MRHS FRIDAY FOCUS Weekly Newsletter
MRHS VOICE: Vision of Innovation, Creativity & Excellence
Building Connections Through Communication!
Get Your Yearbooks Here!
PLEASE JOIN US!
SATURDAY, JUNE 17th
9:00am - 11:00am*
MRHS CAFETERIA
for
YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION
BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY DUNKIN DONUTS
A Special Guest Visits Ms. Doyle's Class
Monomoy's Intern Program A Shining Star & Community Connector
On Thursday May 18 the Senior Internship students held a Mentor Appreciation Breakfast. Internship placements this year included Harwich & Chatham police departments & Harwich fire department, Cape Cod Hospital, Harwich Elementary School, MRHS Athletic, IT, & Special Education Departments, Griffin Avionics, New England Gardens, Donnelly Electric, PT in Motion, Latimer Chiropractic, Cape Cod Chronicle, Broad Reach Physical Therapy, Harwich Town Hall, Cape Cod Cooperative Bank, and Bayside Realty.
The applicants for the next year's internship program were also on hand to see what internships are like and to meet some potential mentors as well.
A hearty thank you to everyone (students, mentors, Harwich Chamber of Commerce, MRHS Administration & Guidance Department) who participated in the program this year! It was wonderful to work with you
On May 20, 2017 the Monomoy RHS Animal Welfare Club was invited for a two hour tour of this great facility where club members learned much about scientific method and the work of the wildlife doctors, interns, veterinary technicians and volunteers who work here all year to support our fragile wildlife and ecosystem on Cape Cod! Club members who attended the tour are: Danniel Street, Sharon Rodriguez, Mariah Benoit, Peter Casey, Caitlin Bouvier, Steffany Cava, Chatham ACO Dianne Byers and Paula McMahon, Advisor.
Students watched and participated as a Red-Tailed Hawk underwent blood tests that showed he had much higher than normal levels of a rodenticide, probably after eating a mouse that had eaten toxins from a mouse trap. The hawk had flown head first into a police van in the Provincetown area and wildlife doctors thought this might be the cause of the hawk’s inability to avoid the vehicle. Luckily, the hawk had no other serious injuries and will be released after treatment for the toxins in his blood and rehabilitation in their aviary.
Club members listened to Executive Director, Zak Mertz and Dr. Priya Patel as they taught about some of the special diagnostic tools they have at the facility and showed x-ray images of the hawk they just treated and will successfully release! They also expressed how anyone can help wildlife in this area by volunteering in many ways at this facility:
Donations of any kind, or ways to volunteer, can be found on this website: www.friendsofcapewildlife.org and please view the Facebook site for more information. Donations may also be sent to Friends of Cape Wildlife, 102 Bradford Street, Provincetown, MA 02657, or brought/mailed to the facility at 4011 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630. You can also call Caryn Ritchie at: Friends of Cape Wildlife 508-375-3700. Help is always needed! Thank you!
SANDSCRIPT and Creative Writing News!
The new MRHS literary magazine, Sandscript, has been printed and is now available to our graduating seniors. It will be available to all students next week. Any questions, see Mrs. Forte-Doyle.
There's a new poetry and prose exhibit upstairs of work written by Creative Writing students and members of Sandscript. The writing was written in response to art at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. Thanks again to the Women's Club of Chatham for funding our trip.
"Bioblitz Field Trip"
On May 25th, students in Mr. Burns' AP Biology class and Ms. Picariello's Marine Science class braved the weather to take part in the Ocean Genome Legacy Bioblitz through Northeastern University and organized by scientists at Pleasant Bay Community Boating. The project allowed students to work alongside scientists to collect and identify organisms on the shoreline and in shallow waters of Pleasant Bay. From the organisms sampled yesterday, DNA will be extracted and stored in a genome databank used by scientists worldwide. On a local level, the DNA collected will be used to help monitor changes in populations of organisms inhabiting Pleasant Bay.
While on location, students were able to conduct sampling activities using beach seine nets, participate in fish DNA workshops and take part in dissections of local finfish and shark species. In addition to research biologists from Northeastern, students also had the opportunity to collaborate with scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies and The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the Chatham shellfish constable, and others in attendance. Many thanks to Sarah Griscom (PBCB) and all of the participants for organizing such a fun and educational event for our students!
New Baby John Herring Jr. Joins the MRHS Family!
He was 2.8lbs, 15 and half inches long and just keeps getting better and stronger every day. We thank everyone for messages support and concern.
John and Debra Herring
MRHS's Animal Welfare Club Strikes Again!
www.sampsonfund.org and/or find them on Facebook! Thank you!
Shark "Shout Outs" MRHS's way of Appreciating the Great People That Make Our School "A Home Away From Home"
I would just like to send a Shark Shout out to the Monomoy High Boys & Girls Tennis teams and their coaches. Last week they traveled on a non- game day to the MMS to run a clinic for the Middle school tennis team. My daughter (5thgrade) loved the experience and said the girls who worked with her were so kind and encouraging and helped her so much. I heard that the whole MMS team loved it.
In today’s world younger kids are always looking for mentors and I for one think this was a great place to start!
Thanks again to the Tennis teams!
Katie Deveau
Shark shout out to Janet Ferro for mentoring Samantha Alex through her internship in the front office. The knowledge and confidence gained led Sam to land a good job in the management office at Ring Brothers in Dennis. Thank you Janet and all those in the office who worked with her!!!
Shark shout out to Peter Moynagh who has been tireless in his efforts this week as we navigate finals for our seniors, Biology MCAS prep, end of year commitments and work study challenges. Peter leads by example and inspires with his work ethic and selfless dedication to our students.
Mr. Sowpel
Congratulations to all of the new National Honor Society Inductees!! Shout out to NHS Advisor Mary Hemeon for organizing yet another perfect Induction Ceremony!
Kari Flint
Want a Quick Way to Be Notified of Your Child's Grades? Check Out These Apps!
Android:
Monomoy Students Deem Their Spanish Adventure 'Magnífico’ by Kat Szmit (Cape Cod Chronicle)
Athletics Update
On Monday, Softball beat Rising Tide. Boys Tennis lost to Nauset. Girls Tennis lost to Nauset, 3-2. Senior, Lauren Handel had a great match for the sharks. The Girls Tennis team has clinched the league title, congrats girls! Varsity baseball won 5-7 to Nantucket. Varsity softball also had a big win over Nantucket. Boys Lacrosse lost 13-8 to Martha's Vineyard on Tuesday. Girls Golf lost to Duxbury, 6-0. Varsity Baseball lost to SJP on Wednesday, 9-0. Girls Tennis beat Falmouth 3-2 in a close set of matches. Boys Lacrosse lost to DY 3-4 in overtime on Wednesday. Girls Lacrosse lost 11-15 against DY. On Wednesday, Boys Tennis lost against Falmouth.
Congratulations to Girls Tennis, and Softball on their Cape and Islands League Championship!
Girl's Softball & Girl's Tennis Win Cape & Island League Titles!! MRHS is becoming title town!
MRHS First Major Fundraiser a Major Success!! Join us at our next meeting June 7 - 6:30pm Library
Spring student-athletes pictured above receiving the GIANT check! Some athletes received prizes for their efforts, including a giant 50' Flat Screen TV! - great job!
MRHS Continues to be the School with a HEART! Great job Everyone, thank you!
Congratulations to the co-chairs of the blood drive- Abby Sullivan, Shannon Smith and Sophie Clingan. They dedicated this blood drive to all of the service personnel who are now serving. All blood collected yesterday remains on Cape Cod.
They chaired the last blood drive of this year on Monday 5/22. and collected 27 pints of blood and signed up 16 new donors. We also had 7 teachers donate this time: Kwan Faith - Lisa Doyle - James Otto- Jonathan Ambrose - Caroline Frietas - Charlie MacIntyre and Candace Walcott as well as a number of students. Congratulations to all!
A special thank you goes out to Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos and the Harwich and Chatham Police and Fire Dept. for helping us promote our blood drive.
A shout out to Ms. Chilaka for continuing the great work!
Kira Foster and Aleela Rose Honored!
We should be very proud for 2 of our students. Kira Foster and Aleela Rose along with other seniors across the Cape were honored last night at the Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP.
This was the 40th year that the Education committee has given out awards and scholarships on the Cape. The guest speaker of the evening was Rabbi Harold Robinson - a retired Rear Admiral Chaplain - U.S. Navy and a very active man in the community. He served for 21 years as the Rabbi of the Hyannis Synagogue and has run in the last 22 Boston Marathons.
Photo #1 -- Aleela and Kira with their parents (above)
Photo #2 - Aleela and Kira with the President of the Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP - Mr. Scoba Rhodes. (below)
Article of the Week Care of Sheila House
I just returned from Hong Kong, where I presented Screenagers at schools, churches, and associations. One of the most interesting screenings was at a conference for addiction professionals. Did you know that about 1% of the U.S. population has a gambling disorder? It is almost double that in Hong Kong.
For this TTT I talk about how app and game developers design their products using tricks that the gambling industry has been using for years to hook players in and keep them playing.
Near misses and short-term rewards that lead to promises of a bigger win are some of the tricks app and game developers have taken from electronic slot machine designers to keep players playing. In an article in The Economist writer Ian Leslie explains:
“The machines are programmed to create near misses: winning symbols appear just above or below the ‘payline’ far more often than chance alone would dictate. The player’s losses are thus reframed as potential wins, motivating her to try again. Mathematicians design payout schedules to ensure that people keep playing while they steadily lose money.”
Leslie goes on to talk about another trick designers use:
“A player who is feeling frustrated and considering quitting for the day might receive a tap on the shoulder from a 'luck ambassador,' dispensing tickets to shows or gambling coupons. What the player doesn’t know is that data from his game-playing has been fed into an algorithm that calculates how much that player can lose and still feel satisfied, and how close he is to the 'pain point.' The offer of a free meal at the steakhouse converts his pain into pleasure, refreshing his motivation to carry on.”
Apps and games also use the “pain point.” But instead of free dinners, players are offered incentives like a sale on coins or an in-game reward to keep the player playing. In reality, it only appears random. The game developers have analyzed data on the player so they know when they are about to quit (i.e. their pain point), which is when they step in with a pick me up (free dinner or in-game rewards) and sure enough, gamblers will stay longer.
MIT professor and cultural anthropologist, Natasha Schüll, explains these manipulations in her book Addiction by Design. She explores how the casino industry went from a social activity around a craps table or roulette wheel to a solitary experience of individuals zoned out in front of machines. Soon after her book was released in 2013, Schüll said, she began receiving invitations to speak at tech companies and conferences attended by marketers, developers, and entrepreneurs.
So for TTT let’s talk to our kids about some of the casino tricks and how they relate to the games and social media we all use on our devices.
- What app or game do you find hooks you in the most?
- Are you aware of how the game or app hooks you in, with rewards like streaks on Snapchat?
- Do you think companies have a responsibility to monitor and limit their habit-forming games and apps or do you think it is okay that they hook us in?
For more discussion ideas, you can peruse past Tech Talk Tuesdays. If you are interested in seeing Screenagers, you can find event listings on our site and find out how to host a screening.
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and at
www.screenagersmovie.com.
Warmly,
Delaney Ruston
Screenagers' Filmmaker
www.screenagersmovie.com
415-450-9585
Follow MRHS on Twitter!
Website: https://twitter.com/MonomoyRHS
Twitter: @Monomoyrhs