September News from Central HSA -- Philadelphia

First, welcome to the students and families of Class 274. That move to the "other world" Dr. Pavel spoke of has begun! Secondly, congratulations to all hands for winning the Blue Ribbon designation - Central is the only Pennsylvania high school to win this in 2011; details below.

We would like to call attention to the Daily Bulletin, found on the school website. One of the most impressive items we noted there recently was the number of top-ranked colleges and universities like MIT, Swarthmore, Bowdoin and many others that are visiting Central to find top-notch students.

Thanks to the alumni of Class 186, who have made a generous donation to Central. The money will be awarded to the first club that best explains how $1,300 would positively affect their organization. Good luck to all clubs!

A parent of two daughters, 265 and 269, shared their response to typical parental questions about the young men they hang out with: "It's okay, he went to Central."

And it is.

Have a great year!

Dave Kalkstein and Jane Von Bergen, co-editors.

Central Remains a Top Pick

Charles Washington Jr., 249, attending freshman orientation with his son, Charles III, 274, didn't bother to grab an application for another son, Joshua (perhaps 285?) who is only nine months old.

Future 285?

That will have to wait another decade, or so. Both Charles Washingtons are excited about continuing the family tradition of a Central education. The elder Charles attended Central just as girls were being admitted. He and a classmate had their eye on the same girl. "We ended up realizing that she wasn't the one for either one of us," he said, "but we became best friends for life." Similar family story for Tyra Woods - her father attended Central. "We always wanted to be part of the Central family," her mother, Phyllis Woods, said.

Brendan Cooper, 274, didn't have that family tradition to sell him on Central. What grabbed him was his experience while shadowing (another student), said his father, Fred Cooper. Brendan was accepted to Masterman and the Science Leadership Academy, both excellent schools. But he chose Central. "He got challenged here," his father said. "He's smart, and he's different, and he liked seeing how the students reacted to the school."

Welcome on board, 274!

Blue Ribbon Bragging Rights

On Sept. 15, the U.S. Department of Education and the School District of Philadelphia announced that Central High School is the "Blue Ribbon" high school in Pennsylvania. We say "the" because no other high school in Pennsylvania won this status in 2011. Central is one of only two high schools in the state that has won the Blue Ribbon twice since the program's inception in 1983.

National Blue Ribbon winners are schools, public and private, ranked among each state's highest performing schools as measured by their performance on state assessments. In the case of private schools, they must score at the highest performance level on national tests. Other factors are disadvantaged students contributing to test scores and public schools making adequate yearly progress (AYP). Only 305 middle and high schools across the country were named in 2011. The vast majority of Blue Ribbon schools in Pennsylvania are public.

"I'm really glad for the students, teachers and all who work so hard every day to make this happen," said Sheldon Pavel, Central's president. "I'm very grateful for the parents and the alumni who work so hard to make Central a wonderful place. It's great to see everyone's hard work being recognized."

Congratulations to Central for this wonderful achievement!!

Art Meets Robots

Central's Robotics Team, "The Robolancers," designed and built two robots that had pivotal roles in the Headlong Dance Theater's Fringe Festival production, Red Rovers, which ran through Sept. 10 at the Live Arts Studio in Northern Liberties. The Philadelphia-based theater is known for its "collaborative interdisciplinary approach to dance as well as for making works that are innovative and accessible."

Robolancer creations

In the spirit of the original Mars rovers, the captivating robots skimmed across a stage set in a backdrop depicting Mars, used various movements to communicate along with dialog appearing in text behind them, and engaged more or less in a brief flirtation. The audience was invited to participate in this avant-garde performance and was mesmerized by the antics of the human actors as well and their efforts to communicate across millions of miles. After the dress rehearsal performance, to which the Robolancers graciously received an invitation, the actors and audience gave the team a resounding round of applause for their work in building the star robots. A new innovation from Central - RoboLive!

Philly Fringe photo

Summer of Success for Centralites

Central students were busy making a difference all over the place this summer. Here are just a few of many activities that engaged them.

Brave New Voices Victory

On July 23, the Brave New Voices Grand Slam Finals took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000 people in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. Brave New Voices is the largest spoken-word event in the world. The Philly Youth Poetry Movement, with Kai Davis, 271, competed with teams from all over the country for the title. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kai's solo brought "the whole city of Philadelphia onto the stage." The Philadelphia team trailed throughout the final slam but pulled out the victory by 0.3 of a point. The team got together in May and practiced for hours after school five times a week.

Solving the Fish-Kill Mystery

Closer to home, Kamal Gatewood, 273, spent time interning with the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center. While testing water quality, Kamal and his colleagues discovered hundreds of dead fish in the slow-moving waterway. To find the source of the problem, they slogged up the stream and tested water from a drainage pipe discharging chlorinated water from a swimming pool at the Cobbs Creek Recreation Center. Sure enough, once the drainage was redirected properly, chlorine levels dropped to within acceptable levels.

How Did the Bubble Pop?

We mean the financial bubble, not chewing gum. This summer Ramon Guzman-Segura, 271, along with 30 others from Philadelphia-area high schools got to explore economics and experience an Ivy League school up close. They spent time developing competitive business plans at Penn's Wharton Business School. The economics-related lesson plans, to be delivered online to teachers, were provided by Penn's Graduate School of Education and adjusted with the help of the students.

Central Gets New VP

There are a lot of new faces this year - 17 new teachers along with new security personnel and NTAs. But one new face all students will encounter at some point in their four years is incoming Assistant Principal Kim Rodgers, who steps into the shoes of retiring Assistant Principal Lynada Martinez.

A native Philadelphian who attended Olney High School and the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Rodgers is "thrilled" to be at Central. She comes to us with 17 years experience in the School District and has "taught everything you can teach in eighth grade." Ms. Rodgers was most recently an assistant principal at Harding Middle School.

"I feel very privileged to be at Central where Dr. Pavel has just as high expectations for the staff as we all do for the students," she said. On a more personal note, she is the proud mom of two sets of twins, ages 25 and 13, and is also a doting grandma who does the Hokey Pokey "Tina Turner style" with her granddaughter. Please stop by and get to know her and share in some of her enthusiasm for this great school: "My door is always open."

Calling All Parents, Retired Teachers and Alumni ...

Central Needs You! Dr. Pavel is hopeful that some of the significant needs at Central created by the $1.5 million state budget cuts can be filled with some committed people. "If you have a skill, time available and can seriously commit to a schedule, tell me - and then I'll tell you what we can do with you," Dr. Pavel said. He gave examples of the needs ranging from helping in the office answering phones to more skilled areas such as assisting in tech support. Ms. Loretta Burton, the head librarian, hopes to find a qualified professional, be it a retired librarian or teacher, who can commit to help keep the library open after school from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Though some retired Central teachers already volunteer time, more help is needed.

Newly retired social studies teacher Gerald Laut has already reached out because he misses the energy he found at Central. He looks forward to chaperoning at a museum site for the upcoming Oct. 12 Museum Day when seniors visit museums in the city while the rest of the school takes the PSAT test. Dr. Pavel said many parent chaperones are always needed for class events and trips since teachers can no longer be spared to meet state requirements regarding student-to-chaperone ratios. So make sure you keep up with your child's school events and consider taking a day off and sharing your time with terrific Central students on one of their outings. If you can commit to even more time, the needs are great, but Dr. Pavel stresses that any volunteer must be truly committed. If you can help, contact Dr. Pavel at the school and let him know what you can do. You will not find a better use of your time.

Know Your centralhigh.net

Parents can check their student's assignments and grades and communicate with teachers via the school website. Click here to learn how.

There is also a video tutorial to help with the sign up.

All students have been given an activation code to bring home to parents in the first weeks of school. Ask them for it. You can also add your e-mail address and check the "New Report Updates" box so teachers can keep you informed about your child's progress.

What Have You Done for Us Lately?

Be careful asking this question of the Central Home and School Association unless you have some time. Central's Home and School does a lot more than most are aware of. It helps fund major events, such as graduation and International Day. Classroom and club projects benefit from its financial help, and the body also organizes parent participation. Not to mention, the Home and School funds this newsletter and organized and maintains the Listserv to help parents keep in touch with one another.

Attending the monthly meetings is probably the best way to stay connected with the school. Dr. Pavel and others from the school administration who attend all of the meetings keep parents posted on major issues. Outside speakers often address the meetings as well to talk about pertinent topics. So join! It costs all of ten bucks, and none of it's wasted! You can join here.

And while you are at it, sign up for the Listserv as well.

And if you know folks that should get this newsletter but do not - send them here.

Help Wanted

Newsletter staffers: Interested in working on the newsletter? Contact Dave Kalkstein.

Thank You

Thanks for checking out our newsletter. This newsletter is a volunteer effort by parents and is brought to you by the Central High School Home and School Association. We would like to thank Dr. Pavel and the Central staff for their support and for their leads to interesting stories. We also thank our writers for this month's issue, Nancy Winter and Kathie Conrad. Dan Cason and Johnette Miller edit and format the newsletter with help from Jane Von Bergen.

Didn't see your news here? Want to let others know about special achievements? Have an idea for an article? Tell us about it. Better yet, go ahead and volunteer for the most enjoyable parent activity at Central!

Best wishes to all for the new school year!

Sincerely,

Dave Kalkstein and Jane M. Von Bergen, Newsletter Co-Editors

Central High School - Philadelphia