PHA Family K-12 Newsletter

June 2017: Our 21st year is in the books, thank you for another incredible year at PHA!

K-12 News

Bienvenidos Prospect Hill Academy: Celebrating a decade of Cultural and Language Immersion,

Service Learning, and Friendship

Juniors in the Collegiate Institute visited Guatemala for our annual Spanish immersion and service

learning trip. Our students travel to Antigua, Guatemala, where they live with local host families. Each

day, they enjoy four hours of individual Spanish instruction before travelling south to a school in the

small town of San Pedro, that PHA has collaborated with for the past ten years. Students spend four

hours a day teaching English to Guatemalan students. Throughout the year, PHA students raise

money to help the school restore their facilities and provide basic necessities for its students. This year

our PHA students used the funds to renovate the snack shack, fix the roof of a third-grade classroom,

and paint the inside of the building and the basketball court. Our students learned a lot from their

travels, and you can read about their experiences on their blog. Click here to check out the blog

that our students created while on their journey!

On the left, PHA students Thais and Brenda are pictured with students they taught. In the middle is

PHA junior, Ana Luiza, teaching English to Guatemalan students. On the right students and teachers

pause for a selfie.

Hats off to the Class of 2017

On Sunday, June 11th, Prospect Hill Academy celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2017 during

commencement ceremonies held at MIT's Kresge Auditorium. We are incredibly proud of the achievements of

our graduates and look forward to hearing about their future successes in college and beyond. The colleges

and universities where our graduates will matriculate in the fall include:

Bates College

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology

Bentley University

Boston College

Bowdoin College

Brandeis University

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater State University

Bryn Mawr College

College of the Holy Cross (3)*

Denison University (2)

Fitchburg State University

Hampshire College

Harvard University

Ithaca College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (3)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MCPHS - Massachusetts College of

Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Mills College

Northeastern University (2)

Providence College (2)

Regis College

Rhode Island School of Design

Rochester Institute of Technology

Saint Anselm College

Salem State University (4)

Salve Regina University

Suffolk University (2)

The George Washington University

Trinity College

Tufts University

UMass Dartmouth (5)

UMass Amherst

UMass Boston (2)

UMass Lowell (3)

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Westfield State University

*A number in parentheses indicates multiple students will be attending that school.

Click here to view the 2017 Commencement Photo Album.

K-6 News:

Second Grade visits the State House

In May, the entire second grade visited the Massachusetts State House in Boston. After many weeks

of learning about Boston and the State House, students were thrilled to take a tour of this historic site.

Students had the opportunity to sit in the chambers where legislation is passed, and even listen in on

a session. Students were excited to meet Principal Alach’s son, Sasha, who is a legislative aide at the

state house. Afterwards everyone enjoyed a picnic lunch on the common, a lovely and insightful day

was had by all!

Biking program

Terri Deletesky, Integrated Arts teacher, and Marcello Gooden, PE teacher, have worked together to

start a biking program at the Early Childhood Campus. Students started a biking unit in early May

until the end of the school year. At the beginning, most students couldn’t ride a bike without training

wheels, and some had never been on a bike before. By the end of the unit, over 30 students who

weren’t able to ride a bike learned to do so. The teachers were excited to see so many

Kindergarteners riding on their own and were thrilled that PHA students have a new way to stay

active and healthy! If you have any old helmets or bikes (even if they need a tune up!) that you

would like to donate, please contact Marcello Gooden.

7-12 News

The Climate Can Change. Can We?

Students created thought provoking artwork in an environmental advocacy poster contest created

by Ms. Shao and Ms. Blake. The contest was open to students in grades 7-12 and gave them the

opportunity to illustrate their ideas on climate change. Guided by the question above, they took an

introspective look at possibilities for the future of our planet. Starting in June 2017, PHA student artwork

that was part of the “The Climate Can Change, Can We?” project is on display at Workbar and

Improv Boston; they are scheduled to be on display at the Central Square Library branch from August

1st – September 1st.

“Peace Garden” Unveiled at the Upper School

Early this June, PHA's 10th grade art class unveiled their spectacular "Peace Garden" mural in

the Learning Commons of the Upper School's 54 Essex Street building. The Peace Garden is the result

of a five-month collaboration between Upper School art teacher Doug Anderson's Level 3 art class

and visiting ceramic artist (and former PHA parent) Julie Peck. Inspired by renowned mosaic

artist Isaiah Zagar's "Magic Gardens" in Philadelphia, the Peace Garden is a ceramic tile mural that

brings together a range of ceramic techniques including carving, "graffito," sculpted relief, and

mosaic, in the form of a stylized depiction of a garden. If you look closely, you can see the word

"peace" is stamped in multiple languages across the entire mural. The project was made possible

thanks to a generous STARS Residency grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Come by 54

Essex to see the exquisite artwork in person!

Creative Digital Media Class

Students in Ms. Farmery’s Creative Digital Media class went to the Edgerton Center for Education

Outreach at MIT for a class in Digital Photography. Along with Ms. Mayers, students created the

images below while learning about digital photography techniques. Check out the fun!

Community Happenings: Click the underlined links to learn more!

• 50 Free Things to do with Kids in Boston this Summer!

• 50 local outings and adventures for the family under $50!

• Meals Program: Starting July 5, 2017, enjoy FREE breakfast and lunch prepared by Somerville's

award-winning Food and Nutrition Services Department, available all summer for any youth

under the age of 19. Look for the Food and Nutrition truck to get your nutritious free meal!

Click here to learn more and to view the information in Haitian Creole, Spanish, and

Portuguese.

• Summer Sundays at Harvard Semitic Museum, Cambridge, Free, July 2, 2017-August 27, 2017.

Every Sunday this summer drop in for free, fun “make and take” family activities. Create

Egyptian accessories, play ancient board games, inscribe clay tablets to explore arts from the

lands of the Ancient Near East.

• Lowell Summer Music Series - Kids' Shows, Lowell, Free, July 5, 2017-August 10, 2017. Enjoy free

performances for kids at Lowell's Boarding House Park, with free snacks, crafts & trolley rides at

every show. In case of rain, shows move across the street to LHS auditorium.

• Bookworm Wednesdays: Showcase Cinemas, Massachusetts, Free. July 5, 2017-July 26, 2017.

Bookworm Wednesdays is a fun and rewarding summer reading program developed to

encourage young children to read during the summer months. Kids get free admission to

select kids' films when they present a book report!

• Brookline Summer Concert Series at Emerson Park, Brookline, Free, July 5, 2017 -August 9, 2017

Brookline Summer Concert Series takes place at the Daniel Ford Playground at Emerson Park

from 6pm-8pm on Wednesdays. Bring a picnic basket, lawn chair, and sit back and enjoy a

variety of music including pop, folk, oldies, bluegrass, country, and rock.

• Tito Puente Latin Music Series 2017, Boston, Free. July 6, 2017-August 10, 2017. The Tito Puente

Latin Music Series takes place in July and August at outdoor locations across Boston. The six-

concert series is an infectious soundscape of salsa, bolero, danzón, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, jazz,

funk, R&B, and more.

• Summer Concert Series on the Paul Revere Mall!, Boston, Free. July 6, 2017-July 27, 2017.

NEMPAC presents a free outdoor concert series in the North End, in partnership with the City of

Boston! This family friendly event will feature live music, dancing, and community fun.

• Passim Presents Berklee Concerts on Palmer Street, Boston, Free. July 6, 2017. Passim/Berklee

Summer Concert Series in Partnership with the Cambridge Arts Council where multiple artists

will perform on Palmer Street at Brattle Street, by the Harvard Coop.

• Live Music Thursdays, Somerville, Free, July 6, 2017. Live Music Thursdays: Assembly Row is

bringing back the summer music series. Running monthly from May-Sept. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

in the Baxter Park amphitheater.

• July Storytimes at The Curious George Store, Cambridge, Free. July 7, 2017 -July 28, 2017. Our

in-house storyteller is going to pick out her favorite read-alouds for today’s storytime. There will

be a mix of new favorites and old.

• Fresh Fridays at Boston Children's Museum, Boston, Free. July 7, 2017-July 28, 2017. The four,

free Friday outdoor evening events, are designed to encourage families to make healthy food

choices and dine together. The events include cooking demonstrations highlighting kid-

friendly recipes.

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

617-284-7800

www.phacs.org