Rodrigo Garza Urquiza

Cover Story
Rodrigo
Garza
Urquiza
Class 05’
Feature Story
JOHN F. KENNEDY · THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF QUERÉTARO
1
FALL
2010
VOL. 1 NO. 6
nov 2010
VISION
To facilitate the balanced
development of our students;
with commitment and respect
for the local community and
a multicultural world.
Academic
Mirtha Stappung M.Ed., MA
GENERAL DIRECTOR
Corner
Charles Weiss M.Ed., MA
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
Debra Cortney MA
PRE–SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mark Dunn M.Ed., MA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Tara Fitzgerald Ed. Admin., MS
MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Adrian Leece MA, BSc, FRMtS
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Arturo Bustamante
Teachers
RNER
STAFF CO
d
n
&
Teachers a
ea
Staff receiv
g re e
e
D
s
r´
Maste
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
C.P. Josefina Morgan
M. Admon. y Finanzas
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Lic. Roberto Loyola Vera; Act. Maria
del Mar Sánchez Rull; Ing. Ángel de
Lope Friedeberg; Lic. Maria Antonieta
Cuellar Minguet; Arq. Rodolfo Vega
Fricke; Arq. Mathew Schmidt Covo;
C.P. Benito Adolfo Tagle Jiménez.
A New
Multi–
Purpose
Cour t For All!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lic. Mónica Duarte Balcárcel
EDITOR IN CHIEF AND
CHAIR OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Charles Weiss; Janine Galan, Erika
Lastra, NilliSilberstein, Min Su Kim,
Adrian Leece, Arturo Bustamante,
Mónica Duarte, Karla Ríos.
f e at u r e
story
WRITERS
Héctor Muñoz
DESIGN
Karla Ríos, Víctor Ortega, Asbed Levi
PHOTOGRAPHY
ALUMNI OFFICE
Valeria Fagiolani
http://alumni.jfk.edu.mx
ADVERTISING SALES
ni
Connecting with Alum
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Letter fr
om
The Gene
ra
Director l
Have something
Pre -schoo
to say
l Tricycle
Park
tory
Cover S
BRUNO RODRÍGUEZ
RICARDO URQUIZA
ENRIQUE FAUSTO
Karla Ríos
Tel. (442) 218 0075 ext. 1010
[email protected]
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1
AcademicCorner
OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS BY OUR FACULTY OR STUDENTS
Our alumni play an important role in the life
and history of the John F. Kennedy School.
They carry the success of this institution around
the world as part of this Grand Kennedy Community. Their special connection and ongoing
contributions of time and support provide an
inspiration to us all.
This edition highlights the Alumni Breakfast held here as part of our 45th Anniversary
celebration. So many alumni,from far and wide,
found their way back to the school for a delightful reunion and a chance to visit the campus
once again.
We value our graduates and will continue
through this publication, our alumni web site,
and Facebook to remain in touch. Plans are
expanding to bring alumni even closer through
direct involvement in ongoing school activities.
Another article in this edition highlights our
Habitat for Humanity project. This year marks
the first time that alumni have been invited to
join in this important work. We welcome their
participation.
The feature story in this edition of our JFK
Times is about our American accreditation with
Mirtha Stappung
M.Ed., MA
General Director
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advanced, Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools (sacs casi). Although we are also
accredited by the Mexican government through
its Department of Education (sep), and with the
International Baccalaureate Organization (ibo),
we are especially proud of our membership in
this exclusive American organization. Membership in sacs casi supports our efforts to be a
school of quality. Their guidelines for accreditation help to drive our improvement efforts and
contribute in so many ways to ensure that we
continue to provide a world class education
for our students.
A new project of the school is to launch an
annual school campaign. This year we focus
upon the goal of creating a multi-purpose
athletic court. This project requires community
funding and we do hope that graduates will
also be able to contribute to this campaign.
Our motto for this year, “Unity makes us strong–
Together we are better”, certainly includes all
of our alumni. We know that they form an important pillar of strength within the community.
Do keep in touch.
A Global
Approach to
Succeed in a
Multicultural
Setting
By: Janie Galan Grade 10 English Teacher
and Erika Lastra College Counselor
The quality
of our
graduates is
recognized
by many
local and
national
colleges who
make special
concessions
for them.
Student Profile
Whether planning to attend college in Mexico
or abroad, our students at JFK are not only
prepared to meet the academic requirements,
but the student profile alone makes them very
attractive candidates for admission. JFK’s
school−wide emphasis on diversity, character
development, and values produces students
that are committed and respectful individuals
who possess the tools to succeed in a multicultural setting.
ing certain skills and traits. JFK is focused
on developing leadership skills and a commitment to community service through different
programs, conferences, and activities. Students
that take advantage of these different opportunities enrich their résumé and hence become
more attractive candidates for colleges.
Concessions made by Colleges
The quality of our graduates is recognized
by many local and national colleges who make
special concessions for them. In order to reFostering Leadership Skills
cruit our students they waive admission testing
and Commitment to Community Service
requirements and fees, travel to our campus to
JFK is always looking for ways to enrich the
students’ educational experience by promoting offer on–site admission testing, and set aside
our school values and simultaneously develop- a number of scholarships for our students.
3
Advantages of Our Curriculum
Studying at JFK also facilitates the process for
studying abroad. Because our students graduate with a valid US High School diploma, there
is no need to notarize or certify their transcripts thereby making the admission process
smooth and timely. JFK students have the
privilege of completing the International Baccalaureate which is considered one of the most
Focus on Effective Essay Writing
One of the most common challenges students
face in the admission and scholarship application processes, both in Mexico and the US, is
writing college essays. Usually colleges will
request that applicants write a short personal
essay on a specific topic or on a topic chosen
by the student. The purpose of the essay is for
the college admissions or financial aid officer
Every year
JFK hosts
a College
Fair with
representatives
from
colleges
in Mexico,
U.S.,
Canada,
Europe,
Australia,
and Asia.
rigorous programs worldwide. Holding an IB
diploma weighs favorably on admissions decisions. Additionally, some colleges offer special
scholarships for outstanding IB graduates.
Standardized Tests
Another unique advantage our students have
is the opportunity to take the Preliminary sat
(psat), Test of English as a Foreign Language
(toefl), and sat tests on campus. The psat
and toefl are preparation tests, while the sat
is an official test for college admissions. As a
matter of fact, JFK is the only official testing
center for the sat in Queretaro.
4
to obtain insight on the individual’s character
and personality. The essay holds great value as
it is the only document in which the student’s
voice is heard. The JFK English curriculum
focuses on effective essay writing, thus preparing the students to succeed in delivering high
quality college essays. It is common practice
for students all over the world to have several
people revise the essay before submitting the
final copy. Students at JFK are fortunate to
have highly qualified teachers willing to aid
in the revision process during their free time.
Now this is what we call commitment!
As a matter of fact,
JFK is the only
official testing
center for the
SAT in Queretaro.
The College Counselor
The process of applying to college and seeking out scholarships can be quite daunting to
any high school student. Having someone to
guide them through the process is definitely
an advantage. JFK students have a resource
available to them on campus on a daily basis—
their college counselor. One college may not
be the right college for every student, just like
one student may not be right for every college.
Finding the right match is one of the many
tasks the college counselor helps the student
complete. Our college counselor spends countless hours guiding our students through the
college admissions maze. Students have many
questions and doubts about this important
step in their education and they can certainly
feel more confident when they have someone
they can rely on for guidance.
Annual College Fair
Students may or may not know which college
they would like to attend. Therefore it is vital
for them to research different options before
making a final choice. Every year JFK hosts a
College Fair with representatives from colleges
in Mexico, U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and
Asia. Students have the opportunity to talk
with over 90 college admission officers and
college representatives one on one. This is a
great opportunity for the students and their
parents to gain perspective on the different colleges, the academic programs, and the scholarship opportunities available. Comments from
college representatives about our students
have been consistently positive both regarding
their academic standings and their profile, and
they are enthusiastic about returning to JFK
year after year.
Visits to College Campuses
As a result of the relationships fostered
between JFK and the colleges, opportunities arise for some of our most outstanding
students to visit college campuses around the
world with all expenses paid. The purpose of
these visits is for the students to interview with
college admission officers and to get a feel for
life at those colleges.
5
Building
Community
Habitat for
Humanity a
Home for Many
and a New Story
for Many More
THE JFK SPIRIT
By: Nilli Silberstein
Expanding
Habitat
Jose, one of the leaders in the community sits
down next to me as the community and the
students sit down at the long table to enjoy
a warm meal. Even though hours have been
spent in the hot sun building the house, the
noise level rises as they laugh and talk about
life, and Jose has to raise his voice to tell me
his story. The students sit around me and the
community members, with their bowls of hot
chicken soup and rice resting on the wooden
table and the freshly made tortillas sit rolled
6
g to Habitat for Humanity oru.mx.
If you are interested in donatin
ase email [email protected]
participating in the project, plei are
group.
Students, Parents and alumn welcome to join our
in their hands. Jose’s house is one of the three
houses we are working on this weekend. Don
Jose is 24, married to Maria de Jesus with
one son, Jesus Eric who is three years old.
He smiles as he talks about his job at a small
business in Celaya. A few other men from the
community gather around and sit on the floor
around me ready to tell their stories and listen
to mine. As students and community members
sit close together around the table and Jose
and I remain immersed in our conversation,
there is no division between genders, social
class, or city of birth. The community is never
hesitant to open their arms to us, share their
stories, their food and their love.
Habitat for Humanity is an organization
that originated in 1976 and now extends to the
remotest corners of the earth. It is a non-profit
organization that seeks to eradicate homelessness in the 90 countries it participates in, one
house at a time. The John F Kennedy American School of Queretaro has participated by
sending 11 and 12th grade students to build
homes in Guanajuato for the past 5 years.
Construction is not the only activity that is
done in the community. The social service
combines helping the community build homes,
sharing dinner with them, and leading workshops in nutrition, self-esteem, soccer and
cooking. Students step onto the bus feeling
that they are going to make a difference,
and get back on the bus having changed their
way of thinking and realizing how much we
can learn from other people. Aura Romero,
a 12th grader states that “People feel swell
and understood and the community has the
advantage of being noticed and supported,
it’s beautiful to see humans helping humans.”
Ana Paula Villasenor, a 12th grade JFK student
explains that “Sometimes when doing social
service, we believe that our work is insignificant and doesn’t make a real difference.
By being here, you realize that even if you are
not able to build a hundred houses with your
own hands, the fact that these people feel they
are being paid attention to is very motivating.
They want to know that we care, and that does
make the difference.”
The social
service
combines
helping the
community
build
homes,
sharing
dinner
with them,
and
leading
workshops
in nutrition, selfesteem,
soccer
and
cooking.
7
Habitat is a great program that
helps improve the community,
but more importantly yo u
automatically become a lotu.mYo
conscious about how you canorbee
the difference.
Enrique Rubio
I thought the community was
everyman for himself but that is
100% wrong, the way they interact
with each other is just fascinating.
Alejandro
Mier y Teran
When I talked with a
young man he explained
how much they
appreciate our help. He
went twice to Wisconsin
as an illegal immigrant.
He worked in the U.S.
for 13 years and made
lots of money. Two years
ago he got his papers
in the U.S. and now
he can work and travel
legally. For people like us
it is really easy to get
things. We haven’t got
real challenges. People
in these communities
really need to take risks
in order to get money
and have a better life.
Santiago Taracena
We work on building hous
will later be a home, this ises,somwhethiching
incredible for people with few resources,
having their own house.
Daniel Castro
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way of thinking.
This project has chanmgeed amviyew into the real world
The project has given zone. I have become aware of
outside of my comforthave in these towns. The story
the problems people how they crossed into the
that I heard about to these problems.
US opened my eyes
Enrique Bernal
9
Our
Students
THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Our
Students
Join the
National
Honor
Society
An organization of
which I am now a
proud member
By: Min Su Kim
However,
there
was an
important
responsibility for us;
to provide
social service support
to a local
charity.
10
The first time I was called in as a candidate for
the National Honor Society (NHS), I was honestly dazzled by what I was getting into. None
of my friends knew what the NHS was, and yet,
there we were a handful of what I deduced to
be the top students of High School. Although
I had not yet been able to entirely fathom what
NHS was, something about the society made
me increasingly attracted to it. There was a
certain feeling of pride that engulfed us all. By
the end of that same day I had set a new goal:
no matter what, I would be a part of this.
The NHS elects its members based on
Scholarship, Leadership, Service
and Character.
So what is the NHS? Well, it is a society in
the United States in which only top students
from each school are eligible for membership
based on four criteria, Scholarship, Leadership,
Service and Character and we, the students
from the JFK, were now a part of it! The mere
thought of it made me (and I am sure the others as well) seriously consider the honor for
which we had been elected. However, there was
an important responsibility for us; to provide
social service support to a local charity. Fortunately, our NHS advisor, Mr. Heath, helped us
with our first project: a Bike-a-thon.
of an amazing 33,000 pesos, and there
was still money unaccounted for!
Many more people had gathered for
the Bike- a- thon than I had contemplated. Many NHS members brought either
a family member or friends to participate in the event. The people from the
food bank were jocundly watching us
run/ride for a full 45 minutes. Most
didn’t give in to tiredness and some had
seemingly endless endurance! It was such a
successful event, in which the final count for the
money gathered from our sponsors was 39,000
pesos and 150 kilos of food. Amazing!
Finally, I will never forget the day that I was
inducted into the NHS. We, the candidates,
The Bike-a-thon, a tiny project that
were formally dressed and inaugurated as
became a huge reality
In May 2010 the NHS members ran around the members of the JFK Chapter of the NHS.
Although it was a rather small ceremony, since
track earning donations from sponsors who
only members, parents, and teachers were indonated a specified amount of money per lap,
vited, it was still a very memorable night. Every
which was then given to “Alimentos Para la
Vida”, a Food Bank in Queretaro that helps feed member had the honor to be welcomed into the
needy communities. With the help of Mr. Heath NHS by a teacher or staff member through a
and the enthusiasm from everyone, we made a speech. I was inaugurated by Robert Callahan,
a member of the NHS. He presented to me a
seemingly tiny project become a huge reality.
During the preparation process, I experienced a most eloquent speech, mesmerizing me. Only
gradual change in my enthusiasm; from heavy then was I ready to stand on high ground and
proudly say: I am a member of the John F. Kenthoughts to the greatest expectations. The expected earnings for the Bike-a-thon neared that nedy National Honor Society.
It was such
a successful event,
in which
the final
count for
the money
gathered
from our
sponsors
was 39,000
pesos and
150 kilos
of food.
Amazing!
11
&
Teachers
STAFFCORNER
A FOCUS ON OUR STAFF
Teachers and Staff
receive a Master´s
Degree for International
Educators from Buffalo
State University
By: Adrian Lecce
In June the JFK was proud to host a special
graduation ceremony for 25 of our teachers and staff that had just completed their
studies for the title of Master’s Degree for
International Educators, from Buffalo State
University, New York. Here is an excerpt
from the speech made at that ceremony by
Adrian Leece, our High School Principal.
worried if there is silence!
For a community of learners such differences
are enormous. Each section now has a carefully
planned curriculum. In High School this means
70 courses are planned, with precise objectives,
and aligned to internationally agreed standards of education. Teachers still have the flexibility to teach how they teach best, but what
they are teaching serves a much grander plan
I hear people say that if you went back 100
than before. Each subject, each unit, and each
years the only thing you would find that hasn’t topic aligns itself to program spanning Pre−
changed is the classroom.
School to High School. Such alignment, such
Well, that simply isn’t true at JFK.
sense of purpose does not happen by accident,
We have taken old things like grading stu(and in many schools it doesn’t happen at all!),
dents’ work, and learned instead how to assess but here at JFK we have achieved this mainly
progress and evaluate effort. There are fewer
through the drive, determination and guidance
exams now and more formative and summative of all of you in this Master’s program.
assessments and students often evaluate their
Not only have we found new ways to do the
own progress against rubrics. Not long ago
old things, but we have also found completely
students sat in rows and teachers spent their
new things to do. Many teachers around the
days pleading for silence. Now they sit in small school now have their spaces on the internet.
groups helping each other learn, and we get
We have learned about blogs and wiki’s, and
12
“Not only
have we
found new
ways to do
the old
things, but
we have
also found
completely
new things
to do.”
many such tools and techniques are now
incorporated into different subjects around
the school.
Then there is the individual research that we
have undertaken, a list of which would be too
long and rich to discuss in detail here. But as a
general overview, there are studies on various
teaching strategies which will directly improve
our understanding of how students can learn
better. There are studies on the use of various
forms of technology to build better and more
interesting classes, preparing students with appropriate skills for the 21st century. Other studies take a broader look at what we do, considering the value of programs such as Mentoring,
which will help us improve these critical areas.
Yet others look at issues such as the factors
influencing parental choice of schools, and
on how to build better communication links
between the school and its alumni. Some have
investigated statistical links and correlations
between standardized tests to use as predictors
of success to help us modify curriculum. And
yet others have investigated how to provide
more effective professional development, so
that we can keep on improving the school
through our own professionalism.
And finally, I know that these words have not
done justice to explain what we have all learned,
or the impact that it is already having here at
school, but there is something even more than
these details that has happened since we began
to study together. We have each become better
educators in our own ways. We each go about
our daily work with children in a clearer, more
confident and more enlightened way. We have
become more aware of where the opportunities exist to improve classes and improve the
educational experience of this whole community. And, what is also so wonderful is that we
all do this with a greater sense of teamwork.
We are building this school together, from the
inside out and the outside in, from Pre−School
to High School and High School to Pre−School.
And this experience, this sense of identity, this
heightened awareness of what a school community is really about, will continue to help move
JFK from Good to Great.
“We have
become
more aware
of where the
opportunities exist to
improve
classes and
improve the
educational
experience
of this whole
community.”
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Athlete of the
Year Award
SPORTS
PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR OUR MODEL OF EDUCATION
Jaguar
Day
By: Arturo Bustamante
Of all of the celebrations that take place in our
school, few represent our character and values so
much as Jaguar Day. This is the event where all
of us; teachers, students and staff, get together
to mark the official start of our annual sports
program.
This year Jaguar Day took place on October 1,
and as we have done for more than 11 years, we
gathered to celebrate the start of our after school
athletic programs. Another reason that
we assembled was to promote the all
important lessons found when
a student gives one hundred
percent of their energy and
enthusiasm to
their sport.
Jaguar Day
helps us to
remember
that selfdiscipline,
team work,
and the
ability to
follow thru
on commitments, make
us better
persons and
helps to
prepare us
to succeed
in life.
Jaguar Day helps us to remember that selfdiscipline, team work, and the ability to follow
thru on commitments, make us better persons
and helps to prepare us to succeed in life. This
is the reason why, on this day, we also take
the opportunity to honor students who have
excelled as athletes.
After the ceremonies honoring our students,
Jaguar Day continued with a great number of
activities geared not only to awakening our
spirit of participation, but also to have plain
and simple fun! Raffles, and an escalating wall,
with school band playing in the background,
were just some of the activities planned for
each section of our school.
Jaguar Day came to an end like it always
does; leaving us with a sense of friendship,
community and belonging that has always
made JFK so special.
We were proud to present, for the second
year in a row, our “Jaguar Athlete of the Year”
award. The last recipients were Karime Esper
Cook and Enrique Rodríguez Lomeli.
Congratulations to both!
As we do each year, we presented our new uniforms to student athletes with the reminder that
the uniform can help us to remember at all times the
responsibility and pride that comes with wearing
our school’s colors.
We also had the opportunity to talk about the
Annual School Campaign. This year the campaign
is focused upon the construction of a new multipurpose court that will allow JFK to open its doors
to basketball and other tournaments. It was also
announced that we will host the asomex
volleyball championship here on campus that
is scheduled for February 2011.
President’s Active
Lifestyle Award
On Jaguars Day, we were happy to deliver, for the
first time in our school, special Presidential Awards
granted to a group of our students by the U.S.
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports;
a Committee appointed by the American President
to promote a healthy lifestyle. Our students won this
honor by their participation in “The Active Lifestyle
Program”, which required them to enroll in a yearlong challenge to improve their physical fitness in
preparation for a series of standardized test measuring their resistance, force, speed and flexibility. The
successes of this new activity led to an increasing
number of students wanting to participate in this
challenge during this academic year.
The recipients of this important
recognition were:
Pamela Genoveva Castellanos Martínez
Luis Javier Gómez Urquiza
Manuel Ordóñez Fernández
Pablo Ordóñez Fernández
Juan Carlos Peralta Palma
Felipe Serrano Hoogsteyns
Adriano Alberto SarfatiBinetti
Christian Manuel Duana Velásquez
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JFK On The Move
WHAT ARE WE UP TO?
The New
Middle School
Building
A great effort of collaboration
On October 25th we had the great satisfaction
of inaugurating our new Middle School Building; a milestone that we can all feel proud of,
because it presented many challenges that required our whole community to come together
to overcome.
The participation of a great team, which included the Members of the Board of Directors,
three separate companies who took charge of
generating, constructing and supervising the
architectural project, and the support from
students, parents, teachers and staff, turned
this challenge into a successful reality.
16
Plataforma de Arquitectura was the company
in charge of architectural design, Indusa acted
as general contractor for the job and Cubica
1000 took on the supervision of the whole
project, in an effort without parallel in our
school’s history, because of the professional,
transparent and efficient way in which it was
carried out.
Our new Middle School building provides a
modern platform where our 21th students can
learn and live in state of the art spaces and
with state of the art technology.
Its 3,881.00 m2 house 17 classrooms, admin-
...it
presented
many
challenges
that
required
our whole
community
to come
together to
overcome.
istrative areas, a visual arts complex, a space
devoted to music and arts, an ecology workshop, a multipurpose conference room, and a
computer and media lab, aside from offering
teachers and students an adequate place to
learn, relax and enjoy time together.
In addition to all this, the building was designed to be environmentally friendly. Its main
façade consists of a green wall that provides
improved insulation on heat, and it is ready to
receive solar cells to provide energy for illumination in the near future.
These friendly, safe and inviting spaces are
designed to boost the physical and emotional
development of our middle school students,
fostering teamwork and allowing teachers
to organize better their schedules and their
classrooms. Not only are classrooms equipped
with an intercom system that allows a better
communication, but the building has plenty of
space that will make it easier to plan and organize interdisciplinary team projects.
Our Middle School building is proof of a
strong community willing to make things better an effort at a time. We invite the JFK community at large to continue contributing to our
school with a generous spirit. We know see the
great things we can do when we work together.
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Our
...
gn
ai
Fi
ual Ca
n
n
A
m
t
p
rs
A New
Multi–
Purpose
Court For All!
If you wish to make a donation to
our campaign, this is our account number.
By:
Mónica Duarte
his year we are launching an Annual
Campaign to improve some element of
our campus on a yearly basis. Each year will
find us focusing upon one project to complete.
Aside from having the satisfaction of watching our school improve, step-by-step, this effort
makes evident to our community that we can
do great things when we work together.
This campaign is designed so that everyone
can take part in it and share in the excitement
of reaching the goal that we have set out to
achieve. All of the income from the Christmas
Bazaar, from our annual Kermes and other
events are designated to be used for this annual campaign project.
The selection of a specific project to focus
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The objective of our Annual
Campaign 2010 − 2011
T
Name: Escuela John F. Kennedy A.C.
Bank: BBVA Bancomer
CLABE: 012 680 001 709 099 635
Account Number: 017 090 9963
e v e ry d o nat i o n coun t s!
upon is largely based on the goals set by our
Master Building Plan, but it also may be focused upon needs and requirements that arise
as our students take on new challenges. That
is why our 2010-2011 Annual Campaign will
be focused upon building a new multi-purpose
athletic court that will make our school eligible
to participate as a home court for basketball
tournaments and other large events.
We already have the design ready for the new
court and are planning on initiating the first
stage of construction with an approximate cost
of $1,500,000.00 pesos.
To help make this Annual Campaign a success we have added a new event to our calendar: A JFK golf tournament! This activity
... a new
multi-purpose athletic
court that
will make
our school
eligible to
participate
as a home
court for
basketball
tournaments and
other large
events.
will give us yet another chance
to unite our community in a
shared activity that not only
benefits our Annual Campaign
but also creates another opportunity for our community
to meet in a social context.
We hope that our Thanksgiving Golf Tournament will become a cherished JFK tradition.
We call upon your support and
generosity to help us to reach
the goal of our Annual Campaign.
Unity makes us Strong —
Together we are Better!
19
ACCREDITED SCHOOLS
ENJOY A RANGE
OF BENEFITS
By: Charles Weiss
Special thanks go to
the dedicated community
members who studied
the seven standards,
fifty-six indicators and
ninety−eight questions
in the report.
Study Team Leaders
Danielle Witchet, Heath Sparrow, Tara
Fitzgerald, Adrian Leece, Ceci Flores,
Mark Dunn and Debra Cortney.
Teachers
American accreditation is highly valued by
the school, knowing that their standards are
applied on a world-wide basis. Our agency
is called advanced that includes the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
and the Council on Accreditation and School
Improvement (sacs casi). One hundred and
twenty-five schools in Latin America and the
Caribbean have certification. Eleven of the
American Schools of Mexico (asomex) are
advanced accredited.
When universities and colleges, here
in Mexico and around the world, see that
student applicants come from an advanced
certified school, they know that their education has met very high standards.
An annual compliance report and internal
review are done before an accreditation team
visits the school every five years. We host
their visit in March of 2011. We actually did
not wait for five years for an internal review,
but evaluated our school two years ago. The
improvement recommendations resulted in
new school activities to raise our standards.
As you can see there are many good
20
When
universities
and
colleges,
here in
Mexico
and around
the world,
see that
student
applicants
come
from an
AdvancED
certified
school, they
know that
their education has met
very high
standards.
reasons for us to maintain our membership
in advanced. We strive to maintain our position as the best option for education in the
area. Together we are better!
The internal study focused upon the school
vision and purpose, governance and leadership, teaching and learning, documenting
and using results, resource and support
systems, stakeholder communication and
relationships, and commitment to continuous improvement. They found most of our
systems to be highly functional; the highest
level possible. A copy of their findings is on
file in the Library/Media Center for review
by the public.
Yolanda Lomelin, Denalih Torres,
Dorothy Gerhart, Christopher
Sanabria, Carmen Brea, Luz Cobos,
Ma. Tere Soto, Maureen Cornell,
Sarah Devries, Shereca Rose, Patricia
Ríos, Maricela Rivera, Ángela Partida,
Mary Beny Álvarez, Bob Callahan,
Pilar González, Paola Serrano,
Michael Blasiak, Patricia Samano,
Caroline Leblanc, Guadalupe Castillo,
Georgina Frías, Janie Galan, Patty
Muller, William Hodges, Jennifer
Trentman, Pilar Lombana, Claudia
Palma, Toby Williams, Fausto Cerda,
Joseph Katzakian, Nick Konopa,
Bernadette Barquet, Malena Chapa,
Michelle Filisola, Mónica Moctezuma,
Ana Julia Flores, David Wahartnaby,
Mónica Guerra, Araceli Pantoja,
Begoña Palacios, Clarisa Martinez,
Sarah Anderson, Emily Wilken, Ana
Luisa Medina, Debra Saunderson,
Gabriela Madrid, Carina Gonzalez,
Mayra Garcia, Felicia Lyons,
Patricia Araujo.
Staff Members
Sergio Olvera, Marisa Ochoa, Gustavo
Medina, Romy Schmetzer, Cristina
Pérez, Mónica Duarte, Ana Luisa
Torres.
Students
Paulina Guerra, Andrés Linares, Jordi
Mas, Carla Ruiz, Christian Duana,
Renata Gómez, Helmut Barrosa.
JFK Parents
Inge Rosenszweig, Gabriela Zaldívar,
Julia Ward, Mónica Barrera, Claudia
Botle, Cynthia Jiménez, María de la
Luz Castellanos.
21
An Interview
by Mónica Duarte · Editor in Chief
Hello Rodrigo, thanks
for allowing us to share
some of your story with
our JFK Times readers.
What made you choose Mechanical
Engineering as a career?
I chose Mechanical Engineering
as a Major in my university studies
because it gives you tools to solve
the world’s problems. I thought that
I could use my knowledge and skills
to do something that really matters
and would have an impact on generations to come.
Why did you choose to study in the
United States, and how did you decide which university to attend to?
I decided to study abroad when
I joined the IB program. I wanted
to make the most of the diploma.
And one of the reasons I chose Texas
22
A&M University was because my
father studied there. I applied to six
other universities in the United States
and finally chose this one because it
is the public university with the best
engineering programs in the nation.
What has been your major challenge
since you’ve been studying there?
Moving away from your family and
friends is a challenge. But it was less
of a challenge than people think it is.
I studied at JFK since I was very young
and so everything came naturally to me
over there. I was perfectly comfortable
getting along with other people, speaking in English, taking courses, etc.
You’ve received several awards
& honors. How did you achieve this?
When I was here a JFK, having good
grades helped me get a 40% scholarship and this motivated me to go
ahead and give that extra effort.
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70
90
110
130
150
170
190
210
230
250
270
290
130
330
350
370
390
410
430
450
470
490
23
When I got to Texas A&M I decided I really
wanted to get a scholarship. So, I decided to
focus on academics, while maintaining my
well−being, remaining centered and balance.
I also decided to join organizations, become
involved, become a leader.
The first organization that I joined was the
Mexican Student Association. Then, I started
attending a bigger organization called the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
which was more related to my field. Going
beyond academics and becoming involved
in the university is very well seen as a way
for being granted scholarships and awards.
Each of the awards I received motivated me
to try even harder and to get involved in more
activities, such as sports organizations. Doing
community service is also a very well respected activity.
How does it feel to be the leader
of an organization?
It feels great, by now in the Mexican Student
Association, we have about one-hundred and
fifty members and twenty-five officers that I
am in charge of. We now have have a strong
Committee which focuses on community service and also a Committee to get people more
involved in the organization, to have members
who are more reactive and attend more events.
It feels very good to make a difference.
Do you have a major and minor
area of studies?
Yes, I am studying Mechanical Engineering
as a Major and I am also studying Business
Administration as a Minor. The classes that
I like most are the ones that combine business
and engineering. In the future, I would like
to be a part of an engineering business. One
of my favorite subjects is called the engineer
seminar. This is where company leaders from
really big companies in the US, and alumni
that graduated from my University, come
24
and speak to us about their
experiences. Some of them are
either really successful in academics and research and others
graduated with an engineering
degree and then did an mba.
This is one of my favorite classes because, if
you have someone who tells you it can be
done, you know that you can do it too.
How do you see your life in the future?
Do you see yourself coming back to Mexico?
How can you bring back all your new
knowledge to your country?
When I began my studies, I decided I needed
to do internships to understand what the mechanical engineering field was all about. Just
recently, I accepted an offer to join a company
-a medium size engineering company- which
focuses in designing applications for water systems, food processing companies and chemical
companies, among other things. The vision
I had was that, in five or six years, I could work
in the office they have in Mexico. Right now,
the company is working on a contract with
Mexico City to improve all their water systems.
This is just one of the applications where
I could have an impact.
How can you contribute to JFK as an alumni?
I think I can help JFK by motivating its
students. I would invite them to take a chance,
to look for an opportunity to study a semester
or a summer abroad. I would highly recommend IB students to take the sat elective
course.* Good sat scores open a lot of doors.
Also, when I become successful, I would like
to help JFK by giving something back.
* This course
is available
to any High
School student
and provides
test preparation for the
When you think about JFK, what comes
to your mind?
SAT, PSAT, TOEFL
I think JFK prepares everybody that graduates and college
from here, to become a future leader. You can
essay writing
see this as early as Elementary School. They
strategies
CR AI G BR OWN
O UTSTA N D I N G
S E N I O R AWA R D
1 of 5 recipients in the
Dwight Look College of Engineering
NATI ONAL
I NSTR UMENTS
endowed
scholarship for
excellence award
D EPARTMENT
O F ENGI NEER I NG
two scholarships
TEXAS A&M
three academic
excellence awards
ASME SO UTH SECTI O N
award tau beta pi
excellence
scholarship
DWI GHT LOO K
COLLEGE OF
ENGI NEER I NG
dean’s list honor
award
want you to ask a lot of questions. Whenever
they assign you a project, they want you to
become independent. They want you to be
able to work in a group effectively.
Do you maintain contact with
your JFK friends?
Yes, even if I am away, the friends that I
graduated with are still some of my best
friends. We keep in touch and sometimes
go on trips together. It is really fun to grow
up with the same group of people because
you really get to know them really well.
What are your hobbies?
I have a lot of hobbies. I really enjoy playing
golf on my time off. I recently joined the triathlons team in Texas A&M and have competed
in four races so far. It’s amazing because it’s
definitely a challenge; you need to challenge
yourself and, little by little, you become better
at whatever you want to do. It’s even better doing it with a team that motivates you and really
pushes you forward. Being in top shape really
helps you with time management and it also
helps you focus.
25
Alumni
CONNECTING WITH ALUMNI
Do you have any other advice
for future graduates?
For anyone studying for a university degree,
regardless if they are studying in Mexico, in
the United States, in Europe or anywhere else,
I have two suggestions: the first one is to get
involved in the university and become a leader
in some sort of way. For example, Texas A&M
University has more than 250 organizations
that you can get involved in: political, religious,
academic, athletic, and any other kind that you
are able to imagine.
Another suggestion would be to get work
experience. In the US you can participate in
summer internships. Things like these give
you a big advantage over other students. Companies are looking for people that know how to
set goals, to reach those goals, to ask questions,
to work as a team. Also, you get a better idea
of what you want to do. There is nothing worse
than going into an interview and to say “yes,
whatever, I can do whatever you want”. They
don’t want that, they want you to really want
to do whatever that company does or whatever
26
Alumni
Breakfast
the position that you are interviewing for does.
So, working in internships really gives you an
advantage on knowing what you want, what
you like, what you don’t like. I can think of
many things that I really don’t want to do that
I saw when I was doing internships. Getting
involved in organizations and getting work
experience before you graduate, truly gives
you an advantage.
A June alumni breakfast event was held here
on campus to celebrate our 45th anniversary
of providing educational services to the
community. More than two-hundred and fifty
alumni, as well as current and retired teachers
came together that morning to share a delightful morning of remembrance. We all found the
time for sharing of memories, stories, laughs,
and hugs. The stories were much more important than food!
Alumni who studied at JFK in the 70’s, 80’s,
90’s, and from 2000 and on, were able to
reunite with their old classmates and teachers. Many had not been together for more
than twenty years.
By: Karla Ríos
The attendees were surprised and delighted
to see a video showing pictures of each generation of students since the school was founded.
These images filled everyone with emotion,
especially when they saw themselves and their
old friends in the pictures that told the story
of their passage thru the Kennedy.
Past and present became one when alumni
were able to share old and new yearbooks,
photo albums and even uniforms of their time
at school. One of the auditorium’s walls was
filled with pictures where alumni could leave
messages of good will and sentiments of
remembrance of those times gone by. Group
photos on that day also added to the fun.
More than
two-hundred
and fifty
alumni,
as well
as current
and retired
teachers
came together
that morning
to share a
delightful
morning of
remembrance.
27
To close the event on a high note, everybody
had an opportunity to walk around campus and
see the old and new facilities. It was wonderful
to share an emotional moment with visiting
alumni at the sight of their old classrooms, or
at the memories of what use to be here; where
they played, where the cafeteria was… the
places where they spent those marvelous years
of their childhood and youth.
This reunion left a lasting impression with
all. It reinforced our commitment to keep in
touch with alumni through similar events in
the future. Due to the success of this alumni
breakfast, we plan to repeat it every two years.
We will also keep in touch with alumni through
a series of other activities.
We are grateful to everyone that believed that
this reunion would be a success, and helped to
make it happen. Thanks to them we all were
able to experience such a wonderful morning
of reunion.
We especially want to thank our eighteen
alumni coordinators for their efforts to contact others, and all of our sponsors and other
people responsible for organizing this wonderful event. Thanks go to Mónica Duarte, Norma
Rosado, Valeria Fagiolani, Paloma Álvarez and
Karla Ríos; all of them part of the Communications and Institutional Development Department. Special thanks also go to Betty Borrego,
Lili Dorantes and Tomás González for their
valuable assistance.
If you are a John F. Kennedy School alumni
and could not come to this breakfast, but wish
to join our alumni net, do not hesitate to call
us at the following numbers: 218 0075 and 218
0974 extensions 1006 and 1010, or write to
us at the special alumni email address:
[email protected].
REUNIONS
& SNAPSHOTS
‘05
Reunion Class
Photos courtesy of Tony Herrera
Photo 1
Andrés Huerta, Daniel
Álvarez, Ricardo Torres,
Antonio Herrera and
Priscilla Guerrero.
Photo 2
Jessy Norris, Nara Laura,
Antonio Herrera, Paulina
Barrios, Daniel Álvarez
and Priscilla Guerrero.
28
Due to the
success of
this alumni
breakfast,
we plan to
repeat it
every two
years
‘99
Reunion Class
September 2010. Photos courtesy of Mariana Farill
Photo 1
Bottom row:
Aurora Flores, Christianne Coll,
Daniel Quinzaños, Lorena Js, Dante
Sepúlveda, Caty de la Cerda, ?
Top row:
Alberto Ruíz de Teresa, Mariana Farill,
Luis Hoyos, ?, ?, Javier Loizaga
Photo 2
Daniel Quinzaños, Mariana Farill,
Hugo Herrera Heras, Beatriz Borrego,
Cristianne Coll, Santiago Viesca, Luis Hoyos,
Caty de la Cerda y Dante Sepúlveda.
Class
WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW?
Notes
Bruno Rodríguez
Tennis
He participated in the Mexican Team
of the Davis Cup against Venezuela.
They won and promoted to Group Zone 1.
Ricardo Urroz
Photographer
His work was published in the
Reforma newspaper supplement.
Specialist in fashion, portrait,
product and special events.
www.ricardo-urroz.com
www.rurroz.com
Enrique Fausto
Entrepreneur
The Instituto Político Empresarial del Estado
de Querétaro, A.C., was built, where Enrique
Fausto Z. Vázquez Mellado serves as President
besides being associated founder.
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