Pat's Update
April
– June, 2008
Pat's Update is a
publication that comes out periodically throughout
the school year; usually we mail it, but because we
have the opportunity to communicate electronically,
we will try this version. All you will need to do is
to go on to the the Warwick School Department
website-
www.warwickschools.org,
click into District Schools, click into Pilgrim High
School and then go into the links to the left-
Principal's Message and Newsletter. Shortly,
additional information will be posted about our
school community. I hope you find this informative.
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
The Pilgrim Chapter of
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) under the
direction of a strong officer team and Advisor, Mrs.
Mockler, continues to demonstrate that they are
fulfilling this year’s national theme—Leadership in
Action!
Plans are now underway to
assist a local Girl Scout Troop complete the
requirements for the Computers are Fun Badge and to
visit the Greenwich Farms at Warwick during April
vacation to play board games with the elderly. The
Chapter will once again participate in the March of
Dimes March for Babies (formerly known as
WalkAmerica) at Colt State Park on April 27 and the
MS Walk at Roger Williams Park on April 13. Anyone
interested in participating may contact FBLA for
more information.
The School Store is
currently creating new student positions for an
inventory clerk, sales persons, management and
maintenance. Any interested student should see Mrs.
Mockler or an FBLA member for more information.
On February 11, the
officer team attended the State Leadership Meeting
at the Radisson Hotel. Students made presentations
informing the members from other schools the
community service projects that were completed this
year, and the keynote speaker was an Executive
Officer of Fidelity who informed the students how
wise money decisions made today can greatly impact
their future. He also discussed the ways the “baby
boomers” will impact the types of careers that will
be plentiful in the next ten years.
At the Rhode Island FBLA
Awards Banquet on March 20, the following members of
the Pilgrim Chapter of FBLA received awards for
their achievements at the State Leadership
Competition Events on Friday, February 29, Skills
Competitions on March 11, and Presentation
Competitions on March 17.
Accounting I, Taylor
McDermott, Grade 12, First Place, and John Dao,
Grade 12, Second Place. Accounting II, Derryck
Hesford, Grade 12, First Place. Community Service
Project, Taylor McDermott and Rebecca Mancini, Grade
12, First Place. Entrepreneurship Team Event,
Derryck Hesford and Carissa Schneider, Grade 12,
Third Place. FBLA Principles and Procedures,
Jacqueline Steinkamp, Grade 10, First Place. Local
Chapter Newsletter, Derryck Hesford, Grade 12,
Fourth Place. Local Chapter Scrapbook, Pamella
Maldonado, Grade 10, Fourth Place. Marketing,
Rebecca Mancini, Grade 12, Fifth Place. Personal
Finance, Carissa Schneider, Grade 12, Second Place,
and Rebecca Mancini, Grade 12, Fourth Place. Public
Speaking II, Svet Lasnier, Grade 11, Fourth Place,
and Beverly Gantt, Grade 11, Fifth Place. Word
Processing I, Jacqueline Steinkamp, Grade 10, Fourth
Place. Word Processing II, Beverly Gantt, Grade 11,
First Place, and Allison Mockler, Grade 12, Third
Place. Jacqueline Steinkamp, Grade 10, also
received Who’s Who in Rhode Island FBLA.
Johnson and Wales
University issued scholarships to students placing
in the top three positions in Accounting II,
Personal Finance, and Entrepreneurship events.
Additionally, members receiving first and second
place awards may represent the state at the National
Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in June.
Congratulations to all the FBLA members for their
outstanding accomplishments!
Mrs. Mockler’s FBLA
members and accounting students are now making plans
to attend a Financial Education Day on April 29 at
the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston.
In Mrs. Brennan’s Career
Exploration class, students will be volunteering at
Exchange City, located in the Paramount Building at
Johnson & Wales University, in May. These students
spent time last semester working at Exchange City’s
bank and business center. Now these same students
will be assisting elementary and/or middle school
students in the job positions they once held. They
are very excited about experiencing this
opportunity.
Also, Mrs. Brennan’s
College and Career Planning class will be
interviewed by business community members as part of
their final examination. This interview and the
advice given has been a positive experience for
students who have participated in this process in
the past.
Three experts spoke to Mr.
Cooper’s Personal Finance classes this month.
Shirley McMillian of the Consumer Counting Services
talked about credit use and abuse. Mrs. McMillian
showed a video on how credit card companies target
college students and sometimes mislead new credit
users. She also talked about warning signs that
indicate you are getting into credit trouble.
Ms. McMillian was followed
by Special Agent Caroline O’Brien of the United
States Secret Service. She spoke on how to avoid
identity theft and warning signs that your identity
has been stolen. Rounding out the month was
Christine Rojas of the Pawtucket Credit Union who
brought the budget project that students had been
working on to a conclusion. This is the key element
to preparing for Real World Day, which our students
will attend on April 3, 2008 at Bryant University.
The Pawtucket Credit Union will also sponsor this
event.
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY
MONTH—GET THE FEVER!
Spring fever strikes and
love and poetry are in the air. Students, teachers,
and the Pilgrim community are encouraged to observe
national poetry month by enjoying a poem each day.
You may find excellent examples of poetry online at
the National Poetry website:www.poets.org
SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY
William Shakespeare’s
birthday is celebrated on April 23rd—a great time to
recognize all he has done for the entertainment
industry over the centuries!
PILGRIM PLAYERS
Mr. Richard Denningham of
the English department is the adviser for the
Pilgrim Players who are proud to present The
Curious Savage, on the weekend of April 4th.
Drama Club member, Jessica Montecalvo wrote a press
release describing the play as “A dramatic play
about a family’s greed and one mother’s want to find
true happiness in a world of chaos.” Jessica
explains that as the mother’s friends “band together
to rescue Mrs. Savage from her children’s greed, we
as observers watch their mysterious stories unfold
and their fears are put behind them in exchange for
a true friend.”
“For this extraordinary
performance,” Jessica tells us, “Kayla Quirk, a
freshman and a first timer with The Pilgrim Players,
will play the lead role of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a
smart and witty mother in her early 50’s awaiting a
new beginning.”
Jessica noted, “In the
Pilgrim Players’ last performance of the year, there
is but one senior, Emily O’Donnell, who will be
stage manager for her last time with The Pilgrim
Players. Emily has been a technical worker for The
Pilgrim Players for many years but she has just
recently acquired the position as stage manager.”
Jessica wrote, “Her talent and humor have made her
irreplaceable but she will never be forgotten.”
The English department
hopes Mr. Denningham, Emily, and all the Players
“break a leg” in their production.
STUDENT TEACHERS
The Pilgrim English
Department is fortunate to have five dedicated
student teachers within its ranks this spring. Four
students are from Rhode Island College. Working with
Mr. Callahan is Reid Jagger; with Mr. Markey, Mr.
Paul Semenkow; with Ms. Muto, Ms. Caitlyn Noury; and
with Ms. Noble, Mr. Timothy Stewart. Mr. Timothy
Farrell, from Providence College, recently finished
his student teaching at Pilgrim. He worked with Ms.
Merdink. We wish all our student teachers well as
they strive to meet the challenges of effective
teaching.
WRITING CONTESTS
Pilgrim students are
encouraged to enter writing contests to showcase
their exemplary work. The English department keeps a
display of current writing contests in the display
case near the English office door. Aspiring writers
are urged to check often for new contests. See Mrs.
Place, department head, for entry forms.
SENIOR PAPERS
Congratulations to those
seniors who successfully completed their senior
papers in English class by deadline time. Good luck
in your upcoming presentations!
FAMILY/CONSUMER SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT
Pilgrim’s Service Learning
Class has successfully completed the “Exchange City”
Project by bringing Hoxsie and Sherman 6th graders
to the “city” housed on the Johnson and Wales Campus
on March 17. Prior to this date, Pilgrim students
instructed the elementary school students in the
Exchange City Curriculum, prepared them for job
interviews, city elections and setting up various
businesses for the day. The day proved to be an
outstanding success and everyone had a great time.
We were pleased that Dr. Horoshack and Dr. Siesel
were able to take time from their busy schedules to
spend time with us and experience the program first
hand. As a result, this program will expand to
include other district schools in the fall.
Child Development students
are in the process of training to become reading
mentors for students at Holliman. The students have
been working with Claire Flaherty, Executive
Director of Volunteers of Warwick Schools, to
prepare for the program which will begin in April.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
DEPARTMENT
Students in Foreign
Language classes are on the move this semester!
There are several field trips planned for late March
and early April. The students in Italian classes
will be attending An Immersion Day sponsored by RI
Teachers of Italian. They will spend the entire
morning participating in activities where they will
have to speak exclusively in the target language.
French classes will attend a concert by Josée Vachon,
a Franco-American singer born in Quebec and raised
in Canada. The Spanish V honors class will go to
RI School of Design Museum to see the work of
several Hispanic artists. They are also preparing
to put on a play for students at Aldrich. Ms.
Bennett’s Spanish IV Honors class will attend a
Spanish play at RI College.
Many students are working
on projects as well. Spanish IV Honors students are
studying Argentina, and researching and preparing
for an asado—an authentic Argentine meal. Miss
DeSousa’s Spanish II class recently completed story
boards about their daily routine, and her Spanish
III class has finished their Cuando era niño (When I
was little…) scrapbooks. French I students are
working on their journals and preparing a Photo
Story project on their ideal vacation get-away. In
French II students have been comparing and
contrasting French and American customs related to
table manners and general proper behavior when one
is a guest in someone’s home, and will present skits
about the topic to their classmates. In Mrs. Taft’s
Spanish III Honors class, students are writing about
their “dream homes” to practice using the
subjunctive, and her Spanish III class is preparing
for a field trip.
The after-school clubs
have been very active this semester also. We are
still offering the beginning French classes after
school on Tuesdays at JB Francis School. (Please
contact Ms. Fontes for details). All three
language clubs will hold an international food
festival in April, and the French Club is preparing
to celebrate la Semaine de la Francophonie. They
will have a movie night, and will serve crêpes
several afternoons during that week.
GRADUATION BY
PROFICIENCY
Portfolio Requirements
For the Classes of 2010
and 2011
For the current academic
school year 2007 - 2008, freshmen and sophomores are
required to enter a total of six portfolio worthy
assignments into the digital portfolio system.
These students will be required to upload two
English, two mathematic, and one science
assignment. Students will have participated in two
each common assessment in English and math by the
end of April, which will comprise four of the six
required submissions. Science classes will also
designate the portfolio worthy work to be uploaded
by students. These students must also include at
least one assignment that showcases their diverse
skills and abilities. This assignment may be taken
from any course that a student is taking during the
current academic year. All assignments require a
written reflection for each piece of work indicating
at least one district academic expectation that the
work meets. Students will be brought to labs during
the 4th quarter to be trained in the uploading of
this work electronically.
For the Class of 2009
Our current juniors will
submit a paper portfolio in lieu of the digital
format. Juniors will complete two teacher generated
portfolio assignments in English and two in
mathematics. Juniors will also include at least one
assignment that they wish to showcase as a
demonstration of their diverse skills and abilities
from another course taken during the school year.
All assignments require a written reflection for
each piece of work added to their portfolio
indicating at least one district academic
expectation the work. This work will be stored in
the GBP office.
The following is an
excerpt from an e-mail sent to all of our current
juniors after a class assembly was held regarding
their participation in a journal writing assignment
as they begin to explore senior exhibition project
topics.
Mrs. Massey's Reflection:
Most of you were in the auditorium today when Senior
Exhibition was officially introduced. You were
handed a black journal. The purpose of this journal
is to document the beginning of your journey with
Senior Exhibition. Your journal will be collected
at the April 24th assembly meeting of the Junior
class.
This is your first
opportunity to demonstrate your ability to research,
critically think, and reflect on your upcoming
journey. These concepts are three of the five
applied learning areas that all students must
demonstrate and be successful with in order to
receive a diploma from Warwick Schools. This
activity begins your journey. It gives you an
opportunity to do preliminary research in potential
topic areas. It is what I like to call
"pre-search".
Listen to your colleagues
from the Class of 2008. When asked what words of
wisdom they wished for me to share with the Class of
2009, overwhelmingly, they agreed to tell you to
read everything you can about Senior Exhibition,
especially the Senior Exhibition Project Guidebook.
They also said to tell you to ask questions about
what you have read in an effort to deepen your
understanding and "to start early and stay on
task." All information on Senior Exhibition is
located in the Student area of FirstClass or on the
Warwick School website.
For the Class of 2008
Senior research packets
will be presented to the faculty on April 9th for
the school wide faculty read of senior research
papers and reflections.
Very Important Dates
April 9
Faculty read of senior research and
reflection.
May 1
Deadline: Completed Senior Exhibition
Portfolios submitted to Mrs. Massey
(all portfolios must include all items reflected on
the Portfolio Checklist)
May 20
Senior Exhibition Presentations
June 5
Graduation
Marilyn Massey
Graduation by Proficiency
Coordinator
Pilgrim High School
masseym@warwickschools.org
401 734-3273 ext. 117
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
The web portal,
waytogori.org, will be used to introduce Freshman to
an interest inventory and allow them to complete a
career search. These are provided by Bridges-Zap.
Other tools on the website are Number 2, an SAT
preparation program and a connection to RH Higher
Education Assistance Authority. Next year there will
more tools available that will assist in the college
process.
Students will use this
information on their Individual Learning Plan, which
will be completed in keyboarding class. They will
set goals for the end of the year and in May they
will write a reflection about the success or partial
success in reaching those goals. This will be
completed in advisories. Sophomores will also update
their ILPs.
ILP’s – Individual
Learning Plans, are required for the new Graduation
by Proficiency regulations put out by the Rhode
Island Department of Education. Sophomores will also
complete parts of the form this year. Next year
there will be much more about this process.
Counselors in the district have worked all year to
complete a curriculum framed around the ILP. This
will be more fully put in place next year.
Counselors are now in the
process of finalizing graduation plans and
addressing final concerns that seniors may have
about next year, whether those concerns may be angst
about going away to college or that no plan was
finalized. For underclass students, counselors are
adjusting course requests for next year. Parents
will be receiving letters soon that reflect those
adjustments, some of which are based on classes that
will not run next year or based on conflicts of
classes that are running. Unfortunately, these
adjustments will continue to some extent throughout
the summer. Schedules for next year will be mailed
the week before school starts.
We are proud to recognize
Sharon Rix as one of the top 50 American School
Counselors of the Year 2008. She is the only RI
counselor to have this honor. Although only on
person can be nominated, the Pilgrim High School
Guidance team works in collaboration and so to honor
one member is to recognize all members.
HEALTH/PHYSICAL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
During the winter quarter
the 9th grade physical education classes are
participating in a fitness unit. The 11th grade
classes are in an individual sports unit that
consists of table tennis and badminton. The 12th
grade students are participating in a basketball and
volleyball team sports unit. The 10th grade is in
health during the third quarter.
The seniors completed
their certification for CPR/AED class during the 2nd
quarter. They received their Adult CPR/AED Red
Cross certification cards. The juniors will be
taking the Red Cross First Aid certification class
during the 4th quarter. The fee for cards and
supplies for the First Aid class is $6.
Eight seniors took and
passed the Red Cross Lay Responder Instructor
Certification Program during the February vacation.
They were trained to teach and certify anyone in
Adult/child/infant CPR/AED and First Aid. This is
the first time this class has been offered to
students in any of the Warwick high schools.
During the 4th quarter the
freshmen will be taking part in individual sports.
The sophomores will be in team sports. The seniors
will be in fitness.
LIBRARY
The librarians attended a
professional development training program for new
electronic databases that will be available for the
Pilgrim community next fall. The Pilgrim library
will subscribe to four EBSCO research databases to
enhance our students’ studies:
“Ultra Online”
“Literary Reference
Center”
“History Reference Center,
“Science Reference
Center.”
These databases can be
accessed from all library computers and also
remotely from any computer.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
June will be here before
you know it. Encourage your son/daughter to keep up
with his/her work. During the fourth quarter the
students in ninth and tenth grade math courses will
be given a common task to complete in class. The
task will become part of their portfolio for
graduation.
Congratulations to Mr.
Fitzpatrick who led our academic decathlon to a
great showing at a recent meet held at CCRI on March
9th. Our team won the West Bay
Collaborative and placed tenth in the state.
Special recognition goes out to Matt McDermott who
won a bronze medal in the art and math categories.
Cassie Mullins won a bronze medal in science and Cat
Zuffoletti won a silver medal in interview. Great
job!
Also, kudos to Mrs.
Cameron and the following top math league scorers
for the year. First place was Ashley Greenberg, 2nd
place was Matt McDermott and there was a tie for
third place, Matt Dickson and Cassie Mullins.
Thanks to our teachers and students for their
dedication.
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Our students fared well at
the Rhode Island State Science and Engineering
Fair.
Zachary Blanchard, who
studied "Baseballs ‘Seam’ Different," received a 2nd
Grant award. Catherine LaBella was awarded a 3rd
Grant for her inquiry into “CSI: Fiber Analysis.”
Elizabeth Hanke received a 3rd Grant award for her
looking into the question, “Does the amount of air
pollution vary each week?” Catherine LaBella was
awarded a 3rd Grant for her inquiry into “CSI:
Fiber Analysis.” Tanzeel Rehman received a 2nd Grant
award for his project about “Alcohol’s effects on
Drosophila.” Congratulations!
The science teachers have
been very busy in addition to their daily teaching
duties. The teachers have worked individually and
in collaboration with each other to map all Science
courses to the state ELA and Mathematics GSE’s,
giving increased evidence of the inclusion of these
standards across the curriculum. Mrs. Landrie, Mrs.
LeBlanc, and Mrs. Reynolds attended the National
Science Teachers Association convention in Boston.
Mr. Serowik will be serving on a NEASC evaluation
team in Northbridge, Ma. in May.
SOCIAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT
Pilgrim High School
participated in National History Day with projects
and power point exhibits displayed in the library.
Two students were chosen to represent Pilgrim at the
state level. They are Kadejah Foster for her Power
Point project on Ashcan School of Art and Shannon
Williams for her Power Point project on
Suffragettes. The state competition will take place
at Providence College on Saturday, April 26th.
Community Service medals
will be given out to students with documented hours
at Junior Honors Night on April 10th. In
order to qualify for commendation, 9th
graders needed 20 hours of community service, 10th
needed 30 hours, 11th needed 40 hours,
and 12th needed 50 hours.
Congratulations to all who participated.
The Eastern Civilization
classes are continuing work on the Zen Garden. Mrs.
Katseff’s classes have made five large ceramic
statues and students from Mr. Dubee’s and Mr.
Menard’s classes have made seven benches. If all
goes well, the Zen Garden will open in May. The
Eastern Civilization classes will be going to
Chinatown on April 10th for a guided
tour.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
Senior Projects have been
in the forefront this quarter. Teachers are
supporting students in their effort to meet the new
Graduation by Proficiency Requirements (GBP). If the
student’s IEP provides for accommodations related to
the Senior Project they will be allowed. During the
March Professional Development day teachers in the
department attended workshops in either
differentiated instruction or the e-portfolio
component of GBP.
Rhode Island Department of
Education’s Office of Diverse Learners recently
mailed a questionnaire to the parents of students
with an IEP. They rely on your feedback to help
provide the appropriate programs for all students.
TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
The students in Thomas
O’Connor’s Engineering Program in the Tech Ed.
Department had a very successful day in the annual
Robotic Competition which is held at New England
Tech. This year there were forty-one competing high
schools and Pilgrim High School finished in seventh
place. Each year the organizer of the event
presents size parameters and challenges each robot
needs to accomplish, which include moving through a
course on it own guided by an internal computer
program designed and modified by the students.
Another event is where the robots must secure and
store objects in a bin, and the team that scored the
most points moves on to the next round.
Pilgrim team consisted of
mentor, Robert Pendergast from Pitney Bowes, who
volunteered his time for the second year in row.
Students, Adam McDermott, Jacob Ferry and Sean
Atwood spent many hours engineering and
troubleshooting an intricate rotating, lifting and
grabbing robotic claw. Jeffrey Conner and John
Graves designed and wrote the C++ program which
allowed the robot to navigate an obstruction filled
course with ease. Corey Confireda, Joshua Morris and
Michael Hartington were the competition strategist,
who designed strategies by evaluating their
opponents’ strengths and weakness. The staff of the
Technology Education Department wants to
congratulate this team for representing Pilgrim at
the State competition for a job well done. This
course also meets the 1+ math or the computer
application requirement our students need to
graduate. Students need to register for TE 171
Engineering, a one credit course, to be eligible for
next year robotic competition.
The
students throughout our department had another
outstanding year. There are many talented students
who showcase talents by working on the yearbook,
creating and maintaining PHS webpage, filming and
editing the senior video and building the trails and
benches in the new ZEN garden. Working with these
students in our Tech Ed. Department is a pleasure
and I would like to thank them for their hard work
they have shown this school year.
