SKHS Principal's Newsletter
September-November 2017
From the desk of Mr. Mezzanotte...
The purpose of this newsletter is to promote the good things happening at our school. It is intended to provide our community with examples of how our school's mission, vision and values manifest themselves in the actions of our students. Enjoy!
Rebel Fall Athletics
Here are some photographs, courtesy of Daniel Gagnon.
SKHS School Spirit
The fun continued with the SKHS football team's win at the Saturday game, and the exciting halftime relay. Afterwards, the Sadie Hawkins dance was an exciting end to the festivities. We would like to thank all who helped to set up the pep rally and dance, performed in the pep rally and football game, and those who helped at the dance. We are looking forward to another Sadies next year!
The Arts at SKHS
- AP Studio Art students walked to the Glass Station on Main Street in Wakefield for a field trip. Each student hand-blew their own glass ornament. It was an incredible experience that they will remember for a lifetime!
- The SKHS Visual Arts teachers participated in an art for charity event for clean water in RI. They used their talents to create an original painting on actual wooden oars for an art auction to benefit the URI Watershed Watch. This volunteer program monitors hundreds of inland and coastal sites each year throughout RI. Each painted oar reflects each teacher's style and personality. Can you guess which teacher painted each one?
- SKHS Arts students, Project Venue members, Henna Club members, and National Honors Society Students brought their talents to the Welcome House fundraiser Pumpkins with a Purpose. These groups of students volunteered to help raise money for the homeless over the course of the month long pumpkin sale.
Music at SKHS
- We are excited to welcome Mr. Ryan Muir as our new Choral Director/Music Teacher at SKHS! He will be teaching all choir classes, keyboard and music technology this year. Mr. Muir has has a diverse and interesting career as a music performer and as a music teacher around the country. Be sure to come by the music room and welcome him to SK!
- We have recently opened a new room, the Piano Lab, located down the hall from the music room (the former Faculty lunch room). This small classroom will be used for keyboard classes as well as some sectionals for chorus, bands, and orchestra. Many thanks to Gail Saborio, Mr. Muir, and the custodial and technology staff for assisting us with turning this into a new classroom space!
- SKHS Music is now on three social media platforms! Check us out on Instagram at SKHSMusic, Twitter @MusicSKHS and our Facebook Page-South Kingstown High School Music.
- Our SKHS Band recently performed at the town Fireman's parade on Sunday 9/24, honoring fireman and first responders from around New England. Students from the Jazz and Concert Band classes combined to form the SKHS Rebel Band. You can hear the band again at the annual Veteran's Day Parade on Saturday November 11th!
- Our High School Music Department will present its annual Fall Concert on Thursday, November 2nd at 7pm in the HS Auditorium. Featured on the performance will be all our HS Chorus, eSkape, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, String Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. An exciting and inspiring night of music... We hope to see you there!
- SKHS Band students participated in the annual URI Band Day on Saturday, November 4th. They rehearsed with URI Marching band and prepare a performance of two pieces that they played at halftime of the James Madison-URI football game. Congratulations to all who participated!
- 40 SKHS student musicians will audition for All-State music ensembles on Saturday, November 18th at Moses Brown School in Providence. These students represent every performing area including choral, jazz, concert band and orchestra. Best of luck to them as they prepare for auditions this fall!
- Mr. Benz has been asked to direct this year's Connecticut Music Educator's Association Regional HS All-State Jazz Band in January. The group will rehearse and perform at the University of Connecticut in early January.
- Our High School Guitar class is making great progress this fall! These students have recently completed their "Rhythm Guitar" Unit, learning 14 different chords and many songs using these and variations of these chords. Next, students are learning to play bass and will be starting the "Lead Guitar" Unit where they will learn to read and play melodies, eventually forming an ensemble to play melody, harmony, chords and bass! Recent tunes performed by the class include "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker, "free Fallin' by Tom Petty, "Wild World" by Cat Stevens and the classic "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles!
- Music Technology has been hard at work learning the fundamentals of recording using the program Mixcraft. In the coming weeks they will start their first major project, composing and recording an original song.
School Counseling Corner
School Counselors met with freshmen one on one during SK101 classes to check in with students and introduce ourselves to members of the Class of 2021. Counselors and SK101 teachers also presented lessons on brain science and each student created a plan of what actions to take when life becomes difficult.
Over 150 sophomores and juniors sat for the Saturday PSAT; scores should be available in December.
School counselors are meeting with seniors to discuss future plans. Please check with your child to discover if he or she has met with a school counselor.
Common Application Workshops currently being held during Advisory on Tuesday and Thursday in the SKHS Library; seniors have received an email with a link to register!
Our Mini College Fair was held in early October during Advisory with 24 different colleges in attendance, 198 students attended.
Additionally, 47 college representatives will visit SKHS during Q1 to speak with interested students; families can preview upcoming schools here: http://hs.skschools.net/departments/guidance/college_visits_to_s_k_h_s/calendar_for_students_and_parents
Financial Aid Night was presented in early October in collaboration with College Planning Center of RI - materials are available in the Guidance Office if families could not attend. The FAFSA is now open for completion by seniors and free assistance is available at the College Planning Center of RI.
The Guidance Office is open on Wednesday mornings during CPT and after school, if students need a quiet place to study. We welcome students to drop by and use our study area.
Shout-outs...
- Samantha Tyrrell, Joellyn Speredelozzi, Luke Bizer, Mitchell Sroka, and Lily Rosa are the first students in SK history to attain the prestigious Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas and transcripts for outstanding achievement. Congratulations!
- The annual Pumpkin Illumination was held on Oct. 26th & 27th. the cross country path behind CCMS was lined with over 300 pumpkins carved by our SKHS students. The proceeds benefited the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and the Maddie Potts Fund at Chariho HS. Many thanks to the Physical Education and Health Dept., Advisories, SKEF, Belmont and URI Garden Research Center for the donations that made this event possible.
- On November 15th, 12 VAASA (Varsity Athletes Above Substance Abuse) students attended a training at North Kingstown High School. They joined about 150 student athletes from across the state and participated in workshops about substance abuse prevention. The students will be working with younger students throughout the year on different prevention activities.
- Congratulations to Michael Bergner and Ryan Fazio for being awarded the National School Development Council's Award for Academic Growth and Student Leadership in Learning
- The Italian Club has kicked off this school year with a hugely successful first meeting held in early October. We enjoyed Italian food and music and the Italian Club's Executive Board shared information regarding the upcoming fun events that will celebrate the culture of Italy this year. Those events include Italian Games, Italian Film, Italian Sing-Along, La Festa Della Donna, Selling Flowers for International Women's Day and much more! Follow us on INSTAGRAM to keep up!!! @skhsitalianclub
- Three SKHS students started their internships at South County Hospital as part of our school's new Internship Program. The students are Tori Burton, Alyssa Richards and Samantha Tyrell. Congratulations!
- SKHS has partnered with the New England Carpenter's Taining Program to provide our students with an opportunity to earn Level 1 Apprentice status while still in high school! We are the only Rhode Island high school to offer this opportunity.
- The Beatification Team at SKHS volunteered two days of hard work to complete project # 5 at SKHS this Summer! On Thursday, July 28th and Friday July 29th, Mr Dan Gagnon (Photography Teacher), Mr Fritz Benz (Band Teacher), Mr Ryan Muir (New Choral Teacher), Ms Katy Thomas (Social Studies Teacher), Mrs Sally Richards (Social Studies Teacher) and her nine year old son, Marcus Richards, Mr Jeff Taber (School Counselor), Mrs Anahid Avedesian (School Counselor) painted the music wing leading to the senior entrance foyer area and the hallway with the view of the courtyard. The volunteers took great pride in making the area look stunningly clean and were very pleased with the outcome. They look forward to the opening of the school year when students walk through these freshly painted clean hallways.
Seal of Biliteracy Students
VASSA Students
Ryan Fazio and Michael Bergner
Italian Club
Alyssa Richards- SC Hospital Intern
SKHS at Carpentry Expo
Partnership for Prevention and Rebels Inspiring Positive Lifestyles
This quarter, the South Kingstown Partnership for Prevention and RI Student Assistance began implementing Mindful Mondays. In order to provide our students with more coping skills to address stress that occurs in high school, Katie MacKrell (Student Assistance Counselor) and MK Whitten (SKPP) started morning meditation sessions. Katie and MK facilitate Mindful Mondays each week during advisory. During this time, students are introduced to a variety of Mindfulness and stress relieving techniques following instruction on the science behind these techniques. Then students are guided students through different meditations and stress relieving activities. It is our hope that by providing multiple techniques and education, students will select the techniques that best work for them and start the week off with a clear head.
Electronic sign up sheets will are available until Fridays at noon. Advisors are then notified by email if their students have signed up for this opportunity. The link for the google form sign-up is : https://goo.gl/vWNNuL
Also, Rebels Inspiring Positive Lifestyles (RIPL), participated in National Red Ribbon week. This is the oldest substance abuse prevention awareness week in our country. RIPL members launched a social media campaign with a geotag during the Sadies Football game, manned a photo booth and passed out red ribbons.
In addition, RIPL members painted pumpkins red to participate in the Red Pumpkin Project, which brought awareness to the fact that Halloween has been the deadliest holiday in terms of DUI deaths.
Mark Your Calendars...
- December 6th is the next meeting of the Parent Teacher Group. The focus of the meeting will be high school transitions. We encourage all parents of current 8th graders to attend!
- The Winter Concert will be held Thursday, December 14th in the auditorium
- 8th Grade Orientation for students and parents will be held on Wednesday evening, January 10th in the SKHS auditorium
- Keep an eye out the first ever SKHS Pathway Night. We will sending a "Save the Date" in the near future!