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Eastern Center for Arts and Technology Newsletter
April 2013 |
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Thank you from the EASTERN Foundation!
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The EASTERN Foundation raised nearly $500 for student awards at the Mike's Bar and Grill fundraiser on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Thank you for your support. For more information about the EASTERN Foundation, please visit us at www2.eastech.org/home/eastern-foundation/.
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Mission Statement
The mission of EASTERN, a leader in technology and in developing innovative, responsive programs, is to equip all students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to select, enter and succeed in a career, and to anticipate and adapt to change by providing high-quality technical instruction and specialized services.
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- Thomas Allen, Administrative Director
- Kevin Reilly, Assistant Director
- Allison Larson,
CTE Supervisor
- Amy Shields, Editor
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 | Student Success - Abigail Applebaum; March Student of the Month |
 Abigail Applebaum is the March 2013 Student of the Month at Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN) in Willow Grove. She is in her second year of EASTERN's Culinary Arts program and a senior at Springfield Township High School. The Student of the Month Award is sponsored by EASTERN's faculty, Joint Committee and the Willow Grove Rotary Club to highlight student excellence, success and service. Ten students each year are selected for this honor.
At EASTERN, Abigail maintains high grades in her Culinary Arts program and is actively involved in SkillsUSA as the 2012 - 2013 SkillsUSA School-Wide Vice President. SkillsUSA is a national student organization promoting good citizenship, student leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and recognizes student achievement and excellence.
This year, Abigail was a student presenter at Springfield Township High School for EASTERN's Tenth Grade Career Expo presentation, in which she discussed the specifics of her Culinary Arts program. Last May at EASTERN's Awards Night, Abigail was awarded the Singer Foods Award. She also received the General Excellence Award from the Jewish Community High School for the past four years.
Abigail volunteers at Springfield Township Public Library and at the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. During her tenure at Springfield Township High School, Abigail has been involved with the Spanish Club, Multicultural Student Union, and the Book Club.
After graduation from EASTERN and Springfield Township High School, Abigail plans to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Academy of Culinary Arts with a focus on Baking and Pastry Arts. Ultimately, she would like to own a bakery.
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| | Alumnus Spotlight - Daniel Berkowitz
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 EASTERN 2009 Computer Network Administration/Jenkintown High School graduate, Dan Berkowitz, is currently completing his Bachelor's degree in Information Technology and Web Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Albany, New York. While attending school, he is also employed by Rensselaer's Help Desk. After graduation, he will begin working for Palantir, a growing software application company in California.
Berkowitz has always been interested in computers from a young age. While in high school, Berkowitz took Information Technology classes at Jenkintown High School and interned during the summers for Jenkintown's IT department. In 8th grade Berkowitz visited EASTERN. He already knew that IT was what he wanted to do and was excited about the opportunity to study something he liked - rather than electives that he knew would not directly relate to his future goals.
"If you can show that you studied a particular career field in high school and continued your education in that field, it demonstrates how serious you are, which in turn, will assist you with your goal of getting into a specific college program, and it looks great on your resumé when you are applying for jobs," said Berkowitz. "You need a resumé to even apply to many college programs, and the fact that I studied computer networking at EASTERN and was already interning in the networking field gave me an edge when applying to my program at Rensselaer. Through EASTERN, I studied something I was passionate about."
Berkowitz attended EASTERN just as their Dual Enrollment program with Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) was being launched, which allowed him to graduate from EASTERN's Computer Networking program and Jenkintown High School with six transferrable credits.
During his junior year of college, Berkowitz worked for Cisco for six months in the networking lab. While there, he came up with an idea for new software and spoke to his supervisor. Cisco brought him back last summer to develop the software. At that time, he knew he was ready to start interviewing for a full-time position after college. After 27 hours of interviews, and several lucrative job offers, he chose a position as the Business IT Analyst at Palantir in Palto Alto, CA and begins this July. Palantir offered him the opportunity and challenges of being part of a growing start-up company. Palantir offers a suite of software applications for integrating, visualizing and analyzing the world's information. Their products are built for real analysis with a focus on security, scalability, ease of use and collaboration. They are broadly deployed in the intelligence, defense, law enforcement and financial communities, and are spreading rapidly by word of mouth into applications in other industries and realms of impact.
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| EASTERN Events - Open House
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 March 3, 2013 was an exciting day at EASTERN. Two major school events were conducted throughout the day: The Advisory Appreciation Brunch and Open House.
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., approximately 117 members from EASTERN's business and educational Advisory Committees attended the second annual Advisory Appreciation Brunch. This event provides Advisory Committee members with the opportunity to see first-hand the value and importance of their feedback, time and dedication to EASTERN and its programs. Each group in attendance was hosted by a program instructor, Administration Team members, or a Student Success Coordinator. Each classroom had students on-hand to welcome visitors and provide a program tour.
 Open House at EASTERN was held from 1 - 3:30 p.m. More than 500 people visited the campus throughout the event.
All EASTERN programs conducted interactive presentations to potential students and their parents. EASTERN's new program for 2013 - 2014, Office Management, was represented by OAC Member and former EASTERN Executive Assistant, Pat Canning.
EASTERN's Protective Services program hosted an emergency vehicle display throughout the day which included two SWAT vehicles, a patrol car, and a bike unit from the Abington Police Department, and a fire truck courtesy of the Upper Moreland Fire Department. In addition, 18 college and military representatives were present so parents and students could explore all options for the future.
Thank you to all of our Advisory Committee members, and to all of those who attended our Open House! We are honored to have such great community support.
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Inside EASTERN - EASTERN Grad Making the Grade in Germany
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 EASTERN 2012 Culinary Arts/Abington High School senior, Jill Plum, is currently living and working in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange Program Scholarship. She is currently working at the 3-Star CVJM Hotel Duesseldorf for the months of March and April. From November through February she was working at the 4-Star Mercure Hotel Oberhausen. Her work schedule rotates between Reception, Housekeeping, Breakfast Service, and Conference/Meeting Service.
Jillian applied for this scholarship in January 2012, and was informed on April 9, 2012 of her acceptance. The application consisted of several essays, three letters of recommendation, an overall GPA of 3.0, and an interview at the Department of Education in Harrisburg. This program, funded by the United States Congress and the German Bundestag, allows graduating high school seniors to spend a year in Germany living with a host family, participating in a training or school program, and most importantly, getting hands-on work experience through an internship with a German company.
In July and August 2012, Jill went to language school in Munich. For the month of September, she attended a Waldorf School with her host sister. Jill will be returning to the U.S. on June 21. Although she is very excited to see her family and friends, she has truly enjoyed her life in Germany. She has had the opportunity to travel to Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam, and is planning to visit Athens and Rome in May.
Jill has become very close with her host family. She feels as though they are now her family and plans to remain in contact with them. They are already planning Jill's next trip and her host sister's trip to visit Jill in America.
When she returns, Jill will attend Penn State Abington for her Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management.
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| Dates to Remember |
- April 1, 2013 - Student/Teacher Holiday
- April 2, 2013 - Administrative Advisory Committee Meeting - 9:30 a.m.
- April 10, 2013 - Counselor/Special Education Liaison Meeting - 9 a.m.
- April 10, 2013 - Joint Operating Committee Meeting - 8 p.m.
- April 24, 2013 - Administrative Professionals Day
- April 25, 2013 - Principals/Advisory Committee Meeting - 12:30 p.m.
- April 30, 2013 - Joint Operating Committee Work Sessions - 7 p.m.
- May 29, 2013 - Awards Night at Upper Moreland High School - 7 p.m.
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| Facts About Career and Technical Education |
According to a study by the Center on Education Policy and American Youth Policy, career and technical education students enter post-secondary education at approximately the same rate as all high school graduates.
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All activities, services, education programs and employment practices at Eastern Center for Arts and Technology are nondiscriminatory as required by Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 of federal law. If there are restrictions, they are based on one's ability and aptitude, not on one's sex, race, color, national origin or disability. Additionally, students and employees with disabilities may qualify for special services or instruction and equipment modifications. Students with limited English language skills will not be denied participation in any activity or program. Complaints or concerns about discriminatory treatment and racial or sexual harassment should be directed to EASTERN's Equity Coordinators at 3075 Terwood Road, Willow Grove, PA (215) 784-4800.
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