The Memory project: Students at Lehigh Senior High School show their “Portraits of Kindness” as part of the Memory Project.

LSHS students show their ‘Portrait of Kindness”

The Memory Project: “Portrait of Kindness” is an international organization that coordinates the painting of portraits of children in orphanages around the world. Photos of the children are sent to high schools, whose advanced painting students paint portraits, which are then hand delivered to the children.

The Memory Project has been featured on 60 Minutes and the CBS evening news. The Lehigh Senior High School University Cambridge Art and Design students worked on this project which fit beautifully with the “AICE Essential Skill of Innovation: using imagination, creativity, inquiry and empathy in the creation of projects or completion of tasks.”

“The portraits that our students created are on their way to Indonesia,” said Jeff Spiro, principal at Lehigh Senior High School.

This project is a win-win endeavor in which students learn to use their artistic talents to do good in the world, said Spirio. Their hard work and caring made a real difference to individual children across the world, becoming more conscious of how they can change the world while learning new techniques and improving their own painting skills, he said.

Veterans Park Academy heads for state competition

Lehigh Acres’ Veterans Park Academy for the Arts Brain Bowl Team participated in the History and Culture Regional Brain Bowl Competition at Florida International University in January. The school’s team defeated another middle school team and three high school teams to win the championship, according to School Principal Dale Houchin.

The team will now move on to the Florida Education Fund 2010/11 History and Culture Brain Bowl State Competition in Orlando on March 25, he said.

Each member of the winning team in the state competition receives a full scholarship to the Florida public college/university of their choosing. The members of the teams that place second and third in the State Competition will receive partial scholarships for college.

The members of the VPAA Brain Bowl Team are: Rachel Corcho, Christian Dimaculangan, Jesse Nolan, Chezanne McLeod, Cassandra Rhau, and Misa Scudder. To become a member of the Brain Bowl Team, each student must be in the Scholars’ Club and have an excellent grade point average from the previous school year, Houchin said.

The Arts Brain Bowl Team is being sponsored by Florida Gulf Coast University.

JROTC team at LRMC cited in two events

The Lehigh Senior High School Center for the Arts JROTC Drill and Color Guard team competed in the Lee County drill. Lehigh Senior placed first in two events: Armed Platoon commanded by Marcos Vences and Female unarmed Platoon commanded by Jolyn Stuck placed second in the unarmed squad commanded by Rey Falero and Female Armed squad commanded by Cecila Villalobos; they placed third in Color Guard event commanded by Joel Garcia. Tori Jenkins placed Third in the Female Individual exhibition event, said Jeff Spirio, principal at Lehigh Senior High School.

LSHC students compete in different functions

Lehigh Senior High School Center for the Arts student Selena Masters won first place in the 2011 Young Artists Showcase. Selena competed in the age 12 through 16 age group in the classical solo category. Selena Masters is a junior vocal student at Lehigh Senior High School who aspires to pursue a career as an opera singer, says Jeff Spiro, principal.

Also he said the “LCHC Center for the Arts JROTC Academic Team placed second in our region (all high schools with JROTC in Florida, Alabama, Louisana, Mississippi, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island, in the Army Academic Bowl sponsored by College Option.” The Academic Bowl is a three phase academic competition that requires the students to answer ACT, SAT and current event questions in a 60- second time period.

The team collaborates to determine the correct answer. Academic prowess and team work are the key to success during this competition. Lehigh’s scores were also the highest in the Lee County school district.

The team consisted of co-captains: Winny Wong and Madison Szymialis; Josh Grzenda, Anthony Napadono, Jonathan Manzanares, Steven Burgoyne, and Christian Medina, Spiro said.