A Message From Principal Wilson:
Parents/Guardians—I know that there has been a lot of speculation on what is going to happen with athletics here at Benson Tech. I can assure you that I am in constant communication with district officials in regards to maintaining athletics here at Benson Tech and will continue to meet with district officials advocating for athletics until a final decision has been made.
I’ve copied an important article from Thursday’s Oregonian that you should read concerning Benson athletics.
Portland Public Schools Senior Policy Advisor: District has ‘no plan to eliminate’ Benson sports
The Benson Techmen (Mike Richman/OregonLive.com)
By Casey Parks | [email protected]
Portland Public Schools leaders will meet with Benson Polytechnic High School community members before making decisions about the future of the school’s football and soccer programs, said Jon Isaacs, Superintendent Carole Smith’s senior policy advisor. “No decisions have been made about any athletic programs at any school,” Isaacs said. “There are currently no plans to eliminate any programs. There’s currently no plan to eliminate football or any other sport from Benson.” Athletic Director Marshall Haskins has not made a recommendation to the superintendent, Isaacs said, but Haskins did leave Benson off the preliminary schedule he submitted to OSAA. “It was unfortunate that Benson was not included in that schedule, especially given the fact that no decisions have been made,” Isaacs said.
When Benson students and coaches got word this week that Haskins had left them off the schedule, they marched to the school board meeting to protest.
The turmoil dates back to last September, when the district decided to have all athletic teams compete together in a Class 6A Portland Interscholastic League starting in the 2014-2015 school year.
The change was supposed to kick start rivalries between the neighborhood schools and boost school spirit. But 6A, which requires schools to fill three teams, is a big jump for some of the smaller schools.
Isaacs said Haskins and his boss Tripp Goodall “have been having frank discussions with coaches and Principals at all schools about what it will take to build viable, sustainable athletic programs that meet 6A requirements and competition levels and best serve student athletes. Now those discussions will begin to include community stakeholders, particularly at Benson.”
District leaders plan to meet with the community throughout March in meetings scheduled by the Parents, Teacher and Student Organization, Isaacs said. The district will likely have a recommendation after spring break.
Parents/Guardians please remember that freshmen have a daily planner that will help parents monitor daily homework needs and due dates from teachers. The daily planner also contains contact information and email addresses of their teachers. Please also be aware of the automated phone calls from the school alerting you (parents) of absences/skipping by your child. This will allow you the opportunity to follow up with your child before the absences become a chronic issue.
State Robotics Championships Held at Benson Polytechnic:
This past weekend the FTC State Robotics Championships were held at Benson Tech and the event was a spectacle to behold. I was able to participate in the event on Sunday and cheer on and support the two robotics teams that made it to state representing Benson Tech. The state robotics teams were made up of students in grades 7 through 12, who start the season in the fall by designing and programming a unique robot using a robotics kit called Tetrix. Attendees had a chance to not only see robots built by the top Oregon teams, but also witness these robots go head to head competing to put blocks into baskets, and do chin ups on a cross bar at the end of each round! Teams in this year’s championship tournament were divided into two divisions, with the divisions honoring the names of two famous engineers with Portland connections: the late Howard Vollum, Tektronix co-founder, and Gordon Moore, Intel co-founder. The winning Oregon teams will take the top honors and go on to the Super-Regionals in California. It was my pleasure to watch one of our own teams (Team EMP) make it to the Super-Regionals which will be held in Sacramento California later this spring. Congratulations to Matt Pellico and his staff for putting together a great showing at the Robotics State Championships.
Important Graduation Information
Now is the time for seniors to order “CTE major stoles” to wear across their robes during the graduation ceremony. Wearing a CTE major stole tells the world which Benson CTE program your student successfully completed at Benson Polytechnic High School. Show some Tech Pride and order the major stole today! CTE major stoles cost $19, payable to the bookkeeper by March 3rd.
Please note that the graduation stoles are optional. VP Office
Athletic Events For The Week
*MBX=Men’s Basketball/WBX=Women’s Basketball/WR=Wrestling
Wednesday March 5th
Play-In Basketball Game
7:00 MBX (V) vs. Springfield at Springfield High School
A Message from Rachel Draper (Athletic Director):
The Women’s Basketball Banquet will be held on Tuesday, March 4th from 6-7:30pm in the Band Room. Note the date change.
Spring sports clearance is February 18-28 during lunch and after school.
Spring sports tryouts/practice starts March 3.
All athletes must get cleared in the athletic office before they can tryout or practice.
Thanks Ms. Draper
A Message from the Benson Counseling Staff of Amy Henry and Steve Wren:
Parents here are a few things we want to make sure you don’t miss and communicate with your students.
Juniors: Now is the time to start studying for the ACT test. Come to the College and Career Center for help.
SENIORS–KEEP WORKING ON POST HS PLANS:
Going to an apprenticeship after Benson? – See your major teacher; update your resume.
Math Tutoring: The counseling center is now offering FREE math tutoring on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm for students in Algebra 1 – Pre-Calculus. Feel free to drop in any Thursday and get help with math in the counseling center.
A Message from Dave DeMaris (Math Teacher):
Benson Mathematics students recently participated in a nationwide competitive exam, the AMC. This 25-question, 90-minute, no-calculator focuses on Algebra and Geometry skills. There are two categories: The AMC-12 for Seniors and Juniors and the AMC-10 for Freshmen and Sophomores.
Winners:
AMC – 12 : 1st place, Joseph Shea-Bianco, 2nd place, Kim Bronson, 3rd place, Gavin Beck, 4th place, Theo Nguyen , 5th place, David Hoang .
AMC – 10 : 1st place, Lillian Thorburn, 2nd place, Zoe McEmerys , 3rd place, Izabel Valle, 4th place, Colleen Anthony, 5th place, Chinwendu Ughamba .
Congratulations to these students.
A Message from Tim Hryciw (Tech-Geo Teacher)
On Friday students put in place the first two walls for the Dignity Village structure that we’re building.
The students were very happy and proud to see the walls go up. As one student said “Wow this is cool we did it”.
On Tuesday the students will install the other two framed walls and start the trusses.
A Message from Nurse Cindy Schlatter:
3rd Annual Rob Ingram Youth Summit Against Violence
We, the Multnomah Youth Commission, established the Youth Against Violence Committee (YAV) in 2011, in response to the growing violence directed towards young people. We identified seven types of violence: Anti-Gay and Gender, Cyberbullying, Gang, Home/Family, Police, School (Bullying), and Sexual & Dating Violence. As the official youth policy body for the City of Portland and Multnomah County, we will not tolerate these acts, which create a hostile and unsafe environment for all youth throughout our city and county.
In our last two summits, we tried to change the way violence was talked about and dealt with in our community. We are now hosting our 3rd Annual Rob Ingram Youth Summit Against Violence on Saturday, April 5, 2014, at the Ambridge Event Center (1333 NE MLK Jr. Blvd). Our intention is to integrate youth and adults in the work our community does to prevent violence. New aspects of this year’s summit include more hands-on activities, artistic expression, and in-depth exploration of Gang/Police, School, and Sexual & Dating violence. Youth survey responses at past summits and events led us to focus more on these three forms of violence. In collaboration with community youth, we hope to continue the work from our past two summits by expanding our action steps to create change.
The first section of the summit is dedicated to youth, to caucus, build community, and further develop action steps in different mediums. The presence of invited policymakers and community leaders is requested in the afternoon, to listen to youth stories of violence and engage young people in dialogue around how we can take steps together to reduce violence in our community.
The goals of this year’s summit are to
• Provide resources for youth to deal with violence they experienced and/or currently experience in their lives
• Inform policymakers with the experiences youth face regarding violence and strengthen our youth-adult partnerships to implement our policy recommendations and actions.
• Educate youth and adults about Our Bill of Rights: Children + Youth and the importance of its implementation into all decision-making areas in our community
• Bring diverse youth from across the region together to share ideas and experiences regarding violence and build a youth movement for social change
We will provide:
1. On site licensed childcare to all young people with children (registration required)
2. Bus transportation to and from the summit from 12 different locations
3. Breakfast, lunch and snacks during the day
4. Custom made T-Shirts from local business Screw Loose Studios in N.PDX
5. Amazing raffle prizes with lots of chances to win.
6. Opportunities to learn, take action and STOP the violence
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: IF you know of a YOUNG PERSON (NOT ADULT) who would be interested in attending please have them register online here.
CLICK HERE: 2014 YAV Summit REGISTRATION
Currently, our sponsors include State Farm Insurance Youth Advisory Board, Penney Family Fund (a member of Common Counsel Foundation), Multnomah County’s Office of Diversity and Equity and Department of County Human Services, STRYVE (Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere), Defending Childhood Initiative, Local Public Safety Coordinating Council and the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
Thanks for your support,
Marc Fernandes
Youth Development Coordinator, Multnomah Youth Commission
Office of Diversity and Equity – Multnomah County, Oregon
10317 E. Burnside
Portland, OR 97216
Ph: 503.793.1691
A Message from Moses Davis (Computer Engineering Teacher):
Note: Computer Donations
Parents–Students in Introduction to Computer Engineering are looking for donations of computers to recycle, repair and or use for labs. If you have any Computers that you are currently not using please make contact with me here at Benson.
Thank You
Moses Davis
Computer Engineering Teacher
A message from Miranda Ryan (College & Career Coordinator)
Coming to Benson:
Upcoming Career Days:
DigiGirlz Microsoft Career Day March 7th
Human Services Career Day March 13 9:00-12:00
Veterinary Career Day March 20th
Human Services Career Day March 13 9:00-12:00
Scholarships:
SAT Prep Sessions:
COLLEGE VISITS:
All visits will be held in the Counseling Center. You must sign up in the Counseling Center for these visits.
New Opportunities for Benson Students
Chick Tech- is a free year long program that introduces 100 high school girls to technology and local tech community. The program provides a fun, positive learning experience designed to build participants’ confidence in their technical abilities, give them positive role models, create connections with other young women from the Portland metro area, and create a positive association with technology creation.
Must be a sophomore or Junior to apply.
Technovision– is currently recruiting 13-19 year-old girls to complete in this year’s competition. Technovation is a girls-only challenge world-wide competition where teams of 5-6 girls’ work together to program a cellphone application and create a business plan to distribute their idea. The winning team receives $10,000 to make their idea a reality.
The EAGLE: (Early Adventures in Golf for a Lifetime of Enjoyment)
This program is a paid internship that encompasses all phases of the golf course operation. Only sophomores are eligible to apply for this two-year program. You do not need to know how to play golf.
Come to the Career Center to pick up an application.
Instant Admit Days:
Internships:
Work at OMSI as an Educator Apprentice. Must be between the ages of 16 to 19; Pay Rate: $8.95 – $10.50 per hour. If this sounds like the perfect position, please visit http://omsi.iapplicants.com/searchjobs.php.
OMSI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Summer Opportunities For Your Kids:
PLACE (Planning and Leadership Across City Environments): By signing up for PLACE you will work on real projects that directly involves you in planning Portland’s future. During this dynamic, interdisciplinary, and experiential summer program, you will learn from the city’s best minds as they grapple with decisions that shape Portland’s Future. Sign up in the Career Center.
International Summer Science Institute: Applicants to the international Summer Science Institute must have excelled in their science studies and demonstrated their interceded in scientific research beyond the classroom—in extra research projects, science competitions, summer programs, etc. Pick-up applications in the Career Center.
Contest Opportunities To Discuss With Your Kids:
65th Annual Be Kind to Animals Poster & Story Contest– Each year students in Oregon are invited to either create a poster or write a short story portraying a part of the Oregon Humane Society’s mission to help animals. Winning posters and stories are displayed in the OHS Education Hall, on the OHS website and are featured in the OHS quarterly magazine. Posters and stories may also be used to promote events and shelter programs. Top entries in each category will also win great prizes.
For more details, go to http://www.oregonhumane.org/services/contests.asp#.UqDmMSfp1Ck
Due: 3/19/14
C. Wilson
Principal of Benson Polytechnic High School
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