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George Stevens Academy Student & Faculty News Note: For up-to-date sports results, please go here. ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-2010 January 2010 All-State Jazz Festival Participants Five GSA students who won auditioned spots will be performing in the annual All State Jazz Festival at Bangor High School's Peakes Auditorium on Saturday, January 9, at 2 PM. The public is welcome to attend at no charge. Eric Burns ’10, tenor saxophone, will play in the Honors Jazz Band. Emmett Scott, ’11, piano, will play in the Honors Jazz Band. Sam Eley ’11, drums, will play in the rhythm section of the Jazz Choir. Annie Ames ’11, trumpet, will play in the Jazz Band (for the 2nd year). Max Hurvitt ’13, trumpet, will play in the Jazz Combo. Noted Maine Author Guest Speaker Sandy Phippen, Down East Maine author, editor, and teacher, visited Mr. Kazmierczak's Maine Writers class in {Phippen} mid-December. Phippen has written numerous books, edited collections of Maine literature, and is the current editor of the Puckerbrush Review, a literary magazine headquartered at the University of Maine Orono campus. His work appears in the seminal Maine Speaks anthology, and his stories and books are taught in any number of Maine high schools and colleges, as well as in universities outside the state, including the University of New Hampshire, Syracuse University, and Harvard. In addition to talking about writing and publishing the autobiographical pieces that are part of the Maine Writers curriculum, Phippen kept everyone in stitches as he told stories about his various personal and professional experiences. He left students with the idea that they, too, have stories to tell from the richness of their anything but boring lives. Student reactions were positive: "I don't think I've ever laughed so hard!" "I love how you can make jokes...but still let us understand that things you talk about are serious and true." "Colorful and funny...sounded like the people I hang out with." "Thanks for being so real with us." "I really enjoyed how easily you were able to talk to us." "It was awesome how you explained everything in such detail, and how you used humor to make us laugh." "A real Mainer!" December 2009 Jazz & Classical Successes Congratulations & Good luck to Anne Ames, trumpet; Eric Burns, tenor sax; Max Hurvitt, trumpet; Sam Eley, drums and Emmett Scott, piano who auditioned and have been accepted to the All-State Jazz Festival, Bangor HS on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, January 7, 8 & 9. Congratulations & Good Luck to Anna Clapp, violin & Tynan Byrne, bass clarinet who auditioned and have been accepted to the All-State Classical Music Festival, UMaine, Orono on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, May 20, 21 & 22. November 2009 Metamorphoses Students put on a performance of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses on the weekend of November 12. Directed by Moira MacMahon, roles were taken by Aji Hall, Peter Howell, Tynan Byrne, Gregory Fisher, Lorna Stevens, Keira Tachibana, Makaela Reinke, Charlene Farnsworth, Kathryn Doyen, Ramsay Williamson, Vesta Davis, Alice Carriveau, Quinn Mitchell, Truman Forbes, Maude Green-Loft, Grace Bugbee, Emmett Scott, Bjorn Peterson, Adam DeLong, Mariah Blodgett, Harry Grillo, Steven Bell and Drew Cleveland. Assistant Director was Kate Hyland '04 and Costume Designer was GSA Board member Marion Morris. Read Martin Conte's '11 review of the production. National Honor Society Induction {NHS 2009} Thirty-three juniors and seniors have been named to the National Honor Society, joining eight current members in the senior class. They are: Anne Ames, Abigail Bowden, Sarah Brown, Mindy Carter, Anna Clapp, Martin Conte, Passage Crampton, Thomas Crowe, Ariel Dauk, Stephanie Davis, Adam Delong, Nicholas Doolittle, Elizabeth Doyen, Katherine Doyen, Samuel Eley, Sarah Elliott, Victoria Grindle, Grace Jackson, MinYoung Jung, Emily Lowell, Molly Helene McEntee, Coral O'Brian, Bjorn Peterson, Thanapat Phattharaboorapha, Dustin Piskura, Max Reiter, Jennifer Snow, Elias Springer, Thomas Strehan, Keira Tachibana, Hannah Van der Eb, Sabrina Vivian and Carla Weed. GSA's Mock Trial GSA's all-new Mock Trial team won its first competition: an extremely close match against Brewer High School on Monday, Nov. 2. The trials were heard before the Honorable Andrew M. Mead, State of Maine Supreme Court Justice and Steven Mogul, of Gross, Minsky, & Mogul. GSA's Mock Trial team will compete again on Tuesday, November 10 at 12:00 at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor. Sixteen students make up GSA’s team, coached by Assistant Head of School, Jill Cohen: Forest Barkdoll-Weil ’12, Abby Bowden ’11, Eric Burns ’10, Alice Carriveau ’10, Ariel Dauk ’11, Elizabeth Doyen ’11, Katherine Doyen ’11, Vica Grindle ’11, ’13, Peter HowellCourtney Koos ’12, John Ludlow ’10, Jessica MacCannell ’11, Ian McMillan ’10, Imogen Page ’13, Bjorn Peterson ’11 and Kara van Emmerik ’13. This is the first year that GSA has offered Mock Trial as an extracurricular activity. October 2009 Save My Polar Bear {Save Polar Bear} Happy Revolution, a music group made up of students Lucy Jakub '13, Imogen Page '13, Max Hurvitt '13 & Lorna Stephens '13, created and published an original music video and a Web site last summer aimed at raising consciousness of climate change and the growing threat to polar bears. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmF7jnwJoJg and visit the Web site at savemypolarbear.info. Golf Team Success The GSA golf team, coached by Dwayne Carter, placed 2nd at the PVC qualifier on October 1. This accomplishment qualified them for the State Golf Team Championships in Class C to be held at the Nattannis Golf Course in Vassalboro on Saturday, October 10. Team members are: Storme Macomber '11, David Bertrand '11, Jesse Dow '11, Max Reiter '10, Evan Motycka '12, Nick Dillon '12, and Jasper Adam '13. Storme Macomber has qualified for the State Individual Championships to be held at the Nattannis Golf Course on Saturday, October 17. In the qualifying round, he placed in the top 10 out of 25 with a score of 82. September 2009 National Hispanic Student Scholar {zapata-greene} The National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) has named GSA senior Michael Senter-Zapata a 2009 National Hispanic Scholar. Although the NHRP does not provide a financial reward, being named is an important academic recognition. The program sends a list of all recognized students to subscribing colleges and universities that are particularly interested in academically outstanding seniors of Hispanic/Latino heritage. Qualification for recognition is based on critical reading, mathematics, and writing skill scores on the PSAT/NMSQT® and a strong grade point average. GSA Student Tapped to Serve on Library Planning Committee {noah-sawyer} Noah Sawyer '10 has been appointed to the Blue Hill Library Community Planning Committee. The Committee has been created to seek input from the public their vision for the peninsula in 10 years. The goal is to help the library board set priorities for the library as a regional entity with a more focused budget in the years to come, according to library director Rich Boulet. The committee, facilitated by Tom Morris, is using Planning for Results by Sandra Nelson, an American Library Association-published curriculum that “helps public libraries envision, evaluate and respond to community needs.” GSA Faculty Attend NEAS&C Workshop Jill Cohen, Assistant Head of School, Rada Starkey, Director of Development, and Sheryl Stearns, Director of International Student Program, will join 25 faculty members and administrators from other schools for a New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C) evaluation workshop on September 24th at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. The workshop is designed for faculty and administrators who wish to serve on a visiting committee for the accreditation process. School accreditation relies on a voluntary, peer review process, engaging some 3,400 educators in the region on hundreds of reviews in any year. A self-study process of 12-18 months is undertaken by schools in regular review cycles. AP Scholars Announced The CollegeBoard has announced that twelve current GSA students and recent graduates have been named 2009 AP Scholars: Scholars are Marjorie Freimuth '09, Acadia Jacob '09, John Ludlow '10, Emily Peake '09, Emily Pettigrew '09, Max Reiter '10, Hannah Van Der Eb '10, and T.K. Vu '10. Named Scholar with Distinction: Grace Bell '09, Roz Brokaw '09, and Allison Fleck '09. Jenny Powell '09 was named Scholar with Honor. Haystack Studio-Based Learning {Forest} Thirty-four students participated in the Haystack Studio-based Learning program from September 14 through 16. Workshops focused on Book Arts, Blacksmithing, Clay, Metals, Lighting/Wood and Printmaking. Forest Barkdoll-Weil '12 carries his project home. Gallery Exhibits Works by GSA Art Teacher {Greene art} The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts will be exhibiting works by GSA Art teacher Katie Greene September 27 through October 3 at the Center for Community Programs (formerly the Blue Heron Gallery) on Deer Isle. A reception for the artist will be held on Sunday, September 27 2 - 5 PM. Regular exhibit hours are Thursdays through Sundays 12-5. Shown at left: Katie Greene's Yellow Flower (detail), mixed media, 2009. Two Students Named National Merit Semifinalists {NMSQT} Molly McEntee '10 and Max Reiter '10 have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists based on their performance on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT). Molly and Max join a pool of 16,000 other U.S. students who will compete for NMS scholarships. An estimated 1.3 million high school juniors and sophomores take the test each year. Two other students, Gregory Fisher '10 and Michael Senter-Zapata '10, will receive Letters of Commendation from NMS for their outstanding performance on the test. "Maine Doesn't Love Me Anymore" English Chair and teacher Michael Kazmierczak appeared as a guest columnist in the Weekly Packet's August 6 issue. His essay, "Maine Doesn't Love Me Anymore," is a delightful personal response to our recent "summer that never happened." If you missed it there, read it here. International Student Orientation {Big tent} GSA welcomed seventeen new International Program students from five countries: China, South Korea, Spain, Germany, and France. Students arrived in Blue Hill in late August to participate in a five-day campus orientation, followed by Outdoor Orientation, a three-day camping trip in Acadia National Park. More than forty GSA Student Ambassadors helped introduce the new students to one another, campus life, and the town of Blue Hill. In addition to talking about topics ranging from weekend happenings to choosing classes, the Student Ambassadors worked with new students on problem solving challenges—for instance, learning to put up a variety of tents, all loaned by community members for the camping trip. Who would have thought twenty-six students would all fit in one tent for this photo! ACADEMIC YEAR 2008-2009 GSA Collaborates on Maine Community Heritage Project George Stevens Academy, in collaboration with five other local schools and businesses, has received funding through the Maine Historical Society and the Maine State Library to digitize significant historical documents in Blue Hill and the Blue Hill Peninsula. The Maine Community Heritage Project, a collaborative effort by the Blue Hill Historical Society, the Jonathan Fisher Memorial, the Blue Hill Consolidated School, the Blue Hill Harbor School, the Blue Hill Public Library and GSA, will create teams of students who will work with teachers and other adult mentors to identify significant historical resources, interview town citizens, digitize documents, artifacts, and photographs, and develop written narratives about important themes in the history of Blue Hill and the Blue Hill Peninsula. Students will then use these digitized materials to create a Web site on the Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net) and to develop other ways of informing local residents and visitors about Blue Hill's rich heritage. The Blue Hill team plans to use the project to help prepare for the celebration of the town's 250th anniversary in 2012. LINC Arts Celebration {LINC} Five GSA students were among fifteen students whose works were celebrated on May 31 as part of the Learning in Community (LINC) Arts program. LINC, sponsored by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education, "pairs talented Hancock County high-school students with experienced local artists for specific arts training." Roz Brokaw '09 (abstract painting), Gregory Fisher '10 (voice), Di Wang '09 (printmaking), Acadia Jacob '09 (painting), and Lilian Thorpe '09 (oil painting), displayed the results of the work they did with their arts mentors in the Blue Hill Town Hall and in the Cygnet Gallery on Main Street in Blue Hill. The paintings and prints will hang in the gallery through June 5. May 2009 Breadloaf Young Writers' Conference Kaolin Pitcher �10 of Deer Isle attended the New England Young Writers' Conference at Breadloaf in May. In Kaolin's words: "I was never without notebook for an entire four days, and it seemed also that the pen never left my hand. Now back at home, I am always writing in whatever free time I have, and each piece seems to be about my time at Breadloaf. While I miss the inspiration of the rolling grassy hills and the smiling faces of my friends there, I write about it every day, which assures me that it will stay forever fresh in my mind. I wouldn�t change a single day of my time in Vermont, and I will remember every detail." Junior Awards Assembly {2009 Junior Awards} Ten juniors were recognized for outstanding academic acheivement on Wednesday, May 27. Lara Peterson received the American History Award for outstanding work in the study of American History; Molly McEntee received the Bausch and Lomb Science Award for exceptional promise in science; Hannah Van Der Eb was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the Society of Women Engineers. Michael Senter-Zapata received the Rensselaer Medal for demonstrated academic success, excellence in advanced math and science courses, and significant involvement in extracurricular activities. The Phi Beta Kappa Award for a student who is going on to higher education and who has demonstrated intellectual curiosity and achievement in and beyond the class room was given to Max Reiter. Sara Elliot received the Seven Sisters Book Award for academic ability, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. The Smith Book Award for academic achievement, leadership qualities, and concern for others was received by Stevie Theoharidis, and the Colby Book Award for outstanding academic achievement and substantial contributions to the high school and local community was given to John Ludlow. The Dartmouth Book Award to a student of strong character, who has made a positive impact on the life of the school community and excelled in at least one non-academic area was given to Lydia Clapp. Finally, the Williams Book Award was made to Grace Jackson for demonstrated intellectual leadership and significant contributions to the extracurricular life of the school. Faculty News The Portland Press Herald has published a Maine Voices column by Michael Kazmierczak, chair of the English Department. "Police shootings should be probed" appeared May 23rd. It discusses the 1992 police shooting of Maine woodswoman Kathy Hegarty and its relevance for pending legislative reform of police department reviews. It can be read online at http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=257864&ac=PHedi. Mike is writing a book about Kathy Hegarty's tragic death. Two Students Named to All-State Classical Orchestra Congratulations to senior Grace Bell, 'cello, and sophomore Anna Clapp, violin, who auditioned and were accepted into the 2009 All-State Classical Music Festival Orchestra. Anna will be an orchestra member for the second year, and Grace has performed in the All-State Classical Music Festival Orchestra all four years of high school! The All-State Classical Music Festival will be held on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, May 21, 22 & 23 at the University of Southern Maine, Gorham. The final concert open to the general public will be at the Windham HS Performing Arts Center at 3:30 on Saturday. The orchestra will perform Danse Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Sa�ns; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 by Edward Elgar, and Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, first movement, by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Sailing Team Success At the Downeast Fleet Race Championships held Saturday, May 9, in Castine, GSA's Sailing Team took second place overall, the best finish. They were only two points behind the top finishers. John Jagger and Jenny Powell came in first place in the A Fleet finishes overall and the boat of Adam Groves and Tess Lameyer came in eighth for B Fleet. There were a total of 22 boats in each fleet. Additional sailors and members of the sailing team that participated or volunteered their time were Elizabeth Salois, Sarah Brown, Pierre Dillon, Molly McEntee, Kaolin Pitcher, Elizabeth Doyen, Katherine Doyen, Lily McFarland, Matthew Ahern, Steven Bell, and Courtney Koos. Student Places 2nd in Piano Competition Emmett Scott '11 placed 2nd in the senior category of the Pine Tree Piano Competition held at Minsky Hall, University of Maine, Orono, on Saturday, May 2. Pine Tree is a state-wide competition under the auspices of the Maine Music Teachers Association encouraging students to work towards their highest potential by recognizing and rewarding excellence in music performance. Four Juniors Qualify for 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program Gregory Fisher,Molly McEntee, Max Reiter, and Michael Senter-Zapata, all members of the class of 2010, have qualified in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. The four are among the 50,000 highest scorers among 1.5 million program entrants. About one-third of qualifying students will advance to semifinal status in September. Science Students in the Field {Water testing} Students in Carol Bennatti's 9th grade Exploring Earth Systems class hit the Mill Stream to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates �good indicators of water quality, especially dissolved oxygen. The field trip introduces students to the concept of bioindicators which enable scientists to make quick assessments of a stream's health by looking at the species present.Click image to enlarge. Student Honored by Local Business Student Josh Sawyer '10 has been named Employee of the Quarter by TradeWinds Market in Blue Hill. The award is made to just one employee each quarter, and recognizes an outstanding work ethic, attitude, and productivity. April 2009 Maine Principals' 2009 Outstanding Senior Award {2009 MPA Award} Headmaster John Greene presents senior Roz Brokaw with the 2009 Maine Principal's Outstanding Senior Award, given for academic excellence and outstanding school citizenship. Faculty News {Stearns} For the seventh consecutive year, history teacher and department chair David Stearns is marking International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations in the field of 20th-century World History. David is also an exam moderator, meaning he cross marks others' exams to help establish standards consistency. David reads exams from students all over the world. "I not only keep in touch with ideas about teaching history current in the IB curriculum, but am able to hone my skills at assessment of historical writing. It's a great experience�except it keeps me indoors during the spring bird migration and whitewater canoeing season!" Independent Study Presentations {ISIP 2009} On April 14 twelve juniors and seniors presented the Independent Study and Internship (ISIP) projects they completed last month to an audience of parents and friends. Max Reiter '10 researched and developed an artisinal Maine toffee along with a business plan to market and sell it; John Ludlow '10 interned at Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Bangor; Sara Elliott '10, Lydia Clapp '10, and Molly McEntee '10 attended a language immersion program in Cuernavaca, Mexico; Emily Herrick '10 and Tynan Byrne '10 explored teaching careers; Noah Sawyer '10 studied jewelry-making and marketing with a native American artist; Michael Senter-Zapata '10 and Adam DeLong '10 studied music composition and created a CD; Kaolin Pitcher '09 worked in the Bay School Development Office and wrote and published an alumni newsletter; and Lilian Thorpe '09 learned Adobe Photoshop and created a digital art portfolio. This year more than one hundred juniors and seniors participated in ISIP, designing academic, vocational, or career-focused projects. International Night Success {Intl Night} GSA�s international students and student ambassadors organized the First Annual International Night, held on April 11. About one hundred people gathered in the cafeteria to look at displays on China, Thailand, Vietnam, Italy, Spain, and Korea; eat delicious food; and enjoy entertainment. Mark Messer was responsible for helping the students create their displays, which contained interesting facts, books, maps, photos, and items unique to each country. David Stearns and the International Cooking Club (Molly McEntee, Allison Fleck, Taylor Paine, Abby Bowden, Liz Salois, Makaela Reinke, Ashley Keefe, Sotherd Steer, Tatiana Urban, Greg Fisher, Allegra Pellerano, Lakota Bowen, Paige Colwell-Frost, Linglu Ma, and Rocky Li) provided the dinner which included Mattar Paneer (Indian pea & cheese curry), Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup), Laab Gai (Thai chicken salad), Polpette con Pecorino (Italian meatballs), Oi Muchim (Korean cucumber salad), rice, two Chinese dishes, and various salads donated by parents. Emma Sweet organized the entertainment, which followed the dinner. Charlene Farnsworth and Dasha Polyakova were the MC�s. Logan Speranza, Son Minh Dang, and Maude Green-Loft showed off a few different martial arts forms. Joy Ma sang Chinese songs. Tom Wang played the Chinese �Er-hu�. Oriol Grasa, with the help of Ben Avery, performed a Spanish pop song with background dancers Dasha, Charlene, and Kaiya Torrey. Sunny Jeong, Stephanie Jung, Ashlee Vu, Tanya Hoang, Ha Lai, Lacey Leach, Jasmine Huang, Blacks Li, and Gabriele Faragalli dazzled the audience with traditional dress from Korea, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Italy. Special thanks to Bill Gray, maintenance, who set up the stage and the sound system. Academy Award {Clifford} Junior Elizabeth Clifford '10, daughter of Earl and Gayle Clifford of Brooksville, was awarded a George Stevens' Academy Award for distinguished contributions in community service. Elizabeth was nominated by Brooksville resident Edson Blodgett who cited Elizabeth's numerous service activities on the peninsula, including: initiating a bottle and can collection program to raise money for a gym stage; helping support Brooksville students to attend programs at the Stonington Opera House; serving as a member of the Jared C. Grindle Youth Sports Scholarship Program; volunteering at the Penobscot Nursing Home. "To date," concluded Blodgett, "this young woman, has been involved in raising more than $60,000 for the children in her neighborhood, as well as her extended neighbors, the children of Maine." Per, sonal Finances 101 On April 9th GSA trustee and Bar Harbor Bank loan officer Michelle ("Mikey") Bannister presented financial information and advice to members of the senior class before they head off to college or i, nto the job market: Mikey explained the importance of building and maintaining an excellent credit profile, the responsible use of credit and debit cards, the pitfalls of credit card debt, and options for financing major purchases such as cars, as well as college expenses. National Honor Society Inductions Eight members of the Junior class were inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS) on Thursday, April 2. Headmaster John Greene congratulated the new inductees, and Zoe Weil, President of the Institute for Humane Education in Surry spoke. The eight students, all of the class of 2010, are Caroline Altman, daughter of Megann Holland of Penobscot and John Altman of Brooksville; Lydia Clapp, daughter of Rob and Patty Clapp of Blue Hill; Woojin "Janine" Kim, daughter of Shang Ho Kim and Young , Hee Choi of South Korea; John Ludlow, son of David and Deb Ludlow of Brooksville; Lara Peterson, daughter of Buffy Austin of East Blue Hill and Michael Peterson of Connecticut; Noah Sawyer, son of Diana and Thomas Newman; Michael Senter-Zapata, son of Ken Senter and Mirna Senter-Zapata of Blue Hill; and Stevie Theoharidis, daughter of Steven and Lisa Theoharidis of Sedgwick. Founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, NHS bases its selection on four criteria: service, leadership, scholarship and character. The NHS requires some sort of service to the community, school, or other organizations. The projects help students meet the required service hour total monthly. Model UN Conference {MUN 2009} Eleven students traveled with faculty advisors David Stearns and Cassedy Burns, history department, to participate in the Dartmouth Model United Nations Conference on the Dartmouth College campus April 4-5: Katherine Doyen, Abby Bowden, Dustin Piskura, Tatiana Urban, John Ludlow, Michael Senter-Zapata, Sotherd Steer, Courtney Koos, Max Reiter, Caroline Altman, and Ian McMillan. The conference attracted more than 200 New England high school students. Abby Bowden won best delegate for the Press Corps, and John Ludlow won a commendation for his work representing Austria on the Disarmament and Security Committee.Click image to enlarge. Student Art Exhibited The works of twenty-four of Katie Greene's art students are being displayed at the Blue Hill Public Library during the month of April. The exhibit is on the wall outside the Howard Room (upstairs). Represented in the show are: Mariah Blodget, Vita Poole, Sarah O'Rourke, Keira Tachabana, Jessica MacCannell, Dasha Polyakova, Taylor Higgins, Kelly Cutler,Jessica Maccannell, Roz Brokaw, Elizabeth Dobson, Sarah Brown, Trinh Tuy, et Hoang, Ray Hall, Sarah Elliott, Rachael Hall, <, span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Julianna Smith, Lilian Thorpe, Marjorie Friemuth, Liz Salois, Charle, n, e Farnsworth, Kaylee Leach, Doran Curtin and Katie Herklotz. March 2009 Faculty News Two poems by Michael Kazmierczak, "The Fall Woodbox" and "Keepsake", appear in the latest volume of the Puckerbrush Review published by the University of Maine. Michael, current Chair of the English Depar, tment, was among twelve poets and writers who read at the Maine Grind in Ellsworth on March 28 as part of a 30th anniversary celebration for the journal. Ice Fishing On March 18 Dan Kane took his Experiential Education & Outdoor Leadership class on a day long ice fishing trip at Wight's Pond in Penobscot. Students had a great time and caught ten fish! {Ice-fishing} Students ice-fishing on Wight's Pond. Click image to enlarge. Food for Thought--and course credit! Students in Frank Bianco's Business Math class are learning by doing this spring: the 18 seniors have created a school lunc, h business, "The B-Day Grill." Operating once a week on either Thursday or Friday �whichever is a "B" day� the grill serves a hot-off-the-grill three-course lunch to GSA students for the reasonable price of just $5. Recent entrees have included bone-in pork chops and chicken kebabs accompanied by a vegetable, fresh salad and milk. Students control and learn every aspect of the business, from developing a business model, planning menus, ordering food, preparing meals, to keeping the books, developing statistical analysis of costs and sales, creating profit-loss statements using Quickbooks software, and making recommendations for improvements and cost efficiencies. Students prepare meals during Period 3, and sell them on a first-come/first-served basis. Part of the project is learning to predict the number of meals needed to meet demand. The business is designed to be profitable, and all profits go to support GSA's cafeteria �although students are hoping to save enough to purchase chef's jackets. The week's menu is published at http://bdaygrill.wikispaces.com/. Faculty News Erin McCormick and Marie Epply, English department, attended a workshop on Friday, March 20: �Continuing Conversations: English Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century." Sponsored by the Maine Council for English Language Arts (MCELA), the day's offerings included presentations on "Student-Staffed Writing Centers," "Rhetorical Literacy through Close Reading," a public-speaking workshop titled �Is it real? Can I use it?� and "Visual Literacy for AP English. Wait! Visual Literacy for Everybody." GSA-HCTC Student Wins Gold Medal in SkillsUSA Leadership and Championships 2009 On March 13th George Stevens Academy and Hancock County Technical Center (HCTC) student Dylan Howard '09 was awarded a gold medal for Video Production Development in the SkillsUSA Leadership and Championship Convention, held in Bangor, Maine. The award includes a $7,000 college scholarship. There were 600 Maine students competing at the United Technology Center, Penobscot County Job Corps and Eastern Maine Community College. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives, working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. It helps each student excel. SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. GSA Jazz Band Wins 2009 Maine State Jazz Championship! For the 7th consecutive year (and 13th time since 1989), the GSA Jazz Band were named Maine State Jazz Champions. The Jazz Band made it to the final 3 for the 21st straight year scoring a 94.8 ahead of Houlton and Mattanawcook Academy. Grace Bell, vibes and Sam E, ley, drums, received Most, Valuable Player Awards, and Keira Tachibana, Adam DeLong, Annie Ames, Ellie Howell, Emmett Scott, Eric Burns and Allison Fleck received soloist awards. Jazz Combo Awards Musaic places 2nd! In Combo Division II, Musaic placed 2nd behind Cape Elizabeth, with Old Town third. Grace Bell, vibes and Bjorn Peterson, guitar & violin, received Most Valuable Player Awards and , Adam DeLong, Annie Ames, Ellie Howell, Emmett<, span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(128, 0, 0);"> Scott and Bjorn Peterson received soloist awards. Grace Bugbee was outstanding on bass guitar! Vitality places 2nd! In Multiple Combo Division A, Vitality placed 2nd behind Fryeburg Academy, with Old Town third. Coral O'Brian, Allison Fleck, Tynan Byrne, Vesta Davis and Martin Conte received outstanding soloist awards. Notation places 3rd! In Multiple Combo Division B, Notation, placed 3rd, behind Old Town and Cape Elizabeth. Charlie Volkwein, piano, received a Most Valuable Player Award and Derek Gray, Eric Burns and Ben Olivari received outstanding soloist awards. Early Morning places 4th! In Multiple Combo Division B, Early Morning placed fourth, just 3/4 point from third place! Dillon Morris, Nicole Bakeman, Nick Doolittle and Forest Barkdoll-Weil received outstanding soloist awards. On Stage On March 6 GSA students presented �A Mad Breakfast�, a one-act comedy by Isabel McReynolds Gray, directed by Amy Grant, at the Maine Drama Festival at Camden Hills Regional High School. Performing in the play were Elizabeth Salois '09, Maude Green-Loft '12, Kaiya Torrey '09, Ellie Howell '09, Katherine Doyen '11, Marjorie Freimuth '09, Bjorn Peterson '11, Charlie Volkwein '12, Allison Fleck '09 and Tynan Byrne '10. Faculty News {Gilden} Paul Gilden, Mathematics department, will be heading to Kansas City in June for his third year as an Advanced Placement Calculus exam scorer. Last year, Paul was one of 893 college and high school calculus teachers who hand-scored 1.8 million student math problems in a 7-day grading marathon. Paul describes the experience as the most valuable professional development activity of his career. He sees student strengths and weaknesses from schools all over the world, participates in the implementation of national standards of scholarship, and swaps ideas with other teachers. He continues to be amazed by , the consistency with which grading protocols are applied, and by the ability of the Kansas City Royals to lose games in the final two innings. GSA Chess Team The GSA team of Tom Strehan and Katherine Doyen won the Novice division of the Maine State chess team championship Saturday, March 7, at the UMO Memorial Union. Tom won the individual Novice trophy with a perfect 4-0 score. The varsity team finished in the middle of the pack in the Championship division with a 2-2 score. Congratulations to TK Vu, Quinn Waring, Ian McMillan, Nick Kane, and Beth Doyen for a great tournament effort. And good luck to TK, whose 3-1 score on first board earned him an invitation to the state high school individual championship on March 21. {Chess 2009} GSA 2009 Chess Team. For larger photo, click here. February 2009 Jazz Band & Combos 2009 District Jazz Festival recap: Jazz Band 95.6 points! Congratulations to everyone & all of the soloists and to those receiving awards: Keira, vocals, Grace, vibes, Bjorn, guitar, Anne, trumpet, Adam, soprano sax, Eric, tenor sax, Emmett, piano, Allison, flute, Ellie, trombone, Sam, drums Musaic 98.3 points! Congratulations to everyone & all of the soloists and to those receiving awards: Emmett, piano, Grace, vibes, Bjorn, violin & guitar, Sam, drums, Anne, trumpet, Adam, soprano sax, and Ellie, trombone Vitality 93.3!, Congratulations to everyone & all of the soloists and to those receiving awards: Ariel & Passage, flute, Vesta, tenor sax, Coral, vibes, Lucas, trombone, Allison, vocals & trombone, Tynan, tenor sax, Ian, bass, Michael, guitar, Martin, steel drum Early Morning 90! Congratulations to everyone & all of the soloists and to those receiving awards: Dillon, guitar, Nicole, alto sax, Nick, trumpet Notation 92.3 points! Congratulations to everyone & all of the soloists and to those receiving awards: Charlie, piano, Derek, tenor sax, Eric, alto sax, Ben, trumpet, Ben, guitar Girls Basketball Wins Eastern Maine Class C Championship! The GSA Eagles held off a late surge by the Washington Academy Raiders to win the girls' Eastern Maine Class, C basketball championship 51-41 on February 21 at the Bangor Auditorium. A GSA lead that reached as many as 13 points was cut to four early in the fourth period by the fifth-ranked Raiders, but the Eagles connected on six of nine foul shots down the stretch to preserve the win. Junior guard Stevie Theoharidis '10 led the third-ranked Eagles with 17 points and went 7-for-9 from the free throw line, junior India Frazier '10 added 15, going 9-for-12 from the foul line, and senior Maddi Park '09 had 14 points. George Stevens Academy Eagle girls were presented with the Maine Principals' Association (MPA) Good Sportsmanship Award. Maddi Park '09 was named a semifinalists for Maine's "Miss Basketball" title and was selected to play in the upcoming McDonald's All-Star Basketball , Games for Classes C/D. Earlier this season, Park became just the fourth female player in GSA history to reach 1,000 points for her high school career. Following the Eastern Maine Tournament competition, she was voted the Ow, en Osborne Most Valuable Player in the girls' Class C division. She averaged 12.6 points in three games, scoring 14 in the championship win over Washington Academy. National Merit Scholarship Finalist Allison Fleck, '09, has advanced to Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship Award competition. All finalists will be considered for 2009 National Merit Scholarships. Winners will be announced later this spring. |
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