Student Spotlight
Revere High School Valedictorian Awarded Prestigious Gates Scholarship
Student Mathlete. Captain of the swim team. Valedictorian. And now, winner of the Gates Scholarship.
Revere Public Schools is proud to announce that MIT-bound Senior Kathy Trinh has now been awarded the prestigious Gates Scholarship. She will pursue a degree in Computer Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Each year, thousands of students from across the United States apply for the scholarship; however, only about 1% are selected to receive the award. It is presented to students who demonstrate an outstanding academic record in high school (in the top 10% of their graduating class), demonstrate leadership ability, and have exceptional personal success skills.
Kathy, with their remarkable grades, varied extra-curricular activities, and confident manner, is the epitome of what a Gates Scholar should look like. With their mathematically-tuned brain, they speak clearly and confidently about the experience of applying for and winning the Gates Scholarship – and it is not an easy one.
It starts with a basic application, “In October, one of my friends texted me that he was applying for Gates, and he asked if I had filled it out yet. I had no idea what it even was. I looked it up and I fit – I thought, ‘that’s me!’ I sent in the application, which was just a basic application. It's all just drop-down menus and fill in the blanks.”
They found out about their semi-finalist standing in December, and the application process followed with four 500-word essays, asking about their leadership positions, challenges they had to overcome, and what would, theoretically, get them on the cover of Time Magazine in 2042.
Finally, they had to have an in-person interview, “it was with one of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund people who also help administrate the Gates Scholarship. I just had my interview for two hours at the Starbucks in Revere. And then, On April 20th, I got the notification that I was selected to be a Gates Scholar.”
They speak matter-of-factly about the process and the realization that they had won the scholarship, but it’s clear that it means a lot to Kathy and their family. “Now that if my parents want to get a better job or a different job, then they can do so without having to worry about me not being able to afford college.”
Being accepted to MIT is certainly no mean feat, but Kathy was accepted to multiple schools before choosing the attend MIT. “Out of the 13 schools I applied to, I got accepted to seven of them. I got into UMass Boston, UMass Amherst, Northeastern, MIT, UPenn, Brown, and then Princeton.”
Kathy also participated in a position as a research assistant, interning at Northeastern for six weeks during the summer. “I designed a study and then with the help of a mentor, I implemented it. We were assigned labs through the program and the lab I was in was the decision analytics lab. My professor was looking at opioid use disorder and how we can use technology to examine how treatments implemented and how effective they are. He asked us to design a study that would help find the determinants of OUD (Opiate Use Disorder).”
Such an impressive student certainly has had teachers who have had a strong, positive impact on their educational journey. “Ms. Szymanski has always known who I am because she had my brothers. But I got to know her last year; she's always helped me through anything I've asked her to help me with. Even if I don't ask, she'll just think of something and she'll send it to me or she'll ask, ‘hey did you hear about this?’ And I think has got me through a lot of stressful times. It’s great to have her support and just she's a really fun person to talk to.”
Like many high school seniors who are college-bound, although their academic program is planned, Kathy still is undecided about what to pursue once their academic career comes to an end and they must choose a career path. “I’m going to figure that out in college. That's the one thing I want to do is explore career paths. I've decided to study both Computer Science and Brain and Cognitive science, maybe in a research setting as I’ve had experience in research.”
Revere Public Schools extend their sincerest congratulations to Kathy Trinh. We are honored to have you as our Class of 2023 Valedictorian. Your achievements are numerous, and we are so proud to see them recognized with this prestigious scholarship.
Thank you for being a role model to your fellow students, and an asset to our school community. We are excited to see you succeed at MIT and look forward to learning about your future accomplishments.
Revere High School's 'Mr. RHS' PageantThe Revere High School auditorium buzzed with anticipation as the audience of students, faculty, and family members patiently waited for the beginning of the Mr. RHS Pageant on the evening of April 24th.
Three emcees, nine contestants, and four judges took to the stage for a series of competitions, including a question-and-answer round, a talent round, a beach-wear round, and a rose-giving ceremony.
The students had been practicing for over a month to ensure that the evening went smoothly, and the preparation and hard work paid off – the pageant was everything it should be: funny and light-hearted, with just the right amount of touching sentimentality.
The judging panel, comprised of Dr. Lena Marie Rockwood (RHS Assistant Principal), Ms. Amy Chamberlin (RHS Guidance Counselor), Mr. Jason Torrey (RHS Biology Teacher), and Mr. Danny Cardona (Class of 2022), sat to the left of the stage as the emcees introduced the competitors. Each competitor, dressed formally, was escorted to the front of the stage by an equally well-dressed partner. Each competitor and their escort performed a personalized handshake before leaving the stage. Everyone hammed it up, spinning, twirling, and dancing as they effortlessly locked hands in various patterns.
The competition began with a question-and-answer session. The four judges had a list of questions and
chose one randomly to ask each competitor. My favorite was "Without words, tell us why you should be Mr. RHS?" The competitor responded with an interpretive dance.
Following the question and answer round, the competitors treated us to a talent competition including caricature art, magic tricks, singing, and – believe it or not – chugging four bottles of water! The array of talents made this part of the evening anything but boring.
The swimwear competition is always a highlight of the Mr. RHS pageant, and this year's participants did not disappoint. Contestants once again turned on the stage presence as they moved seamlessly across the stage and into the audience. Competitors paraded onto the stage in scuba gear and a grass skirt/coconut top combination along with the standard tank tops and swim trunks.
Although the pageant is generally light-hearted, the emcees cooled the frenzy by introducing the rose ceremony. Each contestant was handed a rose in turn, and each gave a short statement about someone they wanted to acknowledge. The series of answers included mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and fathers.
To lift the mood again, the whole cast of the pageant took the stage. What Mr. RHS competition would be complete without a full-cast reinterpretation of High School Musical's 'We're All in This Together'? To watch the video, click here!
Once the judges whittled the competition down from nine to six, they asked why they deserved to be named Mr. RHS. Unsurprisingly, contestants exuded self-confidence and humor. One of my favorite parts of this event is the emcees' and contestants' confidence and spirit.
Although the contestants deserve all the credit and accolades awarded to them, I would be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge the three emcees, who were not only responsible for the progression of the show but also had to keep the audience entertained in between rounds in the competition. They were charismatic and engaging and had a genuine rapport between them. Whether poking fun at the contestants or dancing outrageously as a diversion, they were effervescent and an absolute pleasure to watch.
Finally, last year's Mr. RHS, wearing his tiara and sash, took the stage to help crown the new Mr. RHS!
Congratulations to all contestants:
Adam Aguaouz
Domenic Boudreau
Samuel Burns
Chris Cassidy
Max Doucette
Michael Popp
Menold Sinani
Michael Toto
Vincent Vu
Do you want to watch the crowning ceremony and reveal the winner? Click here for the video!
Revere High School Performs “In the Heights” The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
Director Kristina Menissian explained choosing this particular show in an interview with NBC Boston, "(The students) cope with the same struggles these characters cope with, like language barriers and missing people still in their home countries.”
The performance was highly anticipated, with nearly sold-out shows. The interest in the show even garnered a special message from the show’s creator.
Because of this anticipation, Menissian contacted In the Heights official merchandiser instead of a local company. The person she got in touch with happened to be Miranda’s brother-in-law, who relayed the story of RHS’s landmark musical to the writer.
The video begins with Miranda singing the opening number but segued into a special message for the
theater students.“Remember to be a community every second you’re on the stage,” Miranda says in the video, which can be viewed here.
The message was a welcome morale boost to the students, who have been preparing and practicing for the show since November. As anyone with any theater experience knows, the week leading up to opening night is the most stressful and exhausting part of the production – sometimes more so than the performance itself.
The excitement was palpable walking into the Revere High School Theater. Students and faculty sold tickets and concessions, ushered audience members to their seats and handed out programs. I had selected an aisle seat towards the back of the theater, giving me an unimpeded view of the stage.
“In the Heights” has an eclectic soundtrack, relying heavily on hip-hop, salsa, merengue, and soul, and the cast effortlessly seamed these styles together, often combining different genres into one number. The combination of amazing talent and dedicated practice was evident in every number. Every performer was breathtaking, from the main characters to the ensemble dancers. The audience could feel the soul, desperation, and hope in every number.The cast deserves every accolade received, but not enough can be said about the tireless work of the people behind the scenes.
The set featured two tiers, allowing performers to maximize the space. The attention to detail was stunning – every prop and paint stroke was deliberate. Sets were detailed and well-constructed, bringing the audience to Washington Heights, especially with the Brooklyn Bridge backdrop. Costumes were mainly comprised of street clothes but were accurate to each character, whether a tie-dyed shirt, a sweet summer dress, or a colorful head scarf.
orchestra, rounding out an incredible performance as good as any professional theater experience. Congratulations to the cast and crew, as well as director Kristina Menissian and RPS’ Fine Arts Director Kelly Williams.Technology in Action – RHS' Robotics team the NUTRONs Compete in the Greater Boston District Robotics Competition
I knew I was walking into something unique as soon as I pulled into the parking lot at Revere High School for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) Greater Boston District Robotics Competition. Cars filled the parking lot, as well as the adjacent roads.
The excitement in the air was palpable as I walked into the auditorium, looking forward to watching Revere High's team, the NUTRONs, compete.
If you've never been to a robotics competition, you are not alone. Until Saturday, March 25, I had never been to one either. I had no idea what the robots were going to look like or how, exactly, the competition worked.
Teams of students design, create, and program robots that compete in skills competitions. Engineer-mentors lead these teams. From start to finish, creating these robots takes about six weeks, and students build them from a set of regulation parts.
At this competition, schools competed against each other in two types of matches – practice, and qualification. Schools break into alliances – Red vs. Blue. There are three robots in each alliance.
The beginning of each match is an autonomous period, where robots operate with only pre-programmed instructions to score points by either taxiing on the tarmac or retrieving and scoring assigned cargo into their hub (in this case, the cargo were traffic cones and small basketballs.) After the autonomous period, there are 2 minutes and 15 seconds of driver-controlled gameplay, where drivers take control of their robots and score points by either continuing to retrieve and score with their assigned cargo or engaging with their hanger.
Groups of students and their robots bustled around a large pit - the playing area. The stands were packed, and the energy was high while I made my way around the Jumbo-Tron and into the auditorium. If you can ever attend one of these events, I recommend it, especially if you like controlled chaos.
Because heats are so short, robots and their student creators continuously cycle around the
auditorium. Because each robot is built from the same parts, the untrained eye can only distinguish one from the other by the participants' uniforms or by the number on the side of the machine.
Towards the back of the auditorium, each team has a repair area. The bustling in this area is even more fevered as teams analyze what worked in previous heats, what needed adjusting, and, in some cases, the space acted as a robot hospital.
Thirty-nine teams competed between Saturday and Sunday, each competing in twelve matches.
I was invited into the pit by Josh Miranda, the faculty advisor for the NUTRONs. There, I was able to watch a competition up close. Robots zinged around the arena as they picked up cones, maneuvered out of tight corners, and took to the air as they flew off of on-field platforms.
The NUTRONs, went 12-5 overall and is now in alliance with two other teams - Windham Windup from Windham, NH, and Cyber Sailors from Scituate, MA. Their alliance went undefeated in the elimination matches, winning the competition.
The NUTRONs also won the FIRST Impact Award:
"The FIRST Impact Award (formerly the Chairman's Award) is the most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. It was created to keep the central focus of FIRST Robotics Competition on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encouraging more of today's youth to become science and technology leaders." (firstinspires.org)
The NUTRONs are currently ranked 9th in New England, but winning the Impact Award automatically qualifies them for the District Championship, which takes place at the Big-E Fairgrounds in West Springfield, MA, from April 5th - 8th. There, they will compete against the top 90 teams in New England to qualify for a spot in the World Championship.
Congratulations to our NUTRONs, for this accomplishment, and thank you to all the teams who were such fierce competition.
Onto the District Championship!