Help Dress
a
Girl Around The World
Dress a Girl Around the World, a new program at The Center on 133 State Street, Brockport, is scheduled for the 4th Thursday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (come anytime for as long or little as you have to help). Volunteers will share their talents to create dresses from pillow cases for little girls in developing countries or disaster areas. Some sewing machines available or bring your own. No sewing skills required -- only a desire to help one girl at a time. This program is a free community service project for anyone 9 years and older. For information or to register for the program call 637-8161 or stop by The Center anytime Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
May 24, 2015
Issue No. 21
www.westsidenewsny.com
SOUTH EDITION
Distributed
to
Churchville-Riga, North Chili, Spencerport-Ogden
Hill School offers unique program for the academically talented Meeting the needs of students who have passion to discover by Doug Hickerson The last image on the Power Point was Osama bin Laden. The presenters who had researched terrorism asked the question, “Is this the most dangerous man in the world?” That presentation was on May 14, 1999 -- two years, three months, and 28 days before the 9/11 tragedy in New York City, planned and instigated by bin Laden. The two researchers were not scholars in a think tank. They were two fifth grade students, Branden Hickey and Greg Strabel, in Brockport Hill School’s Academically Talented Program (ATP).
The two were curious and concerned about terrorism in the world and wanted to study it. They approached teacher Buck Noble who located three mentors to guide them: LTC Steven Hoffpauer in military science, Dr. Ray Duncan in political science, both at The College at Brockport, and an expert on counter terrorism in Washington whom they interviewed by email. ATP projects usually conclude with some demonstration to an audience. For these two students the power point was presented to two honor global history classes at Brockport High School. The two captivated their bright older audience with their research. What’s offered and expected The terrorism project is one example of what Buck Noble has been doing with
“I backed into teaching at Brockport,” Noble said. “I never thought I would ever be a teacher in my life.” He has loved it ever since. Asked about the high level of energy he demonstrates, Noble said, “It comes from the kids. There is just something magic; I can’t put it another way. They give it back to me.”
Buck Noble Brockport teacher
fourth and fifth grade students for the last 18 years as “enrichment specialist” in the Academically Talented Program (ATP) in Hill School. He encourages and enables curious young minds with a passion to know more about something in their world. He locates appropriate expert mentor volunteers, carefully screened, to guide them in their quest. Noble gives a presentation to all entering fourth grade classes, introducing them to existing group projects they can join: rocks and minerals, engineering, math labs, and robotics. Then, he encourages students to propose their own project of interest. Other projects initiated by students, individually or in groups, include: blue bird houses, spiders, Veggie Nation, music, dance, chess, hospitality industry, woodwork, and frogs. There are no formal academic prerequisites to join the ATP. The students must be doing well in their classes, be able to afford time out of class, and be responsible to make up work missed in class.
Mining for mentors One of Noble’s tasks is to locate appropriate mentors for the students’ projects. He uses all sorts of networking, social media, and sometimes, ads. Once mentors are assigned, he works out the logistics of where and when to meet. The mentors are well-qualified. They are often professionals in the field of interest, including professors at The College at Brockport, or well-accomplished practitioners. The 20 students in dance meet with a dance class in Hartwell Hall where the college dance students are their mentors. Noble himself mentors a group of 50 chess players every Monday from asks for the days of ay 7:30 to 9 a.m. Clean the porch. Fix window screens. Take long walks and watch the sunset. Smell the lilacs.Frank HarvestRakoski fresh chives to founding menis the tor withGrill whom Noble top baked potatoes. Pick lily-leaf beetles off lilies many times a day. Visit several garden centers. hot dogs andstarted the ATP program. Located Mentor Frankand Rakoski students (middle) HaydenDay. Watt Feel to operate hamburgers makehelps potato salad. Jacob Make Thomas a rhubarb pie forand Memorial the warmth of the sun. Buy through gerani- an ad 18 years ago, Rakoski, an electrical engineer, was a robot display in the robotics lab. They partlate of break-out sessions overview ums. Have an iced-coffee with cookieswere in the afternoon. Sleep following with the an windows open. about Plant containers. Visit the to retire after 30 years as a systems of theice Hillcream School’s 2014-15 Academically Program. Enrichment specialist Buck Noble local stand for the first time ofTalented the season. Read the Westside News Inc. Summeranalyst Guide delivered with He thishas since been a with Kodak. led the presentation to parents and interested others at Hill School on May 5. Photo by Dianne mentor in the robotics lab and the chess newspaper, make lists of things to do and places to go this summer. Celebrate May.
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club. He lives locally with his wife, Karen Rakoski, a mechanical engineer, who has mentored ATP students since 2006 in rocks and minerals and lapidary art. Noble has nominated the Rakoskis for recognition from the National Association for Gifted Children, for the quality of their work totaling 12,500 hours to date. The demise of the labels “gifted” and “talented” Noble says that “Academically Talented” is a misnomer, but it’s a convenient title for the program. He says the terms “gifted” and “talented” have become emotionally and politically loaded for parents, teachers and administrators. About 20 years ago a more formal gifted and talented program in the district was scrapped in the controversy. Still seeing a need for many students not appropriately challenged by the traditional curriculum, in 1997 BCSD administrators sent three teachers (including Noble as the new program leader) and two administrators to a two-week workshop at the University of Connecticut, the clearing house for all gifted and talented research, Noble said. “My conceptions about gifted and talented, and how to work with these kids, were blown out of the water!” Noble said. “I had a huge paradigm shift in my own mind about what this population of students is all about.” Passion is primary, backed by skills embedded in the learning standards “Research shows there is no standardized test for measuring giftedness for the K-6 population,” Noble said. It is a student’s passion for a particular area of learning or skill that drives him/her to high achievement on that subject. Noble reminds his students that it is a healthy respect for the brain that is behind their gratifying learning adventure. That reminder is summed up in a kind of humorous secret code he often uses when greeting students: “How’s your brain?” Continued on page 4