By Elizabeth Gillingham

Admission process begins for incoming freshmen

Incoming freshmen forming the class of 2022 are beginning the articulation process to Patrick Henry High School (PHHS). Students attending Lewis or Pershing — no matter what neighborhood they live in — will automatically matriculate to Henry High School. 

Parents and students are invited to attend an information presentation called the Henry Showcase on Feb. 8 at Henry High School in the PHAME building at 6 p.m. This Middle School Articulation Night is designed to help parents understand the high school graduation process and the classes they will need to graduate from Henry. Various pathways and programs will also be shared. This is also a good time to meet Principal Listy Gillingham and Henry counselors. Students from any school (private or public) are welcome as we love sharing why Henry is an outstanding school to send your students!

On March 22, incoming eighth graders will be invited to Patriot Day, which includes tours by Henry Link Crew members and an ASB-led Welcome Rally featuring many performing groups and students sharing vital information about becoming a student at PHHS. Students who attend local public and private middle schools are welcome to join us and more information will be posted on our website.

New Student Enrollment will begin after spring break — the first week in April. Students from outside the districts or schools — attending charter, private, or from out of state — please call our main office to set up a registration appointment. The sooner students register the better for elective options and availability of special pathway classes. For parents and students who are unsure, please feel free to join us on the first Wednesday of every month at 10:45 a.m. in the main office for a student-led tour of PHHS.

AP Computer Science class rocks!

Mr. Roger Jaffe held an Othello tournament in his AP Computer Science class just before winter break. Othello (also know as Reversi) is a board game where players try to accumulate as many squares on the game board as possible. Students were provided a programming framework and were tasked with writing Java code that would determine the best next move given the current board configuration. They were encouraged to research and implement existing next-move algorithms or develop an algorithm of their own.

Students chose teams of two or three and worked on development, testing and debugging for three weeks until the big day. The double-elimination format insured that each team played at least two matches.

Hoots and hollers filled the room as game play proceeded over two days. Since Othello is a game where dramatic lead changes take place from turn to turn, there was no way to know who the winner was going to be until the game was over.

Congratulations to winners Garett Davis and Maya Rozensteyn and to runners-up Tyler Markowitz, Hailey Renard, and Sam Ziegler.

For more information about the PHHS Engineering Academy and the Computer Science Pathway, go to patrickhenryeda.org.

Children’s Christmas Party

On Dec. 9, 2017 the Lake Murray Kiwanis held their annual Children’s Christmas party at PHHS. Students in Cheer, ASB, and Key Club were on hand volunteering with the Kiwanis members to help serve breakfast to 170 underserved elementary children.

Children from around the community participated in face-painting activities and were entertained by Henry students while the children waited to visit Santa Claus and pick out a present. PHHS students also supervised the children as they met the captain of the school district police force, several of his officers along with their police cars and equipment, and the same thing with the firefighters from the local fire station and their fire engine.

Community volunteer Jay Wilson, who helped serve the breakfast, commented on the great job the students did and complimented them for representing PHHS very well. Cheer advisor Terri Clark was on hand and assisted with the program.

Amazon partners with high school basketball programs 

Special thanks to Amazon who is partnering with the PHHS basketball and athletics program by donating $1,000 and sponsoring the team with magnets to promote the men’s and women’s schedule for 2018. We are also partnering with the getwhatgetsyou.com program, which puts our school in the running to win an additional $10,000 for our program. Principal Listy Gillingham and Athletic Director Cody Clark were on hand to receive the check prior to varsity game. Thank you, Amazon!

Golf tournament a huge success

Thank you to all our great sponsors, donors, volunteers and attendees for making Monday, Nov. 6, 2017 a special Patriot Day! Through your support, we’re pleased to announce that our Alumni Golf Tournament netted $53,000 for special capital projects and other items unfunded by the school district. This means that in just six years, your Patrick Henry High School Alumni Association, Inc. (PHHSAA) has raised in excess of $286,000 while holding six fun events for alumni, current and former faculty members, parents of students, and other friends of the school.

Your alumni association has also been the recipient of a $200,000 donation of furniture for the school’s main office, $90,000 of donations earmarked for the new PHAME building, an anonymous $25,000 grant used to help purchase 38 new computers for the school’s Computer Lab, along with two separate $10,000 pledges received this week from alumni.

All in all, with your assistance, we have raised and are in the process of donating in excess of $600,000 in goods and support for the school and its student body during the brief six-year history since the Alumni Association’s founding. Not bad for a dream born out of a luncheon reuniting Class of 1978 and 1979 football and baseball players to thank several of their coaches back in the summer of 2011!

Save the date

The seventh PHHS Alumni Golf Tournament & Reunion BBQ is tentatively set for Thursday, May 16, 2018 at Admiral Baker Golf Course with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start and 5:30 p.m. start for the reunion BBQ.

In the meantime, please help us extend our reach by telling the alumni you know and meet about our event by asking them to send their names (maiden and current) and the year they graduated along with their email address to [email protected] or on the link at PatriotAlumni.org.

For more information on our next event and pictures from this and the prior year’s event go to PatriotAlumni.org.

—Elizabeth Gillingham is principal of Patrick Henry High School.