In 83 more days Students will return to the halls of Southwest High School. And they will be very different children. Three months will have post and over 25% of the total student enrollment will be first timers.
And the excitement rings the air. The last four finals for the 9-11 graders is happening right now. The clock moves so slowly and yet so quickly. In five hours this school year is over and in a blink of the eye and entire four-year experience is gone by.
The year has been full of bumps and jumps. We still struggle with social media. Privacy continues to be an issue that is a problem for all ages. The young continue to "revolt" against their elders and the cycle of life continues.
Another good academic year. We are moving into a reflection, planning year. The summer is going to be busy as it is every year.
Have a good and relaxing break before we do it all again.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate Awards
The following students who have earned a
State of Minnesota World Languages Proficiency Certificate in Spanish or
Japanese.
In order to be eligible, students must demonstrate proficiency
at an Intermediate-Low level in all four modalities (Reading, Writing,
Speaking, and Listening) on a standardized Language B exam.
Most of the
students who earned the certificate actually scored above that level in some of
the modalities.
Soren Anders-MacLeod
Kennedy Borman
Sophia
Chadbourn
Samantha
Coffler
Sarah Edinburgh
Martha Elliott
Ian
Evans
Isabelle
Falk
Narangarav Ford
Miles French
Alma
Gonzalez-Diaz
Adele Gordon
Arazu Kian
Joshua
Kirk
Cleo Krejci
Madeline Kaye
Benjamin Lane
Owen
Lazur
Griffin
McEnery
Anna Moskowitz
Kyle Munshower
Kristina Newland
Cristina Lorena Nueleanu
Emma Price
Margaret Puzak
William Ragatz
James Rokke
Anna Ryden
Martina Sarver
Mackenna Savage
Meghan Schwob
Jonah Shaw
Sam Sinkler
Jackson Smith
Esther Swanson
Rebecca Tincher
Ella Willford
Isak Keller
Samuel Gaines
To put this certificate in
perspective, this is the equivalent of testing out of the first year of college
level language classes. The U of M gives a year of advanced standing to
students who can demonstrate an Intermediate-Low level. Many of
these students have done this as 9th graders, which is quite
impressive. The results are based on the STAMP test, which students took
in class during May.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Don't Forget to Use Your Target Red Card Credits for Southwest
If you shop at Target anywhere (not just Minneapolis) and use your Red Card, Target donates dollars to Southwest High School.
That is if you listed Southwest High School in your settings for the Red Card. Please make sure your donation dollars are going to Southwest High School.
Grandparents are in Florida or California or Canada or Kentucky? That is okay. If they listed Minneapolis, Minnesota Southwest High School as their sponsored school, those donation dollars would be supporting your child - their favorite grandchild.
Have some time? What If?
What if??
Do you have time in the afternoons and/or evenings this summer?
Are you interested in exploring possibilities and challenges?
Are you interested in doing some strategic planning with Southwest High School?
We are looking for parents, community members and non-graduated SW students.
Send me your email (summer contact) information.
We are planing on exploring and reviewing what might be.
What If?
Eric Sayre and the Guyana Lutheran Music Academy
I hope everyone’s year is wrapping up nicely. As you may
have heard, I will not be returning to Southwest next year. I am sad to be
leaving such a passionate and supportive group of staff, students, and parents,
but I am eager to begin my next adventure…
I am excited to move forward, but still very sad to be leaving. I have always been and will remain deeply invested in the Southwest music program and its students, and hope to return to it someday soon.
Next year, I will begin to work fulltime on a very
meaningful project of mine: The Guyana Lutheran Music Academy (www.glma.gy). After two years of working
afterschool and on weekends, my team and I are now well underway with plans to
open a full-time music academy in New Amsterdam, Guyana, September of
2014. The academy will accommodate 240 students a week, taught by a team
of four U.S. teachers traveling to Guyana for 10-month stints. The
Guyanese Lutheran Church has already generously donated a school building and
housing for our teachers!
I will spend this next year, still in MN, building the
program, continuing to design the curriculum, and finishing up our fundraising
needs (only $115K to go!). I will actually leave for Guyana in the late
spring of next year.
I am excited to move forward, but still very sad to be leaving. I have always been and will remain deeply invested in the Southwest music program and its students, and hope to return to it someday soon.
If you are interested in staying informed of our progress,
please email me at ericsayre@glma.gy.
Thanks, and have a great summer!
Eric Sayre
SW Band DirectorClass of 2013 Making It Big
2013 Southwest Graduation at mariucci Arena
The Class of 2013 is on the Megatrone! Thank you for all who attended and joined in the celebration. It was a grand evening and I trust all family and friends had a good time celebrating with the graduates.
Off into the world go another set of excited and wide-eyed young people. We wish them our best. We trust they are prepared to problem-solve, be flexible and continue learning. There is much to be done.
As I often say: The Leaders of tomorrow were sitting there Saturday evening. We know our future is in good hands.
SW Junior Nathaniel Larson American Youth Leadership Program
Introducing AYLP
Singapore & Malaysia Class of 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 14, 2013
Contact: Rachael Taft
Email: rtaft@culturalvistas.org
Cultural Vistas Unveils the AYLP Singapore & Malaysia Class of 2013
18 U.S. high school students selected to study sustainable development
NEW YORK – Cultural Vistas is pleased to announce the selection of the 2013 class of the American Youth Leadership Program (AYLP) with Singapore and Malaysia, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State.
The 18 U.S. high school students and two educators selected to participate in this funded, yearlong program represent 15 different states, plus Washington, D.C. During the program they will gain firsthand experience and knowledge of the people and cultures of Singapore and Malaysia, with a specific focus on the two nations’ approaches to sustainable development.
The students are currently in the midst of the virtual component of the program, performing research and collaborating together online on various pre-program projects to orient them to the cultures of each country and the environmental issues they will encounter. At the end of June, they will come together in Los Angeles for a pre-departure orientation, and on July 1 they will fly to Singapore to begin their three-week immersion experience, which includes a series of educational and cultural workshops, team-building exercises, community service activities, university lectures, sightseeing, and homestay experience.
"It is a true honor to be a part of this important endeavor in Malaysia and Singapore. The pre-departure work has been meaningful and instructive," said Nora Laberee, an AYLP student participant and Medford, N.J. native. She added the things she looks forward to most on the trip are "exploring the natural beauty of these countries, representing the USA with enthusiasm, making new friends, and gaining a deeper knowledge and understanding of the sustainability challenges there and elsewhere on this blue planet."
Upon returning to their hometowns, students will implement education and service projects in their communities involving the skills and learning they acquired during the exchange.
"Mostly applicants ask what a program can do for them, but in the case of AYLP, we get the chance to share our experiences with our communities with a post-travel project. This is one of the reasons I am excited about AYLP," said Nathaniel Larson, a high school student from Minneapolis. "This program combines elements of our topic of study – sustainable urban development – with interaction of the culture of Singapore and Malaysia, a duo that is, to me, irresistible."
This marks the third year of the American Youth Leadership Program, and the first with Singapore and Malaysia as the destination countries. Cultural Vistas previously administered American Youth Leadership Programs conducted in Japan for more than 60 American students and educators during both the summers of 2011 and 2012.
The American Youth Leadership Program with Singapore & Malaysia Class of 2013
|
Students
Cosmo Albrecht, Castle Hills, TexasInternational School of the Americas Chase Ammon, Washington, D.C. School Without Walls Kirsten Brodeen, Ft. Collins, Colorado Rocky Mountain High School Valerie Cazeau, Laurel, Maryland Atholton High School Noah Gallant, Bethany, Connecticut Amity Regional High School Patrick Goff, Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque Academy Julianne Rose Goodman, Wyckoff, New Jersey Bergen County Academies Derek Kiy, San Diego, California Canyon Crest Academy Nora Laberee, Medford, New Jersey Homeschooled Nathaniel Larson, Minneapolis, Minnesota Southwest High School |
Forrest Malcolm, Pembroke, North Carolina Purnell Swett High School West Career and Technical Academy Ashley Reed, Hudson, Ohio Hudson High School Samuel Robbins, Midlothian, Virginia Manchester High School Mara Sherline, Baltimore, Maryland Bryn Mawr School Josue Tovar, Nevada, Iowa Nevada High School Sophie Westbrook, Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence Free State High School Jamie Withorne, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Washington High School Educators Kristen Bright, Statesville, North Carolina South Iredell High School Mary Stewart, San Antonio, Texas International School of the Americas |
Learn more about the American Youth Leadership Program with Singapore and Malaysia at culturalvistas.org/aylp.
About Cultural Vistas
A non‐profit 501(c)(3) organization and designated sponsor of Exchange Visitor Programs, Cultural Vistas has facilitated professional exchange programs and services for visitors coming to the United States, and Americans seeking overseas experiential learning opportunities since 1950 — Learn more at culturalvistas.org
Follow @CulturalVistas on Twitter
About the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The ECA fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly and peaceful relations through a wide range of academic, cultural, and professional exchange programs — Learn more at exchanges.state.gov
Follow @ConnectStateGov on Twitter
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