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- HHEF Program in Action—Re-enforcing Leadership Skills with Strategy Consultant Angela Smart
- Young@Heart Sings Its Way Into Our Hearts
- Young@Heart Visits KV
- Advocacy In Action – Profiling Pat McGlinchy, HHEF Board Programming Chair
- HHEF Coming Soon—
Battle of the Bands
- Using a SMART Board to Watch Bunnies Grow!
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
-- Aristotle |
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Special thanks to Jim Knopf, Barry Meyers and Dave Weber for their contributions to this issue of HHEF
e-News. |
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If you would like to receive this newsletter each month, please click here. We invite you to visit our Web site often for photos and stories about our ongoing programs in the Hatboro-Horsham School District. |
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Young@Heart Sings Its Way Into Our Hearts
For those who attended the Young@Heart concert event on December 6th you know it was an afternoon and evening to remember, and one HHEF is most proud to have brought to the community and students. If you were unable to join us, we want to tell you about this extraordinary event, one described by many as the “best ever”.
Young@Heart, a vocal group composed of senior citizens between the ages of 70 and 90, is known around the world for its unique take on classic songs from the rock ‘n’ roll genre. The group gained fame through the release of the documentary film “Young@Heart” in 2006 and its members continue to amaze audiences with their verve and absolutely infectious joy for living. One of Young@Heart’s t-shirts on sale that night put it best as “Putting the Zen in Senior Citizen!”
Before Young@Heart took the stage, the nearly full house of all ages was treated to the voices of the Hatboro-Horsham Choir and Madrigal Choir under the
direction of William Naydan. Its performance showcased a work commissioned for the choir through an HHEF Innovative Learning Grant. In addition to the choir members who performed, we are extremely proud of the 30 students from Key Club and National Honor Society who helped out throughout the day and at the event. |
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Young@Heart Visits KV
The Day after their concert, Young@Heart chorus members spent the day with students at Keith Valley Middle School. In the morning, they visited social studies classes and talked to students about their experiences growing up. Since it was Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7, chorus members – including some war veterans - specifically talked about their memories of WWII. The students asked them questions like, "Were your schools integrated?,” “Did you have a TV?,” “What kind of chores did you have to do?,” “Were you allowed to date?,” “Were you in the military?,” “Did you go to war? " Some of the questions prompted interesting discussions. The time flew by and the kids continued to discuss the seniors' answers even after they had gone.
“The students who talked to the Young at Heart seniors seemed genuinely delighted to have the opportunity,” said Cindy Reese, Keith Valley teacher and coordinator of the classroom visits. “It was very heartwarming to see the young and the "young at heart" interacting, smiling, and sharing. The atmosphere it created was truly multigenerational - and everyone walked away with a smile.”
After the classroom visits, the seniors attended the Keith Valley Winter Concert dress rehearsal. KV Chorus Director Mindy Rubinlicht said the presence of the Young@Heart chorus really inspired the students. “It was the best rehearsal we had and it led to our best concert ever,” she said. The Young@Heart chorus members and their director were very impressed with the students as well and the visit led to a unique shared experience of creating music together on the spot. The students had learned "Lion Sleeps Tonight” last year and Ms. Rubinlicht anticipated that the seniors probably also knew the song. As she played it on the piano, the students and senior spontaneously started singing, creating memorable music together.
A group of choral students joined the seniors for lunch in the school library. Kim Rubenstein, HHEF Board Vice President, was there to witness the magic. “Imagine four members of Young@Heart sitting at a table in the KV library having lunch with three 7th/8th grade students. The four seniors are laughing so hard they practically have tears coming down their cheeks and the middle school students are giggling their heads off. I have no idea what the laughter was about, but that pretty much summed up what we saw happening throughout their visit at KV.”
After the visit, the Young@Heart members expressed their delight at the students’ respectfulness and intelligence, and said they were impressed by the talent of the KV Chorus. For their part, the students were engaged and responsive to the seniors and genuinely interested in their conversations, according to their teachers.
“This one was definitely one for the HHEF history books!” said Rubenstein. |
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HHEF Program in Action—
Re-enforcing Leadership Skills with Strategy Consultant Angela Smart
(Article written by William Locke-Brubaker, HHEF Student Intern- Fall 2010)
HHEF sponsored the visit of Sean Covey, of Franklin Covey, known for its organization and leadership tools and books including "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Sean Covey is the author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens” and spoke to the Hatboro-Horsham 9th graders in October about implementing his seven habits into their daily lives. This program was designed to be part of the Communication Strategies course, which revolves around Sean Covey’s book, and is a required course for all freshmen. As a follow-up to Sean Covey's visit, HHEF sponsored a series of seminars conducted in October and November for 9th grade students by Angela Smart, a Coach, Strategist, Learning Facilitator and President of Deciding to Decide. The seminars were coordinated by Susan Fox, Hatboro-Horsham Career Education and Work Curriculum Coordinator. Ms. Smart engaged freshman students in a series of motivating lectures and interactive talks that focused on the first three habits in the book: Be proactive; Begin with the end in mind; and Put first things first. Students participated in various activities including a time management exercise with a partner, creating a list of ways to be proactive with schoolwork, and an active discussion about the value of planning ahead. After the seminars, Ms. Smart commented, “The 7 habits helps students develop a road map for future goals and real world preparation for academic and career development. The first 3 habits as I presented them focused on strengthening basic skills, critical thought processes and following through on commitments. This results in clarity in education and career goals for the students”. Ms. Fox added, “What was presented to the kids nicely complemented Sean Covey’s visit. Ms. Smart brought a lot of energy to the presentation, and she brought new perspectives into lessons that the kids thought they already knew. For all these reasons, it was good to follow up Sean Covey’s visit with hers.” Overall, the visits by Sean Covey, and follow-up with Angela Smart left the high school staff and students with a richer experience, and optimism for the growth and future of both the seven habits program, and the Communication Strategies course at the high school. |
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 Music fans of all ages will enjoy the band performances at the high school. Last year was fun and exciting for all, and this year promises to be even bigger and better!
If you would like to help with the planning of Battle of the Bands, and/or at the event itself, please send us an e-mail at hhef@hatboro-horsham.org, or call 215-420-5261. Details will be finalized soon and information will be sent to all parents and students, and will be on our website, www.hhef.org. |
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| Using a SMART Board to Watch Bunnies Grow!
A SMART Board and Elmo were provided through an HHEF Innovative Learning Grant earlier this year to Simmons 2nd grade teachers, Megan Grimes and Theresa Beadling. An Elmo is a revolutionary document camera, and I SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard. These new technology-based tools were used recently in their classes to create a stimulating learning environment to deliver science and math lessons.
The science lesson was one in a continuing series studying rabbits in the classroom that were born on November 5. The class is following their growth through the lessons. Ms. Grimes and Ms. Beadling had taken pictures of the bunnies prior to class and displayed them on the SMART Board. The pictures displayed each bunny placed on an analog scale and lying on a ruler. The class read the weight and length of each bunny. Using these measurements they were able to determine how much each bunny had gained in weight and increased in length since the previous week and this information was written on the SMART board.
Ms. Grimes then took each bunny out of its cage and placed it under the Elmo so its image could be projected onto the SMART Board. Although the class tried to look at the bunnies directly, Ms. Grimes directed them to the SMART Board. When she asked the class why they should look at the SMART Board they responded that it was “easier to see”. She then showed them the bunny’s eyes (enlarged through Elmo) so they could see how much more was visible than during the previous week.. Elmo and the SMART Board proved to be very valuable in delivering this type of material. Although older technologies could have produced the same results it could not have done so in as efficient, effective and timely manner.
The teachers also utilized the SMART Boards in math class to help provide a conceptual introduction to division. The use of the SMART Boards provided a conveniently manipulated and visible model used to provide a whole-group example prior to independent exploration of the concept. After modeling this activity twice with the whole group on the SMART Board, the children easily transitioned to making their own problems at their desks. The SMART Boards provided an excellent demonstration medium for a process that otherwise would have been difficult to show to an entire group at once. In addition, they enable a record to be made of group work that can be referenced at a later time to help student connections. Students were visibly engaged in the activities. Student interactions with the SMART Boards during the lessons were frequent and their familiarity with using the boards was highly evident. In addition to supporting conceptual understanding of math topics, these students are also clearly gaining a degree of fluency with use of the SMART Board.
Thanks to Ms. Grimes and Ms. Beadling for authoring the grant and for using the technology so effectively and creatively. |
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Advocacy In Action –
Profiling Pat McGlinchy, HHEF Board Programming Chair
Pat McGlinchy is known fors bringing people together and coordinating a multitude of tasks to bring success to the projects she undertakes. Most recently, her dedication delivered one of HHEF’s finest events: a performance by, Young@Heart and a dessert tasting that followed.
Pat McGlinchy has been an HHEF board member since 2007, and the Programming Committee chair since 2008. A self-professed multi-tasker, Pat is humble in nature and full of energy. She exudes enthusiasm and brings the needed tenacity to all that she does for HHEF.
As HHEF Programming Committee chair, Pat is always pondering new ideas. After seeing the Young@Heart documentary film at the Ambler Theater, she knew we had to bring the group to Hatboro-Horsham. She relates that she saw the film with her daughter, and when both reacted with enthusiasm, she knew Young@Heart would be a winner. “I just had a good feeling about it,” she said. “HHEF allowed me to bring an idea from birth through to fruition,” she said, “which was very rewarding.”
Not only was Pat instrumental in planning the Young@Heart performance, but she led the charge for a uniquely new dessert tasting event afterward for the audience and cast members that brought smiles to many a sweets lover. As she put it, “I can do dessert!”
Pat already is looking for inspiration for HHEF’s 2010-2011 schedule, along with members of the Programming Committee, which includes several HHEF board members as well as adjunct members from the community and representatives from the district’s elementary, middle and high schools. The diversity of input ensures each program is unique and complements the curriculum.
Pat and her husband Charlie McGlinchy, who is a carpenter and who built their home In Horsham, have two daughters: Alex, 18, a senior at Hatboro-Horsham High School, and Audrey, 20, a junior at Wesleyan University, now studying abroad in Ireland. Working with the foundation has become a family affair; daughter Alex can be found helping in the auditorium before, during and after most HHEF events.
Pat finds time for HHEF while working as a Partner Business Manager for HP serving as a liaison between HP and entrepreneurial clients who use their products. She has been with the firm for 26 years after receiving an MBA from Villanova University. |
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