By Karen Sattler
In news from Mill Pond School, many events have taken place in the last few weeks. We have held our Spelling Bee with Madisyn Merritt as the winner and Nathanial Stoddard as the runner-up. Congratulations to these two and best wishes for success at the regional bee!
Middle school students were treated to a few hours of Minute to Win It. Staff acted as judges while the students and focus group leaders participated in activities such as using a candy cane to stand hex nuts on end, moving an Oreo to your mouth from your forehead without using your hands, and capturing ping pong balls with a straw. Great competition and many laughs were had by all.
Contribued photoGEOGRAPHY BEE — Houlton Southside School recently held its 2013 Geography Bee. Participating students were, front row from left, Dallas Shaw, Natalie Putnam, Mitchell Turner, Nate DeLucca and Sam Ellis; and back Meghan Schneider, Lauren Swimm, Justin Tuck, Hunter Boyce, and Michael Monteith. Monteith was the winner. This is the 25th year that the National Geographic Society held the bee for students in the fourth through eighth grades across the United States and in the five U. S. territories, as well as in Department of Defense Schools around the world. The 2013 Bee is sponsored by Google. The winner at the school level completes a written test to determine the state competitors.
Eighth grade math students have been learning about scale models and drawings. As a unique activity to show what they have learned, students have been using a 1:3 inch scale to enlarge a picture of a grasshopper. These will be displayed in the middle school wing. It’s pretty amazing when a student says, “I can’t do that!” and ends up drawing a pretty good grasshopper! Now onto judging!
The winners of the Aroostook Right to Read bookmark contest for Mill Pond were announced as Harmony Vermazani, Dannica Langlois, and Devin Ramsey. Also announced recently are the students selected to attend the Young Authors’ Institute in Presque Isle. Chosen students are: Aidynn Woods, Skylar DeHahn, Makayla Ward, Peyton Dixon, Emma Drew, Grace Desrosiers, Nallah King, Lindsay Gardner, Jill Gough, and Madisyn Merritt. They will have some amazing opportunities as they travel to the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
And now, here is some news from our after school program. On Saturday, Jan. 5, a group of 20 students and their chaperones traveled to the University of Maine at Orono. While there, we attended a men’s basketball game followed by a men’s hockey game. Students were also shown around and enjoyed some delicious pizza from a nearby pizzeria.
Although it was a long day for everyone, it was a great trip! We are still hoping and planning for more outings. If you would like to support our after school program, we are currently holding a Pampered Chef fundraiser to help us prepare for a Bingo night sometime in February. For more information on this fundraiser, please contact me at karensattler@msad70.org. Sales will close on Jan. 25.
Another quarter has been completed, the grades are in the books, and the students are feeling the excitement build as Bangor basketball tournament time approaches.
Congratulations to our middle school teams and best of luck to our high school teams on the road to Bangor! Until next time, stay warm and check on elderly neighbors. Don’t leave pets out in this bone-chilling cold! And remember, there are only 56 days until spring!