ignite Fall 2016

Link Crew story on page 4

Nearly one year ago, our Archdiocese was blessed with a visit by Pope Francis. During his homily at the Cathedral Basilica, he posed a powerful question that bears revisiting: “What about you?”

Every day at our schools, we attempt to answer The Holy Father’s call to action. Our young students —nearly 60,000 enrolled this year— are encouraged to embrace their God-given gifts and use them to benefit the world in which they live. So in this issue of Ignite, we’ll be taking a close look at some of the many ways educators within AOPS are unlocking student potential.

As Catholic educators, we each have a responsibility to affirmatively answer Pope Francis’ call. But we also have the opportunity, and the duty, to give our students the knowledge, skills, and social support they need to answer that call themselves.

To that end, I hope the stories you read in this issue inspire you as they have inspired me. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Peace and all good things,

Chris MomineySecretary for Catholic Education and Chief Operating Officer

Answering Pope Francis’ Call

Some are connecting children with new computer technology to expand their problem-solving capabilities. Others are driving involvement with robotics’ programs that develop both conceptual and hands-on skills. And at one school, upperclassmen are partnering with freshmen to transform a traditionally awkward period into a positive learning and bonding experience.

2

3

10 PROGRAMMING WEBSITES AND APPS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERSSource: Common Sense Education

Want to introduce your students to the world of programming? These 10 websites and apps will teach them the basic skills they need to get started!

01Made with CodeFun tutorials and projects that inspire young girls to embrace and explore the world of programming.

Grades: 4–12

Platform: Website

Common Sense Rating:

02Code.orgCreative activities for students with the ability for teachers to track progress through a fully integrated dashboard.

Grades: K–12

Platform: Website

Common Sense Rating:

03Cargo-BotA puzzle-based game that stimulates the mind while introducing programming concepts.

Grades: 5–12

Platform: iPad

Common Sense Rating:

04Code AvengersComprehensive lessons that teach coding language and concepts used in web development.

Grades: 6–12

Platform: Website

Common Sense Rating:

05CodeMonkeyFun games that teach programming skills and allow children to challenge their friends.

Grades: 4–12

Platform: Website

Common Sense Rating:

06Hopscotch School EditionStudents use programming concepts to manipulate characters in games adapted to their teachers’ curricula.

Grades: 4–9

Platform: iPad

Common Sense Rating:

07Mozilla ThimbleUses a cause-and-effect display to give students a real-time look at how HTML language works.

Grades: 4–12

Platform: Website

Common Sense Rating:

08Codeable CraftsStudents snap blocks together to create coding sequences that tell a story on the screen.

Grades: K–3

Platform: Android

Common Sense Rating:

09Blocky for Dash & Dot RobotsA drag-and-drop visual programming tool that allows students to snap together commands like puzzle pieces.

Grades: K–5

Platforms: Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Common Sense Rating:

10ScratchJrBy placing programming blocks across the screen, students can make characters move, jump, dance, and sing.

Grades: K–2

Platforms: Android, iPad

Common Sense Rating:

Grade ranges are a recommendation by the Common Sense Education editorial team, not the developer/publisher.

5

H O W T W O T E A C H E R S A R E R A I S I N G E D T E C H S T A N D A R D S

athi Szymborski remembers huddling with her students around the flickering screen of a Texas

Instruments TI-99/4A personal computer, watching with wonder as they used simple programming language to make words dance across the screen. That was 1981, her first year as a full-time teacher, and in the three and a half decades since then, a lot has changed.

Today, technology in the classroom is no longer the flavor-of-the-month novelty that it was early in Szymborski’s career. In fact, it has become so wholly integrated into everything educators do that it is oftentimes difficult to separate its influence from the larger process of learning. An impressive commitment to emerging technologies at Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools has helped the schools not only become more competitive as educational institutions, but has also helped students learn the skills they needed to succeed throughout their academic and professional lives.

At Archbishop Ryan High School, where Szymborski is entering her 21st year as a teacher and 13th as the school’s English department chairperson, there is an entire class devoted to teaching sophomores to become more effective and responsible digital learners. Szymborski and several of her colleagues developed this comprehensive digital literacy course three years

ago, and she has taught it each year since. The class focuses primarily upon the proper use of social media, technology, digital citizenship, and the intersection of each of those three with regard to entrepreneurship.

Archbishop Ryan’s digital literacy course is made up of five major assignments completed throughout the course of the semester. The first asks students to use tools such as Haiku Deck, Prezi, and Slides to create a digital presentation that reflects upon their life experiences through a cogent narrative. The second allows students to pick an area of interest, immerse themselves within an online community related to

that topic, and report back about their experiences. In the third, they choose an issue of importance to them and use online resources in order to find evidence in support of the side they’ve taken in the dispute. Fourth, the students must choose a problem – be it in the world, in their school, or even in the classroom itself – and use digital databases in order to research past attempts to resolve similar issues; at the end of the course, they present their own solutions to the class. And fifth, students are given the opportunity throughout the year to spend one day each week learning more about anything that interests them.

This final portion of the class, called Genius Hour, is based upon a similar concept originally instituted by Google that allows its employees to explore passion projects tangentially related to their job duties while at work. Gmail is one of the handfuls of innovative ideas that emerged out of this endeavor. It works in much the same way in Szymborski’s classroom, and at the end of the year students use a digital platform of their choice to create a multimedia report on what they learned and accomplished.

“Genius Hour is my very favorite part of the class,” she said. “It’s driven by a passion that the students have, and it really requires them to do a lot research and find multiple sources of information. And at the end of the year, after presenting their findings to the class, they use Twitter to share their findings with the world.”

By the conclusion of the course, Szymborski’s students become better acquainted with the digital tools and software they will use throughout their high school careers and beyond and also learn to be more thoughtful and engaged members of the online academic community. In doing so, Archbishop Ryan

hopes to provide its students with the knowledge they need in order to use the internet to its fullest potential as a resource for educational growth.

ersonal growth is also the goal of Gene Carboni, a teacher at Father Judge High School with more

than three decades of experience working in technology. Since 1994, Carboni has taught at Father Judge, a school that prides itself on making lifelong learners out of the young men who attend. In that spirit, Carboni has attempted to harness the power of the internet, and of social media in particular, to give students more opportunities to learn collaboratively outside the walls of the school.

As Father Judge’s EdTech Coach, he makes it his mission to teach students both about emerging technologies and platforms and also about how to utilize those tools in an appropriate way. In an age where the collaborative aspect of the internet is becoming more and more accessible to the average person, Carboni strives to to turn his students from passive users to active participants.

7

6

As one of just two Google for Education Certified Trainers in the city of Philadelphia, and one of 1,370 worldwide, Carboni uses his expertise to remotely instruct other educators from a number of schools.

In this role, he helps fellow teachers become more digitally savvy and learn about online resources that can keep them more organized and allow them to operate as efficiently as possible. In order to do this, Carboni makes it a point to stay ahead of the digital curve and constantly seek out new opportunities to enrich his own knowledge in that area.

“Our students have all grown up using these tools. So it’s important for us to stay one step ahead of them,” he said. “I consider myself a learner before a teacher, so what I’m doing is constantly learning, learning 24/7, and that’s what the internet has given me the ability to do. I think I’ve learned more on my own using the internet than I have in many of the formal courses I’ve taken.”

Thanks to devoted and talented instructors like Kathi Szymborski and Gene Carboni, AOPS schools are at the forefront of the digital revolution occurring in education today. With eyes toward the future, we continue to provide our students with an unparalleled education that fully utilizes the awesome power of these emerging technologies.

Upcom i ng Te c h Opportunit ies

If you’d like to expand your schools’ technological knowledge and capabilities, now is the perfect time to learn more. Get started with these resources and upcoming events.

October 19, 2016 Elementary schools

October 22, 2016 Archbishop Wood High School

February 25, 2017Snow date: March 4, 2017 Location TBD. Registration available soon.

REGISTER ONLINE REGISTER ONLINE

DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTER

Join @AOPtech on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Remind.com. Or follow AOPtech team members on Twitter:

• Bill Brannick: @Coachb0066• Alissa DeVito: @alissa_devito• Aaron Heintz: @AaronHeintz

9

IMPROVE IGNITE IN 2 MINUTESIgnite was created to be a magazine about you, the Catholic educator. That’s why we’d like your thoughts on making it the best publication possible.

When you have a minute, take this quick survey and let us know how Ignite can serve you and your school.

START SURVEY

WIN A $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Put your school’s take on Catholic education in the spotlight. Tell us a story about someone (student, staff, faculty, or family) you know who exemplifies one of these AOPS Core Values:

• We believe every child can benefit from Catholic values.

• We believe in progress.

• We believe in developing the whole person.

• We believe achievement flourishes in a caring community.

We’ll be featuring inspiring stories in the next issue of Ignite – and you could be chosen to win a $100 Amazon gift card for your school.

Make sure to let us know your school, your position, and the best way to get in touch with you for details – thank you!

10

What inspired you to create St. Katharine's science lab?

The creation of the lab had been a goal of the school for a long time. Under the direction of my principal and pastor, and with the input of our science teachers, we were able to turn that dream into a reality. Science education in our building has improved dramatically, because whenever you allow students to get their hands dirty and put into practice what they have seen in a book or video, good things happen.

As a father of five, does your home sometimes resemble a science lab?

Well, whenever I do something really cool at school, I always bring it home to share with my children. They loved testing the flammability of a dollar bill doused in a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water, making flubber, and creating a milk rainbow, especially. A few years ago, my daughter got a telescope, and on clear nights we often use it to explore the sky.

Q

A

Q

A

STEM @ AOPS

David HeacockSt. Katharine of Siena SchoolTeacher/Chairperson of Science Committee

A full-fledged lab is just one of the ways David Heacock is inspiring students to pursue a passion in the sciences. Here’s what he had to say about getting more children involved in STEM at AOPS.

STEM @ AOPS

David HeacockSt. Katharine of Siena SchoolTeacher/Chairperson of Science Committee

11

In your work with elementary school students, what have you done to make science more accessible and appealing to students?

My lessons and labs are designed to give our students ownership over their learning – to let them try things, make mistakes, and then learn from those mistakes. Giving students a safe environment in which they feel comfortable to experiment is the best thing a teacher can do. And that’s true no matter what the academic subject is.

As chairperson of the Science Committee, what do you most hope to accomplish in the coming year?

I really want to involve teachers from across our school system, at all grade levels, in helping to develop our short- and long-term strategy. In doing this, we would look to highlight what works best for some of our teachers and allow them to share that with other educators. The greatest resource we have is each other, and I want to maximize that.

Each year, you and your students create a "museum" at the school that focuses upon an area of interest in science and social studies. What has been your favorite topic so far?

Our first museum ever was on World War II, and to this day it is still my favorite. We had the pleasure of working with two great organizations, Saving Hallowed Ground and the American Legion, and it was through them that we were put in contact with some amazing veterans and families who really brought the topic to life for the students. Since then, we’ve done museums on World War I, the Vietnam War, the Ocean, the Solar System, and American geography and sociology.

As someone who has worked in the AOPS for a long time, what has made that experience so rewarding?

I was hired right out of college by my former grade school principal at St. Katharine of Siena, Sister William Therese, to teach fourth grade. And except for a brief stint teaching eighth-grade math in the Bronx, I’ve been with AOPS ever since. AOPS gave me so much as a student – acting as a third parent in many ways, and I always felt like I needed to give back. I have had the honor of crossing paths with some unbelievable teachers at St. Katharine, and they motivate me every day to do the very best I can for my students.

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

Q

A

A BANNER YEAR FOR AOPSgetting closer to a united Archdiocesan brand

When we launched the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools brand last year, we sought to create an identity that would unite our students, our staff, and of course, the schools themselves. With your help, AOPS is already becoming a recognizable name and identity, reflecting our shared values as Catholic educators.

But for all our schools to receive the full benefit of an Archdiocesan relationship, it must be clear to every family which schools are and aren’t a part of AOPS.

So in addition to top-level branding, we needed a simple way to show off AOPS affiliation — without treading on the unique identity of individual schools.

12

13

Working with designers and strategists, we created a small, versatile banner that could simultaneously reflect any school’s identity and the greater AOPS brand.

The dove icon and “An AOP School” persists across every version of the banner, creating a consistent top-level look. But the tone of the banner is updated to match each school’s individual colors, fitting in with existing designs.

One Icon, Many Institutions

The AOPS Banner adapts easily to your school’s primary and secondary colors, or a single color where necessary.

The AOPS Banner is already rolling out to AOPS high schools, and it will eventually be available for every school in the Archdiocese. What will your banner look like, and how will you use it to underscore your school’s values? Now is the perfect time to start planning!

Fall 2016 Volume 29

McDevitt

The Loyalist

Bishop

High School

The 2016 Annual Report

The banner is an unobtrusive way of showing off AOPS affiliation on almost any digital or print application.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

Stephen HaugExecutive Director of Athletics

What he doesStephen works with Directors of Athletics within AOPS to enhance the experience of student athletes. He also looks for opportunities to use our athletics programs and achievements as a vehicle to promote AOPS high schools.

How he can help youStephen regularly meets with AOPS Presidents, Principals, and Assistant Principals to exchange ideas and solutions for enriching high school athletics. Administrators looking to improve or promote their schools’ sports programs can reach out to Stephen online — or by inviting him to a local game!

Email: shaug@archphila.org Phone: 215.587.0514

“ I see firsthand the connection that so many former students have to the AOPS high school they attended, and the pride in which they support their alma mater while striving to exhibit the ideals of AOPS Catholic education in both their professional and personal lives.”

14

These OCE employees are working to help your school... here’s how!

Nancy L. SanchezField Coordinator for Hispanic Outreach

What she doesNancy is always looking for new ways to make Hispanic families feel more welcome to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and to AOPS schools by extension. She supports church efforts to overcome cultural, linguistic, and other barriers. In doing so, she helps bring these families, and their surrounding communities, into the local parish.

How she can help youIf you’re looking for more effective ways of increasing diversity and engaging with the local Hispanic community, Nancy can help. She provides linguistic support and is capable of assessing complex community dynamics to determine the best method of outreach and evangelization.

Email: nlsanchez@archphila.org Phone: 215.587.3700

“ The desire [St. John Neumann] had to serve everyone, to learn languages so to provide the sacrament of penance to as many people as possible in their native language, encouraged me to serve as he did. What an extraordinary man, and what an amazing vision he had! ”

15

16

As many of us remember all too well, the transition from elementary school to high school can be one of the most difficult changes we experience during

our formative years. Both socially and academically, incoming freshmen face new problems and increased pressure. But despite the inevitable stresses of this near-universal life event, very few strategies to support young students have been adopted widely. At Cardinal O’Hara High School, administrators are looking to buck that trend, utilizing a comprehensive initiative called Link Crew to help make that transition easier for incoming students.

Link Crew is a nationally renowned high school transition program that connects incoming students with juniors and seniors who help mentor and guide

them throughout their first year. In 2015, Cardinal O’Hara joined more than 3,500 schools from around the world in implementing the all-inclusive course. It works by dividing the freshman class into groups of 8-10 students and then pairing those groups with two upperclassmen mentors – one junior and one senior. These two students, called Link Leaders, provide guidance and companionship to young students at a time when they need that support most.

“This is a program that the students can really feel like they own,” said Kelly Lanza, the Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs at Cardinal O’Hara. “Of course, we train our upperclassmen regarding how to implement the program and guide them through navigating problems. But we also give them a lot of autonomy. They remember

A Common Link Between Freshmen & Upperclassmen

Elizabeth Tosto (left) and Frances Schueren (right), Cardinal O’Hara Seniors

17

all too well how hard it was to be freshmen, so I rely on them to help new students feel like part of our school – regardless of their interests, athletic ability, or group of friends. And the best part of the program is that it’s cyclical – once those freshmen become upperclassmen, they can apply to be Link Leaders and give back to a new group of new students.”

Before the school year begins, Link Leaders attend a two-day seminar that imparts upon them the leadership skills and knowledge they’ll need to successfully implement the program. Leading those training sessions is Diane Casey, an educator for the better part of the last three decades and Cardinal O’Hara’s Link Crew Coordinator. Throughout the year, she oversees the initiative, providing guidance to freshmen and upperclassmen alike. This is Casey’s first year being involved with the program, and she has already seen positive outcomes begin to take shape.

“These are real, student-to-student connections, and it’s all about inclusion – making our new students feel welcome,” she said. “It’s a bit like a Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and I think there are benefits for both the incoming freshmen, who receive great guidance and support, and the upperclassmen, who learn to become better leaders and communicators.”

All of the Link Leaders at Cardinal O’Hara were either recruited by teachers and administrators at the school or self-nominated to serve as mentors. Many of them remember how hard it was to transition from eighth grade to ninth – both academically and socially – and find it gratifying to help a new class of incoming students feel more immediately at home at the school.

“Any way that I can help these new students I want to, because I know it makes such a huge difference,” said senior Frances Schueren, a second-year Link Leader. “I really wish that I had something like this when I was a

freshman, because this is such a great way to quickly make friends coming into freshman year. I remember my first day of high school, coming into homeroom and not knowing anyone. Link Crew really helps ease freshmen into their first few days of high school.”

But the program doesn’t end with the freshman orientation the school puts on the eve of the first day of classes. Throughout the course of the year, the volunteer Link Leaders make efforts to reach out to their freshman mentees both in and out of the classroom. Some of the help the Link Leaders provide is structured – planned trips to classrooms, invitations to afterschool events, group hangouts in the lunchroom, and the like. But one of the more powerful aspects of the program is the organic bond it creates between students, many of whom otherwise perhaps would not have much reason to interact with one another.

“When I found out about this program, I was really excited. It’s been great, and I’ve been able to make a few really special connections as a part of it,” said Elizabeth Tosto, a second-year Link Leader and senior at Cardinal O’Hara. “Last year, one of the freshmen I was mentoring happened to be in my Spanish class, so I was able to sit next to her at the beginning of the year and ask the teacher if we could be partners on some of the group projects. We became good friends through that, and I’m really excited to sit next to her in Spanish class again this year.”

18

Matt JurkiewiczBishop McDevitt High School Teacher/Robotics Coach

Together in TechFor the last five years, Matt Jurkiewicz has been bringing students together to explore the possibilities of robotics. Recently, he shared insights into the incredible momentum of his team, E=mCD.

How did you first get involved with the Robotics Team at Bishop McDevitt?

In the spring of 2011, a Bishop McDevitt alumnus named Brendan Burke (’77) approached the school and pitched the idea of a Robotics team. He asked me to join, despite having no experience in robotics, electrical engineering, or computer programming, so that I could handle some of the logistics for the team, from planning trips to budgeting for supplies. As someone who is relatively new to robotics, I am still blown away by what our students are able to accomplish.

What has been your favorite robotics project so far?

My favorite robot was one we made in 2013. It was designed to shoot Frisbees into 8- and 10-foot high goals, then climb a metal pyramid to earn bonus points. The most impressive part was how accurate and fast our robot was in its very first match. While other teams were working out bugs in their programming or fixing broken parts, our team was lighting up the scoreboard.

Q

A

Q

A

19

How competitive is your team?

Although E=mCD comes from a comparatively small school, we’ve had great success in our first five seasons. We’ve reached the final rounds of three events and qualified for the District Championship four times.

How do you decide what kinds of robots to build?

Every January, teams from various schools are presented with an outline of a “game” for the upcoming robotics season. Since McDevitt’s team has existed, the games have ranged from shooting foam basketballs, to climbing 10-foot high metal pyramids, to breaching castle walls with dodgeball-sized “boulders.” Each game is completely different and requires novel strategies in terms of robotic design and teamwork.

What has it been like to see so many young people bond around a common interest in science and technology?

The skills that our team members have developed over the past several years are simply mind-blowing. Watching our students write computer programs, wire electronics, and construct 150-pound robots on their own, with merely a bit of oversight from their mentors, it gives me hope about the future of our country and our world. Our students are taking their first steps towards becoming leaders who will eventually use their problem-solving abilities to tackle the largest challenges facing our society today.

How much has the team grown since it was created?

The first robot we built was very basic – essentially four wheels and a battery, and we had so few members that when we entered competitions we had to be assisted in the “pits” by the younger siblings of our team members. But in the four years since, the team has tripled in size, with nearly 10%

of McDevitt’s student body actively participating. Thanks to the support of corporate sponsors such as Lockheed Martin and Comcast, who have provided financial backing as well as adult volunteers to mentor our team members, the robotics team at McDevitt has continued to become more and more competitive.

Why have you chosen to continue teaching at AOPS for 10 years?

There’s a distinct sense of community, a sense that faculty and administrators are focused on supporting one another and dedicated to helping their students succeed. McDevitt, specifically, has embraced its relative smallness and created an environment in which students can really feel like part of a family. At the same time, it offers fantastic programs, from athletics to academic electives such as our robotics team.

It’s a pleasure to work somewhere where faith and values are championed as much as knowledge. We teach our students to build fantastic machines that can do almost anything, but at the same time we are teaching them the value of teamwork, problem solving, and being gracious in both victory and defeat. There is a steadfast belief among Archdiocesan educators that our students can change the world.

QA

Q

A

Q

A

QA

Q

A

WE BELIEVE ACHIEVEMENTFLOURISHESIN A CARINGCOMMUNITY