Perspectives
HALF HOLLOW HILLS HIGH SCHOOL EAST PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
Volume V, Issue IV
June 17, 2013
A Special Message from Dr. Woodberry Dear High School East Community,
The Insider’s View
Page 3 Student Artists
Page 5 The Thunderbird
Page 7 Writing Achievements
Page 9 Spring Musical
Special Thanks to Contributors: Nicole Dalton Margaret Davis Amanda Kavner Sharon Lindell Kim Norris Milena Restrepo Cortney Silberman Allyson Uttendorfer And Photographers: Felice Crystal Olivia Traina LifeTouch Studio
It has been a terrific year for us here at High School East! There are numerous achievements to report as you will see in this issue. Students have excelled in all areas including academics, the arts and athletics. These successes are a direct result of our professional learning community’s (K-12) efforts to educate our children. As the school year rapidly approaches to an end, I can sincerely say that it has been a pleasure. As I say every year, Class of 2013, as you move on to bigger venues, know that you have a solid foundation and you are ready to excel at the next level. Remember all you have learned here at High School East, both the academic and life lessons. All of your experiences here may not have gone exactly as you would have imagined they would, but please focus on the good as you prepare to start a new life. We hope that you feel you have been nurtured, challenged and inspired by the adults who worked with you over the past four years. You will always be a part of us here at High School East. We are very proud of your development and accomplishments. Continue to live up to the high standards of your Half Hollow Hills community no matter what path you choose. All the best in your future endeavors! Good luck to the Class of 2013! I wish everyone an enjoyable and safe summer! Remember Respect, Responsibility and Excellence, Dr. J. A. Woodberry
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Perspectives
Extraordinary Seniors! High School East is extremely proud of all of our seniors. They have exemplified Respect, Responsibility and Excellence to the fullest. One senior, in particular, who leaves a lasting legacy at High School East is Jake Ethe’. Although he has numerous accomplishments, the most notable is his work with the Speech and Debate teams. Jake’s career with the High School East Speech and Debate teams is remarkable, truly historical for our school. This year he was named the Reserve National Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking at the National Catholic Forensics League tournament. Over the years, he has been a National Semifinalist twice, a New York State Champion, a five-time Collegiate National Finalist, and a twenty time local champion. Jake credits the Speech and Debate teams for his growth and achievements. He stated "Speech and Debate is not just a club, but a culture. Through it, students from the past and present share in a mutual understanding of its place in their lives--within the walls of Room 208, we gain skills that translate far past high school and into a new world whose opportunities seem endless as a result of having been a part of this life-altering club." He is truly a well-rounded student. In addition to the achievements listed above, he is a 10 letter Varsity athlete, four year student government representative, three time published Scholastic writing award winner, two-time Model UN Best Delegate, Telluride Association program semi-finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended Scholar. We congratulate Jake for his outstanding accomplishments and wish him the best in Cornell University where he will study Industrial Labor Relations.
ISWEEEP 2013 Congratulations to Benjamin Sorkin and Puja Bansal for winning silver medals in the engineering category at the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project Olympiad “ISWEEEP” in May. The event was held in Houston, Texas and showcased distinguished high school students from around the world. Puja received an Engineering Silver for her work of Three Dimensional Molecular Imprinting for the Detection of Viral Pathogens. Ben received an Engineering Silver for his work on Design and Construction of a Boundary Layer Development Wind Tunnel. Congratulations to Ben and Puja!
Volume V, Issue IV
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Student Artists! The Memory Project, June 2013 Each year Mrs. Norris and her AP Studio Art students work with a charity called The Memory Project. The Memory Project, established in 2004, is a nationwide initiative in which art students create original portraits for children around the world who have been orphaned, neglected, or disadvantaged. Given that children in such situations often have few personal keepsakes, the purpose of the portraits is to provide them with a special memory of their youth, to honor their heritage and identity, and to help them build a positive selfimage. The project also provides an opportunity for young Americans to open their hearts to children who have endured many hardships, and to promote the value of sharing kindness with others. Mrs. Norris’s class has their AP exam the first Friday in May and as soon as it’s complete, they get to work on rendering the children’s portraits. They work from photos of the children provided by the program’s director. Once finished, the Memory Project delivers the portraits to the children.
Each year Mrs. Norris’s AP students are given a different country to work with. This year’s portraits were of children from El Salvador. Given the fact that the students taking AP Studio Art are juniors and seniors, many of them are headed off to college. Mrs. Norris feels working with this charity is a meaningful reminder to her students as to how fortunate they are to have the opportunities they do. It provides tremendous perspective as they set out to pursue their own goals in life.
Study Center. They toured the estate and studio of the artists Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Students also created their own Pollock inspired works of art on the very grounds that he drew inspiration from himself for his own works of art.
The Pollock Krasner House & Study Center, May 2013 In May, Mrs. Norris and her students in AP Studio Art and Advanced Drawing & Painting classes traveled out to East Hampton to visit and tour the Pollock Krasner House and
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Volume V, Issue II
High School East Student Helping Others -profit organization that provides food, shelter, clothes, and education for orphan children in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. To raise awareness about the organization, AASO members created a display with images and information. In addition to the many clothing donations from students and teachers, the AASO was able to raise $300 through pizza, bake, and ice cream sales.
Article by Ms. Lindell This spring the African American Student Organization (AASO) made Little Shepherd of Haiti their charity of choice to help collect funds for children in Haiti. Little Shepherd of Haiti is a non
All proceeds will go to the health and welfare of the orphan children as well as provide a comfortable place to live and learn.
Volume V, Issue IV
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The Thunderbird Soars!
In May the High School East Newspaper took home several awards at the Long Island Press High School Journalism Awards. The award ceremony was held on Wednesday, 5/22 at Hofstra University. Advisors, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Dalton attended, along with several teachers and parents.
Congratulations to the following winners: 1st place - Sports-National - "Demise of the Big East" by Matt Tisch 1st place - School Spirit - "High School East Comp Night" by Helen Kim and Fatima Ouedraogo 1st place - Fashion Feature - "Mercedes Benz Fashion Week" by Skyler Yahney 3rd place - Reporting on Newtown - "Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School" by Grace Segers 3rd place - Technology - "Everyday I'm Tumblr'ing" by Ji-Yun Lee 3rd place - Social Commentary/General - "Uproar at the First Community Budget Meeting" by Madeline Bacchus 3rd place - Editiorial/Review/General - "The Vampire Diaries: A Huge Hit" by Jordanna Schmidt and Emily Shanker 3rd place - Arts Review/Art - "Art in the Community" by Madeline Bacchus 3rd place - Layout/Design - Staff of the HSE Thunderbird, accepted by Editor-in-Chief Natalie Haebich Honorable Mention - Column/General - "Student Government Update" by Shari Bieber Honorable Mention - Political/National Features - Staff of the HSE Thunderbird, accepted by Editor-in-Chief Natalie Haebich
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Perspectives
Fun with Snakes!
Article by Ms. Kavner It was the day before Spring Break and the students in Ms. Kavner’s classes (as well as Mrs. Grasso’s 7th period class and Mrs. Goodenough’s 8th period class) had some serpentine visitors. Three of Ms. Kavner’s snakes came to class that day (Corn snake, Ball Python, and Burmese Python). Students learned a variety of facts about snakes and had an opportunity to hold each Students in the chemistry classes learned about snake. the difference between cold blooded and warm blooded metabolism. Students in Living Environment and LEAPES learned about invasive species from the largest snake, a 12’ Burmese Python which is an invasive species in the Everglades (FL). This ended up being a very special day for students who attended. Students who were afraid of snakes before that day were holding them and everyone who wanted a picture holding Jezzie, the Burmese Python, had their photo op!
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Perspectives
Students Achieve in Writing! This Spring, High School East Sophomore, Carson Barnes demonstrated excellence in Spanish. Carson was recognized for three competitions by local and national organizations. Congratulations to Carson on receiving the following awards: First place in the Victor Baptiste Essay Competition from AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese) First Place for Original Poetry from LILT (Long Island Language Teachers, INC.) A Gold Medal from the National Spanish Exam, scoring in the 99 percentile! We are extremely proud of Carson and his accomplishments.
In April, High School East Senior, Shreyas Havaldar submitted a poem to the 2013 Poetry for the HART (a Town of Huntington Public Art Initiative) program entitled" A Brief Encounter". His poem was one of 18 poems selected from 293 poems submitted. The poem will be displayed publicly throughout the Huntington Area Rapid Transit System and a reception was held honoring the winners on April 24th at the Walt Whitman Birthplace.
Congratulations to Shreyas on this outstanding accomplishment!
Curriculum Comes to Life! Article by Mrs. Silberman
exemplified its origin using the elements of civilizations we had been studying in class throughTo end the year of Global Studies for my 9th out the year. I like to use this trip to the MET as a graders, I enjoy taking them to the Metropolitan jump in review for the final exam, as well as a Museum of Art where they witness thousands of way for students to actually witness objects artifacts from the ancient civilizations that we made by the people we studied and who lived so have researched all year. While at the museum many years ago. I feel that visiting these artistudents visited 5 exhibits: Greek/Roman Art, facts brings the history to life for my students in Egyptian Art, Far Eastern, Islamic and Mesopo- a meaningful way and provides them with an extamian Art, Asian Art, and Medieval Art and perience they will never forget. Arms and Armor. As they walked around each exhibit students were able to explore the many works of art, fine jewelry, hand-crafted pottery, clothing and many pieces from these civilizations. Students were then asked to focus on one particular artifact from each exhibit to write about and photograph. The purpose of their writing was to explain how the piece they chose
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Perspectives
Achievement in Art High School East Senior, Leah Vallario was recognized for two prestigious art awards this Spring. She is the winner of the Photography Award of Excellence from LIU Post. She was honored at the annual High School Juried Art Show. This exhibition featured artwork in a square format, not to exceed 12 inches x 12 inches. Students from high schools throughout Long Island participated. Leah’s unique black and white portrait of her sister covered with dripping paint provided a unique perspective on traditional portraits.
In addition, Leah was recognized by the annual Astoria Federal Savings Teen Photography Contest where she received a $250 award. In addition, her teacher Mrs. Uttendorfer will receive a $100 classroom grant for participation and motivating her students. The goal was for students to capture distinctive and unique photos of people and their customs. They were looking for holiday celebrations or traditional symbols associated with the many cultures we share. Leah submitted a portrait of her friend with the American Flag painted across her face. She showed her patriotism through this unique photograph.
Volume V, Issue IV
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Fall Drama and Spring Musical Receive Recognition. Hunting-TONY Awards
This year the High School East Theatre Program put on award winning productions. The Best Supporting Actor in a Musical proof came in the numerous awards that were Nathaniel Bear presented to cast and crew at the BACCA Teen Theatre Awards and the annual HuntingTONY Awards. Best Featured Actor in a Musical David Lerner Congratulations to the cast and crew of this year’s drama, A Midsummer Night's Dream and musical, Urinetown for the following Best Ensemble in a Musical awards: Cast and Crew
BACCA Awards Best Actor in a Drama Brandon Kaplan
Best Stage Set Design in a Musical Cast and Crew
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Best Technical Production - Musical Veronica Fox Cast and Crew Best Production Value for a Musical Cast and Crew
HALF HOLLOW HILLS
Spring Sports Recap
HIGH SCHOOL EAST PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
High School East 50 Vanderbilt Parkway Dix Hills, NY 11746
The Spring sports season was a true success with numerous teams making their way into the playoffs and representing High School East throughout the county, the state and the country. Congratulations to the following teams which made a statement after the regular season. Varsity Baseball, Girls and Boys Badminton, Girls and Boys Track and Field, Boys Varsity Tennis and Girls Varsity Lacrosse.
The Varsity Boys Tennis team has left a legacy at High School East with the following accolades:
Undefeated season 22-0 Suffolk County Champions Long Island Champions
The Girls Track 4X4 Relay Team has left a legacy by setting school records and with the following accolades:
Suffolk County Champions Second in the state and federaSpecial congrats are in order for our tion Boys Tennis Team, the Girls Track Set new School Record running 4X4 Relay Team, and the Girls and 3:51.57 Boys Badminton Team.
Produced by: Roberto Trigosso Assistant Principal Phone: 631-592-3128 Fax: 631-592-3121 E-mail: rtrigosso@hhh.k12.ny.us
The Girls and Boys Badminton teams Congratulations to all of our Spring Sports Teams! were Suffolk County Champions. With the Girls team going undefeated Congratulations to Senior, Stephen for the season. Woods who was selected in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. We wish him much success in his Major League career!
Visit Our Website: www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny.us
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