For grant writing purposes, we really need to have 100% participation from our families and board members. Additionally, we are entering into the review year for our accreditation. The 100% campaign is something that is listed for review. We are currently at 66% parent participation. Please pledge or donate today, if you have not already done so. Though fundraising is our goal, any amount is acceptable. Contact Roni at roni@communityhigh.net to pledge or donate.

Thank you to those who have clicked through to Amazon through the CHS site — we raise “free money” just from orders to Amazon.com through our site. Please use that click-through when you do your online shopping!

WVTF SPONSORSHIPS

We have been given the opportunity to bundle gifts to WVTF from our families in bundles of two hundred dollars to receive free day spots on the radio program. If you are considering a gift to WVTF, please send it through CHS. We will put the gifts together in groups of $250 and keep the day spots for CHS. Thanks!

• http://www.indieinternational.com/winners.php
• http://www.indieinternational.com/profile.php?id=6364

Check out the YouTube Video below!

From Roni:
“Our students, as always, were instrumental in getting the Strawberry Festival started with style. Thanks to their hard work (some even arrived at 7:30 a.m.!), the berries were all cleaned by 1:30 and sliced by 2:30. The Festival was fun and, except for the rain on Saturday, successful. We will report on our proceeds from the BBQ booth in our next e-newsletter.”

RE-ENROLLMENT

Re-enrollment papers were sent last month. We are seeing an extremely significant increase in interest this year, so space for students may be limited. Please return your contracts and tuition deposits asap! In addition, if you plan to apply for financial assistance, please forward a copy of your 2011 tax return and a letter of need to Roni immediately. You must re-apply each year. Financial assistance requests are high this year so please get your paperwork in soon.

SERVICE DAYS

Students volunteered at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and at The Rescue Mission two weeks ago -

Roni reports: “The service day at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore was a resounding success. Our students worked hard all day and the Habitat staff was grateful and impressed with our students.”

Photos from that day can be found in an album on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.400134013343477.93799.131456946877853&type=3

UPCOMING DATES

• Spring theater production: May 18-19
• Conferences: May 30
• Senior Presentations and Graduation: May 31

Liminal: Alternative Artspace, the gallery at Community High School Arts & Academics.

May is a busy month at Liminal – come by for the following exhibits!

May 7-12: Work by Hollins University student Nancy VanNoppen

The paintings showcase VanNoppen’s experimental process of staining smooth surfaces like mirrors and claybord with layers of a mixed media solution of water, glue, acrylic and ink. The abstract works evoke a sense of ethereal presence through the atmospheric effects created by this process. 540-345-1688.

May 14-17: Community High School Student Photographers

Exhibit curated by Rowan Gryder and Jonah Woodstock. Accompanying photo by CHS student Peyton Stanley. CHS photography instructor: Simon Nolen.

May 21-25: Perceptions of Revolution: Art Inspired by the Arab Spring and Other Uprisings

An exhibit co-curated by Celine Anderson and Sahar Babi, students at Community High School of Arts & Academics. Reception and a student reading will take place Monday evening, May 21.

“In December 2010 Mohammed Bouazizi, a Tunisian vegetable peddler sets himself ablaze after his cart is confiscated by a policewoman who slapped him and spat in his face. So began the Arab Spring.” – The Telegraph

This event, according to the journalists working for the well-known Telegraph, is what kicked off the Arab Spring. When looking through newspapers, America sees countries rebelling and triumphing over their “oppressors.” However, for those in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and even places that are not part of the Arab Spring, such as Greece, the uprisings do not fall into this clean-cut description.

The “cause and effect” that the newspaper describes does not exist anywhere in history, because several different and sometimes unknown factors are what give people the drive to make the choices they do. In curating this show, several artists from several different countries have been chosen in order to demonstrate the different perceptions relating to the Arab Spring and other uprisings. We produced this exhibit to give spectators the opportunity to see some of the many different angles through which the uprisings in Greece and the Middle-East can be seen. The one solid conclusion that can be made from these political events is that there is nothing straightforward and concrete about what is going on in these parts of the world. When it comes to revolution, everyone holds a different reality; this show is exhibits four perceptions.

May 28-31: CHS Exhibit: Student Created and Curated

Student curators: Aria Mickenberg and Swade Best.

Photograph by Timothy Kaldas.

Paintings by Nancy VanNoppen.

Photo by Peyton Stanley.

Moving boxes in storage at Habitat's ReStore...

Thursday and Friday, April 26 and 27, Community High School students volunteered for spring service days – at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore on Thursday and at The Rescue Mission on Friday – helping with tasks ranging from sorting through donated items to stuffing envelopes to painting parking lot bumpers! Below are photos from Thursday at ReStore, which is the retail arm of Habitat. Students sorted household items – mostly bathroom fixtures – that had been donated by a Home Depot in Hagerstown, Md. The ReStore is a lesser-known volunteer opportunity with Habitat, known more for its work housebuilding. Sales at the ReStore help fund building projects, and the Roanoke ReStore is one of 825 in the U.S. and Canada.

The Rescue Mission is a Roanoke-based grassroots organization that helps people dealing with homelessness, addiction, abuse and poverty, providing family, single men’s, single women’s and respite shelters as well as medical, legal and clothing assistance and help with accessing social services.

For more photos, see Community High School’s Facebook page albums.

Fourth-floor volunteers moved and sorted boxes.

A short break...

Part of the retail section of Habitat for Humanity's Roanoke ReStore.

We have advance sale strawberry festival tickets for sale for $5.50 each. Strawberry Festival is May 4 and 5. CHS will participate by cutting berries on Thursday, May 3 and will host a BBQ booth fundraiser both days of the sale. We will need volunteers for the BBQ booth and the Festival in general could use hands. If anyone can volunteer, please contact Roni.

2. FIELD TRIP: WASHINGTON, D.C.

The D.C. field trip is THIS WEEK for the half of our student body who did not go to PA in the fall. An email with details will be coming out soon. Briefly, students should arrive at school NO LATER THAN 8:30 on Thursday, April 26 and will be returning to school on Sunday, April 29. They should bring money for lunch and spending money.  Breakfast, dinner, lodging and admission to advents will be covered by CHS.

3. SERVICE DAYS: THIS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

For those of us not going on the D.C. field trip: We will be at the Habitat Restore from 9-3 on Thursday, April 26 and at the Rescue Mission from 9-3 on Friday, April 27. Both are walking distance from the school. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothing that can get dirty. Plan to meet at 9:00 at the school to walk over; students can be picked up at the school after 3:30.

4. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALEX POTTER!

Alex Potter received a Cum Laude Award on the 2012 National Latin Exam, the first student at CHS to do so on the very difficult Latin III Prose exam.

5. THIS WEEK AT LIMINAL

Events on Wednesday and Saturday:

Join us 5:30 on WEDNESDAY evening for a reading at Liminal, followed by a reception! The reading is in conjunction with the exhibit Exchange 81, an exhibit of work by students at Hollins University, Roanoke College and Emory & Henry. Our writers will include faculty, staff and students from all three schools including CHS senior Charlotte Hooper, incoming freshman at Roanoke College.

The exhibit closes SATURDAY with a reception at 4:00.

6. UPCOMING DATES:

• Washington, D.C. field trip: April 26-29
• Strawberry picking: May 3
• Teacher’s workday: May 4
• Spring theater production: May 18-19
• Conferences: May 30
• Graduation: May 31

7. GIVING

ANNUAL FUND CAMPAIGN: For grant writing purposes, we really need to have 100% participation from our families and board members. Additionally, we are entering into the review year for our accreditation. The 100% campaign is something that is listed for review. Please pledge or donate today. Though fundraising is our goal, any amount is acceptable. Contact Roni atroni@communityhigh.net to pledge or donate.

Thank you to those who have clicked through to Amazon through the CHS site — we raise “free money” just from orders to Amazon.com through our site. Please use that click-through when you do your online shopping!

WVTF SPONSORSHIPS: We have been given the opportunity to bundle gifts to WVTF from our families in bundles of two hundred dollars to receive free day spots on the radio program. If you are considering a gift to WVTF, please send it through CHS. We will put the gifts together in groups of $250 and keep the day spots for CHS. Thanks!

Exchange 81 runs through April 28, 2012.

Exchange 81, an exhibit of 81 works of art by students at Hollins University, Roanoke College and Emory & Henry College, closes this weekend at Liminal: Alternative Artspace, after two events:

A reading at 5:30 WEDNESDAY evening, followed by a reception! Our writers will include faculty, staff and students from all three schools including CHS senior Charlotte Hooper, incoming freshman at Roanoke College.

A public reception and presentation of awards at 4:00 SATURDAY afternoon.

Please join us!

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

Parents and families, especially those of rising seniors, are invited to our annual college search roundtable, to be held during lunch hour on Thursday, April 19th. Admissions representatives from Virginia Tech, Guilford and Roanoke College will be here to provide perspective on picking schools, visiting, understanding what makes for a strong application, how to research colleges, and much more. Please bring your questions, and pack your lunch.

BAND: UPCOMING DATES

Come out and support CHS music! Upcoming gigs, from John:

The performance band will be playing at Down by Downtown Music Festival outside the Wells Fargo Tower from roughly 5-5:30 pm on Friday, April 20.

The performance band plays Strawberry Festival from 12:45-1:45pm on Saturday, May 5.

The band also plays June 1 at Kirk Avenue Music Hall, music from 5-5:30.

LIMINAL RECEPTION

Our April exhibit is Exchange 81 – works by students at Hollins University, Roanoke College and Emory & Henry. There will be an artists’ reception on April 28.

Facebook invite is here.

We will also be holding a reading in conjunction with the exhibit – it had been scheduled for April 18, but it may be moved to the date of the opening reception. We will post information as it’s finalized.

The reading is open to those associated with the three colleges exhibiting – faculty, staff, alumni, current students and incoming students. The theme is Roadways. If you meet the “criteria” for this one, contact Cara at caraemodisett@cox.net.

NEWS FROM THE TAUBMAN

An upcoming film event at the Taubman Museum of Art:

In May, the Taubman is partnering with the Shadowbox and RIDE Solutions to present a Bike Shorts Film Festival. This is an opportunity for area filmmakers and soon-to-be filmmakers to try their hand at creating a short film. The grand prize is $100 and we will screen all entries at the Taubman. All ages are welcome, and we’d love to see some new folks take up the challenge.

MISS LUCY – HELENA BROWN – IN RECITAL

Congratulations to Helena Brown, the lead of the CHS production of “Miss Lucy,” which premiered in the fall. She has just been accepted to the Manhattan School of Music for graduate work. She will be giving her senior recital at Hollins on April 29 at 3:00 – Facebook invite is here.

UPCOMING DATES:

Washington, D.C. field trip: April 26-29
Teacher’s workday: May 4
Spring theater production: May 18-19
Conferences: May 30
Graduation: May 31

GIVING

ANNUAL FUND CAMPAIGN: For grant writing purposes, we really need to have 100% participation from our families and board members. Additionally, we are entering into the review year for our accreditation. The 100% campaign is something that is listed for review. Please pledge or donate today. Though fundraising is our goal, any amount is acceptable. Contact Roni at roni@communityhigh.net to pledge or donate.

Thank you to those who have clicked through to Amazon through the CHS site – we raise “free money” just from orders to Amazon.com through our site. Please use that click-through when you do your online shopping!

WVTF SPONSORSHIPS: We have been given the opportunity to bundle gifts to WVTF from our families in bundles of two hundred dollars to receive free day spots on the radio program. If you are considering a gift to WVTF, please send it through CHS. We will put the gifts together in groups of $250 and keep the day spots for CHS. Thanks!

YOUTUBE

Don’t forget to check out the CHS YouTube channel for student films, student presentations, Liminal readings and more.

Our student readers will include Swade Best, Josh Caplan, Charlotte Hooper and Tichelle Lawrence, and Sahar Babi will be reading a dramatic monologue written by Dwayne Yancey (Roanoke Times and father of CHS alum Rain Yancey).

Other readers for the evening include: James Broschart, Maurice Ferguson, Kevin Kittredge, Molly O’Dell and David Wiseman. Gretchen has an unexpected schedule conflict so is unable to join us. The evening will end with an informal reception.

CHS Hike: Saturday, March 31
Safia and Steph are planning a hiking trip.

Safia writes: “We will be meeting at school 9:00 a.m., Saturday March 31, to go to Falls Ridge Nature Preserve. There are gorgeous travertine falls that are geologically unique in this region, caves, and rock climbing opportunities. There is also an easy to moderate two-mile hike that we will be going on. Bring lunch and plenty of water. Hopefully the weather’s nice because it is a really beautiful spot.”

CHS Band Performance: Friday, April 20
CHS band students will be performing in Down by Downtown at 5:00 (Facebook invite)

Come out and support these musicians!