Dear Rivermont Community,

This week one of our Upper School students, sophomorjewish stare Vania Sazonov has written a piece on a special guest who visited our campus.  The following is his re-telling of our visit with Holocaust survivor Agnes Schwartz.  Her visit was made possible by the Quad Cities Yom Hashoa Committee.

Rick St. Laurent

Headmaster

 

This past Monday Agnes Schwartz, a Holocaust survivor, came to visit Rivermont Collegiate and shared with the seventh through twelfth grade students her incredible, heart-wrenching story. She was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1933. When she was eleven years old Germany occupied her hometown. After having many of her rights taken away and being forced to wear a yellow star, her family was relocated to a Jewish designated building. She lived there with her father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, and aunt. Eventually, her mother was torn apart from her by the Nazis, never to see one another again. She was then sent by her family to live with her former housekeeper, Julia, under a new identity as Julia's Christian niece. She lived with her housekeeper in constant fear of being found out as a Jew. When the Allied Forces began their bombings, she was forced to live in the first floor of an apartment complex. There was no electricity and no sewage system, so they were forced to live with all the residents of the apartment complex by candlelight and use a bucket as a chamber pot, emptied only in the dead of night. She lived like this for three months until she was eventually liberated by the advancing Soviet Army.

Once free, she immediately wanted to know what had become of her family and wondered if she was ever going to see them again. She found out that her father was alive and had been saved by Raoul Wallenberg, hiding in one of his safe houses. The rest of her family had suffered a different fate. With the Allied Forces near and in order to save ammunition, the Nazis had drowned her grandmother, grandfather, and aunt in the Danube River. She also found out that after being deported her mother had been sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she had passed away. Her father was the only one she had left. They decided that they would move to the United States where they had some relatives living in Chicago. Agnes was very eager to move to the United States because she had been told all sorts of wonderful stories about it. After some time had passed her father had decided that he could not assimilate into the American lifestyle and decided to move back to Hungary. Because of this, Agnes felt very abandoned for most of her youth but said she was grateful to live in such an amazing country.

For Agnes there is one thing that she wanted us to take from her story, and that is that the Holocaust really did happen. She wanted us to never forget the terrible things that had occurred and to be grateful to live in a country where you are mostly free and do not have to worry about yourself or your loved ones being in constant danger. Most of all, she wanted us to never forget her story and make sure that the terrible truth about the Holocaust lives on forever so that the atrocities may never be repeated.

Vania Sazonov, Class of 2014

 


KUDOS!

Joann

 

Rivermont Collegiate is proud to announce the winner of the 2012 Jane and Clem Werner Scholarship - senior Joann Weeks, daughter of Randy and Monica Weeks (our Middle and  Upper School Spanish teacher) The $5,000 scholarship is distributed through the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend . Joann will use the scholarship money to attend  Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois.

 

 

"IT'S THE REAL THING!Pavane"  Coca Cola Scholarship Foundation picks one of our own as a National Scholar winner!  Pavane Gorrepati spent a few days last week in Atlanta, Georgia  interviewing as a finalist in the 2012 Coca Cola Scholarship Contest.  She is one of only 50 students selected in a national

competition and wins a renewable $20,000 scholarship. Pavane will be using the award to attend Yale University.

 

RAI 2nd Place

Congratulations to the 8th Grade RAI team of Hannah Hansen, Nathan McVey, Bailey Mangan & Alex Skillin for their 2nd Place win during Wednesday's Rivermont Academic Invitational.  They were among 152 students form 15 area schools participating in RAI this year.

Special thanks to invitational organizer Leigh Ann Schroeder!

 

RAI room

 


Please Watch Your Speed!

 

Please watch your speed as you drive through the campus especially during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.  Children (and parents) sometimes walk unexpectedly from between cars.

ALSO, THERE IS A STOP SIGN AT THE END OF THE LOWER PARKING LOT..  PLEASE STOP!!!

stop sign


Bake Sale!

 

The Second Grade Class will be holding a bake sale on Wednesday, May 2 during snack time as part of their Service Day Project.  Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase a brick at the historic Fulton Windmill in Fulton, IL

Rivermont Collegiate presents...

A  Middle School Production

Looking Glass Land

Looking Glass Land

By James DeVita

Saturday, April 28

Sunday, April 29

2:00 p.m.

 

Tickets: $5.00

at the door

 

Produced by special arrangement with

Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.,

Englewood, Colorado

Registration for summer camp is now open!

Don't miss out on one of the best summer camps in the Quad Cities! Click the link above to download your brochure today. Space is limited and classes are filled on a first come, first served basis. These classes are open to the entire community, so invite a friend!

 

8 Full Weeks of Enrichment Classes!

Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!

The Golden Age of Hollywood
Rivermont Dinner Auction at the
Hotel Blackhawk
was a great success!

Thank you to Event Chair Kristine Teitle and the entire Auction Committee for making it a glamorous evening.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Dr. & Mrs. Michal Porubcin
Sears Manufacturing Company
Drs. Rajesh & Bindu Alla
Ed & Courtney Decker
Muna Strasser, DDS
Eye Surgeons Associates - Tina Eckhardt, MD
Select Benefit Solutions - Michael White
Lilac Hill Photography
American Safety Training Solutions
Davenport Printing Company
Bullseye Direct Mail


Special keepsake headshots of our students are on sale from the School if you were not able to attend the event.  Please contact Tammi or Linda.  $15 each
Auction Lion


Upcoming Events

 

April

28-5/10   All School Art Exhibition in the Gym
28       MS Play "Looking Glass Land" 2:00 PM
29       MS Play "Looking Glass Land" 2:00 PM
30       MS Track at Silvis, 4:00 PM

May
1       Open Tours 8:30-10:00 AM
3        PreSchool Open Visit, 9:00-10:00 AM
Grade 2 trip to Putnam
4        Rivermont Service Day
7-18  AP Exam Weeks
7        MS Track at Silvis, 4:00 PM
8        Kindergarten Q & U Wedding, 8:20 AM
9        Parents' Council Meeting, 8:30 AM
MS Track at UTHS, 4:00 PM
10     Grade 7 to Finance Park
Final Day for All Rivermont Art Exhibition
Reception 5:30-6:45 PM
Spring Music Concert, 7:00 PM
11     Last Day for Seniors!
Early School Program, 10:45 AM
Lunch on the Lawn, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
MS-US Imp Tiger Day
14      Spring Sports Night, 6:30 PM
16      Grades 2, 3, 4 Track & Field Event at Augustana College
17      Grade 2 trip to Fulton
18      In-Store Rivermont BookFair at Barnes & Noble - NorthPark
PreSchool & Grade 1 to Adler Theatre
22      Grade 4 trip to Dubuque
23      JrK to Niabi Zoo
24      Middle School trip to Chicago
Admission Open House, 6:00-8:00 PM
24, 25, 29   Upper School Final Exams
25      K to Clinton Discovery Center
28      Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL
29      Lower School Imp-Tiger Day
30      LS Promotion Ceremony, 9:00 AM
MS & US Awards Ceremony, 10:30 AM
Senior Project Presentations, 5:30 PM - Public Invited!
Senior Dinner, 7:00 PM
31       Grades 5-12 End of Year trip to AdventureLand

June
1         125th Commencement Exercises, 10:00 AM
11       SUMMER CAMP begins

August
13        First Day of Classes!


Rivermont Calendar

 

2012-13 Calendar

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today released the following statement after the House voted on Republican-led legislation, which the President has already stated he will veto, to try and look as if they are concerned about college accessibility.

"Today's vote is a shining example of how low Republicans will go to further their political games instead of actually accomplishing anything for Iowa families.  Just last week Republicans voted en mass to allow the student loan interest rates to double, and now hide behind a vote on a bill they know is going nowhere.  Iowa families can't afford these games.  Unfortunately, it looks as if Republicans want to push students to the edge, just like they did with the economy. As much as Republicans would like, they can't have their cake and eat it too.

"As someone who has helped craft and pass legislation to expand access to college, it is sickening to watch this unfold.  Congress should not be building more hurdles for young people to get the education and skills they need to thrive, and they should not be making it even harder for Iowa families to afford to send their kids to college.  I personally know what it is like to work hard and rely on financial aid to pay for tuition.  No student should be turned away from attending college because he or she cannot afford it and no student should have to face a Republican-made roadblock, which is exactly what today's vote creates."

Loebsack is a cosponsor of two pieces of legislation, H.R. 4816 and H.R. 3826, which would ensure the increase does not occur.  As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, he has also championed numerous pieces of legislation to increase access to higher education, including:

·         College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Loebsack helped craft and pass this legislation, which makes college more affordable and accessible for all Iowans by increasing the maximum Pell Grant scholarship and expanding eligibility;

·         Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, H.R. 3221 Loebsack was a cosponsor of this bill, which will save American taxpayers $61 billion by making the student loan process more efficient.  The bill further expanded the maximum Pell Grant available from $5,550 in 2010 to $5,975 in 2017, granting Iowa students more than $291 million for higher education. This bill was the largest single investment in student aid in America's history, and will make college more accessible, transform the way student loan programs operate and strengthen community colleges.

Loebsack has urged the House Speaker and the Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee to move forward a bill that will actually stop the increase.  A copy of the letter can be found here.

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Washington, DC - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today voted in favor of a bill to prevent a scheduled July 1 hike in interest rates on Stafford student loans.  Under a 2007 law, the interest rate on these subsidized loans to undergraduate students was decreased from 6.8% to 3.4% through June 30, at which time under the law the interest rates will increase.  Without Congressional action, these interest rates will return to previous levels and double on July 1.

"As a parent, the increasing cost of tuition and students' mounting debt are serious problems to me," Schilling said.  "Also serious is the fact that once kids graduate from college, they enter a tough job market where about half of them are left jobless or are underemployed, in addition to starting out thousands of dollars in the hole.  Washington should work to ensure that all Americans, including these young men and women, have the opportunity to succeed, and that our economy is growing and creating new jobs for them to pursue."

To pay for the $6 billion, one-year extension, H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, cuts from a program in the Administration's health care reform law that has been criticized as a 'slush fund' with little oversight or purpose.  Already signed into law is bipartisan legislation that takes money from the fund, and President Obama's Fiscal Year 2013 budget also proposed cutting it by more than $4 billion.  Schilling joined 214 Republicans and Democrats in supporting low interest rates for students.

"This bill will keep student loan rates low without raising taxes on the folks we are asking to lead us into economic recovery and give these kids jobs," Schilling said.  "I urge the Senate to act on this, and to move on the more than 25 House-passed jobs bills sitting in the Senate that will cut wasteful spending and help businesses grow and hire new employees, providing more hope for our unemployed friends, neighbors, and recent graduates."

# # #

DURANGO, CO (04/27/2012)(readMedia)-- Evan Kurtz, of Bettendorf, IA, was honored with the Outstanding Freshman/Sophomore in Spanish Award for the 2011-12 academic year. Kurtz's major is Business Administration - International Business.

Fort Lewis College is a selective public liberal arts college that launches careers and changes lives through a compelling educational experience that features nationally recognized academic programs, extraordinary personal attention from faculty, the freedom of intellectual exploration, and once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunities. Fort Lewis College is a physically active and athletic campus that takes full advantage of its breathtakingly beautiful mountain setting in Durango, Colorado. For more information, visit www.fortlewis.edu.

Obama will issue executive order tomorrow in Georgia

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement in response to the White House's pending executive order that will target aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions that are abusing federal student loan programs:

"After fighting our nation's wars, our veterans shouldn't have to fight exploitative institutions looking to make a quick buck on the backs of taxpayers.  Cracking down on deceptive practices by these bad apple educational institutions is needed to stafeguard taxpayers' dollars and to keep our veterans from being taken advantage of."

 

More detail on the Obama administration announcement follows:

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

April 26, 2012

We Can't Wait: President Obama Takes Action to Stop Deceptive and Misleading Practices by Educational Institutions that Target Veterans, Service Members and their Families

 

On Friday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America's service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. We have a sacred trust with those who serve and protect our nation. It's a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end.  That's why President Obama is committed to ensuring veterans and service members have the chance to get a college education and can find work when they return from service.

Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, there have been reports of aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions, particularly for-profit career colleges. For example, some institutions have recruited veterans with serious brain injuries and emotional vulnerabilities without providing academic support and counseling; encouraged service members, veterans, and their families to take out costly institutional loans rather than encouraging them to apply for Federal student aid first; engaged in misleading recruiting practices on military installations; and have not disclosed meaningful information that allows potential students to determine whether the institution has a good record of graduating service members, veterans, and their families and positioning them for success in the workforce.

Members of Congress have introduced legislation to address these issues, but the Administration believes we must do all we can administratively to protect veterans from these deceptive practices by improving the quality of information and services that these schools must provide.  These steps will help ensure that Federal military and veteran education dollars are well spent. Today's Executive Order will apply to a variety of military and veteran education benefits, including the GI Bill, Tuition Assistance Program, and Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program (MyCAA).

Today's Executive Order will:

  • Help Ensure Military and Veteran Students Have the Information They Need: The Executive Order will require that colleges provide more transparent information about their outcomes and financial aid options for students, which will help ensure that students are aware of the true cost and likelihood of completion prior to enrolling. According to the Senate HELP Committee, of the ten educational institutions collecting the most Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits between 2009 and 2011, eight were for-profit schools. Six of these schools had bachelor student withdrawal rates above 50 percent.  The Executive Order will require that the Know Before You Owe financial aid form, developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Education (ED), is made available to every college student that participates in the Department of Defense's (DoD) Tuition Assistance program (nearly 2,000 schools). The Executive Order will also direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to encourage all schools?roughly 6,000 in total?participating in the GI Bill program to provide the Know Before You Owe form.  This form provides students with critical information on tuition and fees, the availability of federal financial aid, estimated student loan debt upon graduation, and information about student outcomes like graduation rates. Further, the Executive Order will require that students are provided additional critical information, including school performance information over time, consumer protection information, and key financial aid documents, prior to the use of their benefits through the eBenefits portal.  The VA will publically post on their website if schools who receive GI Bill benefits agree to adhere to the Executive Order.
  • Keep Bad Actors Off of Military Installations: There have been numerous reports of some institutions of higher education aggressively and inappropriately targeting military students.  The Executive Order will require the Department of Defense to set forth rules for how educational institutions gain access to military installations in the first place, so that service members are not targeted by institutions known for a history of poor behavior in recruiting and marketing practices.
  • Crack Down on Improper Online Recruiting Practices: The Executive Order will direct the VA to initiate a process to register the term "GI Bill," so that external websites and programs are not deceptively and fraudulently marketing educational services and benefits to program beneficiaries. For instance, some companies have set up websites that suggest that veterans' benefits are only available at a subset of schools.  The websites are also set up to resemble official government sites, and are marketed heavily at military installations and at separating service members.
  • Provide Veterans with a Complaint System: The Executive Order will require VA, DoD, and ED, in consultation with the CFPB and Department of Justice, to create a centralized complaint system for students receiving military and veterans' educational benefits. Currently, when military and veteran students feel that their school has acted fraudulently, they have no centralized system to file complaints, and federal agencies often lack access to information that will allow for follow-up enforcement or regulatory actions.
  • Improve Support Services for Service Members and Veterans: The Executive Order will require that colleges participating in the military and veterans education benefit programs do more to meet the needs of military and veteran students by providing clear educational plans for students, academic and financial aid counseling services with staff that are familiar with the VA and DoD programs, and the ability of service members to more easily re-enroll and/or receive a refund if they must leave school for service-related reasons.

 

  • Provide Students with Better Data on Educational Institutions: The Executive Order will require DoD, VA, and Ed to develop improved student outcome measures, such as completion rates for veterans, and a plan for collecting this data, which will be made available on Ed's College Navigator website. Currently, retention and completion rates cannot be broken down by veteran or service member status.  Given the unique educational needs of veterans, active-duty service members, and their family members, it is important to provide them with a more accurate picture of what success looks like for students like them. The Executive Order will also require better reporting on the extent to which colleges rely on various types of federal benefits for operational support.

 

  • Strengthen Enforcement of Student Protections: The Executive Order will require that VA and DoD strengthen the enforcement and compliance functions of the VA and DoD, so that, working in conjunction with the Department of Education, DOJ, and the CFPB, agencies (including law enforcement agencies with responsibility over fraud investigations) can effectively act on complaints of improper activity.
# # #

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding Middle and Upper School students at Rivermont Collegiate who have achieved honor roll status for the 3rd quarter, 2011-12.

 

**Middle School (Grades 6-8) High Honors**

All grades B+ or higher (B or higher for courses designated as Upper School level)

Sarah Bowman

Perapa Chotiprasidhi

Giavanna Eckhardt

Shivani Ganesh

Emily Goodman

Hannah Hansen

Isabella Holland

Megan Lindle

Naina Ninan

Rose Moran

Benjamin Nordick

Manasa Pagadala

Emilia Porubcin

Alexander Skillin

Collin Smith

Klaus Storl-Desmond

Marta Storl-Desmond

Sophia Xiao

**Middle School (Grades 6-8) Honors**

All grades B- or higher (C+ or higher for courses designated as Upper School level)

Spencer Brown

Hema Chimpidi

Christian Elliott

Kenton Fee

Samuel Knupp

Bailey Mangan

Alexis Shaheen

Harrison Qu

Jacob Vaughn

Aviana Zahara

 

**Upper School (Grades 9-12) Headmaster's List**

3.85 - 4.00 GPA

Adam Dada

Pavane Gorrepati

Summer Lawrence

Christine Mbakwe

Victoria Mbakwe

Grace Moran

Matthew Newsome

Meghana Pagadala

Michal Porubcin

Shravya Pothula

Kelsey Qu

Darsani Reddy

Suhas Seshadri

Ashish Tadepalli

Loring Telleen

 

**Upper School (Grades 9-12) Distinction**

3.50 - 3.84 GPA

Rebecca Cupp

Amanda McVey

Hayley Moran

Meghana Yerrapothu

 

**Upper School (Grades 9-12) Merit**

3.00 - 3.49 GPA

Vishal Bobba

Karanveer Gill

Ryan Howell

Alejandra Martinez

Ramya Prabhu

 

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, nonsectarian, multicultural college-prep school for students in preschool through twelfth grade.

- END -
Thirteen Moline elementary school students have been chosen to receive an award from
the Hazel F. Van Arsdale Memorial Scholarship Fund administered through The Moline
Foundation.

The 13 elementary students are: Megan Pittington, Hannah Evans, Anna Riggins,
Yolanda Vargas, Symone Willey, James Sheese, Brianna Turner, Autumn
Glass, Jassaniah Leeson, Isabel Raya, Nick O'Donnell, Josephine Trenary and Justyn
Appleby.

The fund was started in honor and memory of Hazel F. Van Arsdale to perpetuate the
importance of music in elementary and secondary education. The fund supports two
types of annual awards. One award is given to selected elementary students, and one
scholarship is given to a high school senior. The 13 elementary students were chosen
by an individual school committee made up of teachers and music professionals through
The Moline Foundation.

Hazel Van Arsdale was a public school teacher for 36 years. She was known for her
strict, but fun, manner of bringing music into the classroom. She made sure all of her
students knew every verse of all of our patriotic hymns, and wanted them to strengthen
their music interest beyond elementary school. A fund was established and is now
administered through The Moline Foundation's scholarship program.

Founded in 1953, The Moline Foundation is a community-based, non-profit organization
which provides grants to health, human services, education, community development,
the arts, and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of the Quad City
region. The Moline Foundation receives and administers charitable gifts and has a
current endowment fund of approximately $17 million. For more information contact
Executive Director Joy Boruff at (309) 736-3800 or visit The Moline Foundation Web site
at www.molinefoundation.org.

-30-

Established Businesses For Sale

Banquet & Reception Hall with a Year of Advanced Bookings
Established corporate banquet hall and wedding reception business with modern facilities, ample parking, seats 600+, very large prep kitchen convertible to full service kitchen, dance floor, new restrooms, sound system, furniture, dish ware, full service bar with walkin and cabinet coolers, and more. Eastern Iowa location, includes 9,500 sf reception hall and land. Thirteen years successful history, includes over 50 advance bookings through early 2013, plus room for 30+ additional bookings in 2012.
Seller willing to finance portion of acquisition for qualified new owner.
Quiet Market Leader
Established corporate food service and retail business, with locations in Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities. Located on major traffic corridors. Established agreements with regional employers for daily delivery. Quiet market leader for twenty-eight years, with two owners and proprietary recipes. Does not require onsite operator to perform successfully. On site owner guarantees even higher profits. Potential to include real estate.
Conventional Financing or Cash at Closing.

Chiropractic Clinic, Patients, Equipment & Building
Quad Cities chiropractor with twenty five year successful practice and 6,000 patient customer base is retiring.  This opportunity includes 1800+ SF building, 4800+ SF lot with ample parking and large upstairs apartment.Clinic can accommodate up to two chiropractors, and has two adjusting rooms with tables, x-ray machine, office furniture and filing cabinets.  Paper and electronic patient records. Retiring chiropractor will assist in transition and purchase includes accounts receivable.  A new owner can pay for the acquisition costs of this great practice and real estate in twenty four months. Living on site only advances the profitability.
Priced to sell - Conventional Financing or Cash at Closing

Contact Chris Barnard at 563-343-5300 or cbarnard@marigoldresources.com for more details.
Visit www.MarigoldResources.com for more information.

Bill authorizes state to recommend content, teaching methods for each year of high school

 

SPRINGFIELD - April 25, 2012. Illinois middle and high schools are one step closer to accessing statewide math curricula thanks to a bill supported by Lt. Governor Sheila Simon that passed the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee unanimously today.

 

SB 3244, which passed 22-0, authorizes the Illinois State Board of Education to design curriculum models that detail content and teaching techniques for middle and high school math standards. Schools could opt to follow the state-recommended scope and sequence of study for math and math equivalent courses through a student's final year of high school, or continue to follow local curricula.

 

The bill does not change high school graduation requirements in math; however the state could adjust the requirement - by mandating more time or a competency test, for example - if it finds that students who use the state curriculum perform better than those that do not. The new curriculum will be available for the 2013-14 school year, with analysis to come four years later, according to the bill.

 

"Students learn locally, but they compete globally," Simon said. "Employers and colleges are telling us that too many of our students are not competing in math. This bill will provide educators across the state, in all zip codes, the tools they need to prepare their students for college and career math."

 

In 2011, 58 percent of high school graduates did not meet the math college readiness benchmark, according to ACT. More than one-third of recent high school graduates who transitioned as full-time community college freshmen between 2006-08 enrolled in at least one remedial math course, according to the Illinois Community College Board. Students who enroll in remedial courses are more likely to drop out or graduate late.

 

Simon said the optional statewide curriculum moves away from simply requiring "seat time" to promoting use of that time wisely, with the ultimate goal of making students more employable and reducing expensive and time-consuming remedial math needs in higher education. The state curriculum could be most helpful to teachers in districts that lack curriculum directors or that rely on textbook manufacturers that claim their materials are aligned with state standards.

 

The bill passed out of the Senate 50-1 in March and now moves to the House for a vote.

 

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