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April Calendar

Tuesday, 1: *HS/MS ERB Tests Wednesday, 2: * HS/MS ERB Tests Thursday, 3: *HS Spring Concert 7 pm * HS/MS/ES ERB Tests * MS Faculty Meeting Friday, 4:

*Honor Choir in Portugal, thru the 8th *ES/ ERB Test *MS/HS Reports Cards

Saturday, 5: *Tennis and Boys Soccer at Livorno Monday, 7: *PTO Meeting 9:15 am Wednesday, 9: *PPAC Meeting, 9:15 am Thursday, 10: *No School, Parent/Teacher Confer-

ences 9 am-5 pm Friday, 11: *Gr. 2 Archaeology 9:15 am-5:30 pm Saturday, 12:

*Tennis at Milan; Soccer at Milan Tuesday, 15: *5th Grade Play, 7:30 pm Wednesday, 16: * 7th Grade Science Fair *Students dismissed 3:20 pm Thursday, 17 *Spring Break thru the 27th Sunday, 27:

*Boarders return to residence 3 pm Monday, 28:

*School reconvenes

May 1-10 Calendar

Thursday, 1: *No School Italian Nat’l Holiday Friday, 2: *No School Italian Nat’l Holiday *IB/AP Exams thru 23rd (see Page 18) Saturday, 3:

*Tennis at Naples; Soccer at Naples Monday, 5; *PTO Meeting, 9:15 am Thursday, 8: *HS Faculty Meeting Friday, 9: *MS/HS 4th Quarter Progress Reports Saturday, 10: *Mayfair 11 am – 4 pm

New Principal Beth Pfannl Coming to AOSR Next Year

By Dr. Larry Dougherty, Headmaster

As many of you know, Mrs. Joanne Reykdal will be leaving as Principal of AOSR to become the High School Principal of the American School of Madrid. Mrs. Reykdal’s leadership, energy and organizational skills have made a sig-nificant contribution to AOSR. As a result of her leadership, we have made great pro-gress updating and coordinating our cur-riculum, supporting parental involvement in the school and in enhancing the academic reputation of AOSR. Mrs. Reykdal has served on the Col-lege Board Advisory Committee and has represented our school and the international

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AOSR News April-May 2003

From the Headmaster 1 ES News 11+ Rome ‘n About 19

Principal’s Office 1 PPAC 13 Good Eats and Caffe’ 20

Latest News 3 Sports 14 Pre-K News 21

Mayfair Section 5+ Teacher Interview 15 Special Feature 24

PTO’s Corner 9 HS News 18 At the Movies 25

Contents

* After Four Great AOSR Years Mrs. Reykdal Bidding ‘Adios’

By Joanne Reykdal, Principal

The school community of AOSR is very special. There is a strong core of values at the school that provides it with a framework for the future that builds on the strengths of past traditions. Parents who visit our campus find it student-centered or as one parent put it, “kid-friendly.” The program is academically demanding, but every effort is made to provide a program for students with a wide range of abilities and talents. Students learn that if they have a strong work ethic built on integrity, they can achieve their goals. Furthermore, parents are partners in the education of their children, and this is one

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Dr. Beth Kempler Pfannl

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The Falcon Flyer is a monthly publication of the American

Overseas School of Rome (AOSR) Via Cassia 811 00189 Rome Italy Telephone: 06-334-381 Fax: 06-3326-2608 Internet: www.aosr.org To make comments or suggestions, or to submit an article to the Falcon Flyer, please call editor Cam Rossie at 06-3324-8295, or send an email to camrossie@yahoo.com. A Flyer submission box is also located in the Principal’s office. For contributions to: Rome ‘n About, email Igor Yasno at iyasno@yahoo.com. Good Eats and Caffe’, email Sue Berton at thebertons@hotmail.com.

Next Deadline 4-29-03 The deadline for submission of articles for the May-June Falcon Flyer is Tuesday, April 29. We will be looking for news of upcoming events through the end of the school year.

This is the last Falcon

Flyer before

MAYFAIR Don’t miss our special MAYFAIR Section on Pages 5-8 to find out

how you can join in the fun — and help!

Flyer publication Schedule changed

Through end of year

Observant Flyer readers may already have noted something different about this edi-tion of the Falcon Flyer: the front page defines this as the April-May edition instead of just our usual one-month newsletter. Due to the late Spring Break this year, followed by the May 1-2 holiday, this Flyer edi-tion covers school activities and events from April 1 to May 14. The next Flyer, to be pub-lished in mid-May, will be the May-June edition and cover school happenings through the end of the year. Of course, the Calendar of events also has been expanded, as you’ll see on Page 1. Meanwhile, for your planning needs the PTO’s Corner on Page 9 includes a preliminary list of important dates for the remainder of the year, while the HS News page has the AP/IB exam schedule.

of the important strengths of the AOSR pro-gram. As many of you know, I will be leaving the American Overseas School of Rome at the end of this academic year to become the Upper School Director at the American School of Ma-drid. I have enjoyed being a part of this special community, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity and the privilege to work with you during these past four years.

(Continued from page 1)After Four Great...

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P a g e

T h r e e

High School Will Present Spring Concert on April 3

The High School Choir and the High School Ensemble unite for a live musical per-

formance on Thurs-day, April 3. The annual Spring Con-cert is scheduled for 7 pm at AOSR. All AOSR families and friends

are cordially invited to this traditional evening of musical entertainment, which Mr. Zimmer-man's and Mr. Reale's classes have worked hard to prepare. Popular music from the Beatles and Duke Ellington, as well as some classical pieces, will be performed. Don’t miss it!

MS/HS Report Cards Coming; Teachers Ready to Talk It’s that time of the year again. April 4 is none other than “Report Card Day.” The fol-lowing week there is NO SCHOOL on APRIL 10 due to Parent-Teacher Conferences in all three schools. Parents, you should have signed up by now for your requested conferences. How-ever, if by any chance you’ve completely forgotten about this important day, make haste to Mrs. Reykdal’s office, where every effort will be made to arrange a schedule for you. Time slots are being assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to fit in a chat. Teachers, of course, are always willing to talk.

7th Grade Science Fair Set for April 16th

Science Fair projects give 7th grade stu-dents the opportunity to gain hands on experi-ence and knowledge in an independent field of study of their choice. It is a challenging assign-ment that allows the students to express their own ideas and have fun at he same time. This year’s Science Fair will be held on Wednesday, April16. Over 40 students will par-ticipate in this event and they will present a wide range of topics, including mineralogy, plate tec-tonics, rocket science, astronomy and chemistry. Students will be judged on the following: choice of topic, display, oral presentations, and handouts. Several faculty members will be ap-pointed to judge our mini scientists. Come visit the fair, outside the gym!

5th Grade Musical Is on April 15

Come one, come all to see our ta lented 5th grade singers and actors in this year’s marvelous production of “The GIGO Ef-fect.” The won-derful play, on April 15 at 7:30

pm, makes the point that COMPUTERS MUST OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A BRAIN. And, from what we hear, there’s a very good group of singers in the 5th grade this year — great for the challenging musical numbers they will be performing. .

Students Can Buy Books At April 2-3 AOSR Fair

Students as well as parents are in-vited to visit the AOSR Book Fair to be held in the Elementary School Library on April 2-3 from 8:30 am to 4 pm. The fair will feature English-language books for Elementary and Mid-dle School readers, as well as a nice as-sortment of best sellers for adults and ad-vanced readers. A variety of American and British publishers will be represented. Parents, don’t forget to send money with your younger children on those days or, better yet, come along to the fair and share a special book-buying moment with your child. Aren’t books just wonderful?!

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guard who is instructed to inspect any type of bag too. Cars not driven by our parents may be subject to close examinations, which may include visual inspections using mirrors, before they can park on the campus.

We are in regular contact with the Re-gional Security Office of the U.S. Embassy, and will imple-ment further se-curity measures if they are war-ranted. Our goal is to ensure a

safe teaching and learning environment for your children and our faculty and staff. We are now receiving applications for ad-missions from families coming from locations where the schools have recently been closed down due to instability or other reasons connected with hostilities. AOSR will continue to accept students even at this late date so that children may continue their education and finish the academic year. Nonstop broadcasts of this war on CNN and other television newscasts will bring graphic pic-tures of this conflict into your own homes, where your children will have front row seats. I strongly recommend that you limit the time that your younger children spend watching these pro-grams. At the same time, you should be prepared to address any concerns or fears they may have. Our faculty and staff have been instructed to answer students' questions in a calm, matter of fact fashion and to allow children to raise any questions or concerns they might have during the course of normal classroom activities. We will not turn any of our classes or our school into a forum on the war nor will we show news broadcasts in classrooms. We have asked all middle & high school students to avoid wearing any clothing with political sym-bols, as stated in our student handbook. We will provide a structured opportunity after school for students who wish to raise issues and to participate in guided, respectful discussions about the war. I want to thank you for the interest and sup-port so many of you have provided.

March 20, 2003 Dear Parents, The war that has just begun in Iraq has heightened everyone's concerns about safety and security on our campus. We want you to know that these issues have been, and continue to be, of vital importance to us and that we have implemented an additional series of measures designed to further safeguard our students, faculty, staff and the AOSR community. As you may know, during this academic year the Board of Trustees approved the recommenda-tion of the Security Committee and the Headmaster to invest in three major initiatives to improve the security at the school. We installed a video surveil-lance system, changed the fence in the front of the school (additional improvements to the fence are in process) and hired professional security personnel on the campus all night, weekends and at the end of the school day. Some changes have been made in the proce-dures as well: The administration has updated our Emergency, Safety and Security Evacuation Proce-dures Manual. The student body has been practicing a number of precautionary drills including fire drills and bomb threat drills. Any unknown visitors to the campus must present identification to the security guards and portiere, and wear an AOSR visitor pass. We continue to require the use of the parent identifi-cation card when entering the campus. We also have a telephone chain in place for contacting you in case of an emergency. Now, due to the outbreak of war, several more security measures have been added. We now have two professional security guards on campus during the day, and we will continue to have a pro-fessional security guard on the campus at night and weekends. In consultation with the American Em-bassy, we have requested the continuous presence of Italian police and regular surveillance of the campus during the night. Effective immediately, no parent, staff mem-ber or guest will be allowed to enter or exit the cam-pus from 3 pm until all school buses leave at 3:33 pm, and again from 4:45 pm until all late school buses leave the campus at 5 pm. Anyone who enters the campus and is not affiliated with the school will have to leave an identification document with the

New Security Measures in Place at AOSR By Dr. Larry W. Dougherty, Headmaster

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What’s your definition of “fun?” A day spent talking and laughing with friends? Sampling a tantalizing assortment of foods from around the world? Watching children giggle with delight as they soak a friend with a wet sponge or fish a prize out of a pond? Discovering an armload of bargain-priced books you’ve always wanted to read? Reveling in the fragrance of a sizzling barbe-cue? Winning a cool prize in a raffle? Biting into a

h o m e m a d e brownie or a rich piece of cake? Real-izing that you’ve out-bid all the competition in an auction and will, in-deed, take home that basketful of goodies you w a n t e d ? S h o p p i n g , s h o p p i n g , s h o p p i n g ? Listening to

some fantastic live music? Knowing that you’ve helped raise a substantial amount of money to im-prove your child’s school? By any definition, AOSR’s annual Mayfair means fun, fun and, well, more fun! And it’s just a little more than a month away. Many parents and teachers have already been busy preparing for the school’s largest fundraising event of the year. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, May 10th from 11 am until 4 pm and will again be open to the public. Mark your calendar now and plan to come to enjoy a fun-filled day featuring games for children of all ages, international foods, American baked goods and great entertainment. There will also

M-A-Y-F-A-I-R Spells Fun On May 10 By Hope Moore

Mayfair 2003 Chairwoman

be a raffle and auction, a book sale, and a vast as-sortment of products for sale. It’s a great way to have fun with your fam-ily and friends and at the same time help our school. This year’s profits will be used to upgrade the Science and Math Departments including new software programs. We have such an excellent team of teachers in these departments and now Mayfair profits will be used to purchase equipment to take the teaching of Math and Sciences to a new level. Additionally, for those of you who have struggled to read the scoreboard in the gymnasium, the May-fair profits will help to purchase a much needed new scoreboard!

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IS VITAL FOR SUCCESS

OF MAYFAIR 2003

The success of Mayfair 2003 depends greatly on the involvement of parents and faculty. For this big event to be a success, we rely on volun-teers from all our AOSR families. There are such a variety of ways that parents (both Moms and Dads) and students can help to make this event great. At this time, we ask you to review all the ways that you can participate and ask you to select the areas where your talents and time can be put to good use. We’re not asking much. If every parent would give just an hour or two of his or her time before or during Mayfair, this year’s event will be the best ever. However, if you just can’t find the time, perhaps you would consider making a dona-tion to one or more of our many events. In the articles in this section you will find more information on Mayfair events and requests for assistance. Additionally, we’re also looking for volunteers to help with Mayfair publicity, to get the word out about this big event. The Elementary School Games committee also need parents to help with the children’s games. You may be contacted

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SPECIAL MAYFAIR SECTION

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by your child’s teacher or the Class Mom to sign-up. Please contact the Mayfair coordinators of your choice to offer your assistance today. If you have any general questions, please contact Hope Moore at 06-3088-0967 or 333-686-7815 or Nicholas.moore@o2.co.uk. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at Mayfair 2003!!!

Mayfair Needs Donations For Raffle and Auction

The Raffle and Auction are always two of the major highlights of Mayfair, and both are vital to the day’s fundraising efforts. Donations of goods and services -- from people like YOU -- make these events successful. We rely so much on the generosity of businesses and organizations, both big and small, as well as families and friends of the school. For AOSR families with businesses this is a wonder-ful way to support your school and also an excel-lent way to advertise your business, as Mayfair attracts about 2,000 people. As a donor your name will be listed as a sponsor in all Mayfair promotional materials and the official Mayfair program. As an AOSR fam-ily, you may have an item at home or a service that is uniquely yours that would make a welcome

(Continued from page 5) contribution to this event. So please, take a mo-ment to consider making a contribution. Donations in the past have included Walk-mans, scooters, books, bicycles, t-shirts, jewelry, food baskets, ceramics, wine, airline tickets, meals in restaurants, and a wide array of gift certificates for products and services.

RAFFLE AND AUCTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Working to set up the wonderful prizes in the Raffle and Auction room the Friday afternoon before Mayfair and assisting at the event itself is a fun and rewarding experience. Please consider giv-ing an hour or two of your time to this important Mayfair event. If you would like to make a donation or can volunteer to work please contact Evangeline Campos at 06-3324-0011. Donations may also be dropped off in the Main Office at school. Thank you!

Please Give Goodies For Theme Baskets

Very popular items for the Auction each year are Theme Baskets. These baskets are filled with great “goodies with a theme” such as food/wine, entertainment items, gardening, spring things, etc. If you would be willing to create or contribute to a basket or if you have a basket idea please contact Evangeline Campos at 06-3324-0011. We are also making a special request to anyone who can contribute a few American foods to the American Foods Basket, as this is always a popular basket.

Raffle Tickets Available NOW!!

On May 11 you could be speeding down the Appian Way on a brand new mountain bike, or having a romantic brunch or dinner for two at one of Rome’s great restaurants or hotels. You could be sipping a fine reserve wine or treating yourself

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SPECIAL MAYFAIR SECTION

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to a yummy American snack in the comfort of your own home. On May 11 you could be enjoying a fantas-tic Mother’s Day because you’ve received -- or given -- a special gift won at the Mayfair 2003 Raffle. You could be planning a great getaway be-cause you’re holding onto some totally cool travel vouchers. On the other hand, you could just be sitting home twiddling you thumbs and wishing you, too, had bought a few Mayfair raffle tickets.

STUDENTS INVITED TO SELL TICKETS

Raffle tickets will be on sale beginning April 1st! Students from grade 3-12 are invited to pick up a ticket booklet and sell as many tickets as possible. To participate, students must return a signed permission slip to Miss Gangi. The forms will come home in student backpacks and will also be available in the main office and with Ms. Gangi. Tickets sell for €5 each or €25 for a book and will be on sale up to the time of the raffle itself at Mayfair. Beginning two weeks before Mayfair, tickets will also be sold before and after school outside the main office.

Mayfair Book Sale Coming; MS/HS Book Drive on Now

In preparation for the Mayfair Book Sale, the PTO is asking Middle and High School students, fac-ulty, staff and administrators to PLEASE donate their used books, movies and CDS to the current book drive, which runs through May 6. We’re col-lecting new and used works of fiction and nonfic-tion for children and adults in English or Italian. Recent travel guides, Italian language instruction books, coffee table books, cookbooks and books on art are always very popular sellers. We’re also looking for audio CDs as well as DVD and VHS movies, both formats.

(Continued from page 6)Raffle Tickets... Please deliver donations to the Boutique on Tuesdays, or contact Cam Rossie at 06-3324-8295 or cam-rossie@yahoo.com to make other arrangements. To replenish your bookshelves, stop in early at the Mayfair Book Sale on May 10th. We can promise an excellent assortment of books to choose from -- at the best prices in town!

Share a Taste of Your Homeland; Help International Foods Court

The International Foods Court is one of May-

fair’s most cherished traditions. It always provides such an excellent opportunity to express our school’s international spirit, while at the same time allowing each of us to sample delicious specialties from coun-tries and cultures around the world. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to bring a taste of your homeland to Mayfair this year. Volunteer to coordinate a stand or help cook, bring food or staff one of those stands al-ready claimed. It’s easy. Just call one of the people listed here: American Baked Goods: Julia Deptula - 06-3630-8980 Scandinavia: Laila Engesaeth - 06-3031-0635 Italy: Gloria Conteduca - 06-3366-5632 Slovenia: Ana Volk Africa/Middle East: Lamyaa Rady -- 06-3035-2031 Israel: Sharon Morad 06-3619-8500 We still need volunteers to coordinate stands representing other countries in Europe; Asia; and

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SPECIAL MAYFAIR SECTION Mexico/Central America/South America. Please consider volunteering to handle one of these regions. Contact Grazia Deulus at 06-3630-4287 or deulus@virgilio.it, or Moshira Zelenka at 06-3036-1196 or karel.zelenka@tiscalinet.it. Your contributions will help to make this event a suc-cess.

Quench Your Thirst... And Your Desire to Serve

We have put in our request for a warm and sunny day for Mayfair and plan to be well prepared with plenty of cold soft drinks and beer throughout the day. If you would like to volunteer an hour or two of your time to sell drinks, please contact Debbie Smith at 06-3036-5233 or fams-mith@magma.co. Sign up today to help out at this “cool” social corner at Mayfair!

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Mayfair Booster Bar Needs Workers, Chips

The Booster Bar will be up and running at Mayfair, selling delicious hot dogs, hamburgers and chips. As always, we need volunteers to make this booth -- one of the busiest of the day -- a big success. We’re looking especially for people to grill (as we know there are lots of parents out there who are weekend grillers), but we also need volunteers to serve the sandwiches and to collect money. Additionally, we are asking for donations of American-style potato chips (lunchbox size, if possible). Volunteers are needed to set up on Saturday morning starting at 10:30 am. We’ll sell sandwiches from 11 am to 3:45 pm, or as long as our supplies hold out! We also need volunteers to help clean up. It only takes an hour of your time and it's a great way to meet lots of peo-ple and be in the midst of the action -- so put on your aprons and join us! If you’d like to volunteer or if you have chips to donate, please contact Carol Atwood at 06-3088- 9705 or atwood@mclink.it or Sabine Neumann at 06-3326-6738 or sh871973@hotmail.com.

Mayfair Bake Sale Promises Tasty Treats,

If Everyone Helps

We are all looking forward to the deli-cious sweets at the Mayfair Bake Sale. As in

previous years we are looking for vol-unteers to donate a homemade cake or other baked goods and work at the Bake Sale booth during the day. Vol-unteers are needed

on Friday afternoon (2:45 - 3:45) to collect baked goods at the Boutique and on Saturday to work the Bake Sale. It only takes an hour (or two) of your time and it's a great way to meet lots of peo-ple; so put on your aprons and join us! or bring in one of your favorite sweet dishes. We

thank the Middle School for supporting the Bake Sale again this year. Some Middle School parents will be contacted for baked goods by Mrs. Santan-gelo. REMEMBER: SUNDAY, MAY 11TH IS MOTHERS’ DAY. SO PICK-UP A DESSERT FROM THE BAKE SALE TABLE! To sign up to bring in a baked good, work at the table or receive more information, please contact Julie Deptula at 06-3630-8980 or juge98@hotmail.com.

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THE PTO’s CORNER Members of the PTO were fortunate to be among the first to welcome AOSR’s new principal, Beth Kempler Pfannl, to our school last month. Dr. Pfannl, who was visiting campus in preparation for beginning her duties in the fall, noted that she is looking forward to working with our organization -- and with all of AOSR’s parents. It looks to be an exciting year ahead under Dr. Pfannl’s leadership. Thanks to Dr. Dougherty for making the intro-duction. Dr. Pfannl is replacing Principal Joanne Reykdal, who is off to Ma-drid. The PTO would like to ex-press its most heart-felt appreciation to Mrs. Reykdal for her years of dedi-cated service to AOSR and wish her the best of luck in her new position. As you may have already read on Page 2, this issue of the Flyer includes news up to mid-May, so the PTO must take this opportunity to en-courage all of you to participate in any way you can toward making this year’s Mayfair a great success. PTO President Hope Moore is also the Mayfair chairwoman this year, and these are both huge jobs, so let’s all give her a hand -- or two, or three -- with getting Mayfair up and running. Please read the news on Page 5 carefully to find out how you can get involved in the big event, which of course is set for May 10. We’d also like to encourage you to bring your entire family, and all your friends to the fair, as it is open to the public. This is AOSR’s most important fundraising event of the year, and it is one of your PTO’s most labor intensive projects -- and all profits go toward im-provements in our school. Based on recommendations from Dr. Dougherty, the PTO voted in March to earmark Mayfair profits specifically for improvements in the Science and Math departments and to help purchase

a new scoreboard for the school’s gymnasium. The PTO’s Elementary School Book Pub-lishing Project is in full swing this month and the 3rd and 4th grade manuscripts are being con-verted to book form for all of us to appreciate. See the article on Page 11 for news about that big PTO project.

RICHARD TULLOCH IS COMING

Also, you’ll note that the PTO is preparing for its annual Visiting Author event by offering his books for sale. Richard Tulloch is an interna-tionally known children’s author/storyteller/workshop instructor who will visit our campus on May 19 and 20. Mr. Tulloch’s books for Elemen-tary students will be on sale during his visit, so we encourage all of you parents with ES children to order at least one as soon as order forms arrive home. It’s a great way to help your child get in-side one author’s mind. And how very special for your children to have signed copies of a book by a writer they know personally! See more about Mr. Tulloch’s books on Page 12.

PTO IS BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

Meanwhile, all the other ongoing PTO projects continue in full force. Booster Bars are active through the end of the year, while the Bou-tique is entering it’s final two months of business. Sales of AOSR logo items continue, both at spe-cial events and each Tuesday in the Boutique. So be a real AOSR “booster” and visit the Booster Bar and the Boutique -- and get your AOSR t-shirt now. We hope to see you all at MAYFAIR!! Dr. Dougherty reported in March that he continues to be ever-vigilant about the school’s security needs and has received approval from the board of directors to increase the height of the security fence out front. The school is only wait-ing on written confirmation from the Italian gov-ernment in order to proceed. As precautionary measures, students continue to practice fire and bomb-threat drills using various evacuation desti-nations, Dr. Dougherty reported. As there are so many school activities on the schedule in May and June, advance planning

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Faculty Award for Academic Achievement This award is presented to a senior student who has shown a sustained effort and a sincere de-sire for achieving excellence during his or her high school career at the American Overseas School of Rome.

Scholar Award This award is given to the member of the senior class who in the judgment of the high school faculty and the head-master best exempli-fies the ideals and practice of out-standing scholar-ship.

Peace Through Knowledge Award

This award is presented by the American Women’s Association of Rome to an American young lady in grade 12 who has shown depth of interest and un-derstanding of the Italian language, culture and so-ciety.

ECIS Award for International Understanding This award is presented to a high school stu-dent who is a good representative of his own coun-try, with a positive attitude towards the life and cul-ture of the host country. The candidate must be able to converse in at least two languages and be a con-tributing force in the life of the school with the abil-ity to bring differing people together into a sense of community, thus furthering the cause of interna-tional understanding.

Harvard Book Award This award is present to a student who is a well-read scholar. The award recipient is selected

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Students in the Middle School and High School participate in Class Day Awards assem-blies at the end of each academic year. During these assemblies, teachers present awards to stu-dents for academic excellence and academic achievement in their subjects. For example, students in Mr. Mancini’s geography class may receive an award for aca-demic excellence if they have done excellent work in this subject all year long and other stu-dents may earn an academic achievement award if they have demonstrated significant improvement in their understanding of the material in the course. In addition, high school students are evaluated by faculty for several other awards. These awards and their criteria are listed below.

Excellence in Academic Progress This award is given to a high school stu-dent who has show excellent progress in his or her total academic endeavors during the current academic year.

Daniel J. Pinto School Service Award This award is given to a senior student in recognition of outstanding service to the school.

Daniel J. Pinto Memorial Scholarship This scholarship is given to a student in grade 11 in memory of our former headmaster, Daniel J. Pinto, who died tragically in the service of the school. The recipient must be a holder of a school scholarship who also shows the qualities of character, scholarship and school service that Mr. Pinto admired.

Luther B. Kristjansen Scholarship This scholarship is endowed by the friedns and co-workers of Luther B. Kristjansen, who died while serving as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Overseas School of Rome. His courage and dedication are commemorated by the scholarship recipient who is a student in grade 11 with an above average academic record and an interested in student affairs.

HS and MS Class Day Awards Honor Academic Achievement, Excellence and More

By Joanne Reykdal, Principal

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Elementary School News

ES Book Drive Set for April 7-11

The Elementary School annual book drive is soon upon us so please, parents, take some time to sort through you family’s collections to see which books, movies and CDs might go toward this important project. The drive, which pits Pre-K and ES classes against one another to see which can collect the most goods, runs for five days the week of April 7. Every student in the winning grade gets a special treat at the end of the week. By the after-noon of Friday, April 11 we’ll have an an-swer to the burning question: Can the Pre-K be toppled from its position as reigning champion of this event? We’re collecting new and used works of fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Re-cent travel guides and books, Italian language in-struction books, coffee table books, cookbooks, art books and others are always very popular sellers. English- and Italian-language books are especially desired, but we also always receive books in other languages too. Plus, for the first time we’re also including in the drive audio CDs as well as DVD and VHS movies. Both Pal and NTSB formats are welcome -- and each donation counts toward your class-room’s total. These should all be in perfect work-ing order. We will also take audio cassettes off your hands, although those are not included in the book count. So please take a few moments set aside your contributions for the Book Drive and deliver them to your child’s classroom sometime that week. All donations will be sold at the Mayfair Book Sale on May 10 -- and all profits go to im-prove our own school.

Publishing Project Is A Big Success

By Laura Rumpf Publishing Center Coordinator

The PTO would like to thank all the parent volunteers who have helped with the annual Falcon Publishing Project -- and the young authors who pro-duced such great works of art this year. Thanks to all of them, the Publishing Center has been operating in full gear over the last month. The 3rd- and 4th-grade students have been working diligently on writing stories or poems inspired by real memories, fantasies, or the “Just So” fables read in class. The volunteers then helped our fledgling au-thors edit their manuscripts. They then typed and as-sembled the stories into a book form. The children colorfully illustrated their own front and back covers. The books are now in the finishing phase of being laminated and bound. Stop by the 3rd and 4th grade soon to feast your eyes upon these beautiful masterpieces proudly dis-played in their c l a s s r o o m windows.

THANKS TO ALL THE STUDENTS, PARENTS AND

TEACHERS WHO MADE THE 3RD AND 4TH GRADE

BOOSTER BAR SUCH A GREAT SUCCESS ON FRIDAY, MARCH 21ST.

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Elementary School News

Students Can Preorder Visiting Author’s Books

On May 19 and 20, Elementary and Middle School students will be educated and inspired by the entertaining workshops and storytelling of Aus-tralian Richard Tulloch. Mr. Tulloch has written books and plays as well as scripts for film and tele-vision for young audiences. His popular Bananas in Pyjamas television series is broadcast in more than 70 countries. Of his 40 children’s books many have been published in a number of languages. As part of Mr. Tulloch’s visit, the PTO is offering four of his best-selling books for sale to our Elementary School students, and will be send-ing preorder forms home soon. Parents, these author-signed books are not only wonderful stories for your children to read over and over, they also will become a cherished memory of a most exciting day at school. So please return your pre-order forms as soon as you receive them. Your book choices are: Bananans Dinner Party The Teddies have invited Rat and the Bananas to a dinner party at their house. Poor Rat gets in a terri-ble mess and the Bananas do some helping time to sort it all out. Very funny. Mr. Biffy’s Battle Mr. Biffy is a successful street busker; he does tricks, he can bend balloons into shapes, he can jug-gle, do balancing acts and play the mouth organ. The crowd loves him.....until the arrival of Fiona the Great with her spangly silver suit and top hat, her sparkling ukulele - she is taking his audience! What will he do? But the battle of the buskers has a happy ending. Cocky Colin Colin is the bravest, cheekiest, cockiest cockroach in the world and he’s tired of living in the dark. He wants to go where the action is! And he finds plenty of action in a very funny scenario with some sumo

wrestlers. Exciting and happy. Barry the Burglar’s Bumper Book Three books in one: Barry is the best, the bold-est and the brainiest burglar in town. Even when he s going straight his burglar tricks from the old days come in handy. A book for slightly older children

Don’t Miss ES Art Displays

Most of the work of elementary art is usu-ally displayed in and near the lunchroom, and in the classrooms. The 5th grade was inspired by the carnival in Venice to make their colorful papier mache masks. The work of Henri Matisse was their motivation in creating the collage figures.

Grade 4 is learning about the French Im-pressionist painters and their style of painting by applying small dabs of color next to each other.

Then they painted in a s i m i l a r method. Their work is on display in the lunchroom. Grade 3 is making many w h i m s i c a l papier mache insects in p repa ra t ion for their play.

Grade 2 is drawing and painting large pic-tures of their favourite stories, and animals. They are also making symmetrical designs with colored paper. Grade 1 is drawing, painting, cutting, and pasting dinosaurs to make a collage. Kindergarten has been creating jungle ani-mals with colored construction paper and drawing large pictures of the zoo. — Phebe Consentino Elementary School Art

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Your trusty PPAC (Principal's Parental Advi-sory Committee) met on March 12 and discussed the following issues: AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES: Every effort is made to make up any sessions that are can-celed; however, there are no refunds for cancelled sessions missed due to absence. AOSR-GAETA SPORTS EVENTS? A re-quest for MS sports activities that involve both AOSR and Gaeta was made by parents whose chil-dren attend the DODD school in Gaeta. AOSR ad-ministration will explore the feasibility of this. Also, Gaeta parents whose children attend AOSR would like to receive Honor Roll and sports information. This information can always be accessed through the AOSR web site at www.aosr.org. HEAVY BACKPACKS REDUX: This has been raised before and will probably be raised again, as it's a continuing problem that needs to be ad-dressed by parents and teachers. Remember: it is not necessary to carry every book to school every day. In particular, Middle School students should NOT have to carry English, science, mathematics, or so-cial studies books back and forth because there are two books for each student in each of these subjects - specifically to avoid just this problem! One book remains in the classroom and the other book should be kept at home. Parents should check their child's backpack periodically to find out what is being carried back and forth to school that is not needed. Also, they need to remind their child that only notebooks or books they need for homework that evening should be put in the backpacks when leaving school for the day. Additionally, teachers will remind students to plan their work carefully and to organize their back-packs more efficiently. They will make every effort to conduct periodic checks of backpacks to reinforce the guidelines. LENGTHY ASSIGNMENTS: Another item on the agenda was the amount of time students are given to complete lengthy assignments. Teachers do make every effort to give students enough time to complete longer assignments. But we parents all know the unhappy truth: sometimes a problem oc-curs when a student does not get started on an as-

signment early enough and he or she waits until the day before the due date to begin it. Teachers are aware of this problem and try to build in periodic checks to monitor student progress before the assign-ment due date. (Tip from a seasoned parent who's learned the hard way: have your child break up the assignment into small chunks and write a "due date" over several weeks in the family calendar and/or as-signment book for each one of those chunks.) Addi-tionally, teachers in the Middle School have agreed not to make lengthy assignments on the evenings that MS students in the Italian program have their after school Italian lessons. CLASS DAY AWARDS ASSEMBLIES: A request was made for information on the criteria for the various awards that are given to students at the Class Day awards assemblies. Mrs. Reykdal will put this information in the new Student Handbook for the AOSR community. (See her article about this on Page 10 also). KUDOS AND COMPLIMENTS: An Ele-mentary School parent thanked the ES teachers for their help and support in making their child's transi-tion into AOSR so positive. The next PPAC meeting will be on 9 April at 9:15 am in the Boutique. If you have an issue you want discussed, please contact the appropriate parent from the list below. PPAC Members 2002 - 2003

Grazia Deulus: MS / HS Phone: 06-3630-4287 (Italian / USA) E-mail: alboino_deulus@virgilio.it Languages: Italian, French, Greek, Turkish Carolyn Grosso: MS / HS Phone: 06-3036-1525 or 328-726-4500 E-mail: grosso@mclink.it Susan Haight: MS / HS Phone: 06-3031-0876 E-mail: B.Haight@agora.it Francesca Kelly: ES / HS Phone: 06-329-0280 E-mail: fkellysun@aol.com

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The Latest from the PPAC

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Sports Briefs With Doug Kneeland

Falcon Soccer Season Kicking Along Now

Soccer season is here, which means the AOSR Falcons are starting their annual march through Italy on their way to the European fi-nals. For those of you who are new to AOSR, when it comes to calcio the Falcons rule. Don’t be surprised to see another trophy in the case at the end of the season. The season started with a flight to Sic-ily where the Falcon boys blasted Sigonella 6 – 1. The girls followed up with a tough 2 – 1 victory. Both squads looked strong enough to have a shot at fantastic seasons. The next battle was against crosstown rivals Marymount, where our boys once again took the day, with a final score of 1-0. Girls lost a heartbreaker, however, when at 2-2 the game went into overtime. The Falcons lost af-ter penalty shots 2-3. Coach Sandra says she lost 10 years of her life on that one, and will now be passing on at age 90!

AOSR Tennis Season Is Going Well

The High School tennis season got off to a great start with 4 Falcon wins in 5 matches against Sigonella on the first weekend of the season. Bad weather did not prevent rookies Nathan Rice and Tucker Burnley from winning their first-ever competitive match.

Erika Nehls, Tjasa Volk, Somer Tullius, Fran-cesca Tutti, Nick Wallen, Oguzhsan Tulun, and Anna Grasso competed for the victorious Fal-cons. The first matches of Barrack Carle, Sean Satterwhite, and Katia Trukhanova were rained out. The following week against Marymount, AOSR was victorious in all except the girls’ sin-gles matches.

Middle School Students Play 3-on-3 Basketball

March Madness has spilled over into April in the AOSR gym on Saturday mornings. Sixteen Middle School student athletes from AOSR, Marymount and the New School have formed four teams for the annual 3-on-3 basketball tour-nament every Saturday through April 12. Spe-cial thanks to Christine Hogan for giving up her Saturday mornings to make this ongoing event possible.

Cheerleaders Compete in Mediterranean Finals

Cheerleading is a recognized sport in the Ameri-can Schools Italian League. The Falcons sent a very competitive team to Aviano for the Medi-terranean finals. Although they did not advance to the European finals, AOSR fielded one of the best organized and most creative teams. Those long hours of practice were evident in exciting routines that brought cheers from the big crowd in Aviano.

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The Teacher Interview With Heidi Meyer

Name: Joe Miller Subject: HS Physics, Chemistry Q: What brought you to AOSR and what do you teach? A: Our family came to AOSR because my wife was very interested in living in Italy. Also a good friend of mine, Gordy Stenerson, taught here in the late ‘90s. I teach high school science and mathematics.

Q: I hear you are a cool guy - any idea why? A: I guess because the heat doesn’t work all that well in our apartment.

Q: What makes AOSR students so interesting and spe-cial? A: I love that they all think for them-selves. I know it is a bit cliché to say that here everybody re-spects each others opinions, but it is generally true and that allows for more freedom of thought.

Q: Do you think young people are naturally drawn to Sciences or do they need to be encour-aged and their interest piqued? A: They are naturally drawn. Youngsters are so curious about the world around them. One can’t help but wonder why the sky is blue or why big heavy ferry boats don’t sink. However, I think that as we get older and science seems more abstract that some students do need encourage-ment.

Q: As a parent what worries you most about teenagers living in the modern world? A: Not much, most of the students that I see are much more mature and thoughtful than I was at that age. I guess I do worry that teenagers do

tend to grow up very fast these days.

Q: Do you think it imperative to teach Environ-mental Science with emphasis on protection of our world? A: I think that political and moral issues related to science are best done in conjunction with a clear understanding of the science involved. So I think that it is imperative that science is taught in our

schools so future citi-zens will make in-formed choices.

Q: What is your favor-ite book? A: Douglas R. Hofstad-ter’s “Gödel, Escher, Bach” which is a fasci-

nating look at the interplay and relationships be-tween the ideas of these three geniuses. For thoughtless reading I tend to grab Anne McCaffrey.

Q: What is your favorite movie? A: Probably Begnini’s “Life is Beautiful.” Guido, the main character, reminds me of my father in many ways. It is pretty sad though. For straightfor-ward laughs I would rather grab “A Fish called Wanda” or Monty Python’s “Search for the Grail”…

Q: What’s your opinion of organizations like Green Peace? A: I am very glad that they do what they do to raise awareness. I would continue to support such radical demonstrations as long as only a small per-centage of the population is involved.

Q: If you could ask yourself any question, what would it be and why would you ask yourself that question? A: I would (and often do) ask myself if my current actions and choices are pushing my life in the di-rection that I would like it to go. For me, self evaluation and questioning are very important. The other question that I ask myself everyday is “What day of the week is it?”

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Millie Kneeland: MS Phone: 06-3326-1369 Bonnie Nault: HS and Gaeta Parents Phone: 07-7146-0560 or 340-669-1663 E-mail: jbnavlt@aol.com Claudia Ottolenghi (Elkin): MS / HS Phone: 06-8535-7780 or 328-865-8040 E-mail: ottolenghi@iom.int Languages: Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese Cinzia Palana: ES / MS Phone: 06-558-3316 or 329-300-4340 E-mail: neric@libero.it Languages spoken: Italian, Spanish, French Principal Joanne Reykdal: ES / MS/ HS Phone: 06-334-38326 E-mail: principal@aosr.org

(Continued from page 13)PPAC…

is essential. Here are some of the important dates currently on the calendar from mid-May through the end of the school year.

May 15-17: Mediterranean Tennis Champi-onships at Aviano; Mediterranean Soccer Champi-onships at Marymount May 16: MS Sports Day; Pre-K Mother’s Tea May 19-20 ES/MS Author, Richard Tulloch May 21-23: 3rd Grade Trip to Paestum May 22 and 23: MS Shakespeare Festival May 29: ES Sports Day -- Pre-K to 2nd Grade May 30: ES Sports Day -- 3rd to 5th Grades May 30-31: HS Shakespeare Festival June 7: MS Prom (7th and 8th grades) June 11: Junior-Senior Prom; Pre-K Family Picnic June 12: MS Awards Ceremony June 13: HS Awards Ceremony; Commencement June 14-19: Summer Basketball Camp

Upcoming PTO meetings are set for April 7 and May 5 at 9:15 am in the Boutique.

(Continued from page 9)PTO’s Corner...

Gaeta American School Will Hold Bazaar

The Gaeta American School will hold it’s annual Bazaar on May 3 from 10 am to 5 pm, and the AOSR community is invited -- although proper identification is required. More than 60 ven-dors from all over Europe will be on hand offering such products as antiques, clocks, jewelry, ceram-ics, rugs, wrought iron, marble, artwork, leather goods, pearls, Murano glass and more. There also will be plenty of food for sale and a variety of great entertainment. Entrance tickets, available at the door, cost €2 each or 3 for €5. Tickets also enter guests in a raffle for more than 150 door prizes. To enter, guests must present an American passport or a NATO ID at the door, or accompany someone who is carrying one of those two forms of ID. The ID holder, however, cannot bring more than two guests. All members of the AOSR faculty and staff have received special permission from security to attend the Bazaar as long as they have a picture ID with them. No strollers are allowed at the Bazaar and there is no parking at the school that day, although there is plenty of parking nearby and there also will be shuttle buses running from all over town. For more information, contact AOSR mom Diane Halloran at 340-149-0454.

Space Still Available for Yearbook Dedication Pages

The AOSR Yearbook staff would like to inform all Falcon Flyer readers that space is avail-able in this year’s Yearbook to buy a page and dedi-cate it to a friend or family member/s — or to offer congratulations to a graduating senior. This would also be a golden opportunity to buy a page for a busi-ness advertisement. Over 1,000 people will read the yearbook, making it the perfect place to pro-mote your business. mak-ing your page widely read. If interested, please pick up a form in the main office and return it as soon as possible. The absolute deadline for submissions is April 30. Please contact a member of the Yearbook staff or teacher advisor Lori Tibbett for further information. Support the Yearbook!! Thank you

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setting of the movie and then researches the type of clothing that was worn at that time. I found it very exciting when he told us he was Nicole Kidman’s first costume designer. As we walked forward to the center of Cinecittà I noticed that the constructions of the buildings were changing. Later on I discovered that we were looking at the Gangs of New York set. It was very well done. We could see that most of it was made of plaster. A few feet away, the set changed. This time it was Jerusalem. Mr. McEveety, a member of the crew on the movie The Passion, told us that the movie is about the last 12 hours of Jesus’s life. He showed us around the set of Jerusalem and told us that it took 90 people 10 whole weeks to set up. It cost $1.5 million to make! We got to sit where Pilat sat when Jesus was judged. Then we went to the area where Jesus was whipped 5,000 times. The fake blood was still on the floor. The movie trick is that the man whipping Jesus has only a stick in his hand and pretends to whip him. The sound comes from behind the set. Afterwards, using computers, they add the straps to the stick to make a whip. I thought that this was fascinating. The next step was the most exciting! We saw the actors working on a scene: Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. The coolest thing of all was that one of the greatest stars of Hollywood stood only a few meters from us. My heart was flooded with so much joy that tears came to my eyes. It was Mel Gibson! I waved to him but he wasn’t even looking at me because he was

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Teacher’s Note: The Middle School recently participated in a most inspiring tour of Rome’s Cinecitta Film Studios. Guides took students to view the magnificent sets of Mar-tin Scorcese’s Gangs of New York and Mel Gibson’s The Passion. All students realized how lucky they were to have this unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of the world’s most famous film studios. Following is 8th grader Elena Testi’s report on that exciting day in her own hometown of Rome. — Ms. Santangelo * * * * * * * * * * * *

MS Students Get ‘Passion(ate)’ Tour of Cinecitta Film Studio

By Elena Testi 8th Grade

Cinecittà! The place where all the movie tricks are revealed. The place where every child would like to go, to browse around and feel the sensation of being a star. My class and I had the good fortune to be able to go there, thanks to Joe Di Pasquale, a producer, and Ms. Santangelo. He helped us get in the most secret places in Cinecitta — places where only the cast can go. Excitedly, we got prepared and one by one we got on the bus that drove us there. My first impression wasn’t positive:

Cinecittà looked like a bunch of ugly buildings m a s s e d a l l together; but that was not the case! Jerusalem, the Garden and the make-up room, w h a t a n experience! The first person we met

was a costume designer named Francesco. He talked about his passion for his work and how he loves it although it is hard. He isn’t the one who actually makes the costumes, he studies the time

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AOSR Freshman Lands Part in Film

AOSR 9th grader Zack Wallen is currently working on a film with Italian writer/director Paolo Virzig, who has directed a number of popular satirical comedies, including Ferragosto, Ovosodo, and Baci Abracci. Virzig often entwines Tuscan folklore into his plots. His current film is “Caterina Va in Citta,” in which Zack plays an Australian neighbor of Caterina’s in Rome. Zack is a guitar playing, motorino-riding “hippie” kid who befriends Caterina, who is experi-encing many problems at home. In one scene Zack helps Caterina get away from police. Zack must do his part in Italian, and as he is only in Italian 1, this has been a challenge. “Caterina Va in Citta” should be released in theatres in October, and like some of Virzig’s other films may enter into such film festivals as the Venice Film Festival and Sundance. Don’t miss it!

HIGH SCHOOL NEWS HS Drama Production Was Loads of Laughs

Congratulations to director Kip Hendry, his High School drama students and the crew on their fantastic produc-tion of three one-act comedies pre-sented for the AOSR community in March. L a u g h t e r and applause filled the theater as the zany antics un-folded on stage. What a wonderful selection of plays: Hard Candy, by Jonathan Rand; The Philadelphia, by David Ives, and Reese and Babe, by Lew Holton. And what talent we have in the High School this year! We give the show 5 stars!!

IB/AP May Exam Calendar Friday, 2:

*IB English A1and A2 9:30 am-11:30 am Monday, 5: *IB Math 1 pm-3 pm *AP English Literature 9 am-1 pm Tuesday, 6: *IB Math 9:30 am-1:30 pm *French Language Wednesday, 7: *IB Biology 1 pm-4 pm Thursday, 8: *IB Biology 9:30 am-12:30 pm *IB Italian B 1 pm-4 pm *AP Calculus AB and BC *AP Art History 2 pm-5 pm Friday, 9: *IB English (paper 2) 9:30 am-11:30 am *AP U.S. History 9 am-1 pm *AP European History 2 pm-5 pm *AP Studio Art 2 pm-5 pm Monday, 12: *AP Biology 9 am-1 pm *AP Physics 2 pm-5 pm Tuesday, 13: *IB French 9:30 am-12:30 pm *IB History 1 pm-4 pm *AP Chemistry 9 am-1 pm *AP Psychology 2 pm-5 pm Wednesday, 14: *IB History (paper 3) 9:30 am-12:30 pm Monday, 19: *IB Italian (paper 1) 9:30 am-11:30 am *IB Physics (papers 1,2) 1 pm-4:30 pm Tuesday, 20:

*IB Physics (paper 3) 9:30 am-11:30 am Friday, 23: *IB Italian A1 (paper 2)1 pm-3 pm

Thanks to All For Booster Bar Support

The National Honor Society would like to thank everyone who supported its recent Booster Bars, as 450 euros in profits were do-nated to the VIS (Voluntari Internazionali Sviluppo) to provide food to starving people in Ethiopia.

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Rome ‘n About With Igor Yasno

For years I've been walking past the impos-ing structure of Palazzo del Quirinale trying to peak inside the gates guarded by tall cuirassiers. How-ever, the Presidential Palace remained off limits to me until recently, when a friend told us that her un-cle was giving a concert there and invited us to at-tend. Shortly thereafter, I was standing in a short queue outside the Palace dressed in my Sunday best. Having exchanged a 5 euro bill for a beautiful admis-sion ticket I was free to roam through the endless hallways and ballrooms. Well, almost free - every room was closely watched by a few men in suits and a giant soldier wearing the armor of a 19th century cav-alryman. Their attention is understandable considering that Palazzo del Quirinale has been giving shelter to 10 presidents of the Republic since 1946. The president's safety is entrusted into the hands of an elite Carabinieri unit called Reggimento Corazzieri, which consist of about 100 handpicked men, whose height must exceed 190 cm (6’ 2 1/2”). Palazzo del Quirinale inherits its name from the highest of the seven original hills of Rome, which in the 4th century BC housed a temple dedi-cated to Dio Quirino, an associate of the legendary Romulus. The hill remained one of the most desir-able locations for the rich and powerful of Rome, including the Holy Fathers who had converted a private vineyard into their summer palace in the 16th century. I Corazzieri replaced the papal Swiss Guards in 1870, when Vittorio Emanuele II expro-priated the palace from Pope Pio IX to establish a royal residence in Rome. However, the Savoy fam-

ily held the deed to Palazzo del Quirinale for just over 70 years, when Italy's last king, Umberto II, went into voluntary exile at the end of World War II. Interestingly enough, the Savoy family has re-cently pledged allegiance to the Republic and was permitted to return to Italy, but the royals will have

to find another home - Palazzo del Quirinale will re-main in the presi-dential domain. We made our way to the con-cert hall by passing through a succes-sion of breathtaking rooms. Indeed, Sale degli Specchi, di Augusto, degli Am-basciatori (among others) are well suited for any type of royalty, not to mention the elected officials. The hour-long concert was performed by La Piccola Sinfonica di Milano and was held in a beautiful ballroom featuring the 3-D frescos left

behind by the most famous visitor from France - Napoleon Bonaparte. The concert was broadcasted across the country by RAI Radio 3 and, to our de-light, our friend's uncle turned out to be a star per-former, especially given his unusual choice of mu-sical instruments called armonica cromatica. By the way, I should not have waited this long to visit the Palace -- it is open to the public on Sunday mornings until 12:30 pm. You can also wit-ness a colorful Changing of the Guard accompanied by a military band, which takes place daily at 4 pm. For more information, take a look at the Palace's website at www.quirinale.it.

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I had the good fortune of being able to taste the following delicious cake that came to me from Debbie Smith, mom of Jay in 3rd grade and Cassie in 5th grade. It was really delicious and so, thank you to Debbie for sharing it with the rest of us.

Debbie Smith’s Company Plum Cake Brown Sugar Mixture ½ cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ cup soft butter

Combine brown sugar with cinnamon and soft butter. Stir and set to the side for use later.

Cake Batter ¼ cup soft butter 1 cup white sugar 2 slightly beaten egg yolks (whites whipped and set aside) 1-½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup milk 2 cups plums (blue) pitted and quartered (apples may be substituted)

Cream together soft butter, sugar and egg yolks. Gradually add flour and baking powder mix-ture alternately with milk. Finally fold in 2 stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 9 cake pan or 10” circular. Place sliced plums neatly on top. Over this drop spoonfuls of brown sugar/ cinnamon mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. After the cake has cooled decorate with ic-ing glaze. Icing Glaze ¾ cup icing sugar 1 tbsp cream ½ tsp vanilla Combine icing sugar, cream and vanilla then transfer to a small plastic bag. Cut a small hole in one corner of the plastic bag to squeeze out icing. You can decorate your cake using diagonal lines to form a diamond pattern or drizzle swirls carelessly, either or it looks and tastes great.

I am amazed at how fast this month has gone by. It is already time for my second install-ment of Good Eats and Caffe’. Where does the time go? There never seems to be enough. If you are anything like me, you are always looking for easy things to throw together for the evening meal. Here is a chicken marinade that your fam-ily will love and it is oh so easy. If you are watching your cholesterol and fat intake, (and hey, who isn’t) remove the skin before marinat-ing. Serve with rice and a green vegetable and you are set.

Honey-Ginger Chicken

½ cup soy sauce 3 tbsp dry sherry (I have used Marsala in a pinch) 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3 tbsp finely minced ginger 5-6 cloves of garlic, freshly minced 1 chicken cut up

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Marinate for 1 ½ to 2 hours, turning chicken pieces occasionally. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from the marinade and place in greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes or until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Baste occasionally.

Good Eats and Caffe' with Sue Berton

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Pre-K News

The last few weeks have been very busy for us and we will continue our busy times into the month of April. Our annual Pre-K Father’s Day Breakfast was a great success. Those home-baked muffins were sure good! Our room was filled with all shapes and sizes of Teddy Bears the last 2 days of March. Teddy Bears are very active creatures as they did everything with their little boys and girls in the Pre-K class. They even got to eat with us at our special TEDDY BEAR PICNIC. We had bear-shaped sandwiches and brown bear or polar bear cookies that the children decorated for dessert.

READING BUDDIES What do 4-year-olds and the 4th graders in Mrs. DePaolis’ class have in common? A LOVE OF BOOKS. The classes have met every week for 20 minutes since early March to share their love of books. The teachers helped match the “buddies” in the beginning. Some of the 4th grad-ers had two 4-year-old buddies and some had one buddy. The 4th graders choose a book to read and then practice reading it during the week. Some-times they choose a book from the Pre-K collec-tion or they bring a special book from home that they liked when they were small. The 4-year-olds love having an older friend in the school and rec-ognize them whenever they see them on campus. It is a special relationship that the buddies cre-ated. Both classes look forward to their time to-gether each week. We have started three new themes with our 4-year-olds. Mrs. Faidley is starting a Sea Life theme which will include a field trip to a lo-cal pet store that specializes in fish. The octopi have come to visit the class.

BUGS, BUGS, BUGS Mrs. Murphy is learning the names of all the dinosaurs as she starts her Dinosaur Theme. The children have been practicing learning how to dig up bones. Mrs. Mencarelli is starting a theme on BUGS, BUGS and MORE BUGS. Those sparkling antennae headbands made by the chil-

dren were great! These three themes will con-tinue until the end of the school year as the differ-ent teachers rotate to the different groups.

FAIRY TALES Our 3-year-olds have continued their work on fairy tales and nursery rhymes. To coordinate with our bear unit, they have been working on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Nursery rhymes have ranged from Hickory, Dickory Dock to Lit-tle Bo-Beep, Baa, Baa Black Sheep and Mary Had a Little Lamb. As we move into April, the 3-year-olds will start looking at types of weather and the change of seasons. They will also be tak-ing a nature walk. They will be recording their discoveries with our digital camera. Then it will be Easter, time for bunny ears and the song and dance, The Bunny Hop. After Easter will be de-voted to baby animals and zoo animals as we get ready for our trip to the zoo or a working farm.

The 4-year-old children are looking for-ward to attending a theater performance about the Grimm's Fairy Tales. We are going with the Kin-dergarten, 1st , 2nd and 3rd grades to St. Francis school to see the English-language performance which is sponsored by the Rome International Schools Association (RISA).

HOP, HOP, HOP The Easter Bunny makes an appearance in the Pre-K during April. We will be making dyed

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Start Planning Now; Basketball Camp

Set for June 14-19

AOSR is offering a golden opportunity for boys and girls from 9 to 17 years, or 4th grade to 12th grade. Take your basketball game to the next level. Come spend 5 days and 1 overnight with us, learning, playing, breathing and eating basketball. Wednesday night is Midnight madness. Come test your skills in a spirit of friendship that only sport can create. Set your goal high and reach them. Be surprised how far you can go and grow as an athlete! This camp offers total Basketball immer-sion. Expect quality first rate Basketball instruc-tion with a personal touch. Each participant will receive a camp T-shirt, training handbook and an individual evaluation. AOSR Facilities include 1 indoor Basket-ball gym and 2 outdoor mini-basketball courts. Audio/visual feedback will also be part of the package. The camp will take place from June 14th – 19th at the American Overseas School of Rome. Camp costs are €200 per participant. For more informa-tion please call 06-3343-8320 or visit (www.aosr.org) to download all forms.

No April Fools At the Boutique

You'd be foolish to miss the bargains at the Boutique in April. We are filled to overflow-ing with new arrivals of Spring clothing and we still have a great selection of Winter clothes on sale. Buy a size larger and put it away for next year! Our Blue tags (January intake) will go half price on April 29th. Vendors who wish to collect any unsold items should do so on April 15th or at 9:30 on April 29th. The Boutique will be closed on April 22nd while the school is on Spring Holiday. S m a l l bicycles for e l e m e n t a r y school children are plentiful right now in the shop. Take your kids for a ride on the bike path along the Tiber River. We have a customer asking for a woman’s bicy-cle. Do you have one you'd like to sell? We are also seeking a charity donation of infant clothing and a stroller. Please bring any-thing you might have to donate in next Tues-day. It’s Spring cleaning time so have a look through those drawers and closets for clothing and household goods that your family no longer needs! See you soon in the Boutique!

Get Your AOSR logo items in the Boutique NOW!

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school community most effectively. We will miss her and we wish her well in her new role. Dr. Beth Pfannl was approved by the Board of Trustees as the new principal of AOSR. Dr. Pfannl brings nine years of experience as an Elementary Principal and one year as Assistant Director of the American School of Asuncion, Paraguay. Her academic background includes an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne, a CAGS in Educational Administration from Rhode Island College and a B.A. from McGill University. Dr. Pfannl has an outstanding background in curriculum and professional development. She will be a presenter at the National Association of Elementary School Principals in the United States in the spring. Her program proposal for the U.S. Office of Overseas Schools led to an educational grant for the school in Paraguay. She has served as President of the Principal’s Group of the Asso-ciation of American Schools in South America. Dr. Pfannl was recently selected for an invitation only leadership conference for principals spon-sored by International Schools Services. Dr. Pfannl is fluent in French and Spanish and she speaks Italian. Living and working in multi-lingual, multicultural environments in Paris and Asuncion has given her first-hand experi-ences as a professional and as a parent in an inter-national setting. She has three children, two daughters in college in the U.S. and a son, who will be a junior here next year. Her husband Fer-nando is an international economic and political consultant who will continue his business in Rome. I believe that Dr. Pfannl brings tremen-dous strengths to our school. Please give her a warm welcome.

(Continued from page 1)New Principal...

Dear AOSR Parents,

I welcome this opportunity to communicate with you for the first time. As you have all learned from Dr. Larry Dougherty and the Board of Trus-tees, I will be the new principal at AOSR beginning the next school year. I am most elated with my ap-pointment, and I look forward to working together with everyone in the community to continue to en-sure that the very best educational program is of-fered to each and every student. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to visit the school last month. I was able to meet with a number of staff members, parents, and students, and I had the chance to get a real taste of the daily life at AOSR. It is truly a magical place, full of joy-ful students and faculty. The work of offering an effective educa-tional program to all students is a never-ending process. It requires an ongoing collaborative and dedicated effort and partnership by everyone in a school community. As school principal, I will do my best to continue the work of nurturing this part-nership, and I will devote all my efforts to support-ing the strong academic reputation that AOSR maintains under the leadership of Dr. Dougherty and the many talented professionals on his staff. I wish Joanne Reykdal great success in her new position, and in taking her place I hope to be able to count upon everyone’s continued support and participation. I extend my gratitude to the entire commu-nity for giving me the opportunity to join the AOSR family.

Sincerely yours, Beth Kempler Pfannl, Ph.D.

Dr. Pfannl is ‘Elated’ to be Coming to AOSR

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AOSR has always respected students with learning differences. For this reason it was the first school in Italy to develop a resource program. This provides a support system for students with learning disabilities in order to ensure their academic success. A learning disability may be defined as a discrepency between ability and actual performance. These students may have difficulty listening, speaking, remembering, reading, writing, reasoning, or problem solving. Learning disabilities are seen in students who are superior, above average, average, or below average in cognitive ability. Children with attention deficits are included in this category. The purpose of resource services is to provide direct, individualized and small-group instruction i n spec i f i c l e a rn ing strategies, as well as consultant services with school-based staff. The instruction services are not solely tutorial, but are designed to remediate specific learning difficulties and to develop compensatory skills. A student suspected of having a learning disability may be referred by parents, the classroom teachers, specialist teachers, administrators, the school nurse or the students themselves. After a child has been referred for evaluation, the school nurse completes a vision and hearing screening. The learning specialist then completes a diagnostic series of tests to determine elegibility for special services, i.e. reading, resource, or learning assistance. The Resource Program has three fulltime personnel: Jessica DiCori, the Resource Specialist for Pre-K to Grade 5, Kathleen Smith, the Resource Specialist for Middle School and High School, and myself, Miriam O’Brien, the Reading Specialist. It also has the support of AOSR’s classroom teachers, many who have degrees or special training in special education. Our teachers cater to a range of learning

styles and levels. On a daily basis they modify and adapt curriculum to maximize students' learning. When a student needs additional services, parents may pay for private consultants to work with their children during the school day. Such services include psychological testing, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy. During the application process for admission

to AOSR parents are requested to inform the school regarding special help their child has received in the areas of reading, special education, ESL and tutoring in specific subjects. Results of individualized psychological testing, as well as any Individual Educational Plan must be shared with the school, so that informed decisions about placement may be made. Admission of a student with a learning disability is determined on an individual basis. Each case is reviewed by the Resource Specialist, other appropriate school personnel

and is approved by the Headmaster. A team decision is made based on the student's particular needs and the services that the Resource Program can provide. If the Resource Program is unable to provide a particular service, admission may be contingent upon the agreement that the student's family, company or embassy pays for any additional services, beyond the capabilities of the school. These may include diagnostic testing, counseling, or the provision of a classroom aide to assist the student in the regular classroom. In the case of students with severe learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral problems, or students with physical disabilities requiring wheelchairs or other physical aids, AOSR may be unable to provide an appropriate program at this time. If you would like to learn more about our programs, pick up a copy of AOSR’s Handbook of Services for Students with Special Needs at the Main Office. The information in this article has been taken from the handbook.

AOSR Programs Aim to Help Students with Special Learning Needs

By Miriam O’Brien, Reading Specialist

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“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” Produced by Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman Directed by Joel Zwick Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Con-stantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin and Joey Fatone “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is a phe-nomenon that swept the United States then Europe, making well over $200 million, before finally reaching the home video market. Based on a one woman show by Greek-American Nia Vardalos, this little independant film had audiences coming back again and again. It’s all about Toula and her funny and fun-loving Greek family. Sitting in the car with her father Nick, he tells her, “You’d better get married soon, you’re starting to look old.” Toula always knew she was different. A swarthy six year, she always brought a Greek lunch to school and stud-ied Greek so she could go to Greece and find a husband. The family house was modeled on the

Par-

thenon, and her father could take any English word and show how the root of that word was Greek. Proud of their Greek heritage, Toula and her family run a restaurant called “The Dancing Zorbas.” However, it’s not enough for Toula and at age 30, she wants to go back to school and change her life. Fighting a controlling, stereotypical father, Toula improves herself. Not like Cher in “Moonstruck” or Barbra Streisand in “The Mirror

AT THE MOVIES with Fr. Greg Apparcel

Has Two Faces,” but more realistically. She still has her Greek nose and her crazy family, but she meets and falls in love with a WASP named Ian Miller. The comedy comes in how this man and his family interact with the Greeks and the particular culture of the Portokalos family. Lots of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” has the predictable jokes and the overly predictable stereotypes, but at times it really is a lot of fun. Nia Vardalos is a real find as a screenwriter and an actress, and hopefully she won’t be typecast. John Corbett is pleasant as Ian, but it’s the Greeks who have a field day. Andrea Martin is fabulous as Aunt Voula. And Lainie Kazan and Mi-chael Constantine are delightful as Toula’s parents. Perhaps “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is just a step above a TV sitcom, but it’s a real feel-good movie and a confection to enjoy.

by the headmaster.

Fine Arts Award This prize, awarded by the art, music and theatre faculty, will recognize a high school student who has shown exceptional qualities in the field of the fine arts. Given the subjective nature of the ar-tistic spirit, the faculty’s choice will focus primarily upon the student artist who, through a wide range of experiences, offers his or her talent for the delight of all but also provides a positive example of the artist’s potential for elevating and enriching man-kind.

President’s Award for Educational Excellence This award is presented to student in grade 12 who earn at least a 3.5 grade point average along with the recommendation of teachers in one or more areas in the school’s core curriculum. Also, the student must be involved in community service, co-curricular activities, and/or demonstrate creativ-ity and achievement in the visual and performing arts. The President’s Award for Educational Ex-cellence is also presented to students in grade 8 by the Middle School faculty.

(Continued from page 10) Class Day Awards...

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Easter Eggs and rabbit ears head bands. We will be hiding many eggs on our playground so we can have a special Easter Egg Hunt on the last day of school before our Spring Break.

PICTURES CAN BE ORDERED Pre-K parents will have the opportunity to order photos of their children during the month of April. As the class has our own digital camera, we take many pictures of the children at play and work during the regular school day. Parents cannot see their children doing these ac-tivities so we make the pictures available to or-der. We try to make pictures available to order three times during the school year. Think YELLOW for our color day in April. Mrs. Faidley already has her yellow outfit picked out for that special day. We are sure to see lots of yellow dresses and shirts on that day. Look for those Yellow Day signs leading to the Pre-K classroom on our special day. A person with yellow paint on his feet is sure to come and leave yellow footprints behind leading to the Pre-K door.

BOOSTER BAR COMING ATTENTION: Look for the Pre-K par-ents and teachers at the Booster Bar on April 4. Come and buy lots of food and Easter treats. We are using our profits to add books to our Pre-K classroom library. Our children love books and always enjoy looking at old favorites and new books.

(Continued from page 21)|Pre-K News... Sign Up at AOSR; Race for the Cure

Coming in May

All AOSR families and friends are warmly invited to participate in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure on May 18. It's a day of celebration - women and their families gather in the beautiful setting of the Terme di Caracalla to show solidarity and to show what information can do for prevention and public awareness. It's a festive day in a fair-like atmosphere, plenty to see and do, including the running going

for 5 kilometers around the Co-losseum, or walk-ing for a 2 km stroll. There are an overwhelming number of "ladies in pink," who are the honored breast cancer survivors, s h o w i n g t h e world their pride and optimism. A fun chil-dren's area makes it a special day for everyone, and great goodie bags plus t-shirts are guaranteed for at

least 15,000 participants. The cost is only €7 for a very full morning. AOSR mom Susan Haight has volunteered to collect money and deliver registration forms for this very important event, so anyone wanting to register through school should talk to Susan before May 9. She’s at b.haight@agora.it or 06-3031-0876. Each participant will be responsible for pick-ing up his or her own entry number and goodie bag. Or sign up at Mayfair or any one of the Ko-men stands that will be springing up all over Rome, check out the Komen website at www.komen.it to find the nearest registration point, or call the Ko-men office at 06-305-0988.

HAVE YOU

HEARD?

MAYFAIR IS MAY

10!

SIGN UP NOW TO HELP ORGANIZE — IT’S FUN!

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IL FORO

concentrating on the scene. An actor named Jim Caveziel, who plays the role of Jesus, spent about 15 minutes talking to the class. He was extremely kind — and very good looking! The atmosphere was extraordinary! Olive trees were all over the place and smoke machines made it foggy. It was so realistic I loved it!! Mr. McEveety also guided us to the make-up rooms. There were three shelves full of fake noses and three shelves with swollen eyes. The make-up artist, Christian, told us that Jim needed a new nose and new eyes every day because at the end of each day they were all worn out. Scars were also on all the tables of the room. They were needed to show how Jesus’s body looked as he was being whipped. Christian told us that he applies the scars one by one all over Jim’s body. Christian demonstrated how he applies the scars by putting them on two of my friends. They looked absolutely real and nasty. Everything at Cinecittà was amazing and all the people were very nice to us to show us around. I consider myself utterly lucky. This

was one of my biggest dreams come true! Actually I got two dreams in a row: I also saw one of my favorite Hollywood stars. I hope someday I will be entering the studios as a director. I will always remember that 27th February, 2003, with great pleasure.

(Continued from page 17)MS Students Passion...

Apartment for Rent: Available immediately is a 3-bedroom, 3-bath apartment on the Via Cassia, walk-ing distance to AOSR. Bright and sunny with balconies on 3 sides. Large entryway, family room, fur-nished kitchen, marble and wood parquet floors. Inside parking for one vehicle. Contact Susan Haight for more information. 06-3031-0876 or 347-279-0352

For Sale: Indesit fridge/freezer, like new, €200. Call Geraldine Fructuoso at 339-813-4130

Booster Bars Bring Big Bucks

The latest Booster Bars have been very successful indeed. Everyone is very ready for warm weather, and that means outdoor grilling! The Tennis Team will use their earnings to purchase some much-needed equipment, and

the National Honor Society has donated their proceeds to charity. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade Booster Bars also offered baked goods along with the usual treats – now who could resist that? All Booster Bars are booked until the end of the year, so be sure to bring your spare change in to school on Fridays so you can get a juicy burger or hot dog, a cold drink, and some sweet treats. TGIF!!