Unity Times - Unity School

Unity Times
Unity School of Delray Beach, Florida
June/July 2013
www.unityschool.com
Unity School’s mission is to empower children and inspire learning by educating the entire child: mind, body
and spirit. Unity School ‘s vision is to empower children to be lifelong learners who are inspired to believe they
have their own unique contribution to give and can be a powerful influence for bringing forth substantial and
needed change throughout the world.
Unity School Class of 2009 Tops the Charts in Scholarships for College
College Choices for Unity
School’s Class of 2009
Auburn University
Boston University
College of Charleston
Columbia University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida State University Honors
College
George Mason University
Lehigh University
Palm Beach State College
Rollins College
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
Vanderbilt University
Washington University, St. Louis
We are speaking about
hundreds of thousands of
dollars in awards,” beams
Unity School Head Margo
Cohen. “Many of the
members of the Class of 2009
have received full or partial
scholarship support for their
college careers, either
academic, athletic or both.”
Chris Pye-Batocabe, parent of
Andre, could not say enough
about the preparation her son
received while attending Unity
School. Moving to New Jersey
to help care for family
members following his
graduation here, Andre
attended Milburn High, ranked
as the number one high school
in New Jersey for several years
running. He has been awarded
a full scholarship to Lehigh
University. His mother stated,
“Even his top high school
didn’t have what they had at
Unity, especially in terms of
technology/computers,” she
explained. “He really thrived
there” at Unity School. She
continued by saying that the
whole family really misses the
environment at Unity. She
even sent in a donation for the
perimeter fence project!
Shea Gouldd’s career as a
commercial baker began
while she was still at Unity.
She has inspired Unity
students every year since
when she returns to campus
to explain entrepreneurship
and how one’s values
system can form a business
plan. She donates
10 percent of all her profits
to charity, including
Delray’s Caring Kitchen,
one of the food pantries
supported by the Middle
School Builders’ Club each
year. Shea has received
numerous scholarship
awards and will attend
Washington University in
St. Louis in the fall.
“If there was ever any
doubt that investing in a
solid elementary and
middle school education
was worthwhile, this is
proof positive,” notes Ms.
Cohen. “The love of
learning, the sense of
empowerment, the values
learned in Lessons in
Living, the strength of
academics, arts and
athletics, all add up to
making a Unity School start
an amazing launch pad for
high school and college
careers. Hats off to the
Class of 2009 for such a
fabulous record of
achievement already!”
7th Grader Wins Head of
School Award
Jack Maloney, 7A, received the
Head of School Award from
Ms. Cohen at the Year-End
Awards Ceremony for grades
3-8 on June 4th. He showed
“highest excellence in overall
academics and in the two
support categories of Band and
Spanish.” More than 100
Unity School students were
recognized that morning for art,
band, computer, technology,
P.E., music, Spanish,
community service, perfect
attendance, personal
development, citizenship, safety
patrol, and academic
achievement.
Unity Times
Page 2
Unity Students Pass A Milestone of 21 Million Words Read in 2013
First grader Nate Carson (l.)
and Kindergartener Daxon
Bass (r.) enjoy reading outside
on a beautiful spring day at the
Reading Counts picnic.
Twenty-one million sounds
like a lot of words, but is it
really meaningful? According
to the Lexile Reader Measures
reported by Scholastic Inc.’s
Reading Counts program at
Unity School, students here are
reading at the topmost levels
compared to national norms. A
Lexile Reader Measure is
based on reading tests. For
example, the 75th percentile of
First Graders nationally score
up to the 300L measure.
Unity’s First Graders last year
averaged 407L, 35% higher
than this national standard. At
Unity, early elementary
students take a quiz on each
book they read as part of the
Reading Counts program.
According to librarian Judy
Sahn, “All Unity elementary
schoolers are active readers
above and beyond their routine
schoolwork, but Kindergarten,
First and Second Grades stood
out last year.” Assistant Head
Darlene Lang noted, “Our
young readers are off to a great
start, with our First Graders in
2012-13 leading the pack with
an average of 97 books/student
read last year!”
Scholastic Facts about Kids
and Reading
*Students who read widely and
frequently are higher achievers
than students who read rarely
and narrowly.
*A child who reads 1 million
words a year will be in the top
2% of all children on
standardized reading tests.
*Children learn an average of
4,000 to 12,000 new words
each year as a result of book
reading.
Unity School’s Music Instructor Erin Kronzek (far right)
beams with pride at the June 1st recital of her students,
who ranged in age from Kindergarten through Fourth
Grade. From left are Francesca Carbone, KB, Giavanna
Conde, KA, Zach Wooster, 2A, Dietrich DeRenzo, 2B,
Gabrielle Kiminyo, 2A, Mariella Narvilas, 2B, Ryan
Baiano, 2A, Gwen Hutchinson, 2B, Carina Baiano, 3A,
Katelyn Ferry, 3B, Danielle Kiminyo, 4. There was a
combination of piano, voice, and violin performances.
Each student spent approximately two months preparing a
solo piece to perform in front of their friends and family
on this special day.
Family of Unity School Food Service Assistant Kimberly Spells Honored in Exhibit at Delray’s Spady
Cultural Heritage Museum through August 31
“The Spells family is one of
Delray’s best known
pioneering families. They have
contributed greatly to the
establishment of the
community,” explains Spady
Museum Director Charlene
Farrington Jones about the
exhibit running through August
31st about four black families
who have influenced Delray
Beach’s history. Unity
School’s own Food Service
Assistant, Kimberly Spells,
beloved for her infectious
laugh and delicious cooking, is
the granddaughter of Jerry
Spells who came to south
Florida from his home in North
Carolina in the early 1900’s as
part of a movement building
House of God Pentecostal
churches throughout the U.S.
He and his wife Allean were
blessed with 11 children of
whom Willie James “Buddy”
Spells was the oldest son. Kim
remembers family stories about
her father’s entrepreneurial
spirit, with escapades
including skipping school in
3rd grade to work at the local
golf course! He used his
earnings for necessities for his
family’s household. Buddy
and his wife Josie Jones
married in 1937 and had 6
children. When his father,
Jerry, passed away in 1941,
Buddy became the patriarch of
the family, not only raising his
own children but also helping
Unity School Food Service
Assistant Kimberly Spells
(r.) with her sisters Anita
(center) and Thowana (l.)
The Spady Museum is at
170 NW 5th Ave in Delray
Beach; hours are
Monday-Friday, 11—4;
admission is $10.
his mother with his many
younger siblings. Buddy
Spells worked his own 20 acre
farm and also worked for a
local construction company.
For over 36 years, he worked
for Cater’s Furniture and sold
his produce in Pompano Beach
and Delray. He sold the 20
acres to a developer in 1987.
Josie Jones Spells (r.) and
Willie James “Buddy” Spells
Unity Times
Page 3
Got Fence?! $130,000+ in Hand; Plans Approved by City
“It is truly amazing how our
Unity families have
responded,” reports Assistant
Head of School Louis
Saint-Laurent, commenting
on the $130,865 that has
been committed since
May 16th toward the
perimeter fence project.
Mr. Saint-Laurent heads the
team that is overseeing the
logistics towards completion
of phase one. This includes
installing new fencing across
the front and sides of the
campus which will connect
to existing fence, as well as
site and landscape
improvements, and initial
electronic access control.
“This 6’ fence not only
enhances and expands our
campus, but it also limits
access to one main
A welcoming entryway courtyard will grace the approach to the gazebo where the main access to the campus
will be located.
entrance,” he
explains.
“General contractors
are presently
submitting bids for
this great project,”
Mr. Saint-Laurent
reported on July 11.
Talent, Achievement and Athleticism Recognized at End of Year
Ceremonies from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
Alumni from the Class of 2010 Visit Campus as Part of NonProfit Chamber’s Seek
in the City Event
Laina Kislin (l.), Marissa Udine
(center), and Jerry LaPlante (r.) were
part of a team in the annual scavenger
hunt that promotes local nonprofit
agencies in Delray Beach in which
Unity School participates as a “clue
stop.” Exciting it was for Head of
School Margo Cohen to see her
former students. “In three short years,
they have grown into such impressive
young adults,” she observed. Seek in
the City was held June 22.
The Kindergarten Achievement Program
opened the day on June 3rd with joy. That
same day concluded with equal enthusiasm
for the sports awards program. Below are
coaches Sharon Gerry and Travis Schaffer
with award-winning eighth graders Nicole
Trapp and Nick Los.
Photo by Margo Cohen
With more than 25 acts, this year’s talent
show even included an alumnus, Xander
Cohen, ‘09 accompanying sister Brielle,
grade 4; ballerina Madison Bourque, 5A;
boy band, grade 2; magic by Isabella and
Aiden Velez, 3A & KB; and gymnastics by
Cristi Haley, 2A.
101 N. W. 22nd Street
Delray Beach, FL
Phone: 561-276-4414
Fax: 561-265-0990
www.unityschool.com
The Unity Times is produced monthly by the
Office of Development, Kim Hanson, Manager;
photographs by Janet Goldman, Unity School
Photographer (unless otherwise noted)
Both the Boys’ and
Girls’ Varsity
Tennis Teams won
League
Championships
this spring season!
Congratulations to
all the players,
their coaches, and
the families who
came out to
support their
matches. These
two new banners
now hang in the
DeSantis
Gymnasium in the
Advanced Learning
and Enrichment
Center (ALEC
Building).
Summer Camps in Full Swing While Campus Preps for August 21st Start of School
June at Unity School is filled with the
essence of summer in the Preschool Summer
Camp for children ages 3-5 and the Mustang
Sports Camp for students in Grades 1-7.
Later this summer, the Mustang Girls
Volleyball camp runs August 5-9.
Flag Football practice begins August 12.
Check online after August 1 for the
schedule of Orientation Day meetings on
Tuesday, August 20 for all students and
parents, Preschool through Middle School.
Meanwhile, classrooms are being painted,
scrubbed, and readied for opening day on
August 21!