BAY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CLASS FUNDRAISERS A HUGE SUCCESS

 August has been a busy month for the Bay High School Senior Class of 2009.  The senior class event committee, an elite group of senior volunteers, sponsored two fundraisers within the first two weeks of school.  In addition to focusing on their academics and extra-curricular activities, these students managed to plan and produce two of the committee’s annual fundraisers.  Committee members sold class t-shirts beginning at registration and continuing through the BHS Open House.  They also prepared and sold red beans and rice dinners to students, faculty, and community members during the BHS Open House on August 18, 2008.  These fundraisers brought in a collective $1787.63 for the senior class.  The money will go towards the senior class events for the 2008-2009 school year.

Music Department Receives Donation from Orff-Schuwerk Instructors

BHS had soprano recorders donated to the music program by Orff-Schuwerk instructors Cindy Hall of Park City, Utah and Jo Ella Hug of Missoula, Montana.  These students have already started improvising and composing using these instruments.  The American Orff-Schulwerk Association is an organization that promotes an approach to music education through singing, moving, playing instruments, and composing.

AB Calculus Class to Participate in Stock Market Game

During the fall semester Mr. Mike Gemelli’s AB Calculus class will be part of a nationwide study on the economics knowledge of high school students.  This study will involve 350 selected teachers across the U.S chosen by the Economic Council in each state.

This past July, Mr. Gemelli was contacted by Learning Point Associates, asking if he and one of his classes would participate in the study by playing the Stock Market Game.  Even though Mr. Gemelli’s classes have played the game for many years, this year it would be different—his class would be chosen as part of a national evaluation effort to gauge the economic awareness of high school students. These students would be given a pre-test to evaluate their knowledge of investing in the stock market and other important economic issues they would face as adults.  Then they would play the Stock Market Game for 10 weeks in the fall semester.  Afterwards, they would be administered a post-test to see the depth of knowledge they had gained as a result of making investments in the market.

The Stock Market Game is sponsored state-wide by the Mississippi Economic Council.  Each team gets a mythical $100,000 to buy and sell any stock or mutual fund traded on the open market.  A 2% buy and sell fee is attached to the purchase or selling price.  After 10 weeks, the team within the state that has made the most profit and has the biggest portfolio is declared the winner.

The Stock Market Game uses the most modern, computerized method of trading shares. Students in each team of 3-5 members receive a password which allows them to access their portfolio and buy or sell shares. They may even “short” a stock, or “borrow” another $100,000 from the game with an interest fee.  Each week every team in the state is ranked according to the value of their portfolio. Students go online to stockmarketgame.org to view their ranking.

“It is always a lot of fun in addition to being one of the most valuable educational experiences the students can receive in high school,” stated Mr. Gemelli.  “Students take their investing very seriously, and there is a healthy yet friendly competition to be the best team.  My students always come back after they graduate and tell me they appreciate the math I taught them, but they use the knowledge they gained playing the Stock Market Game the most. Then they proceed to tell me about the real stocks and mutual funds in which they are invested!”

“This fall’s game will be special because they will be tracking the economic knowledge our teams have learned. The kids in the Calculus class are excited and want to do their very best. It is a winning situation for everyone involved,” concluded Mr. Gemelli.

Team members include Leann Williams (captain of the ladies team), Courtney Monti, Loan Tran, and Vanessa Schwartzkopf (an exchange student from Germany).  The men’s team includes captain Ray Cayula, Stephen Gieseler, and Edward Elizondo.

BHS JROTC Color Guard at Katrina Ceremony

Tigers Participate in Sportsmanship Program

Bay High Steppers Dance Team Attend UDA Camp

            Members of the Bay High Steppers Dance Team attended Universal Dance Association’s summer camp on July 7 – July 10, 2008 held at the University of Southern Mississippi. The team learned routine’s from UDA instructors and were evaluated at the end of the week. The Steppers competed against other dance teams from around the state of Mississippi, taking home a Superior trophy and a Spirit Award. The team also placed 3^rd in Home Routine Evaluations and qualified for the UDA National Competition, held at Disney World, FL in early February.

New Faces at Bay High

Bay High School is excited to have eight new teachers and two new counselors for the 2008-2009 school year.  For three teachers, Priscilla Austin (dance), Jenni Schultz (English), and Star Couch (SPED), this is their first year in the classroom. All of the new teachers agree that Bay St. Louis is a special place to be a part of, and are excited to help shape the youth of the community.

Alana Rutledge is the new music teacher at Bay High and has already changed the dynamic of the class. She has the students performing music and movement and composing their own pieces. Rutledge has been using the Orff-Schulwerk method of teaching music for the first part of the school year. This method is where the students improvise and create original tonal constructions, which builds their confidence in their musical capabilities. The students have responded well, especially when given the donated soprano recorders. It was easy to spot one of Rutledge’s students in the hall, because they were showing off their new gift to the others.

Mildred White is also bringing her immense talent to share with the students at Bay High. White, a teacher who is from Louisiana, as well as a professional seamstress, has a bright and cheery disposition that will make family/consumer sciences an exciting class to be in.

Madeline Oliver will teach Earth science this year as well as taking on the role of one of the co-interact sponsors. Oliver has already had several fun experiments with the students and plans to continue throughout the year. Any time a student can complete a hands-on experiment, they understand the material better. To discuss suspension matter, Oliver had the students complete an experiment with cornstarch. They were able to discover that there was more to matter than just gas, liquid, and solids.

Dr. Brad Williams comes to Bay High this year offering a new alternative for foreign language: German. He teaches both German and French at Bay High and the students are all excited to be learning the languages. Dr. Williams will often only speak a foreign language to the students in the hallway and in the classroom. This contact with a foreign language enhances the students’ comprehension. While at a church function only a few weeks after school started, one of his students was caught saying, “I like Dr. Williams, he’s cool, and I’ve learned so much French already!”

Anna Robertson is another new science teacher at Bay High. She is happy to be a part of the Bay High community. Robertson plans on having the students perform experiments so that they can better understand the material. She has also had the students make posters of the scientific terms and how it relates to their lives. Robertson is an energetic teacher who keeps the students engaged throughout the lessons.

Priscilla Austin is the new dance teacher at Bay High. She worked with the Steppers all summer through practices and camps to prepare for the 2008 football season. Austin is excited to be working with such talented dancers and is looking forward to a year full of performances and competitions. 

Star Couch is the new SPED teacher and works with the MOD students. Couch is a former behavior modification specialist, who is no stranger to helping students out in the classroom. She is shifting gears slightly, but student achievement remains her top priority. Couch is willing to go the extra mile for any student, making sure that if help is needed, help is provided.

            Jenni Schultz is now teaching English III and one class of English IV at Bay High. She is also co-interact sponsor with Oliver and Seth Tadlock (Spanish). Schultz tries to inspire her students to write by allowing the students to express themselves openly in the classroom. She is planning on several projects and activities so that the students are not simply answering questions on what they are reading, but relating to it.

            Cindy Chandler and Toy Watts are the new guidance counselors at BHS. Both have worked diligently in the beginning of the school year to make sure that the students’ schedules were beneficial for their post-high school goals. They are now shifting gears, and making sure that Bay High students are offered more scholarships than in past years. They will be working hard to post scholarship options and make sure that the students are aware. A near future goal is that the scholarships will be posted on the BHS website so that students and parents can check for availability. Both women are available to the students, and are working hard to help students throughout the year. They are easy to talk to, offer good advice, and keep the attitude at Bay High positive.

Date of Last Revision: Wednesday November 12, 2008