1. education
2. school

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Parkville High School
Pride
Honor
Success
Attention Class of 2018!
Looking for ways to get
your 75 service learning
hours required for
graduation? Many of the
clubs at PHS have service
opportunities; so pay
attention to the morning
announcements for details.
Also, if you want additional
information, talk to Ms.
Sparks in the guidance
office for ideas and
resources.
Attention class of 2018 the year is almost complete and you
need to come celebrate with your friends on Friday May 5/29
from 3:00-4:30pm. The Freshmen Focus committee and
Student Mentors would like to host a special event for
everyone.
Ticket will be sold on all “A-Day” lunch shifts starting
5/4/2015. All tickets are $1.00 and include an afternoon of
fun:
• Music and DJ
• Karaoke
• Games and prizes
• Pizza and snacks will be sold for a small price to raise
money for the class of 2018.
April is Autism Awareness Month. For the second year in a row, the Parkville High School
Special Education Department has gone all out to make sure everyone becomes a little bit
more knowledgeable about autism and the students with autism in the school. The
decorations are up in the main lobby, and I encourage you to check them out and read the
biography cards about the students. Here are a few things to remember about people with
autism:
Ø
Ø
Ø
Autism is a spectrum. No two people with autism will act, think, or express themselves in exactly the
same way.
Everyone with autism is their own unique individual with different abilities and interests, just like you!
When you read the bios of the students you will notice that some like to watch movies and some like to
draw pictures. I bet you have more in common with students with autism than you think!
They are friendly people with wonderful personalities! Say “Hello” or “Good Morning” and ask them
what their name is!
Ø By: Ella Marcovitz
Facebook and Cyberbullying
By: James Wright, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
In the world of social media and online networking, the issue of safety continuously arises, particularly among
teenagers. Cyberbullying, bullying that takes place using electronic technology, has unique challenges when
compared to more traditional forms of bullying.
Parents need to be aware of what their teens are doing online and talk with them about cyberbullying and other online
issues regularly. Initiate open conversation early on to reduce the teen’s fear of losing their electronic communication
privileges when they disclose cyberbullying instances. When using a site such as Facebook, parents need to discuss
how their teen uses the site and with whom they share their posts. Is the teen communicating privately or publicly?
Have they witnessed or been part of any form of online bullying? Facebook has tips and tools for individuals being
bullied, harassed or attacked online.
Teens can:
Unfriend - Only your Facebook friends can contact you through Facebook chat or post messages on your
timeline.
Block - This will prevent the person from starting chats and messages with you, adding you as a friend and
viewing things you share on your timeline.
Report the person or any abusive things they post.
The best protection against bullying is to learn what cyberbullying is, how to recognize it and how to stop it.
Here are some tips about what you should — and shouldn’t — do:
Don’t respond. Typically, children who bully want to get a response — don’t give them one.
Don’t keep it a secret. Use Facebook's Social Reporting tool to send a copy of the abusive content to
someone you trust who can help you deal with the bullying. This will also generate a report to Facebook.
Document and save. If the attacks persist, you may need to report the activity to an internet service provider
and they will want to see the messages.
For more information, tools and resources around safety, please visit Facebook's Family Safety Center and Stopbullying.gov’s
Cyberbullying section. Join the conversation on the StopBullying.gov Facebook page.
Matthew Braxton
Technology Education Department
Parkville High School
Baltimore County Public Schools
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10 TIPS TO FINISH OUT THE LAST 10 WEEKS: 1. SET GOALS for the end of the quarter. Make sure they are realistic and measurable. 2. GET MOTIVATED to stay on track to meet your goals. Figure out WHY you want to accomplish your goals. 3. STAY ORGANIZED. Make lists, calendars, countdowns, anything that works for you. 4. AVOID DISTRACTIONS that will get in the way of your goals. Whether it’s friends, TV, video games; if it’s a negative influence, get away from it. 5. GIVE IT YOUR ALL and try your best every day. 6. GO OUTSIDE & RELAX after you’ve accomplished what you need to during the day. 7. STUDY FOR THE FINAL EXAM since they count towards your final grade. 8. USE YOUR NAVIANCE ACCOUNT TO RESEARCH COLLEGES AND CAREERS over the summer or on the weekends. Ask me if you don’t have your password! 9. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF because you need to be healthy and happy to be at your best. 10. DON’T GIVE UP because it will get better and it will be worth it! If you want to talk, come make an appointment with me in the School Counseling Office. I’m so proud of how far you have come since August! J Ms. Nee We are looking for ideas and writers:
If you have any ideas for topics you
want discussed in the next issue of
Transitions or you have an interest in
being a newsletter writer, please see
Ms. Smith in Room 97 or email Ella
Marcovitz, the newsletter editor at
ecobird135@gmail.com
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The Student Government Association (SGA) is
the student representative body of Parkville
High School and acts as the voice for the school
community. As a whole, the SGA hosts many
events such as Spirit Week, the Pep Rally,
Homecoming, the Multicultural Festival, the Mr.
& Miss Parkville Pageant, and many more
throughout the school year. The SGA also helps
keep record of and provides grants to
organizations and clubs within the school. It is
essentially an organization of student leaders
working to keep the school year filled with fun
and interesting events as well as to make sure
the opinions of fellow students are heard. Being
a member of SGA allows you to get more
involved within PHS and to build new memories
with friends. Not to mention that it looks great
on your college résumé! If you are interested in
becoming a member of SGA, talk to the
advisors Mr. Rodriguez-Hobbs or Mr. Chotikul.
By: Gerriza Balmes, SGA Officer
Remember, joining clubs is a great way to meet
new people and learn more about the school
and the community. If you join a club and have
a great time, tell your friends about it, maybe
they will join, too.
If you want your club featured or mentioned in
the next issue of the newsletter, email the editor
of the newsletter, Ella Marcovitz at
ecobird135@gmail.com and let her know what
your club is doing to impact the school
community!
Dear Alex,
A lot of my upperclassmen
friends have been really
stressing out about the college
search process. How far should I
be in my college search?
Signed,
Worried
Dear Worried,
As a freshman in high school,
college shouldn’t loom over
every aspect of what you do.
It’s never too early to start
looking and it’d be good to
just set up a good foundation
for what you’re interested in,
but you aren’t in this alone.
Nobody expects that you have
any firm ideas on what you
want to do really, so again,
the idea is good and you will
find a plan along the way
through your time here at
Parkville. If you want to get
started and get one step
ahead, log onto Naviance and
familiarize yourself with the
resources they provide.
Your friend,
Alex
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Top 10 tips for… writing an essay for English class
“Life takes on
meaning when
you become
motivated, set
goals and charge
after them in an
unstoppable
manner.”
-Les Brown
1. Annotate the prompt and use it as a checklist while you
are writing to ensure you include everything required.
2. Plan out your essay before you write it. Allocate time to
figure out your thesis statement and the subjects of each
body paragraph prior to beginning the actual essay.
3. Write in the third person – unless it is otherwise specified
in the assignment, you should not be including words, like
“I” or “we”.
4. Use proper MLA formatting. This includes the header, the
heading, citation of quotes, and the bibliography.
5. Use consistent font size and font type throughout the
entire essay.
6. Include examples from the text.
7. Use vocabulary you are confortable with – it usually does
not work out well when you are constantly looking up
words in the thesaurus as you write.
8. Have someone proofread the essay before you turn it in
for a grade.
9. Give yourself enough time to write the essay – most well
composed essays are not written in a ten-minute period of
time right before class starts.
10. Don’t repeat the same mistakes – read your teacher’s
comments on your previous essays before you start
writing your next essay.
By: Ella Marcovitz
Quotes from Upper Classman Reflecting on Their Involvement in Extracurricular Activities:
Ø “Since ninth grade, I’ve been on the Badminton team. Playing a sport allowed me to manage my time
efficiently so that I was both a student and an athlete. Also, the bonds I made with my teammates were
inseparable. We were like a family. Other extracurricular activities like SGA and NHS helped bring out
my leadership qualities. I was and am able to affect the school community hopefully for the better. Now, I
am so involved in school that I basically live there.” –Gerriza B. ‘15
Ø “I believe my involvement in extracurriculars as a whole has developed my personality to be more
sociable and knowledgeable about my peers, seeing as it was something I used to struggle with because I
was shy.” –Jackie N. ‘15
Ø “Being involved in athletics helped me out a lot. Being a leader of the team gives you motivation to do
better. You are supposed to be the person your teammates look up to so athletics helps you with your
academics as well as keep you away from drama.” –Amina B. ‘15
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Attention Freshmen!
What?
Ø Peer tutoring hosted by National Honor Society
and Math Honor Society
Where?
Ø In the library
When?
Ø After school until 3:15 pm the 1st and 3rd
Wednesdays of every month
Dates?
Ø April 22nd
Ø May 6th and 20th
Who?
Ø Anyone can come!
Class of 2018 meetings
are held the fourth
Monday of every month
in Mr. Maskew’s
classroom, Room 128. If
you want to stay up-to-date
on Freshman events and
help plan for the future of
your class, be sure to be
there!
Mr. Maskew and Mr. Soper
For all of the readers who bought safety glasses and have used them for
exactly one experiment since 9th grade, we’re giving this one to you because
science is this month’s featured subject! Don’t nostalgically hold your goggles
though because there are also a lot of great discoveries that can happen
outside of the lab, like the way feathers and anvils hit the ground at the same
time (in a vacuum,) or how battery acid and lye can become harmless water
(and a salt). Science gave us a lot of things we all need today like pasteurized
milk, the fingerprint sensor on your phone, and if you stretch it, medicine.
Scientists occupy a broad range of roles in our daily lives. We need
meteorologists to give us the weather and doctors to heal us. So before you
decide not to take a science course or to put your head down while your
teacher speaks about the metric system the way most people retell bachelor’s
parties, strap on your goggles, give a mad cackle, and do some science!
By: Kireh Wright
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How many years have you been teaching at PHS? I have been a teacher at Parkville for three years. I started teaching at Parkville Middle School about twenty years ago. When I was there, I coached wrestling at Parkville High and Mr. Burkhardt was one of my wrestlers. It is really awesome to see him now as the coach. What classes do you currently teach? I currently teach honors and G&T chemistry. Where did you go to college and what was your major? I went to University of Maryland, College Park for my undergraduate degree in biology. I had several majors while there and finally settled on biology with an emphasis in ecology. From there I went to graduate school at UMBC where I gained my certification to teach secondary science. After I started teaching at Parkville Middle, I went to Towson for graduate coursework in chemistry so I could be certified in chemistry as well as biology. I have even taken one class at Goucher to learn how to be an AP chemistry teacher. Why did you decide to become a science teacher? I was literally tearing wings off of these tiny insects and mounting them to microscope slides when I heard on the radio that there was a shortage of qualified secondary science teachers. I thought at that moment that teaching would be more rewarding than mounting insect wings onto microscope slides. I won’t lie; when they talked about what they were paying teachers at that time, it was twice what I was making as a faculty research assistant at University of Maryland. The salary was a motivator as well. What is your favorite topic to teach in science? Chemistry is my favorite. More specifically, within chemistry, I really love teaching stoichiometry. It really challenges students and me. Is it actually important to take science classes? Well, outside of the obvious reason that you need to pass three courses to graduate, the world demands everybody to have a greater understanding of technology. To understand how technology works or what you stand to gain from technology, you need a basic understanding of how nature works. The decisions we have to make regarding our environment and our medical care all require a functional knowledge of science so we can make informed decisions. As science department chair, I know I am biased, but I believe the science department has the best teachers at Parkville. They are the right balance of nerd and butt-­‐kicker. We demand a lot from our students yet we all have an enthusiasm for what we teach so that we pass on that excitement to our students. Also, we offer the AP courses that can earn you up to eight college credits in some cases. What is your favorite science joke? Two atoms walk out of chemistry class, one says to the other, “Oh no, I lost an electron!” The other says, “Are you positive?” If you laugh or even smile at that joke, I got a front row seat for you in chemistry class next year! 7