Montgomery School

This week, the U.S. Department of Education introduces a quick and casual look back at what went on at ED in the previous month.   The video journal covers a dozen large and small events featuring Secretary Arne Duncan and other ED staff, all in just a few minutes.

first installment features Arne announcing the Administration’s plan to provide regulatory flexibility around No Child Left Behind (NCLB) if Congress does not complete work on a reauthorization bill before the August recess; the 2011 Presidential Scholars’ visit to Washington;  a farewell to the this year’s Teacher Ambassador Fellows; a graduation ceremony for the Project Search program for  high schools students with disabilities; and more.

Daniel Satinoff and Joey Poach have know each other since the sixth grade, back when they were studying communications and goofing off in after-care at Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.

The boys bonded over their love of making films, with Satinoff working as cinematographer and Poach directing shorts such as the one they made in the seventh grade about the school’s morning announcements.

They carried their bond to Dreyfoos School of the Arts, where they graduated in 2008.

Now Satinoff and Poach, both 21, are college seniors and studying – what else? – film at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Satinoff is majoring in cinematography while Poach is studying film producing.

They’re like Simon and Garfunkel, said Joe Poach, Joey’s father, referring to the 1960s singing duo. They’re like brothers who have this real creative bent.

That creative bent is about to take Satinoff and Poach to five states and seven cities and across 2,400 miles. Starting today, they will travel the country by car shooting a documentary on the unsung heroes who help others by working in homeless shelters, children’s homes and missions.

The project is a partnership between No nonsense, a division of Kayser-Roth Corp., a socks and sleepwear manufacturer; and K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed Situations), a children’s charity led by retailers, manufacturers and licensors of children’s products.

As part of its Socks for America tour, No nonsense will distribute new socks to 1 million children and their families throughout the United States starting Thursday, with special events to take place in 16 cities.

Eight film students – including Satinoff and Poach – from such colleges as Harvard, Boston University and Wake Forest will help distribute the socks while documenting their experiences and blogging about their journey.

The eight-minute films are scheduled to be shown on No nonsense’s website in September.

This should help us grow as artists, Poach said.

Poach, whose family lives in Wellington, said when he and Satinoff immediately wanted to take part when they heard about the project.

Doing a documentary and seeing a part of the country we had never seen before would be the most ideal way to spend the summer, Poach said. And we would get to help people out as well.

First stop for Satinoff and Poach, who have made about 15 films together, is Colorado Springs, Colo. They then head to Denver; Taos, N.M.; Bentonville, Ark.; Oklahoma City; Dallas; and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Satinoff, of North Palm Beach, said he’s not worried about the long drive since he and Poach have driven from Florida to North Carolina several times.

We’re used to doing road trips together, Satinoff said.

Satinoff’s parents were excited when they got the news about their son’s project.

I was thrilled he had something to do this summer, said Jeff Satinoff, Daniel’s father. He’s getting experience in filming and he’s doing something of value at the same time.

Shauna Poach, Joey’s mother, said her son’s passion for film has grown stronger over the years.

An avid reader, Shauna said Joey would read a Harry Potter book in a single day when he was 10.

We’d talk about the book and play Potter trivia with his friends, Shauna said. This project will be a wonderful way for him to learn about our society.

After graduation, Satinoff, not surprisingly, said he wants to move to Los Angeles with Poach and two other Bak and Dreyfoos buddies.

We want to make movies and become big-time Hollywood filmmakers, Satinoff said.

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Indiana’s elementary students will no longer be required to perfect the looping script of cursive handwriting.

It’s a sad day (if you ask an old person like me).

Starting this fall, the Indiana Department of Education will no longer require public schools to teach cursive.

Instead, students will be expected to become proficient in keyboard use (like keyboards will be around in 10 years).

As someone who makes a second living off writing(?) a second rate blog about nothing, I know this is the way the world is heading.

But it makes me sad.

I can remember the sense of accomplishment I felt when I learned how to make a cursive S.

I don’t remember feeling the same sense of accomplishment when I typed my first S.

So this week campus has been returned to its normal busy state students are everywhere. The MBA 2011 class are back to complete the final week of their two-year programme before they graduate from the spectacular surroundings of Londons Royal Festival Hall.

Its strange to see them all. Us MBA 2012s have basically had the campus to ourselves for the past few months. The flexible nature of London Business Schools full time programme means that you spend the first year completing your core classes which brings you to campus nearly every day.

But by the second year you have a series of electives that allows you to reduce your contact hours on campus significantly so that you have more time to pursue other things part-time work, entrepreneurial projects, travel or maybe just catching up on all the sleep you missed out on in the first year!

Watching all of these familiar, but soon-to-be-gone faces engage in a little last-minute networking in the quad - although from the levels of laughter I think theyre definitely just reminiscing about everything extra-curricular - Im reminded of the transient nature of the MBA experience. I cant believe how fast my first 10 months in the programme has flown by and listening to all this talk of graduation, new jobs, relocations to new cities around the world it seems fear and elation are represented in equal measure.

I know that in no time at all I will be standing in their shoes and I want to make sure I am ready for it, but the question I keep asking myself is will I be? I know that the two years you spend on campus is just part of the greater MBA journey. I will have this network of contacts for life they will remain my friends, some may become my colleagues, others could even be my future backers should I choose an entrepreneurial path.

But the campus portion is all that I currently know. The rest remains unknown. Do you really re-enter the world prepared, or did I come in with lots of questions only to leave with more?  I dont know. As they say - only time will tell. But looking at the MBA 2011s  they all seem genuinely excited for what lies ahead, and thats enough to reassure me today. Plus Ive still got a year. Thats a long time right

GRAND RAPIDS Grand Valley State University leaders say their new biomedical engineering graduate program will be the first in the state to focus on medical device design and development.

Biomedical engineering employment is expected to rise by 72 percent between 2008-2018, and university administrators said the the number of jobs in the field in Michigan is expected to increase by 70 percent by 2018, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

The program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and supported by the West Michigan Medical Device Consortium and local companies.

Professor John Farris said students who complete the biomedical engineering program can go on to medical school and careers in medical device/biotechnology industries, research and development, and health care management.

Students are expected to team with other majors at Grand Valley. In one class, a group of students made a medical device that was tested by physical therapy students on real patients, so their feedback was incredibly helpful, Farris said in a statement released by the university.

Anyone with an engineering background is invited to apply for the fall semester, although the program is shaped for people with electrical or mechanical engineering experience. Farris said the program provides four fellowships that will cover all tuition costs and include a two-year stipend.