If you are visiting this blog, you probably are searching for information about the Gateway to the LMA Program at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, MA.
This blog contains a record of program activities and milestones from the program's four-year pilot period, which began with the 2007-8 school year and ended with the 2010-11 school year. If you would like to learn more about this period in the program's history, please feel free to email us.
Enjoy looking through our program archive!
Welcome to the Gateway Pilot Program Archive!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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Fun with Soap!
Earlier this week, Mrs. Drurey's Chemistry Honors classes had the privilege of hosting Professor Patrick Gordon from Simmons College for an activity on saponification, i.e. the chemical process of producing soap. Soapmaking utilizes sodium hydroxide as a key ingredient, and the safety goggles are a must! Fortunately, all of Mrs. Drurey's students are well-versed in the safety protocols, as you can see in the goggle-filled photos below.
Behind the Scenes of the Gateway 10 Potluck
Thank you to the Gateway Social Committee and the entire Gateway Class of 2013 for producing what your teachers unanimously declared to be The Best Gateway Potluck Ever!
Now that your gifts to your teachers have been unveiled, here are some behind-the-scenes photos capturing the many hours of loving effort that were invested by members of the Gateway Social Committee, over the past several weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed feeding your creativity with many trips to the craft stores!
Broad Institute Final Presentations
Congratulations to this Gateway sophomore and her family, on the occasion of her successful team research presentation on "Bacteria in Our Environments" at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT this past Saturday. During this project, students grew bacterial cultures from samples taken from their own living environments; replicated, purified and sequenced the bacterial DNA using PCR and gel electrophoresis; identified the DNA sequences using the BLAST database tool; and then constructed phylogenetic trees to characterize the evolutionary relationships among their various bacteria types.
Gateway Terms 3 & 4 Honors Assembly
Congratulations to the following Gateway students who have earned recognition for their academic achievements in the third and fourth terms of this school year:
Amazing Aces (highest course grades):
Bianca Bertrand (History, Term 3), Kamela Hysa (Advanced Algebra, Term 3), Cuong Linh (Chemistry Honors (Mrs. Drurey), Term 3 and History, Term 4), Deja Lopes (Chemistry Honors (Ms. Potwin), Term 4), Kerlie Merizier (English Language Arts, Term 3), Christian Peguero (Advanced Algebra Honors, Term 4), Mary-Jo Raei (Chemistry Honors (Ms. Potwin), Term 3 and Advanced Algebra, Term 4), Patricia Rosa (Advanced Algebra Honors, Term 3; Chemistry Honors (Mrs. Drurey) and English Language Arts, Term 4).
Busy Beavers (perfect homework completion across all academic courses):
Guy Francois, Queenie Rigaud, Patricia Rosa
Courageous Climbers (most improved performances in individual courses):
Jonair Alves (English Language Arts, Term 3), William Jean (English Language Arts, Term 4), Ahadu Molla (History, Term 3), Deja Lopes (History and Chemistry Honors (Ms. Potwin), Term 4), Guy Francois (Advanced Algebra, Term 3), Barry Bhagwandeen (Advanced Algebra Honors, Term 3), Kimberly McNair-Myers (Advanced Algebra, Term 4),
Samantha Michel (Advanced Algebra Honors, Term 4), Cristian Polanco (Chemistry Honors (Mrs. Drurey), Term 3), Zenubia Cameron (Chemistry Honors (Ms. Potwin), Term 3), Paul Thaing (Chemistry Honors (Mrs. Drurey), Term 3).
P.R.I.D.E. of Gateway Awards:
Kevin Alves, Judy Le, Mary-Jo Raei, Suzette Schand
Cum Laude (3.00—3.49 GPA)
Bianca Bertrand, Terence Coston, Guy Francois, Candice Gonzales, Bi Yi Huang, Kamela Hysa, Judy Le, Iryelis Lopez, Kerlie Merizier, Andreina Nieves, Christian Peguero, Queenie Rigaud, Suzette Schand, Jemmie Tejeda, Lynn Celestin, Pascal Delpe-Brice, Pavel Dzemianok, Xiomara Garcia, Ayana Green, Anamol Gurung, Cassandra Leveille, Jie Hao Liang, Frankline Mardi, Christina Nguyen, Deidra Oruma, Rony Prevot, Rosa Soto, Victoria Tanis, Adrienne Thornton, Jeremy Wong, Kishma Andrew, Vicmarys Brito, Annie Moy, Lydia Price, Brendon Tan, Tai Tang, Marquette Webster
Magna Cum Laude (3.50–3.89)
Melissa Jean, Cuong Linh, Samantha Michel, Mary-Jo Raei, Patricia Rosa, Feysal Said, Jean Charles, Michael Mejia, Genesis Peña, Yaritza Sanchez, Josie Valcin, Katherine Brea, Juleissy Pimentel, Claribel Rosa, Christelle Salomon, Tiffany Wu
Thursday, May 19, 2011
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Gateway AP Bio - Going the Extra Mile
Last spring, we invited the entire incoming O'Bryant AP Biology class to participate in an extra weekly study support program, to help boost the entire class to a higher level of achievement on the national AP exam.
One year later, five Gateway students have stayed the course and are pushing for higher qualifying scores, with the support of excellent tutors from the Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard College. These students have committed themselves to weekly afterschool tutorials for the entire school year, plus four Saturday review sessions leading up to the May 9 exam.
Congratulations to Alexis, Anamol, Sindy, Victoria and Xiomara for your hard work and achievements this year in AP Biology!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
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Gateway College Decision Celebration
Four years ago, we took a group of newly-accepted O'Bryant eighth-grade Gateway students and their parents to Harvard Medical School to get a head start on their college applications:
Four years later, our first graduating O'Bryant Gateway Class of 2011 is heading off to college, and we could not be more proud! Congratulations to all our seniors and their families, and thank you for your dedication to Gateway for the past four years!
Gateway Term 2 Honors Assembly + AP Powwow!
Congratulations to the following Gateway students who have earned recognition for their academic achievements in the second term of this school year:
Amazing Aces (highest course grades):
Kerlie Merizier (English Language Arts), Iryelis Lopez (Chemistry Honors, Mrs. Drurey), Samuel Martin (Chemistry Honors, Ms. Potwin), Mary-Jo Raei (Advanced Algebra), Christian Peguero (Advanced Algebra Honors), Cuong Linh (History), Jean Charles (AP English Language and Composition), Pascal Delpe-Brice (AP Computer Science A), Xiomara Garcia (AP Biology), Michael Mejia (AP Microeconomics and Physics Honors), Kevron Robertson (Spanish 3 Honors), Josie Valcin (AP French)
Busy Beavers (highest homework average across four core courses):
Kerlie Merizier, Patricia Rosa
Courageous Climbers (most improved performances in individual courses):
Terence Coston (Advanced Algebra Honors), Guy Francois (English Language Arts), Kerlie Merizier (History), Queenie Rigaud (Advanced Algebra), Feysal Said (Chemistry Honors with Ms. Potwin), Paul Thaing (Chemistry Honors with Mrs. Drurey)
P.R.I.D.E. of Gateway Awards:
Zenubia Cameron, Cuong Linh, Iryelis Lopez, Biruk Sirmollo
Cum Laude (3.00—3.49 GPA)
Bianca Bertrand, Shacoya Fisher, Kamela Hysa, Melissa Jean, Judy Le, Iryelis Lopez, Johnny Mejia, Andreina Nieves, Kristen O’Brien, Christian Peguero, Mary-Jo Raei, Queenie Rigaud, Jemmie Tejeda, Paul Thaing, Pascal Delpe-Brice, Xiomara Garcia, Ayana Green, Anamol Gurung, Cassandra Leveille, Christina Nguyen, Kevron Robertson, Yaritza Sanchez, Rosa Soto, Victoria Tanis, Josie Valcin, Jeremy Wong, Katherine Brea, Marleah Cummins, Pierline Durand, Annie Moy, Juleissy Pimentel, Claribel Rosa, Brendon Tan, Marquette Webster
Magna Cum Laude (3.50–3.89)
Cuong Linh, Kerlie Merizier, Samantha Michel, Patricia Rosa, Michael Mejia, Kishma Andrew, Christelle Salomon, Tiffany Wu
Summa Cum Laude (3.90-4.00)
Genesis Pena
Following our Honors Assembly, several of our juniors and seniors hosted an informal "AP Powwow" to share their junior AP experiences with our current class of rising juniors, the Gateway Class of 2013. Many thanks to Jeremy, Xiomara, Josie, Annie, Cassandra, Tan, Frankline, Michael, Bianca, Genesis, Marleah, Sayyida, Jean, Yaritza, and Pierline for showing our sophomores your O'Bryant AP pride and spirit!
Gateway/BU HPREP welcomes Dean Kaplan!
Today, our HPREP student organization supported by the SNMA chapter of the BU School of Medicine was honored to host Dr. Samantha Kaplan, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at BUSM.
Dr. Kaplan shared with our students her experiences from college through medical school to her current work and lifestyle as an academic leader, clinician and working mother. We are very grateful for the time and excellent advice she shared with all of us!
Sophomores Sailing Through their First SATs!
Congratulations to our Gateway sophomores for successfully completing your first real SAT Reasoning Tests! Thanks to Ms. Goodner, Mr. Bhatty and four full-length practice tests, you emerged from this four-hour endurance test looking confident and strong, and we can't wait to see how your results turn out.
Special thanks to Mr. Hines for providing an amazing winter BBQ feast to our hungry test-takers!
12/21 Holiday Party at Sarah Greenwood K-8
This afternoon, a group of Gateway sophomores hosted a holiday party for the fifth grade students at Sarah Greenwood K-8 School in Dorchester. The Greenwood and Gateway students enjoyed decorating sugar cookies, sparkly snowflakes, and snazzy New Year's party hats for the holiday season. Thank you to Ms. Washington for allowing us to celebrate the holidays with your Grade 5 students and teachers!
(You might be wondering, "Where are the Greenwood students?" We do not post any student's photo online without written permission from a parent or guardian. This explains why the fourth photo above is of our Gateway group's "cookie afterparty"!)
Trip to Tufts University 12/8
On Wednesday, 33 Gateway sophomores and juniors were hosted by the admissions office of Tufts University in Medford, MA. Upon our arrival, our group engaged in a college admissions discussion with Mr. Walker Coppedge, the Tufts admissions officer in charge of the Boston region. Two Tufts undergraduate students then led us on a brisk tour of some of the main campus buildings, before leading us to our free dinner in one of Tufts' undergraduate dining halls.
Despite the seasonably low temperatures, we enjoyed a very warm welcome by Tufts University. Thanks to Ms. Style and Mr. Coppedge for arranging this special opportunity for our students!
Good Luck Charms for our Seniors
At today's Gateway Honors Assembly and Thanksgiving Celebration, our sophomores honored our senior students who have submitted early college applications, by presenting them with good-luck gifts consisting of handmade college pennants and smiley-face stress balls.
I am especially grateful to our cheerful crew of sophomores who crafted the pennants with great care and creativity - all 34 of them! Don't they look amazing?
Making Blackberry-Powered Solar Cells
On November 18, Mrs. Drurey's Chemistry Honors class participated in a daylong visit by scientists from Beyond Benign, a green chemistry education nonprofit based in Wilmington, MA. Our Gateway 10th grade students undertook an experiment in which they built small solar cells sensitized by the dye of blackberry juice. And they worked (albeit on a small scale)!
Thank you to Mrs. Drurey and the staff of Beyond Benign for providing our students with such a cool laboratory experience!
Addressing Current Events in SAT Prep - Turtle Edition
In another SAT Prep weekly foray into current events, we learned about ordinary citizens who have invested extraordinary efforts into protecting the breeding grounds of sea turtles. The creative wrap-up to this reading activity was a timed challenge for our students to master a moderately difficult origami turtle design. It was not so easy, but a number of our students successfully hatched their origami turtles!
Addressing Current Events in SAT Prep
In this year's Gateway 10 SAT Prep experience, we are interspersing our Princeton Review classes with selected readings of current events articles from the New York Times and creative responses to those articles.
This week, we read about the "bacha posh" children of Afghanistan and explored the medium of political cartooning. Here are two of the finalist entries in our quick-draw political cartoon competition, submitted by the teams of Patrick Joseph and John Paul (above) and Candice Gonzales and Lom Thaing (below).
Grasshoppers, Great-Horned Owls, and other Mystery Animals - Oh My!
Here are some opening scenes from this year's Gateway 10 Orientation, in which our students are gamely participating in our "Gateway Creatures" icebreaker activity. Many thanks to Headmaster Sullivan for joining us in our opening fun and games (see the very distinguished-looking Great-Horned Owl in the third photo below).
A Math/Art Retrospective
Here's a look back at the final exhibition of our Spring 2010 Math/Art partnership with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Thank you to Ms. Ali Nebel for all the hard work, caring, enthusiasm that you invested in our students!
Visit from Dr. Woodson
On Saturday, May 1, we had a great turnout of Gateway students from all three classes to meet with Dr. Jonathan Woodson of the Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Woodson is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at BUSM. He has recently been nominated by President Obama to assume the post of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, which oversees the entire U.S. military health system.
Dr. Woodson shared with us some valuable nuggets of advice about choosing careers, seeking help from multiple mentors in different areas of life, and always keeping an open mind about what possibilities might lie around the corner.
Following Dr. Woodson's visit, his BUSM students Laura, Sasha and Osa gave our students some hands-on experience in taking blood pressure readings. Fortunately, our students were found to have excellent, healthy blood pressures!
We owe tremendous thanks to Dr. Woodson, Laura, Sasha and Osa for taking time to be with us on a very busy day at the BU School of Medicine. All students are welcome back on Saturday, May 15 for the final meeting of our Gateway/BU HPREP program for the year!
