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Brown University Spotlights North Providence High

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By PHILIP MARCELO Journal Staff Writer

The school's novel senior thesis program will share its successes at the fourth High School Showcase that features 20 of the most innovative high schools in the country.

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NORTH PROVIDENCE - The high school's senior projects program has been called a "national model," and next month, representatives of the school will get the chance to show it off.

The school will discuss the program as part of the fourth annual High School Showcase, sponsored by the Education Alliance at Brown University.

The showcase brings together 20 of the "most innovative and successful high schools from across the country to share their programs and strategies for success," Patricia Samson, communications director at the Education Alliance, said. This year, the high school will be among five Rhode Island schools presenting a facet of their academic programs.

"When you consider that there are approximately 700 secondary schools in New England, it's pretty prestigious," high school principal Joseph B. Goho said. "There are great things happening at New England schools, and we are happy to be highlighted as part of it."

It is the first time the high school has been selected to present in the showcase, though it has attended in the past, Goho said.

The projects program allows seniors to work with mentors in a hobby, interest or career field throughout their final year. Seniors develop a portfolio, a college research paper, a daily journal and an oral presentation at the end of the year related to their experiences, Goho said.

The high school introduced the program six years ago, and it quickly caught the attention of area schools, he said. In April 2002, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, a regional accrediting agency, called the program a "national model," he said.

"The senior program has had a powerful impact on the students' educational experience and the lives of students upon leaving high school," Goho said. "It has really enabled kids to make the connection between high school and the real world."

Senior projects have also increased community involvement in the school and provided greater professional development for the faculty, he said.

Representing the high school at the showcase will be Goho, four seniors, English teacher David Groccia and business teacher Kathleen Lisi. Groccia and Lisi coordinate the program.

There are 20 high schools from across the nation participating in the two-day event, including schools from Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon.

"Schools will talk about how they incorporate smaller learning communities" into the academic experience through "different aspects of education," Samson said.

The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. North Providence will present its senior projects program Feb. 1, at 12:15 p.m.

Source: Providence Journal

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