MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Harbor Islands Adventure!!!!

SEAD Goes to Spectacle Island!

When: Saturday, May 23rd

The Plan: Meet at Airport Station at 9am. We will take a Ferry from Long Wharf at 9:30 and arrive on the island at 10. Then it's time for exploring, a picnic, games, and optional swimming!! We will depart the island at 2:30 and be back at Airport Station by 3:15 pm.

What I'm Bringing: Food!

What you should bring/wear: Bathing suit and towel if you want to swim, hat & sunglasses, sneakers, and any fun things you want like a soccer ball, cards, etc!

**Let me know ASAP if you are coming so I can purchase ferry tickets in advance.**

COME!!! You'll be glad you did! :)

** MFA and Fenway Schools Rescheduled **

Our trip to the Fenway Schools and the MFA, originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 6th, has been rescheduled to the following Wednesday, May 13th. 

More info to come!

PRACTICE TESTS!

When: Saturday, May 2nd

Start time: 12:15pm (don’t be late!)

End time: Testing will take a little over 3 and half hours. We should be done around 4 pm. Optional dinner at Dough after!

Where: East Boston Public Library (365 Bremen Street)

What I expect:

If you come, I expect you to stay for the entire test (whichever test you are taking). I expect you to treat this practice test like a real test. I expect you to take me seriously and follow the rules of the test. I expect you to respect the break schedule. I expect you to try your best!

What you should expect:

You should expect a test environment that is as similar as possible to the real SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests. There will be no cell phones. You will be sitting in the same room for 3.5 hours, in the same seat, with a few short breaks out of the whole testing time (I will provide water and snacks). You should expect to get a real feel for what taking the SAT/ACT for real will be like. It is good to practice managing stress and time in these conditions so that you are better prepared for the real thing!

YOU NEED TO BRING A CALCULATOR!

If you do not have/cannot find or borrow a calculator, please let me know by the end of the day on Thursday!

A Not-So-Springy April Break

Hi everyone, and welcome back to school! I hope all the SEAD students and families enjoyed some relaxation and time together this past week, despite the chilly and rainy weather.

Tuesday was Alex's birthday!!!!! To celebrate, Denise, Alex, and I went to a concert at the Boston House of Blues. We stopped at Sal's Pizza on the way for pizza and a birthday Whoopie Pie for Alex. Yum!

Posing with the Whoopie Pie

Then we headed to the concert! Six local New England high-school bands performed original songs from a lot of different genres. We had a great time and were especially impressed by a band called Conundrum Nine, featuring a very talented and VERY long-haired group of teenagers.

Our view at the House of Blues 

 On Thursday, Alex and I went to Framingham State University. I'm so happy that Alex was able to come, and she was a good sport through the many hours of subway, commuter rail, and bus to get there and back! We went on a campus tour and also got to have a one-on-one conversation with an admissions officer afterwards. Alex learned about some great study abroad opportunities and cool programs in Fashion Design, Communication Arts, and English.

The Library

Classic New England Campus!    Alex filling out an information card

And now it's back to the grind as we begin the Fourth Marking Period this week. Shout-out to

Juan Pablo, who has been working very hard and improving a lot in his AP Chemistry class. The SEAD family is proud of you, JP!

Stay tuned for the following events:

THIS SATURDAY: PRACTICE TEST (see the post above for details)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 - After-school trip to the Fenway Schools and the MFA

FRIDAY, MAY 8 - FAMILY DINNER!

SATURDAY, MAY 23 - Harbor Islands Trip and Picnic!!

Have a great week!!

~Anna

Week 2: Keeping Busy Before Break!

Hi everyone!

It was good to get back into the rhythm of school after all that standardized testing, and also a crazy week of finishing up the marking period. I am proud of the work that the SEAD students accomplished during this last week before April Break. Shout-out to ALEX for staying after to study Environmental Science with me twice this week! She is working on improving her scores on daily quizzes that she will have in that class until the upcoming AP exam. Good work, Alex (and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!).

So Studious :)

My second shout-out is to… KE'ANDRE! Ke'Andre has a very long morning commute, and coming to school on time has been a challenge for him. We met to talk about this one day and agreed to meet at his first block English class. The next day, there he was - right on time!! Keep it up, Ke'Andre!

On Friday, Ronaldo, Jakara, Miguel, and several other students attended a field trip to Fitchburg State University chaperoned by myself and See, my officemate from Talent Search. Many thanks to See for organizing the trip! We enjoyed an information session with an admissions representative, a campus tour, and yummy sandwiches on the long bus ride home. I was pleased to see the SEAD students standing at the front of their tour groups and paying close attention. Here are some pictures of Fitchburg:

Info Session

Ronaldo filling out a card for  more information

Newly renovated library!

Campus tour

The Green - center of Fitchburg campus

Have a wonderful and relaxing break, everyone! Remember that I am just a text or call away if you would like to talk, and I am available to meet on week days this week as well.

**Thursday: FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY. Please confirm if you are coming!! **

See you on Monday,

~Anna

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY!

***This trip will be held during the April Break. Please plan on coming if you are home!! 

LET ME KNOW whether you will be attending so I can purchase Commuter Rail tickets.***

 TRIP DETAILS: Thursday, April 23rd 

9:15 am - Meet at Airport Station. We will take the Silver Line to South Station, the commuter rail to Framingham, and a bus to the campus Welcome Center. I'll bring some snacks!

11:45 am - Meet the Assistant Director of Admissions at the Welcome Center

12:00 pm - Information Session and Q&A

12:30 pm - Tour of campus with Student Admissions Representative

1:30 pm - Quick lunch and depart FSU

4-4:30 pm - Estimated return to Airport Station

ABOUT FSU:

• Located in Framingham, Mass. (20 miles West of Boston)

• 4,584 undergraduates

• Majors of Interest to SEAD Students: Studio Art, Management, Business & Information Technology, Communication Arts, Criminology, Education, Fashion Design and Retailing, Mathematics, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology

• Admissions Stats: 
• 50-60% Accepted
• SAT Mid-Range Scores: approx. 470-560 (Reading, Math, and Writing)
• Average high school GPA of accepted students: 3.16

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

The Family Dinner is Coming Soon!

SEAD Family Dinner: Spring 2015

When: Friday, May 8th at 5:30 pm

Where: East Boston High School 

               Library Conference Room

What: Come eat a delicious catered dinner, 

get to know the SEAD Leadership Team, 

the spring intern (that's me!), 

and other SEAD families, 

and learn about what's coming up next in SEAD!

RSVP: Anna Driscoll

Phone: (315) 530-7408

Email: anna.c.driscoll.16@dartmouth.edu

*Please let me know how many people in your family 

will be attending.

*Also, let me know about any dietary restrictions.

Hope to see you there!!!

Week 1: Pizza, College Fair, Prom, and More!

What a week! I've really enjoyed getting to know the SEAD students better and sitting in on classes. It was a crazy week, with all EBHS juniors taking the PARCC tests over three days, but we still packed in some great events and some good schoolwork, too.

On Wednesday, we had a pizza lunch in the library so that everyone could be together as a group - and I was so happy that all eight students came!! 

Nick's Place - excellent pizza

Passing it around

After everyone had eaten, the pizza party unexpectedly turned into a study party. Way to be studious, SEAD!

Speaking of studious, a big shout-out to Jakara for her hard work in Math class this week. Jakara and I worked together for a long time on some homework assignments, and we also met with her teacher to find out how she could improve in the class. Jakara's goal this spring is to stay after school more, and she really accomplished that this week. Keep it up, Jakara!

On Friday, many of us attended a National College Fair at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. I traveled there with Miguel, Juan Pablo, and Alex, and met Ronaldo and Denise there.

Shenanigans on the bus

The college fair was HUGE! Schools from all over the country (and abroad!) had set up booths, and the SEAD students got some good information and plenty of brochures. Shout-out to Ronaldo for advocating for himself and asking the representatives some difficult and really important questions. I'm proud of you, Ronaldo.

This is just a tiny fraction of the fair's size!

 After all that talking and brochure-collecting, Alex, Ronaldo and I stopped at the delicious Flour Bakery for lunch and yummy pastries. It was really nice spending time with you both!

Mmmmmm, sticky buns and macaroons...

And finally, on Friday night Miguel, Juan Pablo, and Pam attended their Junior Prom at the Hyatt Harborside!!! I came along to help the photographer - and, more importantly, to document the event for everyone in the SEAD family since they were all dying for pictures. It was a beautiful evening with good food, a perfect view of the Boston skyline, and LOTS of dancing.

Pretty table and pretty view

Looking good, guys!

Gorgeous Pam - I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't even recognize her at first!!

That's all for now! Stay tuned for the following events:

Friday, April 17th - College visit to either Fitchburg or Salem State (during school hours)

Thursday, April 23rd -Tentative visit to Framingham State for students who are available

Saturday, May 2nd - PRACTICE TESTS! Pick SAT, ACT, or SAT IIs
--> Unless you are already signed up for a practice test at school that day! You know who you are.

Friday, May 8th - Family Dinner!!!! Please let me know who in your family will be attending!

May 6th & May 23rd -  Fun events - more details to come :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! 

~Anna

I'm here!

Hello everyone,

My first full week has begun, and I'm really enjoying meeting students and staff here at EBHS and exploring the wonderful neighborhood of Eastie!

The spectacular Eastie view

 We've got a couple great events coming up this week. On WEDNESDAY, I will be hosting a pizza lunch in the library conference room to get to know everyone better! I will be there during both first and third lunches.

On FRIDAY, I will be taking students to a National College Fair at the Boston Convention Center. This is a great chance to meet representatives from all kinds of schools across the US, not just local ones. I highly encourage students to attend! There will be an option to have lunch with me after the fair.

And on Friday evening, I will be joining students at their Junior Prom as a chaperone! I can't wait to see everybody all dressed up.

This week's shout-out goes to... DENISE! Denise came in just to chat with me this afternoon, and we ended up having a fantastic discussion about college. We looked at her College Greenlight account and several college websites to keep working on her list of schools. We talked about how Denise could pursue her love of art and photography while also studying other subjects at a liberal arts college or university, rather than attending an arts school. Denise also found some cool ways that she can get involved with art museums and photo galleries in Boston next year. Way to take the initiative, Denise!

That's all for now! Lots of pictures and updates to come. Have a great week :)
~Anna

Hello from your SEAD Spring Intern!

Hi SEAD scholars and families!

My name is Anna Driscoll, and I will be the SEAD Intern at East Boston High School for the spring. I am starting my internship this Thursday, April 2^nd, and I am very excited to meet you! I hope that this spring I will be able to support the SEAD scholars as they finish junior year strong, and I will continue Maggie and Mrynna’s work in discussing the path to college with SEAD students and families.

I am a junior at Dartmouth – the same year as the SEAD scholars! – and I am majoring in both Geography and Linguistics. I come from the small city of Syracuse, New York, where I grew up with my parents and my twin brother John. When I’m not studying, I love to dance, listen to music, and sing in the Dartmouth College Gospel Choir. I also like cooking and baking, and I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. A couple weeks ago, I returned from a Dartmouth study abroad program in New Zealand. It was a beautiful place and a wonderful learning experience, but it’s nice to be back after going so far away.

Please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions, or if you would just like to chat. Also, check out this blog for weekly updates and plenty of photos! I am so looking forward to getting to know you all over these next two months.

See you soon!

~Anna

IMPORTANT: Our Spring Family Dinner is coming up soon! It will be held at the High School on Friday, May 8th at 5:30 pm. Stay tuned for more information!