M A R C H 2 0 1 2

C O N T E N T S

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Heart for Haiti pages 2-3

Message from CPS Board of

Directors 4

From the Headmaster’s

Office 5-7

College Acceptances 8

Highlights 10-11

Calendar 15

Get to Know Us 18 & 19

Chris Low,Director of MCLC; Richard Marracino, CPS Headmaster; AnaGrimaldi, Teaching for Tomorrow; Edouard F. Lafontant,

and Alexandre Cerqueira, CPS Interact Advisor

See pages 2 and 3 for more on this event.

7th Heart for Haiti at CPS

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P A G E T W O M A R C H 2 0 1 2

EDITOR

F. Richard Marracino

Headmaster

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Carrie Newdall

English Department

COPY EDITOR

Marta C. Alvarez

Secretary to the Headmaster

EDITORIAL BOARD

Elsie Calimano

Director Lower Elementary

Judith Rivera

Director Upper Elementary

Evelyn Collazo

Director Middle & High School

Sonia Colón

Director Horizons Program

Published quarterly

PO Box 70177

San Juan, PR 00936-8177

Phone: (787) 765-4411

FAX: (787) 764-3809

From the Parent Associationby Brenda López, PA President

On Saturday, February 4, the CPS

Community celebrated our 7th Heart

for Haiti to continue raising awareness

and funding to benefit the Matènwa

Community Learning Center (MCLC )

in Haiti. For the past seven years, CPS

has been contributing to help this com-

munity-based initiative promote

education, human rights awareness,

local agriculture, and the arts to chil-

dren and adults of the island of La

Gonâve, across from Port-au-Prince.

This year’s fund raising, matched by

the Rotary Club of San Juan, raised

$10,000 to be used to increase and

enhance the daily breakfast program.

In order to accomplish our goal, this

year, teachers and students combined

their talents to create “Dancing Thruthe Ages.” This theme, like others in

the past, gave us the opportunity to

showcase our students’ many talents

while at the same time, teaching our chil-

dren how we can touch and improve the

lives of others by working together.

From our t-shirt front design, created by

our 11th grade student NataliaRamírez, to the beautiful and inspiring

singing of the Haitian National Anthem

by Sara Gabriela Rodríguez of

11th grade, we can certainly say that our

student talents came together once more

to support our cause.

Our event started with recognizing the

amazing job that Anna Grimaldi, and

Chris Low have done over the years

for the MCLC. Their commitment to the

Matenwa is an example of strength,

courage, and hope to all of us, and is the

cornerstone of the program. The CPS

Interact Club also recognized a very spe-

cial mother Cirene Revan, parent of

Cemil Revan, a senior and the

President of our Interact Club, who for

the past seven years, has worked ardu-

ously to make each Heart for Haiti a

success.

The artistic event started with ¨Dance

Evolution¨, from our CHS’s own Red

Hot Dancers. This new dance group

formed by CHS students immediately got

the crowd going with their exciting and

energizing dance routine. After seeing

their presentation, I can safely say that

we can expect great things from this

group; it was a welcome new addition to

our program and a great way to start the

show.

Continuing on this year’s theme,

“Dancing Thru the Ages”, children from

the Parkville campus starting in grade

PPK and up to 6th grade showed off their

talents by dancing to popular songs of

past decades. From Duke Ellington and

the roaring 20’s up to Lady Gaga and

Justin Beaver, we all could see the hard

work that our children and teachers put

into creating this wonderful show. Even

our Headmaster Mr. Marracino,

joined the fourth graders in dancing to

the 70’s disco tune YMCA.

After the presentation, our community

was able to enjoy great food from over

10 different food stands including pin-

chos, paella, crepes, pizza, hamburgers

and Mexican delights. As parents ate and

shopped at artisan booths and our tradi-

tional flea market, children played in the

outdoor rides or climbed up the rope

bridge put up by our resident boy-scout

troop.

At the same time, in the Gloria Shuman

Auditorium, our high-school students also

showed off their musical talents, as sever-

al bands performed and impressed

everyone with renditions of modern rock

music from artists like Maroon Five and

Adele, among others.

By mid afternoon we were ready for our

annual raffle with 12 extraordinary raffle

baskets, made up of the many donations

from parents of all grades. I can surely

say that this year’s raffle was one of the

most exciting and successful we have

ever had.

Continue on page 3

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P A G E T H R E E M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Continued from page 2

7th Heart for Haiti

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank

the many volunteer parents and teachers

who always help and contribute to our

cause. From selling t-shirts and raffle

tickets, getting sponsors, donating gifts,

to decorating and helping with the

booths, we could not do this activity

without you all. As a CPS mother, I

have been involved with helping orga-

nize this Heart for Haiti activity for the

past five years. For me, it has been a

privilege and a blessing that I could con-

tribute to this great cause while seeing

our kids grow both physically and spiri-

tually. I will always be grateful to the

CPS community for this opportunity.

Heart for Haitiby Alexandre Cerqueira

Interact Club Advisor

Heart for Haiti can be best defined by

the following quote: “If you have come

to help me you are wasting your time,

but if your liberation is bound up with

mine then let us walk together.” A ban-

ner with this quote by Lila Watson, an

Australian Aboriginal activist, decorated

the entrance of Commonwealth High

School on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

On that special day CPS students, par-

ents, faculty and administrators

celebrated the seventh annual Heart for

Haiti at the Commonwealth campus.

This event is aimed at raising funds for

the Matènwa Community Learning

Center (MCLC) on the island of La

Gonave, Haiti, and is coordinated by the

Parents’ Association (PA), which is

blessed with an amazing group of dedi-

cated members under the helm of Mrs.

Brenda López. MCLC provides pri-

mary education for children, a literacy

program for adults, a breakfast program

for students, a socially empowering

women’s group, a vegetable garden pro-

gram, and a campaign to eradicate the

practice of restavek (child slavery) in

Haiti.

CPS has been involved with Matènwa

since 2005 and has donated over $90,000

dollars in funding through our Heart forHaiti event.

“Dancing Thru the Ages”, this year’s

theme, was more than just a musical and

rhythmic display of talent. It was a

school- wide, cross-generational jam-

boree! PKS and CHS students danced into

the mid-day hours and were then, along

with their parents, treated to a variety of

delicious foods on offer at the school’s

open field. Each grade-level –sponsored

kiosk, offering everything from Mexican

flautas to pinchos and paellas, saw lines of

hungry customers contributing their share

to the $10,000 dollars raised by the event.

The iconic flea market was another major

attraction as were the items sold by arti-

sans, and the many inflatable castles

available for kids.

Anna Grimaldi Colomer (Teaching for

Tomorrow), Chris Low (Director of

MCLC), William Tervo (San Juan

Rotary Club), and Paul La Tortue(Haitian Activist and UPR Professor) were

some of the special guests present at the

event. Mrs. Grimaldi Colomer and Mrs.

Cirene Revan (CPS Parent and founder

of the event’s Flea Market) were honored

by CPS and the Interact Club with a spe-

cial plaque, thanking them for their

dedicated efforts over the years, which

have made this event such a special one.

CPS would like to thank all the teachers,

students, parents, administrators, and

friends who dedicated their time and

effort to make this event possible, as well

as our event sponsors, which include:First Bank, El Nuevo Día, CharlesSchwab, Rotary Club of San Juan,The Butterfly People, RadioWOSO, Méndez InternetManagement Services, Inc.,

Outback Steakhouse, Andanza,Municipio de San Juan, Pepsi,Garage Isla Verde, “Alas paraHaiti” and OneLinkCommunications.

Taken as a whole, Heart for Haiti repre-

sents a two way street for learning,

helping, and growing. MCLC and CPS

are linked by the inspiring efforts that

human beings at both institutions have

made for the past seven years. As the

Haitian saying goes “anpil men, chay palou” or “with many hands the load is notheavy.” Yet another expression of what

Heart for Haiti is all about.

For more information, please visit:http://matenwaclc.org and

www.jeanrcadet.org

Chris Low, Director of MCLS andAlexandre Cerqueira, Advisor to

Interact Club

Cirene Revan, CPS Parent

P A G E F O U R M A R C H 2 0 1 2cpss cene

Message from CPS Board of Directors

Dear Commonwealth-Parkville School Community:

It is with mixed emotions that we share the news that Mr. Richard Marracino will step down

as the head of CPS at the end of the 2012–2013 school year. Though we fully support Richard’s

decision to take the well-earned opportunity to retire and enjoy more time with his family, it is, of

course, difficult to fathom that the end of his remarkable tenure of over twenty years at CPS is on the

horizon. Richard has been an integral part of our community for well over two decades, and through-

out his time at the school he has served as a tireless leader and champion of CPS, as well as a

faithful advocate for our faculty, our alumni, and—most importantly—our students. Throughout trans-

formative campus expansions, successful capital campaigns, accreditation, obtaining EE Ford

Matching Grant, Benedict Foundation Grant and more, Richard has been a strong and reassuring

leader of CPS.

With the news of Richards’s retirement, the Board of Trustees has begun to organize a

search for a new head of CPS. We have established an experienced search committee, and hired

well known search consultants Carney, Sandoe & Associates to help us with getting the best candi-

date for our school. CPS has a strong administration to lead us through this transition. We have a

sound financial footing, and we are on the cusp of a bright and exhilarating future.

Meaningful participation on the part of the faculty, staff, administration, students, alumni, and

parents will be essential to the process. In the coming months, there will be an opportunity for mem-

bers of the CPS community to help identify the qualities we would like to see in the next head of

school.

We are in a strong position to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. CPS continues to set

high standards for academic excellence, while remaining at the forefront of 21st-century education.

Rest assured that throughout this search process, and under Richard’s continued leadership, we will

maintain our ongoing commitment to the goals and mission of CPS as a school and a community. We

are also confident that CPS will attract the highest-caliber candidates from around the world.

We thank Richard for his years of dedication to excellence at CPS and will relish the next 16

months under his leadership. Richard, his wife Lillian and the rest of his family will always be a part

of CPS. We wish them the best in the years to come. We look toward to the future with confidence

and enthusiasm.

Sincerely,

Michelle White

Chair, Board of Directors

P A G E F I V EM A R C H 2 0 1 2

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Office of the Headmaster

February 21, 2012

To: CPS Community

From: F. Richard Marracino, Headmaster

After completing twenty years as CPS headmaster, I have notified the Board of

Directors of my desire to retire at the end of the 2012-13 academic year in June,

2013. This is a bitter-sweet decision as CPS has been and continues to be a vital

part of my life, and that of my wife Lillian and our two daughters. I owe a note of

thanks to my family for their undivided support throughout these wonderful years.

The experience as headmaster has been the most challenging and yet the most

rewarding one of my career which involves nine schools in two countries and within

five states in the continental United States. Puerto Rico is a delightful place in which to work and live. Lil

and I have found people to be extremely friendly and helpful----from CPS families to our neighborhood, to

our religious congregations, and clubs including the Rotary Club of San Juan which I have been a member

for CPS since 1995.

Throughout my tenure as headmaster, I have witnessed at all levels incredible growth in terms of programs,

facilities, quality of families, faculty, and staff. CPS has vastly changed from the days of the 80’s and 90’s in

our efforts to provide the best possible education for college bound students. The improvements became

realities through the close collaboration and support from countless numbers of community members and

employees, not the least of which have been members of the CPS Board of Directors. Our Master Plan

development at the Parkville Campus is state-of-the-art and futuristic.

The CPS Board has been exemplary in its support of me and our school initiatives throughout these twenty

years, and has commenced an international search for my replacement through the educational head search

firm of Carney, Sandoe and Associates of Boston. I have committed my full and unconditional support in the

transition phase of the next year and one half to carry out all requirements of accreditation, licensing, pro-

gram development, staffing and budget simply to set the stage for the next era of continued educational

excellence.

I wish to thank the entire CPS community for its unfailing support of our great school and urge members to

continue the fast-paced development which has thrust CPS into the leadership of English immersion, college

preparatory schools in the greater San Juan metropolitan area. Not the least among our leadership qualities

are the areas of technology and 21st Century Skills. The care and support we have provided for our stu-

dents and faculty throughout these years have been extraordinary, impressive, and following the very best

educational practices. Our enrollment statistics at all levels indicate positively that you agree.

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P A G E S I X M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Evelyn Collazo completes 22 years of exemplary service to CPS!

As was announced previously,Evelyn Collazo, Director of the Middle and High

School, will be retiring at the end of the current academic year in June 2012. While we

are truly sorry to see her leave, we respect her wish and have accepted her resignation

with mixed emotions.

Evelyn has been a vital teacher of English for seventeen years at CPS prior to accepting

the post of Director in 2007. She has been a committed and dedicated administrator

who has raised ethical and academic standards to thrust Commonwealth Campus

forward to increasingly new heights in both areas. She has always gone the “extra mile”

in all aspects of exemplary management and leadership. Perhaps her greatest

contribution has been in her positive and unfailing sense of humor coupled with her extraordinary ability to

grant selfless time and effort to students, faculty, parents and colleagues.

We will miss her terribly and thank her for the flawless service to Commonwealth-Parkville School throughout

her extraordinary and distinguished career at CPS for the past twenty-two years.

Frances Rivera Colón is selected as new director of Commonwealth Campus

In our search for a new Director of Middle and High School, a Selection Committee

was established and has supported unanimously the decision to appoint FrancesRivera Colón to the position as Director of Middle and High School beginning

June 2012 when she and Evelyn Collazo will work closely together towards a seam-

less transition.

Frances has been the secondary school administrator and science department

coordinator at the Caribbean School in Ponce from 1998-2010. She most recently is

a member of the science faculty at Cupeyville School where she is teaching AP and

Honors Biology. Frances has been the science instructor also at Johns Hopkins

University in Baltimore, MD and a laboratory research assistant at the Pontificial

Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce.

Frances has a BS degree in science from the Pontificial Catholic University in Ponce and an MS in Curriculum

and Education in Biology at Interamerican University, also in Ponce. Additionally since 1998, she has taken

courses at the Principal’s Training Center for International School Leadership in Miami and is certified as a

secondary school principal through the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Frances’ previous supervisors write laudably about her excellent and caring professionalism as well as her will-

ingness to advance her professional career with workshops, seminars and coursework.

We are extremely pleased to welcome Frances Rivera to our distinguished administrative team and wish her

well as she prepares to join us this summer.

FROM THE HEADMASTER’S OFFICEby F. Richard Marracino

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P A G E S E V E N M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize

author of The World is Flat (2005)

and Hot, Flat and Crowded (2008)

among others has co-authored his lat-

est book That Used to Be Us (2011)

with Michael Mandelbaum, professor

and director of American foreign pol-

icy at Johns Hopkins University

School of Advanced International

Studies. This engaging book focuses

on and is subtitled How America FellBehind in the World It Invented andHow We Can Come Back, and

addresses the improvements that are

needed in the field of education

among others.

Friedman and Mendelbaum compare

American education with that of

China, a country that holds two prin-

ciples that, in the opinion of the

authors, americans should incorpo-

rate:

“We would not expect every par-ent to mimic [China]…in thetough-love department; there is a fineline between involved parenting andmaking your kid neurotic. … [But]we believe China is right about twothings:

•the need to hold children to thehighest standards that push them out of their comfort zones and

•the need to be involved in their schooling.

When children come to school knowing that their parents havehigh expectations, it makes everything a teacher is trying to do easier and more effective. Self-esteem is important, but it is not an entitlement. It has to be earned.” (Page 124)

Also, “American young people havegot to understand from an early agethat the world pays off on results, noton effort.” (Page 125)

Two ideas from chapter 7 (Average is

Over) worth noting are:

“A better education…. Is one thatteaches …the ‘three C’s’ --- criticalthinking, effective oral and writtencommunication, and collaboration.”

(Page 139)

“Well-paying jobs will more andmore require a measure of creativity,and because the burden of preparingAmerican for the workforce falls soheavily on our school, the schoolsmust find ways to inspire the threeC’s while teaching the three R’s.”(Page 139)

As I ponder these quotations (admit-

tedly taken out of context), I fully

realize that what Friedman and

Mendelbaum are advocating is that

for education to be worthwhile, it

must be both stringently high in stan-

dards while preparing students

practically for “real world” opportu-

nities and effectiveness.

High standards and practicality are

precisely what Commonwealth-

Parkville School’s philosophical base

suggests: i.e. a dual responsibility to

students that we develop both content

knowledge and creativity and collab-

oration; these two---when taken

together--- will be “teaching the stu-

dents two things: self-confidence and

resiliency.” (Page 146)

The current second grade class at our

Parkville Campus, as one example,

will be graduating from high school

in 2022. With the exponential rise in

information and technology, it’s any-

body’s guess as to accurately predict

what the world will be like in 2022,

and more importantly what students

will be able to know and learn in the

intervening years to be adequately

prepared in 2022 to be successful,

however it’s defined.

We do know in 2012 however that

these second grade students (as all

students) today must learn to be flex-

ible, to work collaboratively in

teams, to be creative, to have solid

values, to speak and write well and

passionately, to be sportsmanlike,

and to have developed life skills.

These qualities are currently sought

after by universities and corpora-

tions. I am sure those qualities will

still be sought in 2022 and beyond!

CPS faculty and administration are

working hard to develop and imple-

ment 21st Century Skills within the

content curriculum. In addition to

technology, these skills seek to

develop the important characteristics

that provide students with tools to

adjust to and to capture the essence

of future essentials. Our project for

re-accreditation in October of this

year with Middle States Association

of Colleges and Schools has as its

objective: Critical Thinking Skills

Across the Curriculum. We are pas-

sionate about its impact and

relevance to our current student

body.

HEADMASTER’S MESSAGEby F. Richard Marracino, Headmaster

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P A G E E I G H T M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Basketball Tournamentby Edmundo Báez, Athletic Director

American University

Bentley University

Bryant University

Canisius College

Drexel University

Duquesne University*

Eckerd College

Elon University

Evergreen State College

Florida International University

Fordham University

Georgia Tech*

High Point University

Hofstra

Ithaca College

Johnson & Wales- Florida

Loyola University- Maryland

Loyola University- New Orleans*

Manhattan College

Marymount Manhattan College

Northeastern*

Nova Southeastern University

Ohio State*

Rider University

Ringling College of Art

Rollins College

Saint Joseph’s University

Savannah College of Arts and Design*

Seton Hall University

St. Mary’s University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevenson University

Suffolk University*

Tulane University*

UMASS- Amherst

University of Chicago*

University of Dayton

University of Michigan

University of Tampa*

Wentworth Institute of Tech

Worcester Polytechnic Institute *

Xavier University*

*EARLY ACCEPTANCES

On February 10th and 11th CPS held

its Basketball Invitational Tournament.

The first activity was the celebration of

the traditional pep rally organized by

the Student Council. We give special

thanks to the President of the Student

Council Gabriela Acebal and Javier

Padilla for bringing the “Batucada” to

close the Pep Rally. It was fabulous.

The Tournament was a very competi-

tive and emotional one. Our players

gave their best to defend the colors of

our school. In Juvenile the first place

corresponded to Perpetuo Socorro after

beating Robinson School in the final

game.

The Junior varsity was won by

Bonneville School after beating CPS in

the Championship game. The Varsity

category was won by Perpetuo Socorro

who beat Bonneville School in the final

game.

We want to congratulate our student

body for their presence during the two

days of competition, the parents for their

support and the visiting teams for their

effort during the tournament. The

Athletic Department wants to thank the

Administration for the support given

during the two days of competition.

News from the College & GuidanceConselor’s Office

by Tere Durán, Counselor

CPS College Acceptances as of March 2012

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P A G E N I N E M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Semana de la Lenguaby Evelyn Collazo

Director of Middle and High School

Among the opportunities of profes-

sional development offered to the

faculty members at Commonwealth-

Parkville School are activities in

Puerto Rico as well as state-side. One

of the most traditional activities

attended by our teachers in Puerto

Rico is the AEP Convention or the

Convención de Asociación de

Educación Privada. Teachers from

private schools around the island par-

ticipate. Besides the benefit of

growing professionally, the teachers

may exchange ideas with colleagues

from other schools of the private sec-

tor.

Every year a group of our teachers is

selected to attend the conferences and

workshops presented by this organiza-

tion. On top of the list are those

teachers who were selected the previ-

ous year as Teacher of the Year from

each campus. Then, teachers from dif-

ferent departments are given the

opportunity to participate, as well as

directors and librarians. The partici-

pants this year were the following:

Jorge Rodríguez CHS Teacher of

the Year, Carmen SabrinaGonzález PKS Teacher of the Year,Pedro De Jesús, Dina DePablos, Vivian Torres and MariliaColón.

This year the convention was held at

the Centro de Convenciones in San

Juan.

The Spanish Department under the guidance of José Plúguez

celebrated a very well organized “Semana de la Lengua” from

February 13th – 17th. The activities included:

Ø A forum by Mrs. Lidia Marchosky’s students dedi-cated to highlighting the works of Rosario Ferré to

whom the week was dedicated.

Ø A video festival presented by Mrs. Mari Tere DelValle’s tenth graders.

Ø A reading of original works by our own Mr. Plúguez’s 11th and 12th grade students during a

“Juglaría” presided by René Díaz with special

ambiance created by art teacher, Ms. Miriam Soto.

Ø A panel discussion on the poetry of Julia de Burgos by Ms. Zayra Gotay’s 12th graders.

The enthusiasm and creativity by our Spanish teachers and stu-

dents during these activities demonstrated once again our

school’s commitment to develop both English and Spanish with-

in our curriculum.

FROM THE OFFICE of the ACADEMIC DEAN by Noemí Ramírez, Academic Dean

At this forum the teachers are exposed to

the latest appropriate practices, instruc-

tional strategies and other relevant issues

in the field of education. An example of

these were some topics of the confer-

ences attended by our teachers this year :

Internet Safety, Emotional Intelligence,

Character Education, Impact Model-

Change of Attitudes, New trends in

Education, Strategies for Reading,

Integration of Fine Arts in the Academic

Curriculum, Strategies on How to Handle

Violent Behavior, Health Education in

Elementary School, etc.

The variety of themes presented

approached the most important aspects in

the educational spectrum: cognitive,

physical and social- emotional.

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P A G E T E N M A R C H 2 0 1 2

HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLLower Elementary

At PPK we are preparing our special

gift of love, a garden for our beloved

ones. Like watering a plant, they are

filling their special gifts with love,

crafty flowers and some Valentine

sweets. I’m sure

parents appre-

ciated and were

delighted with a

bunch of bright

colorful-hand-

made flowers,

as they pre-

pared them with

delicacy and challenging skills. Let’s

celebrate life, love and friendship with

our bloomed garden of love.By Ms. Annie Sánchez

This year has been very exciting for

Pre-kinder students. In addition to all

the wonderful activities we’ve done in

class, we are pleased to have welcomed

families to our classrooms. Every week

we celebrated students’ interests with

our “SPECIAL ME” program. Parents

have presented amazing activities such

as scavenger hunts, science lessons,

mask creations, picnics and art projects.

Children have enjoyed sharing the class-

rooms with their families!

By Etty Del Valle, Lauren Hoffman, Sonia

Alfaro

People we love are those we share spe-

cial times with, those we treasure in our

hearts and call friends. On Friday, we

decided to celebrate this day in a differ-

ent setting: a picnic!

The kindergartners shared laugh-

ter, fun and celebrated the importance of

friendship. Experiences like these allow

them to develop important socializing

skills that pave the way for future suc-

cess in life. By sharing these special times

together, they create meaningful experiences,

they learn to accept individual differences,

learn to respect each other and embrace

friends for who they truly are. We are very

happy to have such a wonderful group of

kids that are enthusiastic and enjoy all school

activities!

By Gladys Guzmán, Wanda Rivera, Millie Agustín

First Grade has been very busy as usual!

We have been studying plants in science and

have grown our own plants from bean seeds.

The children enthusiastically planted their

bean seed with a lot of TLC! We then found

a place in the school where they would be

safe and have all of the essential things that

they need to thrive. We watched them and

recorded their growing progress! Some of

our plants were beautiful, healthy examples,

while some were not so successful! At the

end of the unit on plants, each child took

their plant home! It was a very fun and edu-

cational experience learning about plants and

watching them grow!By Ginny Owen and Vivian Ríos

Second grade had a lot of fun discover-

ing what paleontologists used to do as part of

their duties. We learned about the forms of

life that existed in former geologic periods,

chiefly by studying fossils. Our young pale-

ontologists made fossils using plaster. We

also studied

the plants;

its parts

and functions.

Science in

second grade

has been an

exciting

hands-on-

experience!By Ms. Diana, Mrs. Anneliese and Ms. Vivian

On January 20, 2012 the third grade went

to the House of Representatives at the

Capitol Building in San Juan, as part of the

Social Studies lessons on government. The

students had a chance to vividly experience

what the importance of law making is and

how the men and women, who have the

responsibility of creating, defending or even

changing laws that will affect the whole

Puerto Rican community, work. The students

were very eager to personally witness the

authentic copy of the Constitution that is

displayed in the Rotonda of the Capitol

building.

The students not only visited the Capitol to

learn information, they also had a chance to

demonstrate their knowledge about govern-

ment and other subjects. When the tour

guides asked questions that sometimes the

teachers thought were too complicated or on

a higher level of difficulty, the students

stepped up and answered them giving a

broad explanation of the matter at hand It

was a learning experience that worked three

ways Student – Tour Guide – Teacher. Our

students demonstrated with an exquisite dis-

position and ample knowledge, which are

characteristics of the students from the

Commonwealth – Parkville School. Go

Comets!

By Mr. Emus Hernández, Mrs. Marilia Colón &

Ms. Neusa Rodríguez

THANK YOUDuring the month of October as you all

might know, we celebrate the Trick-or-Treat

for UNICEF Campaign at the Parkville

Campus. Each year we set our goal to reach

$10,000.00 but the reality has been that we

collected between $4,000.00 and $5,000.00

approximately. This year has been different Continue on page 11

Upper Elementary

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HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLIGHTS * HIGHLContinued Upper Elementary

for two reasons: first the 4th grade class

donated what was left from the costume

fee and second, James Mendez’ fami-

ly from Pre-Kinder Green donated a

substantial amount of money to make this

year’s goal a reality. WE HAVEFINALLY REACHED OUR GOAL!We will soon be sending a $10,000.00

check to UNICEF. Thank you on behalf

of all the children who benefit from

UNICEF.By Dina de Pablos

Taking class outside of theroom! The 5th graders were part of

a once in a life time experience! We had

the opportunity to visit one of Puerto

Rico’s Natural Reserves, the island of

“Caja de Muerto” in Ponce. “Caja de

Muerto” has mangroves, reefs, corals,

sandy beaches, cactus forest, spectacular

panoramic scenery and legendary history.

The students were guided by one of the

biologists from Department of Natural

Resources through a fantastic tour of the

island’s treasures. We had an exciting

hike all the way to the light house, which

was built by the Spaniards in 1880; we

were captivated by the view. Ing.

Eusebio Iglesias and Dr. Jaime Tomé

gave the students well-known historical

facts and the famous pirate legends of

this interesting isolated place. We had

lunch, visited the museum, played at the

beach and had a wonderful educational

experience! The 5th graders would like

to give our most sincere thanks to our

special leaders Eusebio and Jaime for

their efforts and disposition to spend the

day with us! THANK YOU! It’s people

like you that make a difference!

By Ella Quiñones

The 5th graders from PKS visited CHSJanuary 20th. This year they were given a

general introduction and then given a per-

sonalized program for three class periods

during which they would were integrated

into different classes. It was amazing how

well they went to their assigned classes and

how enthusiastic they are about eventually

coming to CHS.

On January 27 the Model UN Club,

under the guidance of José Plúguez,

observed the Holocaust Commemoration

Day with an activity at CHS. This year the

activity was dedicated to the children who

lost their lives in the different concentration

camps. A poignant video reminded all pre-

sent of the horrific historical event. The

activity included middle and high school

students belonging to the Model UN Club.

Carlos Vergne, Model UN president,

Carlos Alfaro, Enrique Figueroa,Alejandro Zúñiga, René Díaz,Alexandra Méndez and guest speaker,

Gabriel Casal, collaborated in making

this a solemn and memorable event.

5th CHS Technology Fair“Bring Technology to Life”

Commonwealth-Parkville School celebrated

its fifth Technology Fair during February

27th to March 1st 2012, focused on technol-

ogy in almost all aspects of everyday life.

The Technology Fair was originated in 2008

in order to keep our students and communi-

ty informed of the lastest technological

advances in different workplaces and disci-

plines.

Some of our great speakers during prior

fairs were from: Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida

Acción (FURA), Microsoft, Secret Service,

Alcohol Tobacco and Fire (ATF), Federal

Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Custom

Border Protection (CBP), Otto

Oppenheimer, and Attorney Patricia Rivera

(Bufete Hernández Mayoral). This year we

had the pleasure of having Officer

Rodríguez from the K-9 Unit of the Puerto

Rico Police Department and his dog Ajax

who’s trained on detecting drugs, ammuni-

tions and missing or dead persons. The offi-

cer explained how to treat and take care of

any dog. He then gave a demonstration of

search and seizure; by making Ajax find a

hidden sample of ammunitions. Later, the

students were allowed to play with Ajax.

Other great presenters were Associate

Border Patrol Chaplain Officer Millán and

Officer González, from Custom and Border

Patrol, who talked about the technology used

to protect the international borders. The offi-

cers showed the students different

technological equipment such as a Taser and

night vision goggle. They even brought the

Scope Truck used to monitor for immigrants

and drug dealers on the borders of Puerto

Rico and Virgin Islands!

After an introduction by Officer Quiñones

from the Public Affairs Office, members of

Custom and Border Protection laboratories

showed students equipment used to detect

the components of different materials

brought into Puerto Rico, to see if they com-

ply with the country laws. Officer Durand

and Officer Acosta made a demonstration

collecting an item from a student and ana-

lyzing its contents. The students were very

excited with all the displayed equipment and

it was excellent to experiment directly with

many applications of technology in our

everyday life.

By: Verónica I. Urbina Jiménez

Commonwealth Campusby Evelyn Collazo

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HOLIDAY SPECTACULARBy: Elsie I. Calimano

The Holiday Spectacular show took place on December 16, 2011. The magic of the season was displayed by the students

and teachers reflecting unity, dedication, commitment and talent. Our students from PPK through 2nd participated in a

variety of showcases, singing and dancing to the melodies of Winter Wonderland, The Rockettes, The March of the

Wooden Soldiers, Dreidels and Toys, Run Run Rudolph, The Twelve Days of Christmas, and Holiday Rock. The show cul-

minated with a traditional Puerto Rican Parranda, where all the students, teachers and parents danced to the rhythm of the

Pleneros.

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Season’s greetings rang through the District Lounge (Sheraton - Convention Center) and a grand time was had by one and

by all. On December 23, 2011, The Comets Alumni Association held its traditional Alumni Holiday Party. This event

unites former CPS students and offers a great platform for networking and socializing.

This year, we were honored with the visit of our headmaster Mr. F. Richard Marracino who joined alumni, including his

daughter, Dr. Natanya Marracino, class of 1997, who came from California to join fellow classmates.

Alumni were treated to a live salsa band, a first! Together with a DJ Varona who played music from the 70’s and 80’s, they

made for a night of dancing and simply having fun. Camaraderie was the order of the day as close to 100 alumni and guests

gathered and mingled merrily while reminiscing. There were door prizes as well.

CPS values the loyalty our alumni continue to show, not only by attending alumni parties, but giving back to the school in

numerous ways. Our alumni support the school by participating in varied school events, joining school governing bodies,

donating to school fundraisers, enrolling their children in their alma mater, volunteering, or simply by good word of mouth.

We hope you continue to come back to your home: Home of the Comets.

You can view the Photo Album of the Alumni Party 2011 or visit site www.cpspr.org, click on Alumni.

P A G E T H I R T E E N M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Comets Alumni Holiday Party 2011… While the weather elsewhere is frightful, the alumni party in San Juan is so delightful…

….Let us go, let us go, let us go.By: Kathy Román (Director of Media & Special Projects)

Samantha Humbert-2009, Scott Humbert-1977,Sharon Humbert (wife and mother), and Sebastian

Humbert-2008Jason Brown (husband), Natanya Marracino-Brown-1997, and

F. Richard Marracino, Headmaster

Pedro Gumbe-1977, PresidentComets Alumni Association

Yariza Yulian (wife), Richard Huntley-1996, SuzanneTomasini-1986 and Juan Tomasini-1996

Nabil Revan-2009, Saxon Seijo-2010; SophiaEsparza-2010, Maritza González-2010, and

Daniel Esparza-2009

James Beatty-1981, Melissa Beatty-1980, SoniaCrescioni-1980, Tep Phi Tsai-1980, and

Osvaldo García-1982

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To Blog or Not toBlog

By: Aida Portela

Many things have been said about 21st

century learners. No doubt, we as teachers

and parents want our children to be inde-

pendent learners and critical thinkers.

How can we achieve it? This question

brings me to another one, to blog or not to

blog?

Blogging is FUN! And the students are

actually learning (literacy). A win-win sit-

uation, should we ask for more? It gives

them an authentic audience; they are not

working only for the teacher anymore. It

suits all learning styles and increases the

student’s motivation for reading (global

awareness) while writing.

Blogging gets the students to organize

their thoughts and ultimately, their writing

(writing process). It improves their confi-

dence levels; gives them a voice and they

take ownership. Students are engaged in

various ways. They are motivated and

excited about their learning. It develops

the ability to share opinions and knowl-

edge. There is mutual learning through

cooperation and collaboration. Blogging

helps prepare the students for our digital

future. Do we need more reasons?

As a teacher I am convinced. This is why

my fourth grade Social Studies students

are blogging. Their responses amazed me.

Here are some comments posted by the

students: “this technology rocks”, “this isbetter than to do my homework with paperand pencil”, “I loved to be able to commu-nicate with my teacher and friends”,

“when is our next assignment ?”

Having them come to the classroom

telling me that they posted something and

being excited about it just proves me that

we are on the right track. We are on our

way to be true 21st Century Citizens.

The Queen Beeby Jorge Acebal

Each year the best spellers of each of the of

the four educational regions of Puerto Rico

get together in an annual competition that

decides the island’s champion and represen-

tative at the Spelling Bee finals celebrated

in Washington, D.C. This is a way of cele-

brating academic excellence and

encouraging advanced literacy. This year

the competition took place on February 24.

Participants included 32 students from

grades four through eight.

All of the spellers were hard at play and the

majority proved to be well coached. Our

school representative, Ella Scholz,

became school champion for the second

time in November of 2011. She went on to

compete at the Regional which was cele-

brated on February 8. Ella gave one of her

best performances and ended in first place

in the island’s Northern region after elimi-

nating more than 50 opponents; thus

qualifying her for the island’s finals. In an

event as tough as the Spelling Bee, Ella

always ruled; she was the “Queen Bee”.

In the island’s final luck was not to be on

Ella’s side. After completing several

rounds, she came in eleventh place; but

everyone in school knows that she belongs

in first place.

Coaching a student as dedicated as Ella is a

special experience. Ella was always on

time and willing to practice without stop-

ping. She took care of her responsibilities

with a smile, as everyone should. Her

future teachers are in for a treat because

Ella embodies the best example of what an

excellent student should be, hardworking

and ready to face any given challenge. I

am already starting to miss her in the class-

room.

We are very proud of our Ella for repre-

senting CPS at the island’s finals with such

a great style. May she serve as a motivator

to all those students who have an interest

in spelling to participate. And…just

remember, there are no losers, just top

spellers. How can anyone possibly con-

ceive a student who knows almost every

word in the English language as a loser?

We should be proud of our top spellers. Go

Comets!

The Lower Elementary experi-encing with YOGA By: Ginny Owens

We have all heard of yoga but do we know

exactly what it is and what it does for us?

Yoga is a personal practice that helps to

stimulate the mind and body to a happy

and healthy lifestyle. Yoga means union,

the connection between the physical body

and the mind.

Giovanna Mier y Terran, yoga consultant

and mother of first grader Sara Mier, is

a very positive person whose enthusiasm

for living is contagious! She is vibrant

and enjoys sharing her love for life with

all! Giovanna approached us at the begin-

ning of the year about working with our

First Grade class on some yoga. She pre-

sented some spectacular lessons, gaining

the attention and motivation of the stu-

dents. The noticeable effects that

Giovanna’s sessions had on the students,

calming them and providing them with

positive self-esteem were very evident.

Observing the fun and benefit of the class-

es, Ms. Elsie Calimano decided to open it

up to all students in her division.

Fortunately, as of today, she has visited all

lower school classrooms and has had the

opportunity to work with the students at

the various levels. The children love the

classes and anxiously wait for her return to

teach them more of the discipline of yoga.

Giovanna has also extended her lessons to

the afterschool program where she has a

good size enrollment of children. Our stu-

dents have begun the process of

developing the yoga techniques that will

provide lifelong benefits.

We thank Giovanna for her time and

enthusiasm in exposing us to this tech-

nique! Also, Giovanna invites you to visit

her blog where she shares with you a bit

about her personal life, yoga and different

topics to help us all live a better quality

life!

http://enpositivocongio.blogspot.com/

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CALENDAR

MARCH

22 PKS “Noche de Galería” at PKS - 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Junior Class Ring Ceremony

23 Abolition Day - NO CLASSES

24 PKS First Communion at San Juan Evangelista Church - 9:00 a.m.

CHS Oratoria Competition

26-30 Semana de la Lengua at PKS

28-29 CTPA Testing - CHS

30-31 Futsal Tournament at CHS

APRIL

3 Lower Elementary Field Day

4 Upper Elementary Field Day - 11:30 a.m. dismissal

5-15 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASSES

9-13 Disney Trip - grades 5th and 6th

16 De Diego’s Day - NO CLASSES

17 CLASSES RESUME

20 Senior Alumni Orientation

20-22 Spring Musical at CHS

26 Senior Farewell Concert

27 PA Scholarship Wine & Cheese

28 Forensics Competition

MAY 3 Student’s Day - 11:30 dismissal

4 Teacher’s Day - NO CLASSES

8 Senior Farewell

8-11 Review Days 5th and 6th grade - Regular schedule

11-14 CHS Review Days

11 Dance 5th and 6th grade - 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

14 End of marking period

15-17-18 5th - 11th grade Final Exams - 11:30 a.m. dismissal

PPK-4th grade - regular schedule

17 End-of-year activities - PPK - Kinder

18 End-of-year activities - 1st and 2nd grade

Parties for 3rd and 4th grades - 11:30 a.m. dismissal

21-22 Parent/teacher Conferences - PPK - Kinder and Horizons

24 CHS Awards Ceremony

25 PKS Awards Ceremony at CHS - 9:00 a.m.

CHS Sports Banquet - p.m.

28 Memorial Day - NO CLASSES

30 6th grade Bridge Crossing at Caparra Country Club - 9:00 a.m.

31 8th and 12 grade Graduations

JUNE

6 Senior Prom

4-29 Summer School at CHS grades 7-12 ONLY

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M A R C H 2 0 1 2P A G E S E V E N T E E N

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GET TO KNOW US at CPSTERE DURAN

CHS College and Guidance CounselorTere has a BA in Political Science and Spanish Literature from Cornell University and has a

MBA in Accounting from University of Bridgeport. She worked for the Internal Revenue

Service as a corporate auditor and criminal investigation agent. Tere also worked for Arthur

Anderson and Durán & Durán Textiles Agents. Tere was a math teacher at CPS for six years

and now College Counselor for the past five years. She also taught accounting for seven

years at Interamerican University at the Trimester Master Degree Program. Just a few of her

extracurricular activities include: Student Council Advisor, Varsity Club Advisor, Anonymous

Blessings. She is the Girl’s Outdoor Soccer Coach and the JV and Varsity Girl’s Indoor

Soccer Coach. Her special talents/hobbies includes; to sew purses, bake cupcakes, run as

many 5KS and 10KS as possible and she recently ran the Divas Half Marathon (13.1 miles).

Her favorite of all time is being Stephen’s mom, a 6th grader at PKS.

LIZBETH SALGADOCHS Registrar

Lizbeth has been working at CPS since 1999. She has a BA in Business Administration from

University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She previously worked as payroll manager

for Signal Caribe for five years and as an Administrative Assistant at Bank Trust. Her

extracurricular activities include: giving moral support to the CHS Athletic Department and

students who visit her office daily as well as being a baseball and tennis mom. As a mother

of three teenagers, all involved in sports, she travels around the island at the different sports

events. She loves to read, cook, and go to the beach with her family.

JOSE CRUZCHS Art Teacher

José has worked at CPS as our art teacher for twenty-three years. He has a BFA from

Escuela de Artes Plásticas de San Juan, and a MFA from Pratt Institute in New York City.

He worked as an advertising artist and operates an arts and crafts gallery in Old San

Juan. But his passion is teaching, which he has been enjoying for the past twenty-five

years. He is the advisor of the Ceramics and Printmaking Art Clubs. A few of José’s tal-

ents and interests are: reading, listening to a variety of world music, and paper máché

mask making. He enjoys working in his studio as a fine artist and states that, he is “per-

petually teaching myself the guitar.” José has two children who have attended CPS;

Franciscoalejandro, class of 2005 and Nykaulys Cruz, class of 2007.

MAYRA MUÑOZCHS PE Teacher

Mayra joined CPS last January. She has a BA in Education with a minor in High School

Physical Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus. She is a member

of the US Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). She worked at Palmas del Mar as a

Tennis Pro Assistant and was the Director of the Tennis Center at Albergue Olímpico de

Puerto Rico. She teaches tennis at Fort Buchanan to children from 6 to 16 years old and

also gives private class to children and adults. She participated in “Caminata Da Vida

con Raymond Arrieta” for cancer patients. Mayra’s hobbies include playing tennis and

table tennis and practices kickboxing, boxing, self defense and she also goes to the gym.

We welcome her to the CPS family.

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GET TO KNOW US at CPS

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JUDITH RIVERAPKS Upper Elementary Director

Judy has a BA in Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education with a

concentration in English; both degrees are from the University of Puerto Rico, Río

Piedras Campus. She was a teacher for 18 years in a variety of places such as Head

Start in inner city Detroit as the Head Teacher, several public schools in Puerto Rico and

5th-8th grade at St. Benedict School in New Jersey. She taught 5th grade at Parkville

from January 1984-Dec 1986 when her family moved to New Jersey. Upon returning

5 1/2 years later, she taught 4th grade at Parkville for five years. Judy became the

Middle and Upper Elementary School Director in June 1997. In 2002, the Middle

School moved to CHS Campus and since then she has been the Upper Elementary

Director. She has been a Catechism teacher for several years and also worked with the

Spelling Bee, this year being the pronouncer for the Regional Bee. Judy enjoys reading

stories that are related to history or topics being taught in class; other times they are sto-

ries that teach values or relevant to holidays. Judy has four children that have attended

CPS; Jorge, Lawrence, Kevin, and Laura who is an 8th grader at Commonwealth

Campus.

YAHAIRA FIGUEROAPKS Spanish Teacher

Yahaira has a Bachelors degree in Special Education for the Deaf and from Universidad

Interamericana and a Masters degree in Early Education from University of Phoenix.

She taught the deaf at Colegio San Gabriel for Deaf Children in Puerto Nuevo and the

Centro Pre-Escolar for deaf at UPR. She is a leader at the Church of God “MB” and

works with the youth group and the missionary group. She enjoys reading and being

around good friends.

REBECCA FERNANDEZPKS Fourth Grade Teacher

Rebecca began employment at CPS at the Parkville Campus in 1990 teaching first grade.

Following a leave of absence, she accepted a new position at grade 4. Rebecca has a

BA in English from the University of Puerto Rico and many credits toward a Masters

degree from University of Connecticut. Previous to CPS, she taught at Colegio San José

in Caguas and in public schools in Connecticut. She enjoys reading, sewing, embroidery

and collects coins and stamps. Her daughters graduated from CPS; Rebecca Schmidt

class of 1992, Rachel, class of 1996, and Margaret class of 2002.

MONA KENDERISHPKS Spanish Teacher

Mona graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a BA in Elementary Education

and Artes Plásticas y Educación Artística del Niño from Instituto Femenino in

Guatemala. She taught 1st through 12th grade at American International School in

Guatemala and Colegio La Piedad in Isla Verde. She was the director of Play House

Day Care in San Juan. She said that as an educator she has been nurtured by her stu-

dents. She enjoys arts and crafts, reading, working in her orchards, cooking and doing

voluntary work. Her grandson, Paolo Cintrón is in 8th grade.

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Commonwealth-Parkville School Gratefully Acknowledges Our Corporate Sponsors:

Commonwealth-Parkville School is an equal opportunity employer. It is operated on a non-sectarian basis without discrimination based on race, color,religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, or political belief.

NON PROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

SAN JUAN PR

PERMIT NO. 747

COMMONWEALTH-PARKVILLE SCHOOOLOperated by Caribbean Consolidated Schools, Inc.

PO BOX 70177

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00936-8177

SPRING BREAK

April 5 - April 13, 2012April 16 - De Diego’s Day - NO SCHOOL

Classes Resume on Tuesday, April 17, 2012