School Briefs

Published on May 09, 2008

Grant awards

The Amherst Education Foundation announced its Innovation, Diversity and Equity grants at a reception that featured displays of current year recipients. The AEF raises funds with its annual Trivia Bee and donations in honor and memory of staff, family and friends.

The programs, sponsors and grants: Kids Design A Sustainable Future, one day workshop, $545, Mary Donovan, Crocker Farm School; Amherst Regional Middle School after school clubs and activities, $2,000; Tara Farley, Regional Middle School art teacher; Project Adventure training and classroom implementation, $700, Richard Ferro, Amherst Regional Middle School; science coach, $1,255, Rebecca Fricke, Crocker Farm School; summer readers, $910, Roberta Issler, Crocker Farm School; mentors in violence prevention, $1,500, Karen Keogh-Huff, ARHS athletic director; academic tutoring, homework clubs, $3,000, Wendy Kohler, executive director of curriculum and program development; National Steel Symphony of Trinidad: Workshops and Performances, $500, Wendy Kohler; Cambodian-American: Bridging the Cultures, $875, Seiha Krouch Fort River School; Leyendo Juntos/Reading Together, $1,100, Marta Lev, Crocker Farm School; STRIVE, $2,000, Nunia Mafi, ARMS and ARHS; Harlem Renaissance, $1,000, Agnes McCraven, Crocker Farm School music teacher; A Sense of Wonder Through Science, $960, Alyssa Melnick, Mark's Meadow School; Summer Kit, $1,000, Ritsuka Mastroianni, Crocker Farm School; Dances of the World, $1,400, B.Z. Reily, Shutesbury School art teacher; Learning Compassion II, $800, Julie Rypysc, Crocker Farm School; Class Writes!, $1,000, Rhonda Soto and Class Action; and Alliance For Racial Justice, $500, Russell Vernon-Jones, Fort River principal.

Jazz festival

The First Annual Amherst Jazz Festival will be held May 13 at 7 p.m. at the Amherst Regional High School auditorium.

The program will feature the ARMS Jazz Band, the ARHS Jazz Workshop I and II and the ARHS Jazz Bands, conducted by Amherst Regional Middle and High School Band Director Brian Messier.

The festival will showcase performances of 42 students in grades seven through 12, 16 of whom are from the middle school, including 11 saxophonists, eight trumpeters, five guitarists, pianists, bassists and drummers, two French horn players and one trombonist and violinist.

Messier created the event as a way to showcase the student performers, as well as the town's jazz program.

"The students who participate in the middle and high school jazz program have been doing outstanding work and they have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to their ensemble participation. This is a culmination of their work and a unique opportunity for them to demonstrate their skills and their interest in jazz," he said.

The high school jazz workshop was started many years ago by the previous high school Band Director Doug Purcell, while the middle school program was started two years ago by former middle school Band Director Juli Sansoucy.

The after-school high school ensembles were created this year.

"I'm excited to bring all of the jazz ensembles together for one very special evening performance. On the one hand, it offers them an invaluable performing opportunity, but it also provides the community with a chance to take pride in our music department offerings, our students, and their accomplishments. I hope that the Amherst Jazz Festival will become an annual event," said Messier.

The festival will include works by Davis, Coltrane, Parker, Mingus, Gershwin, Ellington, Monk, Hancock, and Gillespie.

The jazz groups performed at Applewood and The Arbors earlier this month.

Tickets are $3 and a limited number will be available at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Performing Arts Department.

For information, contact MessierB@arps.org.

Science presentation

Amherst resident and Ludlow High School science teacher Nevin Katz presented "Outbreak at Western High," a fictionalized account of how epidemics can emerge and spread, and the role vaccines have had in preventing large scale outbreaks for more than 80 high school educators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The conference, Health Care Pathways, centered on connecting science and health education with careers in-demand and was sponsored by the Massachusetts Area Health Education Center Network.

A published author and illustrator of the colorful Dr. Birdley Teaches Science series, Katz is skilled in curriculum design and has taught at Hampshire College's Camp Science Investigators, a summer program for middle school students.

In addition to lesson demonstrations, panelists addressed how to leverage community-based resources by building mutual partnerships with hospitals and public health departments, expand students' awareness of the variety of health related careers in demand and develop interactive curricula that engage students. Participants received a resource book serving as a comprehensive instructional tool, complete with online teaching and career development resources, classroom lessons, a guide to designing case-based projects and tips on planning a health careers expo.

The MassAHEC Network is comprised of six statewide community-based centers that provide health education through youth career programs, continuing and professional education.

For information about MassAHEC programs contact Sharon Grundel, at 508-856 4366, or Sharon.grundel@umassmed.edu.

Science Awards

Amherst Regional Middle School students Murray Wan and Ian Emerson tied for first place; Tess Domb Sadof and Kayla Crowe tied for second place; and Conor Power, Sourav Podder and Alvaro Rotea earned third place at the Western Regional Science Fair held at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams last week. Only 20 of the 106 projects on display earned enough points to move on to the State Science Fair in Worcester on June 7. All five of the middle school projects qualified to move to the state contest.

Gold medal

The ARHS Chorale, conducted by Anita Cooper, won a Gold Medal Superior Rating at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association Choral Festival. They participated in the festival with 85 other choral ensembles. The group was invited to perform at Symphony Hall in Boston May 3.

Russian winners

ARHS student Atticus Brigham took top place in the New England Regional Olimpiada of Spoken Russian held last weekend in Cambridge.

He competed against 15 students from various schools in the second round of questioning.

He will travel to Russia this summer as the New England regional representative with contest winners from other regions throughout the country, according to Russian teacher Judith Wobst.

ARHS student Robin Palmer placed fourth in that round.

ARHS students Ali Cherrington, Robin Palmer, Atticus Brigham, Glynis MacMillan and Aravis Albert received gold medals in the first round of questioning while Kate Atkinson, Aleks PopStefanija, Erika Norden, Kelsey Welborn, Caroline Mabee and Genevieve Higgins earned silver medals, and Alana Lloyd and Aliza Micelotta earned bronze medals.

Students appear before judges and are evaluated on their oral Russian knowledge of geography, of the former Soviet Union, poetry recitation and conversation.

Ecology award

Wildwood Elementary School teacher Michael Silverstone, who is a schoolyard ecology teacher, received the Secretary's Awards for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education.

The award ceremony will be held May 12 in the Statehouse Great Hall in Boston.

He has implemented schoolyard ecology projects with his students for four years.

"These awards honor individual schools, teachers and students across the Commonwealth who have distinguished themselves in energy and environmental education initiatives," according to a release.

Calendar

* The ARHS Guidance Department will sponsor a free program, College Services for Students with Learning Disabilities, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

* Wildwood will hold a book swap May 14 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in each class. Book donations are needed.

* The Shutesbury PTO will hold a Staff Appreciation Day Vegetarian Lunch Buffet May 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed and should call 367-2661 to help.

* Crocker Farm will hold an Ice Cream Social May 16 at 6 p.m.

* A coffee with Fort River Principal Russell Vernon-Jones will be held May 16 at 8:30 a.m.

* A coffee with Leverett Principal Anne Ross will be held May 16 at 8:30 a.m.

* The annual Student Written Play Festival will be held May 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the ARHS auditorium.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for student and senior citizens and will be available at the door.

Meetings

* The Regional School Committee will met May 13 at 7 p.m. in the high school library.

* The Shutesbury PTO will meet May 14 at 7 p.m.

Lunch menu

MONDAY: Baked chicken nuggets, potato wedges, mixed vegetables, peaches.

TUESDAY: Toasted sandwich, tomato soup, fruit cocktail.

WEDNESDAY: Pasta with meat balls, green peas, apple

THURSDAY: Pancakes, potato rounds, sausage or egg patty, apple sauce.

FRIDAY: School made cheese pizza, tossed green salad.

All meals include milk and fresh fruit or fruit cup.