Mr. Mead's Musings - Public Schools of Northborough and ...

January 2012Algonquin Parent Teacher OrganizationAPTONEWSFor comments or contributions, please e-mail lmodestow@gmail.comLarry Modestow, EditorWHAT’S UP?1/23-1/27 Midterms1/23 APTO Fundraiser atRomaines1/27 End of Term 22/1, 2/2 MCAS Biology Retest2/2 Algonquin Idol, 7pm2/6 Extended Homeroom -Course Selection2/6 8th GradeCourse SelectionNight, 7pm2/9 College Panel -Junior Parents,7:30am2/9 APTO mtg, 7 pmlibrary2/16 WinterConcert, 7:30pm2/20 - 2/24 FebruaryVacation2/29 MCAS - ELAComposition Retest3/1 & 3/2 MCAS - ELA Retest3/1 & 3/2 Winter Play3/2 Mid-Point of 3rd Term3/5 & 3/6 MCAS - Math Retest3/10 SAT's @ARHS, 7:45 am3/20, 3/21, 3/22 MCAS ELA5/15, 5/16 MCAS Math6/5, 6/6 MCAS ScienceAll athletic photos © Chris Wraightwww.thawkspixs.comMr. Mead’s MusingsThomas Mead, PrincipalPrincipal’s Report: January 2012The Girls Learn International (which is a new club this year) had afundraiser of selling handmade bracelets made from women in India tosupport a girls school in India. The club was able toraise over $300 to send to the school. The club is inthe process of planning a 5K for the spring where theywill raise funds for international girls schools andawareness of the plight of women around the world ineducation. Gina Johnston and Karla Steele advise thisclub.●Coat Drive●From the APTO Chairs●Year Book●NHS Inductees●AD’s MessageThe National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)has awarded the Algonquin Sachem the highesthonors in the state of Massachusetts. Last year theywere in the “excellent” category and this year climbed3 categories to receive the highest award. Jen Zubaadvises the Sachem.Oshkosh, by gosh. The geography tournament winners in Ms. Salt’ssemi-annual contest: (first place) Steve Putnam, Chris Ludgate, MollyCONTENTS●SADD Dirt●Dominating DECA●NSMA Newsletter●SEF Spelling Bee●Valentine’s Day Dance

(Musings, continued from the previous page)Dore and Michael de la Pena, (second place) Anton Vernooy, Eric Bomarsi,Tyler Murphy and Kendra Coan.Eileen McNicholas, a senior who studied in Nice this summer and who’s takingAP French, won a Rotary scholarship to study abroad for a year before college.Eileen was accompanied to France by other students and Ms. Osepchuk, and sheis currently a member of Ms. Bombrun’s AP French class.We have had two visitors from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette this monthphotographerand ARHS alum (class of 1975) Paul Kapteyn visited the DigitalPhotography class, and reporter Thomas Caywood visited the Harbingerstudents. Michelle Sheppard teaches photo and advises the Harbinger.The Red Cross Club is holding a Coat Drive for new and slightly used coats andsweatshirts. The club will be here at Algonquin on Saturday January 21st in therotunda from 10-2 collecting. Renee Moulton advises this club.We just wrapped up the classroom level of competition of Poetry Out Loud andthe semi-finals will be after school tomorrow. Approximately 600 ARHSstudents memorized and recited poetry as part of this national program. Fromthe semi-finalists, eight finalists will be selected to compete in the school finalsto select the champion who will go on to compete at the state level. This is ourfifth year participating in Poetry Out Loud, and each year our schoolrepresentative has made it to the top twenty in the state. Over 18,000 studentsacross MA participated last year. School Committee members are welcome toattend the school finals which will be held in the auditorium on Thursday,February 9th at 12:30. Lindsay Coppens & Seth Czarnecki, are the Poetry OutLoud CoordinatorsOne hundred students from Algonquin recently competed at the DECA District 7conference with 57 becoming eligible for the State conference in March. Theywill join another 43 or so students who have already qualified for the statecompetition.The fledgling STAND club has been working very hard at fund raising andis beginning to take steps to fulfill their advocacy mandate from the organization.Fundraisers have included donation cans that they carried around withthem and some pizza selling after school in the cafe to the masses that they weredoing very well with and may be picking it up again in the coming weeks. Theirmembership has grown a little bit this year with some better leadership and theyjust made some snazzy new tee-shirts (black with painted logos) that you shouldbe seeing worn in the not-to-distant future. So, if you're looking for somethingsmall to report on with some really great kids supporting a very worthy cause,you can't go wrong with STAND! Brandon Puzzo advises this club.The Spanish Club did a Fiesta presentation at the Southborough Senior Centerlast week. We got the seniors to sing with us. I chose songs many of them werefamiliar with and happy to join in singing. We colored together. Also, we gotone of the senior couples to give us a lesson on Cha-Cha-Cha. After eating, theybroke a pinata filled with whistles, playing cards, flower seeds, glovesand candy. The Spanish Club is not a singing choir, but with the help of our se-RED CROSS COATDRIVEThe Algonquin Red CrossClub will be holding acoat drive next Saturday,January 28th from 10-2at Algonquin RegionalHigh School. New andslightly used coats, as wellas hats, gloves and mittenscan be dropped off in therotunda area of the highschool.The coats will bedistributed to localshelters and organizationsaround theNorthborough/Southborough area.Thank you for your help!Please join the APTO.We need your support for ourprograms. Our mail-in form isat the back of this newsletter.

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETYINDUCTEESThe Algonquin Regional High School's Chapter of the National Honor Societyextends its congratulations to the following students who were inductedJanurary 9th, 2012:Ahrabi-Nejad, CorrineAltman, JamieAndre, ChloeAraujo, MichaelArnold, EmilyAverback, JustinAzzariti, DavidBarnes, MatthewBarton, AmyBernard, DavidCanova, BradCapria, ClaudiaCasey, PaigeChen, GloriaChute, KaitlinCourtney, JohnCyr, MarissaDewsnap, WilliamDoyle, MatthewDorsey, LaurenFazio, KateFitzsimmons, HayleyFox, NickyGilfix, AdamGratiano, StephanieGreenspan, JillianGrieco, JosephGuilford, RachaelHart, EmilyHayes, DanielleHendrick, JenniferHerdrich, GretchenHom, MarissaHoward, ScottJain, KopalKarpuk, JohnKasi, GayatriKiley, MaggieLabich, KaitlynLarson, SarahLee, ChloeJohn LentzLewis, ChristopherLightner, GinaLin, YangLindgren, HannahLoVerso, AnneMadigan, StephanieMassucco, JamesMcDonald, EleanorMerchant, SarahMorgan, EmilyMorton, RachaelNardone, BrianNeedels, SamanthaPraetorius, BrianPyne, KatherineRayappu, CourtneyRutan, BenjaminRyan, MichaelSandanayaka, UdaniScearbo, JacobSena, PriscillaSerra, LucasShum, JenniferSingh, AnupamSpiewak, EmilyStevenson, EmilyStrickland, ElizabethSung, JessicaTravers, LaurenVan Laarhoven, EmilyVarrichione, AmandaWendt, AnnaWilliams, AlexaWinter, MeaghanWitkowski, BrittanyWong, KatherineZieminski, Alexandra

Message from the ADFran Whitten, III, Athletic DirectorWelcome to the Home of theTomahawks, Where Championsare Built! I hope you havenoticed the new banners thatgreet you upon entering thedriveway here at Algonquin. Thanks to the Booster Club our StateChampionship Teams are now recognized in style.On Saturday November 26 th we inducted the class of 2011 into theAlgonquin Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Inductees includedNeil Cronin, Dan Falcucci, Dave Falcucci, Jennifer Farrell, JenniferGriffin-Harris, John Frederick, Baird Lashley and Bill O’Connor.These individuals exemplify the proud tradition of Algonquin Athletics.We are making a transition to a new athletic scheduling program. RSchoolTodayoffers a tremendous new opportunity to our department, athletes andfamilies. You can find our new site at www.mwlma.org. This is theMidland/Wachusett Conference page. If you scroll to the bottom of the pageyou can click on “parent guide” in order to learn about all of the features thisprogram has to offer. In addition to finding updated schedules you can alsoconnect to map quest for directions and receive text messages on days thatgames are postponed due to weather. Once you have familiarized yourself withhow the program operates just click on “Algonquin” and you can fill yourcalendar with upcoming events. Please makenote that many of our opponents are stillutilizing schedule star andwww.highschoolsports.net. For directions to opponents’ facilities you canstill go to www.miaa.net.Council.With the winter season well under way, we are already starting to look at thepotential for tournament play forseveral of our teams. Attendancehas been much improved thanks to“Code Tomahawk”, a spirit competitionsponsored by the AthleticNone of this would be possible without the hard work and dedicationof the coaching staff, Susan Baburins Athletics Secretary, Jon DriskoAll photos © Chris Wraight www.thawkspix.com

S.A.D.D. DIRTBecca Haberman, GuidencePeter Bryant, 2012, Fire, Advanced CeramicsT-hawk of the MonthJanuary 2012Girls Indoor TrackKyra ShreeveBoys Indoor TrackJosh UflandVarsity BasketballCarly O’ConnellEmily BourkeSwim TeamKassandra HostageCharlie PimWrestlingZach MarcoulierAlgonquin’s S.A.D.D. chapter hosted aprogram on Wednesday December 14 thfor the ninth and 10 th grade studentscalled “Dirt”, a show performed by JohnMorello. “Dirt” is a one man showabout choices, peer pressure, bullying,and substance abuse. Morello mixeshonesty, reality, and simplicity througha variety of characters, each telling theirstories from unique points of view.“Dirt” ties together the experience ofthese individuals, and addresses the corereasons for substance abuse, making theshow relatable and engaging for ourstudents. Our current juniors and seniorshad the opportunity to see this show in2010, and as one SADD member put it,“John Morello is awesome.” For moreinformation, please visitwww.iamdirt.com. This program couldnot have been possible without thefinancial support from the MurphySister’s Foundation, Student Council,NHS, and the classes of 2014 and 2015.The auditorium was packed with over600 students who were amazinglyattentive during the program. Follow upfrom the students included commentssuch as:“It was the best assembly I have everbeen to!”“He was very relatable and connectedwith us because he talked like us.”“I liked the end where he told us abouthis family experience.”“I liked that he left us with serious stuffto think about.”S.A.D.D. meets ever Wednesday afterschool in the CRC and is open to allstudents. The co-advisors, BeccaHaberman and Pamela Kerrigan werenot only pleased with the outcome ofthis program but are looking forward toplanning more programs about safechoices and decision making for theAlgonquin student body.

ALGONQUIN DECA DOMINATES DISTRICTSBy Michele TontodonatoThe DECA District Competition was held Wednesday, January 4 th in Boxborough and Algonquin DECAdominated the day. Of the 100 participants from Algonquin, 57 advanced to the State Competition. Thefollowing are the results from the Districts.Finalists included: Dean Ludgate, Zachary Marcoulier, Robert Wood, Patrick Kane, Kelly Wendt, Taylor Fitch,Matthew Neslusan, Giles Ober, Jeffrey Lin, Marissa Giannetto, Kerryn St. Andre, Christopher Blanchard,Brendan O’Reilly, Kyle Macchi, Samuel Schick, Mustafa Ali, Ishaan Goel, Michael Babine, Danielle Lewis,Brad McGill, Christopher Strobel, Connor Healey, Peter Scorzelli, Joseph Egizi, Eric Sweeter, Andrew Casey,Prerak Goel, Chloe Andre, and Tom Beck.Receiving trophies for 3 rd place: Jhennyfer Siqueira, Tyler Fagan, Eric Bomarsi, Michael Coombs, EmilyPainter, Kelly Petrone, Erin Healey, Anna Wendt, Antonia Tontodonato, and Zachary Gray.Receiving trophies for 2 nd place in their respective events: Courtney Rayappu, Ryan Walsh, Matthew Coombs,Sean Doherty, Jonathan Willis, Maggie Kiley, Lauren Travers, and Connor Hoge.First place winners in their respective events include: Adam Wolfset, James Officer, Katherine Gillespie, DanielButka, Nathan Ding, Amanda Tessier, Benjamin Steiman, Zachary Gittlen, and Scott Perreault.These 57, along with 37 Research students and 4 Quiz Bowl members, are eligible to attend the State DECAConference being held in Boston from March 8-10.On another note, Seniors Brendan O’Reilly and Eric Factor placed 10 th and Freshmen Stephanie Ryan and JuliaDuffy placed 4 th in the Northeast Region for the Stock Market Game and are now eligible to present their stockportfolios at the International DECA Conference in Salt Lake City at the end of April. O’Reilly and Factorhad a total equity of $114,606.36 and Duffy and Ryan totaled $119,101.76.Congratulations to all!Below is a picture of senior Adam Wolfset after he received his first place trophy.

FOOD NEWSMaura Feeley, Food Service DirectorExciting changes are coming to ARHS Food Services! Dianne Cofer and I are discussing and planning someexciting additions and changes to ARHS Food Services that we would like all to know about. Our primary goal isto review and revise our menu offerings and adding featured lunch ‘events’ such as Mardi Gras celebration where allstudents purchasing lunch will receive colorful Mardi Gras beads and ‘wear your favorite team colors’ for SuperBowl celebration day lunch!Regarding menu offerings we are focused on incrementally adding some new, some healthier and some vegetarianoptions. We already added Greek salads, beef burritos, a variety of new pizza toppings, stir fry vegetables andcoming soon house-made hummus for the deli bar. Another area we are researching is a new design flow for thecafeteria lines, an effort to decrease the time students spend waiting for lunch purchases.Other new and future additions and considerations are:· future collaboration with Susan Halperin and the Environmental Club growing herbs for the kitchen at ourvery own campus greenhouse.· Working with the Food Revolution Club to add healthier vending machine choices· Reviewing kitchen practices and increasing our commitment to positive environmental practices andsustainability· Creating a link to students & staff for feedback andsuggestions· Visibly market all of the great additions and changes tofood service programMaura FeeleyFood Service DirectorNorthborough-Southborough Public Schools(508) 351-7010 ext. 1028mfeeley@nsboro.k12.ma.us

New Course Offerings in the Applied Arts & Technology DepartmentCourse selection time is right around the corner! The Applied Arts & Technology department is pleased to announcesome new choices of classes that will be offered in the 2012-2013 school year.Senior SurvivalThrough the use of practical and hands on experiences 11 th and 12 th grade students will gain real-world knowledgeabout how manage resources while living healthy, well and independently during the years right after high schoolgraduation. This innovative course is designed to help students take charge of their future. The following subjectswill be explored using hands on experiences, discussions, field trips and guest speakers:· Cooking and nutrition basics, smart and economical food shopping techniques.· How to care for and repair clothing. Hand sewing and machine sewing basics as well as clothing constructiontechniques and projects will be introduced. Dressing well on a budget will be discussed.· Job hunting and interviewing skills.· How to manage money and time resources, for example, how to rent an apartment, purchase car insurance andhow to manage working and school.· Business and personal etiquette. How to get along with others as one pursues his or her independence.In spite of the name “Senior Survival” this course is open to juniors as well as seniors.Don’t just survive in the world, THRIVE!Textile Arts and Creative HandcraftsDo you enjoy working with your hands to express your creativity? Did you know you that can create works of artusing fabric, yarn and even beads?Through this hands-on class students will create wearable and non-wearable art projects using sewing, knitting ,felting, quilting and beading techniques.Handbags, quilted landscape wall-hangings, felted wallets, beaded bracelets, earrings and necklaces are some of theprojects you will complete in this course.This course is open to all grade levels.Environmental Club 2012 Seed Sale FundraiserBack by popular demand -- the ARHS 2012 Seed Sale Fundraiser! The Fedco seeds that the ARHS EnvironmentalClub sold last year were terrific. Many of those who purchased seeds were extremely happy with the quality of theseeds and reported fantastic results in their gardens!Our seed sale wil begin on February 1st and will end on February 29th. Keep an eye out for the downloadable orderform on the school website where you can order your seeds. Just (snail) mail the order form and check to the addressspecified and your seeds will be delivered to the school where you can pick them up. Seed packets are $1.60 each anddepending on the number of seed packets sold, the ARHS Environmental Club receives a percentage of the price ofeach packet.Happy Growing!

Become a Patron!Sachem is Algonquin’s very own CSPA gold medal award winning literary magazine. Themagazine is staffed and run solely by Algonquin students. It is crucial to keep Sachem alive as avenue for students to display their creative work and a place for them to be published authors.Printing costs require the staff to look outside for donations.Give the gift of becoming a patron!With your generous donation, your name or your family’s name will be listed in the magazine’spatrons section. Every little bit helps! Simply fill out the form below and mail it with a checkmade out to “The Sachem” to the address below. We thank you in advance for keeping themagazine alive.________________________________________________________________________Name: ________________________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________________________Name as it should appear in Patrons List: ___________________________________Please send to:Sachem Literary Magazine79 Bartlett StreetNorthborough, MA 01532

Algonquin Boosters Club"Our mission is to promote avid support for all athletic programs at A.R.H.S.”What do you get with an Algonquin Boosters Club membership?· Automatically entered into a drawing to win one athletic fee reimbursement for one seasonper academic year· Eligibility for your son/daughter to receive a scholarship granted to graduating seniorsTo download a membership form and/or to learn more about the Boosters club, visit our website athttp://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/sports/boosters/. Click the Membership tab to access a MembershipOrder Form.Upcoming Team Events & FundraisersVisit our website http://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/sports/boosters/ formore details. Click the Events and Fundraising tab.“E-Z Pass” to Algonquin Home GamesBypass the line with your Algonquin Sports Pass – it’s that easy!Download the Algonquin Sports Pass Order Form athttp://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/sports/boosters/. Clickthe Membership tab to access the Sports Pass Form.

SUPPORT YOUR APTO for 2011-2012!Membership Form ($30)____________________________________ _____________________ __________________________________Parent/Guardian Full Name Phone Number E-mail address____________________________________ _____________________ __________________________________Street Address Town Zip CodeStudent(s) Name/YOG: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I am interested in volunteering for fundraising, hospitality, special events, etc.Mail this form with a $30 check made payable to APTO to: Pam Gratiano, 21 Juniper Brook Road, Northborough,MA 01532. With your donation of $30, we will also send you an Algonquin bumper sticker. If you would likea bumper sticker, please include a stamped, self-addressed business envelope. Thank you!APTO COMMITTEE MEMBERSTom Mead, PrincipalCo-Chairs, Eileen Cozzolino & Nancy ShatzTreasurer, Mary O’BrienSecretary, LeeAnn MorseMembership, Pam GratianoNewsletter Editor, Larry ModestowScholarship, Tom GratianoJunior Post Prom Party, Sue DistlerGraduation/Senior Ball, O p e nSenior Girls Self Defense Class, Kristie HaskellTeacher Appreciation Brunch, Jill TrehubFaculty Luncheon, Marybeth StricklandFundraising, OpenARHS FACT SHEETAlgonquin Regional High School79 Bartlett Street, Northborough, MA 01532(508) 351-7010Fax – (508) 393-9226ARHS website: http://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/ATPO website:http://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/apto/index.htmAthletic Dept websites for schedules, games, directions:www.mwlma.orgwww.miaa.netAlgonquin Boosters website:http://web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/sports/boosters/Football Boosters website:http://www.thawkfootball.com/Northboro Southboro Music Association websites:http://www.nsma.infohttp://www.arhsband.comAlgonquin Clothing/gear: Some items availablethrough DECA - school storehttp://fieldhouse.com/Stores/FHShop1.aspx?PON=156