Superintendent's Message
Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community,
I am pleased to announce that Kristin Smetana will serve as Interim Principal for the 2014-2015 school year for Riverside Brookfield High School. Kristin is currently the Assistant Principal for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at RB. Kristin's experience as a National Board Certified Teacher, Department Chair, and Assistant Principal provides a strong foundation for her to step into this role. Her deep understanding of curriculum and instruction will provide RB with the instructional leadership needed at the building level to guide students and staff in making significant growth on the established District goals. Please join me in welcoming Kristin in this new role. Cordially,
Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D.
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District Calendar Changes: Classes in Session May 2 and 27
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The District still has two days of school to make-up for the emergency closings that occurred on January 27-28. Classes will be in session on Friday, May 2. This was originally scheduled to be a Teacher Institute Day. Prom is also scheduled for May 2. Classes will be dismissed at approximately 1:15 p.m. Students must attend school in order to attend the prom. The second make-up day will be on Tuesday, May 27. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will report for final exams that day. Graduation will remain on Friday, May 23.
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Certified Staffing for the 2014-15 School Year
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At the March Board of Education meeting, the District 208 School Board approved 94 full-time certified teachers for the 2014-15 school year. This is an increase of approximately four teachers compared to current school year staffing. The Board and administration are committed to operating all freshmen core classes (Math, Science, English, and Western Civilization) at a 25-1 staffing ratio. The additional staff members will also be providing more certified resources toward reading interventions for students and ACT preparation.
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D208 Receives $8.9 Million from Capital Development Board
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The District has received its check for $8.9 million from the Capital Development Board. A majority of this money will be dedicated to addressing the facility and capital needs identified in the Facilities Assessment. The 2013 Facilities Assessment is available for the public to view on the website under the Board of Education tab. You can also view the Facilities Committee meeting from November 4, 2013, by clicking here.
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Alumni Achievement Medal
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The Alumni Achievement committee is accepting nominations for the Alumni Achievement Award. The Award strives to identify graduates of Riverside Brookfield High School who are recognized by their high level of contribution to society. Recipients of this award will be acknowledged at a dinner in the fall 2014 and will have a commemorative plaque displayed at RB. Applications are located on the website under the Community tab by clicking Alumni.
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Principal's Message
In light of the two recent events at the school that resulted in the administration securing police assistance, I would like to address issues related to school safety and student discipline. In the case of these two incidents, generalized threats were made against RB by students who do not attend our school. In both cases, the police determined that the threats did not constitute any legitimate danger to the students or staff. Nonetheless, these events undermined our families' feelings of safety and raised many legitimate questions from parents that I will address.
As most of you are aware, the first incident occurred on February 21 when an anonymous caller to the Brookfield Police's Emergency Center claimed that a former student intended to shoot people at the school. Immediately, classes and offices were put into "shelter-in-place" status to stop all movement within the school and to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the building until the police formed a safety perimeter around the school. This status lasted until the alleged potential shooter was located, questioned, and found to be uninvolved. That night, the Riverside Police Department arrested the person who admitted to placing the prank phone call. They verified that the caller's intention was not to harm or to scare RB students and staff. Instead, his goal was to get the other person in trouble with the police.
The second event occurred after a physical altercation between students at school on March 19 that resulted in one of the students and a security member being taken to the hospital for minor injuries. That evening, negative chatter on social media sites escalated between friends of both students. The police determined that the threats did not constitute any legitimate danger to students or staff. However, on the following day, the police were at the school to ensure a smooth start to the day and to reassure students who saw the media postings that they were safe.
The administrative team takes safety very seriously at RB, and that is why we utilize our local law enforcement officers when students violate the Student Handbook's code of conduct by committing serious infractions that risk the physical and emotional health of students and staff. In addition, John Passarella, the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs, and I meet with each grade level twice a year to cover our behavioral expectations for them, as well as the disciplinary consequences for serious safety violations such as fighting, bullying, or the use/distribution of drugs. We discuss their role in keeping the school safe by sharing specific action steps they should take if they hear or see anything that concerns them in or out of school. They are empowered to dial 911 on their own, to seek help from any staff member, to share information with administrators in person or via email, to take precautions to stay safe from potential violence, and to use the anonymous bullying reporting form on our website. We are extremely pleased that RB students are listening to our advice. The recent actions of many students show that they are working in partnership with the adults at RB and with the police in their communities to ensure their safety and that of their fellow Bulldogs.
Finally, I want to reassure parents that we respond rapidly and effectively when students commit serious code of conduct violations. While such actions are rare at RB, we have an established protocol to respond to them, which includes consequences such as arrest, suspension, change in school program, placement in an alternative school setting, or expulsion. Due to the privacy rights that are mandated for all students, we can't discuss the details of any individual's discipline case, but our response is proportionate to the infraction and its resulting impact. Additionally, it is important for you to know that part of our ongoing Student Services and Deans' Office process is to formally review the status of our at-risk students each week in order to provide these students and their families with the social work and counseling support they need in order to prevent a dangerous episode from occurring. The fact that RB experiences very few serious public safety violations indicates that our current protocol is working well.
If you have any concerns or information you would like to share with us, please contact me at [email protected] or John Passarella at [email protected]. Sincerely,
Pam Bylsma "Education is not the learning of facts; but the training of the mind to think." Albert Einstein
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Adjusted Exam Schedules
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2014 PSAE APRIL TESTING SCHEDULE
Please note that on Thursday, April 24, there will not be a Late Start Day. School will begin at 7:55 a.m. both days of the test. Juniors should be in the Main Gym by 7:50 a.m. both days. Freshmen and sophomores will be in assigned homerooms. The rooms will be posted and information will be in the student bulletin. Seniors will not be attendance on Wednesday unless they are taking a practice AP exam. Click here for the complete testing schedule. FINAL EXAMS
Please click here to download a pdf of the revised final exam schedule for the second semester, due to winter school closings.
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Sign-Up Now for Summer Academics, Workshops and Camps
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Summer academic and athletic offerings for 2014 are posted on the RB website under the Student tab. This year, the academic offerings have been expanded to include several workshops. These non-credit workshops will assist students in transitioning to Advanced Placement (AP) or pre-AP courses. Additionally, a College Admissions Preparation (CAP) will also be offered for students to gain familiarity with the ACT test, learn test-taking skills, and the importance of pacing for this college preparatory assessment. There are also academic camps to provide students with opportunities to participate in band, prepare for the college application process, experience RBTV, and learn about theater and acting. There are several athletic camps throughout the summer.
Registration is currently being taken in the Business Office through May 27. Forms are available online and in the Business Office. Currently enrolled students will be given priority for registration. All tuition and fees must be paid at the time of registration. Click here to link to the program booklet. CAMP COLLEGE - JUNE 9-13
Here's a chance to make extensive progress on your college application, so you don't have to stress about it in the fall. Students will learn about college search and selection topics including, but not limited to, financial aid and The Common Application. They will develop a list of potential college options and create a college essay draft. One day may include a college tour. Information and a registration form can be found in the summer program booklet.
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Prom, Graduation and Residency Requirement Reminders
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PROM (JUNIORS AND SENIORS)
Date: May 2, 2014 Time: 6:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. All students attending prom are required to ride the bus. Students must arrive at school by 6:00 p.m. Buses will begin leaving at 6:00 and the final bus will leave by 6:15. Arrive early to avoid missing the bus. GRADUATION
Date: May 23, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. Indoors/Main Gym/William A. Dudley Gymnasium: If the ceremony is held indoors, due to inclement weather, 4 tickets will be issued per student. Outdoors/Shuey Stadium: If weather permits and the ceremony is held outdoors, 8 tickets will be issued per student. Every person entering the ceremony is required to have a ticket. Students owing any fees will only be issued one ticket. Contact the Business Office immediately to set up a payment plan. SUMMER RESIDENCY EVENT - SAVE THE DATES
July 21 & 22 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. July 29 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Aug 4 & 5 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. This is an annual, Board of Education-mandated event where all families are required to provide current residency documents prior to their children being allowed to attend RB. All residency appointments will be scheduled online. This will enable parents/guardians to select a time slot that is most convenient for them. Log-in and password instructions will be coming in June. Contact Mr. Passarella at [email protected] with any questions.
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RBEF: Student Enrichment Grant Deadline April 17 and Telethon Fundraiser
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STUDENT ENRICHMENT GRANTS
Riverside Brookfield Education Foundation (RBEF) grant applications for students are now available online ( click here). Students can apply for grants to help fund almost any kind of educational enrichment. Students have used the grants for activities such as fine arts workshops, leadership academies, and technology camps. The deadline to apply is Thursday, April 17. Completed applications can be given to Jim Franko in Student Services. TownConnection AND THE TELETHON
The RBEF Telethon funds grants to help students and teachers afford enrichment and professional development opportunities. TownConnection is a network of free community websites aimed at connecting residents, community groups, and local businesses. Among other things, it gives parents and other members of the RB community a convenient option to stay informed about school news and happenings. TownConnection has pledged $5 to RBEF for each new member who joins in the RB communities in the coming weeks. If you are interested and would like to help the RBEF, click here to to sign up.
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School Citizen of the Year Award
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This year's recipient of the 2014 SCOTY Award for Riverside Brookfield High School is junior Ezequiel (Zeke) Linares. Zeke received his award at the 18th Annual SCOTY Awards ceremony on March 19. West 40 Intermediate Educational Service Center #2 annually recognizes students who have been chosen by their schools as "good citizens and models for others to emulate." Grades and activities are important considerations, but only a small part of the selection process. Each school develops its own selection criteria. The school principal and teachers nominate one student a year. RB uses school and community volunteer service as its criteria for selection. In addition, the student must hold a current leadership role in the school. Principal Bylsma noted, "Zeke is an outstanding role model and energetic leader. He is a multi-sport athlete and is active in many clubs and committees. Zeke is a Best Buddies officer and mentors younger students, training them to be future buddies. As a member of the Association of Students for Tolerance, he travels to a retirement home at least once per month to work with senior citizens. This year, he served as the student coordinator for the Salvation Army bell-ringing. An active member of Student Association, he assisted with the Blood Drive. Zeke helped the PTO coordinate last year's Day of Service. His passion for making a positive contribution is inspirational."
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Students of the Quarter Honored
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Mrs. Bylsma holds two Bulldogs representing missing honorees Connor Berek and David Buksa
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On March 21, we honored students who exemplify our values of "Excellence and Ethics in all Bulldogs Do!" in order to acknowledge their hard work and hold them up as positive role models for their peers. This month, the PBS Committee asked staff to pick students who exemplify the Character Counts! pillars of trustworthiness and fairness. Congratulations to our honorees! Applied Arts Michael Frushour, Senior
English Connor Berek, Junior
Fine Arts Austeja Staneviciute, Junior
Library Wendy Zhou, Senior
Math David Buksa, Junior
Science Matt Chapp, Junior
Social Studies David Pribyl-Pierdinock, Sophomore
Wellness Ryan Kunish, Senior
World Language Gabriela Lopez, Junior
Leadership Lauren Primer, Junior
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Triton Early Orientation for Seniors April 24
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Current seniors planning to attend Triton can complete the testing and registration process on Thursday, April 24. RB Counselors will drive students to Triton, and Triton representatives will administer any necessary testing, give campus tours, and complete the registration process. Students will be back at RB for afternoon classes. Sign-up forms can be obtained in Student Services or by emailing your counselor. Space is limited.
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Pop Tops for Patients
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During April, the Student Association will be holding its 10th annual "Pop Tops for Patients" collection for The Ronald McDonald House. The pop tops help provide housing for families with children in treatment at Loyola Hospital. The goal is to collect 100,000 pop tops to reach the goal of donating one million. There will be a friendly competition throughout the school. All fifth hour teachers will be collecting pop tops from their students. The class that collects the most will win a pizza party. If you do not have a student who attends RB but wish to contribute pop tops, please feel free to drop off your donation to the main office any time April 1-29.
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RB's German Program Prepares Students For Regional, National Honors
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NATIONAL GERMAN EXAM
RB students earned five gold, five silver, and three bronze medals, as well as many additional achievement awards in the 2014 National German Exam. Congratulations go to German Teacher Patricia Reaves and the following students: Gold medals: 90th percentile and above
German IV Quentin Dreilich German III Nicholas Jepson, Evangeline Pina, John Parisi German II Dylan Dreilich Silver medals: 80th percentile and above
German III Kylie Payne German II Collin Dreilich, Carolyn Judy, Nerija Cuplinskas, Nicole Kural Bronze medals: 70th percentile and above
German III Nicholas Fremgen, Keith Hermanek German II Jemma Perry RB STUDENT 1ST IN GERMAN POETRY CONTEST
Kylie Payne won first place in the Illinois German Competition with a poem called "Stella Maris." Evangeline Pina took third place with a poem called "Freitag, den 13ten." Both students adapted a song for their performances. Thirty-three students from 17 schools participated in the contest.
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The math team did well at their regional competition, with David Buksa advancing to the state competition May 3 at the University of Illinois. Here are other notable finishes:
Eve Adami, 10th, Algebra 1
David Pribyl-Pierdinock, 5th, Geometry
Wendy Zhou, 7th, Algebra 2
Isabella Soluri, 6th, Pre-Calculus
Please congratulate all mathletes on a job well done. The Math Team is coached by Melissa Gordon and Kevin Dybas.
MATH ADDS UP TO CHARITY
March 19 was our RBHS Day of Math featuring a Math-A-Thon benefiting St. Jude's Research Hospital. Eighth grade students from Gross, Hauser and Komarek participated in the hour-long contest that helped raise more than $2,900! They were also treated to a magic show from our own TJ Ketchmark while National Honor Society students graded the papers. We are still able to provide donations. Please click here to make an online donation. Scroll down and below the progress bar click "Make a Gift." Or, if you prefer, you can give your donation to Sandy Czajka or Lindsay Mynaugh and they will send it in.
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Metro Suburban Art Festival
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Seven students in the Visual Art Department participated in the Metro Suburban Conference Art Festival on March 19. This is the conference finals. Art teachers Suzanne Zimmerman and Blair Jensen treat this event as a growth activity for students by inviting promising freshman-junior artists to attend. This one-day festival leads to great exposure to their peers' artwork, a critique of their own work, and participation in workshops taught by practicing artists. Professional artists were judges. Nick Hamera won second place in the Realism category for his acrylic fruit painting, and participants Rebecca Alejandre, Jane Yang, Adam Nie, Katie Storage, Eve Adami, and Fiona Larson represented RB in a proud manner.
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AACA Members Meet with Three Community Heroes
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Great role models came to RB during Black History Month to speak to students during their lunch periods. They included Riverside Police Officer Hamilton, Officer John from the Romeoville Police Department's Canine Unit with his dog, and Yvette Mannie, a current college student and former security for celebrity clients. Yvette began hanging out with the wrong crowd and made bad choices. She is back on track and encouraging young people to stay on track. African American Cultural Association (AACA) co-sponsors Nurse Alison Jackson and Security Member Denise Delgado explained that the goal of bringing these speakers in to share their stories was to show how education and good choices can provide a great future.
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The Only Disability is a Bad Attitude!
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Students eagerly participated in the Best Buddies "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign/banner signing in the cafeteria on March 12. Our Shred the Word Campaign used a real shredder to shred the word "retarded." John Passarella gave an impassioned speech to a hushed audience, and the Suburban Life interviewed many officers, Buddies, and Peer Buddies.
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Bulldogs Making Great Music
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BAND AND ORCHESTRA INVADE MUSIC CITYOver 70 members of the Band and Orchestra had a terrific tour to Nashville, TN, February 14-17. Students had the opportunity to see a live Grand Ole' Opry r adio broadcast, tour historic RCA Studio B and play Elvis' piano, perform on the Ryman Auditorium stage, hear great live music on Broadway, and work with Nashville song writers to create two new songs!
A special thank you goes to Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Collis, Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Waterloo, Mrs. Battistoni, Mrs. Tardi, and Mrs. Keen who chaperoned the trip, and to Mr. Baum and Mrs. Marelli for directing and organizing this amazing opportunity for our students. RB VOCALIST HONORED IN PRESTIGIOUS COMPETITION
Congratulations to sophomore Abby Schwarz, who took 3rd place in the Chicago NATS Musical Theatre Competition (National Association for Teachers of Singing). Quite an accomplishment!
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Teen Tech Week
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The library celebrated Teen Tech Week in March with a library "holiday" to help teens learn how to effectively explore, create, and use technology. The week culminated with the Electronic Petting Zoo program, where almost 350 students and staff members had the opportunity to use the school's newest (and oldest) technology. While at the Zoo, participants also took a survey about their technology use, browsed a display of tech-related books, and celebrated by visiting the Trough (snack table).
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RB Teachers in the Spotlight
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RB's Library and Instructional Technology Department Chair, Bridget Wilmot, was recently chosen to be a book reviewer for the national professional publication Library Media Connection. She will be reviewing young adult fiction for the magazine. Plus, RB will get some free books for the library! She also just wrapped up her first year of a two-year term serving on the Grants and Awards Committee for the Illinois School Library Media Association. Christine Stiel
Christine Stiel took two graduate-level courses at the Art Institute of Chicago last summer, but not the kind of art studio experience you might expect. The "American Sources" program focused on the use of works of American art as primary documents in order to address critical skills in analytical thinking, inquiry and research, and visual literacy. Participating educators worked closely with museum educators, local historians, and art historians to discover techniques for engaging students in close reading and comparison of different types of sources-not only primary and secondary, but also visual, textual, and graphic.
She incorporated Frank Memkus' Whirligig America folk art piece and Pierre Daura's Americans At Work painting into her AP Lit and Comp course, to "intertextualize their study of Aristotle's tragic plot structure, the American play All My Sons by Arthur Miller, and the documentary Soldier's Pay," Ms. Stiel explained. Students explored the literary concepts of patriotism, the American Dream, extent of responsibility, and the business of war through the various and conflicting texts of visual art, literature, film, and other primary sources such as wartime propaganda posters, oral histories of the era, nonfiction research, and political cartoons. They created lines of inquiry, and synthesized applicable texts to reach conclusions and, where conclusions were not so clear cut, more critical understandings. Each of these skills are seen as central to the Common Core standards. She employed similar techniques in her Honors English 10 class in the Coming of Age literary genre unit, and created a webpage of resources for studying the traditionally accepted four stages of the COA novel. You can access the Coming of Age page to see a description of the literary genre style, and peruse the sub-tab Exploring Social, Cultural, and Historical Context in Collage Art to see how the artwork echoes what the writers are doing with the genre.
Ms. Stiel was also one of only two teachers invited to be part of the Art Institute's annual curriculum fair in May and to present at its "Lessons in the Spotlight" program that allows teachers to get feedback about their work, anticipate audience responses, and make adjustments and improvements to scholarship, learning, and teaching by using the same critique process artists use.
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RB Athletics
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Please visit rbhs208athletics.org for a recap of the 2013 Winter Season and all upcoming athletic events, highlights and scores.
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| RB nominated Keri Burke and Ryan Swift to the Illinois High School Association Students Advisory Committee. Keri participates in Swimming and Water Polo, and Ryan participates in Football and Basketball. The Student Advisory Committee is a diverse group of students who participate in interscholastic athletics/activities and are focused on providing education and leadership through open and honest communication with all member school students, administrators and coaches. The committee serves as a liaison between students, administrators, the IHSA Staff, and Board of Directors.
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RB Donates Blood to Save Lives
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On February 26, the Student Association held its final Blood Drive of the year. They surpassed their goal of 90 pints of blood and collected 105 total donations. These donations will enable LifeSource to help save up to 315 lives within our community! If anyone would still like to donate they may contact LifeSource and use our code #313. Our next drive will be in the fall.
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Students Inspired Parents at PTO Meeting
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The RB PTO thanked Principal Bylsma for organizing a wonderful presentation on "Finding Summer Enrichment Opportunities to Match Your Child's Interest" at its March meeting. Great information, including scholarship and grant opportunities, was provided.
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Excellence and Ethics
in Education
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Important Dates
Please check our website for the dates and locations of all performances and events.
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April 2
7:00 p.m.
Jazzapalooza
Band Room
April 3
8:00 p.m.NHS Induction
Alumni Lounge April 7
7:00 p.m.
PTO Meeting Room 201 April 8
7:00 p.m. Board of Education Meeting Alumni Lounge
April 9
7:00 p.m.
Spring Band and Orchestra Concert
Auditorium
7:00 p.m. What I Wish I Had Known Room 201
April 16
7:00 p.m. Vocal Jazz Concert Band Room April 18
Non-Attendance Day April 22
7:00 p.m. Committee of the Whole Meeting Room 201 April 23-24
Testing: PSAE, Explore, Plan April 25-26
7:00 p.m. Orchesis Concert Auditorium April 26
8:00 a.m. Day of Service April 30
7:00 p.m. Senior Awards Auditorium
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Contact Us
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See our website for individual staff email addresses
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