BC Link
April, 2009Volume 14, Issue 6
Inside this Issue:
1 / Governor’s Scholar Award
Academic Bowl
School Store
2 / An Artful Day
Guys and Dolls
Parent Volunteers Needed
April Parent Meetings
3 / Grad Party Information
Summer School
HS Dropouts
Breakfast
Think Central
Talk Central
Be Central!
FOCUS on Academics!
Bristol Central High School
480 Wolcott St.
Bristol, CT 06010
(860) 584-7735
Mission Statement
The mission of Bristol Central
High School is to encourage students to achieve to their maximum learning potential and to develop their self worth in a safe environment.
Principal-Dr. Martin J. Semmel
Assistant-Mr. Dan Sonstrom
Assistant-Mr. Pete Wininger
WWW.Bristol.K12.ct.us
Governor’s Scholar
Each year 30 juniors from across Connecticut’s high schools are chosen to be a Governor’s Scholar. These 30 students are selected based on their class rank, grade point average, SAT scores, and a completed timed essay. Last year, Ethan Talbot was named a Governor’s Scholar. This year, Bristol Central High School is proud to announce that Michelle Paradis has been honored with this award.
Michelle is a talented young woman who is intelligent and hard working. She plays the flute with the BC concert band and flute choir and most recently played with the American School Band Directors Association Honor Band. As a Governor’s Scholar, she will be provided with the opportunity to take college level courses at a number of area universities this summer. She also received a scholarship and automatic acceptance to the University of Connecticut.
Michelle is a strong example of the high caliber students that the Bristol Public Schools help develop.
Congratulations, Michelle!
Academic Bowl:
A Balancing Act
The 2009 Academic Bowl team from Bristol Central rode the victory train home with an impressive first place win in the
Public Speaking competition and a strong second place finish in the Quiz Bowl. The annual event, sponsored by the First Bristol Federal Credit Union, was held at the new Terryville High School on Saturday, March 14. Students participated in visual art, vocal performance, and poetry divisions as well.
Supported by substantial research and an arsenal of historical perspective, Jenelle Roberge won first place in Public Speaking. Jenelle advocated in favor of universal heath care by dispelling several myths in a clear, comprehensive argument that was delivered with panache.
Captain Ethan Talbot and team members Sean Meehan, David Garuti, and Jamie Lavigne solved math problems, located the Pyrenees, and identified Mark Twain as the preeminent writer of the early 20th century in the general knowledge Quiz Bowl. Their second place finish was
marked by a delicate balance of academic talents, personal interests, and cultural literacy.
Check Out our
SCHOOL STORE FLYER
attached to this newsletter
An Artful Day
On February 12th Bristol Central High School’s art students had the opportunity to visit the New Britain Museum of Art. This field trip was funded through a grant from the museum for students to visit and view the latest exhibits. Students from both Mr. Zanauskas’ pottery class and Mrs. Stifel’s sculpture class joined members of the National Art Honor Society for the event.
For many students, this was the first visit to a museum to see real artwork. Students were amazed at many classic works of art dating back hundreds of years as well as more contemporary works. Students found relevance in the more current pieces such as Terror and Tragedy, a life-size allegorical mural depicting the September 11th attacks. In this provocative work, the artist used every object in the painting as a symbol of that day and its effect on many lives.
Another piece that fascinated students was an installation of cups. That’s right, plastic disposable cups! Three full walls in a stairwell of the museum were covered with multi-colored cups to create an awe inspiring work of art. Other three-dimensional art pieces students were able to view included bronze sculptures of people and animals, unique jeweled purses, bust sculptures, and mobiles.
After the tour, students spent an hour creating their own personal pieces about what inspired them the most. These works of art were combined to create a mural commemorating the trip to the museum that is on display in the art hallway. This was a wonderful opportunity for students because it allowed the world of art to come alive for them. It provided them with the unique experience of personally viewing the artwork that many of them have only heard about in the classroom.
BCHS Footlights Presents: Guys and Dolls
Dates? April 24, 25, 26
Cost? $5 for Students & Seniors
$10 for Adults
Do you love tap dancing? The nostalgia of the late 1950's? Comedy? A perfect Broadway ending? This show has it all! Why spend hundreds of dollars to see it on Broadway when you can see this gem of the musical theater world right here at BCHS!
Guys and Dolls promises to be a wonderful night showcasing BCHS' finest singers, dancers and actors performing as those sly gamblers (made famous by Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra) and the "dolls" who love them. You'll be impressed as you listen to familiar tunes like "Luck Be a Lady," "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" and "If I Were A Bell."
Don't miss this wonderful show. You will be amazed at what our students can do.
Guys and Dolls
Performance Schedule:
April 24, 25 @ 7:30 p.m.
April 25, 26 @ 2:00 p.m.
Literacy Volunteers Requested
We are still accepting Literacy Crew parent volunteers to aid students as they develop high school level reading skills. Efforts are already made to build students’ literacy skills in both academic and support classes at Bristol Central. However, the content that teachers need to cover demands time, and support classes are offered to a limited number of students. These factors do not allow for the amount of specific literacy instruction that some students could benefit from.
Parent volunteers can help Bristol Central meet this need. After a brief orientation with the school’s literacy coordinator, parents on the Literacy Crew help students develop and practice skills that are required not just for standardized tests such as the CAPT and SAT, but also for success in studies at the high school level and beyond.
Volunteers will be welcome if they can offer at least 45 minutes during the school day each week. Please contact Justin Gusy at 584-7735, ext.132, with your questions. Any interest would be greatly appreciated.
April Parent Meetings
Many Hands Makes Light Work
The following meetings are open to all BCHS parents.
Please consider donating your time and effort to these worthy groups.
Performing Arts Booster Club
Monday, April 20 – 7:30 p.m. – BCHS Band Room
Senior Grad Party
April 8 – 7:00 p.m. –
Senior Café
All-Sports Booster Club
April 8 (moved from April 9) – 7:00 p.m. – Main Café
Class of 2009 Grad Night Party
In just a few months, our kids will be graduating. The Grad Night Party Committee has been working very hard planning this awesome event! Below is a list of our upcoming fundraisers to offset expenses for the party. Please mark the dates on your calendar and spread the word to family and friends.
* April 25 - Dance at Polish Club, North Main St., $10 p.p., band, cash bar (Adults only)
* May 2 & 3 (9am-12pm) - Bottle and Can Drive, Bristol Central High -Parking Lot
* May 2 -Bus Trip to Mohegan Sun. Bus leaves at 3 p.m. from Bristol Central's back parking lot. Call contact below for more details.
* May 17 - Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser, $5 p.p. (Tickets needed for entry; tickets will be available at South Side Meat Market after April vacation; ask for Dan)
If you have any questions about the above fundraisers or anything about grad night, contact Sue Gallant at 585-7740 or email to: . Also, it’s not too late to get involved and help plan this great event. Wewelcome more input and help.Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 8th - 7p.m. - BCHS Senior Café.
Summer School
The Bristol Secondary Summer SchoolProgram will hold classes beginning Monday July6 through Friday August 7 at Bristol Eastern. Summer school registration will begin online Monday, June 1st through the Bristol Board of Education website at www.bristol.k12.ct.us Just click on “District Programs.”Brochures will be available online orin your school’s guidance office beginning June 1st.
For more information, call ( 584-7735, ext. 223.
The Consequences of
Dropping Out of High School
(From the CAS Bulletin)
What’s a good way to see a decline in the crime rate? Make sure teens graduate from high school. Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than high school graduates and more than eight times as likely to be incarcerated, says “School or the Streets: Crime and America’s Dropout Crisis,” a report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a non-profit anti-crime organization comprised of more than 3,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and other law enforcement leaders. Across the country, 68 percent of state prison inmates don’t have a high school diploma. And according to researchers, a 10 percentage-point increase in graduation rates has historically reduced murder and assault rates by approximately 20 percent.
BREAKFAST:
The Right Choice
(From the CAS Bulletin)
The National School Breakfast Program has a profound and positive effect on student performance according to “Impact of School Breakfast on Children’s Health and Learning,” from the Harvard School of Public Health. A review of more than 100 published studies found that students who ate breakfast during the study but otherwise usually did not, had better attendance, increased standardized test scores, better grades, were less disruptive in the classroom and visited the school nurse’s office less.
“In terms of producing good outcomes for kids, it’s hard to find a better investment than the school breakfast program…It’s as close to a magic bullet as you’ll see for educational preparedness,” said Dr. J. Larry Brown, lead author of the report.
Comments
If you would like to respond to any of the articles in this newsletter or have suggestions for future articles in the BC Links, please contact Dr. Martin Semmel at 584-7735, ext 150, or
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