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We're here to support Central students, parents and staff with our time, talents and dollars. Let's help
each other make Central High School
an even greater place for our students to learn and grow.
about the Association.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Junior State of America (JSA) Regional Conference:
Saturday,
March 31,
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Spring Break, School Closed:
Monday to Friday, April 2-6
Last day to buy $25 tickets for Central Night at the Phillies:
Monday, April 9
Senior Class Trip: Friday, April 13Party Central!: Saturday, April 14, Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street,
7-11 p.m.
Junior Prom: Friday, April 20, City Line Hilton,
7-11 p.m.
Sunday, April 22,
Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., 10 a.m.
School Closed, Staff Only: Tuesday, April 24
Alice in Wonderland:
Thursday, Friday & Monday, April 26, 27 & 30,
Auditorium,
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Central Night at the Phillies:
Monday, April 30,
7 p.m.
Alice in Wonderland:
Tuesday, May 1,
Auditorium,
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Report Card Conferences, Half-Day for Students:
Wednesday & Thursday,
May 2 & 3
Earthday:
Friday, May 18
Wednesday,
May 23,
Auditorium, 7 p.m.
School Closed, Memorial Day:
Monday, May 28
Senior Prom:
Thursday, June 7
Wednesday,
June 13, 10 a.m.
Last Day for Students:
Thursday, June 14
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HELP WANTED
Newsletter staffers:
Interested in working
on the newsletter? Contact
Dave Kalkstein
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Bring Your Photo ID
Just a reminder:
When you come to visit Central High School, you must have a photo ID.
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| Telephone - Main Office 215-276-5262 |
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Welcome!
March was a busy month. First, some congratulations to the Scholastic Writing Gold Key Award winner Kai Davis, 272, also to the Gold and Silver Key Award winner Kit Zanhar, 272, the Silver Key Award winner Talia Charme-Zane, 272, and Honorable Mention Hiwot Adilow, 272. Congratulations also go out to Public League (wrestling) Champions Paul Shaloka (also winner of the Outstanding Wrestler Award), Casey Quigley and Sam Reid, all 272, as well as Josh Gordan, 273. Not to forget Kobina Amissah, 274, who is Central's first-ever District 12 Wrestling Champion.
More talented Central students joined Philadelphia Young Playwrights in the InterAct Theatre Company's 2012 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival in which professional actors bring students' words to life.
As March ends, Central High School will host the Junior State of America South-Atlantic Regional Conference. Schools from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware will attend. Junior State of America's mission is to strengthen American democracy by educating high school students and preparing them for leadership roles. The agenda consists of numerous proposals for the students to consider, and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, 245, will speak. Admission is $5 and this event will be held at Central on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Aside from orchestrating Central's winning of the Beneficial Bank Foundation's $5,000 prize, Jonathan Fabrey, International Baccalaureate program coordinator, has been selected to be a Global Action Team leader for the IB World Student Conference in Vancouver. Here is what that involves.
Other News:
-Despite the recent School District cutbacks, Central has just hired a certified nurse and a new math teacher.
-We have heard a lot about problems with PSSA scores. These issues do not involve Central since tests are taken in the auditorium, no late arrivals are allowed and monitoring is effective.
-Tooting our own horn, we note that our newsletter has received the 2011 All Star Award from Constant Contact, mainly because folks really do read our material! Thank you!
Got news? Feel like writing about great things at Central? Get in touch!
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West Side Story Brings Taste of Broadway
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Riff & Bernardo
(Photo by JKan, 272)
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Central's auditorium was transformed the week of March 19 into the back streets of New York City where the Jets and the Sharks musically battled over which gang would rule. Starting the show, the Jets in their blue jackets danced off against the red-jacketed Sharks with the orchestra beautifully playing Leonard Bernstein's very difficult score. Caught in the middle of the conflict were Jets co-founder "Tony," played by Scott Garvin, 271, in love with "Maria," played by Jordana Composto and Mary Guarnieri, 271, sister to Sharks gang leader, "Bernardo," played by Ramon Guzman-Segura, 271.
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Tony & Maria (Jordana Composto, 271)
(Photo by JKan)
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With imaginative tri-sided sets that rotated between brick-lined alleyways, the bridal shop where Maria worked and a store where the Jets made plans, the cast and crew brought Broadway to Olney and Ogontz. You could have heard a pin drop when Tony and Maria pledged their love in the heart-wrenching "One Hand, One Heart," but the mood was lightened by the enthusiastic "America" song-and-dance number performed by the Sharks' girls. The quality of the lead vocals was extraordinary, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place when Maria sang "Somewhere" and when Tony said, "They just won't let us be," as he lay dying in her arms. Many in the audience who remember the 1957 hit on Broadway or the 1961 movie with Natalie Wood were impressed not just by the quality of sets, music and talent, but also by how many students filled the auditorium. One proud grandma commented, "It was so wonderful to see the young people today appreciate and obviously enjoy the music of our past."
This audience anxiously awaits Central's next great production. More photos from the show can be found here.
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Photo by JKan
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Robotics Team Back in Action
It's competition season for the RoboLancers! Two FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) qualifying competitions held in February (featuring the smaller of two robots built this season) took our Robotics Team all the way to the state championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The team's second, larger, 120-pound robot engaged in the first of two FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) qualifiers early in March, and March Madness reigned as the RoboLancers' robot played basketball! Competition was stiff, but the RoboLancers walked away with The Engineering Inspiration Award.
Over the two days of intense FRC competition, parents, teachers and students enjoyed the lively and sometimes rough robotic action. Ms. Teri Ranieri, co-president of Central's Home & School Association, was a spectator at her very first robotics competition, and she was both enthralled and delighted with what she saw. "I was just so impressed with our RoboLancers, particularly when I found out some of their competitors have teams made up of many schools or the competing team has much larger sources of money to work with and get professional help with their projects," she said. "It really makes our team that much more superior in what they've accomplished with the somewhat limited resources they have. They are truly winners! At the same time, we really need to do what we can to find them more sources of funding!"
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IB Program Raises Academic Bar
Since 2006, Central has been one of only five public high schools in Philadelphia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, meeting a selective, rigorous, world-oriented learning standard. Now headed by Mr. Jonathan Fabrey, IB enrolls about 30 students each year as juniors. To qualify to offer an IB program, schools must pass a serious gauntlet to prove they have the wherewithal to compete at a worldwide academic level. A similar "gauntlet" must be passed by students who want to take part in the two-year commitment.
"IB requires a lot of writing in all subjects; even some Math exams' answers must be written," Mr. Fabrey said. "There is no multiple choice in most subject tests." This gives students a great advantage when they head off to college. "Papers that were huge to some kids were more of a routine for me," attests Ursinus College sophomore Abby Kalkstein, 269. IB students' projects, which are 15- to 20- page papers, are randomly selected to be cross-graded by IB program teachers in other countries to maintain an international standard.
More Central IB participants obtain the coveted IB Diploma (in English, French and Spanish) than any other high school in town. According to Mr. Fabrey, more and more colleges are recognizing the value of an IB Diploma, some offering specific scholarships and many accepting IB courses as introductory college-level work. Some colleges even award full college credit for IB courses.
Mr. Fabrey is trying to take some Central IB students to Vancouver to attend a world conference on sustainability - a worthy and valuable experience for Central. Anyone who would like to lend a hand to this effort should contact him. Recently, Mr. Fabrey's initiative with the Beneficial Bank Foundation School Challenge resulted in an astounding 523,254 votes from the Central community and won the top grant of $5,000 for technology enhancements for the school!
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Central Triumphs at Moot Court
Central swept the annual Marshall-Brennan High School Moot Court Competition Feb. 17, taking the top eight places. The competition, which was held at the University of Pennsylvania, tested Philadelphia high school students' advocacy skills as they debated the constitutionality of sentencing a juvenile convicted of murder to life without parole. High school students prepare for the competition with the aid of second-year Penn law students who assist in Philadelphia schools' government classes. More than two dozen Central students entered the competition, with half arguing for the petitioner and the others arguing for the respondent.
First-place winner Anjanee Ferguson, 271, arguing for the petitioner, and second-place winner Kaila Kane, 271, arguing for the respondent, met in finals presided over by a genuine federal judge. Kaila selected arguing on behalf of the respondent government after analyzing the case closely: "Mine was more of a factual argument whereas the petitioner's was simply more emotional." Federal Judge Mary McLaughlin was impressed by all and found that each of the advocates "laid out an analytical structure for me," concluding that the top finishers were "as good as or even better than some lawyers who appear before me." The other top finishers from 271 were Elijah Lawrence, Nicole Cattan, Laura Haak, Tyler Castelli, Linda Simonds and David Dalessandro. Six of the eight will be sent to Washington, D.C., for two days of intense competition when they represent Philadelphia schools at the National Competition March 31 to April 1.
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A Brainy Winner
Elijah Lawrence, 271, was this year's winner of the University of Pennsylvania's "Brain Bee" held Feb.4. The Society for Neuroscience at Penn runs the Brain Bee, a college bowl style competition for Philadelphia area high school students. With the goal of promoting early awareness of neuroscience research, the Brain Bee tests high school students' knowledge about parts of the brain, as well as the disorders associated with brain functions. Besting 100 other students, Elijah survived three rounds of questioning to take first place. Elijah was inspired to enter the competition by his Advanced Placement Psychology class and wants to be a psychologist.
"I have always been curious about why people do the things they do, and I want to help people," Elijah said. He went on to compete at the National Brain Bee on March 4-5 at the University of Maryland, where he faced even more difficult questions. Students were challenged with interpreting MRI brain scans, as well as identifying brain parts from pins inserted into replica brains. Elijah finished in the national top ten.
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AP Classes Well Worth the Ride
For those who don't know, as the premier "Blue Ribbon" college-prep public school in the city, Central offers a myriad of Advanced Placement courses. AP courses are college-level courses which, in addition to giving the student a higher grade magnifier for their report cards, entitles them to take the nationally administered AP exams at the end of the year. Thirty-four teachers teach a total of 23 AP courses at Central, covering all disciplines and offering courses as varied as AP English, AP Psychology and AP Environmental Science. The AP exam grades, received by the student in the summer following the May exams, range from a "1" to a "5." Many colleges will accept AP grades of a "3" or higher (although some accept only the highest grade of "5"), crediting the student with that college-level course. Colleges vary as to whether they will give full college credit or merely accept the AP course as a prerequisite, allowing the student to skip to more advanced classes in college. Students can carry lighter course loads, ensuring greater success or even save money by taking fewer college courses to achieve their degree.
In teacher William Graham's AP history classes, students review and analyze original-source historical documents and debate as to what is history rather than have the textbooks merely tell them. Mr. Graham believes AP courses "give the students a great taste of what college courses will be like," and he believes that even where colleges do not accept high school AP courses, students who have taken AP courses usually breeze through the equivalent college-level courses. While AP classes may not be a good fit for every high school student, Assistant Principal Kim Rodgers suggests that all parents talk to their child about the varied course-selection choices. Parents with more questions can click the "AP Information" link under news on the Central.Net website.
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Party Central!
The Central High Home and School Association would like to remind the entire Central community about our upcoming fundraiser, Party Central!, that will be held on Saturday, April 14 at Mount Airy's Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street, from 7 to 11 p.m. This is a very important fundraiser for the Home and School Association, and it creates a fantastic opportunity for Central parents, teachers, administrators and alumni to come together for a fantastic night of fun.
We now have over 100 prizes to win via silent auction, live auction and through the purchase of raffle tickets. Prizes include a NEW Ipad, a Kindle, Phillies tickets in the Mayors Box, Penn State/Ohio State tickets, original works of art, $2000 towards orthodontic services, many restaurants and museum passes and numerous gift baskets and gift certificates. Your ticket purchase includes food, complimentary beer and wine, music and dancing!
Tickets are just $35 per person, and you can purchase them online.
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Class 275: Talk it Up
If you know a great 8th grader -- smart, honorable, creative, hardworking, energetic and fun -- who is trying to decide between Central and some place else, speak up! That child needs to be at Central! Central's continuing reputation as an excellent school depends on attracting the best and the brightest of the city's students.
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Night at the Phillies
Join us on Dollar Dog Night, Monday, April 30, at 7:05 p.m. to cheer on the Philadelphia Phillies as they battle the Chicago Cubs in what promises to be an exciting National League matchup. Students, parents and alumni are welcome to purchase tickets for $25 until Monday, April 9, at which time the ticket price will increase to $30.
Don't miss this exciting opportunity to show your support for the Phillies and our Central High community.
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Help Wanted
International Baccalaureate Program
Mr. Jonathan Fabrey, IB coordinator at Central, has a unique and exciting opportunity for the International Baccalaureate juniors (272). The IB World Student Conference at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver will take place this July. The junior IB class is a phenomenal collection of bright, creative, open-minded students. There are about 10 students who are very interested in making this trip. The cost of the conference is $800, plus about $500 for the flight. Anyone who can help him get in touch with individuals or local companies that might be interested in supporting our students, please contact Mr. Fabrey.
Home and School Association Executive Board
Anyone interested in serving on the Executive Board next year can send an email to the Central Home and School Association.
Newsletter staffers: Interested in working on the newsletter? Contact Dave Kalkstein.
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In His Debt - Our Biggest Thank You
Debt can take various forms.
It is not often that we have debts that can be repaid simply by our behavior to others, our good deeds, our achievements and accomplishments. Such a debt is owed by thousands of Central High School graduates and students and their families to Dr. Sheldon Pavel. As you no doubt have heard from numerous sources, Dr. Pavel will retire at the end of this year after serving as president of Central for longer than about a dozen of his teachers have even been alive.
During his tenure at Central, the school has won more academic awards than one can shake a stick at, was transformed into one of the most successful co-ed high schools in the country and has grown to 2,337 students. Pointing the way to "debt repayment" in his graduation address to 269, Dr. Pavel told the soon-to-be graduates, "I expect you to show the courage to be a dreamer of the day rather than a dreamer in the night. Nighttime dreams are fantasies which evaporate upon awakening. Daytime dreams are those that become reality through hard work, ethical standards and courage."
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Photo by Sara J. Glover, Philadelphia Media Network
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As always, thanks to our writers for this issue, especially Nancy Winter and Kathie Conrad, our copy editors Johnette Miller and Tamar Magdovitz, as well as to Dr. Pavel and the Central staff. Special thanks also go out to our founder, Jane Von Bergen.
This newsletter is a volunteer effort on behalf of the Central High School Home and School Association. The best volunteer activity for Central parents? Writing for the newsletter! Get in touch.
Dave Kalkstein and Dan Cason, Co-Editors
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