Mount Greylock Regional School: The Forum March 2003

12:00AM / Friday, June 06, 2003Print Story | Email Story

Students Lauded for "Aquagraphy" The Hoosic River Watershed Association has announced the winners of its first annual writing competition. Students from over twenty-five communities in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York were invited to submit poetry on rivers or water, or creative essays and narratives that evoked a personal experience with a river, stream, or body of water that feeds the Hoosic River. The staff of The Advocate and designees from Inkberry selected winners. Mt. Greylock students captured prizes in both categories. Essay winners from Philip LeFevre's 8th grade English classes included: 1st Prize- Isa St.Claire 2nd Prize- Ananda Plunkett 3rd Prize- Nare Lis Honorable Mention- Nic Deveaux and Katie Kolesar Poetry Winners from Mary MacDonald's 9th grade English classes included: 1st Prize- Kejia Tang 2nd Prize- Derick Carlson 3rd Prize- Amelia Richardson Honorable Mention- Colin MacDonald and James Sneed Winning entries were published in The Advocate and read by their authors at a public celebration at the end of February. The Glory That Was Greece On January 13, the 7th grade team held its first academic fair, The Glory that was Greece. The evening was a culmination of an interdisciplinary lessons designed to help students understand how western thought originated. In the Dionysus Theater, three mythological plays Pandora's Box, Demeter and Persephone, and Narcissus and Echo, were performed under the direction of Mrs. Moore-Powers. Zeus and Hera entertained parents with their marital indiscretions on Mt Olympus, while Greek heroes boasted about their quests. Greek dignitaries, such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Archimedes shared their philosophies about life and the universe. While parents were entertained, our museum curators presented research and significant findings on the Greek way of life and culture. Information about ancient Greek toys and games, the wreck of Tektas Burnu, pottery, vases, and the Greeks view of death were among the many presentations made throughout the evening as part of the museum program. Teachers and students would like to thank school administrators and our family members for the wonderful support received in implementing this educational unit. Budget Cutting Mt. Greylock may be forced to make major cuts to its programs and personnel next year. Substantial increased costs in health insurance and special education will be hitting the district at the same time that state aid to schools will be plummeting. This will force the district to make some hard choices about what to fund and what to cut in its budget for next year. To maintain our present programs we must either raise revenues or cut approximately $1.7 million in expenditures. Here are some of the questions the School Committee will have to tackle in the coming weeks. * How much should be cut from the budget? * How much can we ask from the towns in terms of increased assessments? * Should we eliminate all co-curricular programs (sports and activities)? * Should we maintain co-curricular programs by charging a participation fee (which could be as much as $400 per sport)? * Should we charge a fee for student parking? * Should we cut all funds for professional development? * How much can we cut from all other areas before we must cut teaching staff? * How many teachers must be cut and from what programs? * Will we be able to function with thirty students per class? * With major cuts to programs, how can we meet the needs of all students? On February 25 the administration presented a proposed level-service budget to the School Committee. Subsequent Committee meetings will focus on budget cuts. We encourage teachers, staff, parents and students to attend these meetings. All of the meetings, except for the March 4 session, will be in the Mt. Greylock Library. The meetings are scheduled at 7 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: March 4 The Committee will begin discussing how much should be cut and from what areas (This meeting will be held at the Lanesboro Town Hall) March 11 this is an optional meeting, and it will be held if the Committee needs to decide additional cuts to the budget. March 18 this meeting will begin with a public hearing on the budget, and then the Committee will formally adopt the budget. Paedeia Goes To Press The yearbook staff is wrapping up the 2003 edition of Paedeia. This year the staff has made an effort to increase the appeal of the book to all students. The editorial staff has been busy covering a variety of events throughout the school year. In addition to creating a photo journal of the year, efforts have been made to showcase the literary and artistic talents of our students. The introduction of the book was written by Jessica Bishop, class of 2004. Some of the featured artwork was submitted by Cheryl Roback, Erin Guilino, and Vanessa Bergmann. A feverish ad campaign is currently underway. Books will go on sale in late May. To order a book early send a check for $45 made out to Mt. Greylock Yearbook, to Mt. Greylock, 17881 Cold Spring Rd., c/o PJ Pannesco. Say Hello To The Spring Musical It is almost time for the annual high school musical production! Cast, crew, musicians, and directors have been hard at work to put together what will no doubt be an absolutely stellar performance of the American musical classic Hello, Dolly! The show will be performed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 6th, 7th, and 8th at 8:00 PM in the Mount Greylock auditorium. Based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker, Hello, Dolly! Tells the story of a New York based matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, who was immortalized by Carol Channing in the original as well as two subsequent revivals of the show on Broadway. Dolly's charge is to find the well-known Yonkers half millionaire Horace Vandergelder a wife. In the process of doing so, Dolly engineer's matches for Vandergelder's niece Ermengarde, feed store clerks Cornelius and Barnaby, and millineresses Irene Malloy and Minnie Fay. By the end, Dolly has succeeded in matching herself up with none other than the irascible Vandergelder himself! With such toe tapping musical numbers as "Put on Your Sunday Clothes", "Before the Parade Passes By", and "Elegance", as well as the unforgettable signature tune "Hello, Dolly!" this show is sure to delight audiences young and old. Tickets for any of the three performances may be reserved by calling 458-9582, ext. 162, and prices are $7 for adults, $5.50 for students and seniors. To volunteer to help with ticket sales on show nights, make-up, or costumes, please call the show's director Jeffrey Welch at 458- 9582, ext. 109. We'll see you at the show! Spring Sports Physicals The school physician, Dr. Michael Sussman, will perform spring sports physicals for those students not seeing private physicians on Thursday, March 6th. A sports physical must be documented within the year to participate in sports. Students may see the nurse to obtain a physical form. Completed forms must be returned to the nurse by Wednesday, March 5. The Next Roundtable The next Roundtable will be 7:00PM, Thursday, March 13 in the Lanesborough Town Hall. Roundtables are opportunities for parents to meet with Superintendent Mark Piechota and Principal Russ Norton to learn about the latest happenings at Mount Greylock and to ask questions and raise concerns. The major topic of this Roundtable will be the FY2004 budget. We hope you can attend. SEE Fund Seeks Proposals Mt. Greylock's SEE Fund is seeking grant proposals for the coming school year. The SEE fund is an endowment whose purpose is to make grants that will support initiatives for sustaining educational excellence in the school. These initiatives will add to the existing programs at the school and enrich experiences of Mt. Greylock students. $7,000 is available for grants in this funding cycle, and grant awards will range from $100 to $1000. All proposals must be received at the Superintendent's Office by April 1, 2003. For further information contact the Superintendent's Office at 413-458-9582, ext 149. Enclosed in this issue of The Forum is a SEE Fund Request for Proposals, and the guidelines for SEE Fund proposals can also be found on the School website www.mgrhs.org. Williamstown Chamber Concerts The Urban Brass Quintet will be at Mt. Greylock Friday, March 28 to play an assembly program as part of the 11th annual Discovering New Artists series presented by Williamstown Chamber Concerts. Each year a young artist or young ensemble has come to Mt. Greylock (and to Drury HS) to play for the students and to talk about life as a performer. In addition to the school programs, the artists play a free public concert at the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. A number of these young musicians have gone on to perform with major symphony orchestras and are well on their way to careers as soloists. Although The Urban Brass Quintet is young - the players are all students at the Juilliard School of Music in New York - it is already performing in chamber music series throughout the eastern United States. Concerts this season include appearances in New York City, Buffalo, Westport CT and in Florida. Their repertoire includes music from the Renaissance all the way up to music being written for them by their peers at Juilliard. Students are invited to the ensemble's public concert at the Clark on Saturday afternoon March 29 at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Library News Come to the Library on March 6 and meet with other bibliophiles! We have received an LSTA grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners that will enable us to have an annotated booklist for everyone. Let's start it off with a book discussion club! Is there a book you think everyone must read and you want to get the word out? Here's your chance. Come in during extended and we can get started sharing our opinions. There will be an exclusive preview of the soon to be released booklist that you cannot miss! Happy Birthday celebrations were given to Audrey Langlois, Alysa Austin, and Tristan Petricca from their parents in the library. They are the first to donate generously for the purchase of books. We will have them on display soon with the bookplate indicating the name and the event. Everyone will have the opportunity to participate. When you get the card in the mail consider contributing to the library and leave something to commemorate one of your favorite students! SMILE News S.M.I.L.E. (Students Making an Impact Locally on Everyone) has plunged into a new year of events and service projects. The group's first task is painting the high school girls' bathrooms, creating a new, colorful look. Simultaneously, several group members will design and paint murals of the former Williamstown and Lanesborough elementary schools to be installed in their new buildings. Principals at both elementary schools expressed delight at the prospect. Early spring will bring a trip to the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter in Pittsfield; last year, group members walked and groomed impounded dogs and cats. Later in the spring, S.M.I.L.E. plans to make a follow-up visit to residents at Sweet Brook Nursing Home and treat them to a chamber music concert. To wrap up the school year, the group will sponsor a Red Cross Blood Drive on May 20. Community support will be vital to make this drive a success. High school or middle school students who would like to join the club are encouraged to speak to co-chairs, Lara Moody and Emily Stinson. GMSU News Greylock Multicultural Student Union (GMSU) sponsored myriad events to celebrate Black History Month in February. Everyday during Extended, DJs Erica DeWitt, Henry Smith, and Ben Jaffe introduced a musical selection that was culturally or historically relative to the Black American experience. Songs spanned a wide variety of genres, from West African chants to Negro Spirituals to blues, jazz, and rap. A Film Forum was held during the second week. Chris Pedregal and Jhan Carlos de la Cruz showed excerpts of films about the Black American experience or by Black producers and directors. A lively Q&A followed each set of clips. Just before February break, Maxine Lyle, founder of San Kofa, a step-dancing troupe, joined Jhan Carlos to lead students and faculty through the foot and handwork of patterned step dancing after discussing the rich history of the dance. The final week of February included a series of forums on topics ranging from "Hidden Racism" to "The Challenge of Stereotypes for Black Americans". Cynthia Degros, Tom Murray, Peter Niemeyer and Mary MacDonald facilitated these discussions. The month-long celebration was capped off with the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speech contest organized by Tom Ostheimer. Student Council News For a fundraiser, the Student sold carnations for Valentine's Day. Members took orders then made surprise deliveries to students on Valentine's Day to students. The Council also hosted a "Hoedown" dance for middle school students. Middle School students enjoyed dancing and refreshments, provided by Student Council members. Project 540 is moving along as well. 540 members have created a map that includes questions and answers from high school students. The map is displayed in the Boiler Room corridor. Student Council members are preparing for the annual Senior Citizens Dinner on April 12. Members are asking for food and paper good donations from students in all grades and from area businesses. Each class is asked to bring in a particular item. The class that brings in the most donations wins breakfast, provided and made by the principal. Service Learning News A major part of the responsible citizenship of Mt. Greylock's mission statement is volunteering. We have been working for the past few months organizing to enable students and faculty to volunteer in the community. So: 1. Check out the new link on the school website. You will find instructions and the following tools for volunteering: * A downloadable Information Sheet; * A list of organizations with opportunities and contact information; * An MGRHS Volunteer Hours Tracking Slip ready to download; * Information on School Special Projects; * Links and Resources; * Frequently asked questions and * MGRHS Service Learning contact information 2. Mark your Calendars to participate in School Special Projects * National Youth Service Day Project April 12, Saturday, 9 a.m. - Noon: A District Wide Cleanup - Litter picks of Hancock, Lanesborough, and Williamstown schools and town halls. Sign up on Thursdays during extended period in the College and Career Center. * Mt. Greylock's First Relay for Life Team. March 27, SIGN UP During extended - Faculty and Students Mt. Greylock's students and faculty will volunteer to raise money, help out at a lemonade stand or compete with other Berkshire County high school running teams by pledging laps for dollars. We are looking to raise $2000 for this event. And, yes, it's OK to belong to more than one team. During extended come meet with Traci Heath, American Cancer Society, New England Division, Regional Executive of Income Development/ Special Events and Brittany Beault, Team Coordinator for Taconic High School * June 20, American Cancer Society's, Relay for Life at Wahconah Regional High School Questions? Every Thursday during extended Service Learning Coordinator, Evadne Giannini is in the College and Career Center; you can also email her at egianni@mgrhs.org. Friends of the Arts New (Part 2) On January 24, Mt. Greylock's first-ever drama class "went public" with a selection of moving scenes from Peter Dee's Voices 2000 and several student-written acts. The poise and ease displayed by each member of the class belied the fact that, for some, it was their first foray onto a stage. They presented an intimate look at the serious, funny, and sometimes painful issues confronting teens. During the course of the evening, they adroitly inhabited roles dealing with dating violence, turbulent relationships, peer approval, AIDS, and substance abuse. In an especially poignant scene from Voices 2000, two of the student-actors confronted their mortality as they revealed their positive HIV-status, a consequence of their loving relationship. The four student-authored acts offered a peek into the workings of the teen mind - some of which had the audience howling with laughter. Lighting design and stage management, part of the class instruction, were professionally handled by students as well. Teacher Tom Ostheimer has tapped into the talents and skills of our students, all of whom proclaimed enjoyment of this addition to the curriculum. Let's hope the current budget crisis won't prevent us from enjoying more evenings like this one! Notes from February meeting The Friends of the Arts is gaining momentum as a vital coalition to advocate for the arts and arts education at Mt. Greylock. The arts have been central to the School's mission and to the School's connection with local communities. We urge all of you to join us and further strengthen our voice as we attend the continuing budgetary deliberations of the School Committee. We need to think "outside the box" about ways to maintain extracurricular programming despite the budgetary cutbacks. If "user fees" must be imposed for sports or theatrical productions, can we create scholarship resources to offset the potential elitism of a "pay or don't play" policy? How can we engage local businesses and organizations? What kinds of creative fundraising can we devise? The Friends will continue to explore these and other important issues. We were pleased at our last meeting to welcome the Executive Director of Images Cinema, Sandra Thomas, who already has given us some great ideas and support. Hello, Dolly! Another fabulous musical production is coming our way on March 6,7 & 8 - bring the whole family! To raise money to help bring the arts to our school, the Friends of the Arts will be selling our popular discount cards at the show. The cards cost $5.00 and include a continuous discount for 18 local merchants for an entire year, April 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004. Middle School Play Rehearsals begin in May and the production scheduled for June 15-16. This is a great opportunity to showcase the exceptional talents of our Middle School students, but it can't happen without parent involvement. We are planning a parent's meeting in April to brainstorm about how to help. If you can lend a hand with anything - fundraising, costumes, sets, backstage - please contact Marge Chamberlain (458-9177; SKLinden@aol.com) or Lisa Hiley (458-3077; lisahhiley@adelphia.net). Come to our next meeting! As we contemplate the prospects for the arts and our students, we invite all of you to attend our next Friends of the Arts Meeting on Wednesday. March 12 at 7:30 PM in the School Library. Also, we encourage you to be contact your local legislators and representatives to protest the budget cuts in school financing and to attend the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 25, 7 p.m. in the library. The After Prom 2003 Committee is pleased to announce The 10th Annual After Prom Event When:Tuesday, June 3, 2003 -Midnight until 6:00 AM Takes place right after the Senior Prom planned for Monday, June 2, 2003 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield Where:Eastover Resort in Lenox What is the After Prom Event? A safe, substance free all night celebration for the Class of 2003 featuring non stop food, entertainment, dancing, games and prizes!!!!! The After Prom is entirely FREE of charge to all members of the Class of 2003 and their guests. All members of the Class of 2003 are invited to attend the After Prom even if they do not plan on attending the Prom. This will be the tenth year that the After Prom Event has been organized and coordinated by Junior and Senior parents to give the senior class a memorable evening in a safe setting to celebrate their graduation. Teachers, community members, Eastover staff and parent volunteers staff the After Prom Event all night/The cost of this year's After Prom Event will be approximately $12,000 which funds bus transportation to and from Eastover, prizes, goody bags, food, entertainment and the unlimited use of Eastover Resort for the approximately 150 attendees. The After Prom Event is funded entirely by donations from parents, individuals, community businesses and organizations, fundraising and grant money. In keeping with the spirit of the Class of 2003, the After Prom Committee asks that you consider making a donation of $20.03 to kick off our fundraising efforts. Donations may be sent to: After Prom 2003 c/o Martha Elpern, 261 Park Street, Williamstown, MA, 01267. Checks may be made payable to: MGRHS After Prom 2003 Thank you for your support!!!!! Mark your calendars and save the date!!!! The After Prom 2003 Silent Auction Dinner Saturday, April 5, 2003 - 6 PM The Williams Inn Grand Prize - One week at Villa Coyaba on the island of St. Croix Please check our After Prom website to preview our grand prize and for auction item updates! www.mgrhsafterprom.com. "Attention Middle School Parents Student Donations for Senior Citizen Dinner This spring, the Mount Greylock High School Student Council is having its annual Spring Fling for the elderly on April 12. Each year, the council welcomes all senior citizens in the area to attend an expense free dinner. It always promises to be a fun-filled event for all participants. The dinner requires a lot of hard work and also many supplies. The students Council must rely on donations from business and members of the community in order to finance the event. This year, we are looking for donations from the students and parents of Mount Greylock. Each middle school advisory teacher will be given two collection boxes, one for seventh grade and one for eight, and assigned one nonperishable food item or paper product to donate for the dinner. The collections will begin on March 24 and will last for two weeks through April 4. The advisory that donates the most will win a breakfast provided by the principal and Student Council. We know students will enjoy having breakfast cooked and waited on b Mr. Norton! The advisory assignments are as follow: Dupee- fruit cocktail Hagen- plastic plates Thistle- paper napkins Korzec- paper or plastic cups Kaiser- disposable salt and peppershakers Blackman- ginger ale Belouin- cranberry juice Chesbro- cranberry sauce Moore-Powers- fruit cocktail Lefevre- peas Cariddi- carrots Barrett- white paper tablecloths Please ask you son/daughter who they have for advisory, and remind them to bring in their donation for this annual event. All donations are greatly appreciated by both the Student Council and the senior citizens who look forward to this dinner every year. "Attention High School Parents" Student Donations for Senior Citizen Dinner This spring, the Mount Greylock High School Student Council is having its annual Spring Fling for the elderly on April 12th. Each year, the council welcomes all senior citizens in the area to attend an expense free dinner. It always promises to be a fun-filled event for all participants. The dinner requires a lot of hard work and also many supplies. The student council must rely on donations for businesses and members of the community in order to finance the event. This year, we are look for donations from the students and parent of Mount Greylock. Each high school day-1 period-7 class will be given a collection box and assigned one nonperishable food item or paper product to donate for the dinner. The collections will begin on March 24 and will last two weeks through April 4. The day-1 period-7 class that donates the most will win breakfast provided by the principal and Student Council. We know students will enjoy having breakfast cooked and waited on by Mr. Norton! The day-1, period-7 class assignments are as follows: Plastic Plates- Stizzi, Chapman, Freeman Paper Napkins- Welch, Iannitelli, Kapiloff Paper or plastic cups- MacDonald, Batten, Mendel Disposable salt and pepper- Annand, Tattersall Ginger ale- Bell, Sherwood, Share Cranberry juice- Bowen, Canales, Ames Cranberry Sauce- Bradley, Dils, Slocik, Storey Peas- Scott Burdick, Keeley, Lehleitner Fruit cocktail- Shawn Burdick, Parkman, Rinehart Carrots- Capozzi, Payne, Pelletier White paper tablecloths- Ross, Ennis, Tapia Please ask you son/daughter who they have for day-1, period-7, and remind them to bring in their donations for this enjoyable event. All donations are greatly appreciated by both the Student Council and the senior citizens who look forward to this dinner every year.

Mount Greylock Regional School: The Forum March 2003

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