Bellringer Bulletin
Issue 4 (2018-19)
Welome Back to the Bellringer Bulletin!
Message from the Principal
Thank you for spending time with issue #4 of the Bellringer Bulletin. I begin this edition of the Bellringer Bulletin by offering my congratulations to East Hampton High School's Assistant Principal Mr. Matthew Warner. Mr. Warner was officially appointed by the Board of Education on Monday, March 11th. Mr. Warner has done an excellent job transitioning into the role and I am proud to know he will be supporting our students, staff, and community in this new capacity.
Dress Code: With the warm weather officially with us, please remind your child of the importance of dressing appropriately for school. Quoting from the EHHS Student Handbook, "East Hampton High School encourages students to dress in a manner that reflects pride in and respect for themselves, their school, and their community."
Positive Choices: For our upperclassmen in particular, many traditions/culminating activities are fast approaching including prom, senior picnic, and graduation. Please join me in encouraging our young people to make good choices at school, at these events, and when they are with their friends in social settings. Their safety and well-being is our mutual number one priority.
Thanks again for visiting. If parents/guardians have any questions, concerns, and/or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 860.365.4030. Also, please consider attending the next PTO/PPAG (Principal's Parent Advisory Group) meeting on Wednesday, May 29th at 5:30 pm in the EHHS T-Bell.
Sincerely,
Frank Rizzuto
Mr. Warner Joined by His Wife Jessica and Two Children, Ryan, and Adelyn at His Official Appointment on Monday, March 11
ACADEMICS
Department Spotlight: English
We are excited because the seniors are finishing up the yearlong culminating Capstone project. Everyone is anxious to celebrate at the Expo on Thursday, May 23rd. Projects range in scope from community service, to technology and manufacturing, to personal growth and everything in between. Students have been working hard over the last ten months and are looking forward to showing off their accomplishments to the public and to their families. The Expo start-time for the community will be at 4:30 pm on Thursday, May 23rd.
For summer reading this year, we are coordinating with the public library to encourage our students to take part in reading the Connecticut Nutmeg book awards reading and voting process. The Nutmeg nominated novels are chosen by Connecticut teenagers and voted on by Connecticut teenagers. Some of the best and most varied young adult literature is part of the Nutmeg program and is very much worth reading. Information will be coming home with students and be posted on the school and library websites before the end of the year.
Poetry Out Loud was a great success for our inaugural year. We're encouraging students to begin thinking about the program and looking for their poem choice for next fall. The website www.Poetryoutloud.org is the place for students to find their poem. Graduating senior Erica Folta was our first school champion and represented East Hampton High at the state finals. This is the link to the video Erica is featured in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0mmvhwrZ7Y
Department Spotlight: Math
Recently students in Financial Algebra participated in a formal debate on a resolution to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. As part of this activity, students had to research the economic impact on various stakeholders including families, corporations, small businesses, and government. Passions on both side of the debate were high and ultimately resulted in the development of several alternative resolutions.
To better understand the “What does this shape look like?” question, AP Calculus students created 3-D models of solids created from cross sections that were a given geometric shape. For example, the base of the solid might be a circle, while cross sections perpendicular to the base were squares. For this example, students were given squares that fit the circular base and then computed the area of each square, cut them out, and pasted them onto the base to create the 3-D shape and approximate the volume. This process provided students with both a visual model of the word problem and a chance to be an active participant in their education.
Financial Algebra: Minimum Wage Debate
AP Calculus: 3-D Models
Department Spotlight: Science
In Physics classes, students made flashlights consisting of found parts for the body of the flashlight as well as the switch. Students were provided batteries and Christmas lights, they wired everything and built the rest.
Keagan Fields (Sr)
Jake Paradise (J) & Nate Alston (Sr)
Katie Flood (Sr) & Jenna Russo (Sr)
Department Spotlight: Social Studies
Civics: The Town Meeting Project is due May 20th. Any civics student who have not had the opportunity to attend a local town meeting must get to one of the few remaining meetings in May. If there is an issue attending, please see Mrs. Reynolds as soon as possible.
Civics students are starting their unit on the National Institutions of Government. Students will be evaluating Congress and its representation of its constituents. They will be evaluating the roles and responsibilities of the president and analyzing the success or failure of various presidents in fulfilling each role. Finally, students will be learning about how the Supreme Court operates and significant cases that have impacted students’ rights in modern history.
Law and Justice: Students are currently in the discovery phase of their criminal cases; which means they are compiling evidence and analyzing affidavits for their upcoming mock trials about self-defense and hazing on a college campus. Stay tuned for the verdicts in May!
Modern US History: Students took part in a Vietnam Fishbowl discussion, which served as an end of the unit assessment. After extensive research on their topics in Vietnam, East Hampton Vietnam War Veterans Ted Turner, Lou Carillo, and Vance Fisher, spoke to and took questions from students about their experiences during and after the Vietnam War. This question and answer seminar enriched the content discussed in the unit and provided students with an experience that went far beyond the textbook.
Modern World History: Students have just completed their “Road to War” timelines using digital platforms and have now started the next unit on World War II. Within this unit students will begin research on a Holocaust survivor. The project is closely linked to resources provided through the United States Holocaust Museum.
Ted Turner Speaks to Modern US History Students
Lou Carillo Speaks to Modern US History Students
Department Spotlight: World Language
Teacher Spotlight: Getting to Know Mr. Jim Angelo
Located toward the front of the building, Mr. Angelo’s classroom spans a significant amount of space. The large size of his work space is surpassed only by the tremendous importance of what he teaches. One need only consider the titles of the courses he teaches—Robotics, Architecture, Computer Aided Design & Drafting, Mechanical Drawing, and Electronics. In the field of education and in society in general, an incredible emphasis has been put on the science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M.) fields; this is Mr. Angelo’s reality every day as he helps his students each day in one or more of these areas.
But Mr. Angelo has not always been teaching these subjects to EHHS students. In fact, Mr. Angelo did not start out teaching in these areas at all as he began his career in a classroom teaching social studies in an alternative education environment. He then practiced carpentry for a year in Vermont before running his own personal design and build business for 11 years, only to return to the classroom teaching woodshop at East Hartford High School. After two years, he went back to his private business for another six years before the “perfect job description of exactly the types of classes I wanted to teach” brought him to East Hampton High School.
His enjoyment of teaching is rooted in the same principle connected to the design of a building itself—there is a process, a clear beginning and end, and he finds this extremely rewarding. Teaching at East Hampton High School makes it all the more special, he enjoys the size of the student population, the community environment to the school, and feels he can get to know students well and who they are as people including their likes and interests.
As for Mr. Angelo’s likes and interests, anyone who knows him knows that he thoroughly enjoys mountain biking, climbing, skiing, and fly fishing and he enjoys sharing these interests with others.
Mr. Angelo, a proud Bellringer!
Mr. Angelo with his son Matt Enjoying Montana Fishing
First Trophy!
Tough Mudder Event
Department Spotlight: Art
From the Visual Arts Studios: EHHS hosted the annual K-12 District-wide Art Show celebrating Youth Arts month in March and displaying hundreds of artworks from East Hampton’s young talents. Thank you to all who were able to attend the opening reception or made time to enjoy a walk through the temporary gallery space set up in EHHS.
Future choices: The art department is also proud to announce that several of our high school students work was accepted into the judged show, “Future Choices,” at Lyme Academy in Old Lyme, CT. The show, hosted by the Shoreline Arts Alliance, was on display in February and featured works from over 25 area schools. EHHS students, Rebekah Butler, Liv DiStefano, Maggie Dugan, Alexis Hennessey, Lauren Menzel, Nathan Piscatelli, and Emma Wolfram were among the chosen artists. Lauren Menzel received an Honorable Mention for her ink and watercolor drawing and Rebekah Butler received an Honorable Mention for her digital drawing entitled, “Tiger Lines.”
Video Class: EHHS’s new Video Production class has launched exciting things this second semester including creating suspenseful films after studying work by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. One group’s finished piece can be viewed on the Youtube Bellringer News channel! Check it out to see what the class is all about!
CAS Art Awards: The Connecticut Alliance of Schools honors visual and performing artists each year from over 410 schools across the state. This year, Alexis Hennessey was honored as our outstanding visual artist and Tori Kelpin was honored as our outstanding performance artist at a dinner and reception at the Aqua Turf in Southington.
Lauren Menzel (Jr)
From L to R: Mrs. Winalski, Alexis Hennessey (Sr), Tori Kelpen (Sr), Mrs. Sullivan at the CAS Art Awards Banquet
Alexis Hennessey (Sr)
Library/Media Center Happenings
The Nutmeg voting results are in, and The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis is the winner among students at EHHS. I submitted our students’ votes to be counted towards determining the state winner. Look for an announcement about the 2020 nominees, copies of which will be available soon! Thanks again to the public library for partnering with me to offer copies to our students; voting participation was up by about 40% this year!
From the makerspace, the community puzzles continue to be very popular. Students enjoy the opportunity to look away from screens and take a break from studying for a little while. We currently have two going at once (our seventh and eighth of the school year).
I’d like to thank Erica Folta, who took on the role of head student library intern as her Capstone project. She’s been my right hand all year, helping to process, re-shelve, and repair books as well as teaching other interns how to do so. She also led a collaborative activity with the art club: making “book pumpkins” out of discarded reference books back in the fall.
You can follow the library on Twitter @bellringerbooks.
-Katie Tietjen, library media specialist
Nutmeg Winner Among EHHS Students
Puzzlers!
Erica Folta & Mrs. Tietjen Sporting Their Harry Potter Dynamic Duo Outfits!
OTHER NEWS
Cabaret 2019 a Success!
On Thursday, March 28th, the Music Department presented our annual Cabaret dinner to a sold-out crowd! Twelve student musical acts of solos and small ensembles performed for the evening’s entertainment and were warmly received by our audience. This event is run entirely by our students, under the direction of Julia Smith, with assistance from the Music Boosters. Students act as waitstaff for our patrons, handle setup and tear-down, and are responsible for all aspects of the evening. Their teamwork and dedication, combined with the musical talents of our performers, made the evening truly a night to remember. Our thanks to the EHHS Music Boosters for providing the entrees for the evening, and their continued support of EHHS Music. Special thanks also to Black Walnut Artisan Bread Company for their bread donation.
From L to R: Emilia Winquist (Jr) , David Battit (Sr), & Malachi Lytle (Sr)
Lily Cordeiro (Jr)
From L to R: Lauren Kasperski (Sr), Marissa Jedziniak (Sr), Emily Mann (Jr), Elise DeVeau (So)
Bellringer Athletics Update
Winter Sports Update:
Senior Girls Basketball Captain Lindsay Orbann was named to the CHSCA 2019 Class S All-State Girls Basketball team.
Spring Sports Update:
The baseball team is currently 1-10 but the youthful roster is gaining a lot of quality varsity experience after losing several upperclassmen players to injuries.
The softball team is currently 3-7 but has won 3 of their last 6 games led by seniors Rachel Vickery, Allyson Tuxbury, Lexie Scrivano, Lindsay Orbann and Alyssa Marchi as they make a push to qualify for post season play.
The girls tennis team is currently 3-7 and is led by senior Kayla DelloIacono and junior Helaina Maynard who have already qualified individually for post season play.
The boys tennis team is currently 4-6 and is led by Junior Noah Gibson who has already qualified individually for post season play.
The golf team is in full swing and showing improvement with each match led by senior Liam Curtin.
The track team is currently in the middle of their regular season competition season and has already had 7 male athletes and 11 female athletes qualify for post season CIAC championship meets.
CONTEST RESULTS: All high school game schedules and results can be found on the state athletics website CIACSports.com. You can link your child’s athletic schedule to your email address(es) to receive real time updates on schedule changes.
ATHLETICS REGISTRATION INFORMATION: All high school athletic registration must be done through our online registration program FamilyID.com. Fall sports registration will be open on approximately May 15. Please contact Shaun Russell, Athletic Director, with any questions regarding this registration platform.
Athletic Banners Update: They're Here!
In addition, the beginnings of a virtual trophy display have begun. We look forward to officially unveiling these new additions in the fall of 2019. Stay tuned for upcoming information!
There are several people to thank for the completion of this project, however, an especially large thank you goes to the Class of 2018 Class Officers and Advisors for funding the entire project as a gift to EHHS!
Donation to EHHS Athletic Department
School Counseling Happenings
This spring has been a very busy time for the School Counseling Department and our students!
A big thanks to all of our seniors that have been taking the time to apply for our scholarships. Invitations to our scholarship evening will be sent home soon.
Recently juniors attended Haddam-Killingworth High School’s College Fair. This year’s fair had approximately 150 different colleges/post-secondary options available for all juniors to talk to. We hope students will take some of the information they received and connect it to their own post-secondary plans. Now is the time to start planning your summer vacations and maybe fit in a few college visits along the way.
Springtime in the counseling office has consisted of sophomore meetings and classroom lessons. Sophomore meetings started in March and are currently wrapping up. Course selections, career exploration, extracurricular involvement and preparing for PSAT/SAT’s have been the main focus of conversation! In the classroom, students met with Ms. Suhre and Ms. Malcolm to dive deeper into their career exploration with the “Do What You Are” personality inventory. Many sophomores visited the Middlesex Chamber Career Expo where students had the opportunity to talk to approximately 120 professionals. A handful of students also participated in a mock interview. All sophomores were expected to explore a minimum of 8 careers. Below is a photo of the sophomores who attended the trip.
Freshmen continue to explore career connections during their individual meetings and will be completing an interest inventory using Naviance later in May. Course selections have been aligned to students interest and will continue to be adjusted if necessary, after their classroom session in Naviance.
Business Club Hosts Local Entrepreneur
Christian Michalowski, owner of The Black Walnut Artisan Bread Co., met with EHHS Business Club members in March to discuss business and entrepreneurship. He shared the story of his business, including the inspiration behind it, the start-up process, and his perspective on providing high quality customer service. Student questions ranged from the process behind his products, the ins and outs of a typical day, and future plans. Mr. Michalowski brought loaves of his Nutella bread to share as well as homemade honey butter. The delicious bread and the engaging conversation was enjoyed by all.
French Club Helps Support "Roots of Development"
Several weeks ago, the French Club was able to make a donation to Roots of Development as a result of a unique recycling project. In fact, the donation was posted on the Roots page! A student-sparked project, the members of the French Club created beach scenes, covered them with “garbage” and students donated money to remove the garbage from their class’s beach. All told, the French Club donated $310 to this project!
Message From East Hampton Prevention Partnership Student Representatives
The East Hampton Prevention Partnership has teamed up with the youth to put out a campaign called the Prom Promise. We have created a number of posters that raises awareness about participating in a number of activities after prom that could lead to numerous serious consequences. The reason why my self and fellow students have created this is because we would like to increase the awareness and knowledge about the consequences attached to a number of events that commonly occurs after prom.
Special Olympics: Calling All Volunteers!
Once again, our district is seeking student volunteers for the Special Olympics Summer Games. This year’s volunteers will be boarding a United Technologies sponsored bus at East Hampton High School at 6:30 am on Saturday, June 8th and on Sunday, June 9th to travel to Yale University in New Haven to volunteer at the 2019 Special Olympics Summer Games and will return to the high school at approximately 4:30-5:30 pm. Volunteers may choose to help on one or both days!
Volunteers should join our Special Olympics Google Classroom at class code: nqs2k6 to complete the required volunteer information and to stay up to date on the Special Olympics volunteer program. For the remainder of the 2019 school year, Remind will be used to communicate any messages home. Please join using the East Hampton High School Classroom code: bb7b6fe . (Text the message @bb7b6fe to the number 81010.) Questions can be addressed to Ms. Seeley at tseeley@easthamptonct.org
Important Dates/Upcoming Events
AP Testing Begins: Monday, May 6th AP Testing Concludes: Friday, May 17th
High School Talent Show: Thursday, May 9th @ 7:00 pm
Grand March & Junior/Senior Prom: Saturday, May 18th; Grand March begins @ 4:30 pm; prom begins @ 6:00 pm at Fantasia in North Haven, CT
Honor Roll & Awards Recognition Program: Tuesday, May 21st & Wednesday, May 22nd
Senior Capstone Expo: Thursday, May 23rd @ 4:30--6:00 pm
Senior Picnic: Friday, May 24th
Senior Awards & Scholarship Night: Tuesday, June 4th @ 6:30 pm
Spring Concert: Wednesday, June 5th @ 7:00 pm
Spring Sports Awards Picnic & Awards Night: Thursday, June 6th: Picnic begins @ 6:00 pm; awards program begins @ 6:45 pm
Final Exams Begin Tuesday, June 11th through Friday, June 14th
- Tuesday, June 11th (period 8 & 7 exams) Early Release Day
- Wednesday, June 12th (period 6 & 5 exams) Early Release Day
- Thursday, June 13th (period 4 & 3 exams) Early Release Day
- Friday, June 14th (period 2 & 1 exams) Early Release Day
Top 10 Reception: Tuesday, June 11th @ 5:00 pm: Recognition of EHHS Top 10 Students @ EHHS Public Library
Graduation Rehearsal for Class of 2019: Thursday, June 13th @ 11:30 am
Bellringer Walk and Graduation Rehearsal for Class of 2019: Friday, June 14th
- Bellringer Walk: 12:00 pm departure from EHHS; 12:30 "walk" occurs @ Memorial School
- Graduation Rehearsal: 1:00 pm @ EHHS
GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR THE CLASS OF 2019: Wednesday, June 19th at 6:30 pm @ EHHS