STARS to our Staff, Parents and Students

VOLUME 3, ISSUE
OCTOBER 2, 2015
TOWSON HIGH
SCHOOL
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
STARS- Weekly
Accolades for
Staff, Parents,
and Students
3
The Towson Pride
STARS to our Staff, Parents and Students
1
Featured Article
2-3
Have You
Heard?
4-9
Project Citizen
1025
Canned Food
Drive Flyer
26
Music Boosters
Flyer
27
Anti Bullying
Week Flyers
2829
Math Help
Calendar
30
SAT Practice
Flyer
31
PTSA
32
Alumni Corner
33
Opiod Overdose
Response Flyer
34
Giant
Fundraising
35
Upcoming Events
36
Each week, individuals will be recognized for their contributions to the
school. Staff members are encouraged to submit accolades that are
worthy of the General’s Star.
Our staff and students strive for
excellence on a daily basis. The
comments listed below represent
some of the recognition for our staff
and students.
Junior Classical League.
Thank you for your hard
work and leadership!
Stars to Chengrui Fu
and Walker MillerBreetz for taking
mathematics courses at
Towson University and
Johns Hopkins University
during their senior year.
STARS to Jacob
Buchman for creating
an outstanding organiza- STARS to Patrick Hutson, Walker Millertion system for both Latin
Breetz and Mason
3 and his other classes!
Miller-Breetz for an
awesome It’s Academic
STARS to Madison
performance.
Annis for creating and
maintaining and extremely organized section STARS to Orion Jenkins-Houk and Even
in her binder for Latin.
Flickinger for supSTARS to The 2015- porting the It’s Academic
2016 Latin Honor So- team as alternatives.
ciety’s Officers: Consuls Jacob Mader and STARS to Amandra
Wright for her hard work
Orion Jenkins-Houk;
and consistent sttendSenators Syd Miller
ance at Coach Class for
and Alex Chrvala.
Latin 1!
These students will lead
STARS to Audrey Byars
Towson High School’s
for super-fast completion of
chapter of the National
make-up work after an
absence from Latin 4!
STARS to Alex Duncan for
demonstrating integrity.
STARS to the Project Citizen Team for all your efforts
towards the Statewide Campaign to combat heroin/opioid
addiction. See article on page
8.
STARS to Mr. Stange, Ms.
M. E. White, and Ms. Colbert for all your efforts with
the Citizen Project team and
the October 1st event with
the Lt. Governor and other
dignitaries.
STARS to Ms. Colbert and
Ms. Debra Rowland for doing such a fantastic job of
keeping our school clean.
STARS to Donna Lauten
and Patti Sengebusch for
their efforts with preparing to
showcase Project Citizen.
STARS to Felicia
Zvagelsky for sharing her
talent with our visitors.
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News From the Athletic Department
T
he road to college for athletes is
no longer lined with traditional
mile markers. It used to be that
batting averages, points per game or yards
per carry paved the way for sports
stars. Nowadays, one more percentage is
carrying more and more weight. It’s called
the
grade
point
average.
program designed by Rick Wire, President of Dynamite Sports, a Pennsylvania
-based corporation, is the father of 9
year NFL veteran Coy Wire. This seminar will provide families with information about the availability of athletic
scholarships and the realities of the college
recruiting
process.
The days of athletes dreaming to “Be Like
Mike” and parents’ dreams of having it
pay for an education and a lucrative future
for their child-student-athlete have vastly
changed over the last generation or so. In
fact, there is a lot more work to hitting a
home run than just hitting home runs.
According to his press release, Rick
Wire found himself looking for answers
when his then 8-year-old son, Coy, started talking about being a college football
star. Wire hadn’t attended college himself and decided he had better start preparing for the future. He questioned
other parents who had been through the
process, looking for pros and cons and
ways to prepare financially. In the end,
his son Coy earned his scholarship to
play football at Stanford University. Then in 2002, Coy was drafted in
the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the
Buffalo Bills where he played for 6 seasons and then finished his career for the
past 3 seasons as a captain and player
rep with the Atlanta Falcons.
A seminar to prepare parents and athletes
for the recruiting road ahead — complete
with all its bumps — will be held on
Wednesday, November, 11th at 7:30 pm
in the Towson High School Auditorium.
“Guiding the College-Bound Athlete” will
provide information and topics for every
student-athlete in middle and high school
and their parents to educate and prepare
them for opportunities and careers after
graduation. Many student-athletes who
aspire to play at the college level are not
familiar with the ins and outs of academic
requirements and eligibility as they need
to be in order to pursue their goals.
Rick used his study to become a speaker
and expert in college athletics and its
recruiting process. Then, he created the
Dynamite Sports Educational Recruiting
System, which combines academic preparation and athletic training with market-
“Guiding the College-Bound Athlete,” a
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News From the Athletic Department
ing and recruiting strategies to navigate through the process. The plan
provides direction to high school athletes and parents, and staff development training and resources to high
school coaches and counselors to
help all parties make knowledgeable
choices and decisions in college athletics and recruiting.
Our speaker will present an hour-long
seminar starting at 7:30 pm in Towson
High auditorium. Interested participants are asked to come early, if possible, to receive a number of handouts
and watch a powerful pre-program video. Attendees will receive a FREE SAT/
ACT Prep DVD valued at $250!
Wednesday, November, 11th
7:30 pm
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Yearbook
Exciting news from Sidelights, the Towson High Yearbook! Now is the best time
to buy your copy of the 2016 edition of the yearbook, currently at its lowest price of
the year. Please visit www.jostens.com to purchase yours today! Parents of Seniors: Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase a recognition ad for your senior. Make sure that your senior is remembered forever with a recognition page in
the 2016 edition of Sidelights. Ads can be purchased and designed online at
www.jostens.com. The editors, staff, and advisor thank you for your continued
support of our yearbook!
It’s Academic!
We had a very early start to our season and it might just be the best one yet! After a
really tough first round of "Starts with A", the boys took the game in hand and never let go! They dominated every round, and Patrick even got to pop the balloons
when we won the bonus. (Watch, and you'll see what I mean.) It airs October 3rd
at 10--set those DVRs now!
It was an all-time high score....at least during my
tenure. Be sure to congratulate Patrick Hutson,
Walker Miller-Breetz and Mason Miller-Breetz
when you see them. They were awesome.
Thanks to Ms. DiMino, Ms. Travis and Mr. Busselman for supporting us!
Patterson Mill 250
Annapolis
280
Towson
745
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It’s Academic!
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Avid Induction Ceremony
Friday, October 2, 2015 was our 7th annual AVID Induction Ceremony. New AVID students and families were welcomed to the program.
Inductees
Steyo Anastasiades
Brian Bell
Steph Carass
Talon Childress
Marrisa Dyer
Sydney Fringer
Emma Kelly
Joey Mooney
Sophie Poremski
Emi Romero-Cano
Oona Schreur
Jules Slaysman
Jessica Torales
Tristan Arias
Cole Katz
Andrew Gorzsas
Sam Beatty
Josh Bowser
Brianna Carter
Kayla Cichan
Milo Fisher
Bridget Hayden
Will Kleeman
Olivia Moos-Meyer
Carson Reed
Elisabeth Sampson
Garret Shipley
Tabby Tomas
Clay Trimble
Roman Gimignani
Sam Laich
International Thespian Society
Founded in 1929, the Inernational Thespian Society (ITS) is the student honorary division of
the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), the professional association for theatre education. Each thespian inductee has completed over one hundred hours of excellent work in theatre arts and related disciplines. In doing so, they have acquired essential twenty-first century
life and career skills that include creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem solving,
teamwork, and effective communication. The following list were current students in the
2014-2015 school year. Congratulations!
Hula, Brennan
Hunt, Jordan
Lawler, Jacob
McCord, Jeremy
Moreau, Basile
Moreau, Eliott
Murphy, Aisling
Pinckes, Jake
Roulet, Celia
Salahvarzi, Miriam
Sarbanes, Leo
Schuh, Genevieve
Admiraal, Lucas
Alexis, Krystal
Amann, Ellie
Amberger, Sophie
Anderson, Tyler
Brooks, Everest
Brown, Julia
Cammarato, Ella
Davis, Gabrielle
Hall, Cristen
Hill, Hailey
Hill, Madison
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Sheedy, Alexandra
Tancredi, Christina
Templeton, Hannah
Wittenberg, Ilona
Yu, Richard
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Towson High School Magnet Program
October 16, 2015
Towson High School will be showcasing its magnet program for interested students
and parents on Tuesday, October 6th, 2015. The doors will be open here at THS at
5:30 and the program will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Magnet Application Deadline
November 30, 2015
Another important date to remember is Monday, November 30th, 2015. All magnet
applications must be completed and submitted to the Office of Magnet Programs by
November 30th, 2015 in order to be considered. New, this year, magnet applications
can be submitted ONLINE. Visit the Office of Magnet Programs Website
(www.bcps.org/offices/omp) to find out more info.
Contact
Julie Kromsky is the Magnet Coordinator/Liaison for THS. You may contact her at
[email protected].
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AP Boot Camp
This summer, Towson High School hosted our very first AP Boot Camp. Mr. Simon Briggs, Student Counseling Department Chair and Ms. Debbie Richmond, World Languages Department
Chair, facilitated the boot camp as a way to bring students together to introduce them to AP classes.
Two (2) days this summer were preparing for the AP courses; expectations of those courses; as well
as strategies to be successful.
The group will come back together periodically to check in on their progress. The main message of
the group is “We are all in this together. Everyone
supports everyone. That’s how we move forward
together.” To further reinforce this message, the
group wanted to create t-shirts. The winning design (by peer vote) was submitted by Daja Alexander, 10th grade.
Another AP boot camp will be held next summer.
If you are interested in taking AP classes next year,
please talk with your counselor.
Winning T-Shirt Design
By Daja Alexander
The First AP Boot Camp Group
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National Merit Scholarship
Congratulations to the following students for making the list of “Commended
Students in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.”
Johanna Admiraal
Ariel Barbosa
Ellen Beaudry
Evan Blanpied
Caroline Bohnenstengel
Joseph Boozer
Sophia Darwin
Orion Jenkins-Houk
Luke Jones
Xinhao Lei
Margit Maple
Emily Melia
Natalie Miller
Oscar Moylan
Aisling Murphy
Marc Nagib
Madeleine Pekosz
Michael Pelekhaty
Daniel Rivkin
Abigail Robinson
Jonah Salehi
Shea Sandifer
Anna Shors
Elora Strom
Jason Varghese
Mattie Wasiak
Adam Wright, Jr.
Richard Yu
Towson High School’s Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Competition:
Catherine Della Santina
Chengrui Fu
Mark Kreynovich (Not pictured)
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Walker Miller-Breetz
Vaughn Parts
Leo Sarbanes
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Project Citizen
Thursday, October 1, 2015, Towson High School hosted an event called “Showcase of Project
Citizen.” This event was used as a platform to announce the beginning of a statewide public education campaign to combat heroin/opioid addiction; as well as an opportunity to review research and public policy recommendations made by the Project Citizen team of students.
Students had the opportunity to showcase their efforts with Project Citizen. Project Citizen provides students with the opportunity to influence policy, the community, and society at large with
the intent of bringing about positive change.
The following dignitaries attended the event:
James Brochin, State Senator
Ben Cardin, U. S. Senator
David Marks, Councilman
Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, Assistant Superintendent BCPS
Barbara Mikulski, U. S. Senator
Dutch Ruppersberger, Congressman
Boyd K. Rutherford, Lt. Governor
John Sarbanes, Congressman
Jack Smith, Interim State Superintendent
Penelope Thornton Talley, Deputy State Superintendent and MSDE’s agency representa-
tive for the Governor’s Heroin and Opioid initiative
John White, Chief of Staff, Maryland State Department
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Mary Elizabeth White, Social Studies Department Chair, Towson High School
Congratulations to our Project Citizen Team for being recognized in such a public manner for all of
their hard work and dedication!! Team members are:
Mohammed Abduljalil
Kabir Bagchi
Erin Benson
Taylor Blair
Kush Bulmer
Luca Cellucci
Megan Garvin
Jackson Hays
Ariel Hopkins
Morgan Jemison
Maya Jones
Dalia Kassas
Natalie Marx
Ryan Miller
Sonali Rawal
Rey Sasaki
Hannah Weinstein
Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford
Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Project Citizen
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Thanks to Sky Zone in Timonium for
providing passes to use as incentives for
our students!!
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Come out and support TEAM BCPS as we work to fight against
bullying in our schools and communities.
When: October 5th - 9th
Colors and Word of the Day
Day
Color
Word
Monday
Blue
Kindness
Tuesday
Green
Equity
Wednesday
Yellow
Empathy
Thursday
Red
Respect
Friday
Purple
Positivity
PARENT UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
Parent/Student Evening Presentation:
When: Monday October 5th
Location: Loch Raven HS Auditorium 1212 Cowpens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21286
Time: 6:45- 8:30 pm
Agenda includes: Welcome from Dr. Dance, Keynote and performance from Meredith
O’Connor and a Gallery Walk
Topics include:
Girl Bullies, Cyberbullying, Surviving MS/HS Bullying - a Student Perspective, Resilience/
Confidence and community resources will be available.
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Math Help Calendar
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PTSA or PTSO?
What’s the difference?
If you heard my brief remarks on back-to-school night, you may remember that the Towson
PTSA Board met over the summer to research the possibility of separating from the National, State,
and Local PTSA to become an independent non-profit organization 501(c)3 or PTSO. You may wonder why we would consider such a move so I am providing some basic information.
Here are some details to consider:
Our present PTSA is affiliated with the National PTA which has State and Local chapters to whom
we are held accountable. We must abide by their Bylaws and surrender $4.75 of each $10.00 in
membership dues we collect.
Every other THS parent/teacher/student support organization (Music Boosters, Sports Boosters,
and Theater Boosters) is unaffiliated with any “umbrella” or “parent” organization and, therefore, keeps 100% of all dues for work at our excellent school.
Aside from a small savings in liability insurance, National, State, and Local PTA do not provide
direct support in any substantial way to our parent/teacher/student organization here at Towson
High which is run 100% by dedicated volunteers.
For the 2014-2015 school year, almost $1800 was sent out of Towson High to support State and
Local PTA and their paid staff.
Since our overall budget is not large, a savings of almost $2000 each year represents a significant
sum available exclusively to our amazing THS teachers, students, and school programs.
Your PTSA Board invites you to join this discussion and explore the option of forming an independent PTSO at Towson High. A committee is forming to move forward to draft articles of incorporation and Bylaws for a proposed PTSO.
We need your input and help to make this happen. This is not something that can be decided by
the Board alone. We must have a 66% majority of PTSA members to physically attend a meeting to
vote for this change. Are you for or against this? Please contact me with your thoughts on this proposal at your earliest convenience.
Best regards,
Cheri Bond Pegues
THS PTSA President
[email protected]
410-227-6773-cell
2015-2016 Student Directories are now available
for a $5.00 donation to the PTA.
Pick yours up today!!
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Class of 1965
Class of ’65 was amazed at the changes that had been made to the building since they graduated 50
years ago. Did you know that THS was a “Senior” high school and housed only grades 10-12? Did you
know that they graduated close to 700 students in 1965?
The Class of 19765 returned home to THS on Saturday,
September 19. They toured the building and shared stories of their days at THS. Did you know that the rooms
across from Guidance were Home Economics rooms? Did
you know that is WAS a tradition for the Senior Class
president to have a master key to got passed down
through the years? Did you know that they had almost
700 in their graduating class? How times have changed.
The Class of 1965 visited on September 26.
Class of 1975
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Towson High School
ID#01245
Dear Parents:
Welcome to the start of a new school year and a year of A+ School Rewards. Beginning
October 9, 2015 through March 17, 2016. TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL ID #01245 will
have the opportunity to earn cash through the Giant A+ School Rewards Program.
All you have to do is:
• Log on to www.Giant.com/aplus to designate our school online using your
Giant Card,
OR
• Call the A+ Hotline at 1-877-275-2758 for assistance
REMEMBER: If you registered your card last year, you DO NOT need to re-register this
year. You can visit the website to verify correct school assignment. Also, don’t forget to
encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. It could mean more CASH for our
school.
After you register your card, each shopping trip at Giant using your Card earns CASH
for our school. Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Giant
A+ website. You can track the amount of points you earn for our school by checking your
grocery receipt and online when you create an account at www.Giant.com. Our school
will receive a check at the end of the program and the money can be used for any of our
school’s educational needs.
Thanks for supporting our school!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
October
5-16
HSA Exams
6
Magnet Showcase (6:00 pm)
8
Parent-Teacher Conferences (2:15 pm—4:00 pm)
14
PSAT Test, grades 9-11 only (At School)
14
Senior Assembly/Senior Panoramic Photo
15
Freshman Magnet Breakfast (7:50 am, Senior Cafeteria)
16
No School for Students
19-23
Spirit Week
20
Freshman/Sophomore Planning Night (6:30 pm, Auditorium)
21
Music Boosters Fall Fundraiser (6:00 pm, Greene Turtle)
23
Homecoming Pep Rally
24
Homecoming Dance (7:00 pm, Cafeteria)
26, 27
Senior Portrait Make-ups (Auditorium)
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Towson High School
69 Cedar Ave
Towson, MD 21286
PHONE: 410-887-3608
FAX: 410-583-1375
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