January-February 2006

Volume 3, Issue 3cityscape

the newsletter for City High School & Tucson Small School Project

City High School participated in the Tucson-Pima Family Arts Festival forthe third year in a row on January 16. This year students took the lead andmade the school’s table interactive and fun. Children of all ages took part inthe chalk-making activity throughout the day, creating colorful, thick chalkideal for sidewalk art. In connection with two City Works classes, City Highteachers and students also sponsored a presentation on alternative fuels anda rope-making activity using native grasses.

On the other end of the Arts Festival, City High mural art instructor, LeiaMaahs, led a crew of volunteers and passersby as they used chalk to create abeautiful sidewalk mural. The Tucson I Madonnari Collective coordinated thechalkart project. Read more about Maahs’ work in an online interview:http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/currents/Content?oid=oid:68231.

~ Carrie Brennan, Principal

City High Takes Part in Popular Arts Fest

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City High School strives tobe a community of learnersin which all members usetheir minds well. Weengage with challengingacademics and the uniqueresources of our city andregion to become activecitizens and responsiblestewards of our world.

Tucson Small SchoolProject (TSSP) is dedicatedto supporting City HighSchool and to promotingprofessional developmentand community dialoguethat foster smaller andmore equitable learningcommunities for all studentsin southern Arizona. TSSP isa nonprofit corporationwith 501c3 status.

TSSP Board of Directors

John Dougherty

Suzanne Dhruv

Mary Jo Ghory

Nancy Linnon

Ann Modica

Yvonne Montoya

Leslie Cho Newman

Ted Ranney

Student Mercy Peyron leads the chalk-making activities at the CityHigh School table (left). Mural Art Teacher, Leia Maahs, works onthe enormous chalk art design in the courtyard of La Placita (right).

Enrollment Underway for 2006-2007Enrollment for next school year

is underway! City High School will beentering 45 new ninth graders thisfall and approximately 15 newDivision II students (grades 10 and11). As in the past, we will be holdingbi-monthly informational sessions forinterested families. Join us 2/8, 2/21,3/7 or 3/30 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. tolearn more about the educationalprogram and to tour the school.

We will also be hosting 2 visitingdays for prospective students.Entering 9th graders are welcome to

visit on either February 9 or March14 from 8:00-11:30 a.m.. The sameinvitation goes out to entering 10th or11th graders on February 16 andMarch 14. Guests will meet with theprincipal, shadow a student tomorning classes, and enjoylunchtime with peers. ThoseInterested in visiting should callOffice Coordinator Lynn Schneukerat 623-7223 to reserve a spot.

~ Eve Rifkin, Academic Director

CityScape

A special schedule the week of January 2 providedtime for students and staff to participate in a variety ofactivities, including semester roundtables, a diversityworkshop, mid-year tutorials, a school picnic, andservice learning. The priorities for Intersession Weekwere reflection, goal-setting, and community-building.

As part of City High School’s emphasis onperformance-based assessment, students wererequired to participate in a student-led conference, or“semester roundtable.” The roundtables challengedstudents to publicly discuss their learning from firstsemester, to reflect on their progress with the school’shabits of heart and mind, and to set goals for springsemester. Roundtable participants generally includedthe student’s advisor, parents or guardians, an invitedschool staff member or two, and a peer.

A highlight of the week for some was the spenttime working outdoors on a plot of land known as the“Farmacy Garden.” Once a thriving community garden,the 7-acre area has recently fallen into disrepair.During Intersession Week, City High School studentsof all grades contributed to the initial cleaning up of thegarden as a community service activity with theiradvisory groups. Ninth graders are continuing thegarden upkeep in their City Works class onWednesday afternoons this semester, planting shadetrees, and planning, digging, and seeding new plots.

~Elliott Lax, City Works Lead Teacher

On Tuesday, March 7, over 40 City High School ninth graders will travel to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico for a four-day field experience at the Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, better known by its Spanish languageacronym, CEDO. The students will be accompanied by a number of adults from the City High School community,including teachers and staff, board members, and parent volunteers. The trip will focus on marine biology and theunique ecosystem of the Sea of Cortez, one of the few places on earth where the desert runs right to the sea.Planned activities include a cultural exchange with a local school, a tidepool study, and visits with local scientists andfishermen to examine the ecology of the Sea of Cortez. At CEDO, students will cook, clean and sleep under the stars.

In order to keep the costs of the trip manageable, teachers, students, and parent volunteers are holdingfundraisers and seeking donations from area businesses. Monies raised will also support a scholarship fund for ninthgraders who cannot afford the $125 trip fee. Over $5000 was raised for the CEDO field trip through 2005 tax creditdonations. The next fundraiser for the trip will be a rummage sale on Saturday, February 18.

CEDO is a field research station and education center with a mission to advance and share knowledge aboutthe Upper Gulf of California and surrounding Sonoran Desert, and to promote conservation and sustainable use of itsnatural and cultural resources. Jointly operated by Mexican and U.S. non-profit foundations, CEDO implements andpromotes research, science education, and conservation programs. To learn more about CEDO, visithttp://www.cedointercultural.org. To learn more about the City High School trip to Mexico, to give to the scholarshipfund, or to donate items for the upcoming rummage sale, contact Jeff Hartman at jeffh@cityhighschool.org.

~ Jeff Hartman, Division I Math/Science Teacher

Division I Students Head to Mexico in March

Page 2 of 4

Intersession Is a Productive Time

As part of their unit on World War II in humanitiesclasses, Division II students are working with seniorcitizens to learn more about 1940s and theexperiences of war firsthand. The educational nonprofitVoices, Inc: Community Stories Past and Present ispartnering with City High School on the project,teaching students how to conduct interviews, takeportraits, and edit historical photographs.

During Intersession Week in early January, Voicesand City High staff organized a “mixer” to piquestudents’ interest in the upcoming World War II OralHistory Project. Five youth who participated in Voicesprograms in the past talked with City High studentsabout the power of sharing stories and offered tips ondoing oral history. The students also engaged inactivities to learn more about life during World War II,including eating cookies baked under war-time rationsand watching war films.

To learn more about Voices’ WWII Oral HistoryProgram, visit www.voicesinc.org.

~ Rachel Villarreal, Voices’ Project Supervisor

WWII Oral History Project to Start

Rachelle Barr paints a welcome sign duringthe community service day at the gardens,Intersession Week, January 2006.

CityScapePage 3 of 4

SAVE THE DATE! City HighLights SAVE THE DATE!Saturday, April 29, 2006 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

City High School’s 2nd Annual Spring Fundraiser will highlight student work and include livemusic, food, a silent auction, and great raffle prizes. Look for invitations in the mail.

• CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS • REQUEST FOR DONATIONS •Volunteers are needed to help organize the event. We’re seeking donated items from local

artists and businesses for the raffle and silent auction. To get involved, please call 623-7223.

Forty-eight students made it onto the Principal’s List foracademic achievement 1st semester. Three of them alsoreceived the ACADEMIC SUPERSTAR AWARDin honor of their outstanding achievement and straight Areport cards. Pictured from left to right with PrincipalCarrie Brennan are Academic Superstars Andres Cano,9th grade; Margo Wallace and Daniel Schaller, 10th grade.

City High School participated in the annualMARTIN LUTHER KING DAY MARCHfrom the U of A to Reid Park on January 17.The City High contingent included parents,teachers, students – and dogs! Thanks toSpanish Teacher Mike Wilson forcoordinating the effort and starting a newtradition. We’re looking forward to havingmore people (and pets) walk behind theCity High banner next year.

RECENT EVENTS @ CITY HIGH SCHOOL ...

City High School students traveled to Green Fields DaySchool to participate in a cross-school celebration ofdiversity in connection with the MLK Holiday in January.Teachers and students from both schools gathered aroundthe flagpole to begin the day (right). Teacher CharlesSchnarr (pictured in bottom right corner) led interactivedrama activities with students Rachelle Barr, Tristan Blue,Beryl Kelley, and Serena Rios as part of the day’s activities.

48 E. Pennington St.Tucson, AZ 85701

PHONE:520.623.7223

FAX:520.547.0680

WEBSITE:www.cityhighschool.org

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NonprofitOrganizationUS Postage

PAIDTucson, AZ

Permit No. 541