Brought to you by the Providence Senior High School’s Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO)

Volume 31, Issue 3

Hello Providence Panther Parents and Families:

It is “that” time of year for our PHS seniors, so I want to talk a little bit here about what Providence does to prepare our students for college and career readiness beyond our school.

We recently received information from the National Student Clearinghouse and CMS Administrative Records that give us an in-depth look at CMS graduates and their enrollment in colleges. When looking at our Class of 2017 graduates, our overall rate of Providence graduates who attended a two or four-year college was 85.2%, well above the Southeast Learning Community average enrollment rate of 67.4% and the CMS rate of 62.8%. Of that 85.2%, 72.4% of our students enrolled in a four-year college or university and 12.8% enrolled in a two-year college.

This is truly something to be proud of as it speaks to the college and career readiness of our students. Just as an interesting note, the top five institutions for first-year enrollment for recent CMS graduates are UNC- Charlotte, UNC- Chapel Hill, NC State University, Appalachian State University, and CPCC.

In other good news, I received a copy of a research study from Auburn University. It shows that Providence freshman take a larger class load and perform higher than freshmen from other high schools. The Dean of Admissions at Auburn said they love how Providence prepares students to achieve and succeed. We take great Panther pride in this information and are very proud of our students.

Preparing students for life beyond high school is a multi-faceted approach. We work on the academics, but we also work on social and emotional strengths, perseverance, resiliency and coping skills. Life will present challenges. Every adult can attest to that fact. How our students face them will determine their success.

Last month, we hosted a meeting of CMS principals and counselors to discuss the work we have done with Sources of Strength this year. Providence implemented this international, research-based program to help students with social, emotional, and mental health skills. Our student presenters, who are Peer Leaders within Sources of Strength, spoke about how much being a part of Sources has changed their mindset of school, their peers, and their roles as leaders in their peer group. Sources of Strength emphasizes 8 areas of strength: Family Support, Positive Friends, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Generosity, Spirituality, Medical Access, and Mental Health.

Our most recent campaign for Sources is entitled, “We Belong.” The purpose of the WE BELONG campaign is to create a sense of belonging for ALL students. Our student population is quite diverse… more so than one might realize. It consists of students from 53 different countries, a variety of cultural backgrounds and religions, different languages spoken in the home, and our students have different talents, abilities, disabilities, skills, and challenges. Providence students are all unique and the uniqueness is to be celebrated.

Through this campaign, our Peer Leaders taught their peers about the importance of accepting others, creating a sense of belonging for everyone, and ensuring that we have an environment where it is ok to ask for help. This dovetails directly into our #OneProv initiative this year, where we are working both inside the classroom and out to help students understand they are part of a larger community here at school. We look forward to continuing this important work with our students.

Sincerely, Dr. Harrill

April 2019

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The Providence High School PTSO is very excited to announce that we have reached our IMPACT Campaign fundraising goal of $35,000 for the 2018-19 school year! Thank you to the many families who have joined the PTSO and donated to our IMPACT Campaign!

Some highlights of PTSO’s involvement so far this year include: hosting #OneProv student support events, providing monthly refreshments for our teachers and staff, purchasing editing software for school wide TV production, and stocking the health room and teacher workrooms with supplies.

Also, thanks to your generous donations, we were able to begin work on Phase I of our Providence Plaza campus beautification project outside of the gym and technology buildings. By taking down old power poles and realigning the sidewalks with a Panther “P” paver in the center, we wanted to remind everyone who enters into our school that we are ALL important parts of the Providence community through #OneProv.

We aren’t done yet! The PTSO will be busy throughout the spring with Staff Appreciation Week, finalizing Presidential Volunteer Service Awards, celebrating our Senior class and awarding our five annual scholarships. Plus, be on the lookout for other #OneProv student support events and continued work on our Providence Plaza project.

As the PTSO continues to pursue this ambitious improvement to the school grounds at Providence, we look forward to partnering with you to help complete this project and also to celebrate Providence High School’s 30th anniversary next year. For more information about the Providence Plaza project, please go to our website https://providencehighptso.weebly.com/impact.html. Thank you for supporting the students and staff at Providence through the PTSO!

Julie Knafelz, PTSO President

Michael and Kathy Brown The Liu FamilyThe Burfield Family The Luther FamilyThe Chadwick Family * Margaret MarshallAnthony Chen Family Madison, Scott and Karen MartinAshleigh Clark The McGill Family *The Cotton Family Greg and Margaret MusaMatthew and Jessica Daitch Jamie PittmanThe Dancausse Family The Schubert FamilyDave and Daphne Katz David and Krista SigmonThe Thomas Knepp Family The Wallach FamilyKelly Kucsma and Family * Hank and Aven Williams *

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A HUGE IMPACT!

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $750+

GOLD LEVEL $250+

The Busse Family The Dock Family *

The Emerick Family * Melissa Hooker and Family *

The Kaeppler Family Ananth Kendapadi and Vidya Singan *

The Kirkland Family The Knafelz Family *

Scott Lanier and Family * Ping Ning *

The Shi Family Eric and Debby Stanley

Michelle Thiny and Pete Voorhees

PLATINUM LEVEL $500+Sheila and Kwasi Ankrah

The Dexter Family * Dr. Margaret Divish and Dr. Edward McMIllan

Brian and Stacey Ellis * The Erwin Family * The Kiang Family

The Nygren Family *

Thank you to the families who donated this year to the IMPACT Campaign, PTSO’s main fundraiser. Money raised through your donations allows us to support our teachers, students, and parents through campus improvements, student support events, and fun events and professional development for our

staff, among other efforts.

It’s never too late to donate. Should you wish to make a donation, please do so through pay4schoolstuff.com. Please note that our list of donors is current as of March 21, 2019.

*Designates a corporate match contribution

The Anderson Family Jeff and Kristen LyonsPaul and Allison Arena Steve and Ginger MarquisKimber and Burt Arrington Mr. and Mrs. Lance McAlisterThe Asofskys The McConnell FamilyThe Baptiste Family The Meehan FamilyThe Beissert Family * Chris and Marty MetzlGreg and Carol Bender * Scott and Anne MillerThe Blake Family * Mr. and Mrs. Darren Mond and FamilyThe Breedlove Family Ron and Lisa NelsonThe Brincefield Family The Novak FamilyBryan and Robin Buckler * Julie and Roger NussmanMitch and Elizabeth Campbell * Joe and Susie OringelWes and Margaret Carter Jessica and Gustavo Barriga-PageThe Choffin Family The Pan FamilyThe Cox Family The Parrish FamilyThe Crews Family Clay and Holly Patton *Janet and Randy Darden * The Peltz FamilyDeven Desai Family John and Karen Perry *Dan and Karen DeVries * The Pomilla FamilyChuck and Kaysi Dixon The Prakash FamilyMark and Kristen Ellis * David and Staci RiceScott and Sarah Fligel * The Rice Family *The Fox Family Katy Ridnouer and Terrance McCafferyThomas and Lynn Freitas The Rogovin Family *Jeff and Laura Fricano * The Rohlinger FamilySteve and Lisa Garfinkle * The Rossi FamilyAlan and Julia Godel The Ryder Family * N. Grant The Sallette FamilyCasey Griner * Jack and Joyce SchmollThe Hofland Family Mr. and Mrs. Chris SchwartzMichelle and Brad Howington The Shaw Family *The Jackins Family The Spencer FamilyDarrell and Haydee Johnson * Chris and LeAnn SquierBetsy and George Kaperonis The Stallings FamilyMr. and Mrs. David Kautter Bob and Robin StebbinsJohn and Kelly Keeling The Sugg FamilyJames and Helen Kim * The Sutcliffe FamilyScott and Karen Kirchner The Thomas FamilyDavid and Kristen Knox * Mr. and Mrs. Richard ThomsonThe Kurtz Family The Trimble FamilyThe Legros Family The Webb FamilyThe Leslie Family Katharine and Scott WillisAndy and Nicole Love Gary Wyatt *The Lyon Family Jason and Minkyung Yang

Liza Zhang

SILVER LEVEL $100+

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A HUGE IMPACT!

BRONZE LEVEL UNDER $100

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A HUGE IMPACT!

The Asby Family The Lytle FamilyThe Belk Family Chris MengelScott and Kerry Bloomingburg The Miller Family *Dean and Melanie Brown The Novak Family *The Butte Family O’Conner/Seegers FamilyThe Castillo Family The Pelliciotta FamilyThe Clarkson Family Michelle and Dan PlaisanceThe Cole Family The Purcell Family *The Denno Family The Reinhard FamilyJason and Beth Finland Jennifer Rorie *The Fisher Family In Memory of Ana SistareThe Jensen Family Ms. Ann StegallThe Kagan Family Lucy ThorpeThe Landingin Family The Zolotorofe FamilyThe Levin Family

#ONEPROVProud sponsor of Providence High School

sigconsult.com

PHS #OneProv

SPONSORSHIP

Congratulations to our Technical Theatre Director and Teacher, Mr. Richard Turski, on being named PHS Teacher of the Year. To be named Teacher of the Year, he was nominated by a fellow teacher and then PHS staff voted by secret ballot from among the excellent nominees who demonstrate a love of teaching and passion for students, the ability to push students to higher levels, and a positive outlook toward learning.

“When we hired him, I knew he was going to make a great impact on our Performing Arts department and our school,” said Dr. Tracey Harrill, PHS Principal. “Mr. Turski has a contagious energy and works tirelessly to build relationships with all of his students so they will be motivated to do their best work for him.”

Originally from Cleveland, OH, Mr. Turski spent 10 years working in restaurant management before graduating from East Carolina University in 2013 with a degree in Theatre Education, with a concentration in Design and Production. This is his sixth year at Providence.

“In teaching, there’s nowhere else I would want to be,” said Mr. Turski. “I love watching students form the same passion for theatre and working with their hands to create something on stage that I have.”

Mr. Turski has a contagious passion for the arts, and his belief that art should be a journey and not just a class stays with his students long past the semester’s end. “I love teaching because I want to be the role model that I never had while in school,” he said. “I tried to also follow the steps of my wonderful wife who was teaching when we met, and is still one of the best teachers – and wife – I know.”

PHS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

PHS #ONEPROV LOVE FEST!

February 15 was the "OneProv Love Fest”. Students were treated to hot cocoa, flavored/regular whipped cream and chocolate candies to start their morning. It was a fun surprise for the students! We appreciate the support of PHS administration and staff during this event. ♥

Teachers felt the love as the PTSO Staff Support team hosted a sweet treats party for staff on February 14.

PHS STAFF SUPPORT

Our PHS PTSO Spring Beautification Day was a HUGE success! Over 70 student volunteers came together to make our campus look great for spring! Everyone worked hard spreading mulch, picking up trash, and hauling limbs and sticks.

A special shout-out to the National Honor Society and ROTC who had a combined total of 34 volunteers! We also want to thank the Environmental, Key, Interact, Tri-M, SNHS, Unicef, Spanish, German, Latin, French, Arts Honors, and Animated Arts Clubs for their volunteers!

PHS BEAUTIFICATION DAY

Honoring the nation’s best, the National Scholastic Press Association has named 23 scholastic literary magazines as finalists in its prestigious Pacemaker competition. Roars and Whispers is the only finalist from North Carolina. Pacemaker finalists will be recognized with plaques at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 at the Opening Ceremony of the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim. Pacemaker winners will be announced and will receive plaques on Saturday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. at the convention’s Closing Awards Ceremony where both NSPA and JEA honors will be presented.

Columbia Scholastic Press Association has named Roars and Whispers a Gold Crown winner!

The Crown Awards honor top student publications chosen from CSPA’s members. Crowns are selected for overall excellence in a head-to-head comparison. Student publishing in news, magazine, yearbook or digital (online) formats are all-eligible. During Crown consideration, publications are judged on their excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing.

Only nine magazines in the country were awarded the Gold Crown.

CLICK HERE to read more.

ROARS AND WHISPERS LITERARY MAGAZINE AWARDS

Congratulations to our three winners in the District Optimist Writing Contest.

First Place: Gayatri Chopra (senior) Second Place: Bhavana Veeravalli (junior) Third Place: Ella Rasmussen (Sophomore)

Gayatri's essay moves on to regional competition. All three students were honored at an awards ceremony in March.

Left to right: Ella Rasmussen, Gayatri Chopra, Bhavana Veeravalli

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, has awarded Abigail Welch, a junior, with a National Silver Medal in Journalism. Nearly 340,000 works of art and writing were submitted to the 2019 Scholastic Awards. Her work was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Receiving a National Medal places Abigail in the top 1% of entries in the nation.

OPTIMIST ESSAY CONTEST AWARDS

NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARD

Providence High School students won a total of 33 regional writing awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. They were honored at a ceremony at Spirit Square on February 7, 2019. The four Gold Key winners competed in the national competition in New York City.

Gayatri Chopra, Senior, America Voices Nominee Gold Key—Personal Essay/Memoir Honorable Mention—Writing Portfolio Honorable Mention—Journalism Honorable Mention—Personal Essay/Memoir Honorable Mention—Poetry

Caroline Macurda, Senior, American Voices Nominee Gold Key—Poetry Silver Key—Poetry Honorable Mention—Flash Fiction

Natalie Thulien, Senior, Gold Key—Humor Honorable Mention—Humor Honorable Mention—Writing Portfolio Honorable Mention—Short Story Honorable Mention—Science Fiction Fantasy

Abigail Welch, Junior, Gold Key—Journalism Silver Key—Poetry Honorable Mention—Poetry Honorable Mention—Poetry Honorable Mention—Journalism

Cayleigh Brown, Senior, Silver Key—Personal Essay/Memoir Silver Key—Poetry Honorable Mention—Poetry

Ellie Cotton, Junior, Silver Key—Journalism

Zoe Kaperonis, Junior, Silver Key—Short Story Silver Key—Journalism Honorable Mention—Flash Fiction Honorable Mention—Short Story

Charlotte Beck, Junior, Honorable Mention—Journalism

Maggie Christopher, Sophomore, Honorable Mention—Personal Essay/Memoir

Vasiliki Gkoulgkountina, Junior, Honorable Mention—Short Story

Aiden Kaplan, Sophomore, Honorable Mention—Short Story

Caroline Palermo, Junior, Honorable Mention—Personal Essay/Memoir Honorable Mention—Poetry

Bhavana Veeravalli, Junior, Honorable Mention—Personal Essay/Memoir

SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARDS

Left to right: Front: Charlotte Beck, Ellie Cotton, Cayleigh Brown, Bhavana Veeravalli, Zoe Kaperonis, Abigail Welch: Back: Maggie Christopher, Natalie Thulien, Caroline Macurda, Caroline Palermo, Gayatri Chopra, Aiden Kaplan

German Club has enjoyed a fun third quarter filled with interactive socials and community service! On December 12, German Club held its annual Holiday Winter Social. Students wore festive sweaters and talked over pizza and cookies.

Shortly after Winter break, German Club was back to work with planning the annual Kaffeeklatsch breakfast! On January 10, students showed their appreciation for their teachers and staff with a lovely spread of tasty food! A big thank you to everyone for the donations and to the teachers who work hard every day!

On February 21, German Club attended a Bright Blessings event. Bright Blessings is a non-profit organization which aims to support the lives of homeless families and children through volunteers and supplies. We had a great time giving back to the community!

GERMAN CLUB

This February, PHS hosted its first ever dinner theater production titled, Trouble at the Talent Show. Set up in the school’s mall area, the audience enjoyed an Italian feast that was served by student members of the International Thespian Society who volunteered to be waiters. During dinner performers interacted with the seated audience to divulge important (or not so important) details about their characters that might provide a clue as to who committed a crime during the annual talent show. Was is one of the mean girls named Tiffany or a jock? Was it a goth or one of the janitors? It was up to the audience to solve the mystery before the last bit of tiramisu was devoured.

Junior John Darden played lead Newsie Jack Kelly and senior Kara Kucsma played Katherine, a junior reporter covering the strike. Orchestrated by senior Eliza Martin, who was the stage manager, the 43-member cast moved the immense sets built by Mr. Turski’s technical theater students through the production. (One tower was estimated to weigh 1,800lbs.) Students Alex Westover and Raymond Patrick served as music directors for the show with Alex conducting the 18-member pit orchestra. Everyone involved “Carried the Banner and Seized the Day” during the impressive performance run.

Trouble at the Talent Show was directed by PHS theater arts teacher Ms. Jacki Altmeyer and sets were built by students in the PHS technical theater classes taught by Mr. Richard Turski. The show was a huge success and sold out both nights! Congratulations to the cast and crew!

Did you know that tap dancing is the new sport at Providence? This March PHS was the first school in all of CMS and the surrounding 10 counties to produce Disney’s Newsies! This high energy musical is set in 1899 New York City. The Newsies who sell the daily papers go on strike when Joseph Pulitzer meanly raises the wholesale price of their papers. Rehearsals started in November and half the cast had to learn to tap dance for the first time. Unique to this production, director Mr. Turski invited members of the community to join the cast including a student from Elizabeth Lane Elementary to play the role of 10-year old Les, Jeff Taylor, the father of cast member Will Taylor to play Joseph Pulitzer, and PHS teacher Andrew Corbin who played youth officer Warden Snyder.

PHS THEATER TAKES CENTER STAGE

The Providence Choral Department has been very busy this quarter!

Congratulations to Anya Lawrence and Kammy Kasher for being selected for the 9-10 All Carolina Select Choir. They were able to study under the American composer and conductor, Andrea Ramsey during the last weekend in January with 9th and 10th grade students from various counties in North and South Carolina.We had an amazing 8 singers

selected for the Mars Hill Honor Choir this year! Congratulations to David Benton, Dominic Caudill, Will Cramton, Melanie Flowers, Bryce Guertin, Lydia McCarty, Holly Neddo and Ali Tyler. They spent the first weekend in February learning from Z. Randall Stroope, who is a fantastic composer and conductor.

Congratulations to Tori Burfield, Emma Conder, Karla Delgado, Makenna Lanier, Chris Lucero, Shelley Saffan, Matthew Trent, and Noah Walker for being selected for the CMS High School Honor Choir this year. They worked with select students from 12 high schools in CMS under the direction of Maestra D’Walla Burke-Simmons from Winston-Salem State University and put on a fantastic concert.

PHS CHORAL DEPARTMENT NEWS

The Providence Panthers Rugby team finished up their season with a successful win against Ardrey Kell high school (25-14) to capture the NC Youth Rugby Union (NCYRU) Southern Conference Championship, advancing them to the state final where they finished as State Runner up. Congratulations Panthers on a great Season!

PHS RUGBY

On February 20, 2019 members of the Providence FFA Club visited Clemson University to learn more about agricultural studies and careers. While the weather was cold and rainy, the Club received a warm welcome from staff members at Clemson. Students first visited the maintenance facility for the university’s golf course, where they met Golf Course Superintendent Don Garrett. Mr. Garrett talked with students about turf grass and irrigation. Students then had a delicious lunch at the historic Esso Club, before continuing their visit at the Clemson Equine Center. Farm Manager Julia Tagher took students on a tour of the farm, where they met some of the university’s horses, visited the barns, and learned about the different classes, teams, and programs the Equine Center offers. The group stopped at the Clemson Extension for a tour of the Aquaponics facility with Dr. Lance Beecher. Students learned about using tilapia fish to grow lettuce, strawberries, herbs, and other plants. The trip concluded with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Allen Reeves Football Complex. Students got to see the cafeteria, the offensive and defensive meeting rooms, weight rooms, an example of a player’s locker, and a reproduction of the Hill. A quick stop at Memorial Stadium for a glance at Howard’s Rock was a fitting end to an informative and fun visit. Many thanks to Ms. Edens and parent volunteers for coordinating and chaperoning this trip, and to the Clemson faculty members for taking time to talk with students and answer questions.

PHS FFA CLUB

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Please support Chili's when you are looking for a restaurant to take your family out for a bite to eat!

Thank you to Chili’s ~ Arboretum for supporting PHS and the Student Hunger Drive, benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank. We look forward to working with them on fundraisers in the future.

SUPPORT PHS BY PURCHASING GIFTS AT KENDRA SCOTT

PHS THANKS CHILI’S ~ ARBORETUM FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Spring brings lots of celebrations for which you may want to purchase jewelry as a gift, including Mother's Day and graduation. To help you gift in style, Providence PTSO will be hosting a shopping night at Kendra Scott in SouthPark Mall on Monday, April 22 from 6-8 PM. Join us for cupcakes and jewelry shopping. Come pick the perfect graduation gift or find something to celebrate Mom. Kendra Scott will offer a 10 percent discount to our shoppers, and will also donate 10 percent of purchases to our PTSO.

Has Your Email Address Changed? If your email address has changed recently, let us know so we can make sure you continue to receive timely issues of the PHS MEWS and the Paw Prints. To submit your email change request (or unsubscribe), go to phs.ptso@cms.k12.nc.us. Please include your complete email address, your child’s first and last name, and your child’s grade level. Make sure to tell us if you want to add, delete, or update our email list. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date!

Providence Senior High School 1800 Pineville Matthews Road Charlotte, NC 28270

Dr. Tracey Harrill, Principal

PTSO Executive Board Julie Knafelz, President Stacey Ellis, President-Elect/IMPACT Campaign Chair Margo Wells, VP Communications Cathy Kirkland, Secretary Margaret Musa, Treasurer Beth Cotton, Assistant Treasurer/Membership

Paw Prints is published four times a year for students, teachers, staff, parents, and friends of Providence Senior High School.

Sam Wallach, Paw Prints editor Phs.pawprints@cms.k12.nc.us