March 2019 Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Friends,

March is upon us and our students and faculty are gearing up for spring break. Many classroom projects will take their final shape this month and others have come and gone in February. Our teams have enjoyed terrific success this winter; we are especially proud to have seven speech team members qualify for the national tournament. Spring will provide this great community with even more opportunities for growth and collaboration.

 

In the Middle School, students celebrated the beginning of the Lunar New Year with a showcase of cultural traditions. Members of the Lower School engaged in a simulated Ellis Island immigration experience where they walked in the shoes of weary travelers arriving in the United States complete with mock inspectors. And in the Upper School, a group of dedicated students organized a valuable discussion with a congressman that ended up on the House floor. All of these accomplishments and many others wouldn't be possible without teachers that empower students, and students that feel engaged. We are lucky to be in a community that possesses both.

This week at Bancroft is filled with activity. The Upper School play, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is entering its second day after a fantastic opening night performance. I would encourage you all to see it if you can. We are also on the tail end of a giving week entitled the March of the Bulldogs where Spike sought out 119 generous donors to support the Bancroft Fund. For those of you that have given, thank you for your support. The Bancroft Fund plays an integral role in allowing our school to continue to provide the enriching and engaging education that we expect from Bancroft.

 

I want to thank you for your cooperation last Friday. A National Grid power outage that occurred in the early hours of the morning affected most of campus. Once we were informed they would be forced to shut down power to the entire campus for an extended period of time to fix the issue, we decided to send everyone home. I appreciate your understanding and flexibility with this anomaly.

Trey Cassidy
Head of School

Where can you go to see a fizzy rainbow volcano, gaseous bubbling beakers, and elephant toothpaste created all in one hour? The Lower Schoolers found out all that and more at an exciting and educational family science show with Kosmic Kelly. 

 

Kelly Lavoie, dubbed "Kosmic Kelly," holds a bachelor's degree in biology and has combined her love for science and teaching to develop her unique "Hands on Science" STEM programs for children. Her workshops are fun, interactive, and educational. She has been teaching and entertaining children throughout Central, MA for over 10 years. Kelly takes on the persona of a mad scientist in her performances and knows just how to keep children engaged with her rainbow colored hair to her visually dazzling experiments! Watch the video above for a sampling of her workshop presented on February 22.

US STUDENTS EXCEL IN SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS

Bancroft students excelled in the 2019 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards  competition this year. There were 20 winning entries – 13 for visual arts and 7 for writing. In all, we received 5 gold keys and 8 silver keys, and 7 honorable mentions. Students in English classes and studio and digital arts classes submitted work. With more than 16,000 entries statewide, our students can be proud of this showing. We applaud our Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention winners!

 

WRITING AWARDS:

Gold Key: Kaia Outzen

Silver Key: Abraham Guo, Violet Van Buren (2), Weiyi Zheng

Honorable Mention: Weiyi Zheng (2)

 

ART AWARDS:

Gold Key: Maya Gaines, Eleanor Li, Abby Mann, Violet Van Buren

Silver Key: Hallie Kamosky, Nouer Chen, Eleanor Li, Gerardo Vargas, Anna Hayward

Honorable Mention: Morgan Adams, Hannah Frieden, Hallie Kamosky, Abby Mann

 

View the winning Art Award entries HERE.

MS STUDENTS CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR

For the 2nd straight year, Bancroft Middle School students celebrated the Lunar New Year by inviting other students, faculty, and staff to partake in traditional craft-making, cultural experiences, and traditional games! This family-focused holiday is a major celebration in China and many other Asian countries. Mandarin teachers Jun Chen and Fanfei Kong started Bancroft's annual celebration in March of 2018 to provide space for children to participate in and to create shared memories that make Lunar New Year a meaningful and memorable experience.

BANCROFT TEACHER HONORED BY FRENCH GOVERNMENT

An Upper School faculty member recently received impressive recognition from his native country! French teacher Flavien Collet was bestowed with the Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms) which is a national order given by the French Republic. It was originally established in 1808 by Emperor Napoleon as a decoration to honor eminent members of the University of Paris and was changed into an order of merit in 1955 by French President René Coty. The award recognizes Flavien for his outstanding achievements in promoting the study of French language and culture and is reserved for "distinguished academics and figures in the world of education." A formal ceremony will follow the announcement with the Consulate General of France this Spring.

"It is a tremendous honor," says Collet. "Getting recognition was never the goal of sharing my passion for my language and culture, but knowing that supporting my students and making a difference in the community is something that the Consulate values is truly appreciated!"

Flavien has been a French teacher at Bancroft Upper School since 2014. He also currently serves as the President of the Alliance Francaise de Providence. Prior to that, he was the organization's Executive Director overseeing marketing, fundraising, and program development including hosting the annual convention of the Federation of Alliances Francaises USA.

For more information on the Ordre des Palmes académiques, CLICK HERE.

 
Félicitations, Flavien!

WINTER SPORTS NIGHTS

Another great winter sports season is in the books at Bancroft and it is time to celebrate with coaches, parents, and students! Don't miss the next edition of Shorelines for an awards recap and photo gallery!

CONGRESSMAN MCGOVERN ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

The Bancroft student coalition 'End Mass Shootings' hosted sitting US Congressman Jim McGovern on Thursday, February 21 at the Harrington Theatre. The hour-long discussion and question & answer session tackled issues related to civic engagement as well as gun violence and the legislation surrounding it. Take a look at the Charter TV3 coverage of the event followed by the Congressman referencing his time with Bancroft students during his remarks at the United States House of Representatives. WATCH VIDEO HERE.

3RD GRADERS EXPERIENCE ELLIS ISLAND

Complete with vintage clothing and the Statue of Liberty looking on, members of Megan Jackel's 3rd grade class went back in time to a simulated Ellis Island. As part of their curriculum on culture, each student was given an identity of a traveler and learned about the process of entering the United States. Mock inspectors provided tests on cognitive ability, health and wellness, and general immigration questions. Take a look at the video highlights! WATCH VIDEO HERE.

MARCH OF THE BULLDOGS

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE MARCH!

WATCH VIDEO

 

Spike is grateful for your support and hope you enjoyed his dance-off videos. It's not too late to participate! Look for the March of the Bulldogs logo for more information on how you can be a part of building a better Bancroft. GIVE TODAY!

NOT TO BE MISSED!

IMPORTANT DATES  •  MARCH THROUGH APRIL

Shorelines is produced by the Marketing and Communications Office at Bancroft. If you have questions or story ideas please contact kcinquanta@bancroftschool.org.

Bancroft School

110 Shore Drive • Worcester, MA 01605 • (508) 853-2640