City of Cambridge Scholarship Applications Now Available

The City Scholarship has awarded thousands of dollars to college-bound high school seniors and others who want to pursue higher education. Scholarships are possible thanks to the generosity of Cambridge residents, businesses and taxpayers who support the annual fund.

In FY12, the City awarded 50 scholarships of $2,500 each.

Applications may be obtained at Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge Public Library branches and at Cambridge City Hall.  For more information, proceed here.


Get off your butt and take care of this, seniors!  Deadline is March 11, 2013.

Volunteers needed for Cambridge Family Literacy Fun Day!

Community service, literacy and fun all in one event!  It's like a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup of helpful good times.

CRLS student volunteers are needed to help run the annual Cambridge Family Literacy Fun Day!

This Saturday

November 3

10:30 - 2:30

Cambridge City Hall

Central Square

Volunteers needed beginning at 8AM for the setup until end of the event and clean up.

For more information call: 617-349-6492 or email dbonilla@cpsd.us

Kite Runner Book Discussion Tomorrow

Summer is almost over, and tomorrow all Class of 2013ers are welcome to meet here in the Teen Room to discuss The Kite Runner.  We'll have popsicles, because literary analysis makes one thirsty.

Haven't read the book yet?  It's still okay to stop by -- and we can put a copy on hold for you.

Hey 12th grade: Kite Runner book discussion + movie today

The book discussion starts at 2:00 and we'll begin the movie at 3:00.  Hope to see you there!

Great Moments in Graduation History, Part Stupendous

You guys.

Congratulations, Class of 2011!  It has been a pleasure and an honor getting to know you (even the stuff we know about you that you don't know we know -- 'cause you talk loud, man...)

We do know you worked hard and are reaping the benefits; all week long I've been hearing about college plans and it's fantastic!

Stay in touch and let us know how you fare out there in the world!



(You can't tell from this trailer, but this movie is totally about graduation.  Also, a pen makes an excellent gift.)

Great Moments in Graduation History (pt. 1)

Let's start with a book shall we?

The View from the Top by Hillary Frank

In the months leading up to high school graduation there are about a million things you could choose to focus on. How awesome your post-graduation life is going to be. How terrifying your post-graduation life is going to be. All the people you never have to deal with again. How broken your heart is going to be because of all the people you aren't going to see everyday anymore. It seems like everything is about planning all the sudden, but what about right now? The View from the Top is about a group of seniors and the pressure they're feeling to define their friendships, to declare their love, and to figure out who they are -- all before graduation day.




(Stay tuned for more books, movies, shows and songs about graduation, and leave your own suggestions in the comments!)

Great Moments In Graduation History

It is officially nice out, summer is officially in sight, the countdown to graduation has OFFICIALLY BEGUN.

To celebrate juniors become seniors and seniors becoming DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL FOREVER we're going to be running a new series on the blog called "Great Moments in Graduation History". Book reviews, movie clips and sad sad songs - all on the theme of graduation, new lives and saying goodbye.

Keep checking back, and leave your suggestions for great moments in the comments. And seniors? Don't forget to drop by the Teen Room and say goodbye to your Teen Librarians before you set off into the world. We'll miss your loud mouths.

Essay contest for high school seniors

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) invites high school seniors in Cambridge who are entering college to participate in our High School Senior Essay Challenge.  The winner and runner up of this competition will be awarded a brand new laptop computer, courtesy of Micro Center, to assist them in their academic journey. The purpose of this contest is for students to examine the community in which they live and analyze how it relates to public safety.
The essay should demonstrate the writer’s understanding and appreciation for the importance of community partnerships and how each individual plays a role in strengthening their community. For information on requirements and eligibility, click here. Entry packets are available at all Cambridge neighborhood youth centers. The contest deadline is June 1, 2011.

"The first rule of Book Club is..."

Announcing "So You Think You Like Books," a book club formed by the combined force and astounding powers of Cambridge Rindge and Latin students and the Cambridge Public Library! Meeting weekly "to read, discuss, and LOVE books!"

When: Wednesdays, 2:45 -3:45
Where: Ms. Leekeenan's room (2313)

It is going to be singularly fantastic! Don't miss it!

Do you have a copy of "The Contender?"

No.

Sorry kids. Oh back-to-school time! Makes me want to run out and buy new shoes and a whole lot of unbroken pencils. Actually, that's every day, but maybe I'll throw a lunchbox in there.




Enjoy this long weekend though, and good luck on that first day!

Let's Get Ready: SAT & College prep

Thinking about the future this summer? You may want to check out this Cambridge program, Let's Get Ready. It meets twice a week to prepare juniors and seniors for the SATs and the college applications process.

(This last is no joke, people. There have been a lot of stories in the news lately about graduates who've gotten hosed b/c they didn't know what they were in for with student loans. Be prepared!)

This program is FREE FREE FREE for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch, are the first in their family to go to college, and/or would otherwise not be able to afford a prep course.

Please check out the application online. They are also looking for volunteer coaches and mentors; that application is here.

CRLS Grade 12 Summer Reading

Required Reading: The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

CP and Honors classes choose ONE and AP classes choose TWO additional books from the following lists:

Beach Reads
Love Sick, Jake Coburn
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Chris Crutcher
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan
The Dying Ground, Nichelle D. Tramble

Classics
One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf
The Good Earth, Pearl Buck
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
Fail Safe, Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler

Historical Fiction
A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines
The Good Negress, A.J. Verdelle
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
Caucasia, Danzy Senna
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier

Contemporary Fiction
The Pact, Jodi Picoult
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Double Helix, Nancy Werlin

Sci-Fi / Fantasy
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and David Lloyd
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Non-fiction
The World is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman
A Civil Action, Jonathan Harr
Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich