Glenolden School
Glenolden Gazette
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1
December 2016
What Community Service Day Means to Us A First-Hand Experience
By: Amira Simila
Inside this issue:
Teacher Stories
2
District Chorus
2
Glenolden Band
2
Trunk or Treat
3
Flag Football
3
Pumpkin Contest
3
Advice Column
4
ACT Ball Pit
4
Boredom Busters
5
Art Club
5
Harvest Dance
5
Jokes
5
Student Interviews
6
Teacher Interviews
6
DIY Ideas
6
Comic
7
Community Service Day
is very important to Glenolden
School. It shows us how important it
is to not think about ourselves. It
shows us what we have been learning
for years – integrity and excellence.
If you think you have it bad, there is
always someone with it worse. We
are trying to make someone’s day a
little better. I had the chance to experience what each grade was doing to
contribute to this special day.
In first grade, they make
bags. They decorate brown paper
bags for Thanksgiving. Then the
third and fourth graders make sandwiches that go into these bags. If I
was a person who did not have a
whole lot, I would be extremely
grateful because I would know that
someone cares.
In second grade, they
make arts and crafts for men and
women in nursing homes. The people
in the nursing homes don’t have
much and receiving a special piece of
art or craft puts a smile on their face.
In third and fourth grade,
they make peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches. Many of us get breakfast, lunch and dinner handed to us
easily, while there are people in this
world that don’t eat for days. These
sandwiches may not be much but it
means a lot to some people. Some
kids complain about what they have
to eat at dinner time because they
don’t like it but they need to be grateful for what they do get. Fifth grade
made trail mix to go along with the
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
These grades are showing us the
importance of being grateful.
In sixth grade, they make
quilts and rake leaves around the
school. Last year when I was in sixth
grade, I got to make the quilts. It
made me feel happy knowing that I
was able to give someone a warm
blanket to help make the cold nights a
little better. It showed me how extremely grateful I am for everything
that I have. It showed us that we are
very fortunate for the things that we
receive. Some of the sixth grades got
to rake leaves and clean up the school
grounds. Not only does this help the
environment but it also helps our
custodians. They work very hard at
our school and do so much for everyone that sometimes I don’t think we
realize it. We are very grateful for
our custodians!
In seventh and eighth
grade, we do a lot on Community
Service Day! We make full Thanksgiving dinners including turkeys,
stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetable
dishes, cookies, and pies. These
dinners are delivered to local women’s shelters. We also help the first
graders with the bags that they deco-
rate. Making the Thanksgiving dinners are extremely important. We are
very happy that we are able to provide for someone and their family.
Knowing that someone is able to have
a special meal because of us is very
inspiring, not only to keep giving and
helping as much as possible, but also
for us to be so grateful for what we
have.
We can’t forget about the
staff at Glenolden School who bring
in canned goods for the women’s
shelter. The women and their kids
that go there may have not eaten
recently so they have the canned
goods that they can quickly grab for a
meal. Knowing that the staff does
this makes me feel grateful that everyone in Glenolden School really
does care!
All of this would not have
happened if it wasn’t for all the teachers involved but most of all Mr.
Wszolek. For more than a week
straight, he had a so much to accomplish to make this year’s Community
Service Day work.
Community Service Day
showed us students a really important
message. The older that we get we
start to understand why it is so important. We have learned that everything isn’t always about us. With all
of the teachers involved in this day, it
shows us even more how much people care and that it makes a difference
to be selfless and not think about
ourselves all the time. It also showed
us that we can all get along to help
each other out. Knowing that we
spend a few hours completing our
service and how much we got done
and how much it will help, really
makes a difference. This is what
Community Service Day means to us,
at Glenolden School!
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G LE NO LD E N G A ZE T T E
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
Secrets of Glenolden Teachers When They Were Students
By: Mackenzie Staley
Mr. Wszolek - In 10th grade there was
a kid lying in the doorway, so Mr.
Wszolek tried to jump over the person.
Instead he hit his head on the door
frame. He had to get seven stitches.
That was the only time he went to the
nurse.
Mrs.Quirk - Some boy in school decided they were going to pull Mrs.
Quirk’s suspenders down. She went to
turn around when he leaned back. He
fell backward and hit his face on a filing cabinet. He had to get five stitches
in his eyebrow.
Mr.Bittner - One day in school a gir l
in Mr.Bittner's class did not feel too
well. She turned to talk to him and got
sick all over him.
Mr.Ofalt - In 3rd grade, Mr.Ofalt had
won a contest and his prize was a Dallas Cowboys eraser. After recess, he
went to his desk and his eraser was not
there. He was 100% sure that someone
had stolen it. His teacher made everyone stand in the hall and go into the
class one by one. If you had the eraser
you were to put it on his desk. No questions asked—end of story. After each
child went into the room one by one,
there was still no eraser. Mr. O was on
the verge of tears. His teacher said to
check his coat pocket. There it was in
his coat pocket. His teacher was furious
because it took 30 minutes to check for
the eraser.
Mr. Bakey- Mr . Bakey and a gr oup
of his friends were throwing eggs at
people for fun. Someone was walking a
dog. So they threw an egg at the guy.
Later he found out that he was the police commissioner of Darby. He was in
a lot of trouble by his parents. His punishment was to clean the whole house's
windows every weekend for a month.
Singing into the Christmas Season
By: Mariah Lowery and Ava Kennedy
Interboro’s District Chorus
was back in action again this year!
There are four schools involved in District Chorus – Norwood, Prospect Park,
Tinicum, and Glenolden. They practiced on early Wednesdays and Tuesdays in the morning.
The day of the concert came
on December 7, 2016. Right before the
concert there was a two-hour rehearsal
to make sure everyone was ready for
the big show. Everyone sung their
hearts out! They sang “Believe,”
“What Christmas Means to Me,” “We
Need a Little Christmas,” “What Child
is This,” and last but not least “Jingle
Bell Rock.” The concert was a big hit!
The District Chorus will also
be performing at the Brandywine Museum on December 16, 2016.
The Band Plays in a Winter Wonderland
By: Brenna Hubis
This year’s winter concert was
a big success! The Glenolden Intermediate Band played three classic Christmas tunes. They played “Rudolph the
Red Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the
Snowman,” and “Jingle Bells.” The
band’s director Mr Peltz also created a
tune called “St. Nicholas March.”
Glenolden School’s First Year Band
played “Hot Cross Buns,” “Merrily We
Roll Along,” and “Good King Wenceslas.”
Both bands sounded great!
Special thanks ito the people who made
this year’s winter concert happen – Mr.
Peltz, The Stage Crew, the band members, and lastly the parents. What’s
next for the Intermediate Band is Har-
risburg, where they will play in the
State Capital!
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G LE NO LD E N G A ZE T T E
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
Let There Be Trunk or Treat
By: Mona Leahan
Rain didn’t stop Glenolden
School from having their annual Trunk or
Treat this year! Instead of cancelling it,
the school pushed the time up. The time
was originally 6:00-7:00 but it was
changed to 4:00-6:00 due to the high
chance of thunderstorms. Almost fifty
minutes after most people were done and
got to see everything, thunder cracked
and the lightning sparked. Rain then
started to come down slowly but then
picked up heavily. Unfortunately, some
of the cars with a lot of decorations got
wet but almost all cars got packed up in
time. So many cars were involved and so
many people came out to participate that
some cars ran out of candy!
Each year, Trunk or Treat has
three winners, and each year the winners
come up with cool, creative, and smart
ideas. This year’s first place car was a
haunted house car. You could walk
through a cardboard house, get candy,
and someone would jump out at you
while you walked out. In second place,
was a “sweet” gumball machine car. This
car’s trunk was filled with colorful balloons and transparent foil to keep them
from spilling. Other accessories included
a piece of cardboard colored red to look
like an actual gumball machine with a
gray cardboard handle crank. Lastly,
third place car was a Snow White theme.
That car included the Evil Queen in the
form of an old woman with an apple in
her hand.
All of the trunks that participated were incredible and unique in their
own way. Everyone is glad that Trunk or
Treat was not cancelled!
1st Place Winner
2nd Place Winner
3rd Place Winner
Flag Football at Glenolden School
By: Ebenezer Affainie
Flag football is for fourth, fifth,
and sixth graders. The teachers that organize flag football are Mr. Bittner, Mr.
VanWyk, Mr. Urzillo, and Mrs. Godfrey.
Every year there are different names for
teams. This year’s teams were named
after flowers. Players get shirts with
different colors which indicate their team
color. The first sixty people who sign up
get to play. Each player gets a flag to
wear. This year they got new flags to
wear and they were harder to put on.
Flag football starts after school
and ends at 3:30 every Thursday. Each
player stands in line and are given a number which is placed on their hand. During the game, players are subbed in and
out. Players get stopped when their flag
gets pulled off.
The top four teams go to the
playoffs. The Roses, Daisies, Lilies, and
Tulips. After the playoffs, there is a
championship game. The Daisies and
Roses made it to the final game. It was a
Winner, Winner Pumpkin Dinner
By: Imani Harris and Jasmine Robinson
Glenolden School had so many
pumpkins decorated this year for the annual pumpkin decorating contest. Each
homeroom made a creative pumpkin.
There was a donut, the Flyers Logo, a
cupcake, Cookie Monster, an M&M, a
baby, and even a troll.
All the pumpkins looked like
winners but there could only be one win-
ner. The winner was Ms. Barnes’s eighth
grade homeroom with the pumpkin of
Stitch from the Disney movie Lilo and
Stitch. The class won a pizza party! Ms.
Barnes’s homeroom came up with the
idea together and created the little blue
alien. The winning pumpkin was also at
the Fall Harvest Dance for everyone to
see.
close game but the Daisies won 12-6.
The Daisies then got to face the teachers
in an intense game. The teachers ended
up defeating the Daises. It was an exciting flag football season at Glenolden
School.
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
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PAGE 4
Advice from a 8th Grader
By: Katelyn Maisano
Many of Glenolden School’s eighth
graders have been here since first
grade. Here are some tips for growing
up in the school.
st
1 Grade: Welcome to the school! The
next eight years of your life may be
tough but it is all worth it! This school
is packed with fun events and trips, so
look forward to it!
2nd Grade: The teachers in this grade
are very creative! You get to perform
on a stage and be in the spotlight! You
get to do Peace Makers and the American Indian play. There are a ton of new
adventures in this grade!
3rd Grade: The PSSAs start this year.
You should start paying attention in
class more often so you can do well. In
this grade, the PSSAs are at its easiest
but as you grow older they become
harder. Good Luck!
4th Grade: There are many field trips in
this grade. You also get to do gardening. This grade has a lot of hands-on
action.
5th Grade: This is the year you really
need to pay attention. This is the last
year of elementary grades. You go into
6th grade the next year, where things
really change and start getting real.
6th Grade: This is your first year in
middle school. Things start to get
harder. The teachers are harder and the
work gets harder. Things you do in this
grade really start to count for high
school and beyond.
7th Grade: This year you get to join
even more clubs than you could in sixth
grade. You get to join middle school
sports teams.
8th Grade: This year is the year you
focus big time on high school and setting up your schedule for next year.
There are many fun things planned for
your final year at Glenolden School
too, like the 8th Grade Dance in June.
Some grades are tougher than others
but you will get through all of this with
the help of friends, family, and the
teachers. Good Luck!
Anti-Bullying Balls
By: Anthony Paquin
In October, two students, sixth
grader, Anthony Paquin and eighth
grader, Brenna McElwee, were among
the first two people to try out the ACT
(Acceptance, Compassion, and Tolerance) ball pit. The purpose of the ball
pit is to make people who don’t know
each other friends in an effort to end
bullying. The ball pit had many balls
that two people could sit in and ask
each other questions. The questions
were written on the balls.
The ball pit is currently not
running right now but it will be up and
running in the future. The next few
years will be better and brighter at
Glenolden School, with more people
getting to know each other. The ball
pit will hopefully help put an end to
bullying. It shows BUC Pride in a lot
of ways and is a major sign of peace
and friendship among students.
25 Boredom Busters
By: Hannah Towey and Georgia Curtin
1. Draw monsters with only geometric
figures.
2. If you do number 1 fight with them!
3. Play with chalk.
4. Paint your sibling’s face (or yours).
5. Make a DIY name snowflake
6. Write a story.
7. Study while listening to music.
8. Write a song and sing it to your family.
9. Have a dance party.
10. Host a pajama palooza.
11. Draw your dream house and the
insides.
12. Watch your favorite television
show.
13. Play tape hop scotch.
14. Have a fashion show with your
parents clothes.
15. Go outside and play!
16. Wrestle your stuffed animals.
17. Play with electronics.
18. Make fake snow.
19. Play cards.
20. Watch You-Tube.
21. Make a Quizlet.
22. Color!
23. Do a puzzle.
24. Host a talent show.
25. Make a crayon painting.
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
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PAGE 5
Let’s Get Crafty
By: Amiria Simila
Art Club is extremely important and very fun! Mrs. Davis runs
Art Club. She is very creative and always has fun art projects for Art Club.
She is very nice, funny, artistic, and
most of all supportive of her students.
Art Club means a lot to everyone who
has joined. It helps people who are
having a hard time. Art Club is very
therapeutic. Students who attend Art
Club love and enjoy it.
Some of the Art Club projects
that the students have made are Shibori
napkins, clay bowls, ink and water
tiles, glass bottles with intricate details
traced with puffy paint, and dot mirror
frames. Later in the year, Mrs. Davis
will be doing stained glass windows
during Art Club.
In Art Club, you are able to
have a good time with your friends and
able to do your art projects whatever
way that you want to. None of the projects in Art Club are graded. Everyone’s project is very unique.
Special thanks to Mrs. Davis
for all that she does for the school! Not
only does she run the middle school Art
Club but she runs the elementary Art
Club, as well as constantly working on
murals for the walls in the hallways and
now, in the cafeteria. Thank you for
making Art so much fun for us at
Glenolden School!
And the Leaves Came Tumbling at the Dance
By: Paris Ofori and Fiona Hennings
The middle school Harvest
Dance was amazing! It was definitely
a night to remember. The songs were
great. A favorite of everyone’s is “The
Cha Cha Slide” which may have come
out seven years ago but the song will
never get old. Another one of everyone’s favorites was “Steal Her Man.”
Pretty much everyone there knew the
dance and they were up dancing along.
The food and desserts at the
dance were so good. The nachos were
unexpected because they put Doritos in
the nachos which made it surprising to
the students. There were cupcakes,
which were spectacular because it had
delicious buttercream frosting.
The last part that everyone
enjoyed at the dance were the flashing
lights and people’s outfits. The girls
look fabulous and the guys looked stylish. The flashing lights and glow sticks
made the dance like a rave. Everyone
who attended had a great time!
Very Punny Puns
By: Rebecca Roberts
-What do you call fish with no I’s? Fsh!
-What is Adele’s favorite food store? A
Deli
-Why did I want a husky? To tell it to
HUSH-ky!
-Why do most people go to the corner
when they are cold? Because it’s always
90 degrees there!
-What do you say to someone hanging off
a cliff? “This is a real cliff hanger!”
-I saw a cat with one eye. It turns out I
was covering my other eye!
-What do you call security in a Samsung
store? The Guardian of the Galaxy
-Knock, knock! Who’s there? Doctor.
Doctor who? Exactly!
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
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PAGE 6
Kids Q and A
By: Taylor Russetto and Gabrielle Haney
Some of the elementary children were
interviewed to find out what they
thought about school and more! Here
are their responses:
Kevin, age 7, in Mrs. McGerhin”s
class:
Q: Do you like your teacher and why?
A: Yes, because she is funny sometimes.
Q: How is Glenolden different than
kindergarten?
A: There is harder homework.
Peighton, age 6, in Mrs. McGerhin’s
class:
Q: How do you like your first year so
far? Why?
A: Good because I love school!
Q: How is it different from kindergarten?
A: It is a new school.
Q: Do you like your teacher?
A: Yes because she is the best!
Anna, age 7, in Mrs. Boyer’s class:
Q: In what way can we make school
better?
A: We shouldn’t fight with each other.
Q: Is second grade a lot harder or easier than first grade? Why?
A: Easier because she teaches us in a
fun way.
Shawn, age 7, in Mrs. Boyer’s class:
Q: In what way can we make school
better?
A: Being nice to each other.
Q: Is second grade a lot harder or easier than first grade? Why?
A: Easier because Mrs. Boyer is just
reviewing a lot of things we learned
already in first grade.
Q: Is your teacher fun? Why?
A: Yes. I like her as my teacher.
Scarlet, age 8, in Mrs. Ashliegh’s
class:
Q: In what way can we make school
better?
A: Don’t litter and keep it clean.
Q: What is your favorite subject?
Why?
A: Reading. I am a book worm.
Q: What are you looking forward to
this year?
A: Science, so we can do experiments.
Things You Want to Know about Some of the Teachers
By: Emily Gillespie
Mrs. Boyer:
Q: What’s your favorite subject to teach and
why?
A: Math because I like solving a puzzle and
it’s fun to watch the students figure out the
answers.
Q: Why did you want to become a teacher?
A: I just love spending the day with young
people that have a happy positive attitude.
Q: Why did you decide to start Reading
Olympics?
A: When my daughter was in sixth grade, she
did it at her school, so I wanted to try it.
needs of all learners.
Mrs. D’Alonzo
Q: What was your favorite year of teaching
and why?
A: This year because it’s my fifth year and
I’m starting to understand the ins and outs of
teaching.
Q: How long have you been teaching at
Glenolden?
A: Five years in second grade.
Q: What do you like about teaching?
A: I like watching students learn something
new and I like the challenge of meeting the
Mrs. Campbell
Q: Why did you decide to switch from being
a classroom teacher to a reading teacher?
A: I wanted to help children read and enjoy
reading.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about reading?
A: It is to pick a book that I love to read and
help children with reading.
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: I love working with kids and I like helping them grow as learners.
25 Creative Crafts
By: Hannah Towey and Georgia Curtin
1. Create an Instagram photo
2. Make a duct tape pencil case
3. Make a duct tape flower pen
4. Create a Pokemon pokeball charger
5. Make an organizer
6. Make a book shelf using milk crates
7. Make a phone case
8. Make an emergency kit
9. Create board games
10. Make a calendar
11. Make a stress ball
12. Make an EOS chapstick
13. Create a key holder using corks
14. Make dog treats
15. Decorate t-shirts
16. Make popsicles
17. Make a floating cooler for the pool
18. Create a chalkboard
19. Make playdoh
20. Create bathbombs
21. Create a phone charger holder
22. Make a dream catcher
23. Create a bowling set
24. Make a candle
25. Create a light with twine and mod
podge
V O LU M E 7 I S S U E 1
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PAGE 7
Comic Corner
By: Robert Creswell and Matt Boyd
Glenolden Gazette Staff:
Mackenzie Staley
Hannah Towey
Brenna Hubis
Katelyn Maisano
Amira Simila
Mariah Lowery
Ava Kennedy
Robert Creswell
Matt Boyd
Rebecca Roberts
Mona Leahan
Imani Harris
Jasmine Robinson
Paris Ofori
Emily Gillespie
Ebenezer Affainie
Fiona Hennings
Georgia Curtin
Taylor Russeto
Gabrielle Haney
Anthony Paquin
Mrs. Ferrise
We would like to thank all those who participated
in interviews. Special thanks to Mrs. Lonergan,
Mrs. Pescatore, Mr. Kholhepp, Mrs. Davis, Mrs.
Myers, Mrs.McCarron and Ms. Lambert for their
photo contributions.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The Glenolden Gazette will be taking the Spr ing Issue off in 2017, due to their Editor
and Chief, Mrs. Ferrise, having a baby. Good luck with the rest of this school year! See you in the fall!