WHAT`S UP - Port Jervis City School District

Port Jervis Middle School News presents...
WHAT’S UP
January 2014
Volume 13 Issue 1
Published by the PJMS Newspaper Staff
This month at PJMS:

Food Drive

Toy Build

Student of the
Month

Dances

Wreaths Across
America

Interview

All News

Sports

Guess Who
Holiday Food Drive: A Success
This year the Port Jervis Middle School hosted a Holiday Food drive for
needy families during the holiday season and rough winter months. The Student
Council offered curly fries as an incentive for the homerooms which donated the
most amount of food. The 7th and 8th grade Class Officers collected the food and
set up the food baskets for each family in need. The food drive turned out to be a
huge success. Collectively, students were able to bring in and donate enough food
to feed over a dozen local families. Faculty and staff members at the school donated turkeys for each family food basket. The generosity of our students, staff,
and faculty is truly inspiring. This generosity is just one example of Port’s wonderful sense of community and pride.
Toys, Toys, and more Toys
Inside this issue:
Donations
1
Student of the
Month
2
Snow Ball Dance
Wreaths Across
America
3
All News
4
Sports News
5
Mystery Teacher
6
Fun & Games
6
If you thought the Holiday Food drive was an impressive show
of generosity, wait until you hear what came next. This year, the Port
Jervis Middle School Technology department had a dream. That
dream was to put a toy in the hands of hundreds of little boys and girls
whose families could not afford to provide such gifts. Together with
local businesses and students taking technology courses, we made that
dream come true. The students built every single toy that was donated.
It was an impressive sight to see how many toys were built and donated.
Port Jervis Middle School News presents...
ACADEMICS
Page 2
Students of the Month
7th Grade
Amanda Capaci – Social Studies
James Centauro – Math
Paul Connor – Math
Lacoma Charles – Social Studies
Christian Deal – General Music
Melinda Fairweather – Chorus 7
Kyle Felter – Phys. Ed.
Dori Gandy – English
Brittany Hendershot – Life Skills
Rachel Hockenberry – FACS
Michael James – Science
Steven Johnson – Band 7
Phillip Leonard – Technology
Melinda Mann – Math
Taylor Mazziotti – Phys. Ed.
Brianna Moore – Science
Alex Predmore – Math
Phillips Scheps – FACS
Darion Succi – General Music
Jasmine Wragge – English
8th Grade
Jason Butler – Math
Marcia Cal – Earth Science
Kristina Cleary – English
Alex Cutler – Phys. Ed.
Brant DeGroat – Science
Courtney Dykstra – French
Tori Frankenthal – English
Angel Heede – Math
Shayna Kimble – Band 8
Joseph Mahaney – Health
Justin Meerdink – Math
Diamond Moore – English
James Phillips – Technology
Kristin Reiff – Phys. Ed.
Hanna Ryerson – Life Skills
Kennedy Sanok – Chorus 8
Gabby Santoro – Social Studies
Preston Simonson – Social S.
Jenna Zinni – Spanish
Snow Ball Dance: By: Taylor Mazziotti
On Friday, January 10th, students in the PJMS had a fantastic
time dancing away their winter blues. The semi-formal dance kicked
off at 6pm and ended around 8 at night. A fun time was had by all that
attended. There were lots of dresses and classy attire. Best dressed was
won by Michael Radigan. The next dance will be have a Valentines day
theme. It is scheduled for Thursday, February 13th, the day before Valentines Day. Tickets will go on sale February 10th at $3 a person.
Wreaths Across America
Page 3
By Angelisa Hugerth
I interviewed Mrs. Cathy about the Wreaths Across America program.
Wreaths Across America is a nationwide project for middle schools that recognizes fallen soldiers. Wreaths Across America raises money to purchase
wreaths. After they purchase the wreaths they place them on the fallen soldier’s graves at West Point Military Academy. This is to give thanks for them
and their sacrifices. This is now the 4th year that Port Jervis Middle School
has participated in the program. Mrs. Cathy explained that this year was especially touching. This is why Wreaths Across America is so wonderful. It
shows the appreciation we have for the sacrifices these soldiers have made
Band and Chorus Winter Concert
The Winter Concert was great! I was in the band, so I participated in the concert. It was so
much fun being out there under the spot-light. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. There
were so many people there. We all sounded wonderful, especially in the auditorium at the
High School. It is so much bigger than the one at the Middle School.
Page 4
Interview with Mr. Boo
1.) What made you want to be a teacher?
Design. Everyone is born with the intrinsic motivation to learn, but some people choose to believe
that they do not like learning because they do not like the process that comes along with it. Design
is about process, just as education and learning is about process. I enjoy the idea of teaching technology because the subject allows me to guide a student's process to their own education.
2.) What things brought you to Port Jervis?
I have friends and family in many locations in upstate NY, Long Island, and PA. Port Jervis' location is perfect for me to be able to see a lot of people who are closest to me.
3.) What are your favorite things about teaching here?
When I came to the district to visit, I saw how welcoming and hard working the staff is and how
close everyone seems to be. The diverse mix of students makes for a cool experience in the classroom; I'm constantly trying to connect the dots between students. It is a learning experience for me
as well, that's what keeps it interesting.
4.) What made you like Science/ Technology?
I always valued creativity, holding onto it and nurturing it as much as possible. Because of that, I
was always heavily involved with art as a student. However, most of my art work did not seem fulfilling unless it served a function. Technology and design allowed me to stay creative while learning
how things work and function. Studying design process and problem solving allows anyone to become more independent, which I think is a value that should be held highly.
AIS Extra Help
An important reminder for all students!
The ELA and Math Departments are still
holding AIS Extra Help sessions! 7th
grade ELA is every Tuesday, 8th grade
ELA is every Thursday, 7th grade Math is
every Thursday and 8th grade Math is
every Tuesday. Ask your ELA and Math
teachers for specific room assignments.
Remember, the ELA department is offering a an AR point for every session attended!
Spelling Bee
On Tuesday, January 28th the Port Jervis
Middle School participated in the first round of
the National Spelling Bee. Students were given a
test on 25 difficult words. All students tried their
best, but only a few were able to make it to the
next step. Those that performed the best will be
given an invitation to participate in the DistrictWide competition. This step of competition will
mimic that Bees in subsequent competitions. Students will be on stage and asked to spell a word
in front of an audience and a panel of judges. The
District-Wide spelling competition will be hosted
at the Port Jervis Middle School Auditorium on
February 25th. See you there!
Washington, D.C. Trip
Final payment for the trip is due Thursday, February 13th.
The trip goes from April 11th-13th. Hope to see you there!
Page 5
Sports News
Cheerleading Is a Sport!
Many people think that cheerleading is not a sport, when really we, as
cheerleaders, do all of the things that qualify it as a sport. Sports are defined as “A physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs
and often engaged in competitively.” Girls or boys who cheer compete in
competitions against other schools, states or even countries! We also have
to follow a set of rules. That is why cheerleading is a sport!
Upcoming Spring Sports
Everyone is encouraged to join a spring sport and stay active over the last season. Why not try your hand at Track, Softball, or Baseball or even do some offseason training for another sport? The choice is yours! :)
**Note from the Newspaper Staff: We are still looking for dedicated sports writers for our sports page!
Please see Mr. Reed for information on how to be a part of our wonderful crew!**
Wrestling by the Numbers
This year, the Modified Wrestling team has had some impressive outings against
some tough competition. This year, the coaches are thrilled to have such a fantastic and
large group of young men coming out for the sport. One of the biggest struggles for a
Winter Sport is numbers. Fortunately, this year numbers is not a problem for this team,
which boasted a team roster of thirty plus at the beginning of the season. Keep wrestling
and work hard. Good things will happen! Go Port Pride!
Port Jervis City Schools
118 East Main Street
Port Jervis, NY 12771
Phone: (845) 858-3100
We’re on the web!
www.pjschools.org
GUESS WHO?
Page 6
Below is a description of a staff member in our school. If you can
guess the teacher, see Mr. Reed for a prize!
This teacher or staff member…
1. Played Rugby in college
2. Likes country music
3. New York Yankee fan
Fun and Games!