Bain staff hits the street to meet new students

Cranston Herald
August 26, 2010
All text and photos by Jen Cowart

HITTING THE STREETS: Bain Principal Tom Barbieri and his staff take a moment to pose for the camera before continuing on to the next house.

With summer winding down and September fast approaching, many teachers have begun setting up their classrooms. Others are enjoying the remaining carefree hours with their families.


But for many faculty members at Hugh B. Bain Middle School, it’s time to hit the streets and introduce themselves to the school’s new families.

For the second year in a row, Principal Tom Barbieri has asked for volunteers from his faculty and staff to accompany him on his walks through the neighborhoods of Stadium, Gladstone, Peters and Woodridge Elementary Schools.

For the second year in a row, the response has been overwhelming.

This year, Barbieri, along with 20 staffers and Family Center representative Grace Swinski, walked through the streets of Cranston for three nights in a row, three hours each night. They endured temperatures reaching almost 90 degrees.

“It’s what’s best for the kids,” Barbieri said. “A good principal reconnects with parents and students before school starts. It eases the transition so that there are no surprises.”

Barbieri knew he’d be embarking on the initiative, but was blown away that so many teachers offered to help.

“One teacher left her beach house in Charlestown to come up for one day to participate in these walks at night,” he said.

Doors opened to welcome Barbieri as he rang the bell at house after house. The new seventh graders were ready and waiting, having been given a head’s up by student council members.

“This gives them the chance to see that we care about them even outside of school,” said Bain +2 coordinator Brittany Sandbergen. “They see that we’re not just a part of the school.”

The exercise also allows teachers to get a first hand look at where their students are coming from.

“This gives us an appreciation of the walking distance these kids travel and the obstacles they might face on the way to school, before they’ve even gotten to me,” said reading teacher Kristie Butler.

Barbieri agreed.

“When you’ve walked these neighborhoods and then these kids are in front of you when you’re teaching them, you can advocate for them because you know, you have a good sense of what they’re going through,” he said.

At each house, Barbieri tried to connect with the students, asking them if they were ready for school, if they had completed their reading and math packets and read their two summer reading books.

Each family also received an invitation to Bain’s back-to-school hot dog roast which was scheduled to take place on Aug. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. Barbieri asks the faculty and staff to support that event as well, even though it too, is an unpaid event.

He knows from past experience that many staff members will be there, using the opportunity to connect with families and students.

“These walks will help us make connections even before next Wednesday’s hot dog roast,” said Butler.

The staff acknowledges that middle school is a different world than elementary school, which is all the more reason to make these connections prior to the start of the school year.

“When you send your child to middle school, you’re very apprehensive,” said Mary Hopkins, one of Bain’s seventh grade math teachers. “This shows families that we’re going to take care of their students, and that we really do care about them.”

Swinski has a dual role in the process. She has been a parent at Bain, and she walks to represent the Family Center.

“At the Family Center, parent involvement is our number one priority. This is so important to the families and to the children. They look forward to it, and during the school year, they remember these visits. It’s a nice opportunity to connect,” she said.

Last year, the staff members reached out to 90 families in the Bain community. This year, thanks to Swinski’s mapping skills, they surpassed that number on the second night out.

“Although we can’t get to every house, as much as we’d like to, we’re hoping to reach at least two-thirds of the families this year,” she said.

Principal Barbieri believes that pre-season initiatives such as the neighborhood walks and the upcoming hot dog roast are all part of building the school community and forming a school-to-home connection, even if it means volunteering one’s time.

“A major part of our school’s success is having a faculty and staff who are willing to go above and beyond,” Barbieri said. “To me that’s the definition of a professional.”

Bain fights the summer slide

Cranston Herald
August 11, 2010
All text and photos by Jen Cowart

JUST THE FACTS: Derek Masterson works closely with Nick Burns on mean, median and mode during the math portion of Bain’s summer SMART program.

Tom Barbieri has a dream that one day his school, Hugh B. Bain Middle School, will be open almost all year long.


This year, he began moving steadily towards his goal when Bain remained open for several days during school vacations for academic enrichment and recreational activities.

And this summer, Barbieri took another step forward as the school hosted a four-week program that again combined academics and recreation.

According to a story from Time magazine, a century of studies have found that “the average student loses about a month of progress in math skills each summer, while low-income students slip as many as three months in reading comprehension, compared with middle-income students.” Additionally, “By ninth grade, summer learning loss could be blamed for roughly two-thirds of the achievement gap separating income groups.”

Barbieri and his staff are trying to fight what’s been nicknamed the “summer slide,” or summer learning loss, by keeping students at Bain actively engaged all year long.

What started out as a random question about summer reading from a faculty member quickly became a real goal: keeping students academically engaged over the summer in preparation for the coming school year.

“We decided to ‘require’ our students to do something in reading, writing and math over the summer to keep them fresh for September,” Barbieri explained.

A packet of activities in the various subjects was developed, which was aligned with the Rhode Island Grade Level Expectations, and a letter was sent home to parents explaining the available options. The program was nicknamed the SMART program (Student Math and Reading Tasks).

Students could complete the packets on their own at home, or they could take advantage of free academic support at the school each morning over four weeks’ during the summer months.

The packets featured fun and engaging themes and activities.

The math packet was based on a Boston Red Sox theme (Barbieri is a steadfast fan) and had students learning about player statistics, ballparks, merchandise and franchise history.

The reading packet asked students to pick two recommended books from a list, or two other books of interest to the students while still at their level, and complete activities such as creating the front page of a newspaper, writing a movie script, writing a song, or creating a mobile about the book.

In addition, Bain+2, the extended day program housed at Bain during the school year, was offering a four-week Adventure Camp summer program as well.

Therefore, the students could participate in academic enrichment with Bain faculty members in the mornings, and then join the camp for structured learning activities and trips in the afternoons for a nominal fee.

“Why can’t school be different in the summertime? Why can’t we do some academics in the mornings and do fun activities in the afternoons, all around our state?” Barbieri asks.

“These are lifelong things our kids need to know about their own communities,” he said, citing some of the opportunities for afternoon activities that were being scheduled, including surfing lessons, trips to parks, aquariums and the local libraries for teen activities.

Barbieri emphasized that creating the summer SMART program and the accompanying packets was a partnership that involved many people, not only his dedicated faculty and staff but also faculty members from other schools as far away as South Kingstown Middle School. He also cited Brittany Sandbergen, the Bain+2 coordinator, as the backbone to the program, helping him to develop the schedule and much of the school to home communication. Sandbergen estimated that on a daily basis during the four-week program, approximately 70 students participated in the programs.

“And that’s just a start,” Barbieri said. “I’d love to see the whole school here.”

Sandbergen felt that parents were excited and heard them express appreciation for the program.

“One dad was so excited, he said he’d never seen a program like this before,” Sandbergen said.

Barbieri stressed the fact that time is of the essence when working with the students.

“We only have two years with these kids,” he said. “We need to start building relationships early and building leadership capacity, which will hopefully benefit them in the high school years and in our community down the line.”

Sandbergen agreed.

“Because so many incoming seventh graders are enrolled here, they’re getting to see teachers that they may have, see their principal, and the Bain+2 program. It eases their transition,” she said.

Barbieri tries to tour the building each day during the four-week program, popping into classrooms.

“It’s important for these kids to see that I’m here, too,” he said. “No one’s here because of the [hourly wage]; they’re here because they want to give those kids a good shot for September. It all started with one staff member, and this is what we should be doing for kids.”

Bain demands 'Respect' at statewide conference

All text by: Jen Cowart
Cranston Herald
July 1, 2010

This spring, 45 students from Hugh B. Bain Middle School went to the Third Eye conference, “Youth Lighting the Way to New Directions,” at the University of Rhode Island.


At the two-day conference, the students participated in workshops, conducting two of their own in front of the 500 or so other students from 50 other middle schools around the state.

According to Project Respect’s faculty advisor, Sheri Brown, the Bain students also performed skits for the other students, which conveyed messages promoting the theme of respect. The skits dealt with topics such as domestic violence and bullying, with the Bain “Knight Steppers” performing a dance routine that carried an anti-bullying message.

While the students were busy preparing for and participating in the conference, the group also earned three prestigious awards and citations, being named the Attorney General’s Middle School of the Year, receiving a citation from the Rhode Island House of Representatives as Middle School of the Year, Creating a Safer School Community, as well as a Senate Citation for being the Middle School Third Eye School of the Year.

“The whole idea behind Third Eye is kids being a third eye at the schools,” said Brown, noting that the students look for bullying and brainstorm ways to intervene, address and solve problems during their twice-weekly after school meetings.

“Sheri Brown has really come into her own with this,” added Bain Principal Tom Barbieri. “She’s become a leader in our school community, and she was named National School Advisor of the Year last year.”

At the Third Eye Conference, the students shared snippets of the work they do at Bain, including the bullying education, peer mentoring, proactive assemblies and community projects.

“The activities that the kids have done strengthened their leadership skills. Some have gotten more self-esteem and self-confidence. This will absolutely benefit them in high school,” said Brown.

She also stated that going to the Third Eye conference let the students truly understand some of the dangerous bullying types of situations going on in the community and the seriousness of them.

“Now they know how to address them,” she said.

Brown started Project Respect at Bain eight years ago. Since that time, it has tripled in size as more students have joined. Brown has had to start an application process for the program due to the amount of students who want to be involved.

“I really believe it’s had a positive impact on the school climate,” Brown said.

The 45 students meet every week for two hours. There’s a specific agenda at each meeting and the students work on team-building activities and plan assemblies and activities for the entire school community.

“In reality, kids aren’t going to listen to adults,” said Barbieri. “I talk to them every day in the dining room and they look like they are listening, but we all know that when kids talk they will listen to each other.”

The students do a great deal of brainstorming during their meeting times to think about the types of problems being faced on a daily basis at the school and within the community, even globally.

“Respect is the foundation of our school. Sheri’s award and the other awards say a lot for our building,” said Barbieri. “We know what’s important in life and that’s what has been holding our building together for the past 80 years. This is what will hold it together for the next 80 years. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Bain remembers

Cranston Herald

June 2, 2010
All text and photos by: Jennifer Cowart

Flag First: Two dozen student flag holders marched in and lined both sidewalks facing

Gansett Avenue during the hour-long ceremony.

In a tradition dating back to World War II, the students, staff and community came together at Hugh B. Bain Middle School on Friday to remember alumni who have given their lives in service to the country.

“Eighty years young, Hugh B. Bain has become a leader in the Cranston Public Schools and in our state,” Principal Tom Barbieri said. “Today’s event is one example of this. The Rhode Island Veterans of Foreign Affairs has recognized our tradition by awarding us the Rhode Island Patriotic Award.”

The Reverend Bob Bailey led the group in the Invocation. During his prayer, he stated that memory is what allows people to connect to those who have died, emphasizing the importance of gathering on Memorial Day to remember those lives lost.

The Bain Concert Choir sang throughout the ceremony, performing the “Star Spangled Banner” and later the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “God Bless America.”

Bain student Alexander Corvese recognized the importance of Memorial Day during his introductory remarks.

“Memorial Day is a time for reflection and gratitude,” he said. “This program started as a dedication of trees for the men lost in World War II. As more and more men were lost, this tradition continued.”

Following Corvese’s speech, Bain faculty member Tracy Wasilewski and her class performed Faith Hill’s song, “There You’ll Be” in sign language.

Follow the signs: Tracy Wasilewski leads her class in signing

Faith Hill's song, "There You'll Be."

Mayor Allan Fung echoed the patriotic sentiments of school staff, adding that he was impressed with the school’s dedication to the holiday.

“I’d first like to commend all of the students, Tom, the staff and all who honor and continue this tradition,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to remember lives of those who have walked these hallowed halls, but have gone on and made the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we can continue to have the freedoms that we enjoy.”

Fung went on to say, “Their honors and memories will always continue on in all of our hearts. We will never forget their ultimate sacrifice and I ask each and every one of you not to take the liberties and freedoms we all have for granted.”

A common theme that ran through many of the student speeches was the shared experience they had with these soldiers.

“Today, Memorial Day, is a day to stop and think. The soldiers we remember today went to this school. They were students here. They changed classes; they opened our lockers. We celebrate them this Memorial Day,” said eighth-grader Ivy Swinski.

Superintendent Peter Nero, a former Bain student, reflected on his memories of the school’s Memorial Day Ceremony.

“I first experienced this as you did today, as a 12-year-old young man who had moved from Providence to Cranston. As the generations pass, the tradition continues,” he said.

The traditional ceremony continued with a recitation of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution followed with a prayer given by Reverend Francis W. O’Hara.

Bain student Emily Ellinwood gave the Roll Call of the Dead, calling out the names of all of the former Bain students who have given their lives in service, while a drum roll accompanied her.

As she did so, fellow students Anne Sinapi, Tianna Ugarte, Lauren McDonnell and Carley Rotenberg put one carnation for each name into a memorial wreath.

The Rhode Island National Guard did an honorary three-gun salute, which was followed by a playing of “Taps.”

An emotional Michael Traficante was the final speaker, bringing greetings from the Cranston School Committee. A Korean War veteran, Traficante tried to maintain his composure as he spoke to the crowd.

“We, as Americans, are sometimes prone to making light of ceremonies like this or symbols of our freedom, like the flag. We salute the Bain community for perpetuating this tradition,” he said. “It’s a realistic fact that it is the American soldier, not the press, who has given us our freedom of the press. It is the American soldier, not the poet, who has given us our freedom of speech.”

Traficante spoke emphatically to the students he faced, passing along a most important message.

“Please don’t ever lose sight of our great history and our great nation,” he said. “If you truly enjoy the freedoms we have today, you thank an American soldier today and every opportunity you have.”