By Martha Neuman
Very soon long strings of tulle and roses, plaster pedestals and a great big stage will start to appear in the big gym. This is because 8th grade promotion is coming soon.This has been a tradition for as long as we can remember. It has always been a big event in semi-formal dress.
Lori Owen, a P.E. teacher at Henkle, has often decorated with help of some generous parent volunteers. A lot of the decorations are donated from the CHS graduation or local flower shops. The backdrop of the stage has a quote chosen by the students. This year’s quote is “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss you’ll land among the stars”-Les Brown.
“This is a very special thing for the students,” said Karen Strain. “Some of them may do Running Start or something like it and high school graduation is not quite the same. At eighth grade promotion there is a certain sense of belonging. It is also a larger class because later some people drop out or move and that sort of thing.”
The eighth graders enter the ceremony with some general music and walk out to a song of their choice. There will be announcements of scholarships like the Wayne M. Henkle Scholarship and the Angeline Stevenson Art Scholarship. Also in the ceremony will be the announcement of the Athletes of the Year and speeches by the valedictorian as well as entertainment by one or more promoting eighth graders. Auditions for this are currently being held.
The ceremony is on June 9 at 7:30, and there will be an all eighth grade dance afterwards that will go until 10:30 p.m., the latest dance of the entire year.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Maryhill trip back in tradition
By Martha Neuman
Every other year, HMS fifth and sixth graders have taken a big field trip to Maryhill Museum. After a one-year gap, this year, with help from the Henkle Parent Teacher Organization and supported by a grant from the Washington State Arts Councel, second-year art instructor Ursula Kermani has revived the tradition this year and will take the students to Maryhill.
“I’m pretty excited," says Megan Hanks, a 6th grader who is going. “It's going to be fun."
This is an education field trip. For the first part students will be outside in groups. There will be three or four stations at which an artist will be. They will study with artists like Will Richards- pottery, Peggy Olhsen- watercolor, John Mayo- sculpture, and many other local artists who will share their talents with students. The next part will be indoors, where a museum docent will share an exhibit (example: the Rodin sculptures) with the students and do a project or activity (example: statues made out of aluminum to show action).
“One thing I remember is the amazing chess sets,” said Mrs. Wells. “Then the students would come home and each class would build a chess set and there would be competitions between classes. The sets had themes like one class would be McDonalds and one class would be Burger King.”
The history of this trip goes back a while. It used to be an overnight trip. The first year Mrs. Hinman asked around and got a collection a 2, 3, and 5 person tents. Then some parent volunteers went out and tried to get them up. It didn't all work out the way everyone intended, but it triggered some creative thinking.
The next year Mrs. Hinman called the Oregon Coast Guard and borrowed their huge wall tents, two for the girls and two for the boys. In the evenings after dinner the students would have paper bag skits, live music, and Art Party (a kind of art jeopardy). When the Oregon State Guard was deployed to Iraq ,we couldn’t borrow the tents and therefore the two-day trip was squished into a 12-hour single day.
West team students will make the trip May 27. and East team students will go May 28. Students will leave at 8:00 a.m. and get back at around 8 or 9:00 p.m.
Every other year, HMS fifth and sixth graders have taken a big field trip to Maryhill Museum. After a one-year gap, this year, with help from the Henkle Parent Teacher Organization and supported by a grant from the Washington State Arts Councel, second-year art instructor Ursula Kermani has revived the tradition this year and will take the students to Maryhill.
“I’m pretty excited," says Megan Hanks, a 6th grader who is going. “It's going to be fun."
This is an education field trip. For the first part students will be outside in groups. There will be three or four stations at which an artist will be. They will study with artists like Will Richards- pottery, Peggy Olhsen- watercolor, John Mayo- sculpture, and many other local artists who will share their talents with students. The next part will be indoors, where a museum docent will share an exhibit (example: the Rodin sculptures) with the students and do a project or activity (example: statues made out of aluminum to show action).
“One thing I remember is the amazing chess sets,” said Mrs. Wells. “Then the students would come home and each class would build a chess set and there would be competitions between classes. The sets had themes like one class would be McDonalds and one class would be Burger King.”
The history of this trip goes back a while. It used to be an overnight trip. The first year Mrs. Hinman asked around and got a collection a 2, 3, and 5 person tents. Then some parent volunteers went out and tried to get them up. It didn't all work out the way everyone intended, but it triggered some creative thinking.
The next year Mrs. Hinman called the Oregon Coast Guard and borrowed their huge wall tents, two for the girls and two for the boys. In the evenings after dinner the students would have paper bag skits, live music, and Art Party (a kind of art jeopardy). When the Oregon State Guard was deployed to Iraq ,we couldn’t borrow the tents and therefore the two-day trip was squished into a 12-hour single day.
West team students will make the trip May 27. and East team students will go May 28. Students will leave at 8:00 a.m. and get back at around 8 or 9:00 p.m.
Friday, May 15, 2009
"Mathletes" to compete May 16
By Chelsea Davidson
While many in the U.S. struggle with math, a group of kids at Henkle Middle School are on top of everything going on in math. This team of about 16 to 20 7/8 graders from Henkle Middle Schoolare going to be going to a Mathletes competition Saturday, May 16, in The Dalles.
There are three rounds in this competition; the first round is an individual written round (this is timed). After the students are done with this they are graded and their scores are added to Henkle’s scores. The second round is a team round where they answer questions from a moderator. For each question they correctly answer they get a point, and at the end of the round they add the number of points to the Henkle score. The last round the students do is another individual round. At the end of this round they grade the papers and add the number of points to the Henkle’s score. At the end of the whole competition they see which school has the most points.
According to Mrs. Shelley, Henkle’s pre-algebra and eighth grade math teacher, the last time they went to this competition, HMS students took home a trophy. There are three trophies you can get 1st, 2nd, and lastly 3rd. All in all each year, Ms. Shelly and Mrs. Strain say that the students and they have a fun time at the Mathletes competition.
While many in the U.S. struggle with math, a group of kids at Henkle Middle School are on top of everything going on in math. This team of about 16 to 20 7/8 graders from Henkle Middle Schoolare going to be going to a Mathletes competition Saturday, May 16, in The Dalles.
There are three rounds in this competition; the first round is an individual written round (this is timed). After the students are done with this they are graded and their scores are added to Henkle’s scores. The second round is a team round where they answer questions from a moderator. For each question they correctly answer they get a point, and at the end of the round they add the number of points to the Henkle score. The last round the students do is another individual round. At the end of this round they grade the papers and add the number of points to the Henkle’s score. At the end of the whole competition they see which school has the most points.
According to Mrs. Shelley, Henkle’s pre-algebra and eighth grade math teacher, the last time they went to this competition, HMS students took home a trophy. There are three trophies you can get 1st, 2nd, and lastly 3rd. All in all each year, Ms. Shelly and Mrs. Strain say that the students and they have a fun time at the Mathletes competition.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Bilingual ability opens doors
By Martha Neuman
Many students at our school are bilingual, or speak two or more languages. In fact 20-30% of the students in our school are bilingual! Most of them speak Spanish as their first language. There are many overpowering advantages.
“At home it's 24/7 Spanish, and English at school," said Leslie Ramirez an eighjth grader at Henkle. “It can sometimes be hard at assemblies and orientations when I have to translate everything and sometimes I don’t know the words”.
Many students speak Spanish at home but English at school.
“When your older and get a job it's good to put that you are bilingual; it opens doors,” said Betsy Petrick, the HMS reading teacher. “Also, when you travel situations can become to complicated for your little phrase book. To look at the bigger picture, you get a broader scene. Language really is a window into other cultures."
It is also an advantage in other ways.
“It’s especially nice for me because I can communicate with the families of my students that only speak Spanish. I can do a parent-teacher conference in Spanish,” said Sally Wells, a 5th/6th grade homeroom teacher. “It's very helpful when you travel because I think it’s a bit arrogant to expect everyone to speak English because you do.”
Rick George, the principal, agrees.
“Speaking Spanish helps me help others, and it helps them to help me," he stated.
After one learns a language it becomes easier to learn others. People who speak Spanish can understand other languages such as Portuguese and others. Also, many scientific terms are in Latin, and Spanish is related to Latin.
Being bilingual provides many opportunities and is helpful in many different ways.
Many students at our school are bilingual, or speak two or more languages. In fact 20-30% of the students in our school are bilingual! Most of them speak Spanish as their first language. There are many overpowering advantages.
“At home it's 24/7 Spanish, and English at school," said Leslie Ramirez an eighjth grader at Henkle. “It can sometimes be hard at assemblies and orientations when I have to translate everything and sometimes I don’t know the words”.
Many students speak Spanish at home but English at school.
“When your older and get a job it's good to put that you are bilingual; it opens doors,” said Betsy Petrick, the HMS reading teacher. “Also, when you travel situations can become to complicated for your little phrase book. To look at the bigger picture, you get a broader scene. Language really is a window into other cultures."
It is also an advantage in other ways.
“It’s especially nice for me because I can communicate with the families of my students that only speak Spanish. I can do a parent-teacher conference in Spanish,” said Sally Wells, a 5th/6th grade homeroom teacher. “It's very helpful when you travel because I think it’s a bit arrogant to expect everyone to speak English because you do.”
Rick George, the principal, agrees.
“Speaking Spanish helps me help others, and it helps them to help me," he stated.
After one learns a language it becomes easier to learn others. People who speak Spanish can understand other languages such as Portuguese and others. Also, many scientific terms are in Latin, and Spanish is related to Latin.
Being bilingual provides many opportunities and is helpful in many different ways.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Inventions class offers challenge and fun
By Chelsea Davidson
Mr. Lyons is a science and Inventions teacher who will make you laugh hysterically. We all know what science is about, and we’ve all taken it, but the mystery is, what’s Inventions about? When we hear the word Inventions we think creating your own design, but do they really do this in class? What has your daughter/so been doing in class? Do you have any idea?
Unveiling this mystery would take interviewing a couple of kids from the class. The first student that would help unveil this mystery was Kyle Kempton, an eighth grader at Henkle Middle School. Surprisingly, Kempton has taken this class before. He said, “It is a fun class, and I like a lot of hands-on things.” He believes Inventions is a hard class to take, but if it is so hard why did he take it again? Despite the difficulty of the class, Kempton said Mr. Lyons is a cool guy to be around, and they do a lot of stuff that is fun, such as how much our bridge can hold by using pound weights.
Another student that is taking this class for the second time is Kait Hall; she is also an eighth grader at Henkle Middle School. Hall loves this class and believes the topic is good for students because they build and draw their designs on graph paper. She agreed with Kempton and said, “Yes, this class can be a challenge, but it's fun once we get to test our inventions that we have made!” Both of these eighth graders strongly agree that this Inventions class looks easier than it actually is, and to do a good job students MUST be focused.
Mr. Lyons, who has been teaching Inventions for many years, also agrees that this class can be challenging for students, but he said if the kids are more motivated than others it won’t be as hard for them. Mr. Lyons also gave a hint on what there next project will be--they will be building rockets. Over the past years students have generally said that the rockets are their favorite project that they get to build. If you’d like to contact Mr. Lyons, you can locate him on the Henkle Middle School website.
Mr. Lyons is a science and Inventions teacher who will make you laugh hysterically. We all know what science is about, and we’ve all taken it, but the mystery is, what’s Inventions about? When we hear the word Inventions we think creating your own design, but do they really do this in class? What has your daughter/so been doing in class? Do you have any idea?
Unveiling this mystery would take interviewing a couple of kids from the class. The first student that would help unveil this mystery was Kyle Kempton, an eighth grader at Henkle Middle School. Surprisingly, Kempton has taken this class before. He said, “It is a fun class, and I like a lot of hands-on things.” He believes Inventions is a hard class to take, but if it is so hard why did he take it again? Despite the difficulty of the class, Kempton said Mr. Lyons is a cool guy to be around, and they do a lot of stuff that is fun, such as how much our bridge can hold by using pound weights.
Another student that is taking this class for the second time is Kait Hall; she is also an eighth grader at Henkle Middle School. Hall loves this class and believes the topic is good for students because they build and draw their designs on graph paper. She agreed with Kempton and said, “Yes, this class can be a challenge, but it's fun once we get to test our inventions that we have made!” Both of these eighth graders strongly agree that this Inventions class looks easier than it actually is, and to do a good job students MUST be focused.
Mr. Lyons, who has been teaching Inventions for many years, also agrees that this class can be challenging for students, but he said if the kids are more motivated than others it won’t be as hard for them. Mr. Lyons also gave a hint on what there next project will be--they will be building rockets. Over the past years students have generally said that the rockets are their favorite project that they get to build. If you’d like to contact Mr. Lyons, you can locate him on the Henkle Middle School website.
Track or softball? Basketball or wrestling? Middle School students face tough choices
By Martha Neuman
Many students have expressed concerns about when certain sports fall on the school calendar. Some sports are scheduled on top of each other. Students are forced to make a choice they would rather not.
Brittney Wanglin is one who has played softball all her life and when track came she was eager to join. But to her dismay they were at the same time.
“I love softball and have done it for 5 years. A majority of my friends did track because they think softball is boring and ‘uncool.' But they’re wrong. My love of softball overpowered track,” she stated. She chose softball.
Athena Colbert loves basketball. She played it and enjoyed it last year. In P.E. (physical education) they did a unit on wrestling. Athena really liked it and couldn’t wait for wrestling season. She was disappointed when she learned that wrestling and basketball overlapped dramatically in October-December while boys’ basketball lay unhindered in February.
“I wanted to try something new and prove that girls can do anything!” She chose wrestling.
Seventh grader Samantha Spaeth has played Community Youth Soccer for as long as she has been able. She was frustrated when she learned that the soccer season crossed over volleyball and part of the basketball season. She tried and failed to form a team because everyone was in one of these two sports.
“There is no middle school soccer in White Salmon. In Hood River they do have Dynamos. When you get in to high school there is a team, but you kind of have to re-learn everything,” Samantha said.
Sometimes in life you have to make choices, and this is one of those situations. Basketball or wrestling? Softball or track? Soccer or volleyball?
Many students have expressed concerns about when certain sports fall on the school calendar. Some sports are scheduled on top of each other. Students are forced to make a choice they would rather not.
Brittney Wanglin is one who has played softball all her life and when track came she was eager to join. But to her dismay they were at the same time.
“I love softball and have done it for 5 years. A majority of my friends did track because they think softball is boring and ‘uncool.' But they’re wrong. My love of softball overpowered track,” she stated. She chose softball.
Athena Colbert loves basketball. She played it and enjoyed it last year. In P.E. (physical education) they did a unit on wrestling. Athena really liked it and couldn’t wait for wrestling season. She was disappointed when she learned that wrestling and basketball overlapped dramatically in October-December while boys’ basketball lay unhindered in February.
“I wanted to try something new and prove that girls can do anything!” She chose wrestling.
Seventh grader Samantha Spaeth has played Community Youth Soccer for as long as she has been able. She was frustrated when she learned that the soccer season crossed over volleyball and part of the basketball season. She tried and failed to form a team because everyone was in one of these two sports.
“There is no middle school soccer in White Salmon. In Hood River they do have Dynamos. When you get in to high school there is a team, but you kind of have to re-learn everything,” Samantha said.
Sometimes in life you have to make choices, and this is one of those situations. Basketball or wrestling? Softball or track? Soccer or volleyball?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Foundation brings support to HMS education programs
By Peggy Neuman
White Salmon Valley Education Foundation
The White Salmon Valley Education Foundation (WSVEF) recently awarded two new grants to Henkle Middle School. These grants are for the purchase of technology equipment for two 5th / 6th classrooms and support of an 8th grade science project at Snowden Wetlands. The project is called Science in Action: Conservation Research Projects at Snowden Wetlands. Students are using new environmental monitoring equipment purchased by the Education Foundation to gather data on water quality and amphibian populations at the Snowden Wetlands site. The grant is funding field trips to the site where students work with professional scientists to apply the skills and knowledge they are learning in the classroom. The grant is also paying for twenty students and their teacher, Michael Hannigan, to attend a conference at the Oregon Zoo called the Oregon Roots and Shoots Summit. The Henkle students will join conservation biologists and other students from Oregon and Washington to share information about each school’s outdoor education projects. These projects are a model of youth engaging in powerful and meaningful modern scientific research.
The second grant awarded to Henkle this spring by the Education Foundation will fund a set of technology equipment that includes a digital projector, document camera, and laptop computer for each of the only two classrooms in the HMS 5th/6th grade wing that lack these educational tools. Now all the 5th / 6th students will benefit from having this equipment in their classes. These tools add important visual elements to instruction, and are especially helpful to students who learn visually.
The WSVEF is a local non-profit organization that was formed just three years ago to enrich learning opportunities in our district. Henkle Middle School has received a number of grants from the Foundation, including support for drama, technology, music, math, social science and the 5th / 6th grade “highly capable” program. The Education Foundation has also been instrumental in helping the district secure grants for a K-12 arts enrichment program. The Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of public education within our community by creating stable programs and a reliable source of supplemental funding. The Education Foundation is funded by private donations and the proceeds from the annual Grape Escape auction. Twice a year, the Foundation considers requests for funding projects in our schools. The next grant deadline is July 31, 2009. For more information, visit www.wsvef.org or call 493-1175.
White Salmon Valley Education Foundation
The White Salmon Valley Education Foundation (WSVEF) recently awarded two new grants to Henkle Middle School. These grants are for the purchase of technology equipment for two 5th / 6th classrooms and support of an 8th grade science project at Snowden Wetlands. The project is called Science in Action: Conservation Research Projects at Snowden Wetlands. Students are using new environmental monitoring equipment purchased by the Education Foundation to gather data on water quality and amphibian populations at the Snowden Wetlands site. The grant is funding field trips to the site where students work with professional scientists to apply the skills and knowledge they are learning in the classroom. The grant is also paying for twenty students and their teacher, Michael Hannigan, to attend a conference at the Oregon Zoo called the Oregon Roots and Shoots Summit. The Henkle students will join conservation biologists and other students from Oregon and Washington to share information about each school’s outdoor education projects. These projects are a model of youth engaging in powerful and meaningful modern scientific research.
The second grant awarded to Henkle this spring by the Education Foundation will fund a set of technology equipment that includes a digital projector, document camera, and laptop computer for each of the only two classrooms in the HMS 5th/6th grade wing that lack these educational tools. Now all the 5th / 6th students will benefit from having this equipment in their classes. These tools add important visual elements to instruction, and are especially helpful to students who learn visually.
The WSVEF is a local non-profit organization that was formed just three years ago to enrich learning opportunities in our district. Henkle Middle School has received a number of grants from the Foundation, including support for drama, technology, music, math, social science and the 5th / 6th grade “highly capable” program. The Education Foundation has also been instrumental in helping the district secure grants for a K-12 arts enrichment program. The Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of public education within our community by creating stable programs and a reliable source of supplemental funding. The Education Foundation is funded by private donations and the proceeds from the annual Grape Escape auction. Twice a year, the Foundation considers requests for funding projects in our schools. The next grant deadline is July 31, 2009. For more information, visit www.wsvef.org or call 493-1175.
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