More than 60 girls, ages 10 and over, attended the Girls Academy of Newark (GAN)Empowerment Leadership Summit which took place at the school in late March. The day was designed to highlight the skills essential for future female leaders and to create a positive academic school culture in a supportive, structured, compassionate environment.
This year’s US News & World Report on Best High Schools featured three of Newark Public Schools in the top 50 in the state. Science Park won Gold and placed 25th in New Jersey, while Technology and University High Schools won Silver and placed 40 and 44 respectively. In addition,American History High School and Arts High School won Bronze.
Science Park High School’s Gold ranking is a first for the school. In previous years it was placed in the Silver Award category. American History, Arts, Technology and University high schools were placed either Silver or Bronze in recent years. The awards are based on standardized test performance, proficiency rates of all students and a challenging college-ready curriculum, in addition to offering Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs.
US News compiled the America’s Best High Schools report along with partners School Evaluation Services, utilizing researched data and rankings methodology. They looked at data for more than 21,000 public high schools in all states and the District of Colombia.
[Newark NJ, April 2, 2014] Newark Public Schools student Eric Arce is a national finalist in Panasonic Corporation’s 2014 Kid Witness News (KWN) New Visions Awards for his public service announcement video titled Cyber Bullying. The powerful short piece has been named one of four finalists in the contest’s “Social Issues” category and will now compete for top national billing as the “Best Video of the Year,” to be announced on May 9. Contest judges from the City University of New York Media and Digital Film Production Program (Bronx, NY) selected Arce’s video, first as a “top 10” out of 48 submissions and ultimately as one of four finalists. The “Best of the Year” winner will represent the U.S. in Panasonic’s KWN Global Competition, competing against top winners from more than 620 schools worldwide.
“This piece has shone the spotlight on Eric and East Side High School’s New Media Studies team, not just for their videography skills, but for their outstanding peer leadership as well,” said Newark Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Brad Haggerty. ”In less than 2 1/2 minutes, Eric’s video conveys the enormous pain and desperation experienced by victims of cyber bullying, which affects approximately 43% of our youth. Offering a peek into the potentially destructive power of online interactions, the hard-hitting message is clearly expressed, urging young viewers to ‘think twice before sending that message’ of harassment. We’re extremely proud to have Eric as a video ambassador for the Newark Public Schools.“As an award-winner, Eric, his New Media Studies teacher Thomas R. Wolverton and members of the East Side High School team will receive a trophy, a banner to display in their school and recognition on the KWN website. Along with the three other finalist teams — from Enid, Oklahoma Ft. Piece, Florida and Denver, Colorado — the Newark Public Schools representatives will attend the May 9 “Winners Weekend,” which happens to be held in Newark, NJ, Panasonic’s North American Headquarters. The school that wins the “Best Video of the Year” award will represent the United States in the KWN global competition.
Kid Witness News, a part of Panasonic’s bigger New Vision Awards, is a hands-on international video education program for grades 4-12 that encourages students to develop valuable cognitive, communication and organizational skills through the use of state-of-the-art video technology. Panasonic provides students with equipment so that they can communicate stories that are important to them and their communities. According to Marilyn Joseph, Panasonic’s Vice President of Community Relations and Corporate Outreach Programs, while from schools across the country and around the world, the messages in participating students’ videos have common themes that reflect the world they live in and affect their everyday lives.
Cyber bullying has become a major issue at schools with the popularity of social media sites among students. One student at East Side High School in Newark has created a public service announcement to raise awareness about cyber bullying through a powerful video.
East Side High School student Eric Arce is one of four finalists in Panasonic’s national Kid Witness News 2014 video awards for his two-minute video about cyber-bullying.
The national finalists for Panasonic’s annual New Vision Awards will be announced on March 25. Highlighting excellence in student videography, the international contest features entries from across the world. This year, Newark Public School’s East Side High student Eric Arce has made it to the United States finals in the “Social Issues” category, and is a contender to win a spot in the international competition for his powerful short piece Cyber Bullying. The video takes a hard look at this national epidemic and confronts the dire, life threatening impact that online bullying and digital harassment can have.
East Side Student’s Cyber Bullying Video a Finalist in Panasonic New Vision Awards
A powerful depiction of how cyberbullying can affect our youth. Cyberbullying affects 43% of students. Bullying is not just physical. Think twice before sending that message.
“Oliver Street School’s outstanding response to Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest reflects the hard work, ingenuity and creative thought that STEM education is all about,” said Newark Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Center. “When challenged to relate their classroom learning and knowledge of 21st century technology directly to their own neighborhood, these bright and engaged students saw a grassroots opportunity to step up as environmental stewards of the Passaic River. The combination of civic action and academic rigor on behalf of the students, exemplary teaching by James Intrabartolo and visionary leadership by Principal Doug Petty is a prime example of the kind of excellence we cultivate here at Newark Public Schools. The entire district is cheering for Oliver Street School’s great accomplishment.”
The Oliver Street School STEM team has been working on Guarding the Water Supply since the fall, when they began designing a system to reduce the amount of street garbage flowing into the Passaic River after a heavy rain. The students researched, developed and created several models of sewer grates to catch the waste. They tested the grates during a storm, assessed and innovated based on how well the designs worked. The successful prototype became Oliver Street’s contest entry, which they then presented to a panel of judges at the South By Southwest Education (SXSWedu) conference in Austin, Texas earlier this month. Along with enthusiastic support from the officials, the team got thousands of “clicks” from their home state and across the nation as the contest was crowd-sourced through online voting. The students are hoping that their winning design can be put into actual use, both in their own community and beyond, as the grate they have designed can be modified to fit any sewer system.
Oliver Street, along with the other top five contest winners, will be able to choose their prize equipment from a list of Samsung products, which includes items like laptops printers, touchscreen displays and monitors, as well as Adobe Premier Elements licenses and cash grants from both DIRECTV and Forbes. Additionally, the winners will be invited to Washington, D.C. for a celebratory luncheon and arranged meetings with their respective senators and House representatives.
Watch the Oliver Street team explain and demonstrate their Guarding the Water Supply project in their contest video here.
The Oliver Street School STEM team attended Samsung’s celebration for the winners of the Solve for Tomorrow contest in Washington D.C. As part of the program, winning students, teachers and principals were able to meet with Senators, Congressional representatives and White House officials. Watch the video (link below) for glimpses of Oliver Street School Principal Douglas Petty, STEM teacher James Intrabartolo and student team representatives Luis DeSouza (8th grade) and Gabriel Margaca (7th grade). Click here to watch the video.
A crime-fighting math equation, a better kind of air conditioner and potentially life-saving alfalfa plants were among the five winners of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.
Hailing from Florida, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington State, the five teams of middle-school students, teachers and principals beat out thousands of other entrants in the competition, which challenged participants to harness science, technology, engineering and math to solve some of their communities’ most pressing environmental problems.
The winners were recognized at an awards luncheon in Washington, D.C, on Wednesday.
Earth Day is held annually on April 22. It encourages Americans to organize events and initiatives to help improve the environment, both locally and nationally.
Oliver Street Elementary School, part of the Newark Public School District, has been named one of five winners in the nationwide Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, which challenges students to apply STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) solutions to problems facing their local communities. The Oliver Street students’ project, Guarding the Water Supply, focuses on cleaning the polluted Passaic River, which runs through their city. The school has won$140,000 in technology for the school, which will be used to further develop their river project as well as to enhance and expand the school’s existing STEM program.
The students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program run by teacher James Intrabartolo at the K-8 Oliver Street School, part of the Newark Public School District, have a lot to be proud of.
Oliver Street Elementary School (pre-K to 8th grade), part of the Newark Public School District, has been named one of five winners in the nationwide Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, which challenges students to apply STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) solutions to problems facing their local communities. The Oliver Street students’ project, Guarding the Water Supply, focuses on cleaning the polluted Passaic River, which runs through their city. The school has won $140,000 in technology for the school, which will be used to further develop their river project as well as to enhance and expand the school’s existing STEM program.
March 26, 2014
Oliver Street Elementary School has been named one of five winners in the nationwide Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, which challenges students to apply STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) solutions to problems facing their local communities. The Oliver Street students’ project, Guarding the Water Supply, focuses on cleaning the polluted Passaic River, which runs through their city. The school has won $140,000 in technology for the school, which will be used to further develop their river project as well as to enhance and expand the school’s existing STEM program.
The Oliver Street School segment starts at 24:28. Please fast forward to that time.
Oliver Street Elementary School was one of five schools nationwide to win the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, a competition that asks students to apply STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) solutions to fix problems in their communities.
Oliver Street students won $140,000 for “Guarding the Water Supply,” a project they researched and designed to clean up the polluted Passaic River by designing a system of sewer grates to reduce the amount of street garbage flowing into the river.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) class at Newark’s Oliver Street School coming up with solutions to solve some worldwide problems. And it could win them much needed technology for their school.
A group of 18 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Oliver Street Elementary School in Newark have come up with a plan to prevent garbage from entering the local sewer system and waterways. The proposal, called Guarding the Water Supply, has earned the students praise from teachers and administrators, as well as Samsung officials. The group is one of 15 finalists in the nationwide Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, which challenges students to apply S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) techniques to solve problems in their communities.
On two consecutive Fridays (February 28 and March 7), the Harriet Tubman Blue Ribbon School hosted an historic reenactment of the antislavery icon’s life story and the journey along the Underground Railroad that led thousands of escaped slaves to freedom, as a way to convey the legacy of the school’s namesake to its students. Featuring two hour-long performances each day, beginning at 9:30AM and 1:30PM the reenactment, drew parents and community members to participate in the program.
“Each year, through this annual reenactment, we draw our students’ attention not only to a powerful chapter of our nation’s history, but also to the outstanding bravery and compassion of Harriet Tubman and her fellow abolitionists,” said Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Center. “By literally walking alongside these ‘real-life characters’ as they perform heroic acts and put themselves at personal risk for the betterment of humanity, our children learn lessons that go well beyond American history. In the Newark Public Schools, we believe that this type of hands-on character education program empowers our children and instills pride and good citizenship in them, as they journey through their own lives.”
Since its launch in 2006, the annual event has progressively grown and expanded in scope to an elaborate “living exhibit,” engaging the students and their families through an interactive performance. Beginning in the principal’s office and ending in the cafeteria, the production traveled across the school building, involving the students and allowing them to be a part of the journey to freedom, together with Harriet Tubman and her fellow slavery abolitionists.