Middle School
Message
Monthly Newsletter of
Wissahickon Middle School
February 2017
Amelia Heppe Wins WMS National Geographic Bee
Moves One Step Closer to $50,000 College Scholarship
Amelia Heppe, a 7th grade student at WMS, won the school
competition of the National Geographic Bee on January 10th and
a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship. The school Bee, at which
students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the
29th annual National Geographic Bee. Thousands of schools around
the United States and in the five U.S. territories are participating in
the 2017 National Geographic Bee. The school champions, including
Amelia, will take a qualifying test; up to 100 of the top scorers on that
test in each state will then be eligible to compete in their state Bee on
March 31, 2017.
The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses
paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state winners to participate in
the Bee national championship rounds May 15-17, 2017. The first
place national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship,
a lifetime membership in the Society including a subscription to
National Geographic magazine, and a trip to the Galápagos Islands,
courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. The
national finals will air on television on May 19th at 8 p.m. EST on
the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD, and later on
public television stations. Check local listings for dates and times.
Congratulations to the winners from each WMS team:
6th Grade Winners
Titans- Matthew Leon-Palfrey
Cavaliers- Micah Margolis
Mustangs- Michael Evans
Griffins- Anna Coccadrilli
Hawks- Brett Darnell
7th Grade Winners
Dragons- Amelia Heppe
Owls - Stephen Autieri
Garnets - Colin Stewart
8th Grade Winners
Pioneers-Sam Forde
Pride - Liam Trumbore
Patriots- Justin Le
8th Grade Winners
Pioneers-Sam Forde
Pride - Liam Trumbore
Patriots- Justin Le
7th Grade Element Bee
The top 5 to 6 students from each 7th grade
team demonstrating mastery of the elements
on the periodic table competed at the 4th
annual Element Bee held at WMS. These
students had to identify the element from the
symbol and pronounce and spell correctly
the elements on the periodic table faster
than their opponent. Reardon Bentley, from
the Owls team, stood on top of the podium
as the element bee champion. Great job
to the young scientists listed below who
participated:
Owls Team
Reardon Bentley
Dan Dowlin
Sophia Furman
Camille Hubbs
Milan Patel
Dora Stravenger
Garnets Team
Allie Jiang
Alex Shin
Jeremy Luu
Kameren Jouhal
Ethan Pigeon
Dragons Team
Andrew D’Aquanno
Nathan D’Aquanno
Shelly Chen
Dylan Lynagh
Ari Reiserer
Students & Athletes
of the Month
Our two Students of the Month were Matt Bauer,
6th Grade Hawks and
Desiree Lonon, 8th
Grade Pride. Matt
and Desiree were
selected based on their
positive contributions
to WMS, strong
interest in learning,
involvement in
school/community
programs and
great character and
citizenship.
Our two Student
Athletes of the
Month were
basketball players,
Jacob Slackman and
Elizabeth Kunzier.
Jacob and Elizabeth
were selected based
on their displays of
good sportsmanship,
respect, “team before
self ” mentality,
commitment and
demonstration of outstanding character, in addition
to their athletic skill levels.
Please join us in recognizing these four students’
positive contributions to the Wissahickon Middle
School’s learning community. Photos of these four
students are currently on display in the Atrium
hallway.
Watch Principal Beth Bauer’s
Video Blog!
Mrs. Bauer shares information about the
upcoming WMS musical, Beauty and the Beast,
Rachel’s Challenge, the Student/Faculty Basketball
Game and an upcoming change from midterms/
finals to common assessments.
VIEW BLOG
Counselor’s Corner
Steve Ebert, 7th Grade Counselor
The Wissahickon Intervention Network (WIN) is the
name we call our Student Assistance Program (SAP) at the
middle school. The WIN team is made up of a group of
staff members who have been trained to help identify and
refer for assistance, those students who have evidenced
‘at risk’ behaviors. ‘At risk’ behaviors would include those
students who are involved with alcohol, drugs or just
having difficulties dealing with their personal problems.
When a parent or student has concerns, they can refer a
student to the WIN team. At the middle school, we use
referral boxes that are yellow in color and are identified
with the ‘WIN’ label on the front. These boxes are located
by the nurse’s office, and in the library. Referral forms are
attached to these boxes and can be filled out and placed
in the boxes. Privacy is essential so the boxes are locked
and referrals can be made anonymously if preferred. The
boxes are then checked each day by a WIN team member
and referrals handled by the team to provide assistance for
students in need.
Some examples of typical referral issues include: Substance
abuse, eating disorders, depression, aggression/bullying,
self-injurious behavior, truancy, runaway, peer and social
interaction problems. All administrators and counselors
are part of the team as well as the school nurse and some
teachers may participate who have been trained as student
assistance program workers. Please feel free to contact
your child’s school counselor with additional questions
regarding the WIN team, it’s process, or how you can be
involved in supporting students who may be ‘at risk’ or in
need of support.
Meet our Student Security Officer
Meet our new Student
Security Officer Assistant,
Sam Cammarota. Sam helps
Mr. Camasso check and lock
all of the exterior doors every
morning. Sam does a great job
assisting Mr. Camasso and Sam
knows exactly where every door
is that needs to be checked.
Sam, thanks for helping Mr.
Camasso keep our school safe.
WMS Tech Squad
Staff Spotlight: Dan Hugenbruch
The WMS Tech Squad continues to grow! After
accepting some new applicants, the student
technology team now sports over 40 members who
provide in-class support to teachers and fellow
students. They are able to solve all kinds of problems
ranging from connection issues to error messages
and many things in between. The group meets every
few weeks with Mrs. Krause and Mr. Baldassarre
to discuss current technology issues, learn how to
troubleshoot common problems, and share what they
have learned by helping out in the classroom.
Members of our tech squad have shown leadership
and initiative by using the building's 3D printer to
solve problems, assisting Mr. Baldassarre in the tech
office, and making sure that everyone is able to stay
on task in class by providing quick, helpful support.
The Tech Squad has become the go-to crew for
classroom technology support, and everyone at WMS
appreciates all they do!
Technology Education
Birthday? September 2nd
Years at WMS? 2 years. Prior to that,
I taught for 12 years at Sandy Run
Middle School in the Upper Dublin
School District.
Favorite food? Homemade meatballs, made by my wife!
Family? My wife and I have 2 daughters – Emmy, almost 3
and Ellie almost 9 months.
Favorite song? I like all kinds of music, but I will say Boys
of Fall by Kenny Chesney.
Favorite book? There are several: The Shining, Money Ball,
and The Da Vinci Code
Favorite team? Phillies!!
Interesting facts? Two times I have been part of winning
teams that participated in District Championships in
football, once as a player and once as a coach.
Hobbies? Coaching, cooking (BBQ/smoking), and building
things
WMS Multicultural Club
In the Multicultural Club students celebrate culture and diversity in all
its forms. So far this year, they have celebrated and discussed Diwali, the
Hindu festival of lights, Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead,
and Christmas/Hanukkah. Students have taken the time to make and/or
bring in traditional foods such as chicken curry, naan, arroz con leche, and
tamales.
Students also share their own cultural experiences while contributing to
discussions about other cultures. Celebrations later in the year will include
Mardi Gras, Holi (the Hindu Spring festival), Easter/Passover, and May
Day.
Winter Sports Season Update II
The Wissahickon Wrestling team is doing very well this year.
The league matches are now operating under the "Madison
rule" which is good because almost all of our wrestlers are
getting experience in live matches. Our team is full of energy,
determination, and commitment. Coach Panettieri and
Coach Gutshall like the way the wrestlers are performing at
practice and in school. They believe that this team has great
potential and the opportunity to go very far in our league
tournament which is scheduled on Thursday, February 9 at
Springfield Middle School.
In addition, our wrestlers will be traveling to Germantown
Academy on Saturday, January 28th for a wrestling meet with
numerous schools from the surrounding area. On Friday,
February 10th and Saturday, February 11th, our wrestlers will
travel to Quakertown Senior High School for the 2017 JH/MS
Southeastern PA Wrestling Tournament. This is a great end of
the season tournament that draws a lot of tough competition
from southeastern Pennsylvania.
Boys Basketball
The 7th and 8th grade Boys basketball teams are off to great
starts. The 8th grade team is undefeated with a 5-0 record.
They have recorded decisive victories over their arch rivals,
Cedarbrook and Sandy Run. The 7th grade team is currently
4-1 and most recently had a big win over rival Sandy Run.
The Coaches are excited about the teams’ efforts and positive
attitudes. The teams’ goals are to work hard each day, get
better fundamentally, and develop into a strong, cohesive
unit. Come out and support the teams!
WMS Jazz Bands Rock the
House
The Black Dog Jazz Band has been busy performing
in the new year. Things started off with a breakfast
fundraiser event put on by the Daniel W. Dowling
American Legion #769 to remember, celebrate, and
honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The
Black Dog Band started the morning with a rousing
performance and gave way to the High School One
o’clock Jazz Band. This was only the first of many
community performances for the Black Dog Jazz
Band in the new year, however, with their level of
musicianship and professionalism, you wouldn’t
know it. CLICK HERE for a recording of their
performance.
On January 20, the Black Dog Band and Blues Dog
Band hosted the 34th Annual Wissahickon Middle
School Jazz Band Festival. This event involved 2
WMS Jazz Bands, 1 WHS Jazz Band, as well as
visiting Jazz Ensembles from Tohickon Middle
School, Abington Junior High School, Upper
Moreland Middle School, and Pennbrook Middle
School. The night featured performances from all 7
ensembles for an audience that included professional
musicians as judges. The judges provided feedback
for each band to improve as well as ratings for the
awards ceremony at the end. The Black Dog Band
will be attending competitions this year at Upper
Moreland, Milford, Pennbrook, Tohickon, and
Abington. Keep an eye out for these talented WMS
students as they continue to improve throughout the
Jazz Band season!
No Place for Hate – Year 2
After being recognized as a No Place for Hate school last year,
WMS is continuing to place a strong emphasis on creating a safe
and comfortable learning environment in which all students are
respected. In an effort to do so, WMS held a No Place for Hate
kickoff event in September and pledged to hold three events
throughout this school year.
The kickoff event featured a video presentation entitled “Do
One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion,” a class discussion,
and all students and teachers signing a classroom “Resolution
of Respect.” The signed “Resolution of Respect” pledges that
students and teachers will live by the following:
• Do our best to combat prejudice and to stop those who
violate the civil rights of others.
• Seek to understand those who are different.
• Believe that one person can make a difference and that no
person should stand by when it comes to opposing hate.
• Speak out against prejudice and discrimination.
• Reach out to those who are victims of hate.
• Know that we must all promote harmony, equality and
respect.
• Commit ourselves to create a community that is No Place for
Hate.
Two No Place for Hate projects have also been completed to
date. The first project was entitled “Diversity Doors” and began
in late October and ran through mid-November. The goal of
the “Diversity Doors” project was to generate conversations
and foster understanding of the importance of the themes
identified in the initiatives of No Place for Hate (celebrating
diversity, promoting respect for differences, challenging bias
and bullying), Olweus (be an up-stander, stand up to bullying),
Travis Manion’s four pillars (Integrity, Courage, Leadership,
Service), and Rachel's Challenge (look for the best in others,
dream big, choose positive influences, speak with kindness and
start a chain reaction of kindness), especially as they apply to life
at the middle school. Students and teachers worked together to
create door covers that highlighted these themes. The winning
doors are pictured below:
The second project was a “Mix-It-Up” day
project. The goal of this project was to engage
students in an opportunity to make connections
during lunch with people they attend school with
but may not already know. It allowed for students
to converse with other students and hear different
viewpoints. It gave some students who struggle
with shyness a chance to move outside of their
comfort zone and meet new people. Teachers,
counselors and administrators sat down and
were actively involved in answering and asking
questions during the Mix-It-Up lunches.
The final project planned is entitled “Developing
a Common Language.” The Mustang teachers
are working with their students to create videos
and announcements to help develop a common
language to support students in addressing
issues surrounding our differences. Some of
the vocabulary words highlighted are: anti-bias,
bigotry, discrimination, multicultural, prejudice,
racism, scapegoating, sexism, stereotype, and
more. Students appear to be enjoying the work to
develop a common language and educate fellow
classmates on ways that we can help make WMS a
No Place for Hate.