South Windsor High School
Bobcat Tracks
June 2016 Issue 5
Message from Principal Sullivan
Dear Students and Parents:
It’s hard to believe that another school year is drawing to a close.
As you know, South Windsor High School prioritizes the education of the whole child. Our success this year in academics, athletics and the arts is a testament to the support of our school
community in terms of achieving those goals. Here are a few examples of those accomplishments:
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Robotics qualified for the World Championships for the 3rd time in 4 years
Science Olympiad qualified for the National Championships
Math Team qualified for the New England Championship
Choral Spectrum- Gold Medal Nutmeg Show Choir Festival and the Connecticut Classic.
Spectrum Band- Best Band Nutmeg Show Choir Festival
2 Students recognized as National Merit Finalists
Girls Basketball – made it to the CIAC Semi-Finals
Multiple Individual State Champions in Wrestling, Swimming, Cross Country, Track & Field
Boys Volleyball – Class M State Champions!
I hope that your child has grown in all areas this year and continues to challenge him / herself in
the years ahead.
If you’re a senior parent, thank you for your support over the last four years. The class of 2016
has been an incredible group of students to work with. The students in that class are talented in
all areas and have many accomplishments to celebrate. I am confident that they will continue to
find success in their future endeavors.
Best wishes for a great summer-
Daniel Sullivan
Principal
“Dream, Achieve, Inspire”
Prathamesh Bang
Hannah Basile
Michael Fialkoff
Alexandra Goslin
Angela Luo
Julia Mainelli
Peter Mao
Katherine Niemiec
Jacob Robinson
Briand Savidge
Valedictorian – Angela Luo
Angela is a consummate scholar, brilliant musician, gifted athlete and community activist. Also a National Merit finalist scholarship recipient, she is a highly
respected scholar and leader at South Windsor High School. An extremely
humble, yet enthusiastic person who epitomizes all the qualities a dedicated
scholar possesses; a genuine passion for learning, a fervent curiosity about the
world around her, and a desire to make it a better place. As a dedicated 5 year
member of Science Olympiad, she recently traveled to Wisconsin to compete in
Nationals and achieved great success.
An award winning flautist and pianist, Angela has earned numerous accolades for her musical performance, having won festivals and competitions across the Northeast. She thoroughly enjoys the
time she spends playing with the Connecticut Youth Wind Ensemble, serving as accompanist for
the All Connecticut Chinese Youth Chorus, and in her leadership position as first flute in Wind Ensemble. One of her proudest moments as a musician was when she was a featured artist at Carnegie Hall after winning the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition.
Somehow, she never seems stressed about her rigorous course work, musical endeavors, athletics
or the numerous clubs and activities to which she belongs and holds leadership positions. Brown
University will be fortunate to have Angela Luo on campus this fall.
Salutatorian- Peter Mao
By nature, Peter is an analytical and methodical thinker. He thrives in situations that demand an innovative, fresh look to arrive at scientific or technological solutions. This is evidenced by his tremendous success as a designer in Robotics and a leader on Math Team. Thanks to his innate intellectual curiosity
and initiative, he welcomes the opportunity to take risks to further his
knowledge. Not only has he achieved superiority academically, but he has enhanced the SWHS student body with his enthusiasm for leadership in extracurricular activities like Science Olympiad, Students Against Destructive Decisions and Model United Nations (in which he currently serves as President). In
addition, he has carved out time to become one of the state’s top tennis competitors.
Just a brief glance at his resume reveals a National Merit commended scholar, AP Scholar with
Honors and an executive leader in National Honor Society. Last summer, he independently chose
to take a summer course in writing at Brown University simply to quench his thirst for knowledge
in that subject area.
He epitomizes all that our nation’s top schools desire in an applicant. He is extremely driven, while
remaining humble and comfortable in his own skin. His calm demeanor, even in the midst of a
hectic schedule, is his trademark. Peter Mao will continue to achieve excellence as a student at
Brown University.
EXCITING CHANGES FOR THE
2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR
8 Period Hybrid Bell Schedule!
Late Arrival Days now on Mondays!
Students must arrive to school by 8:15am on late arrival days
9/19, 9/26, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/14,
11/21, 11/28, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 1/9, 1/30,
2/13, 2/27, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/17, 4/24,
5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 6/5
Please note: On late arrival days, buses run on their regular schedules.
Students arriving via bus will be directed to the café, gym, or media
center until classes begin.
2016-2017 8 Period Bell Schedule Non Late Arrival
Drop 1, 5
Drop 2, 6
Drop 3, 7
Drop 4, 8
MONDAY
1
TUESDAY
2
WEDNESDAY
1
THURSDAY
1
FRIDAY
1
7:25 – 8:04
2
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
3
3
2
2
8:09 – 8:48
HR
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
HR
HR
HR
HR
8:53 – 9:00
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
3
4
4
4
3
9:05 – 9:44
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
6
5
5
5
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
5
7
7
6
6
10:33 – 11:12
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
8
8
8
7
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
4
9:49 – 10:28
6
11:17 – 12:32 Lunch
Waves
L1: 11:12 - 11:32
L2: 11:32 - 11:52
L3: 11:52 – 12:12
L4: 12:12 – 12:32
7
12:37 – 1:16
8
1:21 – 2:00
2016-2017 8 Period Bell Schedule Late Arrival
Drop 1, 5
Drop 2, 6
Drop 3, 7
Drop 4, 8
MONDAY
L.A.
TUESDAY
2
WEDNESDAY
1
THURSDAY
1
FRIDAY
1
7:05 – 8:20
1
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
7:25 - 8:20
3
3
2
2
8:25 – 8:55
2
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
8:25 - 9:20
HR
HR
HR
HR
9:00 – 9:30
HR
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
9:25 – 9:33
4
4
4
3
9:35 – 9:43
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
9:38 – 10:33
6
5
5
5
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
10:38 - 12:00
9:48 – 10:18
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
Lunch Waves
L1: 10:33 - 10:55
L2: 10:55 - 11:17
L3: 11:17 – 11:38
L4: 11:38 – 12:00
4
7
7
6
6
10:23 – 10:53
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
12:05 - 1:00
5
8
8
8
7
10:58 – 11:28
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
1:05 - 2:00
3
6
11:33 – 12:50 Lunch
Waves
L1: 11:28 - 11:48
L2: 11:48 - 12:09
L3: 12:09 – 12:30
L4: 12:30 – 12:50
7
12:55 – 1:25
8
1:30 – 2:00
Congratulations!
South Windsor High School student/athlete Kaitlin Bakas signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Quinnipiac University. Kaitlin was joined by a
host of family, friends, coaches, and the school’s principal at the high
school on April 20th for the signing.
Bakas will run cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at Quinnipiac
University. She currently holds the 1600m indoor and outdoor records at
South Windsor High School, as well as the school record in the 1000m indoor.
SHEDD AWARD
The Civics First Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Erin Simcik is the recipient of the Mark R.
Shedd Award.
The Mark R. Shedd Award is given annually by Civics First, Inc. to a teacher (K-12) who, in the opinion of
the Directors, has made an outstanding contribution to law-related education in Connecticut during the
preceding five or more years. The purpose of the award is to recognize imaginative and innovative ways,
materials and learning experiences developed by a teacher that have been uniquely effective and which
will be a model for other teachers as they work with students.
The Mark R. Shedd Award for Excellence in Law Related Education is given in honor of the former Connecticut Commissioner of Education who along with Margaret Richards co-founded our organization in
1976. Dr. Shedd served in Connecticut from 1974 until 1983. Prior to that, he had been a superintendent
of schools in Philadelphia and in Englewood, NJ. After leaving Connecticut, Dr. Shedd was the director of
the program in Public Policy and Management at the University of Southern Maine. He died in 1986 and
the first award in his name was given in 1987.
SWHS Competed in the 25th Annual Connecticut High School Geographic Challenge
A team of 10 students from SWHS competed in the 25th annual Connecticut Geography Challenge on May
17, 2016 at the UConn in Storrs. All activities and questions were related to the theme of “America’s National Parks.” The team consists of students Berk Alpay, Vishal Patel, Parth Patel, Jake Bogoslofski, Aaron
Yao, Kunal Khatter, Natalie Paliulis, Hannah Mulchahy, Prathamesh Bang, and Waleed Hussain and teacher
advisor is Erin Simcik. Students represented South Windsor well and the top team came in 2nd PLACE after
they lost in a tiebreaker round.
The CT High School Geography Challenge is the only interscholastic geography competition in the state for
high school students. They are sponsored by the Connecticut Geographic Alliance,
an alliance among educational institutions and individuals in the state of Connecticut dedicated to promoting geography education in the state of Connecticut and
supported with funding from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation. The Connecticut High School Geography Challenge is unique in that it requires a high level of geographic knowledge and well-developed geography skills
as well as good team work.
ASTRONOMY NIGHT
South Windsor High School has an array of elective classes which offer fun, hands on learning experiences. Astronomy students and teacher Mr. Carlson come in on various Wednesday nights to
star and planet gaze when the weather is cooperative. Conveniently located adjacent to Mr. Carlson’s
classroom is an observation deck. They have a collection of four telescopes on which they plan to expand. Pictured here are Annalise Perra, Matt Kelly,
Tim LeBlanc, Victoria Garofalo, and Joe Pleines preparing for the night viewing. While calibrating the
GPS enabled telescope they also took the opportunity to attach the solar filter and safely view features on
the Sun’s surface.
THE WORKS OF TECH CREW
Tech Crew is a program at South Windsor High School that
designs and builds sets for the fall musical and spring comedy. This spring’s comedy is Rumors written by Neil Simon.
Tech Crew spends multiple Saturdays and their entire April
vacation on stage constructing the set. They eat breakfast,
lunch, and sometimes dinner together on the same day. Not
only does it take a lot
of hard work, but there
is also a certain skill set needed to install doors, windows,
stairs, and a second floor. This spring’s set was built by
Alexis Nicewicz, Jeffy D’Onofrio, Lucia Palladino, Ryan
Rosenbaum, Nat O’Brien, Elliot Bushman, Eric Hofmann,
Morgan Allgrove-Hodges, Abbey Oppenheimer, Rachel
Helmke, Jordan Nason, and Cooper Cassells.
Geologic Hazards “Unearthed”
One of the units that students study in their geology class is Geologic Hazards. The hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, mass movements, volcanoes, and asteroid impacts. Pictured
here the Karlin’s twins, Keegan Caffrey, and Kristina Biancardi
are constructing the building they designed to withstand an earthquake. Their group competed
against other groups in the class
to see which design could last the longest on the quake board.
The other picture shows Nick Carbone, Damien LeClerc, Josh
Linnell, and Ed Ludvigson conducting an investigation they designed to determine how different factors affect the size of a
tsunami.
Dabs to Geology
Every spring semester geology students head out into the field to see geology as it happens.
Well, more accurately how it happened millions of years ago. The two pictures shown here share
the theme of differential weathering rates. One stop is at Sleeping Giant State Park. Students are
standing in front of Cascade Gorge. The stream moves from a resistant diabase igneous rock to a
weaker sandstone. The stream goes from flowing over the surface to a dramatic 30 foot deep
gorge that the stream cut out over millions of years. The other picture is from Diana’s Pool in
Chaplin, CT. The resistant pegmatite layers protrude out over the weaker gneiss that the stream
has carved away over millions of years.
Technology News
As the 2015 – 2016 school year winds down, South Windsor High School is gearing up to distribute Chromebooks to freshmen and sophomores next fall. Chromebooks are mobile devices that offer a host of cloudbased productivity tools, including Google Docs, Slides, and more. They are lightning fast, and they facilitate
collaboration anytime, anyplace.
When fully implemented, our one-to-one Chromebook initiative will create a digital learning environment
that allows students to personalize their learning in a globally connected world.
Incoming ninth- and tenth-grade students will receive their Chromebook during the last week of August. In
addition, parent information is being prepared for distribution during the summer.
LATIN NEWS
The National Latin Exam is offered annually by the American Classical League in March to middle and
high school Latin students. Over 154,000 students from across the country participated this year. There
is a separate exam for each level of Latin with questions about Latin grammar, translation, history, mythology, ancient geography, and English derivatives. 2016 is the second year that the National Latin Exam has been offered to South Windsor High School students. Congratulations to all who participated,
and in particular to the following students who were recognized with medals or certificates for their outstanding performance:
Latin I
Jason Rickenbacher
Ronnack Saxena
Megha Rao
Dean Hu
- GOLD Summa Cum Laude
- SILVER Maxima Cum Laude
- Cum Laude
- Cum Laude
Latin II
Kayla Curameng
John Savola
Sai Manasani
- Cum Laude
- Cum Laude
- Cum Laude
Congratulations
Class M State Champions
Boys Volleyball
AUGUST—SEPTEMBER
Aug 25 Freshman Orientation
Aug 31 First Day of School
5 No School—Labor Day
6 Open House
13 Board of Ed Meeting
14 Senior Parent & Financial Aid Night
19 Late Arrival
26 Late Arrival
26 PAC Meeting
27 Board of Ed Meeting
SAVE THE DATE!
The eighth Longest Dinner Table will be held from 5 P.M. to 10 P.M. in Evergreen Walk Park on
Saturday, September 24, 2016 featuring: Rob Guilmette, DJ.
All proceeds go to the South Windsor Public Education Fund, providing grants for all 7 South
Windsor public schools. There will be games, prizes, 50/50 raffle, a table decorating contest, silent auction, coffee bar, and much more.
Start thinking about inviting your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and/or family and get your tables
together! Ticket price is $25 per person. For more information, please go to
www.swfoundation.org. or send an e-mail to: [email protected].
SWPEF is a committee of the South Windsor Community Foundation