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June 2009
Vol 6 No 6
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Teachers.Net Gazette Vol.6 No.6 June 2009

Cover Story by Graysen Walles
Teaching – The Power of Influence
The impact of teaching is clear, and the influence of the profession is immeasurable. All it takes is one moment, one situation, one discussion to turn the life of a young learner.


Harry & Rosemary Wong: Effective Teaching
Nine Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2009
On April 26, 2009, President Obama hosted the four 2009 finalists for America’s top national teaching honor, the National Teacher of the Year award. Alex Kajitani, who teaches mathematics at Mission Middle School in the Escondido Union (Elementary) School District in San Diego County was one of the four finalists.


Columns
»The Three R’s for Summer— Rest, Relax and Recharge! Sue Gruber
»Buddy Programs for Elementary Schools Leah Davies
»Moving to September Todd R. Nelson
»Ronald Reagan and the Art of Influence Marvin Marshall
»The Busy Educator's Monthly Five Marjan Glavac
»Substitute issues: Bathroom Passes & Anger Management Barbara Pressman
»Preparing Students for Travel: Films and Immunizations Josette Bonafino
»A Message to Share with Parents about Summer Learning Dorothy Rich
»Classroom Clean-Up and Clay in a Can Rick Morris

Articles
»Schools and Filters: Ice Age, the Meltdown Matt Levinson
»Effort: It Can be Taught! Deborah Granger
»Homework: Damned if you do, and if you don’t Alan Haskvitz
»Parents Are Recruits, Teachers Are Responsible, Kids Are Victims, and Schools Are Culpable For At-Risk Problems Bill Page
»12 Ways to Stop Conflict in its Tracks! Susan Fitzell
»Using Photographs To Inspire Writing VIII Hank Kellner
»The Writing on the Wall Tim Newlin
»More Brain Teasers Steve Sherman
»Teacher of Facts - and of Life Rachelle Ann A. Abad
»Grant Writing Tips Kimberly McCloud
»Bald is Beautiful! Teachers, Students Lose Locks to Fight Childhood Cancer David Peter Marchesseault

Features
»Apple Seeds: Inspiring Quotes Barb Stutesman
»Today Is... Daily Commemoration Ron Victoria
»The Lighter Side of Teaching
»Video Bytes; Literacy Empowers (Illiteracy Awareness), The Underground Railroad, Wikis in Plain English - CommonCraft tutorial, Twitter in Plain English – a CommonCraft tutorial, Naturally 7 music group on Tavis Smiley Show, Tour the International Space Station!
»Teacher Blogs Showcase
»Printable - Ice Cream in a Baggie Recipe
»Featured Lessons, Wisdom from the Chat Achives, and Timely Printables Especially for June!
»What Is A Document Camera? What Does It Do?
»Newsdesk: Events & Opportunities for Teachers


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Cover Story by Graysen Walles

Effective Teaching by Harry & Rosemary Wong

Contributors this month: Graysen Walles, Sue Gruber, Leah Davies, Todd R. Nelson, Marvin Marshall, Marjan Glavac, Barbara Pressman, Josette Bonafino, Dorothy Rich, Rick Morris, Matt Levinson, Deborah Granger, Alan Haskvitz, Bill Page, Susan Fitzell, Hank Kellner, Tim Newlin, Steve Sherman, Rachelle Ann A. Abad, Kimberly McCloud, David Peter Marchesseault, Barb Stutesman, Ron Victoria, and BattleShip Ron.

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David Peter Marchesseault

Archive | Biography | Resources | Discussion

Bald is Beautiful!
Teachers, Students Lose Locks
to Fight Childhood Cancer

Teachers, students, community lock onto a cutting edge fundraiser producing $15,000 for a children’s charity, proving there’s no end to the lengths to which educators will go to help a worthy cause.
by David Peter Marchesseault
New contributor to the Gazette
June 1, 2009

This report appeared originally in the North Haven (CT) Citizen, March 19, 2009

On one day in March, staff and students at the North Haven Middle School in Connecticut raised more than $15,000 in support of children’s cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Hundreds of parents, students, and friends gathered in the gymnasium to cheer for over 70 volunteers called “shavees” who had their heads shaved for a good cause. Organizers, Anthony Giamattei, one of the school’s Guidance Counselors, and Susan Wilson, a teacher of Social Studies at the school, were also subjected to the shears. Another handsome lad to lose his wavy black locks on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, Richard DiPalma, an Italian language teacher at the Middle School, also recognized throughout the area for his outstanding singing talent.

Among the numerous students who represented the high school, middle school, and elementary schools, Chelsea Wilson, a junior at North Branford High School, felt that the cause was too important not to get involved, and promised the long pony tail that she held in her hands to an organization known as “Locks of Love.”

St. Baldrick’s, which is a play on words between “St. Patrick” and “bald,” provided over $15 million for childhood cancer research in 2008. The St. Baldrick’s effort has coordinated hundreds of head shaving events since its inception on March 17, 2000, though the non-profit foundation was actually not established until 2004. The founders are committed to making the public aware that childhood cancer is the #1 killer of children in the U.S., with 160,000 new cases diagnosed each year throughout the world. They seek not only to save lives, but to improve the quality of life for each child who suffers in this way.

The idea behind the program came to be in 2000 when three reinsurance executives in New York City decided to change their annual St. Patrick’s Day party into a means of support for children suffering from cancer. With a goal of $1000 each for 17 men gathered at Jim Brady’s Pub, 20 people raised over $100,000. Last year saw 560 head shavings in the country (19 in CT) totaling over $17 million in cancer fighting dollars.

Mr. Giamattei said that he and his co-organizer expected a much smaller event when they first talked about trying the idea at the school. However, after a couple months of preparation, the evening grew to an impressive size, including jazz presentations by students and adults, a Middle School dance exposition, face painting, clowns, raffles, sales of food and merchandise, donations of head gear from the Kerchief Foundation, high flying entertainment by the North Haven High School cheerleaders, a bagpipe interlude in memory of young lives lost, blaring popular music during the waves of head shaving done by professional barbers and hairdressers, and a nationally known author and motivational speaker, Dr. Bernie Siegel.

The dynamic speaker, Dr. Siegel opened his interesting talk by encouraging everyone to let the kid inside come out more often. He urged the large crowd of children and adults to learn to love themselves. He shared several touching stories from children who had to deal with a scary time in their lives that called for critical care. His closing comments included a homework assignment. Each person was to pause four times the next day and simply laugh out loud.

For additional information: St. Baldrick's Foundation.


Social Studies teacher Susan Wilson, an organizer of the event,
in the process of losing her locks


Bestselling author and motivational speaker,
Dr. Bernie Siegel and Susan Wilson


Rich DiPalma, foreign language teacher,
was the emcee for the first-ever St. Baldrick's event in North Haven.


Anthony Giamettei, middle school guidance counselor and an organizer of the event,
was one of more than 70 people who parted with their hair.



» More Gazette articles...




About David Peter Marchesseault...

David Peter Marchesseault is a retired superintendent of schools from northeastern Connecticut. David writes a weekly newsletter for his Rotary Club, is a freelance reporter for a local weekly newspaper, the North Haven Citizen, and spends as much time as possible with his wife, Marie, a retired Speech & Language Pathologist, and his two children and three small grandchildren. He now lives in North Haven, Connecticut.

David likes to use his middle initial in memory of his brother, Peter, who passed away 20 years ago. Both began their careers in the same school as English teachers to grade 7 & 8 adolescents in the late 1960's; the brothers later became administrators in that district prior to Peter’s unexpected death, which sadly left two toddlers without a dad.


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