BOISE- In 2011, community leaders and area homeless shelters estimated the number of Treasure Valley families going without adequate food this winter would nearly double. Bishop Kelly students did their part to help feed those families by contributing more than 44,000 items to the school’s holiday food drive, making it BK’s most successful food drive ever.

The Holiday Food Drive at Bishop Kelly High School is a tradition that spans decades. BK faculty, staff, students and parents have given generously each year. Still, when the goal was increased to 30,000 items in 2011, some thought it would be challenging to meet. Especially during this time when many of our own families are being affected by the downturn in the economy.

Senior Class President Jimmy Harrison worried that the donations would fall short. But as the food started to roll in, his optimism increased. “It was amazing to see how much people were giving. Not just one or two items that were gathering dust in their pantries either. People were digging deep and adding items to their grocery list so that other families could have healthy food this winter.”

In the end the students surpassed their goal by more than 14,000 items. “We didn’t just reach our goal,” said Student Body President Marty Martinez. “We left it in the dust.”

Bishop Kelly students in the Campus Ministry program organized and ran the food drive. Their commitment included finding a location that was large enough to store all the donated items, collecting and counting donations, keeping the Bishop Kelly community informed of their progress, educating students about hunger issues in our community and distributing the collected items.

This year stacks and stacks of donated food overtook the Bishop Kelly greenhouse. Volunteers then collected the food for St. Vincent DePaul food banks at the local parishes where it was distributed to families in need. Donated diapers were distributed to the City Light Women’s and Children’s Shelter.

“It’s easy to get focused on material things during the holidays,” reflects Junior, Lindsy McGrew. “But participating in a service project this big helped us all to see that what’s truly important is giving. It’s a great feeling knowing that we made a difference in our community. “

BK begins their food drive each year in November, before the Thanksgiving holiday. To make a contribution contact the school at 375-6010.

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Initiative Inspires a New Generation of Inventors

Boise, Id, October 19, 2011 — Bishop Kelly High School was recently awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant in the amount of $9,110 to create the MagWrite, a tremor damping device for writing. Bishop Kelly is one of 16 teams nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam this year.

InvenTeams are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. Entering its ninth year, this initiative of the Lemelson-MIT Program aims to inspire a new generation of inventors.

“The InvenTeams program represents the future,” said Leigh Estabrooks, invention education officer from the Lemelson-MIT Program. “We place an emphasis on STEM-focused projects to develop interest in these fields among youth. With InvenTeams, our primary goal is to foster high school students’ passion for invention and innovation, in turn inspiring them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering or math.”

Dr, Guy Hudson of Bishop Kelly initiated the InvenTeam application process last spring and attended training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in June to help prepare the final proposal. A prestigious panel of judges composed of educators, researchers, staff and alumni from MIT as well as representatives from the industry and former Lemelson-MIT Award winners assembled this fall and selected Bishop Kelly as one of this year’s InvenTeam grants.

The MagWrite is designed to lessen the effects of various tremors in the hand and forearm. When writing and drawing, eddy currents (proportional in magnitude to the speed of the tremors) are induced in the conductive writing surface by the motion of permanent magnets mounted in a handheld writing interface and effectively dampen many tremors. The team envisions the MagWrite as a tabletop unit that could be used at home, at school, or as a stand-alone workstation where many clients could share one device (such as in an assisted-living facility).

The Bishop Kelly InvenTeam will also work with Dr. Larry Neznanski, former Bishop Kelly physics teacher and retired U.S.A.F., who will guide the students through the development of their invention. The Bishop Kelly InvenTeam will also work with Dr. Larry Neznanski, former Bishop Kelly physics teacher and retired U.S.A.F., who will guide the students through the development of their invention. The team would also like to recognize several others who have helped get the team to this point and/or have agreed to be mentors this year: Mr. Peter Thimm, patent attorney, Dr. Lauren Seeberger, M.D., Medical Director of The Movement Disorders Center at the Elk Rehab Hospital in Boise, and Mr. Gary Carlson, a retired HP engineer and adjunct faculty member at Boise State University.

According to Dr. Hudson, “We’ve been working with students for several years on assistive technology for persons with disabilities in our Engineering Design class..These efforts have meshed well with Bishop Kelly’s mission to help our students use their gifts and talents to serve our community. We are honored to have been recognized by the Lemelson Foundation and MIT for our previous successes in this area and are grateful for this grant which will enable us to further refine our ideas over the coming year.”

Over the next nine months, the Bishop Kelly InvenTeam will continue to develop the MagWrite. In June the students will showcase a prototype of their invention at EurekaFest at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. EurekaFest, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program, is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

Celebrating innovation, inspiring youth

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding innovators and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.

Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering. The Foundation sparks, sustains and celebrates innovation and the inventive spirit. It supports projects in the U.S. and developing countries that nurture innovators and unleash invention to advance economic, social and environmentally sustainable development. To date The Lemelson Foundation has donated or committed more than U.S. $150 million in support of its mission. http://web.mit.edu/invent/

BOISE – Mayor Dave Bieter appointed six Bishop Kelly students to serve as student representatives on the City’s various boards, commissions, and committees. Student appointees were:

• Jack Cilek, Airport Commission
• Monica Daggett, Housing Authority Board
• Katie Keller, Design Review Committee
• Bailey Russell and Ben Skinner, Mayor’s Council on Children and Youth
• McKenna Dunn, Boise Art Museum Board

Bishop Kelly will be well represented by these students.  We congratulate them on this honor!

Boise – Peter Jaszkowiak wants to be remembered. The Freshman at Bishop Kelly High School isn’t famous just yet, but his artwork may soon be. His creative redesign of the Google Homepage logo was selected as one of 40 regional finalists from a pool of more than 107,000 applicants in the “Doodle 4 Google” contest.

“Doodle 4 Google” invited K-12 students try their hand at creating a Doodle – the official name for the clever redesigns of the Google homepage logo – around the theme, “What I would like to do someday.” Jaszkowiak’s submission turned the iconic logo into tools from an inventor’s workbench.

“Who hasn’t heard the name Thomas Edison or Ben Franklin? “ Jaszkowiak asked in his submission description. “Ever since I first heard those names, I have always wanted to be one of them. “

On Wednesday, May 4th, Google is sending a team to Bishop Kelly to surprise Jaszkowiak with the news that he’s a finalist. An all school assembly is planned from 2:00 to 3:00 PM in the Carley Athletic Center on the BK Campus. The assembly is timed to coincide with the day that public voting on the 40 finalists’ Doodles begins.

Jaszkowiak and his family, along with the other finalists, will be heading to New York later this month for the selection of the overall winner. The student whose artwork is chosen will receive a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 technology grant for their school. The winning Doodle will be featured on the Google homepage on May 20, 2011.

Each of the Regional Finalists will receive a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it, and will be featured in a special exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

For the third year in a row BK placed at nationals.  This year BK was awarded second place and a $1000 prize for The Best Engineering Design.  In addition, the team received the Most Innovative Use of Technology award sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Previously, BK was awarded 2^nd in 2009 and 1^st in 2010 at the same competition.

BK’s device, The MagWrite, was designed to help persons with tremors to be able to write freehand by using magnetic damping to help minimize the effect of tremors.  While the engineering design team was overseen by the coaches, the invention and engineering process was driven by the students.  The team members were Miguel Alvarez, Lauren Arkoosh, Joseph Cardona, Joseph Neumeyer, Sean O’Toole, George Pollock, SeIn Pyo, Patrick Shutz, Charles Steenkolk, Taylor Takasugi, Patrick Tavelli, Matthew Vaughan and Jason Wickham.   The team was coached by Dr. Guy Hudson and Dr. Larry Neznanski.  The team would also like to express their gratitude to the Micron.

Daily Mass – All are welcome to join us for daily mass in the BK chapel, Tuesday – Thursday mornings @ 7:25 a.m.; Friday mornings at 8:25 a.m. Communion services will be offered by Deacon Rick Bonney in the event that our Chaplin, Fr. Rob Cook, is unavailable.

Dress Code Reminder – We are re-visiting the dress code for the 2011-12 school year. For the remainder of this year, the current dress code is in effect. That means that students should not wear jeans, and leggings and jeggings are to be worn under knee-length skirts. Pants should be “dress slacks, business casual, khaki style, or cargo pants.” The enforcement of the dress code takes all parents, students, and staff members working together. Thanks for your help.

Hallissey Tournament – You played in the Hallissey tournament, now help support it. The Hallissey basketball tournament will be held February 18 – 20. We are looking for volunteers to keep book and run the clock during the tournament, primarily on Friday evening and Saturday morning or afternoon. Students can earn service hours and cheer on the teams at the same time. There is a sign-up sheet outside of Mrs. Siron’s office, or you can send an e-mail to Mike Urquidi at murquidi@cableone.net on when you can work.

Read The Full Newsletter » BK-Alive-Newsletter-02142011.pdf

PSSS Test – Parents of 9th and 10th Grade Students—Reminder that the PSSS is this Saturday, February 12, 2011. Students registered for this exam in December 2010—it is too late to register now. Students should arrive at Bishop Kelly High School at 8:15 a.m., and the test will begin at 8:30 a.m. Students should enter through the front doors of the school; the room assignments will be posted outside of the Main Office.

Students should bring a few #2 pencils. Calculators are optional for this exam. Calculators with QWERTY keypads, with paper tape, that make noise or ―talk,‖ or that require an electrical outlet are prohibited. Students will be finished with the exam at approximately 11:15 a.m. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Quilici at Bishop Kelly High School – squilici@bk.org or 375-6010.

Read The Full Newsletter » BK-Alive-Newsletter-02072011.pdf

As our state discusses changing the current education system, it is worth looking at a system that is working today in educating and developing students prepared for college and a lifetime quest to achieve excellence in learning, service and life. That system is our Catholic schools.

It is worth considering what our Catholic schools are doing here in the Treasure Valley, especially as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week 2011 nationwide. The theme of ―Catholic Schools: A+ for America‖ celebrates the fact that Catholic schools are significant contributors to our American society with our high academic standards and expectations, high graduation rates and high percentage of graduates going on to and completing college — all supported by strong moral values.

In the Treasure Valley we have over 1,750 Catholic school students in five elementary schools and Bishop Kelly High School. They come from broad demographics representative of our Treasure

Valley. Over 25 percent receive some form of need-based tuition assistance and over 20 percent are from other non-Catholic faith traditions. What is unique, however, is what these students are accomplishing and are prepared for.

Our mission in Catholic schools is to ―educate and develop the whole student in the Catholic tradition — spirit, mind and body.‖ In the spirit, we focus on developing a relationship with Jesus Christ which manifests itself through service and a personal commitment to social justice; a knowledge of the teachings of the Catholic Church, as well as the compassion and dedication to live out those teachings; an ability to evaluate moral choices and issues based on a well-formed conscience; an awareness of world religions and a demonstration of an appropriate respect for the beliefs of others; a deep sense of spirituality and a desire for spiritual growth, prayer, and personal reflection; and an ability to form strong, respectful and meaningful relationships based on Christian values.

In the mind part of our mission, through small class sizes and personalized attention, excellent teachers, high expectations and blended learning, we focus on developing a capacity for creativity, critical thinking, questioning and reflective problem-solving; an ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information from different sources; an exceptional academic foundation in a broad range of subjects; an ability to effectively communicate in both written and oral forms; a firm grasp of technology and its role in maximizing learning; and an appreciation for the power of positive self-expression through the arts and literature.

Finally, in the body portion of our mission, we help develop a recognition that one’s body is a gift from God; an acceptance of the responsibility to treat one’s own body with modesty and respect; an ability to establish physical, social and emotional boundaries and respect for the boundaries of others; a lifetime commitment to healthful nutrition and physical activity; a dedication to physical balance, harmony and self-control; and an acknowledgement of discipline, perseverance and courage as keys to success.

The results of this focus is over 98 percent of our high school graduates going on to college; over $12 million in merit-based scholarship awards to last year’s Bishop Kelly graduates; average MAP/ACT/Plan and Explore test scores in the top 10 percent of the country and state; thousands of service hours and projects in our community; numerous state and national championships in athletics, Engineering Design, Science Olympiad, Economics and Debate. Most importantly, we believe Catholic schools are preparing these students to be leaders in our communities, businesses and professions. Maybe it is time to consider the Catholic school alternative.

Rich Raimondi is president of Bishop Kelly High School.

Bishop Kelly has two student teams competing this year.  Both qualified for the semi-finals, and Bishop Kelly Tem Omega recently learned that they would be traveling to Washington DC to compete in the finals.

Each team created a video to showcase their invention and its practical uses.  Take a minute to watch.  You will be impressed by their professional process and results, and moved by the impact these high school students are making on the lives of others.

TEAM ALPHA:

TEAM OMEGA:

These teams are chaired by Bishop Kelly faculty member Dr. Guy Hudson. We wish them the best as they prepare for the National Competition.