Monday, February 28, 2022

 Monday, February 28, 2022


  • Today’s Black History Month moment brought to you by POCU

    Charles Jackson French stood 5’8” tall and weighed 195 pounds. He was been born on Sept. 25, 1919, in Foreman, Arkansas. After his parents died, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska to live with his sister. On December 4, 1937, French enlisted in the Steward/Messman branch of the United States Navy – the only positions open to African Americans at the time. French was assigned to the USS Houston which was stationed in Hawaii and cruised the Pacific Ocean with stops in the Philippines and Shanghai, to name a few. After his four year commitment ended in 1941, French returned to Omaha, Nebraska, but four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, French re-enlisted as a Steward’s Mate 1st class. He joined the crew of the USS Gregory in March of 1942. When the USS Gregory was hit and sunk by Japanese fire, French found a raft and loaded wounded sailors onto it. French then successfully swam through the night for 6-8 hours pulling a raft of 15 wounded sailors with a rope around his waist in shark infested waters. French successfully brought these men to safety on the shores of the Solomon Islands. He was the first African American swimmer to receive the Navy Medal of Heroism in 1943. 



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Friday, February 18, 2022

Friday, February 18, 2022




  • Today's Black History Month moment is brought to you by Mariza M.Guion                              

      Stewart Bluford Jr. (born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, who is the first African American and the second person of African descent after Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez to go to space. Before becoming an astronaut, he was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he remained while assigned to NASA, rising to the rank of colonel. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Orbiter Challenger on the mission STS-8, he became the first African American in space as well as the second person of African ancestry in space, after Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bluford graduated from Overbrook High School in 1960. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1964, a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 1974, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Laser Physics, again from AFIT, in 1978, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston–Clear Lake in 1987. He has also attended the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.

 




 

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Thursday, February 17, 2022

Thursday, February 17, 2022


  • Today's Black History Month moment is brought to you by Tatiyahna C.

    Alice Coachman was a Track and Field Star who was born on November 9, 1923 and raised in Albany, Georgia. Coachman wanted to train and compete in organized sports events, but was denied that opportunity because of her race and gender. She improvised and trained using what was available to her. She would practice running barefoot on dirt roads as well as using homemade equipment  to practice her high jump.

    Before she was 16, Coachman competed in the Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) Women’s National Championships, breaking the college and National high jump records while competing barefoot. Coachman won ten national championships in a row. She also won national championships in the 50 meter dash, the 100 meter dash and with the 400 meter relay team while in college. Coachman was unable to compete in the 1940 & 1944 Olympic Games as they were canceled because of World War II. She became the only woman and the first Black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1948 Olympic Games. Coachman marked a record in the high jump finals of 5 feet, 6 ⅛ inches. She broke the record while nursing a back injury. Coachman later said, “I didn’t know I’d won first place. I was on my way to receive a medal and I saw my name on the board. And, of course, I glanced over into the stands where my coach was, and she was clapping her hands.”

  • Artificial Intelligence: June 27-July 1, 1-6pm daily. This is a 25-hour externship in Artificial Intelligence. DUE FRIDAY.
    Students will receive valuable insight into the world of AI and learn 
    what it takes to be successful in this competitive industry. From 
    machine-learning to the block chain, our industry experts will 
    be there to guide you every step of the way. You’ll team up with 
    your fellow classmates to start creating your own projects.
    $400 dollar tuition will be covered. Students will have to sign a commitment letter stating that they will follow through the entire program.
    Contact Ms. Cuffee-Gray if you are interested - cuffee-grayd@arps.org(Non-ARHS Sponsored Activity)
  • At 37 years in a row and counting, the Theater Company's annual Student-Written Play Festival will be welcoming 10-minute and 1-minute play submissions for a deadline in mid-March.  We'd love to see your scripts!  Come to a brief info meeting this THURSDAY, February 17 from 3:45-4:00 in the auditorium.  Anyone can apply!  See Mr. Bechtold with questions.
  • The International Students Club is offering high school students an opportunity to be peer-tutors for ARHS students who are learning English! Depending on the student, you might be practicing conversational English with them or tutoring math/science topics. Please email Rebekah Hong, at hongr@arps.org if you’re interested
  • Want to watch a classic French movie and support the French Club? The French club will be showing “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. The tickets will be sold at the door and they will be $1.00 for students and $2.00 for general admission. Donations are encouraged. “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” is a fun musical for everyone to watch, so come and bring your friends!


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Wednesday,February 16, 2022

 Wednesday, February 16, 2022


  • Today's Black History Month moment is brought to you by Phoenix F-F

    C.T Vivian born July 30, 1924 was an American minister, author and close friend of Martin Luther King. Vivian was born in Boonville, Missouri and soon after moved to Macomb, Illinois with his mother where he attended school and graduated from Macomb High School in 1942. He then attended Western Illinois University.  After college Vivian began his first job as the recreation director of the Carver Community Center in Peoria, Illinois. Vivian's first acts of protest were sit-in demonstrations here. These sit-ins led to the desegregation of Barton’s Cafeteria in 1947.

    Throughout Vivian’s life he was able to accomplish many things but I would like to focus on one. In 1959 Vivian began teaching nonviolent direct action strategy to youth activists such as John Lewis. This resulted in many different groups coming together to organize a peaceful march of over 4,000 demonstrators to Nashville’s City Hall on April 19, 1960. Later on that evening because of their leadership in the march Vivian and Diane Nash were given the opportunity to speak with the Mayor, who ultimately publicly agreed that racial discrimination was morally wrong. Seeing their efforts pay off, many of the youth that Vivian taught took on leadership roles in organizations such as the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference).

    C.T Vivian was an extremely important leader in the civil rights movement who was able to teach and share experience with younger generations, ensuring that many are prepared for this long fight for freedom.

  • It's Wellness Wednesday! This week our Tip is: To Make a Cope Ahead Plan for February Break! With February break only 2 days away, maybe you are having some strong feelings about it. Maybe you are looking forward to it or maybe you are dreading it or maybe you are feeling somewhere in between. However you are feeling, it is helpful to make a cope ahead plan to have in place!

    What is a Cope Ahead Plan? It is a plan that you can use to think through with actions how to tackle something that's upcoming. Things like tests, hard conversations, stressful events can be managed smoother by taking the time to make a plan. It is specific to knowing what works best for you in those hard moments and identifying different support systems you have in place.

    To Make your own Cope Ahead plan:

    • Identify some things that you are looking forward to over break: Any fun activities, or events, sleeping in, catching up on some of your favorite shows, spending more time with your pet? These can anchor your plan. Be sure to put some in- big or small!

    • Identify and notice what might cause you stress over break: What situations cause you stress? Rate those stressful situations on a scale of 0-10 so you can identify what skills to use in those times.

    • Recognize and notice some good ways to distract yourself: Both internal and external coping strategies. This can include relaxation techniques, art activities, physical activities, reading a book, playing an instrument, listening to music, cuddling with your pet, or watching your favorite tv show.

    • Reflect on ways to help you process your feelings: This might include making a feeling/mood journal, venting feelings to a safe person, making a gratitude list, drawing how you feel, crying

    • Identify ways to keep yourself and your space safe

    • Identify 1-2 safe and supportive people you can reach out to over break

    • Identify Professionals or other resources you can use to get yourself support and help during a crisis. This includes:

      • Local Emergency Services (Clinical & Support Options-CSO): 413-586-5555          

      • Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24hr support): 800-273-8255                                         

      • Crisis Text Line (24hr support teen crisis): text  “HOME” to 741741                               

      • Trevor Project (LGBTQ): 866-488-7386 or text  “START” to 678-678


    Reach out to a trusted adult here at school for help in making one!
  •  Artificial Intelligence: June 27-March 1, 1-6pm daily. This is a 25-hour externship in Artificial Intelligence. DUE FRIDAY.
    Students will receive valuable insight into the world of AI and learn 
    what it takes to be successful in this competitive industry. From 
    machine-learning to the block chain, our industry experts will 
    be there to guide you every step of the way. You’ll team up with 
    your fellow classmates to start creating your own projects.
    $400 dollar tuition will be covered. Students will have to sign a commitment letter stating that they will follow through the entire program.
    Contact Ms. Cuffee-Gray if you are interested - cuffee-grayd@arps.org(Non-ARHS Sponsored Activity)
  • At 37 years in a row and counting, the Theater Company's annual Student-Written Play Festival will be welcoming 10-minute and 1-minute play submissions for a deadline in mid-March.  We'd love to see your scripts!  Come to a brief info meeting this THURSDAY, February 17 from 3:45-4:00 in the auditorium.  Anyone can apply!  See Mr. Bechtold with questions.
  • The International Students Club is offering high school students an opportunity to be peer-tutors for ARHS students who are learning English! Depending on the student, you might be practicing conversational English with them or tutoring math/science topics. Please email Rebekah Hong, at hongr@arps.org if you’re interested
  • Want to watch a classic French movie and support the French Club? The French club will be showing “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. The tickets will be sold at the door and they will be $1.00 for students and $2.00 for general admission. Donations are encouraged. “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” is a fun musical for everyone to watch, so come and bring your friends!
  • Schools for Africa is a club that meets every other Wednesday afterschool. We talk about different ways to raise money to help Africa build more schools. We have raised lots of money in different ways: like bake sales, Man Pageant, Duck race and our letter campaign but we are still trying to get some new ideas for fundraising.  All the money that we have made goes straight to our Schools for Africa funds account. Did you know that around 2010~2011 Schools for Africa raised about $20,000 which led us to our goal to build a School in Cameroon! Also in 2017, ARHS donated $9,000 to build a water system for the primary school in Nketiosh, Cameroon. Our goal is to raise a lot more so we can keep building more schools in Africa!


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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Tuesday, February 15, 2022


  • Today's black History Month moment is brought to you by Ariana T.

    Do you know who Harriet Tubman was? Harriet Tubman 1820-1931 she was actually named Araminta Ross but she adopted her mother’s name Harriet and changed her last name to Tubman when she married her husband John Tubman in 1844. In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) never lost a passenger as a “conductor’ on the Underground Railroad. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into Canada, and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. 

    When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. She was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She was active in the women's suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier.  She was an abolitionist and activist and became an icon of courage and freedom. She died on March 25th, 1931.

    The movement to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 with Harriet Tubman was halted by a former president but is back on track under the current administration.

    Ariana Texidor


  • We will be running a special schedule Weds (2/16) for course registration:

  • Special Early Release Schedule for 2/16/22

    A

    9:00-9:45 (45 mins)

    Advisory for Course Registration

    9:50-10:15 (25 mins)

    B

    10:20-11:00 (40 mins)

    C

    11:05-11:35 (30 min)

    11:35-12:05 (30 min)

    12:05-12:35 (30 min)

    *60 min class/30 min lunch

    D

    12:40-1:20 (40 mins)


  • At 37 years in a row and counting, the Theater Company's annual Student-Written Play Festival will be welcoming 10-minute and 1-minute play submissions for a deadline in mid-March.  We'd love to see your scripts!  Come to a brief info meeting this THURSDAY, February 17 from 3:45-4:00 in the auditorium.  Anyone can apply!  See Mr. Bechtold with questions.
  • The International Students Club is offering high school students an opportunity to be peer-tutors for ARHS students who are learning English! Depending on the student, you might be practicing conversational English with them or tutoring math/science topics. Please email Rebekah Hong at hongr@arps.org if you’re interested
  • Want to watch a classic French movie and support the French Club? The French club will be showing “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. The tickets will be sold at the door and they will be $1.00 for students and $2.00 for general admission. Donations are encouraged. “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” is a fun musical for everyone to watch, so come and bring your friends!
  • Schools for Africa is a club that meets every other Wednesday afterschool. We talk about different ways to raise money to help Africa build more schools. We have raised lots of money in different ways: like bake sales, Man Pageant, Duck race and our letter campaign but we are still trying to get some new ideas for fundraising.  All the money that we have made goes straight to our Schools for Africa funds account. Did you know that around 2010~2011 Schools for Africa raised about $20,000 which led us to our goal to build a School in Cameroon! Also in 2017, ARHS donated $9,000 to build a water system for the primary school in Nketiosh, Cameroon. Our goal is to raise a lot more so we can keep building more schools in Africa!


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Monday, February 14, 2022

Monday, February 14, 2022


  • Today's Black History Month moment is brought to you by Courtnegail R.

    Ida B. Wells was an American investigative journalist, educator and leader in the Civil Rights movement. She was born on July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi and died on March 25, 1931. She attended Fisk University and Rust College. She was one of the founders for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) but she is not named as such. In 1884, Wells-Barnett filed a lawsuit against a train car company in Memphis for unfair treatment. She had been thrown off a first-class train, despite having a ticket. Although she won the case on the local level, the ruling was eventually overturned in federal court. After the lynching of one of her friends, Wells-Barnett turned her attention to white mob violence. She became skeptical about the reasons black men were lynched and set out to investigate several cases. She published her findings in a pamphlet and wrote several columns in local newspapers. Her expose about an 1892 lynching enraged locals, who burned her press and drove her from Memphis. After a few months, the threats became so bad she was forced to move to Chicago, Illinois.

    Wells-Barnett also traveled internationally, shedding light on lynching to foreign audiences. Abroad, she openly confronted white women in the suffrage movement who ignored lynching. Because of her stance, she was often ridiculed and ostracized by women’s suffrage organizations in the United States. Nevertheless, Wells-Barnett remained active in the women’s rights movement. She was a founder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club which was created to address issues dealing with civil rights and women’s suffrage. Late in her career Wells-Barnett focused on urban reform in the growing city of Chicago. In her lifetime, she battled sexism, racism, and violence. As a skilled writer, Wells-Barnett also used her skills as a journalist to shed light on the conditions of African Americans throughout the South. She battled racism, sexism and violence. She wrote books like The Southern Horrors and The Red Record. She died on March 25th, 1931.

  • We will be running a special schedule Weds (2/16) for course registration:

    Special Early Release Schedule for 2/16/22

    A

    9:00-9:45 (45 mins)

    Advisory for Course Registration

    9:50-10:15 (25 mins)

    B

    10:20-11:00 (40 mins)

    C

    11:05-11:35 (30 min)

    11:35-12:05 (30 min)

    12:05-12:35 (30 min)

    *60 min class/30 min lunch

    D

    12:40-1:20 (40 mins)


  • The International Students Club is offering high school students an opportunity to be peer-tutors for ARHS students who are learning English! Depending on the student, you might be practicing conversational English with them or tutoring math/science topics. Please email Rebekah Hong at hongr@arps.org if you’re interested
  • Want to watch a classic French movie and support the French Club? The French club will be showing “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. The tickets will be sold at the door and they will be $1.00 for students and $2.00 for general admission. Donations are encouraged. “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” is a fun musical for everyone to watch, so come and bring your friends!
  • Schools for Africa is a club that meets every other Wednesday afterschool. We talk about different ways to raise money to help Africa build more schools. We have raised lots of money in different ways: like bake sales, Man Pageant, Duck race and our letter campaign but we are still trying to get some new ideas for fundraising.  All the money that we have made goes straight to our Schools for Africa funds account. Did you know that around 2010~2011 Schools for Africa raised about $20,000 which led us to our goal to build a School in Cameroon! Also in 2017, ARHS donated $9,000 to build a water system for the primary school in Nketiosh, Cameroon. Our goal is to raise a lot more so we can keep building more schools in Africa!
  • The Best Buddies Club is having a Valentine's Day themed bake sale after school on Monday February 14th! Don't forget to stop by the table to get some treats for yourself or someone 


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Friday, February 11, 2022

Friday, February 11, 2022


  • Today's Black History Month moment is by Ihuoma O.

    Gwendolyn Brooks:

    Gwendolyn Brooks was an African American poet. She was born on June 7th, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas. She wrote about the everyday lives of urban Black Americans. Brooks graduated from Wilson Junior College in 1936.  Her early verses were in the Chicago Defender, a newspaper primarily written for the city’s African American community. She was the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer prize in 1950 and in 1968 she was named the poet laureate of Illinois. Annie Allen (1949) for which she won the Pulitzer prize is a loosely connected series of poems related to an African American girl growing up in Chicago. In 1990 she became a professor of English at Chicago State University and taught there until her death on December 3rd, 2000. 

  • We will be running a special schedule Weds (2/16) for course registration:

    Special Early Release Schedule for 2/16/22

    A

    9:00-9:45 (45 mins)

    Advisory for Course Registration

    9:50-10:15 (25 mins)

    B

    10:20-11:00 (40 mins)

    C

    11:05-11:35 (30 min)

    11:35-12:05 (30 min)

    12:05-12:35 (30 min)

    *60 min class/30 min lunch

    D

    12:40-1:20 (40 mins)


  • The Best Buddies Club is having a Valentine's Day themed bake sale after school on Monday February 14th! Don't forget to stop by the table to get some treats for yourself or someone special! 
  • The Women's Rights Club will be selling flowers and stickers after school today, Friday the 11th! All profits will go to the Women's Resource Center!
  • Did you know that Russian is the Language of Space?  All NASA astronauts are required to learn Russian before traveling to the International Space Station.  Want to be one of them?  Come to Russian Club, every Tuesday from 3:35-4:55.
  • Calling all cheerleaders! The Amherst Hurricane Dance Team, The Tempests, are holding tryouts for the cheer squad on Saturday February 12th at 2:30pm
    Anyone interested in trying out will need to contact: Erin Edinson: edinsone1@arps.org 
    We ask each person who would like to try out prepare a 15-30 second piece showcasing their cheer style. 
    The Tempests perform at sporting events for both dance and cheer and practice two days a week; Mondays and Fridays 3:45pm-5:00pm We will also be looking for two co-captains for the cheer squad, so anyone interested in these positions should specify that in their email.


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Thursday, February 10, 2022

Thursday, February 10, 2022


  • Today's Black History Month moment is brought to you by Nandi C.

    Annie Lee Cooper (1910-2010) was an African-American civil rights activist in the Selma voting rights movement. She was one of ten children, she dropped out of school in the seventh grade to live with one of her sisters in Kentucky, and later on moved to Pennsylvania. In Alabama, she grew up not thinking that Black people could vote but in Kentucky she saw Black people going to the polls. When she returned to Alabama in 1962 to take care of her mother she realized that due to Alabama’s Constitution, illegal poll tax and literacy requirements were being used to deny Black people the right to vote. She tried to register many times but was always told that she couldn’t because she failed the test. In 1963 she signed up for the SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). Her employer found out about her activism, fired her and black listed her from other jobs. In 1965 she tried again to register to vote, standing in line at the courthouse for hours. The police arrived to break up the activists including notorious Sheriff Jim Clark who poked her in her neck with a billy club.  Cooper spun around, punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground. She was then arrested but as soon as he threatened to beat her she was immediately released. Due to the activism of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Annie Lee Cooper, and so many known and unknown activists, the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

  • Did you know that Russian is the Language of Space?  All NASA astronauts are required to learn Russian before traveling to the International Space Station.  Want to be one of them?  Come to Russian Club, every Tuesday from 3:35-4:55.
  • Calling all cheerleaders! The Amherst Hurricane Dance Team, The Tempests, are holding tryouts for the cheer squad on Saturday February 12th at 2:30pm
    Anyone interested in trying out will need to contact: Erin Edinson: edinsone1@arps.org 
    We ask each person who would like to try out prepare a 15-30 second piece showcasing their cheer style. 
    The Tempests perform at sporting events for both dance and cheer and practice two days a week; Mondays and Fridays 3:45pm-5:00pm We will also be looking for two co-captains for the cheer squad, so anyone interested in these positions should specify that in their email. 
  • Want to watch a classic French movie and support the French Club? The French club will be showing “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. The tickets will be sold at the door and they will be $1.00 for students and $2.00 for general admission. Donations are encouraged. “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” is a fun musical for everyone to watch, so come and bring your friends!
  • Attached is a flyer for a local writing program several of our students have attended in the past, including Amina Mednicoff-Misra and Maddie Clarkewright, who following their attendance in the program, formed a writing club at ARHS.  I thought the flyer and website link could be good for the morning announcements. Sara,  English teachers may want to share with students in their classes this term flyer and/or link: https://www.wovenwordyoungwriters.com/


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