Raven 2009 Fall.pdf - St. Raymond High School for Boys

SCHOOLnews
ExCEllEnCE in EduCAtion....
AP Scholars CLaSS Of 2009
St. Raymond is proud to recognize three
members of the Class of 2009 who have
earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition
of their exceptional achievement on the
AP (Advanced Placement) Exams.
Juan Infante ‘09, who is attending Carnegie
Mellon University, was awarded the
AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning
an average of at least 3.25 on all AP exams
taken, and grades of three or higher
on four or more AP exams. Fabian Rentas
‘09 and Luis Vasquez-Diaz ‘09 qualified
for the AP Scholar award by completing
Focusing on Sat imprOvement
the first step: vocabulary
three or more AP exams with grades of
three or higher.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement
Program (AP) provides motivated and
academically prepared students with the
opportunity to take rigorous college-level
courses while still in high school, and to
earn college credit, advanced placement,
or both for successful performance on the
AP exams. About 18 percent of the 1.6
million students worldwide who took AP
exams earned an AP Scholar Award. Congratulations
to Juan, Fabian and Luis.
To continue its focus on preparing students for the SAT, St. Raymond has instituted the
instruction of vocabulary across the curriculum. Although English classes have always
taught vocabulary, all departments, including homerooms, will now be involved in a
more specific and focused manner in the instruction of vocabulary.
Understanding vocabulary plays an important role in comprehension. Research shows
that vocabulary instruction, when taught in each subject area in every grade, provides
an excellent opportunity for students to acquire the knowledge they need to understand
the subject area content more fully.
The English department has chosen 200 of the most commonly used SAT words that
will be stressed. Each academic cycle, teachers will receive a list of vocabulary words,
along with definitions and parts of speech. Throughout the academic cycle, each teacher
in each department will teach (using a variety of strategies most applicable to each
subject area), use and test the words within their own content area.
AP Challenge:
rewarding achievement
Since 2007, St. Raymond has participated
in the REACH Scholarship Challenge—
with remarkable results.
REACH strives to “help high achieving students
succeed academically in high school,
go to good colleges, and earn four year
college degrees.” To do this, REACH gives
financial awards of $300 to $1,000 to students
who earn passing scores (3,4 or 5) on
Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
To help them earn those passing scores,
REACH provides free workshops and re-
sources for students and professional development
for teachers.
St. Raymond has been commended by
REACH for its strong performance in the
program. Since 2007, St. Raymond has increased
its number of students passing AP
exams 667%—compared to a 16% increase
in other participating Bronx schools.
REACH is a program of The Council
of Urban Professionals and The Pershing
Square Foundation. 31 schools in New
York City (11 in the Bronx) participate.
St. Raymond loses a Raven
jaSHua burgOS ‘09
Jashua Burgos, summer 2008.
St. Raymond sadly announces the death
of Jashua Burgos ‘09. Joshua, an honor
student, died on December 1, 2008. He
was loved and respected by his classmates
and the entire St. Raymond High
School for Boys community extends its
continued sympathies to his family.
The Magazine for St. Raymond high School for Boys 3