Commencement Highlights
CB East
The day's celebrations began mid-day, as Principal Lori Gallagher-Landis honored the 511 graduating seniors of Central Bucks High School East. With roughly half of the class earning a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, valedictorian Frederick Qui and salutatorian Andrew Zhang were to be commended for their momentous academic achievement.
Principal Gallagher-Landis spoke to the class about finding their "element." When an individual is in their element, she explained, one's passion meets their strengths (the things that an individual is really good at and getting better at every day) in one's life or career.
"Let today be an inspiration for you to know that you are never too young and never too old to realize your element. It is never too late…so open your heart and mind to new experiences…so you can discover yours," she said.
Principal Gallagher-Landis invited CJ Oravec to the podium to address his classmates. CJ used the example of Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends as a metaphor for the exciting next steps he and his classmates will take, while encouraging them to find their own path to embrace their future, "Don't let anyone rush you with their own timelines...I want you to be the person you want to be."
CB East also started a new school tradition, as Principal Gallagher-Landis invited eight seniors, Kieran Kelly, Andrea Closurdo, Imani Perry, Cameron Billingsley, Amara Chimezie, Maddie Maclean, Emily Silver, and Andrew Lapeire to the stage. The students were invited to sign their names to the school's "Honor Book," which she explained, "...celebrates individuals who have left a positive and lasting impression on the faculty, staff, and administration." The students were nominated by faculty and represent the "unsung heroes" of their class.
CB South
CB South's ceremony began with a welcome from Principal Jason Bucher, who honored the 602 graduating seniors of Central Bucks High School South. He introduced valedictorian Yiqui Liu and salutatorian Joyce Yoon, commending them both for amazing academic achievement during their time as students at CB South. More than 250 of CB South's graduates achieved cumulative GPAs of 3.7 or higher.
Shortly after the ceremony began, CB South's senior members of the school's varsity baseball team entered the stadium to cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd, having returned as runners-up after playing in the PIAA 6A State Championship game at Penn State.
Graduating senior James Lingman then addressed his classmates, and encouraged them to be grateful to their teachers, their school, and their families, and to embrace their individuality, "Look around at the wonderful opportunities we've been given. Seize the moment! Enjoy who you are today. You are where you need to be. Love who you are. Celebrate you!"
Before conferring diplomas, Principal Bucher expressed his pride and gratitude to the class, "Throughout the years, you continuously amazed me with your focus on academic achievement, your service to the school and the community, your kindness, and your respectful nature. I am both honored and proud to be standing before you as principal of CB South this afternoon."
CB West
CB West's 50th graduation ceremony began with beautiful choir music under the direction of CB West music teacher Dr. Joseph Ohrt. Principal Tim Donovan welcomed the 468 graduates, honored guests, family and friends to the 50th commencement ceremony of Central Bucks West.
Principal Donovan introduced valedictorian Sindhura Siddapureddy and salutatorian Walker Anderson, both of whom rose to the top of an amazing class of 2019 - 47% of which achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher.
In his remarks, House Principal Todd Cantrell remarked on how the graduates were walking through "doors to the next chapter" of their lives, and read the words of Jeff Moss in his poem "On the Other Side of the Door," while wishing them many wonderful adventures on the "other side of the door."
"On the other side of the door, I can be a different me, as smart and as brave, as funny or strong as a person could want to be."
In addressing the first class that he served as principal for all three of their years at CB West, Principal Donovan spoke of the power of appreciation and living in the moment, "To the class of 2019…Your impact on this community has created an enormously positive ripple effect far and wide. All of you are accomplished at so many things and will achieve much in life as you eagerly await what lies ahead. Continue to show others the power of appreciation and the lasting impact it has."
In her message, graduating senior Gabrielle Lamb encouraged her classmates to find their magic, "Magic is the messy and the divine, all the opportunity in life. It is in kindness, in perseverance, in love, in character. I implore you to ask yourself, what's your magic? Find your magic, live for it."
Congratulations to all of the district's graduating seniors! See photos, download videos, and read more facts and figures about the Class of 2019 in at www.cbsd.org/2019.
New Elementary Math Resource Rollout Begins
The 2019-2020 school year will see the rollout of new elementary math resources for all students in grades kindergarten through six, both regular and special education.
The program, “Math in Focus, is sometimes referred to as "Singapore Math." It employs resources that were built on the successful work done in Singapore to transform math education. Singapore is the highest achieving country in the world in mathematics on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Program International Student Assessment, the two most highly regarded international assessments that measure mathematics achievement.
"We are very excited to bring these resources to Central Bucks School District because they address a few areas in need of improvement within our elementary mathematics curriculum," Rich Kratz, Central Bucks math curriculum supervisor explains, "The materials we have used in Central Bucks for the last 20 years have served our students well, but the Math in Focus curriculum has a more narrow focus on the most essential skills for each grade level."
The new resources will have teachers and students focus on the development of skills they will need to solve rich and challenging mathematics problems, while developing a deep and meaningful understanding of the information they are learning. This way, students can apply the skills in new ways to demonstrate they have not just memorized, but truly understand the content.
As a mastery program, the same topics will be taught for multiple days and within the same unit. "The strength of the program is the development of problem solving," Kratz added, "We are already seeing students solve more complex problems and apply their math skills to new and novel situations."
"If you ask teachers from our pilot group what makes this program better, you would hear them say it is ‘C – P – A ,’ concrete – pictorial – abstract. Students are provided with an opportunity to learn new math skills using a progression of concrete representation, then pictorial representation, and then the abstract representation using numbers, symbols and variables," Kratz said, “In addition, students can progress at a rate aligned to their understanding so all students can experience success!”
The journey towards Math in Focus started three years ago, when a group of teachers and administrators worked to consider and evaluate program materials for elementary mathematics, with a focus on addressing some specific needs, including:
- improving students’ number sense and basic computation skills.
- focusing on the traditional algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division - the algorithms that parents are comfortable with and can more easily provide support for at home.
- providing a more narrowed focus on essential skills from the grade level.
A committee of 35 teachers and administrators narrowed the search down and resources were piloted in 27 classrooms during the 2017-2018 school year and 75 classrooms during the 2018-2019 school year.
The results of the pilot were positive.
- Parents, students, and teachers in the pilot classrooms felt the resources their students were using in math class were better than in previous years.
- They felt their children were understanding the content better and at a deeper level, and they felt they were being appropriately challenged.
Central Bucks also consulted with other high-quality school districts that have recently adopted these same resources here in Pennsylvania. Conversations with their curriculum supervisors and administrators further solidified the recommendation that Math in Focus was the right resource to help Central Bucks elementary students learn mathematics at a deeper and more meaningful level.
Professional development for all elementary teachers on resources and administration of Math in Focus was conducted through full day trainings, online courses, and hands-on sessions, and will continue into 2019-2020.
"Along with the pilot teacher committee, Rich and his team of coaches have done an outstanding job of preparing Central Bucks for the full implementation of Math in Focus," Dr. Nadine Garvin, Central Bucks' assistant superintendent for elementary education said.
"We look forward to seeing its long term impact for our students and their deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, higher order application of skills, and complex problem solving abilities," she added.
Take a look at Math in Focus in action in the video below...
Online Student Activities Calendar
While a printed calendar will still be produced, this online calendar will be changed as needed throughout the year. Consider it the district's most up to date resource for school and district events and activities!
Central Bucks Students Graduate from Biotech Center Program
Students, scientists, parents, donors, school officials, and other invited guests gathered in a conference room at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center to honor "graduates" of the partnership program between the center and Central Bucks. Each of the program's participants were inducted into the Blumberg Alumni Association.
This local facility, home of the Hepatitis B Foundation, is one of the premier biotech incubators in all the United States and has been responsible for important developments in hepatitis C and hepatitis B research, as well as the development of successful biotech start-ups. Each day, fifteen students, five from each CBSD high school, were transported to the center, where they took AP Chemistry on-site and engaged in an internship that lasted several months. Student participants then entered individual research projects into STEM competitions, where they performed remarkably well.
CB East Junior Madison Charingo gave brief remarks, during which she praised the inaugural program's success, "This year, an unfamiliar group of students from all three high schools in this district have joined to form a tight-knit community, united to navigate the inaugural year of this program. Through months of experience in the labs, we’ve not only gained proficiency and experience in the protocols we’ve been trained in, but we’ve gained a deeper understanding of many fields of study that could’ve never been provided in a traditional classroom setting. The research we’ve conducted is unrivaled by high school students across the nation, and because of this program, we all will enter our future careers with advanced knowledge and skills."
Students who were recognized for their participation and research include: Sabrina Antonucci, CB East HS, Grade 12; Madison Charnigo, CB East HS, Grade 11; Melody Chen, CB West HS, Grade 11; Grace Enright, CB West HS, Grade 12; Kristina Holmen, CB East HS, Grade 11; Alec Maraska, CB West HS, Grade 11; Liam Meyers, CB East HS, Grade 11; Charan Santhirasegaran, CB South HS, Grade 11; Miranda Song, CB South HS, Grade 11; Lauren Spadt, CB South HS, Grade 12; Isabella Swartz, CB South HS, Grade 11; Jason Swope, CB West HS, Grade 11; Rishi Vaidyanath; CB East HS, Grade 11; Joyce Yoon, CB South HS, Grade 12; and Samantha Zanine, CB West HS, Grade 11.
Read more about the program on the district's website here.
CBSD Recognizes Excellence and Innovation Among its Employees
“Apple” winners initiate, instigate and imagine ideas or tasks, plans or projects that are above and beyond their job description. They are not only recognized for this creation of ideas, but also their ability to persuade others to join in, and to propel the project along, and for their continued refinement of the original concept. Through their diligent efforts, they produce a method, technique, approach, or system that assists other employees in the district in their work, and ultimately augments learning. Awardees have been nominated by Central Bucks School District colleagues.
The district distributed the annual "Apple Awards" for excellence in recognition of employees who distinguished themselves by going above and beyond the "call of duty" during the 2018-2019 school year.
Listed below are descriptions of each award, and the individual or team to which the awards were presented. Click on the project title to learn more.
- Quinn Hoffman - Movement Maze
- Maxine Pullar - Elementary Health Initiative
- Brian Caughie, Ed.D., Joseph Brereton, Ph.D., Mary McDonald, and Carol Klein - Farmer’s Market, Backpack Program and Food Pantry
- Colleen Siegle - Holding Down the Fort
- Kim Hein - Soup Kitchen
- Barbara Louderback, Donna Radice - Power of Positive Students (P.O.P.S)
- Abby Scott, Adrienne Woll - Individual and Collaborative Work Around Co-Teaching in an Open Classroom Environment
- Daniel Myers - Music for All
- Cold Spring Faculty and Staff; and John Ciavola, Rich Smith, Rick Wine, Matt Wass, Russ Hollenbach, and Cindy Bofinger - Response to Cold Spring Fire
- Raquel Riad - Social Worker
- Tori Hall - Snack Cart
- Dave Riley - What Makes a Difference?
- Zach Sibel - Student Parent Book Club
- Bridget Augustine and Monica Neal - Project Based Learning
- Brenda Scheffey, Mike Schaeffer - Heart Monitor Integration and Professional Development for Health and PE
- Jill Weller-Reilly, Andrew Burgess, Stephanie Thomas, Mary Garner, Sandi Musoleno, Jason Kriney, Michelle McIntyre, Lauren Spiece - Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
- Katrina Konnick - Wellness, Biggest Mover Program
- Jamie Lemon, Tricia Foster, Michael Lechniak, Katherine Veisz, Richard Kratz - Math in Focus Staff Development Team
Central Bucks School District
Email: alinch@cbsd.org
Website: www.cbsd.org
Location: 20 Welden Drive, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbschools/
Twitter: @CBSDSchools