or another. It is important to note however that learning is not always instant. While, at times, we do get that challenging social studies concept or solve a math problem instantly more often than not gaining understanding takes time and energy. Helping our students to understand this is fundamental to their long-term success. We need to reassure them that if they are encountering difficulty in a particular class, that by remaining in the class, working with the teacher, and seeking extra help they will eventually meet with success. “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” Make THIS school year your personal best school year!

Pink Out Day

Students wearing pink during 3rd annual Pink Out Day on October 23rd to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

September:
9th Caden Sidoti, Joseph Zielinski
10th Kendra Greene, Zach Schaffer
11th Gabrielle Barnardo, Joseph Moore
12th Julian Delgado, Shana Joseph

October:
9th Adam Lovett, Tyeise Williams
10th Yazmine Berroa, Spencer Turner
11th Kumar Araujo, Mandakinie Jaggarsal
12th Kervin Alcindor, Christina Villanova

Kumar Araujo & Mandakinie Jaggarsal

GE House THEMES of the Month

GE House decided to work toward a new climate/culture within GE House by adopting a theme of the month. All content area classes and some elective classes are offering simple lessons to students each month focusing on the theme of the month. The themes of the month for this school year are as follows:

• September: Respect


• October: Organization


• November: Community


• December: Perseverance


• January: Leadership


• February: Integrity


• March: Responsibility


• April: Creativity


• May: Discipline


• June: Reflection
  
  

She has been selected as 1 of only 9 students from across New York State who is participating in a year long training to become a State Officer in the 2010-2011 school year for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).
Johanna began her series of training days by attending the Summer Leadership Conference at SUNY Oneonta in Oneonta, New York from July 27th through July 30th and a Fall Leadership Conference in Owego, New York from November 6th through November 8th. Johanna participated in activities to develop leadership skills as well as other interpersonal skills as she interacted with other officers in training during the Conference. At the Fall Leadership Conference Johanna presented a speech on leadership and learned that she would be serving as Historian for New York State FCCLA.
FCCLA has more than 220,000 members and nearly 7,000 chapters from 50 state associations and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The organization has involved more than ten million youth since 1945.FCCLA is the only Career and Technical Student Organization with the family as its central focus. Participation in national programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Schenectady High School's Johanna Stone, GE House, and Meranda Bell, Fine Arts, who represented both our school and New York State at the National FCCLA Conference in Nashville, Tennessee from July 12 to July 16, 2009.
Johanna and Meranda participated in the Applied Technology category with a project entitled, "Child Development- Documenting Guided Participation." They created a portfolio and poster boards displaying their project.

GE student Junior Joseph Comer-Leva

Joseph Comer-Leva is a star student athlete who runs for the SHS Men’s Cross-Country team. Comer-Leva is a hard worker, a great helper, and an academic scholar who goes out of his way everyday to make his fellow students lives meaningful. Comer-Leva pushes himself and his teammates to run and succeed on the Cross-Country team making him a model student athlete.

GE Students visit college

Team 11 and 12 visited SUNY Cobleskill on October 7 and took 43 GE students for a campus tour, admissions’ presentation, and lunch.College Information Night was October 28th. GE Students listened to Mrs. Sarah Curcio, Mr. Scott Trottier, Ms. Melissa Coon from HVCC, and Mr. Kevin Manning from St. Rose speak about what juniors and seniors should do to prepare for college. Parents asked questions about applications, financial aid, scholarships and how to choose a school. Door prizes were awarded, and light refreshments were served.

The Counselor’s Corner

Guidance Office- (518) 370-8200

From left to right: Mrs. Curcio- Mrs. Curcio is in her 5th year as a School Counselor. She is the counselor for the GE students whose last name begins with the letters A-L. Her email address is curcios@schenectady.k12.ny.us
Mr. Trottier- Mr. Trottier is in his 4th year as a School Counselor. He is the counselor for GE students whose last name begins with the letters M-Z. His email address is trottiers@schenectady.k12.ny.us
Ms. Houghton- Ms. Houghton (maiden name is Crandall) is in her 3rd year as a School Counselor. She is assigned students from all four houses. Her email is houghtonc@schenectady.k12.ny.us

What do Guidance Counselors do? 1) Advise you regarding your selection of classes 2) Help you to get involved in after school clubs and activities 3) Help you with college/career planning 4) Help you to solve problems you may be experiencing 5) Help you to make positive choices 6) Many other things -All you have to do is ask and we will try to help you.

Events: Financial Aid Night will be held on January 5th at 7pm in the high school library.

Attention Seniors
-College BOUND SENIORS: need to be aware of college application deadlines- Guidance recommends having applications done by December 1st when possible, “The Guidelines” scholarship binder is available for you to look at in the Guidance Office, BEFORE you can fill out your Financial Aid Application (FAFSA), you will need to get a Federal Student Aid PIN for you and your parents by going to this website www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp, and the FAFSA can be filled in starting January 1st (Get your PIN # first).

Things to Consider
-Students should be thinking about what courses they would like to take next year. Guidance Counselors will be meeting with students in January for scheduling. Course guides are available in the Guidance Office or on the Schenectady City School District website
-If you are taking a Regents exam in January, be sure to attend any review sessions that are offered. Also, you can study and take practice Regents on http://www.regentsprep.org/.

Reading

Mrs. Sorensen, a GE Reading Teacher, has students participating in judging the nominations for the Charlotte Book Award for 2010. The students are Cortney Phillips and Isabella Bosco (shown to the left). Ms. Liz Yanoff, Assistant Professor at St. Rose, is a judge who donated 100 hardcover 2009 nominations to GE House over the summer.
The students are part of the judging panel giving their input to Ms. Yanoff. The titles of the nominations for the Young Adult award are Trouble, The Hunger Games, In Search of Mockingbird, Schooled, Skin Deep, Dear Jo, Beauty Shop for Rent, Chains, Independence Hall, and Kimchi & Calmari.

GE Scholar Hour

GE Scholar Hour is looking for students who need extra help in core subject areas, students who are willing to act as tutors to help their peers, and students who are looking to have fun!!! You will be working with highly qualified teachers to aid you in your studies. Your teachers may even give you extra credit for coming!!! Report to AB17 after school Tuesday through Thursday each week for this program.

Back To School Night 2009

AP government students register parents and students to vote. Students Zach Thurman and Miriya Rittner along with Ms. Grover and Mr. Ognibene man a voter registration table on Back to School Night 2009. It is the 4th consecutive year AP students have volunteered for voter registration. The activity has registered over 300 new voters over the last several years.

Mr. Parisi speaks to students at GE Freshmen Orientation Day

Mr. Parisi welcomed Freshman to SHS prior to the start of classes.

Pat Riley

SHS Female athletes dine with Mr. Pat Riley.

Nature’s Classroom Club (NCC)

This autumn Nature’s Classroom Club members have a number of projects in progress in preparation for big changes this coming spring around our high school. As soon as the contractors working on the new science addition give the “all clear,” we will return to work planting perennials along the walkway of the faculty entrance.

As weather allows we are also working on Phase I of improving the Flag Pole entrance. We will enhance the soil so that we can plant a perennial garden in the spring. Our third project for this year is to work with Mrs. Sorenson to improve the Zen Garden court yard in the GE wing.

Looking to the future- Nature’s Classroom Club is working to establish a Kindergarten to 12th grade garden project with Central Park and Mrs. Foote’s Family and Consumer Science classes. We hope to break ground on fruit and vegetable gardens in the spring.

Did you know? If you would like to join us, please check out the blackboard in the Greenhouse window for our next meeting date and time. New members are welcome!

AFJROTC

In August, six Cadets attended staff training in Binghamton, New York. The cadets set up an agenda, opportunities for curriculum in action trips, and established unit goals for the year. Cadets started their day with physical fitness, participated in training throughout the morning, swam and played basketball in the late afternoon at the Binghamton Tennis Center, and participated in a bonfire the last night. This was the first staff training for the unit outside of school, and the experience was fantastic.
We had 16 cadets volunteer to help out with the Grout Cross Country Run and 18 more for Hispanic Heritage night. The corps had a Color Guard for all 5 Class AA football games along with the November 7th Class B football game that was hosted by SHS. The Corps decorated and put on the Haunted House- setting up a maze and taking children through it. The evening was very eventful. The cadets made the night a success. At this point in the year, the corps have contributed 255 service hours to the school/community.
Recently, on November 10th, 18 cadets spent the morning with the Air National Guard for the “Serve the Troops” Breakfast in Scotia for Veterans Day. The breakfast was provided by the Glen Sanders Mansion and served by dignitaries. They also had the opportunity to go through a C-130 aircraft and be briefed on its flight operations.

GE Peer Mediators Program is off to a running start!

There has been tremendous interest from new students looking to join. There were 17 returning student mediators from last year and 36 new students for a total of 53 Peer Mediators! 24 of these students are from the GE House!

There were 2 all day trainings on October 6th and October 8th in which the student mediators were taught about conflict, trust/confidentiality, problem solving, and the principles of mediation. Although most of the training day was set as lecture, there were times for role playing and games. After the training, all student Mediators received a certificate.

Peer Mediation has accomplished over 56 mediations to date. Most of them have reached an acceptable agreement between the disputants.

Peer Mediation has also had several successful bake sales. Pep rally sales were a bit short because the items that were supposed to be sold had been on a FedEx tractor trailer that over turned on the NYS Thruway the Wednesday before the Pep rally– so we never received them. But in spite of that, the student mediators stepped up and baked more items to be sold at the Pep Rally.

On September 24th, the Center for Community Justice held their annual breakfast meeting. Several Peer Mediators attended this Breakfast as well as GE House Principal, Mr. Parisi. At this Breakfast meeting, a 2009 SHS GE graduate, Le’Asia Thomas, was recognized by the agency and received a $250.00 scholarship to apply to a college of her choice.

As of November 13, 2009, our beloved advisor, Mrs. Mary McGovern, will be leaving SHS and the Center for Community Justice for another job. Mrs. McGovern says she has “LOVED working for the school district and the Center for Community Justice but mostly with and for the kids. They are the greatest!!!” The Center for Community Justice is currently interviewing applicants for the Peer Mediation Coordinator position and hopes to have that person in place before Mrs. McGovern’s departing date or shortly thereafter.

Point Break

GE 9th graders have been participating in a nationwide anti-bullying program...

The anti-bullying training took place on Ontario Avenue, in Schenectady. It is called Point Break because it is hopefully an experience that the students will use to propel them in life. There are many fun elements to the day but as it progresses, things get serious and kids are able to share their feelings in a supportive environment.

Hispanic Night at SHS

On October 22nd, SHS students enjoyed performances from the SHS Drumming Ensemble, Spanish Club Salsa Dancers, SHS Latin Jazz Band, Tony Garcia and Tony Garcia, Jr., and Miguel Garcia. The evening ended with a delicious array of Hispanic entrees for dinner.

SHS Student Ambassador’s Club

Once again our SHS Student Ambassador’s Club members got off to a running start as the new school year began. Prior to the beginning of the school year, SHS Student Ambassador’s assisted with the Freshman Orientation/Parent Bar-B-Que- both SHS Freshman Transition Days, and Back to School Night. For each of these events, our members were available to assist new students, parents and visitors in finding their way around the building. In addition this year we have had a number requests from elementary school PTO’s for assistance at events, which has been a fun experience for us.

We would like to thank First New York Federal Credit Union for their generous sponsorship this year of our traditional bright red golf shirts emblazoned in red white & blue with “Student Ambassador,” the Schenectady City School District logo on the back, and the First New York Logo on the front. Having these shirts certainly makes it easy for anyone to identify our members at various functions.

Thank you First New York!!

Message from House Principal

Mr. Peter Parisi:

The school year ends but the work does not! As we all make the final sprint toward graduation there is still much to do.

Summer school prep is moving along. If your student wants to improve a grade and needs to gain credits to graduate please encourage them to attend Summer School. Attending Summer School can help a student who has struggled during the year to get back on track! Please contact the Guidance Office for details about Summer School.

Let me include one final thought as we close out the year. No community can thrive unless the members of the community trust, respect, and support one another. Yes, at times we may disagree about some detail, idea, or action but in the end we all have the same end in mind.

Good luck to our graduating Seniors!

GE TOP TEN Senior Scholars

Jennifer Nechamen, Alexandra Weisee, Aliyya Christiani, Ethan Brooks-McDonald, Marcia Rahiman, Hemavattie Ramtahal, Haley Vanbellingham, Amanda McLean, Jami Russell, and Peter Shapiro.

Students of the Month

March:
9th Sean Brown
10th Nick Colangelo
11th Mariah Rosenberger
12th Eric LaMalfa

April:
9th Ashmini Singh
10th Sandra Delvalle
11th Kervin Alcindor
12th Taylor DeThorne

May:
9th Rebecca Doodnauth
10th Zoeliz Santos
11th Shana Joseph
12th Samara Butler

GE House provides Senior with Shadowing

Mrs. Valerie Palmieri’s Introduction to Psychology class inspired Kendall Delgado to learn more about the field of School Psychology. After discussing this interest with Mr. Parisi, an internship experience was created with GE House School Psychologist, Mr. Rafael Medina.

Over the past year, Kendall has spent 3 hours per week shadowing Mr. Medina. He has been exposed to all aspects of psychology and its application within the school and community setting. According to Mr. Medina, “Kendall Delgado has defined himself within the high school milieu as a natural leader. Kendall’s ability to apply what he has learned regarding theory and practice has been formidable. Kendall has shown deep interest in the causes of human behavior, including social, biological, and psychological factors.” This experience has inspired Kendall to pursue his interest in the field as he will be attending Union College this fall majoring in Psychology. Kendall added, “Mr. Medina really knows what he is doing. Mr. Medina is persistent with students and goes the extra mile with students. Mr. Medina’s passion for his job has motivated me to get involved in the field of School Psychology. I really thank Mr. Parisi who made this happen for me.”

Awards

Several GE House Seniors and Undeclassmen received awards on May 27th or June 3rd. The GE Top Ten Senior Scholars (see above list) walked away with several awards. Jennifer Nechamen and Alexandra Weisse were also in the Class of 2009 Top Ten Scholars and along with Aliyya Christiani and Ethan Brooks-McDonald received a Scholarship for Academic Excellence Award. Nechemann added the Biology & Wind Ensemble Awards, Weisse added the Nelson Ripley ’51 Memory Book and Blue Roses Awards, Christianni added the Business Law Student of the Year Award, and Peter Shapiro added the national Merit Scholarship Commended Students Award. Hemavattie Ramtahal and Christia Shelton received the Girls Inc. Scholarship with Ramtahal adding the Citizenship Award, Ethan Brooks-McDonald earned the French Speaking Award. Other GE Seniors earned awards: Kendall Delgado (Rotary of Schenectady, Ralph Boyd), Bojana Jankova (Kiwanis, American Red Cross), Katarina Lassiter (Pat Wolcott), Marse Pulley (Phoenix), Haley Van Bellingham (SSFA Creativity), Davon Williams (Business Department of the Year, Financial Literacy), Marcia Rahiman (Financial Literacy), Arielle Turner (Hudson Valley Book). Athletic awards went to Amanda McLean, Samara Butler, Dan Desbians, Mark Blair, Megan Devlin, Heather Joslin, Nick Ottati, Joe Ripp, Ryan Zielinski, and Taylor DeThorne. At the Undergraduate award ceremony, students taking home awards included: Kervin Alcindor (RIT Computing Medal), Grace Janiszewski (St. Lawrence University Book Club), Grace Liebers (Brown Book), and Stephanie Mariapen (Wellesley Book Club). We are so proud of the accomplishments of the GE House Scholars! This list is not exhaustive– the awards are still being given out!

FACS

Children have participated in the GE House’s Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Life Studies core classes: Child Development or Pre-K where high school students have direct observation/experiences with young children. This Spring, newborns, infants, toddlers, and pre-school children provided hands-on learning for students enrolled in these classes.

FCCLA Team headed to National Competition

GE House’s own Johanna Stone and Meranda Bell from the School of Global Commerce will compete in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National STAR (Students Taking action for Recognition) Events Applied Technology category in July at the National FCCLA Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Good luck!

International Women’s Writer’s Guild

Ivan Cruz, Fatima Elibass, Crystal Keenan, Katarine Lassiter, and Amanda Avuso have been invited to the Skidmore College writing conference June 15-17th. This conference supports creative writing and gives girls healthy creative exchanges with adult women. They will be exposed to published authors, artists, and poets who use writing for social action and personal development. The students experience campus life and many workshops within the literary genre.

Pointbreak

GE Students participated in a nationwide program designed to help develop student leaders on Friday May 1st and May 11th. The training took place on Ontario Avenue, in Schenectady. The daylong session bonded most that attended as a family away from home. There were lots of hugs and tears which doesn’t work for everyone, but got a lot of students in touch with their emotions

High School Students Tour State Museum Thanks to Target Grant

Thanks to a grant from Target Field Trips, 41 SHS students had an opportunity to visit the New York State Museum last month. GE Students from Ms. Michelle Lax’s special class (SC) enjoyed many exhibits: the Rockwell Kent Great Arts series, the Adirondack wilderness, and the 911 Rescue and Recovery exhibit. The group also enjoyed the interactive discovery center where they participated in hands-on learning experiences and utilized state-of-the-art technology.

On June 5th, GE students enrolled in SC classes went to Collins Park in Scotia for a picnic. They enjoyed a day of fun, games, and food. This day was a celebration for the students in the program to show what a successful school year they had. An event across High School Houses, there were over 70 students who participated. Fortunately the weather cooperated and everyone had a great time!

THE COUNSELOR’S CORNER

Summer School registration will be held on June 29th from 9 am- 12 pm and 5 pm—7 pm at Schenectady High School. You need to be present in order to register for summer school. We can not do it for you. If you fail any classes, you should attend summer school so that you can stay on track for graduation.

If you don’t get your report card by June 29th, please call the Guidance Office at (518) 370-8200 to see if you need to attend Summer School.

You should be reviewing your course requests for next year. See your Guidance Counselor ASAP or call the Guidance Office over the summer at (518) 370-8200 to make any changes before the next school year begins.

Try and get a summer job if you are old enough. If not, then consider volunteering or enrolling in an educational summer camp.

For college bound Juniors, about to be Seniors, the summer time is a good time to research and visit colleges and explore your career interests. Don’t wait until the last minute! We suggest that you get your college applications out by December 1st.

Key Club

Congratulations to the SHS Key Club for sponsoring the American Red Cross blood drive that collected 194 units!! Because of the dramatic increase in collection since the last drive, the Red Cross offered a scholarship to Boni Jankova, a deserving Key Club member. Congrats!

12th Grade Field Trip

GE seniors toured the international “Bodies” exhibit in NYC’s South street seaport. They saw real human bodies that are preserved in siliconized rubber and used to teach about the various systems including; muscular, skeletal, vascular, etc…

Career Day 2009

Over 200 upperclassmen from the GE School spoke with representatives from 6 local employers about future career opportunities. Participants included: Schenectady ARC, Sunmark Federal Credit Union, Schenectady Police, Schenectady Fire Department, US Army, and Local Salon Owner- Esthetician.

GE SENIOR ATHLETES

Goodbye to:
Baseball: Alexander Jurczynski, Nick Ottati, Dante Shafer, Ryan Zielinski;

Crew: Seaton Drebitko, Sarah Wells;

Women’s Lacross: Brooke Comley, Karlee Cyr, Taylor Dethorne, Meghan Devlin, Kathryn Killian, Lauren Osborne;

Men’s Lacross: Johnathan Best, Ethan Brooks-McDonald, Kendall Delgado, Daniel Desbians, and Jack Montgomery;

Softball: Arielle Turner;

Men’s Track: Brandon Johnson, Peter Shapiro, Josh White;

Women’s Track: Brienna Chillious, Louisa Reichenback, Naytia Robinson.

Congrats!

Mock Trial Team

Congrats to GE’s Peter Shapiro and Julian Delgado, Bill Landis, Aubree Heydrick, Anthony Staccone, Laura Weiskotten, Mercy Alila, Josh Mlodzianowski, Anthony Hazlett, and Mario Mascaro. Advised by Mr. Gerry Chapman and Mrs. Polly VanNostrand the team lost to eventual champion Bishop Gibbons. The team will participate in a dinner/bowling event on Friday, June 19th.

Safe School Ambassadors

On April 28th & 29th, several GE students received training to be Safe School Ambassadors. This program was started following the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School massacre to make schools safer. Safe School Ambassadors empowers leaders from diverse groups and cliques on campus and equips them with nonviolent communication and intervention skills to STOP school bullying and violence.

GE Visits HVCC

GE Students attending college visit at Hudson Valley Community College on April 2nd.

AFJROTC in Action!

C/Capt Glen Butler, Corps Commander, and C/1LT Michael Gonzalez spent a some time with a group of Staten Island cadets in Norwich, New York, learning survival skills, navigation, and starting campfires with no matches. This was a great experience for both cadets!

The unit participated in the Scotia Memorial Day Parade, commanded by C/1Lt Dylan Boyer, and our Color Guard participated in the Bellevue Veterans Memorial Service with “America The Beautiful” sung by C/SrA Michael McLean.

We are preparing for a great summer! 12-14 cadets will be attending Summer Leadership School in Ft. Dix, New Jersey, July 5th through July 29th followed with an encampment with CAP in Scotia, New York.

GE Peer Mediators have a BUSY year!

GE Students involved in Peer Mediation:

Seniors: Kendall Delgado, Naytia Robinson (Treasurer), Le'Asia Thomas (President), Ryan Zielinski

Juniors: Samantha Barone (Historian), Brandon Lewis (Secretary), Taiesha Spottswood

Sophomores: Shakieya Brunson, Deyondre Byrd, Abigail Cevallos, Alexis Gary, Okenya Hickson, Kareena Narine

Freshmen: Andrea Clark, Trishala Jailall, Keturah Vics, Javasha White

To date, Peer Mediation has received 308 refferals, running about 50 more than last year for the same time frame. GE students have consistently made up at least half of the trained mediators. As we wrap up the school year, we say goodbye and good luck to our graduating Seniors. Kendall Delgado will be attending Union College to pursue a Psychology degree. Naytia Robinson is looking into joining the Air Force after 3 great years in the JROTC. Le'Asia Thomas will be attending Morgan State in Baltimore pursuing her dream to become a Nurse. Ryan Zielinski will be attending Castleton State in Vermont, pursing a Business degree. We hope that their time spent in Peer Mediation will help them in their future endeavors. We will miss them all!

QUILT donated

Mrs. Pat Johnson teaches GE House’s University Women’s Literature classes. Students in her class have been busy making a quilt to donate to the City Mission Women’s Shelter in Schenectady. This activity has become a tradition as it has been done over several years. The shelter staff appreciates home made items, since each one donated suggests the care and compassion of the community for women and children in crisis.

Spelling Bee

Ms. Josephine Sorensen’s GE reading classes joined together during mod 1 on May 27th in the Black Box theatre for a spelling bee. The words were based on the corrections made in all of their journals during the school year. The word that narrowed down the competition was definitely. The word leprechaun brought Sean Brown and Dwight House into the final two eliminating 3rd place winner, Teekarran Ramjag. Finally, another championship went to Sean Brown who has won eight other spelling bees during previous school years. Embarrassing was the word that knocked Dwight out of 1st place. Fun was had by all, and Mr. Parisi furnished generous gift certificates from Barnes & Noble for the top 3 winners.

Field Trips

On April 29th GE 9th graders & on May 5th 10th graders traveled to Boston, MA. They went to the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market for shopping & lunch, the Boston Museum of Science, and Mugar Omni Theatre where they saw the show “Amazon.”

International Night at SHS

On April 23rd, students from all Houses celebrated cultural diversity. Performances included the Schenectady Pipe Band (Traditional Bag Pipes), Spanish Club Dancers featuring Arabic Belly Dance by Rushka Kalicharan, Korean Martial Arts featuring Tackwondo by Youjin Chung, Classical Indian Dance by Kimberly Ramsundar, Spanish Club Salsa Dancers, and Chinese Dragon presented by the students of ROTC. A delicious potluck followed the entertainment.

Message from House Principal- Mr. Peter Parisi

Over the last few months the GE House Psychologist, Mr. Rafael Medina, and Social Worker, Mr. Nate Wylie, have been working with students from all houses in the Peaceful Warriors Boxing Club. This unique organization is dedicated to improving the academic standing and the emotional health of students who have encountered significant barriers to their success as students in high school. The club provides our students with heavily supervised physical activity, membership in a positive peer group, hard work, self-discipline, and an opportunity for positive risk taking. The club welcomes all students to join, however those students who become members must demonstrate a commitment to both academic and behavioral improvement if they wish to remain part of the club. This important and positive student activity could not exist without the dedicated and enthusiastic support of community member Mr. Vincent Kittle, owner of the Boxing Center. Mr. Medina, Mr. Wylie and Mr. Kittle- Thanks for helping our kids!

Quote of the Month:
“Richness of the soul is found in a sound mind and a sound body.”

Students of the Month

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH:
January:
9th Aridessa Samuria
10th Megan Harrington
11th Screll Royal
12th Mackenzie
February:
9th Farishta Sehat
10th Dana Mancini
11th Thai Do
12th Donald Coons

GE 9th grade 2nd Assembly– features Ex-gang member

On March 26, 2009, nationally acclaimed speaker and former gang leader, Dr. Joseph Jennings, talked to 9th graders. Dr. Jennings, who was burned, stabbed and shot many times shared his story and talked to students about the dangers of drug use and gang activity. He delivered a tough message on violence, drugs, responsibility, change, and the importance of making good decisions. He also handed out brochures and special prizes like a cuddly teddy bear.

Dr. Jennings grew up in the projects of South Bend, Indiana and was the oldest of 13 children. Now, as an international anti-drug/anti-gang speaker, he travels the world to share his story and to inspire teens to develop values, character, and take the right path. Dr. Jennings served as the National Youth Advocate on President Bush’s Advisory Council on Prevention of AIDS/HIV in America and is the president and founder of Second Chances Outreach Inc., which offers an alternative to gangs.

Dr. Jennings has written several books including “Prisoner of The American Dream,” “Black Man White Man: A Tale of Two Friends,” and “Bad Boy Turned Good.” He has also recorded several CD’s.

The Counselor's Corner

Seniors-
●Make sure you have filled out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can complete it online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. See your Guidance Counselor for the paper application. You should do this ASAP. After you are done with the FAFSA, be sure to apply for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). If you qualify, this program provides money to help pay for college.

Juniors-
●There will be a College Fair on Wednesday, May 6th at Hudson Valley Community College. The College Fair is an opportunity to speak with representatives from over 200 colleges and universities. We will be taking two bus loads of students to the morning session. Stay tuned to the morning and afternoon announcements so that you hear when permission slips will be available to pick up. There is also an evening session from 6-8 pm where you can go on you own.

●Upcoming SAT at Schenectady High School is on June 6th. The deadline to register is May 5th. You can register online at http://www.collegeboard.com/ or pick up the paper application in the Guidance Office. Cost is $45. You can get a fee waiver if you receive free or reduced lunch. See your Guidance Counselor for the fee waiver.

●Upcoming ACT at Schenectady High School is on June 13th. The deadline to register is May 8th. You can register online at http://www.actstudent.org/ or pick up the paper application in the Guidance Office. Cost is $46. You can get a fee waiver if you receive free or reduced lunch. See your Guidance Counselor for the fee waiver.

Sophomores-
●Why not explore careers at http://www.nycareerzone.org/? Now is a good time to start thinking about what careers you may be interested in. Go to the website and explore the careers you are interested in. You can see job descriptions, tasks of the job, skills needed for the job, education needed, wages earned for the job, and the job outlook of that career.

Freshmen-
●Make wise use of the remainder of the school year. Do your best to bring your grades up. The only grades colleges will see for your 9th grade year is your final marks. Now is the time to work hard and finish the year on a good note. Summer is way too much fun to have to go to summer school. You can do it!!!

FCCLA

FCCLA Team WINS NY State Competition! Two high school students competed at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) New York STAR (Students Taking Action for Recognition) Events competition on April 3rd at the hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, NY. Meranda Bell from the School of Clobal Commerce and Johanna Stone of the G.E. School of Humanitites and Culture teamed up to compete in the Applied Technology event. And, they WON! Meranda Bell and Johanna Stone won the gold medal in the Junior Division and the opportunity to represent NYS at the National Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee in July. The two prepared a slide show featuring child development theories on guided learning. Their presentation included photographs taken of them with young children participating in an activity. They photographed older students demonstrating to the younger ones how to turn pages of a book and write their names. Both cases show that following the hands-on demonstration, the young children can engage in an activity without assistance.

GE in Washington

GE Scholars Shanice Robinson and Shaleek Smith were among those students who traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 27, 2009 to perform on the Kennedy Center Stage, saluting the “Big Band Era.” The performance can be seen at the official Kennedy Center website: http://www.kennedy-center.org/. Friends of Music, a volunteer organization of parents and teachers who want to support music programs in the Schenectady City School District, is conducting a quilt raffle to help defer the costs incurred by this trip. GE’s Chief Jayne Thompson generously donated a full size quilt. Tickets cost $2 each, 3 for $5 or 8 for $10. They can be purchased by contacting Mr. Steve Weisse at (518) 345-4266 or email sweisse@nycap.rr.com. If paying by check, please make payable to Friends of Music and send to Schenectady High School, c/o Ms. Rachel Gayne, 1445 The Plaza, Schenectady, NY 12308. Tickets are on sale through the end of April.

GE House Spirit

Above: GE Staff participate in Faculty Basketball game.
Below: GE Staff wear Hawaiian shirts while participating in a bowling event. Both events raised money for charity.

Career Day

GE School Team 12 will be hosting a career day for upper class GE scholars on April 23, 2009. It will be in the HS commons from 12:00-3:00. Juniors & Seniors have an opportunity to meet potential employers. Several local entrepreneurs as well as Schenectady ARC, Sunmark FCU, Schenectady Fire Department, and other local and municipal agencies will be present. It is a great opportunity for prospective employers and employees to get a head start in the process.

GE Seniors

GE Seniors Dante Shafer and Ryan Zielinski are the varsity baseball captains. They attended the Capital District Big Ten media night on March 24, 2009 representing SHS. They were interviewed by local news outlets– Channels 6, 9, & 10 and treated to a Buffet Dinner.

Key Club

The Key Club raised $350.00 for Muscular Dystrophy by selling shamrocks which were displayed around the Main Office.

JROTC

Eight AFJROTC cadets (Glen Butler, Michael McLean, Andrew Teeluck, Shane Batease, Kaylee Barbalace, Jeff Spring, Kamanzi Munroe, and Alex Rosa) flew with Civil Air Patrol pilots out of Schenectady County Airport. The flights were “fantastic!” Prior to flight all were briefed on flight safety, the aerodynamics of aircraft, takeoff and landing procedures, and some Federal Aviation Administration and runway procedures.

C/Capt Glen Butler, Corps Commander, briefed the area manager, Colonel Chilicott, on unit achievements and goals during our inspection. He is looking forward to returning to Schenectady in 12-18 months for the evaluation!

Naytia Robinson and Michael McLean attended Leadership Challenge Weekend at Norwich University, Vermont. The training was fun, intense, and all too short before it was time to head back to Schenectady High. Great experience for both!!!

The unit performed a Change of Command 20 March – C/Capt Glen Butler passed the banner of command responsibility to C/2Lt Andrew Rosa. Glen Butler, Michael Gonzalez, Andrew Rosa, Michael McLean, Marcel Parsons, and Devin Berman-Weatherby attended the Rensselear Polytechnic Institute Drill Meet 21 March. Interaction with college students and cadets, observing the drill and fitness competition made for a Saturday well spent!

Rapper Shawn Mims

Rapper, Shawn Mims, was on hand to entertain students while they ate lunch on March 26, 2009.

2nd Annual Black History Night Celebration

On February 26, 2009, Associate Superintendent, Mr. Gary Comley welcomed students, their families, and members of the community to celebrate Black History Night. Mr. Wes Holloway, Vice President of Diversity was the featured speaker. Performances were provided by the Schenectady High School Step Team, students of Mr. Gleason on the Diembre Drums, Ameya Johnson reciting a Langston Hughes poem, Kathryn Cooper reciting a poem by Maya Angelou, the Hamilton Hills Arts Center Steel Drum Band, Creative Expressions, and the SHS Inspiration Choir. A great selection of foods to sample afterwards were donated by teachers and community members.

Great Job to GE Students

Julian Delgado and Nicholas Ottati! Both were recognized as YMCA Outstanding Student Achievers for their hard work and dedication to volunteerism and leadership in their community.

Stephanie Alston Nero

Poet, Artist, and Historical Activist Stephanie Alston Nero visited SHS during Black History month to continue her work in bringing the heart to American History. Several GE students and staff participated in the workshop. She shared short films that explore race, class, stereotypes and issues around slavery. Thanks to all those who participated in this event.

GE College Visit

GE Students attending college visit at the College of St. Rose on March 3, 2009.

GE Senior Samara Bulter

Samara Bulter was selected for the Girls Section II All-tournament team. In addition, she was invited to play in the exceptional seniors’ game between the Big Ten Seniors and the Suburban Counsel Seniors. Samara is proudly sporting a t-shirt with the name of the college she has decided to attend- the College of St. Rose! Congratulations Samara!