HALF HOLLOW HILLS HIGH SCHOOL EAST
COUNSELING CENTER
Winter 2004
Albert Kindelmann, Principal
Joseph Pennacchio, Asst. Principal
Irena Rozycki, Asst. Principal
Elizabeth DiFiore, Administrative Asst.
Jeffery Woodberry, Administrative Asst.
COUNSELING STAFF
Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D., Director of Guidance
Donald Brown
Christine Inglis
Robert Citrano
Helen Magnani
Laura Elgavisch
Lynn Michalowski
Jennifer Grant
Jay O’Boyle
Yvette Rivera
IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES
February 20th
-
Deadline for registration for the March 27th SAT I (not given at High School East).
February 27th
- Deadline for registration for the April 3rd ACT.
Scholarships:
Applications are available in the College and Career Center for the following scholarships:
1)
Dante Foundation
2)
PTA Jenkins Scholarship (Teaching)
3)
St. John’s Community Recognition Award
4)
Elks “Most Valuable Student”
5)
Mother’s Club of Wheatley Heights
6)
Mid-Island Club
7)
Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarship
AP Scholar Awards:
Recently, the College Board reported the Advanced Placement test results for the Class of 2003.
AP Examinations are graded on a 5 point scale (5 is the highest). Most of the nation's universities award
credit and/or placement for grades of 3 or higher. We are very pleased to announce that High School East had:
1)
29 AP Scholar Award winners (students who received grades of 3 or higher on 3 or more
AP Exams).
2)
24 AP Scholar With Honor Award winners (students who received grades of 3 or higher
on 4 or more AP Exams, with an average exam grade of at least 3.25).
3)
34 AP Scholar With Distinction Award winners (students who received grades
of 3 or higher on 5 or more AP Exams in full year courses, with an average exam
grade of at least 3.5.
In addition, 12 students received the National AP Scholar Award which is granted to students who receive
at least a 4 or higher on eight or more exams. They include: Andrew Blaeser, Paige Gottheim,
Frank Heydari, Cecilia Lero, Stephanie Low, Pooja Murthy, Gabriella Pinto, Amreen Quadir,
Tiffany Teng, Joshua Wiener, Felicia Yen and Melissa Zimmerman.
These figures represent about 25% of last year's graduating class! Congratulations to these award winners
for a job well done!
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PAGE 2
2002 SERIES ROBERT C. BYRD HONORS SCHOLARSHIPS
We are extremely pleased to announce that 6 of our students from the Class of 2003 were designated
as Byrd Scholarship winners. A total of 416 Byrd Honors Scholarships were awarded statewide, for
the 2002-2003 academic year. Each scholarship entitles the recipient to a $1,500 award for the first year
of college study, and may be renewed for up to four years.
The winners of this prestigious award at High School East were Cecilia Lero, Pooja Murthy,
Gabrella Pinto, Laura Sheinkopf, Tiffany Teng and Joshua Wiener.
Furthermore, High School East had 2 $1,000 and 11 $500 Merit Scholarship for Academic Excellence
winners if they attend a college in New York State. The High School East community commends these
students for their dedication, hard work and diligence.
Finally, Gayle Rudofsky has been named a New York State Finalist for the 2003 Wendy’s High School
Heisman Award. She is recognized as one of the best scholar-athlete-citizens in New York State.
EARLY DECISION/ACTION ACCEPTANCES:
The Guidance staff wants to congratulate the members of the Class of 2004 who were accepted to many
of our nation's most prestigious colleges and universities during the early decision selection period.
Early Decision/Action is a term used to designate a student's first choice school, and, if accepted,
(in the case of Early Decision), the student must attend.
High School East's early decision/action acceptances as of January 6, 2004 include:
Boston College
Cornell University
Emory University
Johns Hopkins University
Lafayette College
New York University
Northwestern University
Princeton University
SUNY Center at Binghamton
Tulane University
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
Washington University @ St. Louis
2 students
3 students
1 student
1 student
1 student
4 students
1 student
1 student
8 students
11 students
1 student
2 students
1 student
1 student
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PAGE 3
MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE RESEARCH
Over fifty students were placed in summer research programs here and abroad in the areas of mathematics,
engineering and the sciences this past summer.
These centers included New York University, Stony Brook University, Touro College School of Health and
Sciences, Polytechnic University, Columbia University, Cornell Medical Center, SUNY of Old Westbury,
Michigan State University, Rockefeller Research Center, UCSF, Brookhaven Labs, Cold Spring Harbor Labs,
Math Camp, Math Path, MIT, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Ohio State University, Iowa University, Boston
University, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, the Mendel Center of Biomedical Sciences. The
Psychological Science Center in Russia, and Oxford University in UK.
In general, students involved in these programs have a leg up on the competition in quest of the college of their
choice. The program is involved with the Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens Westinghouse Competition,
the Duracell Electronics Competition, the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, the Adelphi Science
and Humanities Competition, the Toshiba Exploravision Competition and other arenas for student achievement.
Mrs. Notskas has a list of contacts where our students can do research for this summer. This list includes Yale
University, Connecticut Health Center, Cambridge University (UK), Bristol University (UK), Nottingham
University (UK), Milan University in Italy, Athens University in Greece, Crete University in Greece, Tokyo
Medical University in Japan, Cyprus University in Cyprus, etc.
High School East 2003-2004 Siemens Westinghouse semifinalists:
Felicia Yen, Category of Medicine and ShaanWaqar, Category of Engineering.
Hills Researchers Abroad, at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics:
Sophomore Arun Gupta’s research involved finding a mutation in the ACTN4 gene that causes focal segmental
Glomeru-Losclerosis.
Matthew Kochman is a junior who researched the effect of SOX14 gene on the neural development of a chicken
embryo.
Joseph Wolken, a senior, researched ribozymes in the therapeutic treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Ryan Zelen, a 9th grader named a Long Island Young Scholar of Mathematics. He has been accepted by the
Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students to pursue mathematics and science
studies. Ryan is among the top 1/10th of 1 percent in math of all students on Long Island in his grade.
Felicia Yen – named as an All-American scholar by the United States Achievement Academy.
Please see Mrs. Notskas in the Research Room located in the student center on “A” days if you are interested in
participating in this program, or you can call her at (631) 592-3142 or (631) 592-3100.
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PAGE 4
PROCRASTINATION:
Do you as parents hear some of these statements from your children?
“There is plenty of time to get it done.”
“ I work better under pressure, so there is no need to do it now.”
“ I've got too many other things to do first.”
Procrastination can develop into a bad habit. Some steps you could use in order to develop more
effective tactics might include:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Developing Some Positive Self-Statements (i.e. “The sooner I get it done, the sooner
I can relax!” “Perfectionism doesn't exist. It's an illusion that keeps me from doing
what I have to do right now!”
Design Clear Goals - Think about what you want and what needs to be done. Be
specific and work out a definite time table.
Separate the Tasks - Big projects feel overwhelming. Break them down into the
smallest and most manageable sub-parts.
Get Better Organized - have all materials ready before you begin a task. Use a daily
schedule.
Take a Stand - Commit yourself to doing the task. Write yourself a “contract” and
sign it.
Use Prompts - Write reminders to yourself.
Reward Yourself - Self-reinforcement has a powerful effect on developing a “do it
now” attitude.
SCHEDULING NOTES
1)
The time for selecting the courses for next year’s academic program will soon be
upon us. Try to stress the following points with your son/daughter in order that they
might get the most out of the process:
a)
b)
c)
d)
2)
Encourage them to take the most challenging course load in which
they can show their strengths.
Keep the five major subjects for all four years.
Choose electives that are meaningful, and only in addition to the
major courses.
Review credit and graduation requirements.
The last two weeks in August are when program adjustments have been traditionally scheduled.
If such a meeting is important to you, please be certain that some responsible member of your
family will be available to meet with a counselor at High School East. Families often express
anxiety about being scheduled during the first or second day of the adjustment period. Please be
advised that the large number of changes generated, annually, creates a daily flux in class
enrollment numbers. There is, therefore, no true correlation between an appointment scheduled
early or later in the adjustment period, in terms of achieving the requested change.
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PAGE 5
STUDENT SCHEDULING
All counselors will be meeting with their current ninth, tenth and eleventh graders from
Tuesday, January 13th through Monday, February 9th, to fill out their proposed schedule
for the 2004-2005 school year. Furthermore, teacher recommendation day will occur on
Friday, January 9th. The month of January is an excellent time for parents to confer with
their child's counselor about what courses would be most appropriate for their son/daughter
to select for the following year. Please do not hesitate to call us at (631) 592-3150 between
7:15 AM and 3:30 PM.
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
If you are interested in learning valuable information on a host of colleges throughout the
country, click on www.CollegeEdge.com. This website affords you not only knowledge
about admissions requirements but also information on scholarships offered at that school.
Furthermore, investigate www.fastweb.com for free and extensive scholarship information.
REMINDER FOR STUDENTS WITH TESTING MODIFICATIONS:
If you plan to take the SAT I and SAT II in March, May or June, make an
appointment with your guidance counselor by the end of January to confirm that you
have been declared “ELIGIBLE” by the College Board to receive testing
modifications for the given exam.
If you have already been declared ELIGIBLE, please see your counselor prior
to registering for the exam to confirm your exam date. Remember: You must
enclose a copy of your ELIGIBILITY LETTER WITH YOUR SSD NUMBER
in the application! If you fail to do so, you will not be permitted to take the exam
with approved modifications.
If you have not completed an ELIGIBILITY FORM, see your guidance
counselor immediately! ELIGIBILITY FORMS take 4-6 weeks to process at the
College Board. Don’t wait until the last minute.