Patrick Henry High School - History - Minneapolis Public Schools

Patrick Henry High SchoolOur SchoolPatrick Henry High School is an academically focusedsenior high school with four small learningcommunities (SLC): Engineering, Commercial andFine Arts, Open, and International Baccalaureate (IB).Dr. Gary Kociemba, Principal Report to the Community – 20074320 Newton Avenue North, Mpls., MN 55412Grades 9-12; 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.Phone: 612-668-2000The Commercial and Fine Arts SLC is based on abroad education in conceptual and technical skills usedin all aspects of visual arts. Internships, monitoring, andjob shadowing with local commercial firms is part ofthis program.The Open SLC is a group of students who share abroad range of academic interests with high standards.It offers individualized learning and inquiryopportunities for those students who are particularlyself-motivated and independent. Students may takepositions of leadership through mentoring opportunitiesin community or business organizations.The IB program provides an internationallyrecognized challenging academic program to meet theneeds of highly motivated students. Final exams offeran opportunity for students to earn credit at universities.The Engineering SLC is a computer assisted designand development program leading to a variety oftechnology careers. The program uses a nationallyknown pre-engineering curriculum called “Project Leadthe Way”. Students can take 5 courses in areas such asEngineering Design, Digital Electronics, and ComputerIntegrated Manufacturing.From the HeartValedictorian Speech that was given by Joua Lee ’07:Good afternoon school administrators, teachers,friends, family and most importantly, class of 2007.My classmates, we are all here today to mark the end ofa defining episode in our lives. These past four yearshave been amazing, and the upcoming years will beoutstanding as well. About thirteen years ago, oureducational journey began and today is where, for someof us, it will end. For others of us, today is a largemilestone towards a more mature education. Eitherway, the lessons we have learned so far are to stay withus for the rest of our livesFrom the Heart continued…From our academics, we have gained the information topower our knowledge. However, I believe that it is what wehave learned from our friends and teachers that will help usthe most. Those of us who had Mr. Damm for history havelearned that we should open our minds and our hearts toother cultures and religions. Those of us who got active inthe spoken word scene learned to speak our minds. Thoseof us who had Mr. Buzza learned that we could take ourtalents outside of the classroom.It was with the help of these and many others that we havereached this great milestone. Thank you so much teachers,counselors, custodians, mentors, and other adults in thebuilding of Patrick Henry for making this community suchan enjoyable and profitable one. By following the guidanceof this community, we have all been able to reach our goalof claiming an education. When I discovered I would berepresenting our class here at graduation, I felt honored. Iwanted to make a speech that would motivate and inspire.But for most of the past month, I had trouble writing aspeech because after so many years of writing essays andresearch papers, a speech seemed to fall under the categoryof “assignments.” Everywhere I turned, I could not find themotivation or inspiration to write the outstanding speechthat everyone has been wanting to hear.So, where does one find motivation and inspiration? I havecome to realize that it is everywhere. When I look around, itis present in this room. We are motivated by the adults:although our teachers’ reminders of when assignments weredue were helpful, it is mostly their caring nature thatmotivates us to do better. Mr. Murray’s frequent praisesmotivate us to continue working hard. The staff ofprograms like High School Upward Bound and AdmissionPossible motivate us by pushing us to perform at ourgreatest abilities. Our parents’ constant nagging is annoyingat times but we know that much of what we do in our livesis for them. We are inspired by our peers. I am inspired byRicky and Fong’s decision to join the Marines and serve ournation. I am inspired by students like Kollie, Eric, Tenzin,Claribel and Dekermue who came to the United States fromother countries and have had to work a little harder than therest of us in order to graduate today. I am inspired by theyoung mothers who refused to let their hardships shattertheir dreams. I am inspired by the many students who haveto work to support their families but still show up to school

From the Heart continued…every day. I am inspired by you. I am inspired by the factthat so many Henry seniors were positively represented inthe media this year. I am inspired by the fact that we havea total of 58 engineering and IB medallion recipients. I aminspired by the fact that we have 18 students whocompleted the IB diploma process. I am inspired by thefact that our class has 2 Eagle Scouts, 36 President Awardwinners, 5 Horatio Alger scholars, and countless otherwonderful award-winning students. I am truly inspired byYOU class of 2007.We are such a beautiful, diverse class, but no matter whatgender, race, culture or Small Learning Community wecome from, we have all reached this very defining point inour educational journey where we can stand together and beproud of our years of hard work. Our success is walkingacross this stage, receiving our diploma from Dr. Kociembaand being able to walk out of here knowing that whateverwe choose to do with our lives, we will have a High Schooldiploma to back us up along with countless memories andexperiences. This is where I find my inspiration andmotivation. I suggest that whatever you choose to do withyour future, find what motivates you. Find what inspiresyou. Find what makes you happy. We were raised in asociety that classifies pretty much everything. This type ofperson is better than that type of person. One career isbetter than the other. One lifestyle is more noble than thenext. That is not always true. Whatever you choose to dowith your life, do it with integrity and it will be a noble life.Christopher Morley once said, “There is only onesuccess—to be able to spend your life in your own way.”I hope that the decisions you make and the actions you takewill lead you to your success. And I hope that you find themotivation and inspiration to lead you there. But know thatyou should always be able to find these in all that you haveaccomplished so far.Congratulations Class of ’07!What We Look LikeStudent enrollment: 1282Student Race:American Indian 1.2%African American 47.3%Asian American 34.9%Hispanic American 3.4%White American 13.3%Students:Receiving ELLservices 16%Qualify for freeor reduced lunch 75%Students whoparticipate inspecial education:Number of Staff:11%Teachers: 74Classroom support/staff*: 12Administrator: 3Counselors: 2Social workers: 2Staff Race:American Indian 1%African American 5%Asian American 8%Hispanic American 3%White American 83%District Average based on school type: 9-12

Special HighlightsAcademic• 12 of 23 students taking the IB French exam passedwith a score of 4 or higher – par with global IBachievement standards. This is the highest number ofstudents to ever take the test and pass the test.• Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) was successfullyimplemented and students are reading for pleasure 4days a week for 20 minutes.• Contract for Credit was successfully implemented,92 credits were earned through contracts.• Vu Truong, an IB Senior, was a CommendedStudent in the 2007 National Merit ScholarshipProgram.• In the graduating class of 2007, 19 studentsattempted the IB Diploma, and 65 students earned theIB Medallion.• In May of 2007, 166 students took 365 IB exams in22 different subjects.• Newsweek Magazine names Patrick Henry in theTop 5% of Schools in the United States.• Choua Yang wins Children’s Defense Fund “Beatthe Odds” Competition.• Patrick Henry High School made Annual YearlyProgress (AYP) in reading and graduation rates in allqualifying categories.• Congressman Keith Ellison participated in our firstever academic pepfest.• Mayor R.T. Ryback spoke to our 9 th grade classabout the importance of career planning.• NASA Astronaut Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper spoke tostudents in our Engineering Small LearningCommunity about careers in the aerospace industry.• Patrick Henry High School hosted a Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)Conference featuring Commissioner of EducationAlice Seagren.• Five Patrick Henry High School seniors won theHoratio Alger Scholarship.• Two Patrick Henry High School students placed inthe top four out of 820 statewide entries in theAviation Art Contest.• Sixteen seniors were honored with WallinScholarships this year.Student and Community Activities• 110 Juniors and Seniors participated inAdmission Possible.• Partnership with the Carlson School ofManagement of the University of Minnesota.Twenty nine students were selected for theLeadership Access Program.• Garden Club students work with the CamdenGarden Club members to plant and maintain treesand flowers, and landscaped beds around theschool.• Three volumes of the parent newsletter, TheLiberty, were sent home to parents.• Created Parent Email distribution list. Now have590 parents receiving information.• Our Principal-Parent Meals continue to be wellattended.• CFA teachers participate in the Arts inIntegration Grant.Volunteer Activities• On May 31, 2007, Patrick Henry hosted aVolunteer Recognition Event for volunteers andcommunity partners that helped support studentsand the school during the 2006-07 school year.There were over 60 attendees and over 150volunteers/community partners who receivedcertificates or special awards for the contributionsthey made. This event was one of the first of itskind in the Minneapolis Public Schools.• The student Garden Club partnered with GreatRiver Greening, a non-profit organization thatsupports community-based restoration of naturalareas, to create an Oak Savanna garden on theschool grounds.• Over 1500 hours of volunteer work were loggedby 73 people in 2006-07 school year at PatrickHenry High School through the VISTA Project atPatrick Henry.

Grants/Awards Received• Patrick Henry High School received a $10,000AAA Grant.• Patrick Henry High School won an OutstandingPerformance Award at the University of Minnesota ineconomics.Teacher QualityPatrick Henry High School knows that qualityteachers, those who possess a thorough knowledge ofthe subject they teach, and who have the ability toeffectively communicate this content to their students,are integral to the success of our students and ourschool. Patrick Henry’s staff development activitiesare designed to develop, support, retain, and recruitquality teachers.Sharon Ornelas earned her National BoardCertification. Patrick Henry High School has moreNational Board Certified Teachers than any highschool in Minnesota.Literacy is Our FocusLiteracy is more than learning to read. Aliterate person has the skills to read, understand,respond and use many different kinds of materialsindependently. Our job as educators is to teachtechniques to our students that make it possible forthem to use texts in ways that give them independenceas readers, learners and writersContinuing our focus on literacy, PatrickHenry is continuing two research based initiativesdesigned to strengthen students’ reading and writingskills. The first, Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) givesstudents and staff a chance to spend 20 minutes ofevery day reading for pleasure. Research shows thatstudents who read more improve both their readingand writing skills. The second initiative, LiteracyBlocks, gives at-risk 9 th and 10 th grade students anadditional hour of academic support. Literacy blockteachers support the work their students’ are doing intheir English, Science and Social Studies classes bypreviewing material, strengthening content readingskills, and teaching the study skills necessary to besuccessful in their classes.Progress Towards Our GoalsAmerican College Test (ACT)This test is taken by juniors and seniors who areinterested in going to college. This test is requiredby most of the Minnesota state colleges anduniversities.Last year the ACT test was given at PHHS. 160students took the test.Average Composite Score on ACT 06-07School District StateSchool 17.9 22.1African American 16.2 17.0Asian American 18.3 19.9White American 21.2 22.3Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE)This test is given only to students currently designatedas English Language Learners (ELL). It is used todetermine which students no longer need these servicesby the state.Percent of Students Making One year’s Gain ormore by GroupReading WritingPHHS District PHHS DistrictLevel 1 1.4% 19.4% 2.8% 33%Level 2 29.2% 39.9% 5.6% 15.2%Level 3 52.8% 32.8% 38.9% 23.6%Level 4- 16.7% 7.9% 36.1% 18.4%Proficient-ReadingLevel 5-Proficient -Writing 16.7% 9.8%Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)Patrick Henry has been listed as a school that didnot meet Adequate Yearly Progress. The state setsthese targets for each group of students: AfricanAmerican, Asian American, White, EnglishLanguage Learners (ELL), Special Education andFree and Reduced Lunch (FRL). Each year thenumber of proficient students should increase by atleast 10% of last year’s total.Our students are doing well, and continue toimprove. Our teachers are focusing theirinstruction to insure that ALL students have theskills they need to be successful. We know ourscores can improve, BUT, reading and math areonly a small part of what our students learn atPatrick Henry. Even though these things are notmeasured on a test, they are still important.

Last year’s Grade 10 students took the READING test.MCAREADING 2007PROFICIENCY ACTUAL TARGET AYPALL 65.40% 59.82% YESAmericanIndianToo few studentsto count37.5%Asian American 70.00% 56.46% YESToo few studentsto countHispanic 50.00% 19.24%AfricanAmerican 52.63% 54.65% *YESWhite 93.18% 52.32% YESELL 56.35% 54.48% YES36.255% Too few studentsSPEC ED 39.19%to countFRL 61.93% 59.04% YESOur Grade 11 students last year took the MATH exam.MCA MATH 2006AYPPROFICIENCY ACTUAL TARGETALL 34.13% 26.10% YESAmerican IndianToo few studentsto countAsian American 37.96% 25.01% YESHispanic 50.00% 19.25%Too few studentsto countAfricanAmerican 11.18% 18.285% NOWhite 61.00% 23.47% YESELL 21.15% 24.44% NOSPEC ED 26.92% 21.47%Too few studentsto countFRL 29.72% 25.73% YES• Our ATTENDANCE RATE is 92.67%, above theTarget of 90%.Our Grade 12 graduation rates.Graduation Rate 2006ACTUAL TARGET AYPALL 89.05% 77.83% YESAmerican IndianToo few studentsto countAsian American 94.29% 80.00% YESHispanic 80.00% 80.00%Too few studentsto countAfricanAmerican 81.48% 69.11% YESWhite 95.35% 75.96% YESELL 92.11% 78.18% YESSPEC ED 65.50% 37.6%Too few studentsto countFRL 87.02% 80.00% YESWe are very pleased toannounce that PHHS madeAnnual Yearly Progress (AYP)in all qualifying categories inreading (see the adjacent chartfor detailed information.*AYP status based on adjustedtarget including safe harbor targetor data combined across years.There was significant progressmade in all categories inmathematics. PHHS made AYPin 2 of the 4 categories that wedid not make AYP in last year.In the ALL school category, wemade a 14.17% gain over lastyear. In the Free/ReducedLunch (FAL), we made a11.94% gain from last year.In the two categories that we didnot achieve our AYP targets, wedid show some gain from last year.Those areas were AfricanAmerican students – 1.98%increase and ELL students – 2.3%increase (see the adjacent chart fordetailed information).PHHS met their graduationtargets in all categories. Wehad significant increases fromlast year in the followingcategories:ALL – 14.58%Asian – 14.29%African-American – 9.39%Caucasion – 25.14%ELL – 17.56%Spec. Ed. – 28%FRL – 6.35%