GPS District Digest (v3, i12)

While you are in the middle of Winter Recess, the good folks at GPS District Digest refuse to interrupt the news cycle! We are dedicated to churning out the learning. It's the great news you can use. We acknowledge those that are heading off to college and exercise our ability to recognize.

Pay close attention to our "Around the GPS Twitterverse" section this issue because we dedicated most of the space to Central Middle School and their amazing week-long hosts. In the Digest newsroom, we always talk about how when you are in times of crisis, there is opportunity. Everyone in the District turned last week into an opportunity to come together, welcome all of CMS, have some fun, and get their education on.

On a sad note, the unthinkable happened. The GPS District Digest will not be "Turning Back the Clock" because we finally ran out of old postcards to show you. Maybe we can bounce back next issue and do better.

Enjoy Issue 12!

GPS District Digest

February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many achievements by African Americans, recognizing their central role in U.S. history, and Greenwich High School is leading the way.

The social studies department created an all-star speaker series that included:

• Noah Harris, a senior at Harvard studying government from Hattiesburg, MS who was elected as the first Black Male Student Body President in Harvard's 386-year history. He spoke to GHS students last Thursday.
• Paul Mounds Jr., Chief of Staff for Governor Ned Lamont, where he oversees all the workings of the Governor’s Office and the Executive Branch, including the Governor’s cabinet and agencies. He spoke to GHS students last Friday.
• Spencer Conley, known as “Big Coach” and CEO of his firm, Too Driven. Conley is the backbone of many outreach programs that influence students, boardrooms, living rooms, and coaches’ offices. He is scheduled to speak to GHS students on Tuesday.
• Doug Glanville, a graduate from the school of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and the first African American Ivy League graduate to play in Major League Baseball. He is a baseball analyst for ESPN’s many baseball and sports-centered shows including SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and other ESPN programming. He is scheduled to speak to GHS students on Thursday.

And there's more! With the creation of the "GHS Social Studies Black History Month Essay Contest," students have been challenged to spotlight unsung heroes in our nation's quest for equality by nominating a Black individual - dead or alive - who they believe should be included in the curriculum for American History who has been overlooked. The task is to write a 500-word letter to the Board of Education explaining why their nominee should be included in the GHS American History Curriculum, due on Monday, February 28.

On a regular basis, News 12 Connecticut recognizes hero educators from across Connecticut with the "State of Our Schools News 12 Honor Roll." Recently, teachers from our very own North Mianus School were recognized for keeping "their students safe and inspired everyday, working through everything from a pandemic and a temporary campus change due to the ceiling collapse."

Congratulations to Ms. Lisa Giometti, Mr. Stephen Hohl, Ms. Deanna Horton, Ms. Lesley Shearer, and Ms. Elaina Weaver for this prestigious honor. We speak your name!

The Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir (GPSHC), led by core music teachers North Mianus School's Ms. Robin Chenot and Cos Cob School's Ms. Chris Powers, is comprised of the finest young singers in the Town of Greenwich. It provides the opportunity for artistic and personal growth through music. The choir, founded in 1992, consists of the top singers from Greenwich’s 11 elementary schools and three middle schools.

Last year, the GPSHC had the good fortune of working with renowned choral composer and conductor, Dr. Rollo Dilworth, a professor from Temple University. Dr. Dilworth arranged one of his pieces for the GPSHC entitled, "Never Give Up." During the season, the students reflected on what the lyrics meant to them and created artwork representing keywords from the lyrics. For the final project, students performed in a virtual choir video and also recorded some of their reflections, which we encourage you to watch below.

"Never Give Up" will be published in the coming weeks by Hal Leonard and it will be the first piece in their new "Voices in Harmony" series, designed to focus on choral music and social-emotional learning (SEL). The GPSHC video and reflections will be included as an example of the web-based lesson plans and guide for other choir conductors who are interested in creating a SEL project.

Twenty-three Greenwich High School students have been honored for the 2022 Scholastic Writing Awards, Hudson-to-Housatonic Writing Region. Since 1923, the Scholastic Writing Awards have recognized and celebrated teens for their creative accomplishments. Open to all students in grades 7-12, participation in the Awards can make a tremendous impact in a young person's life.

Gold Keys, which are automatically forwarded for consideration at the national level of the Scholastic Writing Awards, were given to ninth-grader Ashley Malkin (2), 10th-grader Ziyi Yan, and 12th-grader Hannah Ginste, as the "most accomplished works." Silver Keys were awarded to ninth-graders Malkin (2), Ellie Malone, Francesca Lotufo, and Maggie Miklautsch, and Yan (3), as "distinguished works." There were 27 Honorable Mentions, recognized as "promising works."

The full list of winners, including the titles and categories of their work, can be found online.

Congratulations to GHS ninth-grader Zara Haque, who was awarded the Gold Medal for the Fall 2021 Cycle of the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest for her submitted piece about the political, economic and regional implications of Germany's decision to phase out Nuclear Energy in 2022. Zara's essay will be published online and she will receive a two-year subscription to the Harvard International Review.

“I am proud of Zara's willingness to pursue rigorous subjects beyond the classroom,” Social Studies Teacher and Club Advisor Mr. Ian Tiedemann said. “She is committed to excellence in research, scholarly writing, and continual revision.”

Since September, the GPS Twitter account has gained 200 followers. Thank you!

Click on the images below to see what our administrators and others have been sharing on social media.

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Email: communications@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: greenwichschools.org
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 625-7415
Facebook: facebook.com/GreenwichPublicSchools
Twitter: @GPSDistrict