AVIATION HIGH SCHOOL
NOTAM 021510
15 February 2010

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

Monday:
Presidents’ Day – NO School

Tuesday:
Mid-Winter Break – NO School

Wednesday
Welcome Back!
Periods 1-7 today (Monday schedule)
Peer Tutoring (sign-up) 3:35–4:45 p.m. in Room 10
Robotics Study Hall 3:45-5:00 p.m. in Room 16
Robotics Team meeting 6:00-9:00 p.m. in Room 7

Thursday
Periods 1-7 today (Monday schedule)
Sophomore Field Trip to UW
Consultancy during Advisory
Culture Club 3:45–4:45 p.m. in Room 24
Robotics Study Hall 3:45 -5:00 p.m. in Room 16
Robotics Team meeting 6:00-9:00 p.m. in Room 7

Friday
Periods 1-7 today (Monday schedule)
FULL DAY OF SCHOOL: 0900 – 1530 (9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)
Clubs during Advisory

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL:
Welcome back from mid-winter break! I hope your days were filled with lots of laughter, relaxation, and good times with family and friends. Perhaps a few of you even had the opportunity to travel to Whistler or Vancouver for the Winter Olympics? Or…perhaps you joined the masses who were gathered ‘round a big screen, watching the excitement and wishing you were there? I was part of the masses, cheering on our U.S. athletes from the comfort of my family room. I took it all in—the victories of winning and the agonies of defeat. And, as I sat glued to the screen, I marveled at how little distance (in most instances) was between victory and defeat. Fractions of seconds made the difference between a gold, silver, and bronze medal. Oftentimes, it was hundredths of a second that also meant the difference between a 4th, 5th or 6th place finish.

I think that there is a strong correlation between what happens in schools and what happens in the Olympics. Olympic athletes train hard to gain the opportunity to represent their country and compete with other top athletes in the world. They are focused and goal-oriented. They are confident and willing to take risks—to push their own limits. And to get back up again when plans go awry. And, without a doubt, these Olympic athletes recognize that every second (or fraction!) counts—in preparing and in “winning”!

Every second counts in schools, too! As we prepare you for life, the tiniest fractions of time can make an incredible difference in your ability to reach your goals and dreams. In teacher talk, we know that teaching “bell to bell” is essential—for addressing subject content and discerning student understanding. As a student, what is your talk around use of your time? Olympic athletes hold themselves accountable; so do Aviation High School scholars. I encourage you to do an Olympic accountability check this week to assess how you are doing in working toward your goals and dreams. This could be a good topic of discussion in Advisory. As you do so, you can be absolutely sure that every aspiring athlete in the Winter Olympics is having a very similar conversation! Time matters!

And…speaking of athletes and the importance of time: Congratulations to Sam McClean, Andrew Garrido, and Jason Lemley who helped the Mt. Rainier High School Swim Team win the Seamount League trophy! Jason placed first in the 50 Freestyle, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay and 2nd in the 100 Backstroke! Andrew place 9th in the 50 free style and his relay team was second!

Congratulations are also in order for Mathew Russell, who was recently selected as the Engineering Design Student of the Quarter at Puget Sound Skills Center!

We are continuing to interview 8th graders who are applying to be part of AHS’s Class of 2014. Big thanks to the following folks who helped us interview 25 students last Friday: Danielle Graves, Casey Chandler, Kristina Ong, Robyn Zaches, Aaron Sbarra, Libbanos Redda, Amanuail Ambaye, Tessa Tweet, Zack Sattiewhite, Isaiah Bell, Matt Gilbert, for serving as student interviewers and office assistants; Mrs. Hiranaka and Mrs. Sanders for facilitating a parent information session; Mr. McComb & Ms. Pappas for serving on the interview team, and Ms. Stark for scheduling applicants and organizing all of us! Our next round of interviews is scheduled for this Saturday, February 20. If interested in helping, please notify Mrs. Hiranaka or Ms. Stark.
Enjoy this short but important week of learning! Honored to be your principal—Reba

AP STUDENTS
All students planning to take AP tests in May should make a down payment by
March 1. The final payment is due on April 1.

The test fee is $86 per test taken. A deposit of $15 per test is due on March 1; the balance is due on April 1, 2010. The deposit and fee for tests are reduced for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Students should contact Ms. Lefevre, the school bookkeeper, for more information.

THE PHOENIX FLYER
We want to hear from you! We welcome letters from our community to include in Aviation High School’s official newspaper. We believe that a newspaper is more than just a source of information; we hope to inspire and encourage constructive discussion and debate about the issues that affect us as a community.

Make your voice heard, and send us your letters. You can respond to an article from our last paper, raise an issue that you think people in our community should be aware of, or offer your praise, reflections, critique or ideas about events or issues concerning the newspaper, our school or our community.

A few guidelines that will help get your letter published:

Letters should be brief and to the point. No five-paragraph essays, please!
You must include your full name; no anonymous letters will be published.
No offensive, obscene or otherwise inappropriate content will be published. Use your common sense.

Letters will be selected for publication based on their relevance, professionalism and style.

Not all letters will be published. The Phoenix Flyer reserves the right to refuse publication of any letter. Letters may be edited for length, content or conventions by Phoenix Flyer staff.

We are working hard to create a newspaper that is interesting and relevant to you – contribute to the Phoenix Flyer and get your voice heard in the community.

With gratitude,

The staff of the Phoenix Flyer PTSA News

PTSA
The CPK fundraiser raised $495 for Grad Night! Thank you all who came out to support our Seniors.

Seniors - purchase your Grad Night ticket this month for the lowest price! Tickets are on sale Wednesdays in the cafeteria or send your paperwork into the office. Questions mail gradnight@aviationptsa.org

PTSA is partnering with Seafair to support the Blue Angels for the Seafair air show. We are looking for restaurant/food sponsors and are able to provide some great perks for sponsorship. Contact seafair@aviationptsa.org if you have a sponsorship opportunity we can pursue. We already have one restaurant and a bakery on board and are looking for three more restaurants to provide lunch for a Seafair day.

JAPANESE PROFICIENCY EXAMS
The following participants of the Japanese Proficiency Exams sponsored by the Japan Foundation of the Japanese government passed the exams with flying colors!!!

Ted Tagami passed level I (native level) which is equivalent to the 4th year college completion and beyond. Last May he also passed the AP Japanese exam with a score of 5

Justin Dubinsky, John Doty and Jonathan Adams passed level IV exams which are equivalent to college 1st year completion. They are preparing for the upcoming AP exams scheduled for May.

COLLEGE PRESENTATION:
Rocky Mountain College will be presenting on Monday, February 22 at lunch! Sign up in room 11 if you are interested in attending.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM PTSA…
To the following AHS students who participated in the 2009-2010 PTA Reflections Contest, “Beauty Is…” Danica Balsiger & Sarah DeWeese each received a Finalist award at AHS and Award of Excellence at the Highline Council for their literary entries.

Molly Torgerson received a Finalist award at AHS and Outstanding Interpretation from Highline Council for her literature entry entitled “In Plain Sight” earning it a spot in the state competition. Mariko Yoshino also received a Finalist award at AHS and Outstanding Interpretation from Highline Council for her visual arts piece entitled “Beach Babe” earning it a spot in the state competition. Good luck at state Molly & Mariko. We will be celebrating with all four participants this week with a special prize & lunch from Tuscany at Des Moines Creek Restaurant. Want to earn a free lunch and great prize too? Plan to participate next year when the Reflections theme for 2010-2011 will be “Together We Can...”

REACHING FOR THE STARS - 2010
A Premier Event at the Museum of Flight to Support Women Advancing as Scientists, Engineers, Astronauts, and Leaders

On Saturday, February 27, 2010, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), an organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research, will be hosting their annual Educational Foundation Benefit at The Museum of Flight. Ex-astronaut and current President and CEO of The Museum of Flight, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, will speak on the topic, “Space Exploration in the 21st Century: Where are Hypatia’s Daughters?”

AHS freshmen Tyler Christopher, Danika Drugge, Yasi Zhong, Lea Ono, and Maddison Brinson will be the special guests of the Western Washington Chapter of the Ninety-Nines who will sponsor the students at this lecture and tea.

How did these students win this honor? In December 2009, Dr. Dunbar published an article entitled “Washington Must Inspire a New Generation of American Scientists and Engineers” in the Seattle Times about the need for STEM schools (like AHS) and the importance of training engineers in this country. Based on this article (see http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2010541689_guest20dunbar.html) all the ninth graders at AHS wrote an essay (in groups of four to five students) that focused on Dr. Dunbar’s overall theme and especially her idea that the skills engineers use are actually tools we all utilize in our everyday lives: math, science, rational reasoning, research, and deduction.

The students’ essays were then judged by the Ninety-Nines (spearheaded by member Eva Parks) and these students’ essay won! Congratulations Tyler, Danika, Yasi, Lea, and Maddison!

To learn more about the AAUW, check out their website at http://www.aauw-wa.org/.

To learn more about the Ninety-Nines, check out their website at http://www.ninety-nines.org/. Trivia question: Who was the first president of the Ninety-Nines? Hint: A recent movie was made about her life.

JUNIORS AND SENIORS
The Boeing/Junior Achievement job shadow day is coming up on Thursday, March 25th, at the Renton site. The focus of the demonstrations will be on linking what students experience and their school studies, involving as many interactive experiences as possible. Due to limited space, this will be a first-come, first-serve opportunity. Sign-up in room 11, ASAP! DEADLINE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING

Except for the Quote of the Week, the following announcements have been posted in previous editions of the NOTAM. They are still important and posted for your information and action, as appropriate:

NW AVIATION CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW FEBRUARY 20 & 21, 2010
This is a two-day aviation oriented event hosted at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup. Aviation High School will have a booth at this event. We will be displaying some of our students’ projects along with information and applications for students as well as mentors. This is a great exposure for us and a way to promote the school to the community at large. More information can be found at their website at www.washington-aviation.org. We will need students and parents to man the booth during the two days. Students can earn community service time for this work. Please sign up on the sheet in the office or contact Tamera Nason at 253-631-0191 or dtnason@msn.com.

MUSIC TO OUR EARS
This Saturday, February 20th, the Aviation and Highline Jazz Band will be performing their annual silent auction and big band dance from 7-10 p.m. in the Highline High School cafeteria.

Students will donate items and services to be auctioned off. All of the money made will be invested to this year’s annual band trip, where students will be traveling to Victoria, B.C. to perform on the parliament steps.

Please talk with Kirk or Paula Cieszkiewicz if interested in purchasing tickets, or Mr. Babcock with questions. Tickets are $8 each.

Scott Babcock, Band Director
Email: sbabcock@hsd401.org
Phone: (206) 631-6700

Quote of the Week:
“A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.” ~Jesse Owens, African-American athlete, 1936 Olympics.