WACTC Students Excel At SkillsUSA Competition, Reading Weeks Continue

Spring is in the air and there are so many positive academic activities to report on.  In this article I will highlight our  students' outstanding achievement in the statewide SkillsUSA Rhode Island competition.  I will also highlight additional reading week programs at Harris Elementary and Governor Aram J. Pothier Elementary Schools.

35^th Annual SkillsUSA Rhode Island Awards and Recognition Ceremony

SkillsUSA is Rhode Island's largest career and technical student organization and at the national level, it is the country’s second largest career and technical student organization.  SkillsUSA has an annual membership of over 300,000 students and teachers. The National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO will have of 14,000 attendees.

At the 35th Annual Skills USA Rhode Island Championships there were more than 620 contestants in almost 50 separate events. Nearly 300 judges and contest organizers from labor, management, and education supported the state championship event. The philosophy of the SkillsUSA Rhode Island Championships is threefold; (a) to reward students for excellence, (b) to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance, and (c) to keep training relevant to employers' needs.

The SkillsUSA Rhode Island Championships are an opportunity for the best career and technical students in the state to compete. The contests start at the school level, continue through the state and culminate at the national level. Only the Rhode Island first place winner goes on to represent our state at the national conference in Kansas City, MO. 

On Thursday, March 31^st, SkillsUSA Rhode Island held its 35^th Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony. These students from Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center received their awards in the following categories:

Gold Medal Winners:

Andrew Switzer for Extemporaneous Speech

Sabrina Rego for Medical Math  

Jessica St. Jean for Photography   

Michael Ellis & Ashby Morales for Television/Video Production

Sean Coupel & Corey Smiley for Web Design

Silver Medal Winners:

Jintanna Souvannavongsa for Extemporaneous Speech

Cora Hunt, Alphaeus Omoniyi, Vaneda Somoulaylack, & Julia Sosa for Health Knowledge Bowl

Kelsey Gately for Photography

Kimberly Chomka & Brittany Simard for Television/Video Production

Bronze Medal Winners:

Melissa Saengsaisouk for Customer Service

Kodie Spearman for T-Shirt Design

Sean Crimmins, Rody Fernandez, Christopher Hetu-Berube, & Mathew Sanchez for Teamworks

Cedrik Samson for Technical Computer Applications

Dan Cabral & Dan Cullen for Television/Video Production

Chelsey Johnson & Kathryn Smith for Web Design

These students' accomplishments remind us of how valuable the programs at the Woonsocket Career and Technical Center are to our community and region!

Harris Elementary School Reading Week Kick Off

I really enjoyed being asked to kick off the reading week events by being the first guest reader of the week by Ms. Pora, who organized the events for reading week.  I was also asked to be a guest judge for the door decorating contest as well as reading in Ms. McCarthey's and Ms. Hayes's classrooms.  I had to wait a few minutes for Ms. McCarthey and Ms. Hayes to finish a lesson before they transitioned the students to the reading area and it became obvious to me that these two teachers were very skilled at co-teaching. 

Ms. McCarthey asked me to read a story titled "Miss Alaineus A Vocabulary Disaster" by Debra Frasier.  This was an excellent choice for several reasons.  First, the storyline was about a student named Sage and her vocabulary list.  The definitions of many of the words in the story were designed to expand the readers vocabulary.  Second, Sage was embarrassed by a definition that she made a very public mistake on.  However, by the end of the story she realizes that we learn from our mistakes and often something good can come from it.

 Governor Aram J. Pothier Elementary School Reading Week Kick Off

I was also pleased to be the first guest reader at Pothier Elementary School.  I was able to read in a first grade room where the teacher is Ms. Mastin and the assistant is Ms. Pichette.  Again, I found these educators to be working so well with each other and as a result I found this to be a great class.

 I found the book that this teacher offered me to read was also an excellent selection.  The book was titled "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza.  I did a lot with the students on prediction and I won't give away the ending, but there is a twist.  The students were so well behaved and yet, we had a lot of fun together. 

As I was leaving I noticed parent resource center that is located in the foyer, near the front entrance.  I asked Principal Coderre how long the parent center had been there. She told me it was set up three years ago and has become a very popular area in the school.  She puts upcoming school and district events on the calendar, updates brochures from our community partners, and tries to make it an inviting place to just relax.  Also, there is a lending library for parents to conveniently borrow relevant literature.

I happened to be walking by in the middle of the day when I took the attached pictures.  However, I have seen many parents in Pothier and our other elementary schools sitting in these areas and having those conversations that are better held in friendly surroundings.  This is just another way that we strive to make our schools parent friendly.

Spring Recess

This week the Woonsocket schools are on Spring Recess.  This is a time for rest and rejuvenation so that we can all come back and with a strong finish to the school year.  I identified in this article several examples of excellent high interest literature.  Children and adolescent literature has come such a long way since I was a child.  As a parent, I make regular stops at the local library to make sure that my children have every opportunity to read as much as possible.  I hope that some of your rest and relaxation this spring recess includes reading a good book just for pleasure.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Gerardi, Jr., Ph.D.                         

Superintendent of Schools                             

Woonsocket Education Department  

"The only true equalizers in the world are books; the only treasure-house open to all comers is a library; the only wealth which will not decay is knowledge; the only jewel which you can carry beyond the grave is wisdom."
J. A. Langford

"I've always imagined heaven to be a kind of library"

Gabriel García