FamiLEE Focus

The Weekly Newsletter of Lee High School…

Where Great Things Are Happening!

Website: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/o/lhs
Phone: 256-428-8150
Facebook: facebook.com/leehighhsv
Twitter: @leehighhsv

Hello FamiLEE,

We have two weeks until the end of this semester. Students will take their final exams the week of December 11, 2023. It is very important to stay focused and complete work on time.

We need your help! Many students are coming to school after the morning bell. Class starts are 8:30a.m. We are working hard to focus on instruction and make sure our students have the best educational experience. Please make sure students are at school by 8:20a.m. so they can be in class on time.

We still need to improve our daily attendance rate. We are averaging over 30 students absent a day. This is critical to student achievement. Our goal is 95% daily attendance rate. Currently, we are at 92%. Please help us get back on target. School starts at 8:30am each day. We need all students to arrive by 8:20 at the latest so that they can be in class on time.

If you need to send in absence excuses, please email lee.attendance@hsv-k12.org.

Have a great weekend!!!

Sincerely,

Kitrise Torain

LHS Principal

#GreatThingsHappeningAtLee

Monday, 12/4

• Young Men United Mentoring Group Meeting in the Lecture Hall: 11:30am
• Huntsville City Schools District 2 & 4 Town Hall Meeting in the Downtown Library Auditorium: 5:30pm

Tuesday, 12/5

• Lee Magnet Art Showcase in the Black Box Theatre: 6:30-8:00pm

• New Teacher Meeting @ 4:00 in Room 219

• JV Boys Basketball vs. Hazel Green @ Hazel Green: 4:30pm

• JV Girls Basketball vs. Hazel Green @ Hazel Green: 4:30pm

• Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Hazel Green @ Hazel Green: 6:00pm

• Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Hazel Green @ Hazel Green: 6:00pm

• Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Hazel Green @ Hazel Green: 7:30pm

Wednesday, 12/6

• Creative Writing Magnet Reader's Theatre in the Black Box Theatre: 6:00pm

Thursday, 12/7

• Band & Choir Visit to Elementary/Middle Schools

• Creative Writing Magnet Reader's Theatre in the Lecture Hall: 6:00pm

• Superintendent's Art Show in the Theatre Lobby: 6:00pm

Friday, 12/8

• JV Boys Basketball vs. Jemison @ Lee: 4:30pm
• JV Girls Basketball vs. Jemison @ Lee: 4:30pm
• Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Jemison @ Lee: 6:00pm
• Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Jemison @ Lee: 6:00pm
• Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Jemison @ Lee: 7:30pm
• Choir Performance @ the Toyota Field Light Show: 6:00pm

Saturday, 12/9

• ACT Test @ Lee: 8:00am

Two Weeks Ahead

Monday, 12/11

• Last Full Day of the Semester
• Holiday Fine Arts Showcase in the Theatre: 11:30-12:15
  

Tuesday, 12/12

• Half Day, 12:20pm Dismissal

• First Block Class 8:30 - 10:20

• Second Block Class 10:30 - 12:20

• JV Boys Basketball vs. Bob Jones @ Bob Jones: 4:30pm

• Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Bob Jones @ Bob Jones: 4:30pm

• Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Bob Jones @ Bob Jones: 7:30pm

Wednesday, 12/13

• Half Day, 12:20pm Dismissal

• Third Block Class 8:30 - 10:20

• Fourth Block Class 10:30 - 12:20

• Winterfest Choir & Band Concert in the Theatre: 6:00pm

Thursday, 12/14

• Half Day, 12:20pm Dismissal

• First Block Exam 8:30 - 10:20

• Second Block Exam 10:30 - 12:20

Friday, 12/15

• End of the 1st Semester

• Half Day, 12:20pm Dismissal

• Third Block Exam 8:30 - 10:20

• Fourth Block Exam 10:30 - 12:20

• Varsity Girls @ TN Live Tournament in Murfreesboro, TN

Saturday, 12/16

• Varsity Girls @ TN Live Tournament in Murfreesboro, TN

Winter Break / 2nd Semester

Tuesday, January 2

• Teacher Workday, No School

Wednesday, January 3

• First Day of the Second Semester

Attention FamiLEE! One of our 2023-24 goals is to keep our overall attendance rate at 95% or higher for the entire school year. We are currently at 93.33% for the year, and this week we were at 92.31%, which was an improvement over 90.55% the previous week. We need your help to continue to improve and reach our goal! Attendance is one of the most important factors that influences how students do in school, and we need each student with us at school every day!!!

Happy Birthday to the following students who have birthdays this week!

• Monday, 12/4 - Amari Madden, Lily Winters, Azariyah Ford, and Elijah Fuller.

• Tuesday, 12/5 - Joshua Burks, Isaac Foster, and Josette Maksym

• Wednesday. 12/6 - E'vasia Kelly, Nicholas Douglas, and Brenden Gunn

• Thursday, 12/7 - James Comer

• Friday, 12/8 - Jalynn Wyckoff and Yahel Arcadio-Alonso

• Saturday, 12/9 - Jaylin Beasley, Syhx Ellison, and Jaelynn Walker

• Sunday, 12/10 - Ryan Baker and Elizabeth Graham

*Attention Lee High School Students! The annual Lee HS MLK Challenge Day of Service will be on Monday, January 15, 2024 from 9:00am-3:00pm. We will meet at 9:00am in the cafeteria for a pancake breakfast, divide into groups, and then head out to volunteer at various non-profits throughout Huntsville. Please sign-up at the link below. Permission slips can be picked up on the wall outside the library and must be turned in by Wednesday, January 10. Make it a day on, not a day off! https://forms.office.com/r/GNsGy5XEkg

*Please join us for celebrations at the Jemison games next week during halftimes. The girls are celebrating senior Limaya Batimba for having 1000 points & rebounds during their halftime. The boys are retiring 3 jerseys for alumni Jacari Lane, Kaleb Brown and Kobe Brown during their halftime.

*Huntsville City Schools is proud to introduce a brand-new travel Career Technical program for high school students, Industrial Technology! Industrial Technology is a cutting-edge, STEM-focused educational program that prepares students for the dynamic and highly technical world of modern industry. This new opportunity, which we are offering as part of the Toyota Foundation’s Driving Possibilities program, gives students skills that will prepare them for a multitude of career opportunities with companies like Toyota, BASF, and Boeing. By blending hands-on experience with technological innovation, students will learn invaluable skills in safety, mechanics, robotics, electrical circuits, and hydraulics. Through this new program, students can:

• Earn college credits through dual enrollment.
• Earn employment opportunities with a variety of companies in the North Alabama region.
• Earn industry recognized credentials.

Encourage your student to explore the world of Industrial Technology and unlock a pathway to a future filled with endless possibilities and exciting opportunities in high-demand professions!

Here is the link to apply to CTE Travel Programs for 2024-2025:

2024-2025 Huntsville City Schools Career Technical Education Travel Program Application (google.com)

*Attention Seniors! Senior Portraits need to be taken at Prestige if you have not already had them done. Please call 855-918-2930 to make an appointment or click this link.

*Yearbooks are on sale now! Now - January 10th the price is $40 for standard and $45 for Personalized. January 11th -March 30th the cost is $45 for standard and $50 for personalized

The deadline to order is March 30th. Order online only on MySchoolFees.

*Check student fees online! LHS student fees can be viewed and paid online anytime by visiting https://secure3.myschoolfees.com select AL-HUNTSVILLE CITY-LEE HIGH, and register as a New User. You will need your student’s PowerSchool ID Number. You may also pay by cash or check at the school. Remember to check fees periodically for any changes that may occur. If you need help or have any questions, please contact our Bookkeeper at 256-428-8150 or by email at tamala.swopes@hsv-k12.org.

• Shout-out to our freshmen of the week from last week! Shout-out to our freshmen of the week from this week! Lizbeth Balbuena-Gutierrez comes to us from AAA Middle. Here at Lee she is in the dance magnet and in JROTC. In her spare time she likes to listen to music and draw. When she graduates from high school she wants to go into cosmetology. Her favorite teacher at Lee is Mr. Jordan because he is nice and he understands his students. Lareign McDonald comes to us from AAA Middle. Here at Lee she is in the photography magnet and plays on the girls basketball team. In her free time she likes to go shopping and watch tiktoks. Her favorite teacher here at Lee is Ms. Bacik because she is really nice and Lareign knows that if she needs anyone to talk to she can go to her. Congratulations to both of them for representing our FamiLEE values so well!

• Shout-out to our JV Boys, Varsity Girls, and Varsity Boys Basketball teams for defeating New Hope on Thursday!
• Shout-out to the JROTC program for their great work at MLK Elementary School implementing the Junior Achievement Alabama program!
  
• Shout-out to the Lee Magnet students who volunteered to opening doors in the carlines in the morning at Chapman and AAA last week!
  

Congratulations to our faculty spotlights this week. We are celebrating Ms. Brown and Mr. Matzkind. Here is what students had to say about them:

Clover Brown

She is extremely understandable and genuine in her teaching methods.

She is nice and cool.

She is a hard worker.

She is patient when the kids give her challenges.

Kurtis Matzkind

He is helpful. He is a good teacher.

I like his method of teaching.

He is fair and will help you with anything at all.

He's a good dude.

• Ms. Lacey Guthrie is the HCS College Counselor assigned to LHS! To get in touch with her, please e-mail her at lacey.guthrie@hsv-k12.org. Seniors, please click here or scan the QR code below to let us know about your scholarship offers!

• Ms. Jade Chappell is the HCS Career Coach assigned to LHS! To get in touch with her, email jade.chappell@hsv-k12.org.
• Connect with the District College Counselors online! We’re sharing information about college, scholarships, FAFSA, and more! Facebook: HCS District College Counselors. Website: https://sites.google.com/hsv-k12.org/hcscollegecounselors

We are available to receive medications and meet with parents to complete individualized health care plans (IHPs). Please remember, all medications require a parent prescriber authorization form (PPA). For any questions, please Contact Nurse Autumn or Nurse Wiggins at 256-428-8150.

Guest Artist Spotlight

We are so excited to welcome Professor Amy Guerin from the University of Alabama in Huntsville to direct our spring play, Antigone Now! Please see her welcome letter here: Hi there! I'm UAH Theatre Professor Amy Guerin. I've been teaching at UAH since 2016, and in that time I've directed 20 plays at UAH and with Huntsville Shakespeare, where I am also co-Artistic Director. My focus is in 21st century American theatre, but I have directed and acted in just about every major theatre period and genre. I got my Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Houston, and my BFA in Acting from the University of Oklahoma. My favorite play is Angels in America by Tony Kushner. My favorite musical is In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes. I am so excited to serve as a guest director for Antigone Now with the Performing Arts Magnet. Antigone is a tragedy about the struggle between following your heart and following the law, and this contemporary version is no less impactful. Let's gooooooo!

Upcoming Events

• Creative Writing Magnet Readers’ Theatre December 6th 6PM in the theater and 7th in lecture hall at 6PM.

• Theatre Auditions - Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 Antigone Now, Dec. 11 and 13, The Little Mermaid

• Superintendent’s Visual Arts Show Dec 7th in the theater lobby

From the Desk of the Magnet Directors

Vocal Magnet Director- Ms. Daniel

So Excited and Busy! This week we completed our Chamber Choir Rehearsals/Auditions and also our last cuts for Trouveres in preparation for our Winter Concerts.

Upcoming Events

Creative Performing Arts Tour Dec 7, 2023

We will visit Morris P-8, Chapman P-8, and MLK. Music and Theater Department will share our talents with the students and share information about Magnet and our upcoming performances.

Rehearsals Monday and Wednesday 4=6 for Euphonic Voices

Tuesday Trouveres Show Choir Rehearsal 4-6

Dec. 7, 2023 Toyota Field Christmas Light Show

Vocal Magnet and Euphonic Voices will perform.

Please come Out and support! $30 per Car to drive through the light show.

Dec 8, 2023 Caroling at the Downtown Rescue Mission at the Women's Shelter

Concert- Dec 13, 2023@ 6:00 p..m Lee High Theatre Tickets $5

Performances by Vocal Magnet, Euphonic Voices, Concert Choir, and Trouveres

Instrumental Director - Mr. Pearson

This has been a very productive week in the life of the instrumental magnet! The string ensemble is finalizing preparation for WINTERFEST which will be held Wednesday, December 13 @ 6pm in Lee’s Theater. Also, Lee’s Strings Ensemble will be performing on Saturday, December 16 at 2pm in the Charger Union Theater (UAH) as a part of the Urban Orchestra.

We are also excited that our new computers will arrive any day now! We have ordered 6 iMac computers which will allow our magnet students to begin creating their own arrangements!

Theatre Performance Director - Ms. Rock

Season's Greetings!

As we approach the final week of the first semester for the 2023-2024 school year, we take immense pride in the exceptional work our students have accomplished thus far. Anticipation is high as we gear up for the semester ahead. This weekend (November 30th - December 2nd), our eligible students will be participating in the State Trumbauer competition in Florence. We have every confidence they will bring home the gold! ✨

To ensure a robust conclusion to this semester, here are some crucial reminders:

Class Projects / Finals

- Each class is actively putting the finishing touches on their individual and group projects. All necessary resources are available in their respective Schoology groups, and due dates are indicated on the calendar.

Magnet Hours

- Magnet Hours (60) & Non-Magnet (25) must be submitted no later than December 11th. If your student(s) haven’t logged their hours, kindly ensure they do so promptly.

Additional Opportunities for Earning Magnet Hours Include:

- Readers Theatre Showcase: December 6th

- Creative Performing Arts Tour: December 7th

- Winterfest: December 13th at 6 PM

- Various activities hosted by Magnet Teachers

- Support for community and school system shows, among others

Upcoming Auditions

- Auditions for Antigone Now (December 7th & 8th), The Little Mermaid (December 11th & 13th), and the Senior One Acts (December 5th & 6th) are scheduled for this and next week. The link for The Little Mermaid audition details has been shared on the group chat. For Antigone Now, prepare for a traditional audition or a cold read. If interested in auditioning for the Senior One Acts, notify a Senior no later than Monday, December 4th, for the necessary details and preparation.

Link for The Little Mermaid Auditions

(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h3Run9Tz6DbFFFuJozM1kEJkUaf4YerA?usp=sharing)

Grades

- Magnet students are familiar with the academic standards set by the Magnet Program and Lee High School. Encourage them to address any concerns in classes that might impact their standing and potentially lead to a Magnet Plan for the next semester.

FYI Looking Ahead

- Murphy’s Cast & Crew Wrap Party: December 11th, 6-8 PM in the Blackbox

- Thespians Outing: Date to be announced, December 2023

- Antigone Now: February 2024

- Senior One Acts: To Be Determined

- The Little Mermaid: April 4-6, 2024

We are thrilled about the exciting opportunities and events lined up. Thank you for your continued support in nurturing our students' passion for the performing arts.

Director of Technical Theatre- Ms. Campolongo

Hello!! This past week, we’ve begun conducting tech interviews for different production positions. Students who are interested in being part of productions next semester, including being backstage crew, should fill out the application that can be found on Schoology.

This Weekend (Dec 1st - 2nd) students who were eligible to move forward will be attending state Trumbauer in Florence!! We are so excited for them.

Hours: Please remember that students are expected to have 60 hours each semester towards their extra-curricular Magnet hours. Physical hours will be due on the 9th of December. Students who are going to attend events that take place after the 9th, but before the 15th, still need to put in those hours into the log book. Individual assignments that count towards hours are posted in Schoology (under Individual Assignments folder) and are due the 15th by 11:00 am. I encourage parents and students to look at the class information folder for future upcoming events and the hours addendum sheet to plan out how they’re going to get hours.

Upcoming work calls: for students to earn hours are 12/4 and 12/7 3:30 - 6:30. Students can also work remaining events including Reader’s Theatre, Choir/Band Concert/ and Christmas Concert.

Dance Magnet Director- Mrs. Hunkapillar

First of all I would like to send a special thank you to all Theater Boosters that helped with concessions and back hall coverage during the dance concert (Ignite the Fire). I would also like to give a special thank you to all the DME Parents for their continued support of our dancers during the concert and throughout the school year! I couldn’t do this without you all!!!

These next two weeks we will be working on technique in class and begin learning new choreography for next semester. All dancers are to finish up their notebooks-these are to include the vocabulary and journal topics that were given for this 9 weeks. This is located in their Magnet group on schoology. Their notebooks are to also include all information on their student choreography project. This should be in a special section marked Choreography Project. The notebooks are due the week of December 4, 2023.

Each DME student is to turn in their extracurricular hours log on Friday, December 8. If they need another copy of the hour log, these are located in their magnet group schoology. We will be touring AAA and Whitesburg Middle schools in the next two weeks as well. More information will be forthcoming.

Creative Writing Magnet Director- Ms. Sisson

All classes are finishing up the last rounds of workshops for the semester (weekly peer critiques). The authors are also working on their five-part midterm project that includes the first draft of their personal literary magazines.

Our Readers’ Theatre is next week, so we have been giving notes and support on our individual performances. Full magnet rehearsals will be after school 12/4 and 12/5. We are so excited to welcome prospective authors to our shows (so far, we have fifteen who have RSVP’d).

We are also preparing for teaching creative writing lessons after exams to the 8th graders at Challenger, Hampton Cove, and McNair. The authors have a full plate and are exceeding expectations!

Visual Arts Magnet Directors- Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Radowski

Vis Art I- Finishing their Tim Burton styled self portraits. They learned a little about cartooning, Tim Burton and his darker style of art. Took that knowledge to create a self or family portrait using the same type of elements the artist chooses for his film work.

Vis Art II - Finishing their mixed media projects. This mixed media project was based on surrealism. We discussed surreal art and artists, looked into nightmares, dream-like images, other world images that make up the psychology of the surrealist movement. The students were tasked to plan out and create a mixed media piece based on the theme of Nightmares & Other Worlds.

AP studio art: Congrats to Mrs. Johnson and family on their new addition!

Photography Magnet Director- Mr. Willmarth

Magnet I students are working on different ways to add texture into darkroom photography. They just finished printing through transparencies and now are scratching original negatives to change the image as an experimental way to make art.

Magnet II students are experimenting with dissecting polaroids to do image transfers with the delicate emulsion layer that contains the image.

Magnet III and Magnet IV students are using the new studio back drop equipment to make portraits with controlled lighting and other images based on fantasy

Film and Video Director- Mr. Lee

In the last few weeks, Film and Video has been lucky enough to take a deep dive in the genre films of cinema’s past. We started with a film study of the Noir/Romance classic “Casablanca” and continued to conduct research into 32 diverse genres. But at the Lee High Arts Magnet, we don’t just tell… we show! Until the end of the semester, Media Arts II, III, & IV students will be completing a film trailer for Black and White Noir films of their own creation. Media Arts I will be creating short form videos from 16 different film genres. Watch this space starting next week, as we will be sharing the best of the best on our Youtube channel!

Mr. Lee will also be traveling with the Theatre and Vocal to State Trumbauer, providing supervision, support, and judging for the Festival.

Friday, December 15: End of the First Semester, Half Day

Monday, December 18-Tuesday, January 2: Winter Break, No School

Wednesday, January 3: First Day of the 2nd Semester

Friday, January 5: 1st Semester Report Cards Go Home

Monday, January 15: MLK Day, No School / MLK Challenge Day of Service

Friday, February 9: 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Go Home

Monday, February 19: Presidents' Day, No School

Friday, March 8: E-Learning Day for Students

Monday, March 11-Friday, March 15: Spring Break, No School

Friday, March 22: 3rd Quarter Report Cards Go Home

Tuesday, April 9: ACT Plus Writing Test for Juniors, 8:30am

Thursday, April 25: 4th Quarter Progress Reports Go Home

Friday, April 26: Weather Day, No School (Possibly)

Thursday, May 23: Last Day of School, Half Day

Friday, May 24: Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony @ the VBC, 3:00pm

Monday, May 27: 2nd Semester Report Cards Mailed Home

You can email our PTSA President Mrs. Mary Scott Hunter at maryscotthunter@gmail.com if you want to get involved in PTSA!