Going Back in Time
by: Avery
The Civil War was a war fought by Americans fighting Americans. The Gettysburg Battlefield was one of the fighting places. They fought at Gettysburg for 3 days. The Confederates won the first day, the second was a tie, and the Union won the third day. Fortunately, the North Hills MAC Team visited the battlefield on April 2 for a class trip. Sadly, only the MAC Team was able to go. MAC Team teachers, Mrs. Spackman, Mrs. Fox, and Mrs. Thoman planned the trip. They wanted to connect it to their PBL and cover the science and social studies standards. To prepare, the team has done many activities having to do with the battlefield and the war. On the day of the trip, the team took a bus to the battlefields and then went through three stations: reservation, medical pieces, and geology. They had a tour guide to explore the field and the students were super excited.
On the day of the trip, the MAC Team took a bus to Devil's Den and Little Round Top. They then went through three stations throughout the area. The first station was at Plum Run, a stream at Little Round Top. They compared cloudy vs. clean water that the soldiers drank. The second station was with two geologists, who taught us about the rocks. The rocks were made of Diabase and were formed from magma. We learned about how the rocks helped give the soldiers an advantage. The last station was a Park Ranger teaching us about the medical part of the war. We learned about what they knew to do and how they helped the soldiers. Lastly, a tour guide took the team to Little Round Top and the Pennsylvania Memorial.
by: Avery
The Civil War was a war fought by Americans fighting Americans. The Gettysburg Battlefield was one of the fighting places. They fought at Gettysburg for 3 days. The Confederates won the first day, the second was a tie, and the Union won the third day. Fortunately, the North Hills MAC Team visited the battlefield on April 2 for a class trip. Sadly, only the MAC Team was able to go. MAC Team teachers, Mrs. Spackman, Mrs. Fox, and Mrs. Thoman planned the trip. They wanted to connect it to their PBL and cover the science and social studies standards. To prepare, the team has done many activities having to do with the battlefield and the war. On the day of the trip, the team took a bus to the battlefields and then went through three stations: reservation, medical pieces, and geology. They had a tour guide to explore the field and the students were super excited.
On the day of the trip, the MAC Team took a bus to Devil's Den and Little Round Top. They then went through three stations throughout the area. The first station was at Plum Run, a stream at Little Round Top. They compared cloudy vs. clean water that the soldiers drank. The second station was with two geologists, who taught us about the rocks. The rocks were made of Diabase and were formed from magma. We learned about how the rocks helped give the soldiers an advantage. The last station was a Park Ranger teaching us about the medical part of the war. We learned about what they knew to do and how they helped the soldiers. Lastly, a tour guide took the team to Little Round Top and the Pennsylvania Memorial.
Video Full of Kindness
by: Olivia St.
Mrs. Koplitz's sixth grade class thought that they should do more than just be kind. They wanted to make a video about it! What first got Mrs. Koplitz inspired? Mrs. Kessel's Random Acts of Kindness is what first sparked the idea of making the video. Mrs. Koplitz said, "I thought it would be interesting to let the learners see that the little things are the things that matter. I think a lot of things need to change and its important for someone to understand at a young age that the little things we do are what makes the biggest impact on a person's day." Next time you go by Mrs. Koplitz's classroom, choose kind.
by: Olivia St.
Mrs. Koplitz's sixth grade class thought that they should do more than just be kind. They wanted to make a video about it! What first got Mrs. Koplitz inspired? Mrs. Kessel's Random Acts of Kindness is what first sparked the idea of making the video. Mrs. Koplitz said, "I thought it would be interesting to let the learners see that the little things are the things that matter. I think a lot of things need to change and its important for someone to understand at a young age that the little things we do are what makes the biggest impact on a person's day." Next time you go by Mrs. Koplitz's classroom, choose kind.
The Solar System Project
by: Ella and Lorelei
In the green team hallway, Mrs. Striebig and Mrs. Moyer's classes had a science project. The kids created amazing scale models of our solar system. They had to include the sun and all eight planets, a meteor, constellation, comet or an asteroid. Kids made posters, put them in shoe boxes, and even put them in mason jars! The creativity from all of these children skyrocketed. They really got to express their imagination while still having to make a project. People got to search their home for everyday objects. For example, a tennis ball could've been the sun and a pin could've been the Earth. At the end of the project, kids got a rubric sheet saying their score. Overall, everyone worked their hardest on this project and the diversity throughout this whole experience was delightful.
by: Ella and Lorelei
In the green team hallway, Mrs. Striebig and Mrs. Moyer's classes had a science project. The kids created amazing scale models of our solar system. They had to include the sun and all eight planets, a meteor, constellation, comet or an asteroid. Kids made posters, put them in shoe boxes, and even put them in mason jars! The creativity from all of these children skyrocketed. They really got to express their imagination while still having to make a project. People got to search their home for everyday objects. For example, a tennis ball could've been the sun and a pin could've been the Earth. At the end of the project, kids got a rubric sheet saying their score. Overall, everyone worked their hardest on this project and the diversity throughout this whole experience was delightful.
Career Day
by: Avery and Abbie
As you probably know, North Hills hosted a Career Day on March 25. Mrs. Kessel, North Hills guidance counselor, and Mrs. Zimmerman, one of our reading specialists, helped plan the day. They decided to host a Career Day to show how reading is involved in jobs, and also for the students to find what they're interested in. Mrs. Kessel and Mrs. Zimmerman sent invitations to speakers, asking them to talk about their job. Most speakers were somehow connected to a teacher or staff member at North Hills. They then had to have the kids sign up for the speakers they wanted to hear, and they also planned for an assembly for March 25.
On the exciting day of March 25, the speakers arrived at the school around 8:00. They then signed in, and ate a gourmet school-provided breakfast. Soon enough, the students arrived and it was almost time for the assembly. When all students had arrived, the assembly started and Mrs. Kessel spoke to us and read us a book. After the assembly, the students parted into their different groups depending on their speaker. The students then spent roughly an hour in each room. There were two sessions, so each student got to hear from two different speakers. When the second session was over, the students went back to their home rooms to reflect on their morning. Mrs. Kessel and Mrs. Zimmerman plan to have Career Day every three years, giving each student the experience.
by: Avery and Abbie
As you probably know, North Hills hosted a Career Day on March 25. Mrs. Kessel, North Hills guidance counselor, and Mrs. Zimmerman, one of our reading specialists, helped plan the day. They decided to host a Career Day to show how reading is involved in jobs, and also for the students to find what they're interested in. Mrs. Kessel and Mrs. Zimmerman sent invitations to speakers, asking them to talk about their job. Most speakers were somehow connected to a teacher or staff member at North Hills. They then had to have the kids sign up for the speakers they wanted to hear, and they also planned for an assembly for March 25.
On the exciting day of March 25, the speakers arrived at the school around 8:00. They then signed in, and ate a gourmet school-provided breakfast. Soon enough, the students arrived and it was almost time for the assembly. When all students had arrived, the assembly started and Mrs. Kessel spoke to us and read us a book. After the assembly, the students parted into their different groups depending on their speaker. The students then spent roughly an hour in each room. There were two sessions, so each student got to hear from two different speakers. When the second session was over, the students went back to their home rooms to reflect on their morning. Mrs. Kessel and Mrs. Zimmerman plan to have Career Day every three years, giving each student the experience.
Math 24 Competition
Guest Writers: Connor, Mackenzie, John, and Christopher
A few months ago John came up with the idea of holding a school-wide Math 24 competition. He convinced his friend, Connor, to help with the planning of the competition. Once they received approval from Mr. Youcheff, they got to work. Connor and John created the rules for the competition. They wanted their rules to mirror the rules of the LIU Competition that will be held on May 7, 2019. Connor and John created a Google Form and flyer to allow students in all grades to sign up. They also wrote an advertisement for the competition that they read on the morning announcements. The competition was held on April 2nd for 4th grade, April 3rd for 5th grade, and April 4th for 6th grade. John, Connor, Mackenzie, and Christopher served as proctors and scorekeepers. The contestants competed to solve Math 24 cards in groups of 3 or 4. The competition had 2-ten minute rounds and the top two students qualified to go to the LIU Competition in May. Here are the results:
Guest Writers: Connor, Mackenzie, John, and Christopher
A few months ago John came up with the idea of holding a school-wide Math 24 competition. He convinced his friend, Connor, to help with the planning of the competition. Once they received approval from Mr. Youcheff, they got to work. Connor and John created the rules for the competition. They wanted their rules to mirror the rules of the LIU Competition that will be held on May 7, 2019. Connor and John created a Google Form and flyer to allow students in all grades to sign up. They also wrote an advertisement for the competition that they read on the morning announcements. The competition was held on April 2nd for 4th grade, April 3rd for 5th grade, and April 4th for 6th grade. John, Connor, Mackenzie, and Christopher served as proctors and scorekeepers. The contestants competed to solve Math 24 cards in groups of 3 or 4. The competition had 2-ten minute rounds and the top two students qualified to go to the LIU Competition in May. Here are the results:
- 4th Grade
- Champion: Duc
- Runner Up: Irene
- Champion: Duc
- 5th Grade
- Champion: Noah
- Runner Up: Ian
- Champion: Noah
- 6th Grade
- Champion: Thomas
- Runner Up: Javier
- Champion: Thomas
Blessing Bags
by: Samaury and Ardelle
Have you ever heard about blessing bags? Well I have, they are bags donated to the homeless shelter and people that are in need of items. Mrs. Saylor's class got inspired to help out others who are in need. Mrs. Saylor's class sent out an email to the teachers and parents for donations, and even some kids helped out by bringing in items. They call it blessing bags because it blesses them with items. The reason why the class wanted to do this is because they wanted to help others in need and to bless them with something they didn't have. There are two kinds of blessing bags. Small blessing bags are given to individuals and larger ones are given to individuals or families. Mrs. Saylor's class sent the blessing bags to Lifepath because it's one of the shelters with people who had health problems, homelessness, or they don't have hot water to use to be able to shower or be clean. That is what Lifepath is about. The class put a lot of things in the blessing bags such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, washcloths, toothbrush/toothpaste, combs/brushes, lotion, band-aids, nail clippers, deodorant, chapstick, and toilet paper. Our school was so kind to donate the blessing bags. Now families will be blessed with things that other people have. One kind thing can change someone's life forever. Remember to always keep a positive attitude!
by: Samaury and Ardelle
Have you ever heard about blessing bags? Well I have, they are bags donated to the homeless shelter and people that are in need of items. Mrs. Saylor's class got inspired to help out others who are in need. Mrs. Saylor's class sent out an email to the teachers and parents for donations, and even some kids helped out by bringing in items. They call it blessing bags because it blesses them with items. The reason why the class wanted to do this is because they wanted to help others in need and to bless them with something they didn't have. There are two kinds of blessing bags. Small blessing bags are given to individuals and larger ones are given to individuals or families. Mrs. Saylor's class sent the blessing bags to Lifepath because it's one of the shelters with people who had health problems, homelessness, or they don't have hot water to use to be able to shower or be clean. That is what Lifepath is about. The class put a lot of things in the blessing bags such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, washcloths, toothbrush/toothpaste, combs/brushes, lotion, band-aids, nail clippers, deodorant, chapstick, and toilet paper. Our school was so kind to donate the blessing bags. Now families will be blessed with things that other people have. One kind thing can change someone's life forever. Remember to always keep a positive attitude!
North Hills Greenhouse
by: Samaury
Do you know what our greenhouse is? Well, I do! It's about how these two girls, Becca and Alexis, said they wanted to do a passion project. Becca told her mom and they started the research in fourth grade. Then, in fifth grade Becca and her mom built the greenhouse. Then in sixth grade they finally started planting! Students from every grade level got involved. The Greenhouse Group consists of 13 sixth graders, 6 fifth graders, and 5 fourth graders. They each take turns everyday to water the greenhouse. They put their finger in the soil to see if it's moist and if not, they water it. They go out and check it everyday. This was a really good idea because it's a way you can give back to the community and also it gives students an opportunity to learn about greenhouses. It is basically hands on learning - they plant things like peas, beans, radishes, lettuce, cilantro, and so much more. The greenhouse is basically shaped like a house. That's how they built it. It was really cool because students get to learn with their hands and outside of our school. It was a really bright idea that Becca and Alexis came up with.
by: Samaury
Do you know what our greenhouse is? Well, I do! It's about how these two girls, Becca and Alexis, said they wanted to do a passion project. Becca told her mom and they started the research in fourth grade. Then, in fifth grade Becca and her mom built the greenhouse. Then in sixth grade they finally started planting! Students from every grade level got involved. The Greenhouse Group consists of 13 sixth graders, 6 fifth graders, and 5 fourth graders. They each take turns everyday to water the greenhouse. They put their finger in the soil to see if it's moist and if not, they water it. They go out and check it everyday. This was a really good idea because it's a way you can give back to the community and also it gives students an opportunity to learn about greenhouses. It is basically hands on learning - they plant things like peas, beans, radishes, lettuce, cilantro, and so much more. The greenhouse is basically shaped like a house. That's how they built it. It was really cool because students get to learn with their hands and outside of our school. It was a really bright idea that Becca and Alexis came up with.
Meet Mrs. Hummel
by: Kaliann
Do you know who Mrs. Hummel is? Well if not, she is a 5th grade teacher here at North Hills. She was born in Hershey, PA on December 24. Mrs. Hummel grew up in Myerstown, PA and then moved to Millersville for college. During college, she traveled to Kayenta, Arizona for student teaching and then she moved to Tanzania, Africa for 3 months. Once she came back to Pennsylvania after Tanzania, she was accepted to join Teach for America, so she moved to Allen, South Dakota in 2012 and taught kindergarten at American Horse School. After two years, she moved to Dallas, Texas and taught 3rd grade at Stevens Park Elementary. After another 2 years, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel moved to York, PA and she started teaching 5th grade with Mrs. Wertz. She also has a son, Colson who is one and a half years old. He loves being outside, reading, coloring, and his dino that he carries around with him all the time. Mrs. Hummel loves to travel especially to National Parks. She cannot wait to take Colson to some of her favorite National Parks, such as Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Petrified Forest! Her favorite thing about North Hills is working with such a dedicated, fun staff and the energetic students.
by: Kaliann
Do you know who Mrs. Hummel is? Well if not, she is a 5th grade teacher here at North Hills. She was born in Hershey, PA on December 24. Mrs. Hummel grew up in Myerstown, PA and then moved to Millersville for college. During college, she traveled to Kayenta, Arizona for student teaching and then she moved to Tanzania, Africa for 3 months. Once she came back to Pennsylvania after Tanzania, she was accepted to join Teach for America, so she moved to Allen, South Dakota in 2012 and taught kindergarten at American Horse School. After two years, she moved to Dallas, Texas and taught 3rd grade at Stevens Park Elementary. After another 2 years, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel moved to York, PA and she started teaching 5th grade with Mrs. Wertz. She also has a son, Colson who is one and a half years old. He loves being outside, reading, coloring, and his dino that he carries around with him all the time. Mrs. Hummel loves to travel especially to National Parks. She cannot wait to take Colson to some of her favorite National Parks, such as Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Petrified Forest! Her favorite thing about North Hills is working with such a dedicated, fun staff and the energetic students.
April PAWS Meeting
by: Samaury
At our PAWS Meeting on Friday, April 26, Mr. Youcheff talked about how our conscience tells us when we know we did something wrong, and how we need to own up to it and take the consequences. We celebrated Earth Day and the Green Team wore matching Earth Day shirts. We also thanked the Green Team because they meet every Day 6 for recycling. We learned that the garbage in a landfill stays there for about 30 years. Our greeting was a fist bump and Jocelyn read our morning message from Kevin Brown's Project Wisdom. Mrs. Spackman's homeroom from the MAC team read our school creed and Mr. Youcheff read the Academic Excellence winners. We are now up to 67 percent of our book goal and we have 33 percent to go to send Mr. Youcheff to camp. If we get to 70 percent, Mrs. Kessel goes to camp. If we get 80 percent, Miss Werner and Mrs. Wertz go to camp. We have 6,420 books left to read. We are already at 13,085 books. Our activity was hula hoop relay race. Make sure to keep a positive attitude North Hills and remember one thing you say can change someone's day!
by: Samaury
At our PAWS Meeting on Friday, April 26, Mr. Youcheff talked about how our conscience tells us when we know we did something wrong, and how we need to own up to it and take the consequences. We celebrated Earth Day and the Green Team wore matching Earth Day shirts. We also thanked the Green Team because they meet every Day 6 for recycling. We learned that the garbage in a landfill stays there for about 30 years. Our greeting was a fist bump and Jocelyn read our morning message from Kevin Brown's Project Wisdom. Mrs. Spackman's homeroom from the MAC team read our school creed and Mr. Youcheff read the Academic Excellence winners. We are now up to 67 percent of our book goal and we have 33 percent to go to send Mr. Youcheff to camp. If we get to 70 percent, Mrs. Kessel goes to camp. If we get 80 percent, Miss Werner and Mrs. Wertz go to camp. We have 6,420 books left to read. We are already at 13,085 books. Our activity was hula hoop relay race. Make sure to keep a positive attitude North Hills and remember one thing you say can change someone's day!
Our Amazing Earth
by: Ardelle and Avery
At our latest PAWS Meeting, April 26, Earth Day, we celebrated the Earth and our own Green Team. Green Team is a group of sixth graders that goes around the school every Day 6, collecting and sorting recycling. The Green Team all wore shirts that Mr. Youcheff, North Hills principal, funded. For our greeting we did a fist bump with the students and teachers around us, and then Kevin read our morning message. Jocelyn then read the Words of Wisdom, and Mrs. Spackman's homeroom read the North Hills creed. Mr. Youcheff announced the Academic Excellence Award winners for this month. After that, Mr. Youcheff talked about how our conscience tells us when we did something wrong, and we need to own up to that, and take the consequences even though we don't want to. He also gave us some fun facts about our Earth. We then reflected on our Camp Read S'more goal, and found out that only two teachers are actually going to camp. Both Miss Van Valkenburg and Miss Lindberg's classes had reached their goal. Many other classes have gotten close, and the closest four classes are Mrs. Zech, Ms. Bean, Miss Myers, and Mrs. Boyd. Our school has read 13,085 books so far, and we are at 67%. We need to read 6,420 books to reach our 100% goal. If we get to 70%, Mrs. Kessel will go to Camp Read S'more, at 80% Miss Werner and Mrs. Wertz will go, and at 100% Mr. Youcheff will go. Then for our activity we played a hula hoop relay race where we had to get the hula hoop through the line of students without it touching the ground. If we want to get to our goal, we need to keep reading!
by: Ardelle and Avery
At our latest PAWS Meeting, April 26, Earth Day, we celebrated the Earth and our own Green Team. Green Team is a group of sixth graders that goes around the school every Day 6, collecting and sorting recycling. The Green Team all wore shirts that Mr. Youcheff, North Hills principal, funded. For our greeting we did a fist bump with the students and teachers around us, and then Kevin read our morning message. Jocelyn then read the Words of Wisdom, and Mrs. Spackman's homeroom read the North Hills creed. Mr. Youcheff announced the Academic Excellence Award winners for this month. After that, Mr. Youcheff talked about how our conscience tells us when we did something wrong, and we need to own up to that, and take the consequences even though we don't want to. He also gave us some fun facts about our Earth. We then reflected on our Camp Read S'more goal, and found out that only two teachers are actually going to camp. Both Miss Van Valkenburg and Miss Lindberg's classes had reached their goal. Many other classes have gotten close, and the closest four classes are Mrs. Zech, Ms. Bean, Miss Myers, and Mrs. Boyd. Our school has read 13,085 books so far, and we are at 67%. We need to read 6,420 books to reach our 100% goal. If we get to 70%, Mrs. Kessel will go to Camp Read S'more, at 80% Miss Werner and Mrs. Wertz will go, and at 100% Mr. Youcheff will go. Then for our activity we played a hula hoop relay race where we had to get the hula hoop through the line of students without it touching the ground. If we want to get to our goal, we need to keep reading!
Earth Day Activities
by: Landon
Earth Day was one of the many celebrations that happen in the Lupold/Bohannon classrooms. Even though it was raining, every student still had a fun time playing games, creating crafts, and trying foods.
One specific activity includes a game. It's called an Earth Day Memory game. Each player will have 20 seconds to memorize the lid of creatures. Then they turn their heads away so another player takes out as many creatures as they want. Each player will then look and try to guess what is gone.
The next activity was creating a frog with your own style. Each person picked six colored popsicle sticks of their choice. They took two sticks and put them on the bottom as the legs (horizontally). The rest were glued on top of them (vertically). Then you could pick colored eyes and a strand of red paper to make the tongue. You could add a variety of different colored cotton balls on top if you wanted.
And last but not least, everyone's favorite activity - snacks! Each person got a choice of vanilla or chocolate dirt pudding, trail mix, and a juice box. Overall, in my opinion, I think that this Earth Day was a success!
by: Landon
Earth Day was one of the many celebrations that happen in the Lupold/Bohannon classrooms. Even though it was raining, every student still had a fun time playing games, creating crafts, and trying foods.
One specific activity includes a game. It's called an Earth Day Memory game. Each player will have 20 seconds to memorize the lid of creatures. Then they turn their heads away so another player takes out as many creatures as they want. Each player will then look and try to guess what is gone.
The next activity was creating a frog with your own style. Each person picked six colored popsicle sticks of their choice. They took two sticks and put them on the bottom as the legs (horizontally). The rest were glued on top of them (vertically). Then you could pick colored eyes and a strand of red paper to make the tongue. You could add a variety of different colored cotton balls on top if you wanted.
And last but not least, everyone's favorite activity - snacks! Each person got a choice of vanilla or chocolate dirt pudding, trail mix, and a juice box. Overall, in my opinion, I think that this Earth Day was a success!