WEST TIMES
CENTRAL BUCKS HIGH SCHOOL WEST
MESSAGE FROM MR. MUNNELLY
The winter season has been great for athletic teams. Hopefully you will get out to see a game or match soon. Postseason play starts next week and I am confident that all will do welL.
Congratulations to the choir and Dr. Ohrt for being featured on the BBC Radio 3 program featuring youth choirs from around the world. You can listen to the choir sing Morten Lauridsen’s work “O Magnum Mysterium” by going to the BBC Radio 3 website and searching Suzi Digby working with youth choirs. West is at 1:22 into the program. Hurry you have until Feb. 10 to hear it online.
Thanks to all West teachers for making last nights' Back to School night an informative evening for parents. Thanks also to parents for coming out last night to see the teachers of your sons'/daughers' new classes for the second semester.
The senior class is excited for second semester. Senior class council committees are actively planning the Mr. West Contest (scheduled for April 27) and Senior Prom (scheduled for June 7). All seniors are welcome at committee meetings – listen to the announcements for dates and times.
FROM THE SENIOR CLASS COUNSELORS:
Attention Seniors: Your Mid-Year Report (containing first semester grades) will be mailed out in mid-February to all of the schools to which you have already sent a transcript. There is no need to request that a Mid-Year Report be sent to your schools.
If you are looking for financial aid don’t forget to fill out your FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Scholarships are being updated on a regular basis through our Naviance system. If you would like a database of national scholarship opportunities, register through www.fastweb.com. For up to the minute financial information, utilize the financial aid officers at each of the colleges your student has applied to. These professionals are always willing to guide you through the financial aid and tuition process.
JUNIOR PROM - APRIL 13, 2013
Believe it or not, but the Junior Prom Committee has burned the midnight oil and has already started to prepare for the prom. Our president, Mike, came up with a wonderful idea! “Let’s have a Valentine’s Day Ticket Sale!” Between February 4th and the 12th, committee members are selling prom tickets for a $5.00 discount. For one week only, the tickets will cost $40.00 and, in addition, each ticket holder will receive a FREE ROSE on Valentine’s Day. The theme of the prom is “MASQUERADE”. The Junior Prom Committee cordially invites everyone to the Chefs On The Run Ballroom on Saturday, April 13, 2013. Welcome to the Masquerade Ball! Please join in the fun at the prom and watch and listen for more details to come.
A Message from the Sophomore House Principal – Vanessa L. Power
Second Semester, Second Chance
You made it! The first semester of high school is done and in the past! For many 10th grade students and their parents, the first few months of high school are a MAJOR adjustment! As the Sophomore House Principal, it has been an absolute a pleasure getting to know the class as a whole and as individuals. Over this past semester I have had many conversations with students, parents, teachers and guidance, counselors regarding the adjustment to high school.
The transition from middle school to high school can be very different for each student (and parent!). With high school comes the increase of rigor in the classroom, longer class periods, and more opportunities to be involved, all of which put more time constraints and demands on students and their families. Below are a few tips to help students and parents continue to adjust to the demands of high school and to have a successful second semester and high school career.
1. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEACHERS - Be an advocate for yourself and stay after for help or seek guidance from your teachers when you have concerns. Do it as soon as you sense a need, don’t wait!
2. BUDGET YOUR TIME - With all the wonderful opportunities high school offers, your school work must be your priority. Use your planner to help organize your time and assignments.
3. BE IN SCHOOL - Attendance is essential to academic success!!
4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK - Don’t look at homework as points in the gradebook but as the practice you need to be successful for your upcoming assessments.
5. FIND THE BEST IN EVERY SITUATION - You may encounter teachers that click with you better than others; however, your overall attitude is the key to your success.
6. SUCCESS IS EARNED - The more you give, the more you get!
As the semester gets underway, I encourage parents to sit down with their children to discuss and reflect on their high school experience thus far. What went well? What did not? How can things improve? What did you like and dislike? Why did you feel that way? These are all simple questions to address and when answered can unlock the opportunities for success in the months and years to come.
Here’s to a great second semester! It’s important to remember, “The road to SUCCESS is through a door labeled PUSH!”
FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
· Program Planning is underway! Counselors have visited Sophomore and Junior English classes to explain the program planning process for next year, and will now be meeting with students individually to review their course selections, make changes, and verify graduation requirements. Course Verification sheets will be distributed in Advisory on Wednesday, March 13, and need to be signed by parents/guardians and returned to Advisors by Friday, March 15th. Please visit the CBW Guidance website for additional information: http://www.cbsd.org/schools/cbwest/guidance/Pages/ProgramPlanning.aspx.
· The Central Bucks College Fair will take place on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Central Bucks South, 1100 Folly Road in Warrington. Representatives from over 150 colleges/universities will be available to provide information and answer questions about their schools, programs, majors, financial aid, and more. Watch the Guidance website for an updated list of colleges who will be attending. All Juniors should plan to attend this worthwhile event!
· The Career Plan will be rolled out for all Sophomores in Advisory, starting 2/11/13. Students take three online surveys and complete Review Questions through Naviance, and gain insights into their personality styles, strengths, interests, and career preferences. They also have an opportunity to use their survey results to further research careers, and to find colleges which offer majors in their areas of interest. The surveys will be due by April 8, 2013.
· On February 19th, students in Advanced Placement classes will receive information through Advisory period on how to register for their AP exam(s). All registration forms and checks are due by March 22, 2013 to Ms. Matthews in the guidance office. Please read the provided AP booklet for more information about AP tests and dates, and contact Mike Curtis at mcurtis@cbsd.org with any questions.
C. B. WEST STUDENT GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION
The C.B. West Student Government Organization is a club that not only bridges the gap between students and administration, but it is also a club that strives to assist local community organizations. The members of the Student Government Organization (SGO) are viewed as powerful leaders and role models to their peers. So far in the 2012-2013 school year, SGO has participated in many fundraisers that benefited our community. In the fall, in conjunction with the football parents, SGO hosted the annual Pink-Out Football Game which unites our local community to raise money for breast cancer research. We were able to raise $2,500 for Doylestown Hospital “Bridge Fund” which helps families who have a loved one currently undergoing treatment. In addition, SGO organized the “Doyle Mitten Outreach Project” which provided over 30 families in our community with presents, gas and food gift-cards during the holiday season. Collectively, this talented and ambitious group has fundraised over $5500 dollars for our community and more recently donated $450 for the Hurricane Sandy Foundation. Grand total: $5950. Way to go, SGO!
FROM THE SHOP
The Technology and Engineering Education Department would like to welcome our new students for the second half of this school year. Beginning activities to highlight include:
*Gaging student background- their interests, career/higher education interests, feelings about school and other classes through sketching, hands-on background, etc.
*Materials and Processes- materials fee of $30.00 for Materials I students ($15.00 for nine week level I students), Materials II/III students will be charged a fee of $10.00- Any large projects will require students to purchase their own wood/materials from another source. Many times, local businesses will give students a discount if they mention that they are shop students at C.B. West. All checks can be made out to “C.B. West Student Activities Fund”. This money helps to offset the cost of our course.
*All Materials Students will be “testing” for all machines. This is a requirement under our district’s insurance certificate and PA Board of Education that all shop students pass a safety test for each machine utilized.
*All Materials students will begin with hand tools, then work towards using the power tools, then to programming our Laser, CNC router and CNC lathe.
*Architectural Design and Engineering I students will begin residential design activities.
* Level II students will begin by “playing with shapes” to create a residential or commercial structure.
*Level III students will begin research into their main project which should be aligned with their career choice.
Our courses offer a great avenue for students to channel and apply their academic and creative interests. Stay tuned for further updates and pictures of students “working in the 3-D”. All of our teachers follow current teaching practices in an adapted form of Layered Curriculum (http://www.help4teachers.com). Two links to share that add interest to our curriculums - www.ted.com is one resource that shows students some really interesting applications of what they learn in the classroom to the “real world”. www.makezine.com is another great resource for quirky, cool projects.
The Sea Perch club is finalizing our prototype to begin building our ROV. ww.phillyseaperch.org)
The second half of the school year will kick off another chapter in our ESCAPE club. Our second half of the school year kick off is Thursday, February 7th, 2:35 p.m. in room c-131. New members are welcome. ESCAPE stands for Educating Students Collaboratively (by) Applying Purposeful Engineering. Tinkering will be our theme for the first meeting.
Any questions, please e-mail jtaylor@cbsd.org. We are always looking to hear from the community. We take tax deductible monetary donations to our student activities fund. We are also looking for donations in the form of hand tools. A special thanks goes to Edward C. Barnes for his donation of a Sears Planer/Jointer.
FROM THE SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
Congratulations to junior Amanda W. Amanda entered the “Free to Tweet” contest sponsored by the Knight Foundation and the Newseum in Washington, DC. Amanda’s tweet was chosen from more than 3,600 entries and she was awarded a $5000 scholarship. Her tweet about the right to peaceably assemble read, “The freedom to assemble gives Americans the opportunity to be heard when a single voice is not loud enough.” Amanda will be visiting the Newseum with her AP United States History class in March.
Seniors in fall Global Relations classes participated in a pilot exit assessment. The goal of this different type of final exam is to engage students in conducting real-world research and communicating with authentic audiences so their end result goes beyond the classroom. Community members ranging from retired educators, administrators, township supervisors, mayor, bankers, museum curators, university professors, came to West and brought a wide variety of perspectives to the judges’ table.
The student teams scoring the highest (for effective communication and problem solving) made their presentation to a United Nations official who works in the global development field through Skype. At West the winning team of Sean B., Alona K., and Jen S. focused their plan on four solutions to eradicate poverty and hunger in Haiti. These solutions were Reforest-Haitian, “Gold” Hard Cash, Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow, and Sanctions for Success. The students were very excited to present their plan to community members and the United Nations! Thank you to Ms. Iacono, Mr. Allgyer, and Mr. Price for all of their work preparing students this fall.
LIFE SKILLS ART SHOW
On Thursday, January 31st, the students in the Life Skills Class had their artistic talents on display when they presented an Art Show in the Guidance Center. The show was very well received by parents, friends, students, faculty, and school staff.
All of the art work was prepared by the students during their second quarter Art Class with Mrs. Hunter. With all of the work hung and on display it was very evident that a lot of hard work and creativity went into the final products.
Congratulations to the students in the Life Skills Program.
THE CHOPPED EXPERIENCE
by Jennifer Farra & Michelle Rosen
Recently, students at CB West got to feel the thrill of the competition aspect that comes along with cooking. Mrs. Phillips, the global gourmet and culinary teacher, brought to life the competition from the TV show, Chopped, on the Food Network. She was inspired by previous years of having an Iron Chef competition, also a Food Network favorite.
In a friendly environment, five kitchens battled against each other and all made a different interpretation of bruschetta. After they presented their dish to the judges, they graded the food based on visual appearance, taste, and creativity. Finally, three kitchens were eliminated leaving two to compete for Chopped Champion and a prize of extra credit. The last two groups made a pasta dish including a protein, pasta, and a creative sauce with their own twist. They were judged after presenting their dishes on the same three aspects from the first round: taste, visual appearance, and creativity. They were also expected to make a garnish to make their meal look presentable and appealing. The judges decided on a winner after talking to their colleagues and discussing the two dishes from both groups. Finally, a winner was crowned and one kitchen was officially named Chopped Champion of Mrs. Phillips room C-106.
The competition allowed the students to think outside of the box. Mrs. Phillips has created an amazing trend among all Central Bucks schools. It is a great way to get students to use their imagination. Join the class next year to take part in a fun challenge, but only in Mrs. Phillips’ Global Gourmet.
SOPHOMORE WINS SILVER KEY AWARD
EFFLORESCENCE - SILVER KEY AWARD WINNER
Katy M., a Junior, from C.B. West entered and won several awards from the Scholastic Art Competition. She submitted three pieces and won two honorable mentions and one piece received the Silver Key Award!
The Silver Key painting will be displayed at the University of the Arts Gallery on South Broad St., Philadelphia on April 27th.
'Twiggy' and 'Garden Show' won honorable mention awards. 'Efflorescence' won the Silver Key Award. She is a student in the Art Department studying Drawing Painting.
Congrats Katy!
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST FENCING PREPARING FOR FIRST TOURNAMENT
The fencing club at CB West has been working hard to prepare for their first team tournament, which will take place on March 16th at Liberty Fencing Club in Warrington. While the West club has been running for years, the entire roster this year consists of new recruits who have made great strides in a short amount of time. The goals for both Central Bucks clubs are ambitious, as we plan to recruit enough members to add both epee and saber for next season. We will also be fundraising in order to purchase new equipment and a scoring machine, which would allow us to host future tournaments at the high schools. Fencing is a unique and fast paced sport which students can continue to participate in throughout college and long after they have graduated. Any student or community member who has an interest in fencing is encouraged to attend our first tournament to cheer on the team, see the sport in action, and learn more about fencing. For more information regarding the tournament or fencing in general, please contact Mr. Stilianos at sstilianos@cbsd.org.
HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
C. B. WEST'S FITNESS CENTER MAKEOVER
A recent contribution from the Doylestown YMCA has become the catalyst for major improvements to the fitness center at Central Bucks West. The fitness center is designed to accommodate every student in school from the novice to the most experienced fitness-savvy individual. In addition to new equipment, the aesthetic appeal of the center has improved with the addition of artwork and shadow boxes displaying team jerseys. The final improvements will occur this summer, when a new sound system and flat screen televisions will be added so that the room can be utilized as a yoga/pilates/aerobic studio. Students enrolled in CB West Physical Education classes can expect to be exposed to a wide range of fitness-oriented activities, in order to educate and empower them with knowledge of how to maintain good physical health throughout their lifetime.
Fitness Center Highlights:
- Large open space created for instruction of proper lifting technique, safety, personal program design. Open space can accommodate up to 25 students when utilized as a yoga/pilates/aerobic studio.
- The center is predominantly free weight based, allowing for the greatest impact on structure, function and three-dimensional stability.
- All CB West students may join the Health and PE Fitness Club and use the center Tuesday through Thursday 2:40pm – 4pm.
- School sports teams utilize the center for off-season training.
THE CENTRAL BUCKS WEST HARLEQUIN CLUB PRESENTS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18th, PRESIDENTS DAY - NO SCHOOL
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013, 09:00 AM
Central Bucks West, West Court Street, Doylestown, PA
JUNIOR PROM
Saturday, Apr 13, 2013, 07:00 PM
Chefs On the Run Inc, Highpoint Drive, Chalfont, New Britain, PA
MR. WEST CONTEST
Saturday, Apr 27, 2013, 07:00 PM
Central Bucks West, West Court Street, Doylestown, PA
SENIOR PROM
Friday, Jun 7, 2013, 07:00 PM
Spring Mill Country Club, Jacksonville Road, Warminster, PA
CENTRAL BUCKS HIGH SCHOOL WEST
Website: cbsd.org/schools/cbwest
Location: 375 West Court Street, Doylestown, PA
Phone: (267) 893-2500
Twitter: @CBWestHS