The winner of this essay contest will receive 1 Week of language classes and a shared room in dorm/apartment. Second prize is $500 gift certificate valid for any AmeriSpan program in Barcelona 2 weeks or longer including Teenager programs, College Study Abroad or any other Barcelona program.

Read more about Barcelona Spanish schools

Brother Gale Condit gives a thumbs up after he was introduced as Archbishop Rummel High School’s new president.

The announcement Friday morning at a Rummel student assembly drew a standing ovation from the school’s 820 students as well as teachers, administrators, alumni and members of the search committee. They cheered again when they learned that Michael Scalco, Rummel’s interim president and principal, will remain as principal.

“I want all of you to know that I’m glad I’m coming home,” said Condit, a former student teacher, teacher, admissions director and development director at Rummel.

Condit’s appointment, which takes effect July 1, comes seven months after an administrative shakeup in which President Michael Begg and Principal Thomas Moran Jr. resigned abruptly. Although they said they were leaving for personal reasons, there had been serious concerns among alumni, parents and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans about Rummel’s enrollment falling from 1,350 before Hurricane Katrina to 890 in the 2010-11 academic year.

In an interview after the assembly, Condit, 69, said increasing enrollment is not his prime mission. “I’m not charged with putting 1,000 or 1,200 boys here but to develop the core values” of the LaSallian mission, including faith in the presence of God, quality education and concern for poor people and social justice.

As president, Condit will raise money, represent the school in the community and oversee broader policy matters and budget, while Scalco, as principal, will continue to run the school’s day-to-day operations.

In a statement, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said he is “very pleased and excited” that Condit agreed to return to Rummel.

“I believe this is a very good step forward for the Archbishop Rummel community, and a step forward that shows respect for the school’s past with a return of a Christian Brother to lead the school in the Lasallian tradition.”

Condit’s appointment was announced by archdiocesan schools Superintendent Jan Lancaster. She said Condit was the top choice of Aymond and the search committee, both agreeing that while they wanted a Christian Brother to lead Rummel, “it couldn’t be any Christian Brother. (They) wanted Brother Gale.”

Scalco said the appointment is a “major coup” for Rummel, which has not had Christian Brother leadership for 20 years. “This is a very great day for Rummel,” he said, “We can’t wait to get Brother on campus.”

Chris Price, a 1995 Rummel graduate, former Rummel teacher and a member of the search committee, agreed.

“When you put the list of qualities you want in a leader, he fits them all,” Price said. “He’s going to really invigorate the Rummel community.”

Condit worked as a student teacher at Rummel in 1965 and returned as a teacher in the 1970s after spending time on the faculties of two other local Christian Brother schools: St. Paul’s and De La Salle High School in New Orleans.

He also worked at Loyola University and the Academy of the Sacred Heart before returning to Rummel in 1989 as the admissions director for two years and director of development for eight years.

…….

Dr Eduardo de la Fuente

Like thousands of others, sociologist Dr Eduardo de la Fuente recently queued to buy tickets and waited patiently to be admitted to the blockbuster Picasso exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The experience, he said, underscored the contrast between “popular” visual artists and “invisible” composers of the 20th century in contemporary culture.

Dr de la Fuente said that of the many reasons for why music of all the modernist arts had been the most resistant to popular adoption, it was the “role” of the composer that offered the most telling insights.

Adapting typologies from the sociology of religion, Dr de la Fuente assessed the roles of four of the most significant composers of the 20th century – Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez and John Cage – respectively as that of prophet, priest, ascetic or mystic.

“The musical ‘sub-culture’ of 20th century art music was incredibly intense, energetic and tribal,” he said.

“Having said that, despite the dominant stereotype of the modern composer as a kind of deranged scientist exploring abstract theoretical and technological possibilities, 20th century music was quite diverse: it ranged from people who composed in a fairly Romantic or Classicist way through to people who felt you had to reinvent musical language in every single piece and everything in between.”

Despite the problem that much art music of the last century did not connect with the public , Dr de la Fuente argues that this intriguing musical culture is very interesting from a sociological perspective.

“These composers tell us a great deal about the hopes and frustrations, aspirations and limitations of living a modern existence,” he said.

Dr de la Fuente also suggests that, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the pluralism of 20th century musical styles and theories, as well as the birth of a new spirituality in music, offers the prospect of music rediscovering a sense of “re-enchantment” and that – as has happened with figures such as Gorecki and Pärt, Glass and Adams – this may help to bridge the gap between composers and audiences.

Dr de la Fuente was invited to lecture on his book in the School of Humanities, Ateneo University of Manila, in July 2011. He will be giving a talk at the Centre for Cultural Research, Griffith University, in March, and will participate on a panel on Music Signification at the University of Nanjing in October.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors and $17-15 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 920-832-6749.

Since its formation in 2007, the Pelt Quintet has emerged as one of jazz’s top-tier mainstream performers. The band recently returned from an international tour that took them throughout Europe as well as Turkey and India and celebrated the release of their fourth album, “Soul,” which features six works written by Pelt.

Legendary jazz writer, producer and former associate editor of DownBeat magazine Nat Hentoff has said “It is the beat of Jeremy Pelt’s heart…that underscores the future of jazz.”

A California native who began playing the trumpet in elementary school, Pelt has earned the repeated praise of DownBeat and the Jazz Journalist Association, both of which have named him a “rising star” on trumpet five years in a row. His early focus was on classical studies, but in high school his interests in jazz emerged. He went on to study jazz performance and film studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

He played his first professional gig with the Mingus Big Band and since making his home in New York, Pelt has performed with jazz icons Roy Hargrove, Ravi Coltrane, Greg Osby and Cassandra Wilson, among others.

“Jeremys Quintet brings a performing style to Lawrences Jazz Series that we havent witnessed on campus since the Mingus Big Band was here in 2003,” said Fred Sturm, director of jazz studies and improvisational music at Lawrence. “Its too confining to dub it hard bop, though Jeremy is obviously influenced by the great lineage of hard bop era trumpeters Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and others. Jeremy and the guys bring their unique individual musical histories to the table, drawing upon influences as far ranging as Louis Armstrong and hip hop. I suspect what well hear may best be described as contemporary straight ahead jazz.

In addition to leading is own band  — tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, pianist Danny Grissett, Dwayne Burno on bass and drummer Gerald Cleaver — Pelt is member of the Lewis Nash Septet and The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes.

Im anxious for our jazz students to hear and interact with Jeremy and his band,” said Sturm.  “This is a young jazz artist who is only a decade farther down the road than our upperclassmen. It will be inspirational for the students to witness what big-league talent and dedication will earn you in a rigorous and competitive domain.

In addition to “Soul,” Pelt’s discography includes 2011’s “Talented Mr. Pelt,” “November,” released in 2008 and 2005’s “Identity.”

About Lawrence University

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries.

From the TED summary:

With his team at SENSEable City Lab, MITs Carlo Ratti makes cool things by sensing the data we create. He pulls from passive data sets like the calls we make, the garbage we throw away to create surprising visualizations of city life. And he and his team create dazzling interactive environments from moving water and flying light, powered by simple gestures caught through sensors.

There are some interesting data visualizations here, too.

My old favorite restaurant, the Radial Cafe on DeKalb, has changed hands and WXIA was reporting on this as a sign of the times.  A career food guy lost his corporate job and bought the restaurant as his job.  Buying a job.  I didnt say in the interview that I prefer starting from scratch instead of buying, but still job well done.  He is feeding his family.

Coincidentally, I used to eat at Radial everyday.  They had a fried chicken, bacon, provo cheese sandwich there named the Jim Beach!

Here are a few tips to help you navigate this often difficult and mysterious process:

1) Know your file.  Before you can develop a waitlist strategy, you need to understand where you may have fallen short in the application process.  Read over your file with a critical eye and try to identify any weaknesses. Talk to anyone you know who might be able to give you feedback .

2) Familiarize yourself with the school’s waitlist rules.  Do you need to opt in in order to be on the list?  Are you allowed to submit supplemental materials to bolster your case or inform the committee of changes to your candidacy?  Does the school offer a chance for feedback via a phone session or interview with a waitlist manager?

3) Follow the waitlist rules.

CASE A: Schools that accept supplemental materials.  If a school hints that you may want to provide a supplemental essay or recommendation letter, then by all means, take this offer seriously and get something together for the committee.  Approach these materials in the same way that you would approach the application process .  If you have several items you wish to send, it may make sense to spread them out over the course of a few weeks to demonstrate steady interest.

CASE B: Schools that do not accept supplemental materials.  This may sound obvious, but if a school indicates that they do not want supplemental materials, then you should respect their guidelines.  In other words, do not send along a new recommendation or an essay if the program has clearly indicated that you should not do so.  There may be exceptions to this – for example, if a dramatic change has taken place in your candidacy – but in most cases, you should simply follow the rules.

4) Consider a school visit.  It may make sense to visit the school, particularly if you have not been before.  So many different things can happen on a visit:

a) You never know when you’ll have that chance meeting with an admissions officer who is willing to give you a little feedback .

b) A school may take note of your visit and view it as a potential sign of your interest.

c) You may interact with students or professors who can better inform you of opportunities at the school and provide you with helpful content for any waitlist materials you go on to submit.

d) By visiting, you may find out that school X is really not for you, enabling you to move on and remove yourself from the waitlist.

Just as there are a number of waitlist to-do items, there are also countless things to avoid doing.  We’ll devote another post to that at a later date.  Please contact the Clear Admit offices for questions about waitlist strategy and our related services .

In addition, for valuable guidance about being on the waitlist, check out the Clear Admit Waitlist Guide.  This guide will teach you to understand the ground rules of a program’s waitlist policy, formulate a plan to address weaknesses in your candidacy, craft effective communications to the admissions committee and explore every opportunity to boost your chances of acceptance.  This 22-page PDF file, which includes school-specific waitlist policies and sample communication materials, is available for immediate download.

Congruent triangles are triangles that have the same size and shape. This means that the corresponding sides are equal and the corresponding angles are equal.

We can tell whether two triangles are congruent without testing all the sides and all the angles of the two triangles. In this lesson, we will consider the four rules to prove triangle congruence. They are called the SSS rule, SAS rule, ASA rule and AAS rule. In another lesson, we will consider a proof used for right triangles called the Hypotenuse Leg rule. As long as one of the rules is true, it is sufficient to prove that the two triangles are congruent.

Side-Side-Side (SSS) Rule

Side-Side-Side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The SSS rule states that 

If three sides of one triangle are equal to three sides of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In the diagrams below, if AB = RP, BC = PQ and CA = QR, then triangle ABC is congruent to triangle RPQ.

Side-Angle-Side (SAS) Rule

Side-Angle-Side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The SAS rule states that 

If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are equal to two sides and included angle of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

An included angle is an angle formed by two given sides.

    Included Angle                         Non-included angle

For the two triangles below, if AC = PQ, BC = PR and angle C = angle P , then using the SAS rule, triangle ABC is congruent to triangle QRP

Angle-Side-Angle (ASA) Rule

Angle-side-angle is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The ASA rule states that 

If two angles and the included side of one triangle are equal to two angles and included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

Angle-Angle-Side (AAS) Rule

Angle-angle-side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The AAS rule states that 

If two angles and a non-included side of one triangle are equal to two angles and a non-included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In the diagrams below, if AC = QP, angle A = angle Q, and angle B = angle R, then triangle ABC is congruent to triangle QRP.

The following video will explain three ways to prove triangles congruent – A lesson on SAS, ASA and SSS,

Using Two Column Proofs to Prove Triangles Congruent

Triangle Congruence by SSS - How to Prove Triangles Congurent
Side Side Side Postulate
If three sides of one triangle are congruent to three sides of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Triangle Congruence by SAS – How to Prove Triangles Congurent
SAS Postulate
If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are congruent to two sides and the included angle of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Prove Triangle Congruence with ASA Postulate
Angle Side Angle Postulate
It two angles and the included side of one triangle are congruent to two angles and the included side of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Triangle Congruence by AAS Postulate
Angle Angle Side Postulate
It two angles and a nonincluded side of one triangle are congruent to two angles and a nonincluded side of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

The Choice, a blog related to college admissions from the New York Times, has started providing posts to help students in India.

India Ink provides college admissions information specifically directed at some of the issues facing international students in general, and Indian students in particular.  The first few articles are from admissions officers at highly selective colleges in the US.

For my readers in India, this can be a good resource to provide general information about college admissions in the US. Of course, you can also contact me with your questions to get more specific answers.

School district officials and Hidalgo County commissioners are drawing up an interlocal agreement to spend anywhere from $140,000 to $280,000 dollars on the project.

Officials told Action 4 News that the county has agreed to provide the district with dirt, equipment, and fuel to get the ball rolling.

The agreement also states the county will provide labor for the spreading, compacting, shaping and  fine grading for approximately 3,400 feet of the barrier wall.

The district will be responsible for the construction of the wall and maintaining it.            

The wall will completely cover the north side of both schools and extend to the east and western portion of both campuses.

School district officials told Action 4 News that these changes are to better protect the students and they’re hoping it will ease the parents minds.

This agreement will not be made official until it goes before the Edinburg CISD school board for a vote this coming Tuesday.

Christine Lagarde loves her job. She likes passing out instruments in music class and helping the teachers hand out snacks. She likes teaching the hand motions that go along with the songs and comforting the toddlers.

If someone is sad, I sit with her and make her feel better, she says. What I love most about my job is the children.

Christine, 22, has Down syndrome. She started working at the St. Timothy United Methodist Church Preschool in October, and she thinks her job is perfect.

Her mother agrees.

Im just so happy shes happy, Kay Lagarde says. I couldnt have prayed for anything nicer.

Lynn Otillio, director of the Mandeville preschool, says Christines story shows how inclusion leads to success.

The Lagardes live in Covington now, but when Christine was a baby, they lived in Uptown New Orleans, where she was welcomed into a large, loving family. She has always gone to school with typical children.

She started out at Newcomb Nursery School and did really well there, Lagarde says. It was a very progressive school.

She and her husband, Jimmy, wanted Christine to continue in an inclusion program, and they asked administrators at Holy Name of Jesus School, where their sons were students, if Christine could go there.

She was the first child with Down syndrome at the school, and she was there from pre-k through fourth grade, Lagarde says. It was fabulous. She made her First Communion with her classmates and got so much out of it socially, but it was also great for the other kids.

When she was in second grade, Christine received the Cox Cable Inspirational Hero Award for befriending a little boy who was having all kinds of problems in school.

He kind of attached himself to her and did a turnaround, Lagarde says.

After the Lagardes moved to the north shore, Christine started going to public school in Mandeville and became an active member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church. She was a cheerleader at Mandeville Junior High and joined the choir, and at Mandeville High School she was part of the Best Buddy Club, where typical students and special-needs teenagers hang out together and become friends.

Christines best buddy adores her, Lagarde says. Thats the beauty of inclusion. If you can get these kids together when theyre young, theyre accepting. Its just like being in a family.

Christine also got vocational training and life skills training during high school.

She went to a child development class she really liked, Lagarde says. She has always loved babies and children and older people. My dad was in skilled nursing over at Christwood, and she was nursing everyone in the place.

Before she graduated from Mandeville High in May, Christine was evaluated by Audrey Fabre, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, to see what kind of job would be best for her. And Fabre connected Christine with Lifeworks Career Development Center, which helps special-needs students find suitable jobs.

I wanted her to be somewhere like a retirement home or a nursery school, Lagarde says. Shes very nurturing. She just has a tender heart.

Otillio loves having Christine in the music room and the toddler room working with the children.

She just shines with her dear sweet spirit, the preschool director says.

Otillio knew Christine before she came to the school for an interview. A few years ago, when some mothers of special needs students were looking for a place to hold a summer camp for their kids, they approached St. Timothys and asked if they could hold it there. Otillios daughter ended up running Camp Tiger Paw, and Otillio helped out.

We just feel so blessed that Lynn got to know Christine through the little camp, Lagarde says.

When Otillio presented the idea of hiring Christine to the preschool board, members were all for it.

She had the interview on Friday, and they let her start on Monday, Lagarde says. I think this is God telling me, This is what Christine was meant to do.

For Otillio, who has worked at St. Timothys for 25 years, having Christine on her staff is a natural progression. Her first experience with inclusion came in the early 90s when Stephanie Frazer came to her and asked if her son Christopher, who had physical disabilities caused by a rare neurological disorder, could be enrolled in the school if he had a personal attendant to help with his needs.

Frazer had been driving her son across the lake to be in a state-of-the-art inclusive program at LSU Medical School where he was in a class of five typical and five special-needs students. The program was for children up to age 3, and she wanted him to continue in an inclusive program where typical children would serve as role models.

Otillio remembers the day they came to meet her and see the school.

Christopher was using a little walker reluctantly, but when we went into the gym and he saw the other children, he grabbed the sides of it and took off, she says.

He started school the following September and blossomed there.

Otillios most vivid memory of Christopher is at the annual Christmas program three months later when all the children filed up to the front of the church to sing.

There was Christopher, walking independently with his classmates, she says. When you see the children in their little white Christmas collars, its always your special Christmas moment. That year, I dont think there was a dry eye in the sanctuary.

Frazer says Christophers experience at St. Timothys was very positive for him and comforting for her.

They were able to look beyond his differences and integrate him into their activities, she says. He started out with that little walker and ended up carrying it around.

Christopher is now a student at Mandeville High School.

I dont think he would have progressed like he has without the opportunity at St. Timothys, Frazer says. It was good for us, and it was good for them.

Several other special-needs students have attended St. Timothys since Christopher went there, some with personal attendants and some who didnt need them.

Every child has been different, and their needs have been different, Otillio says. We dont offer therapy or special education. We offer exposure to typical kids.

Whats overlooked sometimes, she says, is the wonderful effect inclusion has on typical children.

They learn not to be afraid of someone different, she says. Our September unit is always about how God made each one of us special and unique. The special-needs children have made a huge difference in all of us.

And now Christine is at St. Timothys, filling the school with her dear sweet spirit.

I never dreamed we would have a special needs child, and now we employ a special-needs adult, Otillio says, smiling. I feel like weve come full-circle. It just doesnt get any better than that.

Our first Superstar Volunteer is Sunnie Robles-Schmidt from Santa Rosa, California. Props to Sunnie who has figured out how to juggle her busy family life AND volunteer at both the elementary school and high school. to learn more about what kind of volunteer work brings her joy. Congrats Sunnie, for being the first SBLI Superstar Volunteer and for winning $500 for your school!

Do you have a volunteer at your school that you think deserves a SBLI Superstar Volunteer designation? today – winners get a $500 donation to their school and will be featured on both ptotoday.com and SBLI, just like Sunnie!

Check out the video below for an idea of a typical teen summer abroad experience.

Check out AmeriSpans Salamanca Summer Camp

EKG technician training programs are designed to provide an overview of the ECG waveform and how to interpret and understand them. The work of an ECG technician in a health care facility is to perform electrocardiograms on patients referred by physicians. However, a cardiac specialist should be familiar with almost all types of abnormalities and arrhythmias.

Normally, the main courses focus on the anatomy and physiology of a cardiovascular system, cardiac conduction system, ECG graphs, normal sinus rhythm, cardiac arrhythmia, the placement of the electrode and maintaining the equipment.

During the EKG technician training, students learn the basics of EKG tests, including skin preparation, selection and application of electrodes, using of protocols for exercise testing and monitoring of pulse rate and blood pressure. In addition, they become skilled in interpreting the data, writing reports, and especially the importance of diagnosis and prognosis or sensitivity and specificity of the tests in different health care facility.