TrojanNewsletter fromWissahickon High School Talk

May 4, 2017

Construction of the new WHS natatorium is swimming along, and we are very excited about the opening in the fall of 2017. The pool means expanded course offerings and opportunities for our students! Beginning next school year, we are pleased to announce that WHS 10th, 11th and 12th graders have the opportunity to select two new electives in aquatics – Recreational Swimming and Lifeguard Training.

Students who are interested in being among the first to use our new pool facilities may want to consider these classes in their course selections for next year. Schedule adjustments can be made by visiting the WHS Guidance Office. READ COURSE DETAILS

We are also pleased to announce that the freshmen class of 2017-2018 will be the first to participate in a new aquatics component of the Health and Physical Education program at the high school. This will be a required class in the 9th grade program.

More details about the natatorium project, other exciting additions to our high school physical education program, and the array of community-based programs will follow in the future!

1st Military Recognition Day

New Aquatics Electives for 10-12th Grades Students of the Month

Congratulations to our May Students and Student Ath-letes of the Month! De’asia Parter and Justin Cooper are our selected Students of the Month. De’asia’s teacher said, “She has been working her tail off since she’s been at WHS and taking advantage of every opportunity that is present-ed. She asks great questions and has been very proactive in getting help for herself when needed. She is an active participant in class and she takes responsibility for her work. She is kind, funny, and just a great kid!” Justin’s teacher stated, “He is so awesome! The most kind, gener-ous, spirited, good sport to his classmates every day. He is the type of kid who you want to write a letter of recom-mendation for!” Ashley Radell and Cameron Christopher are our selected Student Athletes of the month. Ashley is a 9th grade varsity softball player! That says it all! She is always willing to play wherever the coach needs her. She never misses a practice! Her work ethic on the team is second to none. Cameron is currently ranked #2 in Penn-sylvania for the 800 Meter and #3 in Pennsylvania for the 400 Meter! His focus and determination make him an unstoppable athlete. Congratulations to all of our Wiss Stars! We are so proud of you!

Congratulations to Erick Rodriguez (right) who has enlisted in the United States Army after graduation and Gabriel Iula (left) who will serve in the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Rodriguez and Iula were recognized at Wissahickon High School's first Military Recognition Program on May 3rd celebrating students who elect to serve in the military after high school.

College Decision Day

Seniors wore their college apparel and took funny pictures during National College Decision Day on May 1st.

Graduation 2017 Update

Graduation for the class of 2017 will be held on June 8th at 6 p.m. Caps and gowns will not be distributed to students until the first graduation practice on June 7, 2017. The first graduation practice will be held at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7th. All graduates must be in attendance. The second graduation practice will be held at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 8th. Again, all graduates must be in attendance in order to participate in the commencement ceremony. (Please note: Students with obligations at the time of graduation will not receive diplomas at graduation. Please make every effort to clear obligations well in advance.) On June 8th, the stadium will open at 5 p.m. for seating. Parents, family, and friends of graduates must have tickets for the event. Students will be given 10 yellow-colored tickets for the stadium. Tickets for handicapped seating will be available by request from the student and/or parent (as part of the ten given to students). Tickets will be distributed to students on June 7, 2017 with students’ caps and gowns. If we need to relocate the ceremony indoors (due to inclement weather), each student will receive two white-colored tickets for the Circle Gym and an additional two pink-colored tickets for family or friends to watch the ceremony via live feed in the school’s auditorium. Please understand that this will be the ticket limit if we need to move the event indoors. We will make a decision, based on weather, on the day of graduation as to whether or not the ceremony will be held in the stadium. Student’s attire for the commencement ceremony is: • Gentlemen are expected to wear a shirt with a collar, a tie,

dress pants, and dress shoes. We ask that students please do not wear jeans, shorts, sneakers, or sandals.

• Ladies are expected to wear a dress, skirt, or pants. Since the graduates will be doing a lot of walking, girls are reminded to wear comfortable dress shoes or sandals with low heels or flats. We ask that students please do not wear jeans, shorts, or sneakers.

All graduating seniors should report to the WHS auditorium at 5 p.m. on June 8th in preparation for the 6 p.m. ceremony. Graduates must be in proper attire with caps, gowns, and tassels. Nothing is to be attached to the cap or gown. Students will be checked for appropriate dress upon their arrival.

Parking on the night of graduation will be tight. We strongly recommend that you carpool with family and friends. Parking will be available in the student parking lot and there will be a walking path to get to the field.

In early January, information was sent home about our Senior Achievements. Our HSA does a great job (thank you, HSA!) spotlighting information that you submit to celebrate each of our graduates. Please be sure to complete the necessary information sent home in January so we can bring celebration

to all that your student has achieved at WHS and in the community. Please complete the form electronically by Friday, May 5th (http://tinyurl.com/SeniorAchievements or email it to melissaselverian@comcast.net).

We have an exciting opportunity for our students and families this year! For this year’s graduating class, we are offering Snapchat Geofilters. They will be available on Thursday, June 8th from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and immediately following the graduation ceremony until 10:00 p.m. that evening. They will be accessible anywhere on the WHS campus. There are three Geofilters for students and the community to choose from and they are pictured below. This is a great way to capture the excitement and create a WISS memory!

Stay tuned for more graduation updates for the class of 2017! Check out the WHS website www.wsdweb.org as graduation information is regularly posted there under the Student Information link. We are looking forward to a great event!

This year, we are offering families the opportunity to order flowers for their graduate(s) in advance or on the evening of graduation: CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FLYER

Course SelectionOur course selection process and development of our master schedule for the 2017-2018 school year is in full gear. Course verification sheets were sent home and posted on the parent portal on April 17th. The deadline to submit changes to the course selections and the parent recommendation waiver form was May 1st. Thank you for your support with this important and timely process! Please reach out to your student’s School Counselor if you have any questions or concerns.

Trojan Triumphs: Athletics

Winter Sports UpdateCongrats to wrestlers Charlie Brammer, Brian Fennell and Nick Senderling for making the District

1 All-Academic Team!

Spring Sports UpdateThe baseball team endured some early season struggles, but has turned things around recently. The team has been led by shortstop Matt Shilling, and they look to continue this upward trend with four games this week.

The boys’ lacrosse team has featured the steady play of senior captains Cooper McMasters and Tommy Clements. The team has also benefited from the growth of younger players, like Owen Baim, and hopes to make a push for the district playoffs in their last four games.

The girls’ lacrosse team has stepped up their game recently, including a big 11-10 win over Penncrest last weekend. On Friday, April 28th, senior Emily Vervlied notched her 200th career goal. Congratula-tions Emily on this historic achievement!

The boys’ tennis team is keeping their winning tradition this year. The team finished 10-2 and placed 2nd in the SOL American Conference, and will most likely qualify for the District 1 team playoffs. Sophomore Andrew Tran won the SOL American Conference Singles Championship for the second consecutive year. Congratulations Andrew!

The boys’ track and field team is off to a 5-0 start and looks to secure their fourth consecutive SOL American Conference Championship. The 4x400 relay team won at the Penn Relays, and the following members have qualified for states: Rahsheed Wright (100, 200 & 400), Ahmir Johnson (long jump, triple jump & 110 hurdles), Cam Christopher (400 & 800) and the 4x400 relay team (M.Davies/S.Kane/E.Papazian/C.Christopher).

The girls’ track and field team had a great day at the Penn Relays with both relay teams running season best times. The 4x100 team (R.Coleman/L.Black/C.Lejman/A.Smith) and 4x400 team (R.Coleman/A.Smith/L.Black/M.Hippensteal) both qualified for districts, and the 4x400 earned a 3rd place medal.

The softball team has been steadily improving and they picked up two wins last week. Senior captains Michela Coleman and Zoe Trumbore have been providing leadership for the team. The offense has been led by Siani Paige Miller (batting .450) and Macey Segal (batting .300). Ashley Radell and Josie Johnson have also been very productive, and pitcher Josie Johnston has won two of her last four starts.

For the most up to date sports information, check out www.wissahickon-athletics.org and follow us on Twitter (#WissAthletics).

Congratulations to the following students who were inducted into the Honor Society at North Montco Technical Career Center (NMTCC):• Alexis Whiting, Grade 12, Commercial Arts• Tyler Cruise – Grade 10, Culinary Arts• Abigail DiDomenico – Grade 10, Culinary

Arts• Aaron Manzarbeitia – Grade 10, Drafting• Tyler Pinyard – Grade 12, Drafting• Jeffrey Whiting – Grade 10, Graphic Arts• Kara Harland – Grade 10, Health

Occupations• Samantha Martin – Grade 12, Health

OccupationsWHS is so proud of your hard work and commitment!

We are thrilled to announce that three of our students were awarded a James Kerrigan Scholarship by Merck & Co., Inc. This scholarship is awarded to children of Merck Employees based upon scholastic achievement, leadership potential, and community involvement. Congratulations to Sanjna Shelukar, Elizabeth Alberti, and Allison Liu!

Congratulations to Gabriel Iula! Gabe has received an appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marines Academy Class of 2021. The U.S. Merchant Marines Academy, located in Kings Point, NY, is one of the 5 Federal Academies. Gabe is one of approximately 250 Appointees selected to attend the Academy from around the nation and the world, out of over 2,200 applicants! Gabe and his family will be honored in Washington on June 21st. This is an amazing accomplishment!

Student Achievements

There has been a lot of discussion about the new Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. As a parent or guardian, if your student is watching the series, we encourage you to watch it with them and have open dialogue about what they are thinking. The Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative provided school personnel with some talking points that we want to share with you.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Important Info about Series 13 Reasons Why

Learning Spotlights

Last week, our Physical Education students participated in the Wissahickon Amazing Race competition! The event included eight challenging obstacles. Students worked through the course utilizing teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills, and strength. The students really enjoyed the activity!

Congratulations to the brilliant performers of our Spring Voice Recital! On Wednesday, April 26th, 18 of our Choral Students presented solo or duet performances at our annual spring recital, a performance designed to help students learn the process of choosing a song, finding sheet music, and establishing a rehearsal ethic with an accompanist. These students spent the past six weeks rehearsing weekly with Mr. Conahan, preparing themselves for the performance of the song that they selected. We commend Mr. Conahan for his incredible ability to play the music to support each of his students. We are so fortunate to have such a talented teacher leading our students! There a was a wonderful array of genres represented - everything from Broadway to Jazz, Alternative Rock to Opera! Thank you to everyone who came out to support our talented vocalists! It was a wonderful evening!

Pictured: (back row) Caroline Zager, Maya Owens, Aneesa Wermers, Amanda Graham, John Fath, Maya Ansbro, Stephen Niven, Mariah Bryant, Sam Harley(front row) Sarah Wagner, Bethany DeLaurentis, Emily Weinberg, Eva König, Adriana Costa, Jason Smith, Zoe Bentley, Jessica Johnson, Berta Escude

Students in Mr. Smyth's tenth grade World History class read a comic book, "Madaya Mom," created by ABC News and Marvel Comics, chronicling recent occurrences in Madaya, Syria. Two ABC News correspondents, currently assigned to Paris and New York City, Skyped with the students from their locations and shared their experiences corresponding with the real life superhero mom and then editing her book into comic form. They discussed their journalistic experiences and responsibilities, and answered student questions about the people and events depicted in the comic. It was an incredible learning opportunity for our students! Thank you, Mr. Smyth, for your passion and for thinking outside of the box!

WHS Social Studies teacher Mr. Tim Smyth and WMS teacher Mrs. Joan Smyth hosted an Edcamp at WHS on Saturday, April 22nd. This was a teacher-led day of professional development focused on reading and writing across the curriculum and grade levels. Educators from several surrounding districts came to share ideas and to form ongoing relationships. This is a great example of professional collaboration and cross-curricular connections, two of our priorities at WHS. Our students will certainly benefit!

BTE Goes to CollegeOn April 5th, the Bridge to Employment (BTE) students visited Penn State Abington and Temple University. BTE is a program run in conjunction with Janssen Biotech and Montgomery County Community College to help WHS students prepare for college and their future careers. The students enjoyed a beautiful day touring both campuses and learning what it takes to be a successful college student. The BTE students are Sarah Aziz, Charles Brammer, Justin Byrd, Gloria Cooper, Shafik Dabbas, Rebecca DiMaulo, Ethan Hallermeier, Mecca Harriott, Helena Houser-Jackson, Michael Huertas, Christopher Jones, Ellen Kane, Samuel Ladipo, Faith Lee, Kamaijah Meadows, Shane Monaghan, Veronika Moyer, Tyler Stevenson, Alivia Stubbs, Maya Taylor, Daniel Valentine, and Erin Wells. Thank you to the BTE Mentors who attended the trip as well: Erick Rodriguez and Morenike Moore.

In an effort to promote our WHS values of respect, diversity, and inclusion, Krysta Memis and Alexandria (Ally) Chaladek are finishing up their graduation project in the J-Suite office area. Krysta and Alexandria have spent well over the 40-hour project requirement and did an exceptional job! We have other similar murals popping up throughout WHS! We welcome you to come and celebrate the great work of our students!

Learning Spotlights

On April 26th and April 27th, our 9th grade students had the opportunity to visit the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association. While at the creek, our students used their knowledge learned in Physical Science and tested the water quality. The students inventoried macroinvertebrates and sampled the water for pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates. In addition, they recorded stream rate and water temperature. This unique opportunity gave our students the chance to act as Field Ecologists and to think about their role to keep water quality optimal in our community.

On April 25th, Wissahickon High School held the Biggest Kahoot! Game: The 11th Grade Financial Literacy Contest. This year, students in 11th grade at Wissahickon High School have been learning about Financial Literacy during their Intervention and Enrichment (IE) periods. During this IE, students learned about credit cards and debt, identity fraud, and budgeting. As a culminating event, the entire 11th grade competed in a game testing their financial literacy knowledge by playing Wissahickon High School's biggest Kahoot! game. Kahoot! is an online, interactive, tool where you can set up content area review games. Our top three winning homerooms were Mr. Carosello’ s homeroom, Mr. Crofton’s homeroom, and Mrs. Woodland-Smith’s homeroom. Great work!

Each year, more than 1,000 students in grades 6-12 from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware make new discoveries that could change lives through their participation in the Delaware Valley Science Fairs. In April, 146 students from Montgomery County participated in a Science Fair, presenting their sophisticated research projects focused on STEM topics in thirteen different categories. Please join me in recognizing our students from WISS:• Sanjna Shelukar - 1st place and Gold Medal in

Medicine and Health• Matthew Thompson - Honorable Mention

Botany & Harrisburg University Scholarship• Reshma Brown -Honorable mention Zoology

& Harrisburg University Scholarship• Sanjit Shelukar -1st Place Earth and Space

Sciences & Special Award : Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers Award

• Peter Decker - 3rd Place Earth and Space Sciences

• Katie Sapozhnikov -Special Award Material Science

• Remya Brown - Harrisburg University Scholarship

• Bo Ku- Harrisburg University Scholarship• Jiweon Moon- Harrisburg University

Scholarship• Brooke Shapiro participated in the fairAll juniors and seniors who participated received a Science and Technology Scholarship Award for up to $20,000 for four years at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Four winners from Montgomery County are advancing to the International Fair (ISEF) and WHS is thrilled to announce that one of our own has earned this elite recognition. Congratulations, Sanjna! We wish you the best of luck and we are so proud of you!

Building Character“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” [Princess Diana]

Quote selected by NHS Inductee Maria Rosa-Bian

Co-Curricular Highlights

Our Speech/Debate Team had a fantastic season! All eligible members (43 of them!) attended the semi-finals, and 18 members competed in the finals at Lower Moreland High School. At the end-of-year league banquet, Wissahickon High School was honored with Third Place (among 13 teams) in the Team Sweepstakes. Individual honors were awarded to students in the following event categories: Dramatic Performance Duo - Soomin Seo & Kenny Daily (5th place), Sophie Wolman & Julia Quinn (4th place), Keeran Ramanathan & Max Salvadore (3rd place); Extemp - David Huang (finalist), Ben Bleefeld (6th place), David Weiss (4th place), Margo Kaplan (3rd place); Public Forum - Greg Orr and Grant Hopkins (quarter-finalists); and Student Congress - Connor Waite (semi-finalist) Sarah Cammarota (3rd place), Peter Labick (1st place). Many thanks and congrat-ulations to the team leaders: President David Weiss, Scheduling Director Abhinav Chitturi, League Liason Cathy Zhou, and Archivist Soomin Seo, as well as event captains Sarah Cammarota (Student Congress), Nick Prieston (Lincoln-Douglas Debate), Greg Orr & Grant Hopkins (Public Forum), Sophie Wolman (Speech), and David Huang (Extemp). And many thanks to the adults who supported the team, especially co-coaches Mrs. Janie Simon-Glatt and Mr. Evan Dolan, and Mr. Dan Joyce who advised Student Congress. Sadly, Mr. Dolan will not be returning as a coach for the 2017-2018 season but the team wishes him the best! We thank Mr. Dolan for this hard work and leadership! In his place, the team welcomes Ms. Minges Klusman who will join Ms. Simon-Glatt at the coaches' table in the fall. Thank you and congratula-tions to our students and staff! WHS is very proud of you!

Teacher Spotlight!In each newsletter we highlight a WHS teacher. This week, let’s get to know Mr. Miller, WHS Art teacher.

Q: What is your favorite memory from high school?A: I graduated from John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas. My favorite high school memory was senior lunch privilege. We were allowed to leave campus for lunch and there was a little Mexican restaurant across the street with very affordable and very good food. Mexican food is my favorite so it was like heaven to be able to have a steady diet of tacos, chalupas and enchiladas.

Q: What are you planning to do this summer?A: This summer I hope to relax and paint. I don’t plan on taking any trips so my goal is to make a lot of paintings, make noise with my guitars, go fishing and kayaking. I also hope to eat a lot of Mexican food!

Q: What is your favorite holiday tradition?A: My favorite holiday tradition is watching football and gorging on a turkey dinner. Although I complain about being too full and my teams getting beat, it is the best of times.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?A: My best weekends are similar to my best summers. Relax, paint and make noise with my guitars. If I get real lucky I get to go out for Mexican food.

Q: What is your most embarrassing moment?A: Embarrassment is my true art form so there is a lot of competition for the most embarrassing moment, but one that stands out took place in my early years as an art teacher at Tom C. Clark High School in San Antonio. I was due for an observation by the building principal, which always (to this day) petrifies me. For some reason I forgot and settled into my groove of having fun while learning with my art students. I was singing and carrying on and I picked up a half full, 5 gallon bucket of white house paint. Rather than stirring it up I embraced it and began to shake it silly. As luck would have it the lid popped off and paint shot high in the air toward the ceiling. It was like the old milk commercial in slow motion. I looked up as the paint began to return to earth and saw my principal watching me with a firm grip on his clip board. I knew for a fact that my life was over. As paint splashed across me, my chalkboard and the floor, I announced that my demonstration on the what not to do with a paint can had been a monumental success and students had just received a life-long lesson. The principal began to shake his head and attempt to suppress a smile. He asked if I would like him to return at another time. I responded that he probably would never be able to erase what he had just observed so he should pull up a chair and get comfortable. Remarkably I received a high rating on my evaluation. I have also taken the time to stir paint since that day!

Teacher Accomplishments

Relay For LifeRelay For Life is almost here! It’s coming to the community from 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 19th, through 4:00 p.m., Saturday, May 20th. This popular American Cancer Society event, held this year at Upper Dublin High School, offers something for everyone: contests and games, a moon bounce and dunk tank, raffles and silent auctions, a vendor fair, great live entertainment, and delicious food. An anonymous donor has pledged to donate a dollar to the American Cancer Society for every mile walked at Relay, so please stop by and take a few laps around the track to help us achieve our goal of 5,000 miles.

Some May 19th highlights: a complimentary dinner for cancer survivors and their caregivers (6:15 p.m.), the new "Relay Runway" contest (8:00 p.m.), the illumination of the track in tribute to those who have battled cancer (9:00 p.m.). Some May 20th highlights: pancake breakfast (7:00 to 10:00 a.m.), Zumba class (10:00 a.m.), Institute of Dance Artistry performance (11:30 a.m.) and the Fight Back Ceremony (1:30 p.m.). Admission is a $10 per-person (excluding cancer survivors and registered team members) donation to the American Cancer Society for individuals 12 years of age and over, with a maximum of $20 per family. Each $10 donation entitles the donor to $4 in Relay bucks, accepted anywhere at Relay, except the vendor fair. For more information, contact Brittany MacLeod at brittany.macleod@cancer.org or at 215-985-5339.

Tours for New FamiliesWHS has established tour dates for students and parents from private and/or charter schools who may be interested in getting to know Wissahickon High School. We do not offer shadowing opportunities but these scheduled tours will provide families with the opportunity to see and learn about WHS. Our Student Ambassadors will facilitate tours for potential incoming students and their families. The dates and times are:

• May 25, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

For more information and to set up a tour, please contact Mrs. Marissa Samit in our Guidance Department at msamit@wsdweb.org or 215-619-8112, x8037.

Academic Support Opportunities We would like to remind you of the two new academic support initiatives at WHS this year: our Extended Learning Time Program (ELT) and our Math and Writing Labs. ELT is an after-school program developed to provide academic support in our core subject areas. ELT is open in the Library from 2:45-5:15 on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and 2:45-4:15 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Students can utilize our late buses. This is a valuable resource to support students who can benefit from re-teaching and/or pre-teaching opportunities. Please contact your student’s teacher or Guidance Counselor for more information on this support. Additionally, our Math Lab is a resource available to students during lunch or study-hall all sessions of the day in the Library and our Writing Lab is a resource available to students during the afternoon sessions in the Library. Both Labs can provide academic support in content-specific areas. More information is available through your student’s Math and Language Arts teachers. Please encourage your student to take full advantage of these new programs to better support their goals and academic success. Seniors – the Writing Center can be a great support as you write your college essays!

Congratulations to WHS Social Studies teacher, Mr. Tim Smyth! Mr. Smyth was invited to participate at C2E2, Chicago's Comic Con, to present as part of a day of teacher professional development on using comics to help create engaged and analytical readers and writers. As part of an innovative panel, Grammy Award winning artist, Rhymefest, the United Nations comics ambassador Josh Elder, and Mr. Smyth presented to educators on the ideas of New Literacy - using 21st Century literacy skills with students. This visual literacy includes movies, song lyrics, memes, comics, and traditional text to inform literacy practices. Mr. Smyth continues to incorporate creative approaches to engage and motivate all of his students. Thank you, Mr. Smyth!