Holyoke Public Schools

Congratulations to Gesenia Gutierrez,
MaFLA Poster Contest Winner 2010.

Gesenia is a grade 12 student at Holyoke High School, (Teacher: Elizabeth De Jesus). The Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MaFLA) is a non-profit service organization committed to the professional growth of its members and to the promotion of quality teaching and learning of languages and cultures from kindergarten through the college level and beyond .

Gary Rome Contest Winner
Kudos to Holyoke High senior, Allison Bigelow who was the winner of the brand new 2010 Hyundai Accent donated by Gary Rome. All seniors with a 2.75 G.P.A., solid attendance, and awesome behavior were eligible.

Air Force JROTC 2009-2010 Outstanding Organization Award
Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. - Unit MA-20022 at William J. Dean Technical High School in Holyoke, MA has been selected as one of 207 units to receive the 2009-2010 Air Force Junior ROTC Outstanding Organization Award. This award recognizes Air Force Junior ROTC units that have performed above normal expectations, and that have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their school and community while meeting the Air Force Junior ROTC mission of producing better citizens for America.

The objectives of the Junior ROTC program are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship and life skills; promote community service; instill responsibility, character, and self- discipline through character education, and to provide instruction in air and space fundamentals. Enrollment is open to all young people who are in the 9th grade or higher, physically fit, and are citizens or nationals of the United States. Air Force. Junior ROTC is located in 884 high schools across the United States and at selected schools in Europe, in the Pacific and Puerto Rico. Junior ROTC enrollment includes more than 110,000 cadets. For more information contact: Major William E. Kieda, Jr. or SMSgt Michael Cross at William J. Dean Technical High School 413-534-2071.

Rising Stars
Congratulations to the 2010 Rising Stars. Every year students in the sixth through 12th grades are selected. This year 42 students were selected based upon academic performance, leadership, and community involvement. The Rising Stars program was created in 1994. View listing of honorees.

Kids in Print Writing Contest Award Winner
Congratulations Kayla Michon, Kids In Print Writing Contest Award Winner for her essay entitled Take an Anti-
bullying Approach. Kayla is a Grade 7 student at the Maurice A. Donahue School (Teacher Tracy A. Russell). Read more.

Grinspoon Awards for Excellence in Teaching
The Grinspoon Awards for Excellence in Teaching were presented on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 to the following seven Holyoke Public Schools teachers:
Normand LeBlanc, Jr., Justin Cotton, Jr., Josiah Friedberg, Carole Gamache, Ana E. Malave, Elaine Furtak, Susan Cohen.Congratulations teachers! Read more about this exciting event.Click here to view photos.

Holyoke Public School Students Qualified to Receive John and Abigail Adams Scholarship
The following students, of the Holyoke Public School District, qualified to receive the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for the 2009-2010 school year -
Holyoke High: Allison Bigelow, Mariah Bouchard, Emily Brady, Bronwyn Callahan, Christopher Camus, Daniel Cavanaugh, Nicholas Chapdelaine, Samantha Colon, Adrian Cruz, Antonio Diaz, Thomas Diaz, Kyle Duquette, Genesis Estrada, Kevin Garcia, Conor Gates, Jillian Greaney, Aubrey Halket, Hannah Harazmus, Thomas Hebert, Jaime Hoppock, Katelyn Kelly, Sean Kelly, Stephanie Konstantinidis, Indira Lalchandani, Patrick Laramee, Kerry Leahy, Megan Leary, Michael Lebiedz, Chelsea Markham, Kimberly Martinez, Yadiane Montanez, David Morin, Kevin Morton, Courtney Neil, Patrick O’Neil, Francisco Ortiz-Pagan, Timothy Paradis, Brian Parenteau, Vianca Ramos, Cynthia Rivera, Jeffrey Rivera, Cynthia Rodriguez, Ferdinand Santiago, Wilfredo Semidey, Jessica Sweeney, Kaila Tallman, Johnathan Taylor, Kevin Tierney
Dean Technical High School: Emmanuel Morales, Steven Lopez, Edward Maldonado, Dominick Boucher
These students are recognized for their high academic achievement on MCAS tests. Students who qualify for the Adams Scholarship are entitled to four years of free tuition at a University of Massachusetts campus or any participating Massachusetts state or community college. Click here to read more about this scholarship.

Holyoke High Student, Patrick O’Neill, Selected National Merit Scholar
Congratulations to Patrick O’Neill, recognized for outstanding academic promise as a Commended Student in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. Click here to read more about this program.

Congratulations to Sarah Platanitis, Holyoke High School Teacher
Sarah Platanitis was one of 35 journalism educators chosen from across the United States to participate in the prestigious Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri-Columbia in July. The American Society of Newspaper Editors held the institute to give educators insight into the future of journalism and the opportunity to network with other journalism professionals. Alongside Nancy Freeman, Missouri's journalism teacher of the year, Platanitis served as an advisor for teaching media literacy strategies. In October, Platanitis spoke about the role of new media in the classroom at the 2009 Media Literacy Conference held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.