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Summer Studies
Crusaders Pursue Learning Opportunities Near and Far
When the final bell rings on the last day of school, studying is the last thing on the minds of high school students. Vacations await and they are certainly well-deserved. But many students use their off-time to explore new learning opportunities that complement their Scecina education and prepare them for the future.
Below are two students who traveled near and far to "give that little extra" in pursuit of new learning opportunities.
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Purdue University's Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects
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The 2013 STEP participants, including Pat Kenney '14, pose in front of Purdue University's Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.
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For a week this July, Pat Kenney '14 visited Purdue University to join a team of high school seniors in creating solutions to a multifaceted design challenge posed to them. He attended demonstrations, plant and school tours, and classes to gain an idea of what being an engineer would be like. Pat also believes this experience provided him with a "fun and valuable introduction to the Purdue School of Engineering."
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Naval Academy Summer Seminar
Michael Kennedy '14 spent a week this summer learning about life
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Michael Kennedy '14 learned the ins and outs of the United States Naval Academy.
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at the Naval Academy. Far from a vacation, Michael rose each day at 5:30 AM for physical training, and he spent the remainder of the day in the classroom learning the many required courses at the academy. The week was capped off with "Sea Trials", an 8-hour physical endurance test.
Michael is grateful for the experience that he says "challenged him to adapt to a new environment, while physically and mentally challenging (him) to do better." He saw the seminar as a great introduction to the academy, and it has raised his interest in attending.
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A Fresh New Look
Scecina Completes Over $300,000 In Facility Improvements
Over the past 8 years, the leadership of Scecina Memorial High School has planned and completed drastic improvements to our 60 year-old building. This summer was no different, with several renovations and updates made to our campus. Below are several images taken before the start of school that show these campus enhancements.
Thank you to the many generous supporters who continue to make these advancements possible! | |
Renovated Journalism Lab with new lighting, flooring, paint and drywall (some alumni may have known it as the home econ room)
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 Completely Renovated Lady Crusader Locker Room
 Completely Renovated Boys Locker Room
 The AP Calculus Room with updated lighting and new paint
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ND and Harvard
SMHS Teachers Travel to Prestigious Universities, Students Benefit
It's not an uncommon practice for Scecina teachers to participate in summer professional development or seasonal employment that helps them grow as teachers. We have two examples, however, that stood out.
The University of Notre Dame
Mr. Jim Maslar--SMHS Catholic Theology Teacher--worked at the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame this summer, helping out with conferences, their summer graduate program, and various project s for professors in education. He also worked for the Notre Dame Vision program, a week-long high school vocation conference aimed at God's mercy, one's gifts, one's call, and serving others. Mr. Maslar says he is grateful for the opportunity to learn from and support "the headquarters of one of, if not the, leading advocate and energizing force in revitalizing Catholic education in the United States (ACE at ND)." And the talent, enthusiasm, and knowledge that he brings to his Scecina classes was furthered by getting to meet and share in conversation with Catholic school principals from around the country at the Latino Enrollment Institute and School Pastors Institute.  | |
Mr. Maslar (left) leads class prayer with Scecina students.
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Harvard UniversityMr. Andrew Smith is a Social Studies teacher at Scecina. This summer he attended the Economics of Slavery seminar sponsored by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute for American History, held at Harvard University.
Mr. Smith shared his motivation for attending, "I was offered the opportunity to attend on a competitive basis, and my proposal won. I was keen to incorporate some of the American History that is part of Mr. Sander's (SMHS colleague) curriculum into the economics classes that I teach, in a meaningful way. Slavery also has a very personal effect on many people, and teaching the economic as well
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In addition to teaching social studies, Mr. Smith monitors the Scecina Robotics Club--new in 2012.
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as the social motivations for slavery add both a new level of necessary understanding, and horror to the 1860s."
Mr. Smith also believes that his students will benefit immensely from what he learned at Harvard. "There is no question that the content has helped me teach economics in a previously unattainable way. I believe that the observations and conversations that I had with Professor Walter Johnson (Winthrop Professor of History and Professor of African and American Studies, Harvard University) have helped me become a better and more effective lecturer." He also believes that exposure to other teachers, from all over the country (both coasts, and Alaska) has "contributed significantly to the way that I think and approach history and teaching as disciplines."
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