"The Uglier the Sweater..."
Check out a sampling of the very cool "ugly" (not really) sweaters seen at the High School yesterday, during the school's UGLY SWEATER DAY! Do you have yours ready?
Nichole Gaucher’s and Toni McGinn’s High School Living Environment students are learning about body systems. During this recent class, students explored the respiratory system.
As part of their exploration, students selected and researched a respiratory system disease in order to learn how that disease can disrupt the body's homeostasis. In their research, students learned about the disease's symptoms, how to diagnose it and treat/cure it, what causes it and if it’s contagious. They also learned how this disease affects the respiratory system and its ability to help the body maintain homeostasis. Students created mini-posters to show their findings and participated in a gallery walk where they learned about the diseases their peers researched. Take a look!
In biology, "homeostasis" refers to the ability of a living organism to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in its external surroundings, essentially keeping key bodily functions like temperature, fluid balance, and pH levels within a narrow, optimal range for proper functioning.
A gallery walk is a teaching strategy that involves students moving around a classroom to examine a collection of artifacts, texts, or student work. The goal is to engage students and help them learn and synthesize concepts.
CAN A McDONALD’S HAPPY MEAL BE USED IN A LAB EXPERIMENT? YES!
Carolyn Russell’s and Jonathan Hannes’ High School Living Environment classes recently completed a very innovative “Mc Mush” lab! Students used a McDonald’s Happy Meal to test for the presence of organic compounds normally found in the body.
After the burger, fries, apples and drink were blended into a compound which was called a “McMush,” groups used chemical indicators like Benedict's solution, iodine, and Biuret reagent to test for carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in their samples. Remember, the term “organic” in science indicates that a compound contains carbon which is very different from the organic choices at the grocery store. (Who kept the Happy Meal toys? We don’t know!)
Every student led their group through an experiment and determine if McMush had the organic compound in question!
Believe it or not, a standard McDonald’s Happy Meal has some nutritional value because three biomolecules are present in the meal. The starch, protein and lipids found in the Happy Meal solution are three biomolecules essential for nutrition. These biomolecules are crucial for bodies because they provide an important source of energy, storage for minerals and to build and repair muscles. Without them, it can lead to lack of metabolism, hormones, energy and blood sugar.
The High School’s Valé yearbook staff has been extremely busy, from group brainstorming sessions earlier this fall to the book’s final development this past October….which has led to first ever announcement of the yearbook’s theme prior to the books’ arrival: OUT LOUD!
To celebrate this milestone and big reveal, yearbook staff will be wearing sweatshirts with the yearbook’s theme artwork on the reverse. Look for them!
And remember, the pre-order deadline to order a book is Saturday, Jan. 25 via www.yearbookforever.com! Don’t miss out!
CAN YOU HELP? The High School's Youth Against Cancer Club is in the midst of a donation drive through Dec. 16 to collect items to brighten the days of Garnet Medical Center patients. See the flyer for what students are hopeful to collect! Your contributions would be most welcome!
JOIN US tonight, Dec. 11. for the High School Chorus Concert at 7 p.m.!
CONGRATULATIONS to the Varsity Cheer team, who earned a bid to compete at the UCA National HS Cheerleading Championship in Orlando Florida in February. The bid was earned following their competition at last Saturday’s UCA Pocono Regional at Mohegan Sun in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The team will be competing in the Small Varsity Division II division! #MINISINKProud
"Papa " Elf has arrived at the High School! It looks like he's determined to cause mischief in the Main Office and encourage Sue Papa's math students to deviate from their math work!
CAN YOU HELP?
The High School cheerleaders' SOCK, HAT and GLOVE DRIVE runs through Dec. 20. Please see the details and thanks for sharing!
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Take a look at these wonderful photos from Friday's "Heart of a Giant" surprise announcement! We all get a chance to see some of the cool, non-public areas of MetLife Stadium, including the Giants ' locker room! Congratulations again to Senior Vanessa Tepper! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL-DONE!
The High School Drama Club’s recent fundraising performance of “Club Green Light,” an adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” set to stage by Junior Drama Club Treasurer Gavin McGinnis, raised $2,600!
The event was a dinner theater fundraiser which was mainly student run and they did a fabulous job---take a peek at the show! Fifty Drama Club students volunteered their evening as performers, servers and backstage help.
Gavin McGinnis wrote and directed the play with the help of assistant director and junior Hana Ebbert. Both have been selected as winning playwrights for the upcoming NYSTEA Student Conference next month.
The funds raised are earmarked for “Footloose,” the Drama Club’s Spring musical, the upcoming trip to NYSTEA Conference and the recent trip to see The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes.
The Middle School and High School drama clubs had a wonderful Dec. 3 field trip to see The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes! Take a peek at their outing!
This was a great field trip for many reasons: Drama program students experience "drama" in two categories: "Performer" and :Production." In each of these categories, there'a a variety of positions and related skills students need to fulfill their respective "job" in the production. Equally important is that all the district’s drama productions include vocalists, instrumentalists, actors, dancers, set designers, light technicians, sound technicians, technology/device support, set builders, set movers, costumers, house designers --- and more ---- who come together to bring a production to the stage.
That’s no different than the work that happens to bring The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes to the stage! Students had the opportunity to attend a quality show where they can experience and respond to world-class singing, dancing, storytelling and technical production value, which is aligned with New York State Arts Standards involving art, music, dance and theater disciplines. Add to this a STEAM component as well, as the show heavily relies on the use of technology and three-dimensional set effects.
It’s also perfect timing, because both drama clubs are gearing up for their own spring musicals, so seeing this performance also helps them to better understand professional level quality. (And, the show offers deeply discounted ticket pricing for groups!) See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD/
Congratulations to the High School’s November “Students of the Month,” who were recently recognized for their efforts on one of these categories: Trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, citizenship, kindness and fairness. Students are presented with a letter with a description of the category they were nominated for and followed by a breakfast gathering. Honorees are:
Travis Alba
Andres Balseca
Mason Cay
Anthony Cuttler
Olivia Dzierzek
Allison Gerson
Alexandra Godlewski
Sophia Goldstein
Jasani little
Gavin Long
Mikia Nash
Blake Padavano
Gianna Pecorella Zachary Phillips Ella Reicherter Logan Rizzo Christopher Ruiz
Areli Sanchez
Cole Sanfilippo
Gabriel Simpson
Logan Wood
Michael Zechewytz
High School families: Order your student's yearbook now!
Kimberly Jordan’s Freshman Biology students recently finished up their Biochemistry unit, meaning it was now time to explore chemical indicators! They learned about pH and indicators used to detect nutrients in foods like Benedicts, Biuret, Iodine and even a simple Brown paper bag.
Students merged their hands-on lab experience with the use of our digital lab platform called Gizmos. Using the Gizmo program, they were additionally exposed to SUDAN RED, an additional test for Fats. The labs ran over a week and they had a lot of fun.
THANK YOU to the High School PTO for providing a mini-grant which allowed for the purchase of new lab glasses! Students loved using them!
It’s a huge deal to qualify for and participate in State Competition! Please join us in congratulating Senior Briana Foote, who represented Minisink Valley and Section IX with distinction and finished in19th place overall in the 50m freestyle (18th in the Federation) and 21st place overall in the 100m butterfly (13th in the Federation) in the recent NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship! She jumped multiple places up from her original predicted seed!
SUCH FUN! Take a peek at the High School Art Club's "Paint & Cider" fundraiser, where $200 was raised to support student scholarships! This group did a fantastic job with its first-ever fundraising event and you can see a great time was had by all! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
The district is hosting an important program on teen mental health and bullying/cyberbullying prevention for parents, led by nationally recognized author and speaker Tom Thelen, on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.
READ MORE: https://www.minisink.com/article/1887697
Some very awesome news about members of our NYSPHSAA Varsity Volleyball Regional Championship team! Take a look at these wonderful achievements!
• Kayla Wasserman has been named to the NYS All-State 1st team, State Tournament All-Star team, the All-Section All- Star Cass AA 1st team and is the All-Section Player-of-the-Year!
• Angelina Rivera has been named to the NYS All-State 2nd team,All-Section All-Star Class AA 1st team and is All-Section All-Star Class AA MVP!
• Anghela Jackson has been named to the All-Section All-Star Class AA 1st team!
• Chloe Marcovecchio has been named to the All-Section All-Star Class AA 2nd Team!
• Salma Hasan earned the NYSPHSAA Volleyball Sportsmanship award during the recent championship tournament!
We always love it when alumni return to speak to our students!
The High School launched its inaugural Science Speakers Series on Nov. 26, where Minisink Valley graduates who excelled in science, graduated college, and transitioned to the workforce come in and speak to students who are enrolled in the college level science classes.
Thank you to Class of 2019 alumnus Martin Alijaj, who spoke to over 60 students today about his education, work experiences and answered questions from students.
Martin received his master’s degree in robotics and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a teaching assistant for select computer science courses. He was also part of an engineering club called Penn Electric Racing, where members would build completely electric race cars from scratch every year.
Martin also completed two internships in California: In 2021 at Tesla in San Diego, and in 2022 for e Apple in Cupertino. After graduating from UPenn in 2023, he moved to the Bay Area in California and now works full-time as an electrical engineer at Apple. ‘
More alumni speakers are planned. Please join us in thanking Martin for taking the time to speak to students and show them the wonderful possibilities that await them in their futures with hard work and determination
