PBHS

The Paint Branch Marching Band won three awards in Rockville's annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday:

This means we get a cash award to the tune of $1200!!! Cool enough to give up a holiday Thanks to everyone who helped support us this year.....we have a HUGE band next year (100+) and things are really going to be taking off. We hope to see everyone at one of our shows in the fall!!

USDE Names Paint Branch National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and A New American High School

1999-2000 Blue Ribbon School--U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley named Paint Branch High School on May 22 as one of the 198 public and private secondary schools throughout the country to earn Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence recognition for 1999-2000.

These schools excel in all areas of academic leadership, teaching and teacher development, and school curriculum. In addition, they exhibit exceptional levels of community and parental involvement, high student achievement levels and rigorous safety and discipline programs within their schools, according to Secretary Riley.

"These schools are fine examples of places where parents, teachers, administrators and the community have formed partnerships to help all students learn to high standards," Riley said. "Their hard work, dedication and commitment should serve as a model for other communities that are deeply concerned about the education of America's students."

Schools selected for recognition have conducted a thorough self-evaluation, involving administrators, teachers, students, parents and community representatives. This process included assessing their strengths and weaknesses and developing strategic plans for the future. Selection of Blue Ribbon Schools is based on an evaluation of written materials from the nominated schools and the reports of experienced principals who visit the nominated schools for extensive site reviews over three days.

Dr. Robert Hendricks, Dean of Education at the University of Arizona and a retired school superintendent, high school principal, and high school teacher who has evaluated 25 schools over 15 years for the Blue Ribbon program, visited Paint Branch in May. In his final report to the USDE Blue Ribbon review panel, Dr. Hendricks wrote the following:

"Paint Branch is an example of a learning community--a model for others to emulate. It is evident that they see every challenge as an opportunity. Adults and students display a quest for learning that reaches far beyond the classroom. Moreover, as demonstrated by student achievement data, expectations are high, are never compromised, and are without limits or boundaries for any child.

"The sense of high standards, strong participatory leadership, an authentic partnership with the community, a spirit of caring, a 'can do' attitude, and a true belief in the potential of all children are clearly qualities that define Paint Branch High School."

New American High School 2000--USDE describes Paint Branch High School as one of ten schools in the country at the leading edge of reform.

The NAHS web page states: "New American High Schools are schools where all students are expected to meet both challenging academic standards and acquire the communication, problem solving, computer and technical skills necessary to pursue college and careers.

All the core activities of the school concentrate on student learning and achievement.
All students are expected to master the same rigorous academic material. High expectations are established for student achievement.
Staff development and planning emphasize student learning and achievement.
The curriculum is challenging, relevant and covers material in depth.
The staff is using new forms of assessment.
Students get extra support from adults.
Students learn about careers and college opportunities through real-life experiences.
The staff creates small, highly personalized and safe learning environments.
Technology is integrated into the classroom to provide high-quality instruction and students have opportunities to gain computer and other technical skills.
Periods of instruction are longer and more flexible.
Strong partnerships are forged with middle schools and colleges.
The staff forms active alliances with parents, employers, community members and policymakers to promote student learning and ensure accountability for results."

According to USDE, Paint Branch has all these qualities of a New American High School.

The final results of the 1999-2000 Maryland Mathematics League are in. Paint Branch had an extremely strong season We finished second place in Montgomery County - behind only the math magnet school. We placed seventh place among all Maryland public schools and 12th overall among all public and private schools in Maryland and DC. Our sucess this year was due largely to our senior leadership provided by Ben "Killer " Wun. Randip "the Terminator" Teneja and Etsub "Stubmeister" Berhanu. Go Panthers!!!!!!! Solve for X!!!!!!!

Students in Dave Zaleski's Engineering Science class took a day in May to dig out the courtyard area that will hold the school's environmental pond and wetlands. Designed by the students, the pond is funded by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Students wrote the grant proposal and provided the engineering know-how and muscle behind the first dig. Watch for progress reports.

Students have teamed to design catapults that will fling eggs packaged to prevent damage to the eggs. The catapults have safely sent eggs flying as far as a 100 feet in early tests. Students presented their plans and the theory behind them to engineers at GE Information Systems earlier this spring. GEIS engineers plan to visit Paint Branch before the end of the year for the final tests and to review the students' written research and designs.

A local television station highlighted PB's Medical Careers program on the evening news, showing the benefits of the program to students and to the health care industry in the metropolitan area. The story pointed out that Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring has hired many of the medical careers students for summer jobs during high school and after graduation as students earn their college degrees.

Both Paint Branch boy and girls basketball teams ended winning seasons as champions in Division 3A. The boys team took the State Championship title and the girls team took the title of regional champs. To make life even sweeter, Paint Branch graduate Walter Hardy was named Journal Newspapers Coach of the Year.

Paint Branch Hosts Secretary Riley and Minister for Education of Northern Ireland

On January 14th, US Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley visited Paint Branch with his guest from Northern Ireland, Minister for Education Martin McGuinness, as part of their discussion about innovations in education. Of particular interest to the minister was Paint Branch's signature in science and media.

Dr. Jerry Weast, superintendent of schools in Montgomery County, and Jay Headman, director of the Northeast Consortium, joined the secretary and McGuinness. Students Moyo Aluko, Kheerti Bhamidipati, Mayee Tang, and Abby Thompson greeted the visitors and escorted them to three classes.

In David Zaleski's physics class, students and guests solved a puzzle from the real world using physical laws; students formed individual opinions and then convinced their classmates their solutions were correct. In Pam Leffler's AP biology class, students simulated photosynthesis, using spectrophotometers and chlorophyll extracted from spinach leaves. In Bob Mostow's advanced television production class, students edited video packages for the next week's newsmagazine while others interviewed Secretary Riley and McGuinness in the studio.

Students interested in media and art had the opportunity to work with a professional animator for a full week in December. Funded by Paint Branch business partners and an arts grant, Gary Schwartz taught students such animation methods as zoetrope, draw-on-film, scratch-on-film, metamorphosis, and squash-and-stretch. They participated in the Dada-originated "Exquisite Corpse," a collaborative project that culminated with students shooting their finished work on a Video Lunch Box frame grabber from Animation Toolworks. Students presented their finished products in a school-wide animation festival at the end of the week.

Schwartz is an award-winning animator, director, artist, and filmmaker who has worked for Disney, Fox Television, Sesame Street, MTV, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He has conducted workshops in high schools around the country and often praised Paint Branch emphatically during his visit. "This school and these students are phenomenal! I haven't seen such a collection of polite and motivated teenagers in quite a while." He plans to return next year to teach students the basics of animation, as well as new strategies such as claymation.

The results are in from October's Maryland Math League competition: the Paint Branch math team finished THIRD in the county and NINTH state-wide. The team was led by perfect scores from Etsub "Stubmeister" Berhanu and Michael "Hammer" King. Coach Dave "Mad Scientist" Stein commends the whole team.

WE WON!!... State of Maryland Designates Paint Branch a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence

The State of Maryland has designated Paint Branch High School as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. We share the honor with nine other secondary schools around the state. Maryland State Department of Education will advance our application to the U.S. Department of Education this month.

In December, PB joined the other schools at a ceremony in Baltimore, where we received our flag from State Superintendent of Education, Nancy Grasmick.

On December 10, PB held our own celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at PB. All community members, parents, students, and staff were invited. Dignitaries and press were on hand.

In March, PB will be honored in Annapolis by Governor Glendening and members of the State Legislature and in April, PB will participate in a gala celebrating all ten schools.

We expect to be visited in late winter or early spring by USDE representatives and we should hear their final decision in May.

WHOOPEE! (For more information on the Blue Ribbon School application process and award criteria, visit the USDE Blue Ribbon Schools web site.)

Paint Branch staff submitted a 47-page application to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) last month for two national awards-Blue Ribbon School and New American High School. MSDE may select 10 secondary schools in the state every other year to advance to the national level. The US Department of Education (USDE) selects schools from around the country and sends representatives to visit the schools during late winter. USDE announces winning schools in May.

· a dynamic program that serves all students
· positive school climate
· strong community-school partnerships
· extensive parent involvement
· high degree of success with all students, as measured by several data sources over five years

Staff, students, parents, and business partners collaborated on the application, interviewing members of the learning community and closely reviewing records to provide evidence of meeting these criteria. The self-assessment confirmed the pride we have in Paint Branch is well-placed. Scores are up, student GPAs are up, numbers of students moving into higher level classes are up, attendance is up, college acceptances are up and suspension and drop out rates are down.

Newseum staff invited 15 Paint Branch students to participate November 12 in a videotaping of "Echoes from the Wall," sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memeorial Fund and shown on CNN Newsroom on Veterans Day. Students joined the studio audience for a panel discussion of the Vietnam War, presented by Lt. Col. Oliver North, anti-war activist Father Robert Drinan, journalists Stanley Karnow and Joe Galloway, and POW Col. Fred Cherry.

The students asked panelists about the war during a press conference after the discussion and then joined them for lunch. Because of their informed and business-like demeanor, these students and their classmates have been invited to a follow-up event at the Vietnam Memorial later this school year.

Copies of the CNN videotape will be distributed to all high schools in the US as part of a national kickoff of a new curriculum for the Vietnam War. You can visit PB to see our own video package of the event, which aired on the Friday newsmagazine and feature show and is now in our video archives.

The following students participated in the event: Alex Aben, Kirsten Anderson, Anwar Beckles, Ambervn Cameron, Christine Collins, Antoinette Dempsey, Jassie Fahnbullah, Jacquin Gilchrist, Loretta Hood, Josh Levine, Froilan Mate, Seyi Oyenuga, Shelbie Stroud, Abigail Thompson, and Mysha Whorley.

PB students competed for half of the gate taken at our first Poetry Slam November 14. Lauren Golfer took home $25 after the audience chose her as winner in a close competition with her peers, including runner-up Carlos Garcia. Reading "Gravity" and "Darker Shade of Blue" to an audience of friends and family in the darkened media center, she showed why poetry is meant to be heard. Carlos Garcia gave her a run for her money with "Spic" and "Respect" as the audience enjoyed refreshments at the newspaper-covered tables.

Creative writing teacher and sponsor of the Literary Magazine Kate Nowak provided the right touch of the bohemian as emcee of the event, teaching listeners how to drum on the tables to vote for their poets.

This month, U.S. News and World Report published their choices for the 50 best national universities. Our Career Information Coordinator, Sandra Morse, reviewed records for graduating classes of the last three years and found PB graduates were accepted to 47 of the 50. The three universities that did not accept our students did not receive applications from any of our grads! Way to go, PB.

After the second math meet of the school year, the Paint Branch Math Team stands in fourth place after Whitman, Blair, and Richard Montgomery. Our team tied for first place in the second meet and tied with Blair in the first meet.