School has re-opened and new student and staff activities have begun. We'll report them in the items posted above this one. We'll keep news items from the 2007-08 year posted below this item for a while.
Read more!Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
MARDI GRAS IN THE CAF
This eight-by-ten-foot painting of Mardi Gras was hung in the cafeteria for the graduation party of the class of 2008. The artists: alumna Rebecca Yaguda, class of 2005, and her mother Julie Strawitz. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
38th ANNUAL RAT-TRAP CAR & CATAPULT COMPETITIONS
Physics classes built model bridges as their year-end projects, and held their 38th Annual Rat Trap Car & Catapult Competitions. In the gym four students operated their working model cars. On the athletic field 23 students made working catapults and trebuchets. Click on the photos to enlarge them.
Catapults and Trebuchets: This was an accuracy and distance contest, based upon a points formula. Students were required to shoot six balls in three minutes: one ball for maximum distance and five balls for accuracy through two positioned hoops. Students were given a limited amount of energy (Catapults: yellow exercise band with Elastic Potential Energy of about 150 Joules) or 30 lbs of weight (Trebuchets: Gravitation Potential Energy of about 250 Joules).
Anna Gronauer and Portia Simermeyer had the best Catapult with a score of 624.4 points. The best Trebuchet scored 550.5 points and belonged to Cate Brown and Georgia Griffin.
Bridges: These had to be made of one-eighth-inch bass wood, maximum mass of 50 grams, and must cross an 11-inch gap, and must be capable of carrying an HO scale (1:87) Tractor-Trailer truck. The contest was scored on the strength-to-weight ratio with units of lbs/gram. The strongest bridge held 148 lbs of weight, while the winner of the contest had a strength to weight ratio of 5.43 lbs/g and was designed and built by Eleanor Thadani.
Rat Trap Car: All energy to drive the car comes from the two springs on a Rat Trap, which is 10 to 20 Joules of energy, depending on how it is harnessed. The best car this year went one HHS gym length (103.1 feet) and belonged to Lucie Torrey and Melissa Coffey. The best-ever car travelled about 3.5 gym lengths (363.9 feet) in 1994 and belonged to the legendary Seth Dunten.
FRIENDS' GRANTS SUPPORT TEACHERS' PROJECTS: NEW iMACS FOR PHYSICS
Carl Mehrbach, HHS physics teacher, writes: Over the last two years I have been able to completely replace all my old iMacs with the new Intel chip iMacs. This allows the physics classes to run Windows Platform programs and Mac OS X programs on the same machines. One of our most important programs is only Windows-based ("Interactive Physics," a simulation program, which allows students to model physics events, e.g. crashes, explosions, forces pulling carts, etc. and tabulate the physical data of the event). Without a grant from The Friends our program would not be even close to the high-tech one we currently run.
Jane Woods, Chorus Director, writes: The Music Department received a Friends grant this spring to update and expand its music technology. A new MacBook for the music studio will provide improved capability for digital recording of individual composition projects, student audition CDs and ensemble rehearsals and performances. A site license for Sibelius 5 notation software will allow Music Theory students and others working on independent projects access to an important tool for musical composition and arranging. The Friends have generously supported previous Sibelius purchases at the Richmond Middle School and the Marion Cross Elementary School, and now students K-12 will be able to use the same program.
Kathy Snyder, a parent of HHS students, serves on the board of The Friends of the Hanover/Norwich Schools. She writes: The Friends is a private non- profit organization that supports the enrichment of the educational programs of the Dresden School District. Founded in 1961 by a group of citizens including former Dartmouth President John Kemeny, The Friends have made over $370,000 available to the schools for a variety of projects. Contributions to The Friends are received in response to an Annual Appeal mailed to the Hanover/Norwich community each October. The Board currently consists of nine members with representation from both communities and there are two meetings each school year (October & March) to review proposals and award grants.
The current funding priority is for new and innovative projects that require seed money to get started. Teachers are encouraged to think of creative ways to enrich their curriculum and bring those requests to The Friends for funding consideration. The Friends will not fund a hardware or software request unless it is an unusual circumstance or is an integral part of a new project. Individual enrichment grants will also not be funded. Grants typically range from several hundred dollars to several thousand. Requests for proposals are sent to each school in September and January; proposals are typically due several weeks in advance of board meetings.
Teachers receiving support for a proposal are required to submit a report to The Friends upon completion of the project. New proposals from a past grant recipient will not be entertained until a report on the prior grant has been received.
Monday, June 16, 2008
GRADUATION 2008: "MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT GREAT EXPERIENCE"
The class of 2008 chose 21-year HHS teacher Joe Bonfiglio, shown here wearing the senior T-shirt from the all-night school party, as their graduation speaker. Here are his words:
A butterfly flaps its wings. A smooth stone sails across a pond. A domino is poised to fall against rows of assembled dominoes.
We can see the immediate impact of these events, but the mark that is made on the world goes beyond the immediate. What is now is not what is necessarily to be. As Jackie Robinson wrote, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Students, parents, community members, board members, colleagues---
We are here today to note and celebrate the positive impact that these students, the class of 2008, have had on our community and, in turn, the community's impact on them.
Today, I feel like one of the students. As many in the community know, I am retiring at the end of this school year after 33 years of teaching, 21 of them here in Hanover. But I don't feel like it's an ending. Like the students, I feel I am graduating --- moving forward to the next great experience. I began at HHS in the fall of 1987 and immediately became class advisor to my first graduating class, the Class of 1991. The members of that class and its class committee included Margie Menza, Adam Albrecht, Jen Coombs, Dan Richards, Willow Williamson, and Matt Prince. They have impacted our world through music, business, medicine, athletics, and education. It has been a thing of joy and comfort for me for the past four years as co-advisor to the class of 2008 that I have shared this responsibility with Matt Prince. In Matt, I can see the impact I had on him as a student and how HHS nurtured his abilities, but I can also benefit from his impact on my life and our school community.
As I am retiring, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I would like to state that, while many may assume they know the impact I have had, there are things that will only surface with complete openness and frankness and the witness of the future. To my fellow teachers, you may be noticing that fewer of your snacks and lunches will be missing from the staff refrigerators -- my bad, but I was really hungry. Also, you know when you went to the copier and it was jammed or out of paper --- hey, I was in a hurry and figured I'd just mess it up anyway. Speaking of paper, in the bathroom...well, enough said.
But seriously, while my own impact can not be measured in the moment, so is it true for the staff and students that sit before us today preparing to move to their next great experience. Dr. Hair has taught us lessons in honor and integrity; Ms. Caldwell and Ms. Stevenson have helped democracy flourish at HHS; Ms. Gillespie and Mr. Eberhardt have shown us poise and grace, patience and fortitude. Ms. Eakin has modeled good citizenship through community service. Mr. Lavigne has advanced Lego play for all ages. Ms. Hirai has made science accessible to all students. Mr. Bill helps us sing and juggle and graph and calculate. Mr. Murphy demonstrates optimism and perseverance in his daily life. Mr. Lloyd has shown students how to find their own paths. Ms. Murray has enough spirit for all of us! Mr. Prince has shown what it means to be a citizen of the world. Madame Vigneault is a vibrant example of how a positive attitude can thrust one towards success. Bonnie Stebbins demonstrates selflessness in her daily actions. Mr. Buck and Mr. Glenney have reminded us that the lessons of antiquity help guide our futurity. Ms. Wyatt has reminded us that well planned is half done. Mr. Eakin reminds us that true self-esteem is based on our own productivity and effort. Mr. Daley is a living example of the joy of learning. Parents, coaches, townspeople- all have impacted our students and will continue to do so.
But the students themselves have had as deep and significant an impact as the adults. I asked staff members for comments about our students, and the students they wrote about have impacted our world globally and also had a strong effect on the local community and even their own families.
Many of our students have impacted the world on the global stage.
Peter Morrow volunteered in kindergarten and special needs classrooms, and also taught soccer in the
afternoons in Guatemala. Peter commented: "I miss home..., but we're all here to try to change something, whether it's a change in yourself or for other people around you."
Hannah Levinger also volunteered as a teacher in Guatemala.
There is probably no one in the school, student or adult, who knows more about contemporary government than Dylan Mathews. Perhaps he will record all of these impacts as a historian.
Nandini Choudhury speaks out with passion and eloquence about her roots in Sri Lanka.
Helen Jack produced a play about torture with Amnesty International members from the high school and community that radically affected all who saw it.
Becky Turkington organized countless candlelight vigils on the Green for Burma and Darfur, bringing public attention to the cause of human rights.
Martha Rigby, during her junior year in Spain, volunteered at an after school program, working with children of impoverished refugees, playing soccer and making crafts. She also became a fundraiser and spokeswoman for Invisible Children, organizing an indoor soccer tournament this fall to raise money and awareness for children of war-torn countries.
Other students have had a strong impact on our local community and our school.
Natalia Fadul, rooted in two countries, two cultures, has a smile that brightens any classroom and an eager curiosity which is infectious for peers and teachers.
Dave Wilmot has been a gentleman both in and outside of class, acting as the big brother on the Close Up trip, looking out for others and their belongings. How will these nurturing leadership skills impact the future?
Stephen Maurer is one of those rare students who will bring a book to a teacher and share his love of the opaque.
Ryan Rutledge, a Mississippi transplant, brought both his grammar and his gentility with him and showed eagerness to enter into any discussion.
Cate Brown has demonstrated true leadership, always with a smile, always stepping forward or aside depending on the need.
Georgia Griffin always finishes first but always puts everyone else ahead of herself. If you've ever asked her how the race went, her response always praised the team and individual teammates with NO mention of herself! Her humility will speak volumes in the future.
Along with Cate and Georgia, Bridgette Black, Meg Donohue, and Beth Taylor played a vital role in the success of the '06 and '07 girls' cross country team. The girls won the New Englands twice and culminated their success by placing 4th in the nation at the Nike Team Nationals this past December. Where will they run in the future? And how fast will they go?
Olivia Jovine was praised for both her academic success and drive and her representation of HHS to the community as Council School Board Rep. Will she impact our future as a scientist, a decorator, a community leader?
Chris Gerling helped lead the Footlighters through three difficult transitional years. In this first year of the new auditorium, he has been key in getting things up-and-running.
Sky Schlenker took a risk on acting, dancing, and singing in his senior year and did an AMAZING job in West Side Story as Bernardo.
Mila Pinigin also was a powerful and convincing stage presence, and Dylan Mosenthal danced up a storm!
During March Intensive, Jack Yaguda came in to the "Sing Acapella" workshop to teach beat box. He was so supportive as the group produced all of these poor (and slobbery) excuses for drum sounds. Then Jonah Kasper came in to "duet," and it was heartwarming to see two seniors doing what they love, showing such confidence, and behaving in such a mature fashion (while making spit and heavy breathing noises!)
Ethan Mann would come to his short story class with "Arena Rock" CDs that he made, so that when the students walked in they could rock out before class. Additionally, Ethan successfully completed an EMT course. Will he impact the future through music or saving lives?
Colin Lacey has pursued his passion for writing by attending the Iowa Young Writers Institute and doing a Bridges project of creative writing. Kudos to him for pursuing his passion.
Robin Gougelet, Eliza Mackintosh, and Abbe Schickner organized the SEAD reunion and interned with SEAD during the summer.
Cory Pyke, Audrey Johnston, Sienna Chu and others have shared their music. Perhaps we will all hear that impact in the future on our Ipods!
David Ainley steadily and reliably did all of his Advanced Math work. David frequently made it clear that he was not there for a grade, and that, once he decided he was willing to take the class, he was going to be engaged and learn as much as he could from the time he put in. This model of true learner may be David's impact on others as he moves through life.
Peter Robb quietly, behind-the-scenes, made every Talent Show sound great-all improvisationally.
Isabella Lubin frequently brought baked delights to class for the love of cooking and her classmates.
The 10 senior boys on the golf team, led by captains Danny Cullen and Peter Williamson, volunteered eight hours each picking up after two major storms that hit the course last fall.
Sohier Perry made his Common Ground a place where everyone felt welcomed.
Brendan Bailey epitomized class spirit all during senior week.
And Niko dela Cruz hugs everyone and makes us all feel great.
Still other students make their impact very close to home.
Lucy Caldwell and many others shape the lives of their multiple younger siblings by setting standards for both achievement and fun.
And Kyle Katz takes his two-year-old brother to daycare every day.
I have mentioned about a quarter of the class members. I could probably say something about them all if time were endless.
These students --- all of them --- have had an impact on our lives and will continue to do so. It is through them that our own impact grows and flourishes. It is because of them that we continue to learn, to teach, to parent, to give to others. We may think we know the impact that they have had on Hanover and its surrounding communities, but we can not know what will be. And I for one believe we have not yet mined the depths of their impact. How will the dominoes fall?
As the Roman odist Horace wrote, "it is not right that we should know the nature and length of our futurity. ...
While we're talking, grudging time has already fled: seize the day.... The longest life is brevity."
Congratulations graduates and their families, and goodbye Hanover High.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
SAMANTHA HADLEY, STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Samantha Hadley from Norwich, VT is Hanover High’s Student of the Month. Samantha is an excellent student, very conscientious and serious about her academics. Samantha played field hockey for three years, then chose to give up sports to take over more family responsibilities and to work to save for her college education. Samantha is always cheerful, willing to help, eager to please and always working hard, a great asset to Hanover High and her family.
Friday, June 13, 2008
STUDENTS MAKE VIDEO GAMES: "MOONBUCKS"
Freshmen Emma Delaney and Holly Bernal explain: One level above playing video games is making your own. In the game we made in Ms Patten's class, you have 15 seconds to learn your secret identity from the screen before it disappears. Then you have to go to Moonbucks and answer questions from strangers you meet who may be friendly or hostile. Ready? Your name is Andrew Kelly, you are 24, visiting New York from Ireland, and you're in Moonbucks because you just visited a photoshoot nearby. You like playing football with your buddies and your favorite drink is an iced latte. Hope you remember all that, because in the cafe you meet a girl who asks, "So what brings you to New York?" We made five panels with different answers so you can answer right or wrong. We used the Scratch program. Just for illustration, click on the panel to read the screens.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
CLASS OF 2008: PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
The HHS Guidance Department reports that the Class of 2008 has made these plans for the future. Good luck and best wishes to every one!
Acker, Gerik Wolf, Working
Addante, Ruth, University of Vermont
Ainley, David Henry Levy, University of Vermont
Anderson, William B., Yale University
Andeweg, Erica F., Dartmouth College
Andrus, Sarah, Hamilton College
Arbogast, John, Boston University
Ashton, Nathaniel, University of Pennsylvania
Ayres, Kirsten McMullen, University of Colorado, Boulder
Click "read more" for the full list.
Bachner, Mollie, Mount Holyoke
Bailey, Brendan, Plymouth State University
Balch, Heather, American University
Balch, Justin, working
Barlow, Samantha, Colorado College
Barraclough, Katie, University of Stirling
Barry, Liza, Undecided
Barth, Erik J., Bates College
Barthold, Eric, Colby College
Baxter, Jacob, Hartwick College
Beane, Michael M. H., Art Institute of Chicago
Black, Bridgette, Brown University
Bleeks, Jessica Lyn, Culinary School
Brakenridge, Mary Adelaide, Bryn Mawr College
Brentrup, Laura J., Elon University
Brooks, Alexandra, Emory University
Brown, Catherine A., Middlebury College
Brown, Lia A.,Dickinson College
Burchard, Paul, University of Richmond
Burdulis, Benediktas, Arizona State University
Burriss, Lucy, Saint Michaels College
Buskey, Stephen D., Westminster School
Caffry, Isabelle, St. Lawrence University
Cain, Megan Marie, Lehigh University
Caldwell, Lucy, Cornell University
Calloway, Graeme Lindsay, Dartmouth College
Carter, Charles H., Macalester College
Chaltain, Grady, University of Maryland
Choudhury, Nandini, St. Olaf College
Chu, Sienna, Undecided
Ciccotelli, Dylan, Syracuse University
Coffey, Melissa, Boston College
Copeland, Tyler, American University
Crawford-Cripps, Eleanor Rose, University of Vermont
Cullen, Daniel, Lehigh University
Currie, Wilbur, Univ of Colorado, Boulder
Cutler, Carl Wright, Syracuse University
Cyrus, Austin, Working
D'Aprile, Sage, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
D'Aveni, Gina M, Washington & Jefferson
Daniels, Cory, Savannah College of Art and Design
de Muinck, Hidde, Undecided
Dela Cruz, Niko G., American University
Dietrich, William T., Savannah College of Art and Design
Dodds, Cooper H., Carleton College
Dodds, John, University of New Hampshire
Donohue, Meghan T., Syracuse University
Dubitsky, Andrei Olegovic, Purdue University
Dunbar, Eva-Molly, Carleton University
Egner, Jeffrey, University of Colorado
Elliott, Rachel, Frazer Guilford
Erickson, Heidi, St. Lawrence University
Fadul, Natalia, Brown University
Fairbrothers, Jeffrey Bridgeton
Felicetti, Caleb J. University of New Hampshire
Fisher, Josephine Amherst College
Flanagan, Meghan Anne University of St Andrews
Flanagan, Theresa B. Trinity College
Flickinger, Michael University of Montana
Formella, Paul J. Florida State Univ
Fried, Daniel, DePaul University
Garfield, Lucy, Hartwick College
Geilich, Benjamin Brown University
Gerling, Christopher M. Carnegie Mellon Univ
Gettinger, Ann F. Wheaton College
Gorlin, Zachary Baer University of Colorado
Gormley, Colin Laird University of Mass/Amherst
Gougelet, Robyn E. University of Maryland
Graves, George Miguel Working
Graves, Lucia Salve Regina University
Greeley, Patrick H. Hofstra University
Greenwood, Nicholas F University of Mass/Amherst
Griffin, Georgia Stanford University
Griggs, Adam University of Vermont
Gronauer, Anna F. Union College
Hadley, Jason Purdue University
Hadley, Samantha University of St Andrews
Hadley, Stephen University of New England
Haghkerdar, Jessica Undecided
Halpin, Connor Thomas Norwich University
Halsey, Kirsten St. Michaels College
Hanna, Corry Syracuse University
Hartman, Jonathan H. Suffolk University
Harwick, Benjamin Skidmore College
Hashimoto, Ashley work
Henry, Kara work
Hill, Sydney V. University of Delaware
Horton, Oliver McAfee Knox College
Jack, Helen E. Yale University
Jin, Warren B. Brown University
Johansen, Jennica University of Mary Washington
Johns, Clark M. Georgia Tech
Johnston, Audrey Haverford College
Johnstone, Elizabeth C. Barnard College
Jovine, Olivia New York University
Kasper, Jonah University of Vermont
Katz, Kyle Principia College
Kennedy, Angus Williams College
Kennedy, Anne Helen University of Redlands
Klinck, Corey work
Kobeissi, Ebrahim University of Vermont
Kohn, Leah Manhattan School Music
Kolmeister, Ryan University of New Hampshire
Kopper, John University of Chicago
Kozlyuk, Natalia V. University of Redlands
Kremer, Emily University of Virginia
Lacy, Colin University of Iowa
Larson, Erik William William Patterson University
Lawless, Connor J. Gettysburg College
Leeming, Bryanne E. McGill University
Levinger, Hannah Brandeis University
Li, Si UNC Chapel Hill
Little, Stephan Tucker University of New Hampshire
Lohr, Trevor defer
Lowrey, William J. Muhlenberg College
Lubin, Isabella Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lubin, Rebecca Tufts University
Lunt, Jonathan defer
Mackintosh, Eliza C. University of New Hampshire
Mann, Ethan Middlebury College
Mao, Jielei McGill University
Mason, Jed Humboldt State University
Matthews, Dylan Harvard University
Maue, Casey Stanford University
Maurer, Stephen University of Vermont
McAllister, Reilly Wentworth Institute of Technology
McLaughlin, Andrew Skidmore College
Menard, Mikayla St. Lawrence University
Mertz, Anna P. Colgate University
Miller, Peter Endicott College
Morrow, Peter Virginia Tech
Mosenthal, Dylan Trinity College
Murdza, Katherine University of Notre Dame
Naples, Thayer Undecided
Neslin, Leonard S. Quinnipiac University
Nord, Wes Undecided
O'Leary, Michael R. University of Maine
Officer, Laurent V. Whitman College
Officer, Peter Lynchburg College
Perry, Edward Sohier St. Lawrence University
Peterson, Samuel Johnson State College
Pillsbury, Christopher Union College
Pinigin, Mila Katherine Sarah Lawrence College
Plaut, Aaron Roston Tufts University
Podjuban, Hiroki work
Prendergast, Finola Yale University
Pyke, Cory T. Colorado College
Rahmann, Alexandra Dartmouth College
Remillard, David Ian Skidmore College
Rhodes, Travers Harvard College
Richter, Aaron M. Undecided
Riessen, Dylan W. Skidmore College
Rigby, Martha Macalester
Robb, Peter C. Drew University
Rodriguez, Zane Post Graduate Year
Rodzianko, Anastasia Skidmore College
Roques, Anna Warren Wilson
Rosen, Samantha Rollins College
Rutledge, Ryan University of Wisconsin
Sachsse, Clara Yale University
Santulli, Elizabeth Drew University
Saunders, Shannon Keene State College
Schickner, Abbe R. L. Connecticut College
Schlenker, Skyler Bridgeton
Schuchman, Sloane Hobart and William Smith
Seaman, Matthew Hamilton College
Simermeyer, Portia W. Princeton University
Simpson, Oliver John Univ of Colorado/Boulder
Sliwinski, Alex Jackson Univ of Colorado/Boulder
Sokol, Karl Civil service
Stephens, Timothy F. Union College
Storrs, Hannah C. University of British Columbia
Swenson, David Clark Union College
Tassinari, Brittany Rollins College
Taylor, Elizabeth D. Bates College
Taylor, Ryan M. Boston University
Tevah, Zemora Hampshire College
Thadani, Eleanor Johns Hopkins University
Thomas, Seth St. Olaf College
Thompson, Kathryn Syracuse University
Tierney, Claire Plymouth State University
Torrey, Lucie Middlebury College
Turkington, Rebecca Wellesley College
Ulrich, Dorothea Ann R.I. School of Design
Valentine, Haydn Univ of Colorado/Boulder
Vieten, Vincent H. Undecided
Voigt, William Colby College
Von Reyn, C. Alexander University of Vermont
Waite, Rebecca UNC Chapel Hill
Wallace, Atticus Washington & Lee
Wallis, Paige University of Vermont
Washburn, Alexander Post Graduate Year
Wasser, Jeremy S. Boston University
Wetherell, Matthew Haverford College
Williamson, Peter Dartmouth College
Wilmot, David George Deerfield Academy
Yaguda, Jack Lewis&Clark College
Yang, Hao Colby College
Saturday, June 7, 2008
SENIORS' FAREWELL CONCERT
(Top photo, left to right, Theresa Flanagan, Rebecca Turkington, Ben Geilich, Leah Kohn and Chris Carroll. Bottom, Ben Geilich, left, and Atticus Wallace. ) A senior jazz trio, six senior soloists accompanied by the HHS Orchestra, and two other senior soloists were featured in a June 4 farewell concert. The Music Department says, Congratulations to these seniors for sharing their musical talents with our community! During their years at HHS these ten outstanding senior musicians have represented the school many times at New Hampshire All-State festivals and other regional, state and community ensembles and music exchange groups.
Soloists accompanied by the HHS Orchestra:
Theresa Flanagan, violin, deBeriot's Concerto #9
Ben Geilich, clarinet, Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet
Sarah Graver, violin, Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin
Leah Kohn, bassoon, Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor for Bassoon
Rebecca Turkington, flute, Telemann's Suite for Flute and Strings
Atticus Wallace, viola, Telemann's Concerto for Viola
Solo vocalist with piano accompaniment:
Ari Plaut, bass voice, Mozart's In diesen Heilgen Hallen from The Magic Flute
Solo piano: Chris Carroll, Ravel's Sonatine.
Jazz Ensemble performing an original composition by Erik Larson:
Jacob Baxter, drums; Erik Larson, piano; Jack Yaguda, tenor sax
The Music Department also recognizes the following seniors for representing Hanover High School at New Hampshire All State and/or New England Music Festivals: Sarah Andrus, Lucy Caldwell, Jonah Kasper, Erik Larson, Mila Pinigin, Portia Simermeyer, Lucie Torrey and Thea Ulrich. May music always be a part of your lives!
Friday, June 6, 2008
SOPHOMORES SHINE IN RECITATION CONTEST
Kari Asmus, a member of the Dresden School Board, helped to judge this year's Lillian Bailey Recitation Contest. She writes:
Question: What do Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Huey Long, and Sojourner Truth have in common?
Answer: Each was brought to life for 135 seconds (or less) by a Hanover sophomore as part of the Bailey Recitation Contest.
Sixteen contestants were seated in the front rows of the auditorium, requisite suit jackets and dress skirts straightened. Soon the few signs of nervousness gave way to polished presentations spanning centuries of American history and a myriad of perspectives, ranging from privileged members of colonial society, to soldiers at war, to a hapless child in the Great Depression. As a judge said, through the recitations the students came to "embody the determination, courage and wisdom that so many Americans have shown in times of adversity and great challenge."
This year's contest winners were:
First Place — Camile Shafman, reciting Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?”
Second Place — Forrest Miller
Third Place — Aaron Watanabe
Honorable Mention - Carla Mertz
Every year after Memorial Day Hanover High School 10th graders have an opportunity to combine their knowledge of history with a knack for public presentation by participating in the Lillian Bailey Recitation Contest, an event inspired by a teacher who taught at HHS for 37 years. As part of a class assignment, all students prepare a recitation that dramatizes a chapter in American history. The material can be fiction or nonfiction, taken from a speech, a letter, an interview, a book or a play, but the selection must be memorized and must last no longer than two minutes and fifteen seconds. After recitations are given in front of classmates, finalists are chosen by the students to represent each class at the final contest.
ROMAN WALL CALENDAR: YOUR BIRTHDAY IN LATIN
This year Latin Four students researched the way Roman calendars evolved; the inter-calary months that were necessary when the calendar got out of synch with the moon; Ovid’s poem "Fasti" about Roman holidays; and the calendar reforms made by Julius Caesar. The project began in October and continued through March 1, the traditional New Year of the older Roman calendars. Students recorded their own birthdays, but Senior Skip Day was ruled not an established holiday.
Dylan Riessen and Sydney Hill, class of 2008, write: We made it very large and used magnetic paint and small magnets to hold up the individual signs showing the days, the months, the seasons, and each type of day involved in the Roman calendar system. We cut out outlines for the Ides (mid-month), Nones and Kalends (first day of the month) and used them to paint each of the individual squares. Each person had his or her own job on the assembly line: cutting, tracing, drawing and painting. We were able to create enough pieces to switch as the months changed.
Each person added decoration using glitter glue, paints and colored pencils. The designs were mostly freehand for the outlines and the borders. For the holidays and birthdays as well as the seasons we drew scenes depicting each event. On the blackboard behind the squares Mr. Glenney wrote in lines from Ovid’s poem "Fasti" on Roman calendar. Each student contributed to the creation of the calendar. Each of us helped with the form as well as the brainstorming behind each section.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
DIVERSITY PROJECT VISITS HHS
Alumni Note: Diversity Project has been the work of Scott Miller (HHS '96) and Wynne Washburn for seven years. "We think of our work as an exploration of the cultural potential of diversity" they write. "When political leaders recognize a multiplicity of ideas and ways of life among their citizens as fertile ground for innovation and creation, and not as evidence of insubordination and the need to homogenize, a great culture can flourish." Last week Scott and Wynne visited HHS to discuss the show of 40 photographs from their research in Spain, India and Bosnia-Herzogovina which they had mounted in the HHS atrium. Many of these can be seen at www.skmphotography.com. "Our overall intention for this project is to inspire thinking about what it means to be tolerant--and what it could mean to cooperate--with people who are ideologically and superficially different. Our project began in 2001 with a moment of intrigue in Andalusia. In the coolness of an ancient mosque, we stood beneath a scalloped Moorish arch gazing up into a soaring gothic cathedral. This magnificent hybrid structure, the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain, inspired an exploration of pluralism and tolerance leading us on a journey of scholarship and documentary study.
"From ancient Andalusia we dove into the present day to investigate a society whose history of tolerance has been up and down: Bosnia-Herzegovina. For three months we photographed and recorded interviews while staying with families of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks--the three religious identities dividing the Slavic people of Bosnia. We learned that trust is a difficult thing to earn back, and that the chaos and fear generated by war may take generations to subside.
"We are now editing our work from India. We will be focusing our study on the south-western state of Kerela, which is famous for its high literacy rate (90%), low infant mortality, excellent healthcare and education, as well as a history of tolerance between Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. We are exploring the connection between the positive social indicators and the religious tolerance in Kerala.
"We want to translate our work into many languages and distribute it world-wide to areas in need of new perspectives on tolerance. The areas we have in mind are many: Northern Ireland, Los Angeles, Australia, Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel--anywhere where the ethics of how to deal with 'the other' are being debated.
"We are self-funded artists and welcome your ideas and comments."
NEW POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY; FIRST-EVER HHS HONOR CODE
Ryan Collins, a member of the class of 2009 and the HHS Council, writes: Council has passed a new school-wide honor code as well as a new academic integrity policy. After many months of hard work both have been approved both by the school's administration and by the Dresden School Board. They will take effect before final exams begin this year.
The new policy gives a more comprehensive definition of academic dishonesty, and reworks procedures for addressing offenses. Consequences for cases of academic dishonesty have been matched with the degree of the offense.
One major piece of this process has been overshadowed by the rightfully important discussion regarding academic honesty: the school has also passed a universal honor code for the first time. Hanover High School has not had an honor code up until this point, so this is a big improvement. It is intended to boost the understanding of personal responsibility and integrity that HHS expects from its students.
Council's Curriculum Committee consulted a wide variety of sources ranging from college-level ethics professors to other high schools and institutions throughout the country. Council and an ad-hoc School Board committee brought the documents to their final state.
For questions or comments, or if you would like to obtain a copy of the Honor Code and Academic Integrity Policy, feel free to email Ryan Collins at ryan.collins@dresden.us
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