VOL. 4 ISSUE 2 - Lawrence Public Schools

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VOLUME4 OCTOBER 2018

LAWRENCE HIGHTogether We Rise

USA9GAALA

RISE10GA ENLACE

VOL. 4 ISSUE 2

INTLIFE

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HEADMASTER’SUPDATEIf you had a chance to visit the College Fair organized by Gear Up and LHS, held this past Friday, you wit-nessed first-hand how the preparation from the Sem-inar and ELA teachers with our students played a big role in making the event a success. The vast ma-jority of students walked into the College Fair very prepared and eager to engage with the college reps because they had a plan, had some back-ground information and a most importantly had developed some ideas of what they want to pursue after high school. Students can’t dream about what they don’t know about, and we are in a position to provide students with the opportunity to dream big, because of the authentic and real world experienc-es available to them here at LHS. Thank you to Gear Up, and all faculty and staff who were instrumen-tal in making this event a great success. This is an

example of how when we align our goals and work as a team, we can achieve great things. As we continue to keep the goal of college, career and life readiness at the forefront of our work, some immediate campus goals will be to increase opportunities for expo-sure and experience in college and careers in the Lower School, while scaling up and aligning course offerings to cre-ate work based-learning opportunity experiences in the Upper School. Let’s continue to help students make the valuable con-nections between school, work and life, inside and outside of the classroom. It was evident that our students who partici-pated in the College Fair had been thinking and planning about how they would approach the day, and as a result had a pow-erful and meaningful ex-perience. By making con-

nections between what is learned in the classroom with college, careers and life experiences, we can provide students with op-portunities to dream big about their futures while they experience the best of LHS! More information is to come on how you can get involved in pathway development! If you have not had a chance to see inspiring video that high-lights the Lawrence High internship program please take a few minutes to watch - https://vimeo.com/273953662

Thank you for all you do everyday to support our students,

Mike

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ElizabethAcevedoVisits

Lawrence

On Thursday, November 6, the famed Dominican-Amer-ican poet and novelist Elizabeth Acevedo visited Lawrence for a reading at the Lawrence Public Library, as part of the White Fund Speaker Series. Several LHS students and faculty attend-ed, and were deeply moved

by Acevedo’s words. Several received signed copies of Acevedo’s new Young Adult novel, “The Poet X”. Learn more about Acevedo’s work at http://www.acevedow-rites.com/ On October 23, the Library welcomes the award-winning Puerto Rican poet Martin Espada to read

his work, at 6pm. The event is free and open to the pub-lic.

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The self-study process con-tinues in anticipation of LHS’ accreditation visit, April 7-10, 2019. On Thursday, October 25, the faculty will meet by Standards Com-mittee, to finalize Standards Reports. We hope to com-plete the Self-Study process by December 2018. In April, a team of 18-24 teachers and administrators from throughout New England will visit LHS for four days, to evaluate LHS’ adherence to the Seven Standards for Ac-creditation, and how effec-tively we are living up to our own Core Values and 21st Century Learning Expecta-tions. Ultimately, LHS will receive a final accreditation report, in the fall of 2019, with Commendations and Recommendations. Future NEASC meetings are sched-uled for Thursday November 29, and Thursday December 13. Contact Richard Gorham for more information.

Lawrence High School Core Values, Beliefs,and 21st Century Learning Expectations(adopted 2014, revised 2017)

Core Values Statement Lawrence High School is a community of learners fully committed to nurturing and

developing the skills and talents of our students that will be necessary for college and career readiness in the 21st century. The faculty at Lawrence High School provides students with a safe and positive learning environment in which the needs of our diverse student population are met through a variety of learning opportu-nities. Students will graduate from Lawrence High School as responsible, self-directed, life-long learners who have a clear vision for their fu-ture, and who demonstrate perseverance, courage and professionalism in the face of adversity and are socially and civically engaged members of their community.

21st Century Learning Ex-pectations: A Lawrence High School graduate will be able to:

Academic• Communicate effectively with diverse audiences for a variety of purposes.• Evaluate and synthesize information, and utilize that information effectively.• Think critically to evaluate and solve complex problems.• Collaborate effectively and actively with others to accomplish a wide variety of goals and objectives.

• Support original claims and theses with logical argu-ments and evidence.• Utilize current technology to conduct research, support critical thinking, enhance learning, and communicate with others.

Social• Exhibit empathy and com-passion towards others.• Act with resiliency and per-sistence when facing chal-lenging tasks.• Demonstrate responsible, respectful, and professional behavior.• Demonstrate the ability to monitor individual strengths and weaknesses.• Set and actualize short and long term goals using strong time management and orga-nizational skills.

Civic• Exercise the rights and obligations of citizenship at both local and global levels. • Effectively participate in a democracy. • Utilize networking skills and engage inclusively with others for social and civic purposes.

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Cartwrighta Rising Star

INT’s Christi Cartwright took home the Rising Star Award for secondary school teachers

at the “Teaching is a Work of Heart” Teacher of the Year awards presented by the Lawrence Rotary Club at a banquet at the Claddagh Restau-rant on Friday, September 7th. Cartwright was noted for “consis-tently pushing the limit in regard to what constitutes high standards in ESL instruction and

for being a tireless advocate for ELs.” Cartwright’s curriculum

design approach along with her instructional focus on highly engaging and highly rigorous strategies have brought the INT professional community to a new level. Her incessant quest for innovation, also recognized recently by the Linda Schulman Award as well as the SEL Inno-vation Award, is visible in all as-pects of her work. Also honored at the event were Teacher of the Year nominees Mary DeFe-lice (INT), Deana Brown and Nathaniel Ortiz (9GA), Yulissa Nunez (10GA), Richard Gorham (Campus), and Eric Allshouse and Rebecca Veilleux (USA).

CAFÉ CON ENLACEThe first “Café con EN-LACE” event was a huge success! Family members and staff participated in a Restorative Justice circle and discussed their col-lective hopes and dreams for their students.

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READINESS DAY IN UPPER SCHOOLCOLLEGE & CAREER

On October 10th, Upper School Academy held their annual College & Career Readi-ness Day, with special activities for all 1,300 students. Many juniors took the PSAT test as a kickoff of their college applica-tion process. Some juniors and seniors attended MCAS “Boot Camps” designed to help them pass MCAS test they will need

to complete for graduation. Many seniors participated in one of ten special field trips. Thirty-two students went on a field trip to BioGen Labs in Cambridge; thirty-eight to Project Adventure in New Hampshire; sixty to Job Shad-ow events at Abel Womack Company, Straumann, and Gemline; and one hundred to

Groundwork Lawrence. Forty students went on a college tour to Framingham State University, forty to Middlesex Community College, and forty to Babson College, where they met up with LHS alums Antar Jiminez and Lisbeth Carpio, from the Class of 2018.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP IN UPPER SCHOOLThe Upper School Acade-my recently held elections for class officers for 2018-2019. For the Class of 2019, winners were Pres-ident Angie Concepcion, Vice President Domenica Alcivar, Secretary Pamela Abimoussa, and Treasurer Alberquis Abreu. For the class of 2020, winners were President Camilla Herrera, Vice President

Destiny Perez, Secretary Joel Agilla, and Tresurer Mia Maza. Some of the the races were very com-petitive – one race was decided by just one vote out of 487 ballots cast! Each Upper School Semi-nar also selects a Seminar Leader. The Leaders meet once a week to develop leadership skills and help plan Seminar activities.

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: TO BREATHE TOGETHERCONSPIRAREOn Wednesday evening, Oc-tober 16, a group of students from LHS choral music pro-grams attended a performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard,” by the choir Consip-rare, in the Cochran Chapel at Phillips Academy. An oratorio written by Craig Hella Johnson, the work is an evocative and

compassionate musical re-sponse to the murder of Mat-thew Shepherd. On October 6, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten and left to die, in what became an infa-mous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Shepard’s

murder ultimately led to the creation of the Matthew Shep-ard Foundation and provided a catalyst for legislation that ex-panded the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orienta-tion. Conspirare (from the Latin for “to breathe together”) is a Grammy-winning and interna-tionally recognized choir.

FOLLOW LANCER SPORTS ON Rschool

The Lawrence High School Athletics Depart-ment has partnered with rSchool Today to make it easier to keep up with your favorite Lancer sports teams. The rSchool app on your phone will provide you with a quick and easy way to follow Lancer sports schedules. It’s easy! Go to your app store and seach for “rschool.” Click on the rSchool app activity scheduler – it looks like a little baseball hat.

Once you download the app, click “Massachu-setts,” then type in “Lawrence.” It’s that simple.

Once you have the app, you can easily find all the Lancer sports schedules, including fresh-man, JV, and varsity, for everything from foot-ball to field hockey to Unified basketball. The App is updated in real time if any changes are made regarding game changes and postpone-ments.

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TOWER PROJECTGARDEN

By Genevieve Bleiler: At the beginning of October, the Lawrence High School LIFE Program received donations from Donors Choose and the Garden Tower Project. Donor’s Choose provided us with a “Garden Tower”, a vertical composting planter which can grow more than fifty plants in a four square-foot space. The Garden Tower Project generously donated special wheels, so the planter can be moved and students in wheelchairs can easily access it. The planter spins and has a cen-ter tube where compost can be made and feeds the plants. Students put the tower together. Staff mem-ber, Jim Destefano hung

grow lights around the tow-er so we can grow organic plants all winter. Students in LIFE’s Garden Classes started vegetable, herb, and flower seedlings and are taking plant measurements and photos of their plants as they grow. The Garden Tow-er is housed in Mr. Quigley’s Room, A-141. If you are in-terested in seeing the Tower Garden, feel free to stop by, or follow LHS.Life.Garden on Instagram to see updates.

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INT CaresA big shout out to Sarah Corde-ro whose Donors Choose proj-ect was successfully funded! Mrs. Cordero, an ESL teacher at the International High School, has been reaching out to do-nors after many of her students became victims of the Merri-mack Valley gas explosion inci-dent. Her project, “Life Essen-tials for Merrimack Valley Gas Explosion Victims,” received $1,300 in funds from a variety of donors from the Merrimack Valley area. The project will provide INT students with nec-essary supplies such as food, toiletries, and other essential goods. Thank you, Sarah, for being a tireless advocate for the INT community!

JROTC INSPECTION

Cadet Sergeant Annette Lopez and cadet Lieu-tenant Gabriela Garcia are standing inspection during the Lancer Battalion mock competition held on Saturday September 29, 2018. The mock

completion was graded by Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) from the United States Army and the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Each of the Lancer Battalion drill teams were rigorously inspected and graded by the NCOs. At conclusion cadets were provided feedback on areas that need improvement. Forty cadets from the Lancer Battalion participated in the mock competition and all came away with a sense of accomplishment and a boost to their self confi-dence. Over the next three months the Lancer Battalion will compete against twelve Massachu-setts High School in a quest for the Governor's Cup. The final competition will be held here at Lawrence High School on Saturday December 1, 2018.

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LIBRARY CORNER

We are looking for a few teach-ers and administrators for the Library Committee; we will be working on creating a long range plan for improvements to the resources, the program, and the access for students. This plan will help us qualify for additional grant money and

will allow us to grow, better supporting the entire school community-both teachers and students. The committee will meet Tuesdays after school in the library once a month from 3:00-4:00pm.

We will have new books! Hope-fully, in just a few weeks, the li-brary will transform, with many new young adult fiction titles and some high interest nonfic-tion, as well as popular titles in Spanish as well. Look for the next library corner update or for me at a future department meeting, to hear that we are ready for classes to come down and browse our new titles!

One of the main responsibilities I have is working with teachers and their classes on research projects. If you are considering

a research project with your students, email me at [email protected] and I will make your and their lives easier (I promise!). Breaking down necessary skills, showing them where to go, giv-ing them a plan to keep track of sources, can help make the process less overwhelming and helps students have greater success. Look forward to work-ing with you!

Check out the Learning Com-mons Website at https://sites.google.com/lawrence.k12.ma.us/lhslearningcommons/home - also accessible through the Lawrence Public Schools webite, under “Schools”

Rachael Pokrovski, Library Me-dia Specialist

LIFE VISITS PFIZERBy Joan DiGiulio: Students from LIFE's Work Based Learning Program participated in Pfizer Biotech Andover's Manufac-turing Day. Wearing lab coats and safety glasses the students toured the Pfizer labs with sci-entist and engineers getting a first hand look at manufacturing today's medicines.

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PARIS VISITS CRITICAL ISSUES

Newly appointed LPS Superin-tendent Cynthia Paris visited LHS on Tuesday, September 25, and spent some time with the Upper School elective class, Critical Issues in Education. Ms. Paris shared her personal

biography and educational phi-losophy with the students, who asked thoughtful follow-up questions. Ms. Paris shared her story of growing up bicultural in New York City and Puerto Rico, and how she was moti-

vated to go into administration to correct injustices she saw in special education. The class appreciated Ms. Paris’ time, as they formulate their own edu-cational philosophies.

Salem State University’s Upward Bound program is currently recruiting new students. If you are a freshman or sophomore and would like to learn more about how Upward Bound can help you achieve your academic and college goals then please stop by room G110 for more information. SSU Upward Bound is celebrat-ing five successful years of a mentoring collaboration with Merri-mack College Higher Education Fellows (photo attached). We are grateful to our students and Merrimack Fellows for their commit-ment to maintaining this impactful collaboration.

Student Leadership in Upper School

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UNIFIED BASKETBALL

Lawrence High School has a brand-new sports team! The Unified Basketball team played their first games ever the last two weeks, with home wins over the Haverhill Hillies on Wednesday October 10 and the Methuen Rangers on

Wednesday October 17. Spon-sored by Special Olympics, and endorsed by the Massachu-setts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), Unified Basketball joins athletes with and without intellectual disabil-ities on the same team. Learn

more about Unified Sports at https://www.specialolympics.org/our-work/sports-and-games/unified-sports The Lancer team is coached by Josh Decocq, Alex Medina, and Jovanny Sanchez. Bill Meuse serves as referee. Lawrence plays next on Wednesday October 24 in a road game at Malden High School at 4pm, then at North Andover on Monday October 29 before their final home game of the year on Wednes-day November 7th at 3:30. Lawrence athletes this year include LIFE program stu-dents Henry Cruz, Howin Cabrera, Willie Liranzo, Jere-

my Martinez, John Torres, Luis Martinez, Yubileex Metz, Edgar Ramos, Rogers Estevez, Claudio Gonzalez, and David Santos. Partners include Nathan Diaz, Joseph Rodriguez, Joshua Diaz, and Nathan Guzman.

LIFE VISITS USA

Once a week, students in Genevieve Bleiler’s LIFE program class head down the hall to spend time with Karin Mottola’s Upper School Seminar. The students engage with each other around activites, such as Halloween Bingo, and in so doing build fellowship, understanding, and empathy.

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COLLEGE FAIR DRAWS OVER 100!

More than 100 post-sec-ondary organizations par-ticipated in the Lawrence High School College Fair, organized by Gear Up (Gain-ing Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). Junior and seniors from Upper School Academy, Abbott Lawrence Academy, and the International School attended the fair, where they were able to learn about new schools, ask questions, and meet with admissions officers. Upper School stu-dents prepared in Seminar, researching schools and for-mulating questions to ask the representatives. Participating organizations included the Associated Building Contrac-tors of Massachusetts, Har-vard University, the US Army, Stanford, Salem State, and many, many more.

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VOLLEYBALL ON A ROLL!

Something special is going on this season in the Lancer Field House, where the girl’s varsi-ty volleyball team is having a tremendous season. With a 3-0 sweep over Lowell on Tues-day October 16, they ran their record to 16-0 on the season. They were ranked #6 in the state and tops in the rugged Merrimack Valley Conference by the Boston Globe in their most recent poll. The team is loaded with stars, including Abi-

gail Heredia, Yemayma Molin, Vielka Sanchez, Chantel Mel-gen, and Carol Ferreras. Head Coach Marino Valdez and his staff have put together a team that plays with great energy, enthusiasm, and togetherness. The team was featured in an article in the Boston Herald on September 29, featuring the way the team came together after the gas leak tragedies: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/2018/09/

lawrence_girls_volleyball_ris-es_above_tragedy_through_tight_bondLancer volleyball will face off against Central Catholic at home on Monday October 22nd at 5:30, and will end the regular season with the MVC Play Date at home on Saturday October 27, before making their run in the state playoffs.

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WELLNESS WORKSHOPS

As part of LHS’ ongoing Social and Emo-tional Learning initiatives, interns from Tufts University, working with Dr. Hall of the psychological services office, are conducting Wellness Workshops in Upper School Seminar classes. The workshops are designed to help students embrace self-care and lead healthy lifestyles. Each Upper School Seminar will benefit from four workshops during the school year. The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee continues to meet and plan school-wide activities. Plans include restorative justice circles, an inventory of SEL practices on campus, and profession-al development. Contact Dr. Hall if you want to get involved.

LAWRENCE TEACHERS UNION WELCOMES YOU!

The Lawrence Teacher’s Union reminds LHS staff that the Union remains ready to support you. Check out the LTU website at http://010190.ma.aft.org/

Upcoming LTU meetingsWednesday November 7th, at 4:15pm, Lawrence High School Lecture Hall

Wednesday December 5th, 4:15pm, location TBA

LTU Officers: President Frank McLaughlin ([email protected]), Executive Board Lisa Giurado, Lori Burnham, Cheryl Travers, Kimberly Barry, Patricia

Woolley, Katherine Delaney

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ARE YOU HOME?: AP ART PROJECT

“ARE YOU HOME?” is a multimedia installation result-

ing from a collaboration be-tween the AP Studio Art class

students taught by John Travlos

at Lawrence High School and visual artist Joanna Tam. Joan-na has been working with the

high school students to explore the meaning of home through conversation, audio recording and photography. We all have

our own reasons of why we set-tle in a place and call it home.

The reasons could be related to family history, heritage, eco-

nomic situations and socio-po-litical situations. Some people are fortunate to have a home

that they love. To others, having

a good home is a privilege. Us-ing the voices of young people as a starting point, this project asks the viewers to re-consid-

er the notions of home and community that have become

particularly urgent and relevant to many in Lawrence. The show will be on exhibit at the Essex Art Center at 56 Island Street from October 26-December

14th. opening reception is Fri-day, October 26, from 5-7pm.

All are welcome.

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Lawrence High School College Fair List

1. Air Force ROTC 2. Anna Maria College (MA)3. Army National Guard 4. Associated Builders & Contractors (MA)5. Assumption College (MA)6. Bay State College (MA)7. Becker College (MA)8. Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (MA)9. Bennington College (VT)10. Berklee College of Music (MA)11. Boston Architectural College (MA)12. Boston College (MA)13. Boston University (MA)14. Bridgewater State University MA15. Brown University (RI)16. Central Maine Community College (ME)17. College of the Atlantic (ME)18. Curry College (MA)19. Dartmouth College (NH)20. Eastern Nazarene College (MA)21. Elms College (MA)22. Emerson College (MA)23. Emmanuel College (MA)24. Endicott College (MA)25. Fisher College (MA)26. Fitchburg State University (MA)27. Framingham State University (MA)28. Franklin Pierce University (NH)29. Gordon College (MA)30. Green Mountain College (VT)31. Harvard College (MA)32. Husson University (ME)33. Jacksonville University (FL)34. Johnson & Wales University (RI)35. LARE Institute (MA)36. Lasell College (MA)37. Lawrence Training School, Inc. (MA)38. Marist College (NY)39. Massachusetts Air National Guard 40. Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MA)41. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MA)42. Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MA)43. Merrimack College (MA)44. Michael’s School of Hair Design & Esthetics Paul Mitchell Partner School (NH)45. Middlebury College (ME)46. Middlesex Community College (MA)47. Mount Holyoke College (MA)48. Muhlenberg College (PA)49. Nashua Community College (NH)50. National Aviation Academy (MA)51. New England College (NH)52. New England Institute of Technology (RI)53. Newbury College (MA)54. NHTI, Concord’s Community College (NH)

55. Nichols College (MA)56. North Shore Community College (MA)57. Northern Essex Community College (MA)58. Northern Vermont University (VT)59. Pine Manor College (MA)60. Plymouth State University (NH)61. Providence College (RI)62. Quincy College (MA)63. Rhode Island College (RI)64. Rivier University (NH)65. Roger Williams University (RI)66. Sacred Heart University (CT)67. Saint Anselm College (NH)68. Saint Joseph's College (ME)69. Salem State University (MA)70. Salve Regina University (RI)71. Savannah College of Art and Design (GA)72. Shriver Job Corps (MA)73. Simmons College (MA)74. Southern Maine Community College (ME)75. Southern New Hampshire University (NH)76. St. John's University (NY)77. St. Mary's College of Maryland (MD)78. Stanford University (CA)79. Stonehill College (MA)80. Suffolk University (MA)81. Syracuse University (NY)82. The College of New Jersey (NJ)83. The College of Saint Rose (NY)84. The University of Maine (ME)85. The University of Tampa (FL)86. The University of Tennessee – Knoxville (TN)87. Thomas College (ME)88. Tufts University (MA)89. Tuition Break 90. United States Coast Guard91. Universal Technical Institute (MA)92. University of Hartford (CT)93. University of Maine at Augusta (ME)94. University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)95. University of Massachusetts Boston (MA)96. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA)97. University of Massachusetts Lowell (MA)98. University of New England (ME)99. University of New Haven (CT)100. University of Rhode Island (RI)101. University of Southern Maine (ME)102. US ARMY 103. Wellesley College (MA)104. Wentworth Institute of Technology (MA)105. West Point United States Military Academy 106. Westfield State University (MA)107. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)108. Worcester State University (MA

October 19, 2018

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RICHARD GORHAM – EDITORVANESSA NOESI– GRAPHIC DESIGN

PLEASE EMAIL

[email protected],RICHARD. GORHAM@ LAWRENCE.K12.MA.US &

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