2001 - 2002 News Archive
Math Team Finishes 3rd of 27, February 14, 2001
Yesterday, the County-Wide Math Championship was held at Wootton High School. Your Paint Branch team finshed an extremely strong third place among all 27 county high schools. We placed tied with Churchill High School and behind only Montgomery Blair and Walter Johnson. All the team members had strong performances, led by a perfect score from Jaydutt "King Kong" Shukla. GO PANTHERS!!! MATH IS LOVE!!!!!!!!!
Wrestling Team Wins State Championship, February 11,2001
Congratulations to the PBHS wrestling team and Coaches Smith and Matthews on winning the 3A/4A State title. They defeated South Carroll 34-27 in the semifinals and then trounced Northern of Calvert County 52-15 for the trophy. It was an inspired performance by a group of young men on a mission - victory.
O'Sullivan Honors Father;
Paint Branch Senior Also Celebrates Birthday With Win
By Jon Gallo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 11, 2001; Page D15
STEVENSVILLE, Md., Feb. 10 -- Paint Branch senior Kenny O'Sullivan
III stood on the corner of the mat at Kent Island High School clutching his
state dual wrestling meet trophy in one hand and wiping away a tear with the
other. It was his 18th birthday, and top-ranked Paint Branch's first Maryland
4A/3A dual meet championship was the perfect present -- not for himself, but
for his father.
As O'Sullivan celebrated with his teammates after the Panthers'
52-12 victory over Northern, he could not help but think about his father, who
had attended nearly all of his son's football and wrestling matches. But on
Dec. 27, Kenny O'Sullivan Jr. suffered a stroke; he is partially paralyzed and
unable to talk.
A few days ago, after Paint Branch (17-0) won its first regional title to earn its first appearance in the state dual meet championships, O'Sullivan III went to the nursing home where his father has spent the last two weeks.
"I told him we won the region championship," O'Sullivan III said. "He then reached
out with his right hand and squeezed my hand." It was the first time O'Sullivan
III had seen his father move since late December, and though his father's left
side is still paralyzed, he has seen improvement.
"My father's look in his eyes when he grabbed my hand said it all," O'Sullivan
III said. "That's why I'm dedicating this season to him. This trophy will be
given to him Sunday."
"To see Kenny work so hard for this trophy and to see that he is giving it to
his dad makes this one of the proudest days of my life," said Jane O'Sullivan,
Kenny's mother. Against Northern, O'Sullivan III (24-3 at 171) pinned Josh Miluk
his opponent with 1 minute 9 seconds left in the match to give the Panthers
a 46-9 lead.
"Kenny's nickname is 'Killer,' because he does not say much and then goes out
there and hurts his man on the mat," said senior 152-pounder Adam James, who
has been close friends with O'Sullivan III since the second grade. "But Kenny
has been through so much and has risen above it to be a champion."
Robert Young needed just 29 seconds to give Paint Branch control of the match,
pinning Anthony Fierro early in the opening period in the 103-pound match. Antonio
Wittibank extended the Panthers' advantage to 10-0 with a 14-5 victory at 112.
Paint Branch's Billy Smith (135 pounds), Chris Booker (140), Matt Stewart (189),
James and O'Sullivan III all won their matches with pins.
Northern got victories by Chris Shelton (125), Walter Hoffman
(145) and Ivan Borissow (heavyweight).
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
On February 28, 2002, Paint Branch had a very special visitor come and talk to the World Studies classes. Nesse Galperin is a Holocaust survivor who speaks to students about the events that took place in her early life during the Holocaust. The students here at Paint Branch are extremely grateful for the wisdom that Mrs. Galperin passed on in her presentation.
Mrs. Galperin was born to a Jewish family in the Lithuanian city of Siauliai, not far from the Latvian border. Her parents owned a business that sold dairy products. A vibrant Jewish community thrived in Siauliai, with many synagogues, newspaper and clubs. The Jews called the city Shavli.
1933-39: Mrs. Galperin attend Hebrew school. Her family was religious. She was brought up in a loving family that stressed the values of community and caring. After the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, her family heard from relatives there that the Jews were being treated horribly. They couldn't believe it! How could your neighbors not stand up and help you?
1940-44: Mrs. Galperin was 12 when the Soviets annexed Lithuania in June 1940. The Germans occupied our city a year later on June 26, 1941, and began killing the Jews. Some Jewish citizens "persuaded" the Germans, with the aid of a large sum of money, that the remaining Jews were valuable, and could be used for work. The Germans set up two ghettos. In 1944 as the Soviets advanced, they were deported to Stutthof, a camp on the Baltic coast. On a work detail Mrs. Galperin sorted a pile of shoes that prisoners said belonged to dead inmates. Mrs. Galperin wondered if she knew any of them.
While on a death march, Mrs. Galperin was liberated by the Soviet army, on March 10, 1945. She emigrated to the United States in 1950.
The students of Paint Branch high school would like to thank Mrs.Galperin for taking the time to come visit the students and staff at Paint Branch and sharing her many experiences with us so that we may insure that future generations will never forget the past.
Paint Branch Establishes American History
Scholars ProgramOn May 2, 2002, Paint Branch High School was named a Gilder Lehrman Academy, the first such academy in the state of Maryland. The Signature Program, along with the Social Studies department, is establishing an American History Scholars program in partnership the Gilman Lehrman Institute of New York and the University of Maryland, College Park. Starting in the fall of 2002, with the freshman class, the program would have a focus on media and media’s influence on world events.Students enrolled in this rigorous academic program would take a second history course each year to complement the required history courses. The courses would range from U.S. History as Represented by Hollywood to The Role of the Media in the Civil Rights Movement. Each student successfully completing this course of study will be recognized as an American History Scholar at graduation and receive a Gilder Lehrman Institute Certificate of Distinction along with his or her diploma.
As part of the partnership with Gilder Lehrman, the institute would offer the Paint Branch American Scholar program:
- Financial resources ($15,000.00 for the 2002-2003 school year) to help support trips, after school activities and curriculum development.
- Send American History related exhibits to Paint Branch.
- Assist with expert guest speakers.
- Provide curriculum help and expertise in course development.
- Participate in Gilder Lehrman Network essay contest for students.
- Inviting school personnel to Historians’ Forums at the Morgan Library
- Provide opportunities for staff development, including priority placement for teachers in summer seminars.
In the congratulatory letter to Ms. Dixon, principal of Paint Branch, Michael Serber and Howard Sertan, the education coordinators at Gilder Lehrman wrote, "We believe that these benefits will only add to the quality of instruction. We are delighted to create this academy with you and welcome you to the Gilder Lehrman Network of history high schools.
2002 Summer Reading Lists
Many studies have shown that reading promotes students' mental growth, capacity to process information, and ability to understand themselves and the world around them. Good readers become good thinkers and good writers. To support this student growth, Northeast Consortium schools have created cross-curricular assignments to provide a variety of summer reading opportunities for each student.Grade 9 | Grade 10 | Grade 11 | Grade 12 | Advance Placement
Every Thursday evening for six consecutive weeks, a film with a medical
science-related theme will be shown in its entirety beginning at 7:00 p.m.
in the Natcher auditorium. Following each film, a guest speaker with
expertise in the film's subject area will comment on the science depicted in
the film and take questions from the audience.Science in the Cinema is open to the general public at no cost and is intended for a
broad range of individuals who enjoy the cinema and have an interest in
science and medicine. The summer 2002 series touches on a variety of medical
science topics, including human subjects research, agoraphobia,
schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, acquired deafness and
blindness, and the therapeutic benefits of humor.All films will be shown with captions. Interpreters and real-time captioning
will be available for the post-film discussions. If you require other
reasonable accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact
OSE at least 5 days prior to the event at (E-mail)
ose@science.education.nih.gov, (Voice) 301-496-0609, or (TTY) 301-496-9755.For further information about the Science in the Cinema film series, please
visit OSE's Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema or contact
the NIH Office of Science Education (OSE) at (E-mail)
ose@science.education.nih.gov, (Voice) 301-496-0609, or (Fax) 301-402-3034.
For TTY users/callers, please call the above (TTY) number through the
Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 or the Maryland Relay at 711
(in-state), 1-800-735-2258 (out-of-state).Science in the Cinema Summer 2002 Schedule:
"Finding Forrester" (2000)
Date: July 11
Starring: Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 2 hours, 16 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references
Speaker: Dennis Charney, M.D.; Chief, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research
Program and Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National
Institute of Mental Health, NIH Medical Science Theme: Agoraphobia"A Beautiful Mind" (2001)
Date: July 18
Genre: Drama
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer,
Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Jason Gray-Stanford
Run Time: 2 hours, 16 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content, and a scene of
violence
Speaker: Wayne S. Fenton, M.D.; Acting Deputy Director, National Institute
of Mental Health, NIH Medical Science Themes: Schizophrenia, Serious Mental
Illness"Fearless" (1993)
Date: July 25
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Rating: R
Speaker: Meena Vythilingam, M.D.; Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research
Program, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Medical Science Theme:
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder"Miss Evers' Boys" (1997)
Date: August 1
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne, Craig Sheffer, Joe Morton, Obba
Babatundé, Von Coulter, Thom Gossom Jr., Ossie Davis, E.G. Marshall
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Rating: PG
Speaker: Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D.; Acting Director, National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH; and Associate Director of
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, Office of the Director, NIH Medical
Science Themes: Bioethics, Human Subjects Research"The Miracle Worker" (1962)
Date: August 8
Starring: Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Speaker: Andrew Griffith, M.D., Ph.D.; Acting Chief, Section on Gene
Structure and Function, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Hearing
Section, Neuro-Otology Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders, NIH Medical Science Theme: Acquired Deafness and
Blindness"Patch Adams" (1998)
Date: August 15
Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour
Hoffman, Bob Gunton, Josef Sommer, Irma P. Hall, Frances Lee McCain
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Run Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and crude humor
Speaker: Michael Miller, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A; Associate Professor of
Medicine and Epidemiology and Director, Center for Preventive Cardiology,
Division of Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore
Medical Science Themes: Therapeutic Benefits of Humor, Medical School
A Slice of Pi
By Karl Hille
Journal staff writer
The JournalMath teachers are not mean, boring or obsessed only about factors and fractions, said David Stein, math teacher at Paint Branch High School.
At least not for one day of the year.
Thursday (3/14 in shorthand) is ``Pi Day," honoring the Greek letter and the mathematical concept that has intrigued scholars for millenia. The endless number is derived from 22 divided by 7.
Usually simplified to 3.14 for practical purposes - or 3.14159 for the truly mathematically inclined - pi is essential to formulas ranging from finding the area and the circumference of a circle to the size of the universe.
``All around the world today, there are students walking into their classrooms and breaking up pi," Stein said Thursday. ``But nobody celebrates like Paint Branch."
He may be right.
After singing Pi Day songs and solving complicated equations to find their piece of the pi, the students headed back to class. There, Stein continued the festivities, animatedly reciting pi as it would appear in the form of ones and zeroes and honoring mathmeticians like Japan's Hiriyaki Gotu, who memorized pi to more than 42,000 digits.
Each student also brought a pie to class - and those not measured up, sliced up and eaten were to be donated to a women's shelter in Washington, D.C. Stein estimated the students will donate 500 pies this year.
The celebration aims to get students excited about math, and to show that among the staid order, logic and rationality of the field, there is at least one major factor that has never been fully grasped by even the greatest mathmeticians.
Though pi has been calculated to more than 9 billion digits, no one has been able to establish a pattern or determine when the sequence will end.
Does the message get across? Stein's students say it does.
``I love Pi Day," said Ritu Sharma, a senior, in between bites of coconut custard pie. ``I look forward to it every year."
She said the event leaves its mark on Paint Branch students.
``There were boys from last year in Giant, and they were buying pie, too," Sharma said. ``They are in college now, and they said they still celebrate."
Stein said 15 Paint Branch Alumni e-mailed him Thursday morning to say, ``Happy Pi Day." But today, he warned, it will be ``back to mean, boring old Mr. Stein, the math teacher."
Duncan And Curry Unveil New Technology
The county executives of Maryland's two biggest jurisdictions - Montgomery's Douglas M. Duncan and Prince George's County's Wayne K. Curry - today unveiled the new touch-screen voting machines that will be in place in their respective counties for the next major election in Maryland. The gubernatorial primary election is scheduled for September 1O, and the general election is November 5.
While demonstrating the new machines at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville - one of Montgomery County's 58 middle and high schools where the computerized voting technology will first be tested April 24 when students elect their representative to the Board of Education - Duncan and Curry noted that the system is easy to use, is handicap accessible and has the capability of providing information in a variety of languages. Prince George's County will have the opportunity to test the new machines prior to the primary election when students at Bowie State College hold an election in May.
Duncan and Curry Unveil New Voting System
"We're committed to ensuring that every vote is accurately counted and that this new system is in place for the fall elections," said Duncan. "I think voters will be pleased with the new touch-screen system. It is extremely easy to use, and it addresses the special needs of our diverse population, particularly those of voters with disabilities and speakers of other languages.""It is important to make voting easy and accessible to all citizens. I especially like the feature of mobile units to bring voting directly to persons with disabilities. Implementation of these machines is truly a tremendous step forward," said Curry.
Montgomery County sought input from the American Council of the Blind. National Federation of the Blind and the Commission on People with Disabilities when the-voting systems were being evaluated. The resulting system offers voice guidance to assist voters who are blind, have low vision or who are illiterate -- leading them through the voting process with voice cues, using keyboard controls and audio. In addition, the touch screen can be easily angled, providing better visibility for voters in wheelchairs.
The state provided funding for software that will enable the system to provide information in Spanish, as well as English. The system will allow for multiple languages, however, and officials will be working with the state to expand the number of language offered.
According to Duncan and Curry, voters in Allegany and Dorchester counties will also use Maryland's new voting system in this year's primary and general elections. The touch-screen machines will eventually be phased in across the state, replacing a variety of systems - including Montgomery County's punch card ballots and Prince George's lever system.
Global/Diebold Election Systems -- which designed and manufactured the new voting system -- will provide a total of 4,678 new touch-screen voting machines to the four counties in Maryland at a cost of $13.1 million. Authorized by last year's Maryland General Assembly, the company's agreement with the state calls for the state and counties to share the cost of storage, technical support and servicing.
Diebold's AccuVote-TS voting system employs a flat screen, similar to those used with some desktop computers. Voters activate the system with an access card, much like the type used for automated teller machines. Voters insert their card, select a language, touch start, read instructions and touch a box next to the candidates of their choice. Voters can easily change their vote by going back and touching the box next to their correct choice. The system does not allow over votes. To move forward, voters press "next" and to return to a previous page, voters press "previous. " A summary page allows voters to review their choices. When satisfied, touching the "cast ballot" screen, removing the access card and returning it to the election judge completes the process.At the end of Election Day, the new voting system can print precinct totals to be included as part of the permanent record and modem the results to a host computer if 0 if
Blue Angels Assembly
Paint Branch High School
March 27, 2002
8:10 am – 9:10 amThere will be an assembly to honor 1982 Paint Branch graduate Lt. Commander Kieran O'Connor on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 from 8:10 am – 9:10 am in the auditorium at Paint Branch High School. Lt. Commander Kieran O’Connor died during a training flight on October 28, 1999 (along with his co-pilot Lt. Kevin Colling of Castle Rock, Colorado) in a F/A - 18 Hornet about three miles north of Moody Air Force Base in southern Georgia. Members of Kieran's family will be there as well as some of the men and women he served with from the Blue Angels.
Kieron O’Connor Biography
Kieron O'Connor, from Burtonsville, Maryland is one of four sons of Brian and Mary O'Connor. Kieron graduated from Paint Branch High School in 1982 where he played ice hockey and swam on the varsity swim team. He graduated from the Catholic University of America in 1988 with a Master of Arts degree in accounting.
Kieron reported to the Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, in August 1988 and was commissioned in November 1988. He completed primary Flight training at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida, and transferred to Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi for intermediate and advanced flight training. He received his wings of gold in October, 1990.
During his navel career, Lt. O'Connor had served with Strike-Fighter Squardron 81 (VFA - 81), deployed aboard USS Saratoga (CV - 60); strike - Fighter Squadron 131 (VFA - 131), deployed aboard USS George Washington (CYN - 73), on her maiden deployment in support of Operations Southern Watch in Iraq and Deny Flight and Provide Promise in Bosnia - Herzegovina; Strike - Fighter Squardron 106 (VFA - 106) as an instructor pilot: and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet as an Aide/Flag Lieutenant.
Lt. Commander O'Connor joined the Blue Angles in September 1998. He had accumulated more than 2,000 flight hours and 295 carrier arrested landings. His decorations include the Strike Flight Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal as well as various personal and unit awards.
Lt. Commander Kieron O'Connor died during a training flight on October 28, 2999 (along with his co-pilot Lt. Kevin Colling of Castle Rock, Colorado) in a F/A - 18 Hornet about three miles north of Moody Air Force Base in southern Geogia.
Lt. Commander O'Connor is survived by his wife Teri and three children, Courtney, John and Kyle.
Some web sites that may be of interest:Seattle Times Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/html98/batt_19990805.html
Blue Angels
http://www.BlueAngels.navy.mil/
Kieron O'Connor Website
A+ Bonus Bucks
This is an opportunity for parents, friends, staff, and relatives to designate Paint Branchas their Giant Bonus Bucks School Our number is 0776.
Watch for more opportunities!
VIP (Very Involved Parent) will enable you to volunteer or to contribute directly to the general fund since the PTSA relies on membership, direct contributions and a walk-a-thon to raise funds. A Very Involved Parent forms are available in the Main Office.
