Congratulations to the All-County Student Athletes

The Gazette released its All-County Soccer teams today, and Blake was represented by three student-athletes. Please congratulate them if you see the following Bengals:

• Trey Cooper – 1st Team
• Moussa Traore – 2nd Team
• Lindsey Comer – Honorable Mention

Blake Congratulates Athletes

Blake would like to congratulate Franchesca Kuhney for receiving Honorable Mention for the All-Gazette Volleyball team. Franny was also among the top 12 county players when ranked by coaches.

All-County Volleyball team

Blake also congratulates the following Blake football players for being named to the All-County team by the Gazette:

• Ricardo Malcolm – 2nd Team
• Henry Adjah-Provencal – Honorable Mention
• Pete Angeh – Honorable Mention
• Elijah Bah – Honorable Mention
• Travon McMillian – Honorable Mention

All-County Football team

Blake Fuego Latino Dance Competition

Congratulations to Blake's Fuego Latino in doing well in the Competition on November 28. Also congratulations to:

• Gynaira Garcia who placed 2nd in the Jack-n-Jill Division
• Katia Segura and her father who placed 3rd in the Parents & Daughter Division
• Diego Vallejos & Gynaira Garcia who placed 3rd in the Salsa Division
• All Fuego Latino members who placed 4th in the Best in Show Division

Cluster Choral Concert

Last evening’s Cluster Choral Concert brought together the talents of Blake, Briggs Chaney Middle School, Cloverly Elementary School and Page Elementary School choral students. The photo is all of the participants singing a combine selection, “Until We Meet Again”.

This was the first cluster concert we’ve had in a number of years, and it was a tremendous success due in no small part to the efforts of Sandra Zinkievich and Sarah Goldsmith. The presentation was crisp, and the large audience of family members commented how wonderful it was to see a range of singers. Congrats to Sarah and Sandra on a great community event!

Blake Swim & Dive Team's Spencer Sterling's Impressive Win

The Blake Swim & Dive team competed in the Washington Metro Area Championships (Metros) over the weekend, one of the most competitive high school meets in the country. Senior Spencer Sterling took first place in the 100 yard Butterfly, becoming the first Bengal to win an event at this meet. The meet features the top swimmers and divers from MCPS, DC Public Schools, and private schools in the Washington, DC area. If you see Spencer, please congratulate him on this impressive performance. Video from the meet is available on Comcast Sportsnet. Below is a link video from Spencer’s event: Click Here

Meagen Lagerlef was chosen to participate in the annual Montgomery County Coaches Senior All-Star Game - November, 2010

Meagan Lagerlef was chosen as one of the top 24 seniors in Montgomery County to participate in the annual Montgomery County Coaches Senior All-Star Game. The game will be played on Tuesday November 30 at 7:15 PM at Magruder High School. This is a big honor for Meagan and one she very much deserves.

Meagan also recently accepted a scholarship to play volleyball next year at NCAA Division at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Meagan is the first female volleyball player from Blake to earn a scholarship to play in college

The Blake's Academic Team tapes its First Game - Dec. 4, 2011

The Blake It’s Academic team tapes its first game this Saturday as the Bengals take on Mount Vernon and Robinson high schools in an opening-round match that will air on television December 4.

Admission is free to the live studio audience, so come on down to the WRC-TV studios (4001 Nebraska Avenue, NW) at 11am Saturday and cheer seniors Dylan Hysen and Conor Wallace and junior captain Lucas Irvin on to victory (and get yourself on TV as part of the studio audience in this, It’s Academic’s historic 50th season on Channel 4)…..

And if you can’t get down there Saturday, be sure to wish Conor, Dylan, and Lucas good luck when you see them this week.

Three James Hubert Blake High School musicians named to the Classic Youth Orchestras at Strathmore Music Center.

Three James Hubert Blake High School musicians have been named to the 2010-2011 Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras at Strathmore Music Center.

Seniors Julia Maas (violin) and Niraj Raju (trombone) and junior Andrew Simmons (tuba) will perform several times this school year at special concerts at Strathmore. MCYO has been a  part of the arts program in Montgomery County since the mid-1940s and provides over 400 high school musicians annually the chance to collaborate with students from throughout the Metro area.

Simmons and Raju study music at Blake under Band Director Brian Damron, while Maas studies under Orchestra Director Jonathan Eising.

Blake’s Tempo Yearbook to Offer Innovative Personal Yearbook Pages™

James Hubert Blake High School today announced it will be one of the first schools in the country to offer students the ability to create personalized yearbook pages online that will appear only in the student’s copy of the yearbook.

Blake High School yearbook adviser Allison Finn selected Jostens Personal Yearbook Pages™ as a way to make Tempo even more inclusive by ensuring every student in school can participate in the yearbook tradition. Says yearbook advisor Allison Finn, “The yearbook tradition is strong at Blake and now Personal Yearbook Pages allow more students to get involved through personalization.”

With Jostens Personal Yearbook Pages, more students will be able to get involved in the yearbook tradition. Personal Yearbook Pages encourage self-expression and are an affordable new way for Blake students to personalize their yearbook and capture their unique school memories.
First published in 1999, Tempo is an important part of Blake High School tradition and culture, capturing stories and events for each student.
Personal Yearbook Pages provide all students who purchase a yearbook a unique way to capture their personal memories of the school year in four customizable pages. As part of the program, students will receive eight blank autograph pages included in each yearbook to further enhance the tradition of book signing. Students will also have the opportunity to customize four of those autograph pages with their own pictures, art, poems and other content before the pages are bound into their personal copy of the yearbook. The project can be created solely by the student or by using a “share” feature that allows students to invite friends to help create their section.
“Yearbooks are unique in that they are created by students for students to connect with friends, teachers and their school. Yearbooks chronicle what is most relevant to students,” said Julie Fitzgerald, Yearbook Marketing Director at Jostens. “This is an exciting time as the yearbook tradition evolves to allow every student to make their individual memories a lasting part of their copy of the school yearbook.”
Personal Yearbook Pages are available through www.yearbookyourself.com for only $15. For any Personal Yearbook Pages or yearbook questions, please contact adviser Allison Finn at allison_finn@mcpsmd.org.

Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher- 2010

Veteran James Hubert Blake High School English teacher Allison Finn has been named as the 2010 Montgomery County Public School’s recipient of the Washington Post’s Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award, presented annually to one exceptional educator in each of 21 DC-area jurisdictions.

“I am honored—and humbled—to have been nominated and to have been chosen the winner,” says Miss Finn, who feels there isn’t just one educational philosophy she follows for teaching her classes. “Each student is different, so my approach to each student’s education must also be different. I guess the number one rule is to keep the standards high for all and vary the path to achievement.”

With a masters degree from the College of William and Mary School of Education, Miss Finn joined the staff at Blake in 2000 and earned the prestigious National Board Certification in 2008. Her current teaching schedule includes AP English Composition 11, Honors English 11, and Honors English 9, as well as an elective yearbook production class. Additionally, Miss Finn is sponsor of the freshman class and a lead instructor in teaching new technology to fellow faculty members. Out of school, she has spent nine years as an EMT/firefighter with the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department.

“I think the best way to influence students is to do things worth emulating and set a positive example,” says Miss Finn. “I believe deeply in service—in the school community as well as the local community. If they [students] know I work hard for myself and that I will work hard for them, they are more likely to work hard for themselves. And if they know I work hard for the community and support their efforts there as well, they will again be more likely to work for others.”

Blake principal Carole Goodman, who nominated Miss Finn for the Agnes Meyer Award, says, “Her ability to inspire, motivate, engage and excite even the most disenfranchised students is nothing short of remarkable….Students are eager to participate in her class and thrive on her praise and encouragement.” Mrs. Goodman also notes that Miss Finn’s lessons “are brilliantly planned to include respect for all cultures, a focus on the arts, a love of reading and writing, and an enthusiasm for learning.”

Adds Blake English resource teacher Joseph Caulfield, who has observed Miss Finn in her classroom numerous times, “Unless that award is given for being generous, committed, indefatigable, and resourceful, she doesn’t deserve it at all.”

Miss Finn becomes the third Blake teacher to win the Agnes Meyer Award since the school opened in 1998, joining social studies teacher Mary Wagner (2004) and foreign language teacher Teresa Carbonell (2007) as recipients.

Blake Junior selected for US Senate Youth Program - March, 2010

James Hubert Blake junior Daniel Arias has been chosen as one of two student delegates statewide to represent Maryland at the 48th Annual United States Senate Youth Program March 6-13 in Washington, DC.

Along with other students interested in careers in public service from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Arias will spend a week in the nation’s capital observing and experiencing the federal government in action. Participants will hear major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, and state department and defense department officials, as well as meet president Barack Obama and senior members of the national media.

Arias and fellow delegates will each be awarded a $5,000.00 scholarship for participation in this program, underwritten by The Hearst Foundations. More information about the Washington Week Program can be found at www.ussenateyouth.org.

National Honor Society Inducts New Members at Blake - December, 2009

The James Hubert Blake High School chapter of the National Honor Society welcomes 42 new members. The formal induction took place on Monday, December 7, 2009.  Candidates for the National Honor Society are evaluated on four criteria:  leadership, scholarship, character, and service . Members must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or weighted 4.0.  Ms. Beth Shepherd and Ms. Katie Kodan are the NHS advisors.

The new members are:  Alexandra Abell, Daniel Arias, Nicholas Arnold-Medabalimi, Sarah Aylor, Lauren Barlow, Isabela Barriga, Adrienne Bush, Cynthia Cheng, Maia Chicherio, Git-Yee Chu, Aron Crews, Delaney Cruickshank, Somala Diby, Leanna Diggs, Rainier Gomez, Amy Gottlieb, Kelly Hanlon, Bridget Hawvermale, Ashley Haymaker, Blaire Hoffman, Lily Hua, Julie Huleis, Nicholas Hung, Dylan Hysen, Aimee Kohorst, Corinne Konoza, Sara Kushner, Jennifer Lien, Julia Maas, Quynh-Nhu Nguyen, Leena Owen, Joshua Paunil, Nicole Pontious, Linda Powers, Mariel Shilling, Gillian Spolarich, Britney Stuart, Sophia Venero, Shannon Wade, Kira Williams, Patrick Xiao. 

The Blake Girls Field Hockey team pulled off one of the biggest surprises in field hockey history... - November, 2009

The Blake Girls Field Hockey team pulled off one of the biggest surprises in field hockey history when they captured the Maryland West Regional Championship yesterday at Quince Orchard HS! Blake HS entered the 2009 playoffs with a 5 and 7 record after playing one of the hardest schedule in Montgomery County.

Through it all however, the Bengals were lead by their enthusiastic, optimistic and highly-skilled coach who had his eye on the championship prize that awaited the best-performing team in the playoffs. I have never seen a coach or team happier than the Blake field hockey team was yesterday, so if you get a chance please let them know how proud you are of them and wish them well on their next stop:

State semifinals at Arundel HS this coming Monday night…

James Hubert Blake named as a "Top-25 Engineering Source School"... - October, 2009

The University of Maryland’s James A. Clark School of Engineering has named James Hubert Blake High School as a “Top-25 Engineering Source School” for the number of Blake students who have enrolled for Fall 2009 in engineering at the College Park campus.

Engineering Dean Darryll Pines cited Blake’s faculty and staff for doing an excellent job in “providing rigorous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs to preparer young men and women for brilliant futures.”

Six of Blake’s top 2009 graduates are now engineering majors at Maryland: Adam Boussouf, James Gonzales, Eric Kisliuk, Jacob Lorber, Michael Powers and Brian Yang.

Blake Seniors recognized as Commended Scholars in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program... - October, 2009

James Hubert Blake seniors Cynthia Chow, Todd Holbert, Daniel Pistolessi, Kevan Yang, and Timothy Yee are among 34,000 students nationwide recognized as Commended Scholars in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program.

As juniors, these students placed among the top five percent of test-takers on the reading, math, and writing sections of the October 2008 PSAT.