From the Principal's Desk
Contributing editor Cody Swan
Ms. Jessica Brown
Principal
Makerspace Launches!
Masterman has officially ordered, installed, and tested the very first addition to our Makerspace in room 402 - a Canon iPF770 large format printer, capable of producing various sized posters, flyers, banners, and other printed materials in crisp, stunning resolution. Further, we are delighted to announce the acquisition of 100 Adobe Creative Cloud (2018) licenses to be installed throughout the building, including both computer labs and on more than 30 classroom computers. The software will provide interested teachers the ability to expand and update their curricula to feature more art, design, and modelling lessons.
The Makerspace movement has ambiguous beginnings, but has morphed over the last 20 years into an educational culture that values student inquiry and hands-on education in arts, media, modelling, and engineering. Where our Makerspace will lead us next is entirely up to the student body. For starters, we are adding a winter academic enrichment workshop in which Ryan McCarthy, a part time staff member at SLA at Beeber, will teach a group of around 30 high school students how to use Adobe Illustrator, the software compatible with the Canon device. In this workshop, students will hone their graphic design skills and test out the large format printer by producing printed materials to promote the clubs and sports in which they participate. Ryan and Cody Swan, Masterman’s academic enrichment coordinator, will also make themselves available to instruct teachers on how to use these new purchases.
Bhana Grover, a Masterman parent, has been spearheading the initiative at Masterman since day one. “My kids, Adam and Anya Gizis, got exposed to Makerspaces with Odyssey of the Mind - another great club at Masterman,” she says. “It has been a journey to get here, and both Adam and Emil Jermann helped plant the idea of getting a Makerspace here."
Thanks to parent financial contributions we are able to obtain consultants like McCarthy and provide creative direction for how to introduce each step to faculty, staff, and students. For now, small steps are the key to determining how best to plan our next purchases for optimal productivity. We are excited to launch this much anticipated endeavor. If you are interested in getting involved in this project please contact Mr. Swan at mastermanvista@phennd. org
Masterman Magazine: A Great Success!
National Merit Recognition. Congratulations to our students!
National Hispanic Recognition Program-Engels Ferrer
Commended Students - Iman Acharya, Lucas Bowerman, Noah Bradley, Robert Cavalier, Peggy Chan, Steven Chen, Angel Cherian,Shane Cohen-Mungan, Annamarie Collins, Sieu Doan, Jason Guan, Kayla Johnson,Yende Mangum, Bix Pancoe, Josephine Rosman, Beckett Sanderson, Nicole Tang, Sophia Willis, Daniel Yanko, David Zhang,and Jeanie Zhang
Semifinalists - Bryson Cliggett, Amanda Duckworth, Charlotte Fox, Caroline Ho, Lucas Jaeger, Anjali John, Eli Levi, Manas Narula, and Ji Wang.
National Hispanic Recognition Program
Commended Students
Semi-finalists
10th graders will attend Hamilton
As part of Masterman's participation in the Hamilton Education Program students were required to take part in a 3 to 5 day curriculum implemented by their teacher, which culminated in the creation of a unique performance piece by each student. Students will gather at the Kimmel the morning of the Hamilton performance to see student projects from multiple schools as well as meet the cast of Hamilton. After lunch, they will all sit back and enjoy the musical. Lucky students!
Genius Hour
“It’s giving them [students] the voice to say something on their own" -Ms. Fox
There is something exciting happening in the 6th grade classrooms! It's called...Genius Hour!
Dr. Alberti, 6th grade teacher at Masterman, has brought the "Genius Hour" initiative to Masterman. He spends three periods a week having his students learn about "whatever they are interested in." The students begin the year reflecting on five core values: Inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. Next, students choose a topic and conduct interviews and research. There is a trip to the library where students select their resources. They never leave empty handed.
Some of the Genius Hour topics hit very close to home. There are two students currently working on the history of Masterman school while other topics include: the study of Henna, fashion, jackals, history of painting, dance, Hawaii, jewels, the brain and many more. Students are all learning at their own pace.
Genius Hour, according to Dr. Alberti, was inspired by the big technology companies where employees could take 20% of work time to research whatever they wanted. "These employees became much more productive in their 80% working time and came up with amazing projects" mentioned Alberti.
So, a few weeks ago during a 6th grade team meeting, Dr. Alberti presented Genius Hour to his colleagues and it has taken flight! Almost all of the 6th grade teachers have decided to implement Genius Hour a few periods a week in their rooms. Potentially, we may be looking at a 6th grade showcase at the end of the year where students present their projects to a much larger audience. Stay tuned.
Professional Development at Masterman: Preparing to be a Culturally Responsive Teacher
Meanwhile, members of the Staff Cabinet attended a PD at Outward Bound in an effort to continue to build leadership within the school.
One Book One Masterman
Masterman has chosen their One Book One Masterman for a second year in a row! Students are currently reading The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba. During the second week of November Masterman will have a kick off assembly for OBOM selection and provide information about activities for this school year.
Copies of the book are currently being sold in the IMC for $6.00. Please see Ms. Kearney to purchase a book.
Call for Senior Internship Opportunities
Our Senior students will participate in projects near the end of their senior year, after completing their course requirements and receiving college acceptances. Masterman has created an internship program, as part of the Senior Project, to provide our seniors with a "beyond the classroom" educational experience where they can apply their talents and knowledge to real-life settings. Furthermore, successful completion of the Senior project is a
graduation requirement of the School District of Philadelphia.
We are looking for internships around the city. Would you consider being a mentor for this valuable program and hosting a Senior intern at your organization?
This year our internships will run from Monday, May 18th through May 29th.
The students will be excused from classes during this time in order to participate.
Here are some further details:
Hour Requirements - Students must commit a total of 60 hours during the project from May 18th to May 29th.
Supervision - Students’ success and learning will depend on the adequate and appropriate guidance, expertise and supervision that you can provide.
If you are interested or would like further information please complete the Google form link.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Go2dFBpw3sC8_3rNGb_alUl5XgGc9muEGLCxgrs_kyA/edit?ts=5da9bc52
Thank you!