UPDATE 11/25/2013: This position has been filled.
FOCRLS and ITAV announce a job opening for a part-time College Counselor. The counselor will work with newly enrolled and currently attending CRLS alumni at UMass-Boston, and possibly others, to provide support through the college transition and connection stages to significantly improve the students’ persistence and graduation rates. Please click here for the full job description. Spread the word!
Friends of CRLS is proud to sponsor a School Committee Candidates Forum on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, in the Main Cafeteria at CRLS from 7-8:30 PM. The main cafeteria is located on the first floor of the Main building at CRLS, 459 Broadway in Cambridge.
This is an important chance for the CRLS community to hear the candidates address issues of concern to us, and for the candidates to meet the CRLS community. With two current school committee members not seeking re-election, this will be a crucial election for the Cambridge schools.
The CRLS alumni association is also supporting the event as a co-sponsor.
A big thank you to David Vogel, FOCRLS Board member, and Cambridge High and Latin School alum, for organizing this forum!
For more information about the Forum, please contact Friends of CRLS at focrls@gmail.com.
Hope to see you on Wednesday, October 30!
P.S. Please share this with other community members and encourage them to attend!
FOCRLS is pleased to announce the launch this fall of The Dr. David A. Link Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was established by the family, friends, colleagues, and patients of David A. Link, M.D., upon his stepping down as Chief of Pediatrics at The Cambridge Health Alliance. This scholarship will be awarded to a CRLS student of excellent character who plans a career dedicated to public health or medical care. More information is available here.
Donations are still welcome and are eligible for matching by Google! Please see the donation page for Google.
In early September 2013, the Cambridge-based Google Community Affairs team invited representatives of Friends of CRLS and Cambridge School Committee member Fred Fantini to their headquarters in Kendall Square to talk about a prospective fundraising event at Google to mark the beginning of the school year. In short order we put our heads together to attract Google employees’ attention to CRLS – the what and where of our school, and why and how they could support our students. Friends of CRLS offered four of its established programs as options for contributions: Faculty Innovation Grants, Scholarships, the College Success Program (“It Takes a Village”), and Travel Fellowships. Google offered the employees the option to request a match.
The September 12, 2013, event culminated with a “Happy Hour” social mixer for employees and supporters of Friends of CRLS at the Google’s Chatham Cafe. Speakers were CRLS Principal Damon Smith, the “Speak Up” spoken word compositions of student poets Maddie Payne, Jenny Vernick, and Leah Cohen, and Elaine Schear, President of FOCRLS. Other CRLS attendees supporting FOCRLS included faculty members who had been Faculty Innovation Grant recipients: Rene Meshon, Debi Milligan, Edward Byrne, and Dr. Kimberly Parker, as well as FOCRLS board members Elizabeth Vernon and Community Outreach Liaison Victoria Harris, parent business outreach volunteer Dawn Baxter, and communications volunteer Beena Sarwar.
This event was supported by the CRLS Media Arts Department; videography by intern Russell DeLuca Kavanagh.
Google’s support of Friends of CRLS was part of a broad month-long education initiative conducted by Google. Along with Cambridge-based EF Education First, Google/Cambridge also recently supported CRLS students with its first “Glocal Challenge”, a competitive research-based local-global environmental initiative at the high school that culminated with a trip to Costa Rica in April 2013.
Photos of the event are available in an album on our Facebook page, here.
The first ever Business Community Breakfast was hosted by and for FOCRLS on the morning of Thursday, June 13, 2013 at the high school. It was a wonderful gathering of committed community members, faculty, students and parents.
Guests included the Mayor of Cambridge Henrietta Davis, City Councillors, and Harvard and MIT faculty, as well as business representatives, students, and CRLS faculty.
FOCRLS President Elaine Schear briefed guests on what this voluntary body of some 40 to 50 parents and community members does to help students succeed, focusing on the 40% who come from low income families, many of whom work after school and for whom English is not a first language.
After a round of introductions, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis took the podium, and urged the community to invest in CRLS students. CRLS Principal Damon Smith pointed out that the CRLS renovation did not just mark physical changes but also promoted thinking in new ways. CRLS Marine Biology teacher Paul McGuiness, one of the first recipients of the FOCRLS Faculty Innovation Grants, shared his views. He said CRLS students are second to none; they do well in competitions and even beat MIT one year (!). Marjorie Decker, City Council, shared her own inspirational story, as the first person in her family to graduate from high school and go on to college (Harvard). Denise Jillson, Executive Director of the Harvard Square Business Association, talked about the breakfast event that Rotary International does for the National Honor Society. At the end, FOCRLS Board member and parent Victoria Harris, who organised the event, thanked everyone for being there and urged guests to involve others.
A special thank you to Renee McLeod, owner of Petsi Pies, for donating her remarkable breakfast confections to the day’s event and to many FOCRLS gatherings over the past six years.
For photos of the event, please click here.
Below are the names and organizations of those who attended – thank you all for your support and your valuable feedback and comments!
Mayor Henrietta Davis, Cambridge City Council
Marjorie Decker, Cambridge City Council
Craig Kelley, Cambridge City Council
David Maher, Cambridge City Council
Patty Nolan, Cambridge School Committee
Garey House, Citizens Bank – Central Square Branch
E’atimad Rizk, Citizens Bank – Kendall Square Branch
Paul McGuinness, CRLS – Staff
Rene Meshon, CRLS – Staff
Damon Smith, CRLS – Staff
Rout Asefa, CRLS – Student
Akhi Begum, CRLS – Student
Metea Koronas, CRLS – Student
Adam Manacher, CRLS Parents Council
Jason Alves, East Cambridge Business Association
Kate Berseth, Education First Educational Tours
Jon Blachly, Education First Educational Tours
Shawna Sullivan Education First Educational Tours
Ted Darling, FOCRLS
Victoria Harris, FOCRLS
Neil Rosenburg, FOCRLS
Jamie Sabino, FOCRLS
Beena Sarwar, FOCRLS
Elaine Schear, FOCRLS
Denise Jillson, Harvard Square Business Association
Thomas Lucey, Harvard University
Stacey Nichols, Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Maryann VaRence, Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Paul Paravanno, MIT Office of the President
Katherine Rafferty, Mount Auburn Hospital
Kara Cournoyer, Novartis
Amy Witherbee
Testimonies: FOCRLS student grantees
Metea Koronas, CRLS 2014
Recipient, Student Travel Fellowship
I would like to thank the Friends of CRLS for the amazing experience I was able to have because of you, to El Salvador. It was amazing to get the opportunity to travel abroad and I believe it’s an important experience to have as a student.
While I was there I was able to learn multiple topics and subjects all at once. I was able to practice my Spanish and hold conversations, learn about history I never knew about, and find a new subject I am really interested in, theological liberation.
My trip to El Salvador was amazing and the people have taught me so much. And most importantly, I was able to bring home an important life lesson: to just keep going. The people I have met there have been through so much trauma, but are still able to love and keep demanding change. This kind of spirit and motivation has inspired me so much. So once again, I would like to thank you!
Akhi Begum, CRLS 2014
Recipient, Student Travel Fellowship
At the age of 9, I moved to Fall River, MA with my family for a better life. With the absence of my father in Bangladesh, my mother struggled, but was successful in raising me and my six siblings with integrity and good manners, like saying “Salaam” (“peace”, a Muslim greeting), to everyone I see, even if they are younger, and saying thanks to all who have helped me in any shape or form.
Today, I am here at this amazing high school CRLS. This might be the epitome of a diverse, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, tolerant environment. It is definitely more diverse than back home in Bangladesh. Going to the trips to both Turkey and El Salvador has changed my view in so many ways. The exposure of different cultures and people allowed me to be an open-minded individual, to try new things and especially new food.
Without the travel fellowships from FOCRLS I would not have been able to take these adventurous journeys at all. These past two years, FOCRLS has supported me so much that helped me give a new meaning to life. They made me come out of my shell and take advantage of the opportunities around me. I had the chance to immerse myself in other places, languages and cultures, to prepare myself to be a global citizen.
Community outside the doors should support students like me because it gives so much opportunity and actually take advantage of it.
Many students don’t know where my country is. I didn’t even know where El Salvador was on the globe until I was going there. These opportunities help students to experience the diversity and respect opportunity.
Rout Asefa, CRLS 2013
Recipient, Dr. Christopher Saheed Future Educators Scholarship
My goal is to be a high school teacher. Coming from a home in which my parents can’t afford to buy me everything I need for school, the Dr. Christopher Saheed Future Educators Scholarship has allowed me to be less dependent on my parents financially.
As a result of the many donations to the Friends of CRLS from very generous members in the community, my family doesn’t have to worry about financing every little thing the summer of my freshman year going to college. Senior year is a very important year but it is a very expensive year, with SAT fees, college application fees and deposits etc, so every contribution helps.
Investing in scholarships such as this allows students like me to go to college feeling secure about our financial situation. By investing in scholarships you are also investing in not only the child’s future but also the future of the child’s family. Without your generous donations I would not be able to buy the materials I will need for college. On behalf of my family, I would like to thank all of you for investing in me.
Community Event – First Annual Student vs. Staff Basketball Fundraiser to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital and CRLS Athletics
FOCRLS is pleased to serve as the fiscal sponsor for donations to the Friends of Cambridge Athletics (FOCA) athletic scholarships raised by this event. This fundraiser has been launched by a Rindge family who is deeply appreciative of Boston Children’s Hospital which has given their family dedicated, inspiring care since 2001, and the equally inspiring care through high quality education and support since 2010 by Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
The event, coordinated by school staff, is a Student vs. Staff basketball game on Wednesday, June 12th from 1:10 – 2:35 pm at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School. Proceeds will support both organizations – Children’s Hospital for brain disease research and CRLS for the athletics scholarships program that FOCA administers in collaboration with the Athletics Department. Please click here to learn more and to contribute.
STUDENT vs. STAFF BASKETBALL GAME WRAP UP (6/14/2013)
Thank you to everyone who participated in the First Annual CRLS Student vs. Staff Basketball Fundraiser on June 12. It was a great game! The staff won by 2 points. We raised quite a bit of money for Boston Children’s Hospital and CRLS. Our speaker from Children’s was Dr. Scott Pomeroy, neurologist-in-chief. He talked about brain disease research with an emphasis on encouraging students to follow their interests into research and science. Jimmy Tingle gave the audience many good laughs! Hope to see you there next year.
Please join Friends of CRLS in congratulating our latest Faculty Innovation Grant recipients! (See list below.) Our 6 Grantees for Spring 2013 were chosen from among a wide variety of programs and departments.
Grant recipients reflect the commitment and vision of faculty and other CRLS staff to the academic and social development of CRLS students, and FOCRLS’ deep interest in supporting the ongoing professional development of the teaching community at CRLS.
Our review panel of 7 CRLS parents and community members gave careful consideration to each proposal, awarding grants of up to $1,000 each. 130 CRLS faculty have been awarded grant funding by FOCRLS since 2007. The next FOCRLS grant cycle is in Fall 2013.
We thank our many donors — family, friends, alumni, and business leaders — for supporting the power of the ideas of our exemplary CRLS educators.
Spring 2013 FOCRLS Faculty Grantees:
Deborah Haverty – “Merging Old and New Murals”
Student muralists’ works over the past 5 years will be represented in a visually stimulating and collaborative installation on floor 3 of the Arts Building.
Sherry Madden and Eydie Garcia – “Living the Culture in In the Time of Butterflies”
A trip to New York City for students of Spanish language and history to see a Spanish theater company production of Julia Alvarez’s novel, available in translation around the globe.
Andrew Miller – “Project-Based Learning in Physics”
Optics, motion, force. Real-time problem-solving, engineering, and experimentation in the lab.
David Mish – “The Houses on Cambridge Streets: English Language Learners Write Books to Become English Language Authors”
Creation of students’ stories and “button books” inspired by Sandra Cisneros’s best-seller, The House on Mango Street.
Susan Van Blaricum, Jacqueline Cesario, Diane Elinskas, Marya Wegman – “Grilling up Opportunity Diversity and Respect!”
Equipment co-funded by FOCRLS and Student Government to facilitate community-building, good eating across cultures, and sustainable, rental-free grilling.
Courtney Wilkes – “Spreading Spoken Word at CRLS”
Students across grade levels refine their writing and slam techniques though participation at a Massachusetts Student Day of Poetry at Salem State College.
Congratulations all!
All are welcome to attend the end-of-the-semester CRLS student portrait art reception on Weds. May 29, 2013, at 1:30 pm at Youville House. The students’ artwork will be displayed along with the biographies they’ve written about the residents of Youville House. The students, their families, CRLS staff, Youville residents, and the community are invited to attend this special event. The portraits were produced as part of a FOCRLS Faculty Innovation grant.
FOCRLS is touched and honored to have been chosen by CRLSstrong as the recipient of funds raised at the CRLSstrong event this Sunday, April 28, 2013. This very meaningful gathering, which brought together students, alums, faculty, parents, and community members in Joan Lorentz Park in front of the Cambridge Public Library, was organized by the CRLSstrong group of alumni/student group which is “committed to providing a safe and open space for members of CRLS and the wider Cambridge community” to reflect on the recent tragic events. These funds will further strengthen programs supporting the students, faculty, and alumni of CRLS, and demonstrate the values of Opportunity, Diversity, Respect that CRLS, CRLSstrong, and FOCRLS stand behind.
Read an article on the event from the Boston Globe on 4/28/2013.
The past week has been a trying one for our community. We would like to encourage you to attend this Sunday’s CRLSstrong community gathering, organized by a group of CRLS students and alumni, in Joan Lorentz Park from 2-4pm — see details below.
#CRLSstrong Community Gathering:
Sunday, April 28, 2013
2:00 pm until 4:00pm
Joan Lorentz Park on the corner of Ellery Street and Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138
Facebook events
Cambridge Chronicle 4/22/2013
The CRLSstrong Organizing Committee wishes to thank everyone for their strong showing of support for the students and faculty, past and present, of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) and the entire Cambridge Public Schools District (CPSD). CRLSstrong is committed to providing a safe and open space for members of the CRLS and wider Cambridge community to reflect on the Boston Marathon attack and the subsequent tragic incidents that caused many deaths and injuries. The event will be held in honor of the CRLS school motto: Opportunity, Diversity, Respect.
This community gathering is being organized by CRLS students past and present. To help organize, please email cambridgestrong@gmail.com.
Having two of our own accused of causing terror and destructing lives and property has been a hurtful, confusing and disturbing experience. Many in the CRLS community are still processing last week’s events. We are more than last week and the country and world deserve to know that our city’s diversity and our school’s unity are unmatched.