Boston schools ready for the Marathon

Tomorrow is Patriots Day in Massachusetts -- or "Marathon Monday." Students and staff from the Boston Public Schools are participating in the Boston Marathon in various ways -- running, volunteering and cheering on the runners. On Friday the Marshall Elementary School held its annual "Marshall Marathon" (pictured here), with more than 100 students and staff competing for the victory wreaths. Tommy Ozbolt, a City Year corps member at the James P. Timilty Middle School, is running his first marathon in memory of Steven Odom, a Timilty 8th grader who was killed in October while walking home from a basketball game. Ozbolt hopes to raise $12,694 (in honor of Steven’s birthday of January 26, 1994) to create two college scholarships for graduating 8th grade students this year.

Philbrick teacher surprised with $10,000 prize

When science teacher Erin Flynn reported to the Philbrick Elementary School auditorium on Friday, she thought she was on her way to a school-wide "Reading is Fundamental" assembly. Then principal Laurie Carr announced the big surprise: Ms. Flynn was the winner of a 2008 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. The recognition earned the teacher $5,000 and another $5,000 for the school to advance science education. Officials from Amgen joined Ms. Flynn's colleagues, family and students at the assembly. The award commended her innovative approach to teaching science to elementary school students, including lessons at the Boston Nature Center. Pictured here are Ms. Flynn (left) and Ms. Carr.

McKay School to be featured on CBS Sunday Morning

Tune in to CBS Sunday Morning this weekend for a segment about the McKay K-8 School in East Boston. Students wrote to the show about their work with Wendy Booker, a woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) who is on a mission to climb the world’s Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each continent. (See earlier post: McKay students learn to "keep climbing" to reach their goals.) The story is scheduled to air this Sunday on WBZ-TV, Channel 4 in Boston, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

UPDATE: The segment aired on Sunday, May 4. Watch the video.

"10 Boys" groups gather from across the city

More than 900 Black and Latino boys from many Boston Public Schools assembled yesterday at UMass Boston for the "10 Boys Initiative Goes to College." Mayor Menino, Superintendent Johnson, UMass Boston Chancellor Keith Motley and other dignitaries honored the young men, as well as their principals and teachers, for their work to achieve proficiency on MCAS and to prepare for college. The initiative, providing additional support and encouragement to small groups of boys of color, began in Triad A schools but expanded citywide this year. Watch the event on BPS-TV!

Pictured here at the celebration are Dever Elementary School student Jose Morales and principal Guadalupe Guerrero. The boys from the Dever -- wearing team jerseys from the new elementary basketball league -- attended with their teachers Geoff Rose, Donnie Lucente, and Matt Hamilton, who volunteer after school to provide coaching, mentoring, tutoring and other supports.

Gardner students unpack the "Ultimate Science Classroom"

Students in Dean Martin's fourth grade science class at the Gardner Pilot Academy got a special treat recently, with the delivery of the “Ultimate Science Classroom.” Mr. Martin won the model classroom, which includes more $43,000 worth of science teaching materials, at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference on Science Education, held here in Boston last month. The conference featured workshops and presentations by dozens of Boston Public Schools science teachers, sharing their innovations in science instruction, as well as a performance by the Boston Arts Academy Jazz Ensemble. Read more at the National Science Teachers Association website.

* Akamai Technologies donates $6,000 to Madison Park's Robotics Team.

* Four Boston debaters compete in Chase Urban Debate National Championships in Chicago.

* Entire Quincy Elementary School marches from Chinatown to the Big Apple Circus at City Hall Plaza.

* Boston 8th Graders outpace urban peers on national Writing exam.

UPDATE: ETV wins the Fox25 newscast contest!

The on-line voters have spoken, and English High School's "ETV" was selected over nine other schools as the winner of Fox25's "My High School Newscast" contest. Congratulations!

See earlier post.

East Boston's Ventre commended for sportsmanship on the ice

East Boston High School's Christopher Ventre is the recipient of the 2008 Boston Bruins Ice Hockey Sportsmanship Award for the Boston City League. A senior left wing, Christopher served as Assistant Captain for the Jets this year. During his four-year career, Christopher has never received a major penalty or game disqualification. “Chris is one of the biggest supporters during the games and makes sure that players coming to the bench know they are doing a good job on the ice," said Coach Robert Anthony. "He is a team leader for the East Boston Jets. Chris is always the first person in line to shake hands after each game.”

ETV a finalist in Fox 25 "My High School Newscast" Contest

English High School Television -- better known as "ETV" -- is one of 10 finalists in Fox 25's "My High School Newscast" Contest. Viewers can vote online for their favorite entry until this Thursday, April 10, at 12 noon.

Male Engagement Conference this Saturday

BPS fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other adult male role models will gather tomorrow for the second Male Engagement Conference hosted by the Office of Family and Community Engagement. The "Rules of the Game" conference will provide men with strategies to support the academic success of children in their lives -- especially in the areas of character development, communication, addressing challenges and college access. The conference will take place at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, 270 Columbia Road, Dorchester, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with breakfast and registration beginning at 9:15. For more information or to RSVP, call 617-635-9661.

Winter sports roundup

It's been an exciting winter sports season for Boston Public Schools teams and athletes. These are just some of the highlights. For complete tournament results, visit the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) website.

Student-athletes from many Boston high schools (some pictured above) participated in the All-City Basketball Classic on March 29 at Northeastern University, celebrating students’ achievements on the court and in the classroom. The South Division, led by New Mission coach Cory McCarthy, captured the girls’ title, beating North 68-58. Among the boys, Snowden coach Drew Hughes Brock led the North Division to victory, 97-94.

Congratulations also to the Middle School Basketball City Champions. In the girls’ division, the Timilty beat the Lewis, 17-10, and the boys from Orchard Gardens outscored the Edwards 55-47.

Two Boston players have been nominated for the “All FOX 25 Girls Basketball Team”: Bianca Flores from New Mission High School and Shari Martinez from Brighton High School. The results of an on-line poll will be announced tomorrow.

The Boston Globe has named the Winter 2008 All-Scholastics. O’Bryant’s Jose Ortega was selected Boys’ Track Coach of the Year. BPS student honorees include: Girls’ hockey: Kathleen Roche and Ann-Marie Elvin, both Boston Latin; Boys’ basketball: Gerard Coleman, West Roxbury, and Greg Hackett, Charlestown; Boys’ track: Omar Aden, Charlestown, and Enoch Mills, English.

At the State finals last month, the MIAA presented the Charlestown High School Girls’ Basketball Team with a Sportsmanship Award.

The MIAA also presented a 2008 Distinguished Service Award to Chris Lane, Chief Administrative Officer for the Hyde Park Educational Complex.

As a great winter of BPS sports comes to an end, the spring season now gets underway, with golf, tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball and track all beginning their schedules this month.

Nominate BPS employees who go "above and beyond"

We all know people who go the extra mile to make a difference in the lives of Boston's children and families. This is your chance to say "thank you" to those special Boston Public Schools employees -- teachers, principals, secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers, central office staff, and others -- who go out of their way to help and serve.

Every year, Mayor Menino, the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union honor an impressive group of Boston Educators of the Year. For information about how to nominate a teacher, paraprofessional, nurse, or other BTU member, visit the BPS website. The deadline is April 15. You can also read about last year's winners, including Ismael Valenzuela from the Irving Middle School, pictured here.

The district has reinstated the Service Excellence Awards this year to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of both school-based and non-school-based employees. Any member of the BPS community -- colleagues, parents, students and others -- may submit nominations by April 30.

These awards will be presented at a joint ceremony on June 23.

Murphy students' imaginations earn honors

Third grade students from the Richard J. Murphy K-8 School (pictured here with coach Catherine Pienta) represented Boston well in the recent Destination ImagiNation Tournament. The team earned Third Place in the annual competition held this year at Beverly High School. Destination ImagiNation is a national program that challenges teams of students to work together in a short period of time to apply creativity, critical thinking and talent to solve a problem. Students do not know in advance what challenge they will face and have only eight minutes to develop a solution using limited materials.

At this year’s competition, the Murphy School team had to create and present a theatrical performance with an original story about a myth, urban legend or folk tale and create a “myth-ecol” replica from recyclable materials. Learn more about the Murphy students' project.

Raise money for your school at the "Nike 5K for Kids"

NIKETOWN and the Boston Public Schools have teamed up again this year to promote the "NIKE 5K for Kids" Run/Walk Fund-Raiser: Saturday, May 31, beginning at 8 a.m. at Franklin Park, Playstead Field. Entrants can run or walk the 5K (3.1 mile) or 1 mile course. Parents, grandparents, children, educators, and community members are invited to participate in this family-friendly event. Assemble a team or run as an individual. Proceeds from every entry fee will support physical education and athletic programs at the Boston-area school of your choice.

Register by May 23 online or at the NIKETOWN store on the corner of Newbury and Exeter Streets in the Back Bay.

Orchard Gardens to be featured on "Word Generation" website

The Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) is working with the Boston Public Schools to improve reading comprehension among middle school students. Several BPS schools are serving as pilot sites for SERP's Word Generation vocabulary program, including the middle school academy at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in Roxbury.

SERP has begun to create an online professional development website that features videos of classrooms, interviews with teachers, students, and administrators, samples of student work, teacher lesson plans, research about Word Generation, and more. SERP has selected the middle school academy at Orchard Gardens to be featured on the site. Matt Ellinger, Director of Multimedia Development (and former teacher and administrator), will visit Orchard Gardens next week to videotape Word Generation in action in classrooms. Once posted on the web, the work will serve as a model for teachers and students around the world.

What are you doing this summer?

Now is the time to register for summer programs for your child. Programs throughout Greater Boston offer children of all ages safe, fun academic, enrichment and recreational activities. To learn more, pick up a copy of the popular BPS publications Summer Stuff (for students in grades 6-12) and Summer Stuff Jr. (for K-5). These publications list hundreds of summer camps, classes, activities, internships and job opportunities for the coming summer. They are available in all Boston Public Schools and Family Resource Centers, as well as City Hall, public libraries, YMCA branches, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) community centers, and on-line.

22 BPS students earn Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards

Twenty-two Boston Public Schools students have won Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. The winning artists attend five Boston schools: Boston Arts Academy, Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, New Mission High School and Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School.

The program honors student artists from middle and high schools throughout the Commonwealth in twelve different art media, including painting, drawing, photography, and design. A panel of judges reviewed the students’ work and presented Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards. All individual pieces receiving a Gold Key in Massachusetts continue on to New York for national judging with the other Gold Keys for the United States in their respective age group and category.

NEHRA awards scholarships to two Boston students

The Northeast Human Resources Assocation (NEHRA) recently presented two Boston Public Schools students with college scholarships in recognition of their leadership and academic achievement.

Maria Robles of Roxbury, a senior at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, received the $2,500 Norma Kornegay Clarke Scholarship Award. Ms. Robles is the senior class president and an active participant in many student clubs, including the JROTC program. She volunteers her time in school, tutoring other students, and outside of school with several local organizations.

Thao Nguyen of Dorchester, a senior at Excel High School, was selected for the NEHRA 2008 Medallion Scholarship Award, worth $1,000. Ms. Nguyen arrived from Vietnam in September 2004, quickly mastered English and recorded the highest grade point average of all freshmen, sophomores and juniors in her school. She has been active in many student clubs and was the first female company commander of Excel’s JROTC program. She volunteers her time outside of school assisting Vietnamese children and adults with English acquisition and started a support group for her fellow students in school to help with the transition to American culture.

Both students are the Valedictorians of their school's Class of 2008.

Jim McIntyre named Superintendent of Knox County Schools

Dr. James McIntyre, Chief Operating Officer for the Boston Public Schools, has been named the next Superintendent of the Knox County Schools in Tennessee. The School Board voted last night to appoint Jim to lead the 53,000-student district. Congratulations!

Earlier post: Jim McIntyre completes Urban Superintendents Academy.

BPS officials trying to close $30 million budget gap

Faced with rising costs and declining federal, state, and private/philanthropic resources, the Boston School Committee and Superintendent Carol Johnson are trying to close a gap of $30.7 million in the Boston Public Schools budget for the 2008-2009 school year.

At last night's School Committee meeting, Dr. Johnson described an array of strategies already adopted to reduce costs and generate savings of nearly $15 million, but the district must identify another $15 million in reductions to balance the budget. The School Committee is required by law to vote on a final budget proposal at its March 26 meeting. To match expected expenditures with expected revenue, officials have said "everything is on the table," including staff layoffs and school closures if necessary.