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Gerald Garfin, Principal PRINCIPAL�S NEWSLETTER May 5, 2023 EARLY COLLEGE AWARENESS WEEK During the week of May 5 - 9, we will be joining with the Foundation of Excellent Schools (FES) in EARLY COLLEGE AWARENESS activities. We are asking that all teachers spend a few minutes during the week to talk about college. This discussion should include the college application process, entrance requirements and the importance of a college education. It is our intent to have students begin to think about college as early as the 9th grade. VISIT BY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICIALS On Friday, May 9 we are expecting a visit from Dr. Lester Young, Chief Executive of Youth Development and School Community Services, Mr. Benjamin Tucker, Chief Executive of the Office of School Safety and Planning and Rose DiPinto, Senior Superintendent. They will be sitting in the Council for Unity class during the 3rd period in room 231. Mr. March and Mr. Minetti are the Coordinators. VISIT BY STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER RICHARD MILLS On May Tuesday, May 13, we are expecting a visit from the New York State Commissioner of Education Richard Mills. Mr. Mills will be visiting Math classes and meeting with and speaking to teachers and students. This visit is part of the TV program being developed showing how schools are helping students pass the Math A Regents. REPORT CARD GRADES DUE Second Marking Period grades are due to Assistant Principals on Tuesday, May 6th by 3 PM. SCHOOL WIDE EXAMS During the next three weeks we will be offering Advanced Placement Exams, Component Retesting Exams in Math and ELA and the NYCELET Exam for our ELL students. These exams will require a great deal movement of classes from their regular rooms or Library to either another room or the auditorium. Mr. Salazar distributed a listing of the classroom changes. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause. AFTER SCHOOL AND SATURDAY TUTORING As we move closer to the end of the term, we want to remind all teachers, parents and students of our extensive After-School and Saturday Tutoring Programs. Please refer to the Tutoring Schedules that are posted outside of the Principal�s Office and the throughout the building. Please tell your students to take advantage of these opportunities. SCHOOL WIDE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MEETING The Annual Open Meeting of the School Leadership Team Meeting will take place on Monday, May 12, 2023 from 7 PM - 9 PM in the School Library. All members of the school community, teachers, staff, parents and students are invited to attend this important meeting. SPRING CONCERTS On May 15 and 29, the Creative and Performing Arts Department (CAPA) will be presenting its annual Spring Concerts. On May 15, we will have vocal performances of the Gospel Choir and Concert Choir. On May 29, we will have performances from the Concert Band and the Jazz Band. Tickets are available from Mrs. Barone and the other members of the CAPA Department. Join us as we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our performing arts students. CLASS OF 2003 SENIOR PROM The Class of 2003 Senior Prom will be held on Thursday, May 22 at the Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester, New York. All staff members are invited to share this joyous occasion with the members of the Class of 2003. Please see Mrs. Barone for ticket information. From 8 - 9 PM, the Senior Class invites all members of the faculty and staff to join with them at the �Coke�tail hour. There is no charge for this portion of the prom. Please see Mrs. Barone to sign up for this activity. BRONX PRINCIPALS VISIT COLUMBUS The Bronx High School Principals will be visiting Columbus High School on Tuesday, May 27. This visit is intended to give the Bronx High School Principals a first-hand tour of the building and to visit classes in Pelham Prep, Math Science Institute, College Now and the Bronx High School for the Visual Arts. Please expect them into your classes on this day. UFT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNER Nan Pham has been selected to be a recipient of the Albert Shanker UFT Scholarship Award for this school year. This $4000 award is given annually to outstanding students in each high school. Congratulations! 2003 COLLEGE BOARD AP FELLOWS The College Board has awarded three of our faculty members� stipends to participate in the AP Summer Institutes. The teachers selected are Angela Franco, Marcia Lluberes, and Ramona Ngolla. The staff members selected demonstrated a commitment to excellence in education, and willingness to make extra efforts to strengthen the Advanced Placement program at our school. Congratulations! CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION Larry Minetti has received a Certificate of Art Teacher Recognition for his efforts in encouraging students to participate in the 2002-2003 Coca Cola Art in Harmony competition. Congratulations! NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS CBT/CAPA The Spring Concert will be held on May 15th at 7:00 in the auditorium. The Concert, Chorale, Gospel Choirs and Soloist will be performing this year. Also performing will be the �Icy Blue Steppers� and the �CCHS Dance Team�. �The Band Concert �s 18th Year Celebration� will be on May 29th at 7:00 in the auditorium. The CCHS Concert and Jazz Bands will be performing as well as invited guests. There will also be a �Semi-annual Art Exhibit�, which will feature artwork from all the art classes. Congratulations to Carmen Laboy, Ann Liski, Raymond Rickard and Blane Shaw for their dedication and hard work in the � Solo Showcase� Performance on April 8, 2003. A special thank you to all the staff members that came to the performance and showed their support for their colleagues and students. A Partnership with the YABC Student Aide Internship Program and the CAPA/CBT Department has been formed. Two YABC Lab assistants will be working in the �TIPS� Lab assisting teachers. Also an intern is working as an assistant in the ceramics lab. The Virtual Enterprise Program, under the direction of Ms. Pat Johnson, participated in the Virtual Enterprise Trade Show. The show was held at the New York Armory on April 8th. The themes for the show were �Mardi Grai� and a �Cover Magazine Photoshop�. The top salesman of all the CCHS VE students was Joseph Thomas with a total of $7,500 in sales. Mr. Thomas will be awarded a $50.00 gift certificate. On April 14th, CCHS�s CAPA Department in collaboration with The Bronx School for the Visual Arts hosted 50 visiting Columbine Students and staff to Columbus School. The students came to tour New York City during their spring break and to visit a city high school art program. It was a pleasure having them in our school. On April 30th the CAPA department held a second period assembly for CCHS students and staff from various departments at Columbus to see the production of �School Dayz�. We would like to thank all the teachers and students for participating in this assembly. We hope to see you at more of our musical events! The Senior Ring Ceremony was held in the school library on April 30th. We would like to congratulate all seniors and wish them good luck! On June 25th at 6:00 PM we will be having the CCHS graduation at Lehman College. All staff members are invited. Mr. Minetti�s Graphics class participated in Coca-Cola�s �Art in Harmony� Poster contest and all received personalized recognition certificates from the company honoring the students� great efforts. On March 26th, representatives from the Suffolk County District in Long Island came to visit/observe the Columbus Chapter of Council For Unity. Mr. Minetti stated that each official who visited was highly impressed with the program, as well as being motivated by council members: Kyle Harmon, Yovanny Santos, Daniel Velasquez, Jason Busch, and Rezan Nasim. Mr. Minetti�s College Now classes all participated in creating monochromatic collage cut outs of their native countries. Each will be displayed in the College Now Office and various classrooms promoting unity. Henry Mena of the Council for Unity designed a logo for the Columbus Chapter. Tee Shirts are being printed with his creation. ENGLISH On Wednesday, April 9th, the librarians hosted the 2003 Great New York State Read Aloud during the 8th period at the library. Ms. Sherwood, Ms. McCandlish, Mr. O�Brien, and Ms. Glickman attended with their classes and participated in the reading. On Tuesday, April 29, representatives from CUNY visited 23 11th grade classes to discuss the college application process. On April 29 and May 1, Mr. New accompanied The College Now trips to the Bronx Zoo and to Ellis Island. On April 30, Ms. Colton and her classes attended the Museum of Jewish Heritage. On April 30 and May 1, Mr. O�Brien went to Williams College in Vermont to visit the professor with whom he is collaborating. This program is part of our partnership in FES. The following teachers are involved with The New York City Writing Project Seminar in Writing Theory: Ms. McCandlish, Mr. Hubbs, Mr. Gribetz, and Ms. Fink. Ms. McCandlish, Ms. Colton, Mr. Manolios, and Ms. Sherwood are participating in a study group, which is studying Classroom Instruction that Works and implementing suggested literacy strategies in their classrooms We are excited about a new school-wide literacy initiative that is being planned by a committee consisting of Ms. Krell, Mr. Manolios, Mr. Molloy, Ms. Liski, Ms. Wooters, and Ms. Rowland. The committee will present a strategy for the adoption of literacy strategies that work across disciplinary fields During the week of April 7th, Mr. Manolios shadowed Mr. Leder, Principal of Lehman High School. The experience was quite enlightening. The EARS and the AD101 programs are currently active in over a dozen 9th grade classes. MATHEMATICS The Benchmark Examination for all 9th Grades Cohort 2006 will be administered during the week of May 5th. On Monday, April 14, a film crew and representative from the NYS Department of Education visited the Mathematics Department to film the different activities that we do to help students pass the Math A Regents Exam. The film crew met with students who are currently enrolled in Math A Regents prep classes and their teachers. Christopher Columbus High School will be featured in a NYS Department of Education program, �Helping Students Succeed.� On Friday, April 25, Mr. Garfin and Mr. Tmimi were invited to meet with NYS Commissioner of Education Richard Mills to discuss the activities that we do at Columbus High School to help students pass all Regents exams in order to graduate. Dr. Buono, Mr. Escudero and Mr. Levin continue to participate in the writing project offered by the New York City Writing Project at Christopher Columbus High School. All strategies learned are being implemented in the lessons to help increase students� understanding of word problems. Dr. Buono and Mr. Friedman continue to attend the New York City Math Project class offered by Lehman College and Queens Superintendent Office. The emphasis of the course is developing projects and duties for classrooms that can be analyzed using the TI83 Graphing Calculator. Each week they are shown Math experiments and Hands On projects that utilize real world information. As part of a school based Professional Development Plan for Spring 2003, the Mathematics Department continues to offer Graphing Calculators training during the school day. This week Mr. Gerold conducted a training session during the third period on May 2. Ms. Auslander attended the Peer Coach meeting offered at Morris High School, April 29. As a result of the continued effort with regards to Curriculum Development and common sequence of lessons, the Mathematics Department will be offering a common final for all M$2 and M$4 classes. SECOND LANGUAGE � Ms. Ngolla, Ms. Lluberes, and Ms. Franco have been selected to participate in the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. � Ms. Manginelli conducted a workshop on scoring the new LOTE Regents Examination. � We began a new tutoring program for ESL students to further enhance their possibilities of passing the NYSESLAT examination. � We conducted the Globe House Award ceremony this past May 1. It was a huge success. Thanks to Mr. Garfin, Ms. Milgrom, Ms. Leon, Ms. Rukaj, Ms. Pagan, Ms. Ayala, Ms. Valentine, and Ms. Glickman for their effort and support. � Ms. Glickman, Ms. Maceyak, Ms. Toscano, Ms. Manginelli, and Ms. Burgos received a laptop for their particpation in the TIPS program. SOCIAL STUDIES With the New York Stock Market Game finally finished we are proud to announce that our students finished in first place in both games. In the first game, that started February 18th, Renato Barrera and Kevin Marquez were first with a total equity of $114,158. In the second game, that started February 24th, Dannag Nasser, Lauern Johnson, and Thomas Williams were first with a total equity of $135,255. Dannag, Lauern and Thomas also finished first for the region that includes Westchester and Putnam Counties. Besides the overall winners, we had another 10 students finish in the top 50 out of over 2000 teams. Congratulations to all of our students and especially to the teachers who helped make it all possible. The department will also continue to offer tutoring for all students who need help preparing for the Global History and United States History regents this June. Tutoring is after school and also on Saturday. NEWS FROM THE HOUSES COLLEGE NOW College Now tenth graders had back-to-back trips. On Wednesday they went on an Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tour. Mr. New arranged this trip. Students and staff went downtown by subway. Our thanks to Mr. New for arranging this. Although one student said it was �too educational�, the general consensus of all was that the trip was a huge success. And the weather was great! No doubt about the success of Thursday�s trip to the Bronx Zoo, either. Although until the last minute the weather looked threatening with gray clouds and intermittent rain, by the time students and staff walked to the zoo, the weather improved -and all had a great time. The Wildlife Conservation provided instructors and classrooms, where students learned about and handled various animals as they were taught the basics of �predator and prey�. We also witnessed the mating of two peacocks (actually one peacock and one peahen). This is the second year College Now 10th graders went to the zoo, and again it was a super time. This trip was arranged by Mr. Daly. We are planning the last trip of the school year to the University of Vermont on May 15th. Fifteen College Now 11th graders who have expressed an interest in UVM will be flown there by JetBlue Airlines, accompanied by Anna Parra and Joseph Clausi. We regret the passing of Mr. Clausi�s grandmother, who died this past week at the age of 89. Our condolences to Joe and his family. We are glad to have Justine Stern back -who returned with pictures of Sasha. Drop by the College Now Office and see how big she�s gotten. (Sasha, that is.) GLOBE On Thursday, May 1, 2023 at 6:00 P.M. in the Library, the Globe House Team conducted the Award Ceremony Assembly. One hundred and forty-two students were honored as they passed all of their classes in the Fall semester. We want to congratulate all of them and their parents, especially the fifty-six students who attended, many of them accompanied by their families. We also want to thank Mr. Garfin, Mr. Rosa and Ms. Glickman, from the Second Language Department, who came to celebrate with us the successes of our students. Congratulations to Brigida Colon, O.C. E3A, who was randomly selected among those students who had perfect attendance during the month of March 2003. MATH SCIENCE Mrs. Herman joined Cathleen Stone at a dinner honoring all New York Times Scholarship winners. Cathleen will be attending Princeton University this fall. MSI Arista students visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Mrs. Herman. A special thank you to the chaperones Ms. Leto and Ms. Lucas. Congratulations to Mrs. Hans whose daughter Jaclyn Mendelsohn will be married on May 11, 2003. Ms. Mendelsohn was an intern to Dr. R Scherma in the spring of 2002. Ten selected freshman and 10 selected sophomores attended an early college awareness program at Pace College and Purchase University. We are delighted with the return of our House Assistant, Ms. Vicki Rivera, after the maternity leave for the birth of her daughter, Amanda. MSI students joined the ARISTA Service Project �New York Cares� on Saturday, May 3rd. Mr. Griffin chaperoned as the group cleaned up Orchard Beach. Dr. DeMarie will accompany the MSI Helix students to the University of Vermont on May 20th to present the results of their research developed from the Summer 2002 Helix Project. Laura Casado and Sylvia Vega received scholarships to the Summer Science and Engineering Program at the University of Vermont. Lese Defreitas received a scholarship to attend Marymount College Summer Math and Science Workshop PATHFINDERS Twenty-six students from the Pathfinder House are on the graduation list. Christopher Columbus graduation Ceremony will be at Lehman College on June 25 at 6 PM. Mr. Joe Wilson, Jr. gave a post show workshop based on the Play, Vincent in Brixton. The Aim of the workshop was �What is a mentor?� Mr. Wilson was in our school during Period 5, 6, and 7 on April 16. On April 21, Dr. Henry Rajkowski attended a Resource/Study Guide Workshop: Civil Liberties After 9/11: A Historical Perspective on Protecting Liberty After 9/11. Lincoln Center Theater offered the Workshop. This curriculum is based on the play, A Bad Friend, by Jules Feiffer. A Bad Friend will open on Broadway on May 15. The Pathfinder House�s Fundraiser was a great success. The next fundraiser will be on May 27. Please come. On April 30, forty-four students and faculty went on a Science field trip to The Museum of Natural History. Mr. Strauss, Ms. Villaran, Ms. Gold, and Ms. Moschetti were the guides for the day. NEWS FROM THE COLLEGE OFFICE And the list of college acceptances continues�������. Adrian Reid - SUNY Canton Aldorida Kera - Berkeley College Arjana Habili - The City College of New York Asha Bethel - Penn State David Agbodji - NYU Evan Rogers - SUNY Canton Fabyon Lunaj - Berkeley College Gregory Figueroa- Berkeley College Jose Martinez - Fordham University Kristi Sava - John Jay College Leonard Clark - SUNY Canton Lucky Tshering - Univ. at Buffalo Marlene Rosario - Lehman/ Polytechnic/College of New Rochelle/ Mt.St. Vincent Olivera Frangaj - Berkeley College Ornela Ademai - John Jay Rhonda Thomas- SUNY Plattsburgh Rosemary Nikac - Bronx CC Serena Le - SUNY Canton Wesley Blount - Pace University The College Office is more than pleased to announce: Malik Tekesinovic will receive the New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship. Nhan Phan has received the Albert Shanker College Scholarship. Stephanie Onyekaba is the recipient of the Eta Omega Omega Scholarship. Stephanie has also been selected to receive the Burger King Scholars $1,000 scholarship. May 1st is the National Reply Date for most colleges. Our seniors have been informed that they must notify the college they plan to enroll in and send the required deposit. Twenty sophomores and juniors have been selected to participate in the Ventures Scholars Program. These students were selected because they scored a minimum of 50 in the verbal and math sections of the PSAT examination. This honor serves to encourage and support high achieving, underrepresented students interested in math and science-based careers, provide them with information about these career areas, and link them with member colleges, universities and professional associations nationwide. NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT PARTNERSHIP During the next two weeks, students from Pelham Prep and College Now will be visiting the University of Vermont as part of the UVM/Columbus Early College Awareness Program. KEY DATES IN THE SPRING SEMESTER May 5 - 9 FES Early College Awareness Week May 6 - Report Card Grades Due May 12- Department Conferences/School Leadership Team Meeting (Open to Entire Columbus Community) May 14- Distribution of Report Cards May 15- Parents Association Meeting/Spring Concert May 19- Faculty Conference May 22- Senior Prom May 23- Senior Prom Breakfast May 26- Memorial Day - Schools Closed May 28- Bronx High Schools� Educators Recognition Day May 29- Band Concert Evening June 2- Department Conferences/School Leadership Meeting June 4- Last Day of PM School (Monday/Wednesday) June 5- Last Day of PM School (Tuesday/ Thursday) June 10-16 Final Exams June 16- School Leadership Team Meeting June 17-25 Regents Exams June 17- Welcome to Columbus for Entering Class of 2003 June 18- Bronx High Schools� Retiree�s Recognition Day at Lehman College June 19- Parents� Association Meeting June 21- Last Day of Saturday Tutoring/Parents� Program June 25- Class of 2003 Graduation at Lehman College June 26- Last Day for Students /Distribution of Report Cards June 27 - 30 Summer School Registration July 1- 1st Day of Summer School Previous Newsletter Home Page |