2006 - 2007 News Archive

In partnership with the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Education (OSE) is pleased to announce its 2007 film and discussion series, Science in the Cinema. This popular summer series is open to the public and intended for a broad range of people who enjoy the cinema and have an interest in science and medicine. This year's topics include Drug Addiction, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Asperger’s Syndrome, Death with Dignity,and Suicidal Patient Treatment. Science in the Cinema is a FREE film festival. Every Wednesday evening between July 11 and August 15, a film with a medical science-related theme will be shown in its entirety beginning at 7:00 p.m. Following each film, a guest expert will comment on the science depicted in the film and take questions from the audience. Tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis through the AFI Silver box office, day of show only. Seating is limited to the first 400 people. All films will be shown with captions. American sign language interpreters and real-time captioning will be provided for the post-film discussions. If you require other reasonable accommodations to participate, please contact OSE at least 5 days before the event at (e-mail) moorec@mail.nih.gov, (voice) 301-402-2470, or (TTY) 301-451-9706 through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. For information about the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, visit AFI Silver’s Web site at http://afi.com/silver or call 301-495-6720. Previous Science in the Cinema Programs: 2006 Special Event 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994

Summer 2007 Film Schedule   Half Nelson July 11 The Lost Weekend July 18 Rory O'Shea Was Here July 25 Mozart and the Whale August 1 The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) August 8 On the Edge August 15 Click here for printable schedule (pdf)   Half Nelson July 11 Date: July 11 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: Donald Vereen, M.D., Medical Officer and Special Assistant to the Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH Medical Theme: Drug Abuse Ryan Fleck tells the story of an unlikely friendship that helps a self-destructive teacher pull it together in this film, which was nominated for five Spirit Awards. In his struggle to balance his personal and professional lives, inner city teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling, in an Oscar-nominated role) spends most of his time nursing hangovers. But who could've known that a life-changing lesson would come from one of his students?     Starring: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Jay O. Sanders, Deborah Rush, Anthony Mackie, Tina Holmes Genre: Drama Year: 2006 Run Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes Rating: R, for drug content throughout, language, and some sexuality   The Lost Weekend July 18 Date: July 18 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: Mark Willenbring, M.D., National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH Medical Theme: Alcoholism Based on the novel by Charles R. Johnson, director Billy Wilder’s searing, Oscar-winning portrait of an alcoholic follows writer Don Birnem (Ray Milland), whose girlfriend (Jane Wyman) and caring brother (Philip Terry) leave him alone for the weekend. Aching to drink, Don heads to a bar and goes on a binge that sends him into an alcoholic fog--complete with petrifying hallucinations and an unnerving stint in a hospital sanitarium.     Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Doris Dowling, Mary Young, Lillian Fontaine, Lewis L. Russell, Howard Da Silva, Frank Faylen Genre: Drama Year: 1945 Run Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes Rating: Not rated   Rory O'Shea Was Here July 25 Date: July 25 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: John Porter, Ph.D., Program Director, Neuromuscular Disease Channels, Synapses, and Circuits Cluster, and the NINDS Technology Development Program, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH Medical Theme: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy Although he’s handicapped by muscular dystrophy, Rory O’Shea (James McAvoy) refuses to surrender to the desperation of his life and instead embraces the potential in every day. When he moves into the Carrigmore Home for the Disabled and befriends the deeply bored Michael (Steven Robertson), a man suffering from cerebral palsy, Rory infuses his pal’s life with renewed hope even as he struggles with his own demons.     Starring: James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Alan King, Brenda Fricker, Romola Garai, Ruth McCabe, Anna Healy Genre: Drama Year: 2004 Run Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: R, for language   Mozart and the Whale August 1 Date: August 1 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: Ann Wagner, Ph.D., Chief, Neurodevelopmental Disorders Branch, Division of Pediatric Translation Research and Development, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Medical Themes: Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism Based on a true story, this romantic drama follows the love affair of two people with Asperger’s syndrome – a subtle form of autism with a side of savant. Donald (Josh Harnett), an emotionally dysfunctional mathematical genius, leads a support group for those with the syndrome. When an attractive music and art genius (Radha Mitchell) joins the group, Donald falls for her, but their unique natures make for a challenging relationship.       Starring: Josh Hartnett, Gary Cole, Sheila Kelley, John Carroll Lynch, Rusty Schwimmer, Christa Campbell, Radha Mitchell, Allen Evangelista, Erica Leerhsen, Kristopher Higgins, Robert Wisdom Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance Year: 2005 Run Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes Rating: PG-13, for sexual content, language, and some thematic material   The Sea Inside August 8 Date: August 8 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, Department of Clinical Bioethics, Clinical Center, NIH Medical Theme: Bioethics/Death with Dignity Note: Filmed in Spanish, to be shown with English subtitles. Based on a true story, this moving film centers on a Spaniard, Ramon Sampedro (Javier Bardem), who’s a quadriplegic. Determined to die with dignity, Sampedro leads a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life. An extraordinary man, Sampedro inspires his lawyer, Julia (Belen Rueda), and a local woman (Lola Duenas) to reach for the stars, and through his inspiration, the women achieve far beyond their wildest dreams.     Starring: Javier Bardem, Lola Duenas, Celso Bugallo, Joan Dalmau, Tamar Novas, Belen Rueda, Mabel Rivera, Clara Sequara, Alberto Jimenez, Francesc Garrido Genre: Drama Year: 2004 Run Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes Rating: PG-13, for intense depiction of mature thematic material   On the Edge August 15 Date: August 15 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD Guest Speaker: Donald Rosenstein, Ph.D., Chief, Psychiatry Consultation--Liaison Service, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Medical Theme: Suicidal Patients/Recovery Directed by Irishman John Carney and featuring Stephen Rea, On the Edge delivers an emotional drama about suicidal patients and their road to recovery. Cillian Murphy stars as Jonathan, a young man who attempts suicide after the recent death of his dad. When he befriends a young boy and falls in love with another patient at the hospital, Jonathan slowly begins to pull himself together.     Starring: Stephen Rea, Cillian Murphy, Jonathan Jackson, Paul Hickey, Tricia Vessey Genre: Drama Year: 2002 Run Time: 1 hour, 26 minutes Rating: R, for language

Click here for printable schedule (pdf)

Paint Branch High School
HONOR ROLL
4^th Grading Period – June 2007

* Indicates student earned all grades of “A”

Click here for easy to print Honor Roll (pdf)

Panther of the Month Awards for May 2007

9th Grade - Megan Ford

10th Grade - Fernando Herrera

11th Grade - Arpan Duttaroy

12th Grade - Matthew Stalbaum

Click here for past recipients

Twenty-one Paint Branch Seniors Honored at
Top Scholars Banquet

Click Here for Pictures from Last Year's Dinner

Paint Branch High School will be celebrating academic excellence by honoring twenty-one seniors who represent the top 5% of the graduating class of 2007. The Top Scholars Dinner will be held at The Oak Room, Sandy Spring, Maryland on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 6:00 pm. The honored students are being recognized for their academic excellence over four years at Paint Branch and will be given plaques to commemorate their achievement.

The students being honored are:

Kanwarpal Bakshi
Charles Chiang
Grace Cho
Christine Craddock
Biniam Dawit
Emily Dematatis
Erick Fuentes
Jessica Hill
Cina Karodeh
Prasad Krishnakurup
Emerson Maniwang
Stacey Markham
Hirdesh Matta
Peter McGrath
Tobechukwu Nwanna
Kent Poole
Saumil Sheth
Danielle Snyder
Matthew Stalbaum
Sameera Syed
Kevin Tang
 

Each student was asked to pick their most influential staff member at Paint Branch and those staff members will also be honored. The staff members the students chose are:

Ms. Debra Adkins
Ms. Lisa Blighton
Ms. Leslie Greene
Mr. Walter Hardy
Ms. Mygenet Harris
Ms. Faye Johnson
Mr. Richard Lee
Ms. Pamela Leffler
Ms. Jamie Paoloni
Ms. Bethany Petr
Mr. Colin Reinhard
Ms. Catherine Ulicny
Mr. Bryan Walker
Ms. Barbara Whitney
Mr. Brian Woodward
Mr. David Zaleski

Congratulations! 
Everyone at Paint Branch is proud of you!

Click here to see pictures from 2006's Top Scholars dinner

Cooking skills earn student chefs
money for college

Scholarships are the icing on the cake

Click here for Gazette Article

Laurie DeWitt⁄The Gazette At Paint Branch High School on Thursday, Lakea Cole (right), a culinary arts student, puts the finishing touches on a cake to be served at a National Honor Society induction ceremony at the Burtonsville school, as teacher Susan McWilliams watches.

If you really are what you eat, then Kimberly Jones is a ‘‘South of the Border Salmon and Provolone Terrine” and Lakea Cole is a ‘‘Tri-Veggie Sausage Napoleon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.”

The two dishes created by the Paint Branch High School seniors and Silver Spring residents won culinary school scholarships — $5,000 for Jones, $1,000 for Cole — last month from the Montgomery County area Whole Foods Markets, the Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation and the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education. Claudia Valenzuela, 18, a senior at Thomas Edison High School of Technology, won a $2,000 scholarship for her ‘‘Salvadoran Pupusas,” a favorite dish in her native El Salvador consisting of a tortilla filled with pork, refried beans and cheese served with curtido, a variation of coleslaw.

‘‘I was honored and surprised when I found out I won,” she said.

Cole agreed. ‘‘It’s so overwhelming,” she said. ‘‘I’m happy to do what I’m doing.”

The contest, open to county high school students enrolled in professional restaurant management or hospitality management programs, requires participants to prepare an original entrée as a self-portrait, accompanied by the recipe and a personal essay.

For Jones, 17, it meant a cold dish combining the geographical elements of her family — seafood for the North, salsa for the South. For Cole, 18, it meant recalling the elaborate cakes she saw on family trips to Disney World when she was little.

Both have been cooking since they were young, often with family or for family, they said last week in the kitchen adjacent to the Panther Paw, Paint Branch’s restaurant for teachers and staff.

‘‘I like the creative aspect,” Jones said. ‘‘Everyone likes food, and I like making people happy.”

Wearing white chefs coats, Jones and Cole were smoothing buttercream icing on a large, double-layer yellow cake with a zest of lemon and berry filling for a National Honor Society induction ceremony later that night. The duo worked quietly but in sync on the task.

Both students are in Paint Branch’s restaurant management and culinary arts program, where students ultimately learn how to run a restaurant. After learning the basics of food safety and preparation, students cook and operate the Panther Paw two days a week under the direction of chef Sue McWilliams, the program’s instructor.

Desserts like the Honor Society cake are more of Cole’s specialty. Ever since she saw those cakes at Disney World, she has wanted to be a pastry chef, she said. Her culinary leanings were evident in her scholarship-winning dish, which was created with two puff pastries.

McWilliams, who has taught Cole for two years, said Cole has made ‘‘huge strides.”

‘‘It’s all come together for her” this year, she said.

Since eighth grade, Cole has worked at the restaurants in Riderwood Retirement Village, moving back to the kitchen full-time in March. She prepares salads and desserts and does anything else needed, such as marinating, in a position typically given to recent culinary school graduates, said Riderwood’s chef de cuisine Jason McCready, who has worked with Cole.

In the kitchen, Cole is a perfectionist, focused and detail-oriented, he said. ‘‘She does pretty well. She’s not as fast as she could be, but she knows what she’s doing.”

Jones wants to become a garde manger chef, responsible for cold foods in the kitchen. She has only been in the culinary arts program at Paint Branch this year but entered with all her prerequisites completed, allowing her to focus on improving her skills, McWilliams said. ‘‘She’s in this class seriously and she had the freedom to investigate.”

Jones has been working in the kitchen of Harry’s Cafe in Burtonsville for the past six months. ‘‘She’s excellent,” said Kim Jenkins, the restaurant’s general manager. ‘‘She’s just an all-around good kid.”

Despite being a female in a predominately male work environment, Jones holds her own, Jenkins said, quietly listening and learning from more experienced cooks. ‘‘She can handle it,” she said.

Next year, Jones will attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. (And yes, she does enjoy telling people she’s joining the C.I.A.) Cole, meanwhile, will attend Baltimore International College, where she wants to study under Jan Bandula, one of only 13 certified master pastry chefs in the United States. Valenzuela will be attending Montgomery College in Rockville and one day hopes to work in hospitality for Marriott hotels, where she previously had an internship through school.

McWilliams, watching as Jones and Cole prepared the orange and blue frosting for the cake, believes their work ethic in the kitchen will take them far.

‘‘They both have bright futures,” she said.

Click here for Gazette Article

AWARDS CEREMONY

 May 1, 2007

Paint Branch High School Hall of Fame

Freda Kaplan

Paint Branch High School Student Leadership Award

Tempest Alston
Emily Burke
Arpan Duttaroy
Sean Dzierzanowski
Marcella Hutt
Hirdesh Matta
Jennifer Seleznow
Sameera Syed
Christine Tang
Manuel Valencia
Malcolm Wyche

Principal’s Service Leadership Award

Michael Twigg

SCHOLARSHIPS

Senator Rona Kramer Scholarship

Kidus Asamenew
Maya Mistry
Rakhi Thanki

Nancy Peckerar Outstanding Internship Scholarship

Grace Kunkel

Ruth Ann Beard Memorial Scholarship

Branden Bennette
Natasha Rodriguez

Naval Academy Scholarship

Sean Dzierzanowski

Virginia Military Institute ROTC Scholarship

Daniel Michnewich

Old Dominion University ROTC Scholarship

Brian Yee CDR

John Michael Biro Annual SADD Scholarships

Sabah Naqvi
Ami Patel
Rachel Rosario
Sidak Singh

Carlton Powell, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Chineze Arah

Sandy Spring Friends Lee Stern Peacemaker Award

Wilfred Manley

Whole Foods Markets Culinary Arts Award

Lakea Cole
Kimberly Jones Ms. Michelle Maxberry

Marian Greenblatt Award

Alexandra Chlebowski

Bobby Deane Memorial Scholarship

Latoya Davis
Cory Smith

Rennselaer Medal for Science & Engineering

Lishan Amde

Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award

Nicholas Schmedding

Distinguished Hispanic Scholar

Erick Fuentes

Phillip Campbell Memorial Scholarship

Sameera Syed

Ellen Rosier Memorial Scholarship

Jasmine Au

U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen Scholarship

Mariatu Savage

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans

Sofia Navard

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

The US Marine Corps “Semper Fidelis” Award

Peter McGrath

The US Marine Corps “Scholastic Excellence” Award

Sean Dzierzanowski

The US Marine Corps “Distinguished Athlete” Award

Kristina Straub

Son’s of the American Revolution Citizenship Award

Daniel Michnewich

Maryland Reserve Officers Association Medal

Samantha Wharton

         Military Order of the World Wars National Capital Area Youth Leadership Conference Scholarship

Charles Brand

         Dartmouth Club of Washington Book Award

Xuemin Zhang

Harvard Club of Washington Book Award

Sehar Sabir

Wellesley College Book Award

Nathalie Baptiste

Outstanding Service to the Paint Branch High School Website

Michael Ellis

George Washington University Engineering Award

Xuemin Zhang Ms. Pamela Leffler

Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony Award

Natali Rodriquez

Kodak Young Leaders Award

Eric Richards

Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) Award

Sara Edleberg
Emerson Maniwang
Kevin Tang

Phil Campbell Award for Community Harmony

Nicole Genua

Non-Commissioned Officers Association Award

Ricky Gonzalez

NJROTC Leadership Academy Scholarship

Danielle Essick
Robert Freniere
Israel Gonzalez
Christ Lingoua-Ntseck
Justin Slater
John Vanderzwet
Samantha Wharton

It’s Academic Award

Ilya Dudkin
Erick Fuentes
Saumil Sheth
Wayne Zhang

ALL AROUND ACHIEVER AWARDS (PTSA)

Emily Burke
Christine Craddock
Sean Dzierzanowski
Brittany Thomas
Michael Twigg

Kelly Hauprich
Sarah McLaughlin
Kristina Straub
Benjamin Vandegrift

ALL WORLD LANGUAGE CONSULTANT AWARDS (PTSA)

9^th Grade    Carol Barnes
10^th Grade   Kelly Hauprich
11^th Grade   Shraddha Sheth
12^th Grade   Benjamin Vandegrift

PRESIDENTIAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD

Student’s receiving this award have earned at least a 3.5 GPA and scored at least a 1950 or better on the SAT.

Emily Burke Grace Cho Allen Chung Christine Craddock Biniam Dawit Rachel Fary Erick Fuentes Daniel Gudenius Jessica Hill Terry Kim Prasad Krishnakurup Clayton Lively

Jyna Maeng Hirdesh Matta Mark McDonald Peter McGrath Tobechukwu Nwanna Bakary Seckan Jennifer Seleznow Saumil Sheth Danielle Snyder Matthew Stalbaum Syed Sameera

PRESIDENTIAL ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Student’s receiving this award have shown outstanding academic achievement
during their high school career.

MARYLAND GOVERNOR’S MERIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

This award goes to students who rank in the top 5% in the state of Maryland.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE CUMULATIVE 4.0 GPA

This award goes to students who earned all A’s on their report cards
for their whole high school career.
 

UNDERCLASSMEN RECIPIENTS

SENIOR RECIPIENTS

Christine Craddock
Jessica Hill
Hirdesh Matta
Saumil Sheth
Danielle Snyder

DEPARTMENT AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Student’s receiving these awards have shown outstanding achievement
in a particular subject area.

ART

Ceramics Certificates

Ceramics Plaques

Digital Art Certificate

Digital Art Plaque

Photography Certificate

photography Plaque

AP-Studio Art certificate

AP-Studio Art Plaque

BUSINESS EDUCATION & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Business Education Certificate
 

Business Education Plaque

Computer Science Certificate

Computer Science Plaque

CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

Child & Adolescent Development Certificate

Child & Adolescent Development Plaque

ENGLISH

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
 

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
 

MATH
 

MEDICAL CAREERS
 

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

VOCAL MUSIC
 

NJROTC

SCIENCE

SOCIAL STUDIES

CERTIFICATE OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE

CLASS OF 2007
54,185 total hours

Teacher has knowledge students can bank on

Click here for Gazette Article

Brian Lewis⁄The Gazette Paint Branch High School teacher Rebecca Baber works Friday with Paint Branch junior Joanna Ward. The Burtonsville school recently named its Academy of Finance after the educator who has taught at Paint Branch for 25 years.

As befits a finance teacher that stresses the importance of planning, Becky Baber came to an interview last week with eight pages of information about Paint Branch High School’s Academy of Finance.

The notes mentioned how the academy has grown from 30 students at its inception four years ago to more than 200 today, how students in the program operate a real bank branch in school through the Montgomery County Teachers Federal Credit Union and how its mandatory mock interviews and resume workshops prepare students for the working world.

What the notes failed to mention is the academy’s new name, which hangs on a banner at the start of its hallway: The Rebecca F. Baber Academy of Finance. The name was unveiled at a faculty meeting April 16 before Baber’s husband and two grown children, much to Baber’s surprise.

But for Jeanette Dixon, Paint Branch’s principal who made the decision, the honor was a long time coming. ‘‘She is the Academy of Finance,” Dixon said.

Baber, a Silver Spring resident, has been teaching at Paint Branch since 1982, the last 17 years as head of business education. Despite curriculum changes, with computers replacing typewriters, Baber has continued to impress upon her students the importance of understanding and managing their finances.

She started a young investors’ club and brought in a financial planner to meet with the group. Lunch with students often meant discussions about stocks, with Baber drawing on her experiences as president of her own investment club and encouraging daily viewing and reading of financial news. Baber and her husband also own five rental properties along the East Coast, including three in North Carolina.

‘‘If we can give students a basis for being financially fit, it’s going to help them in every aspect of their life,” she said, traces of her native Alabama drawl evident as she talked.

Baber drew up plans to start the Academy of Finance six years ago. It is one of six high schools in the county to offer the college preparatory program, part of the National Academy of Finance. Classes include accounting, economics and world finance, banking, international finance, software by design and financial planning.

In addition to a required, paid, financial internship, students learn how to balance a checkbook, apply for loans (the phrase ‘‘car loans” always gets teenagers’ attention, she said) and manage their personal finances.

‘‘Whether they major in business or not, it’s going to help them in every aspect of their life,” she said.

Baber speaks from experience. When she was 19, her father died suddenly of a heart attack, and her mother said Baber would have to get a job to help pay for the rest of her college education.

That Christmas, after her mother said she could not give her any more money for school, Baber got her first student loan and borrowed until she graduated. After college, she went to work in the business world in Atlanta, but found she missed working with people, so she returned to school and got her teaching degree.

Students described Baber as energetic, friendly and easy to talk to. ‘‘You can tell she really likes finance,” said Maria Aghguiguian, a 17-year-old senior and co-president of the Academy of Finance. ‘‘She knows what she’s talking about.”

Students also praised Baber’s teaching style, which ties in current events and real-world examples with the curriculum. Baber often starts class by asking what the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at the previous day. Every two weeks, students bring a business news item to class for discussion. Investor’s Business Daily is delivered each day to her classroom, and copies of Forbes, Business Week and Better Investing dot the magazine rack. To encourage investing, she will choose a name out of a hat in her financial management class and give that student $25 of her own money to buy a share of stock in a company through an online broker.

‘‘She’s the ultimate mother,” said Rita Burks, a teacher in the Academy of Finance. ‘‘She’s always available to students and helps them be successful.”

During a software design class last week, Baber strolled around the room, looking over the shoulders of students making PowerPoint presentations on mutual funds. As she helped and offered advice about the project, she also offered investing tips.

‘‘Whatever your age is, that’s what you should have in bonds. The rest should be in stocks,” she said to one student.

Baber then got the rest of the class’ attention, repeating her advice. ‘‘I’m as old as dirt,” she said to chuckles, ‘‘but if I was 50, I would invest 50 percent in bonds and the rest in stocks.”

But Baber has no plans to slow down. At Paint Branch, Baber also oversees the art, family and consumer science, music and technology education departments, more than 20 teachers in all. Within the Academy of Science, she continues to expand the program, searching for more companies that will offer internships.

‘‘I’m vibrant, I have a lot of energy, I’m highly motivated, I love kids and I’m passionate about the program,” she said. ‘‘I feel I have a lot to give.”

Click here for Gazette Article

55 Paint Branch Students
Win Awards at the
Montgomery County Media Festival

Fifty-five Paint Branch High School students won a number of awards at the annual Montgomery County Media Festival on April 20, 2007 held at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Silver Spring. The student’s works were part of over 700 entries by 1700 students from 77 schools in Montgomery County.

Sequential Stills:

First Place, Informational (Black History)

Simone Brown and Jasmine Giles

First Place, Persuasive (Social Issues)

Dayon Arrington and Yasirrah Gomez

Second Place, Informational (Save The Environment)

Simbarashe Marufu

Animation:

First Place – Stop Motion Persuasive (Don’t Trash Your Plastics – A Public Service Announcement)

Claudia Alfaro, Sarah Chang, Emily Dematatis, Molly Hubscher, Ti Ti Huynh, Shoaib Khan, Erika Long, Jyna Maeng, Kebba Marenah, Hector Neira, Ruby Park, Sophia Park, Rajna Swaminathan, and Samantha Myers

First Place – Stop Motion Persuasive (Don’t Trash Your Papers – A Public Service Announcement)

Heather Applewhite, Mario Araya, Rachel Fricke, Andrew Heskett, George Kamau, Joel Uchidi, Albert Valencia, and Samantha Myers

First Place – Stop Motion Entertaining (Paint Branch High School Summer Institute 2006)

Femi Fadeyi, Temi Fadeyi, Rachel Heiss, Alfred Huynh, Sherlena Lucus, Casey McGrath, Asia Norris, Ben Rirksopa, Reginald Steele, Ganish Subha-Rau, Joseph Tumaku, Dawei Wang, Gerrell Williams, and Christopher Yeh

Second Place – Computer Generated Entertaining (Revolutions)

Simbarashe Marufu

Digital Art and Design:

First Place, Digital Photography (Flower)

Duyen Nguyen

Third Place, Web Page Design (Mainstream)

Christine Tang, Hirdesh Matta, Cherise Lesesne, Jahphia Griffin
 

Live Action:

First Place, Entertaining (Intelligent Scriptwriting)

Michael Twigg

Second Place, Informational (Winter Concert)

Michael Ellis

Second Place, Procedural (How to be a Successful Student)

Becca Hale

Photography:

First Place, Photo Essay – Monochrome (Foresight)

Becky Larrabee

First Place, Portraiture – Monochrome (Erin)

Becky Larrabee

Second Place, Experimental – Monochrome (Cherub)

Danny Lethbridge

Second Place, Real Life – Monochrome (Lolita)

Ashleigh Carter

Third Place, Studio/Location – Monochrome (Becky)

Michael Brown

Paint Branch Website and Webmaster Honored

The Paint Branch High School website was one of five finalists in the county nominated for the Best High School Website.  Also, webmaster Brian Eichenlaub, the Paint Branch Signature Coordinator, was awarded a 2007 Web Builders Award at the third annual Webmaster Convocation held on April 25, 2007 at the Board of Education.

Mr. Eichenlaub was honored for his leadership in integrating student-created video of the daily announcements into the Paint Branch website, supporting student learning and improving parent access to school news. Paint Branch was the first high school in the county to stream its student produced news show every day.  The school’s website is:  http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/paintbranchhs/  .

Whole Foods Market Awards $6000 in Scholarships
to Paint Branch Students
Bound for Culinary Art Schools

The Montgomery County area Whole Foods Markets have partnered with the Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation (MHEF), and the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE) this year to award three monetary scholarships ($5,000, $2,000 and $1,000) to Montgomery County-area high school seniors pursuing culinary careers.  Two of the three scholarships were awarded to Paint Branch Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts students.

This year’s award recipients included:

• Kimberly M. Jones of Paint Branch High School ($5000 scholarship winner)
• Lakea A. Cole of Paint Branch High School ($1000 scholarship winner)
• Claudia I. Valenzuela of Thomas Edison High School of Technology ($2000 scholarship winner)

Ms. Jones plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) this fall.  Ms. Cole, having participated in the December kick off of a partnership between MCPS and Baltimore International College (BIC), will attend BIC in the fall.

Representatives from Whole Foods Market attended the end-of-year awards ceremonies at Paint Branch, and while there presented them with a Whole Foods Market chef’s jacket, hat, and a letter of congratulations.

Paint Branch’s Restaurant Management program is headed by teacher and chef, Susan McWilliams. Ms. McWilliams is in her second year at Paint Branch and has seen the program grow.  The program helps students develop cooking, kitchen and hospitality skills based on professional standards in a commercial kitchen.  Last year, the student run restaurant, The Panther Paw, earned Secondary Accreditation from the American Culinary Federation, very rare outside the professional arena.  The Panther Paw restaurant has hosted a number of MCPS, school and outside events.  Students have won numerous awards over the years.  Last year, culinary arts student Ify Arah won the Whole Foods Culinary Scholarship.

Each student’s Whole Foods Market Culinary Scholarship is being held by MCBRE, and will be sent by MCBRE to their respective college.

Students enrolled in either the “Professional Restaurant Management” or “Hospitality Management” programs at Montgomery County public high schools are eligible to receive the Whole Foods Market Culinary Scholarship funds.  The culinary scholarship judging panel was comprised of industry professionals assembled by MHEF.

NINE PAINT BRANCH STUDENTS RECEIVE HONORS
IN THE
NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Nine Paint Branch juniors were named “highest scoring students” in the 2008 National Achievement^® Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.  The students are:  Lishan Amde, Nathalie Baptiste, Zachary Graves, Stephanie Hackett, Corbin Jones, Melissa Ofumbi, Chinyere Okunji, Sanata Sy-Sahande, and Olushola Tiamiyu.   

The National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition run by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is open to African American high school students who took the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT^®).

Over 140,000 students entered the 2008 National Merit Program.  Of those students, 4,600 were named as “highest scoring.”  In the fall of 2007, 1600 of these students will be named Semifinalists in the Achievement Scholarship^® awards.

Paint Branch Student Animations Awarded Honorable Mention

In Environmental Film Festival

            “Don’t Trash Your Papers” and “Don’t Trash Your Plastics,” two animated public service announcements created by twenty Paint Branch High School students, were awarded an honorable mention at the second annual Student Environmental Film Festival on March 21, 2007 at American University.  The event, hosted by American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking and Earth Echo International, showcased the talents of emerging “green communicators” by screening short films and media presentations created by university and high school students from the Washington, D.C. area and beyond. 

The two Paint Branch PSAs show the many products that paper and plastic can be recycled into, with one product transforming into another.  The videos were created during a five-day animation workshop taught by visiting artist Leila Cabib and funded by Paint Branch High School’s Signature Program in Science and Media.  The animators are: Claudia Alfaro, Heather Applewhite, Mario Araya, Sarah Chang, Emily Dematatis, Rachel Fricke, Andrew Heskett, Molly Hubscher, Ti Ti Huynh. George Kamau, Shoaib Khan, Erika Long, Jyna Maeng, Kebba Marenah, Hector Neira , Ruby Park , Sophia Park, Rajna Swaminathan, Joel Uchidi, Albert Valencia.  The narrator is Samantha Myers.

The two PSAs may be viewed on the Paint Branch High School Web site at http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/paintbranchhs

For more information on the Student Environmental Film Festival, visit http://www.earthecho.org/programs-filmfest.html

Paint Branch High School
HONOR ROLL
3^rd Grading Period – April 2007

* Indicates student earned all grades of “A”

Click here for easy to print Honor Roll (pdf)

Panther of the Month Awards for April 2007

9th Grade - Ramesh Katta

10th Grade - Victor Gray

11th Grade - John Trotta

12th Grade - Christine Tang

Click here for past recipients

PANTHER PRIDE  - April 2007

• Congratulations to Mr. Woodward and the editors and writers of the Mainstream on their first place finish with special merit in the American Scholastic Press Association's newspaper competition. Ask them what the special merit means.

• We are very proud of our students who advanced to the Maryland State History Day competition from the county level. PBs winners were:
  • Toni-Ann Ketanye Wiggan for her individual exhibit "Martin Luther King, Jr. and his Involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott."
  • Alan Tran, Grecia Vidaurre and Michael Vo for their group exhibit "The Vietnam War"
  • Stephanie Posthuma, Amy Kals and Tehreen Hussain for their group documentary "The Triumph and Tragedy of Marilyn Monroe."
  • Thank you to their teacher Bonnie Jones for working with them.
     
• Science Teacher Karen Sondak has been accepted by the National Tropical Botanical Garden for a Science teachers' enrichment program in Kaua'i Hawaii from June 25-July 6, 2007. This program will enhance teachers' knowledge of current information about tropical biology and equip them with innovative techniques to teach their classes using an inquiry-based approach. Way to go Mrs. Sondak!
   
• Kudos to Binta Diallo. Binta has been selected to serve as a Senecorps Medical Intern in Senegal, West Africa this summer. Binta was selected for this experience based on work completed in the Medical Careers program. Thank you Binta for your willingness to serve others.
   
• Congratulations to Kim Jones who placed first and won $5000.00 and Lakea Cole who placed third and won $1000.00 in the Whole Foods Culinary Scholarship Competition. They were two of 10 finalists out of 50 entries.
   
• Congratulations to Shreyka Stevenson who was selected to compete in the America's Next Top Model TV program. You may want to get Shreyka's autograph now!
   
• Paint Branch's website was nominated for the Best MCPS high school website , and our Signature Coordinator Brian Eichenlaub received a special recognition medal at the MCPS Webmaster Convocation for his work in integrating student-created video of the daily announcements into our school's website, supporting student learning and improving parent access to school news. Thank you Mr. Eichenlaub.
   
• All of Paint Branch is very proud of the 21 students in the Class of 2007 who will graduate in the Top 5% of the Class. These students will be honored at the Top Scholars Dinner on May 22, 2007. The students are:

  Kanwarpal Bakshi
  Charles Chiang
  Grace Cho
  Christine Craddock
  Biniam Dawit
  Emily Dematatis
  Erick Fuentes
  Jessica Hill
  Cina Karodeh
  Prasad Krishnakurup
  Emerson Maniwang
  Stacey Markham
  Hirdesh Matta
  Peter McGrath
  Tobe Nwanna
  Kent Poole
  Saumil Sheth
  Danielle Snyder
  Matthew Stalbaum
  Sameera Syed
  Kevin Tang

• Brent Abel, Shraddha Sheth and Noelle Tom-Wigfield were selected to attend the University of Maryland Jump Start program this summer. They were selected from hundreds of applicants and will participate in a week long immersion program in biomedical sciences!
  Thank you to their science teachers Mrs. Brinsko and Mrs. Leffler who nominated them.
   
• We are delighted and very proud that teacher Bob Ferber has been selected as the commencement speaker for the class of 2007 at its June 6, 2007 graduation. Rumor has it that Mr. Feber has already written his speech.

PAINT BRANCH 5th SCIENCE EXPO FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006

The Paint Branch High School SCIENCE EXPO was held on Friday, December 8, 2006. The EXPO ran throughout the school day in the Media Center and small gym for our students and guests.

The SCIENCE EXPO combines scientific research with innovative ways to present student work. There will be interactive physics demonstrations and contests, 3-D models, green schools displays and projects, genetic disorder displays, chemistry demonstrations, applications of DNA technology, traditional science fair projects, PowerPoint presentations of current research topics in anatomy, blood pressure screenings, crime scene re-enactments focusing on the forensics science of a crime and model car races -- all of which relates to scientific topics. Area scientists from the Washington Academy of Sciences, middle school students from Banneker, Francis Scott Key and Briggs Chaney Middle Schools and teachers from the Northeast Consortium were on hand to participate in the scholarly research, fun and wonder of the various aspects of this year's SCIENCE EXPO.

Click here for pictures from this year's Science EXPO

PAINT BRANCH STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN
HISTORY DAY
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2006

The Paint Branch High School History Day was held on Friday, December 1, 2006. The History Day ran throughout the school day in the Media Center for Paint Branch students and guests.

American history students displayed projects, ranging from scholarly papers, exhibits, powerpoint demonstrations, documentaries and group exhibits all revolving around the theme: Triumph & Tragedy in History.

This year’s theme was determined by the National History Day program. This national program is a year-long education program that culminates in a national contest every June. This year, the contest will be held June 10 - 14, 2007 at the University of Maryland.

Students work was judged at Paint Branch History Day and the top papers and projects will then be submitted to compete in the Montgomery County National History Day in March. The winners of that competition then advance to state wide competition at Montgomery College, Rockville Campus, in April. Only then, those winners advance to the national competition in June at the University of Maryland.

Over the past years, Paint Branch students enrolled in the Gilder Lehrman American History Scholar’s Program have won both Montgomery County and Maryland competitions, advancing to the National Competition and winning second place.

For more than twenty-five years the National History Day program has promoted systemic educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in America's schools. The combination of creativity and scholarship built into the NHD program anticipated current educational reforms, making National History Day a leading model of performance-based learning.

Click here for pictures from this year's History Day

Class of 2007 Presents
The Paint Branch IDOL Show
Friday, December 1, 2006
6:30 pm - Auditorium

Click Here for Pictures of Last Year's Show

Attention Paint Branch Community!! The Class of 2007 is proud to host the second annual Paint Branch Idol competition, on Friday, December 1, 2006 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Paint Branch auditorium. We have ten acts who will be vying for the coveted position of PB Idol winner!

The competition will be judged by the wickedly funny Mr. Walter Hardy, the ever so sweet Ms. Leslie Greene, and the oh so sarcastic Mr. Ryan McCamon. The show will be hosted by senior class officers, Emily Dematatis, Nicole Genua, and Andrew Macklin. Intermission snacks will be provided by the class of 2008!

Ultimately, you the audience will choose the winner! At the end of the evening, we will collect votes and on Monday, December 4, 2006 that act chosen by the audience will be announced winner!

Tickets are $5.00 and will be on sale the week, November 27^th through December 1^st, during lunch. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door Friday evening, but space is limited inside the auditorium so make sure to get your tickets early!

Doors will open at 6:00 pm! Come out and show your support and help us choose the next Paint Branch Idol!

Click Here for Pictures of Last Year's Show

Twenty-Six Paint Branch Students to be
Inducted into the National Honor Society

Paint Branch High School’s induction ceremony for the National Honor Society held on Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

To be eligible for membership consideration, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.33 and a weighted cumulative GPA of 3.70 or above. In addition, candidates must meet high standards of leadership, service, and character. Members of the senior class were evaluated and selected by the Faculty Council of the chapter for the fall induction.

Leadership is based on the student’s participation in two or more community or school activities, or election to an office. To meet the service requirement, the student must have been active in three or more service projects in the school and the community. Character is measured in terms of integrity, behavior, ethics, and cooperation with both students and faculty.

Students are reviewed by a Faculty Council consisting of five members of the faculty appointed by the principal. This year twenty-six students have been invited to join the Paint Branch Chapter of the National Honor Society. The 2006 – 2007 inductees are:

Naomi Agyekum
Tempest Alston
Kidus Asamenew
Kanwarpal Bakshi
Troy Carson
Grace Cho
Biniam Dawit
Rachel Fary
Joselyn Garcia
Elizabeth Gyamfi
Heena Joshi
Matthew Judge
Sharn Kamal
Cina Karodeh
Prasad Krishnakurup
Jyna Maeng
Shaheen Mahmooth
Hirdesh Matta
Tobechukwu Nwanna
Nnabuihe Nnamani
Seungme Park
Akshal Patel
Sara Rager
Neola Sivalingam
Kevin Tang
Michael Twigg

“We are very proud to recognize these outstanding members of our student body. National Honor Society members are chosen for and then expected to continue their exemplary contributions to the school and community,” said Ms. Beatrice Newell, chapter adviser.

Each year the chapter sponsors several service projects for the school and community, which in past years have included Red Cross Blood Drives, purchase and preparation of lunches for Sheppard’s table, fundraising for Hurricane Katrina and Tsunami victims and many cooperative ventures with other service organizations. The next Red Cross Blood Drive is on November 22, 2006 at Paint Branch High School. National Honor Society members also tutor students at Fairland Library from 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm on Monday afternoons.

The National Honor Society ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious national organizations for high school students. Chapters exist in more than 15,000 high schools and, since 1921 millions of students have been selected for membership. Millions of dollars in scholarships have been awarded to senior members since 1945 by the sponsoring organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Paint Branch High School
HONOR ROLL
1^st Grading Period – November 2006

* Indicates student earned all grades of “A”

Click here for easy to print Honor Roll (pdf)

Paint Branch Students In The News
The Bulletin, Montgomery County Public Schools Public Information Office, November 6, 2006, Pg. 3

Click here to link to Bulletin article (pdf)

Click here to link to Bulletin article (pdf)

PAINT BRANCH NEWSPAPER TAKES GOLD
FOR SECOND YEAR
IN  COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL COMPETITION

111 PAINT BRANCH STUDENTS NAMED AP SCHOLARS BY COLLEGE BOARD

One hundred and ten students from Paint Branch High School have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program^© (AP^©) Exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million high school students in 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

Students took AP exams in May 2006 after completing challenging, college-level courses at their high schools. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP exams.

At Paint Branch, three students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher (on a 5-point scale) on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. The students are:

Matthew Graves
Douglas Pickering
Rajib Quabili
 

Thirty-six students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are:

Twenty-seven students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are:

Forty-eight Paint Branch students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are:

Of this year’s award recipients at Paint Branch High School, thirty-five students were sophomores or juniors:

These students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn another AP Scholar Award.

This is the fifth consecutive year that AP enrollment has increased and the second year in a row in which over 100 Paint Branch students were named AP Scholars. The number of AP Scholars has doubled since 2003. Paint Branch offers twenty-four Advanced Placement courses to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Last year, 432 students sat for a total of 755 exams with a majority of the students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 thus earning them college credit. Over twenty-five percent of Paint Branch students are enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.

Most of the nation’s colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement or both based on successful performance on the AP Exams. More than 1,400 institutions award a full year’s credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades.

Bienvenue à nos visiteurs français 
Welcome to our French visitors   
October 6 - October 19, 2006

Paint Branch High School French language students are hosting thirty five students from France and four of their teachers from the Lycée Claude Nicolas Ledoux in Besançon, France. The students and teachers will be staying with Paint Branch French students and their families for the two week visit October 6 – 19, 2006.

While visiting Paint Branch, the French students will be attending classes in Television Production, Radio, Medical Careers, Physics, Social Studies, Science, English, Literature, and a variety of other classes. The students will also be taking numerous field trips around the area. The students have a number of science oriented field trips which include: spending a day on the Chesapeake Bay performing science experiments as well as visiting NASA and the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD. They will combine those field trips with historical interest trips including several visits into Washington, DC, and a trip to Annapolis, MD, and the US Naval Academy.

Paint Branch students will welcome their visitors at the Principal’s Reception Breakfast at 8:00 am on Friday, October 6. There will also be a pot luck dinner at the school and other social events.

In March, 2007, Paint Branch will send a group of French language students to France. They will stay for two weeks with families of students they hosted. The Paint Branch students will attend class at the Lycée Claude Nicolas Ledoux in Besançon. They will take a number of field trips in the eastern area of France at the foot of the Jura Mountains, where the school is located. The students will also travel to Paris where they will spend three days.

The program is being coordinated by Claire Schwartz-Menyuk, a French teacher at Paint Branch High School, and the Foreign Language Department. Ms. Schwartz-Menyuk has been coordinating this program since its inception twelve years ago along with the help of other Montgomery County Foreign Language teachers and coordinators from the Lycée Claude Nicolas Ledoux. It is the only such Foreign exchange program in Montgomery County.

Click here to visit Lycée Claude Nicolas Ledoux's website

This Article Read By Ms. Dixon to Students inFirst Period Class, September 27, 2006

West Point Mourns a Font Of Energy,
Laid to Rest by War
By Joshua Partlow and Lonnae O'Neal Parker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 27, 2006; Page A01

Paint Branch Announces Commended Students in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program

The principal, Jeanette Dixon, of Paint Branch High School, announced that Grace E. Cho, Matthew S. Copple, and Joseph T. Napack have been named Commended Students in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program.  A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2007 competition for Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2007 competition by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“Recognition of academically talented students and of the key role played by schools in their development is essential to the pursuit of educational excellence in our nation,” commented a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. “The young people being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding academic potential by their strong performance in this highly competitive program. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and that they will continue to pursue scholastic excellence.”