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.