News from Central High School -- Philadelphia

This newsletter is a volunteer effort brought to you by the Home and School Association with help from the Associated Alumni of Central High School. We hope that you enjoy reading the newsletter and that you will never hesitate to send your comments, suggestions, ideas and stories to us any time at centralhighschoolnewsletter@yahoo.com.

We would like to wish all of the Central community - students, parents, teachers, staff, friends and alumni - all the very best for the holiday season and a wonderful new year!

Thank you for reading
Dave Kalkstein - Editor

Ultimate Frisbee Lancers

Shawn Paulson, 269, of Central's Ultimate Lancers club is clearly thrilled as he strikes a twisted pose to demonstrate a Frisbee-throwing technique. "Every day, the thing that gets me through is thinking about the (Ultimate Frisbee) scrimmage," he says. Paulson is part of a growing group of disc-hurling enthusiasts who supplement academics with Ultimate Frisbee, a game that closely resembles football but is played with a disc. Paulson and fellow teammates, a coed mix of all shapes and sizes, are quick to remind you that though it is quite athletically engaging, it is not recognized as a sport by The School District of Philadelphia. However, this group's lack of sports-team status has not deterred them from donning their running shoes for an afterschool workout. What team do they look forward to playing the most? Masterman, of course. "Ultimate Frisbee has a pretty long tradition at Central and it was rejuvenated last year when a few individuals approached Mr. Howland and myself about coaching a team" according to Coach Dan Ueda. Mr. Ueda is joined in guiding the team by Brian Howland, another teacher at Central, Leon Chung, 265, who is now a senior at Penn and the captain of the Ultimate team there, and Amy Silverman, a long time Frisbee player from Philadelphia who has competed at the national level. There is a high school league in Philadelphia called PHUEL. The league brings many teams from the eastern PA and NJ area together to play during the fall and spring. Last spring the team played a Central alumni team consisting mostly of class 248. (The central alumni game was organized by Steve Grantz, 248). Check out the Central Ultimate Lancers' website.

Cell-ebration

Nothing like biting into a tasty vacuole or devouring delicious phospholipid to make a holiday special. That's what happened in Sheila Appel's classroom where her ninth grade biology classes held a Cell-ebration in time for the holidays. Student groups had to create models of cell parts, and some were allowed to build their models from food. Assisted by his father, a professional baker, John Evangelopoulous and classmate Matthew Tadesse, both 272, created a vacuole (a cell structure) out of chocolate cake. Annie Lin and Hui Jing Yang, also 272, used Dunkin' Donut munchkins to build a phospholipid, a component of cell membranes. Students gave presentations on their work before treating each other to a pre-Thanksgiving feast. "It basically helped you understand the cell part and how important it is when it comes to the life of a plant," Matthew said. "You can get creative with your work," John agreed. "If you like the project, you get into it more and you learn more." Guess they learned a little bit about calories too!

Hoops Plus Math Equals Heart

One could become intimidated by his size, stern look and consuming handshake. However, it soon became obvious why "Harp" is highly respected by his players on the court and his students in the classroom.

Havilland Harper has been coaching high school basketball for thirty years, the last twelve at Central, winning the 2005 City Title. What does he consider his proudest achievement? "I'd have to say that getting to the final four in 2003. Getting to the final four in the city here is like getting to the final four in college basketball." Mr. Harper is more than a coach. "At first you become afraid of him because he is so big, but after speaking with him, you learn confidence from him," said Joshua Welles, 269. "Mr. Harper has taught us the value of learning, that once we learn, we can excel. He is like family to us," said Brandon Smith, 269. Mr. Harper's daughter, Laura Harper, with the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs, has visited the team. "I like when his daughter came to practice one time and we took up her challenge at the half court shot. I beat her by making it on my second shot," Joshua said.

Mr. Harper's dedication to his students is also reflected in the classroom. He has taught for over 33 years. As the head of the Math Department at Central, Mr. Harper teaches Pre-calculus and Calculus courses. Is there any correlation between instructing basketball and teaching calculus? "No, not really," said Harper. But, watching the basketball team work through a well planned, structured practice, and the math class doing "reps" one sees a similar discipline. According to Pre-calculus student Rohit Bobby, 270, "His class is very hard, he is very into it. We like when he gives us some "reps" first before we actually take the problems that count. He makes us laugh as he jumps up and down after we get a problem wrong. Every day in class, he relates a life story to math."

So after thirty years on the court and thirty three years in the classroom, is there a common denominator? Yes, indeed - "Harp's" endless dedication to his students and Central.

South African Team Lands in Central's Court

Central's tennis teams enjoyed a rare and educational opportunity to welcome young players from South Africa last week. About three dozen boys and twenty girls from the city of Durban, S.A. had come to the United States on a tour organized by Louis Bolling, 254. They represented the South Africa Primary Schools Under-13 National Team. Arriving at Central from College Park, Md. on Dec. 4, they were hosted by members of Central's city championship boys' and girls' tennis teams that morning.

Each South African visitor was assigned to shadow a Central 9th-grader and attended three classes. Among the students that ushered the South African youngsters into their classes were Natalie Fox, 272, and Trinh Nguyen, 272, both members of the girls' varsity tennis team. In addition, Gabe Steerman, James Ayer, and Brendan Curry, all 269, of the boys' varsity tennis team continued as tour guides of the South African coaches/chaperones.

The kids from Durban began by showing their hosts a video about their native province, KwaZulu-Natal. Then the teams exchanged t-shirts. During the day Central treated its guests with soft pretzels and cheesesteaks. In a warm touch, freshman Central tennis player Natalie Fox, 272, showered the South African girls with hand-made crimson and gold Central bracelets! Alumni President David Kahn and Mr. Fred Brannon, 272 Class Sponsor, addressed the youths.

In the afternoon, it was off to Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center in East Falls for practice. Saturday morning, the South African players competed against a specially chosen "Team Ashe" that included Rodney "R.J." Cherry, 272. History teachers Bill Graham and Mike Horwits, who coach the girls' and boys' tennis teams respectively, were kept hopping this week - but it was well worthwhile. "It was a wonderful learning opportunity for both the Central and South African youths," Mr. Graham commented.

Spotted in the Hall

"What's something you can say to your dog and not to your girlfriend? If you can think of something, come to the Improv Club." Any ideas? Send them to centralhighschoolnewsletter@yahoo.com and we'll print a few next time. The Improv Club, a student organization, meets Mondays after school in room 102. English teacher Dr. Lark Hall is the faculty advisor.

Holiday Shopping at the Central Store

Forgot to get up at 3 AM on Black Friday to take care of gifts? Never fear, Central's store has some fine gift opportunities for students, parents, alumni and friends. Central T shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, pants, hats and socks- and that's just clothing. Patches, duffel bags, gym bags, mugs, pom-poms, pins and even books and school supplies. Miss Marinari suggests parents consider "Writers Inc" especially for 272 students, now on sale. The school store is open 7:45 until 2:00. Sorry, no credit cards. Orders can also be placed by phone and mailed but need to be paid for by money order - and please not after the 20th of December according to Miss Marinari.

Prefer to order on line? A wide array of Central apparel, mostly for adults, can be purchased on line from BT Sportswear, website btsportswear.net. Select "Central HS - Philadelphia". There is also a link in the alumni website. Some of these items can be personalized.

And not to forget the 269 Super Pan and gymnasium high resolution pictures. These once in a lifetime photographs can be ordered through the Yearbook office.

League of

Extraordinary Asians

Central's League of Extraordinary Asians is the awesome result of a unification effort by five Asian student clubs. The Asian Student Association (ASA), South Asia Organization (SAO), Korean Student Association (KSA), Pacific (a Filipino club) and the Cambodian club Apsara Khmer Association (AKA) have joined forces to increase their charitable powers. Their current focus is to raise money for typhoon victims in the Philippines and to identify a recipient organization. The effects of Tropical Storm Ketsana devastated Cambodia early this fall. To Con Quach, 269, of Apsara Khmer, the new union of Central's Asian student groups is not simply rooted in rescue efforts and fundraising. "Our goal is to have a better understanding of each other's side of the continent," he says. The group is also planning a combined cultural dance production for upcoming International Day.

Barbies Jump for Joy- and Calculus

Senior Calculus will present the breath-taking finale of its fall semester when beautiful women bungee-jump off the auditorium balcony on cords designed and built by Ms. Carol Parillo's students.

The women are actually miniaturized research simulacra, or "Barbie dolls" to us peasants. The cords are rubber bands strung together by rival teams, after measuring the distances traveled by a few short falls on cords of different lengths (2 bands, 3 bands, 4 bands, 5 band, etc.). This is how you practice your mathematical imagination. From these data, young mathematicians strive to induce the formula that predicts the cord length needed to bring their Barbie closest to the floor, without smacking her brains out.
This sort of practical question is what drove the invention of the calculus in the first place. And it is precisely the drive to come up with new answers that Ms. Parillo seeks to inculcate in our youth.

"It's a vivid exercise that keeps the students focused," said Ms. Parillo, who has been on the Central faculty since 2004. The research and the calculations require a few days of work Ms. Parillo's class has been doing this for six years. The 2009 jump will take place at 9:00 AM on Dec. 23 and curious spectators do show up, so parents are welcome!

Ms. Parillo is a long-term Central HSA member as well as a teacher: her son David graduated in Class 264 and son Matthew in Class 268.

Winter Concert

Treat yourself to a post-holiday present when the Central High School Music Department will perform its Winter Concert in the auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. The evening features performances by the orchestra, chamber orchestra, string orchestra, and jazz band. The repertoire for this delightful night of music is as diverse as the ensembles and student musicians themselves. From Cole Porter (I Get a Kick Out of You) to Rossini (La Gazza Ladra) and Vivaldi (Concerto Grosso in d minor). So treat yourself to a post-holiday present and support the Central High School music program.

Thank You

Thanks to all who helped with this newsletter. Editor Dave Kalkstein wrote about the school store, John Newcomb did the story on Mr. Harper's dual duties in basketball and math, Johnette Miller gave us the scoop on the Ultimate Frisbee club and the Asian League, Kate Spellissy updated us on the winter music program and the home and school association party, Tony West provided the South African tennis and Barbie stories and editor emeritus Jane Von Bergen contributed the cell-ebration and Improv articles. Thanks also to co-editor and parent Diane Luckman for making this issue look good. Marcella Brown and Tamar Magdovitz helped with the editing. Continuing thanks to Dr. Pavel and Mr. Walsh for their support and assistance.

Once Thanksgiving arrives it always seems that our minds turn to the upcoming holiday season, and of course the winter break looms large for students, parents, teachers and staff (for different reasons of course). A tip for parents of 269 students, if I may. It is natural for those that have received college acceptances to let things "slip" a bit as the last year of high school nears its mid point. Just bear in mind that many better colleges keep an eye on those grades so winter break can also be a time to get things caught up and ready.

Got news? Want to let others know about special achievements? Have an idea for an article? Tell us about it at centralhighschoolnewsletter@yahoo.com.
Until next year all the best to all hands!

Sincerely,

Dave Kalkstein, Newsletter Editor
Central High School - Philadelphia