learn technology when he was young. He said that he loved it when he

first got an email! He would email his uncle who lived in Florida and it was

like having the ability to connect to the outside world. He believes that if

you practice using technology, “you just get better.”

During the summer, in addition to work, he plans to hang out with his

family and also plans to go to Disney. The Damon family is a lso going to the

Outer Banks, North Carolina. He said, “We also like to watch our daughter

do gymnastics.” Mr. Damon’s favorite season is spring because he says,

“It’s not too cold, not too hot.” He loves steak and his favorite restaurant

is Barclay Prime in Philadelphia. His birthday is September 7th and his

favorite color is blue.

He hopes to visit Kirby’s Mill a lot next year and said he will miss us all

very much.

By: Luca Pinto

Have you heard that Mr.

Damon is not going to be the

principal of Kirby’s Mill next

year? He is switching jobs to

become the technology

coordinator of the Medford

School District.

Mr. Damon has already

started to do work as the tech

coordinator of the district. He

has been working with other

staff to rollout 1,000

Chromebooks into the

district. He has already been

working with administrators

to plan a number of details

about the chrome books:

where the chrome books are

going to go, how they are

going to be distributed to the

schools, researching where to

buy them, and how to teach

teachers how to use them. “I

have always been very

passionate about

technology. I love computers

and I love working with

them. When this position

became available, I thought

the job was right for me. I

think I’m going to miss being

around kids so much.” He

said that he is also is going

to miss being around the

teachers at Kirby’s Mill. Mr.

Damon said, “I will probably

be arriving at 8:00, same as

this year, but I have a

feeling that my hours are

going to be a lot later.”

When they find the next

principal, he will have to

help train that person too.

Mr. Damon started to

The Damonator: Technology Coordinator

2nd Graders Climb To New Heights By: Chloe Dunleavy

The 2nd grade field trip to the

Barnegat lighthouse is one of

people’s favorites. The entire

second grade goes on the trip

including most of the parents. The

second grade has been going on

this trip for 12-13 years. They get

to the lighthouse around 10:30 and

they have to get back on the bus at

12:30.

Each of the classes gets their

own bus so this year they had 3

busses take them there. All of the

classes go at the same time. The

bus ride to get there is around 1

hour. When they get there they

answer questions about the

lighthouse which they try to relate

it to some of the things that they

are learning in social studies. They

also climb up it and explore around

the Barnegat lighthouse.

The lighthouse has 217 steps

and most of the kids climb up

them. Some of the kids also walk

the nature trail. The lighthouse

is 172 feet above sea level and

when you get to the top you

have a great view.

Ms. Saporito says that most of

the second graders favorite part

is either being outside, digging

in the sand, finding crab shells

and climbing up the lighthouse.

T H E S TUD EN T N EWS PA PE R OF KIR BY ’S M IL L EL EM EN TA RY SC HO OL

HAWK’S HERALD

THE

T H E H A WK’ S H E RA LD June , 201 6

By: Elena Garistina

Do you know Mrs. Kelley? Well she might

even be your 2nd grade teacher! I’m going to

tell you all about her teaching history and

other cool things about her. You will probably

learn facts you did not know about her and like

her even more!

Mrs. Kelley went to Mansfield University of

Pennsylvania for college and used to student

teach 2nd grade as part of her college courses.

In her former school, she used to teach Kinder-

garten through 5th grades; but, she did not

teach school her whole life. She used to teach

dance and was also a Target cashier. Mrs. Kel-

ley said that her 11th grade teacher inspired

her to be a teacher because she really cared

about all of her students even though she was

very strict. That is Mrs. Kelley’s teaching ex-

perience.

Mrs. Kelley has a husband and a dog named

Gurtie! She and her husband usually walk their

dog through the neighborhood, where they

recently bought a home. Sometimes in the

summer, she hikes and kayaks with her hus-

band. You’re not the only one who enjoys ice

cream! Mrs. Kelley also LOVES ice cream…. it’s

her favorite food! Her favorite restaurant is

Chipotle.

Mrs. Kelley is new this year to Kirby’s Mill.

She likes this school because she said

“Everyone is so nice here.’’ I bet you can’t

wait to see Mrs. Kelley next year! Don’t forget

to say “Hi” to her!

Second Grade Welcomes Mrs. Kelley!

2009. Ms. Kelly’s favorite color is purple and she loves

a restaurant called Akira. Akira is a Hibachi

restaurant, one of Ms. Kelly’s favorite food.

The preschool school calendar is a little different

than the regular school calendar, but Ms. Kelly and

her students have vacations for all of the holidays

that we do such as; Christmas, Winter Break,

Memorial Day, etc. Some of Ms. Kelly’s students go to

kindergarten next year and she said, “Yes I will miss

my kids when they go to kindergarten, I will be very

sad when they leave.” She said that she will be sure

to keep in contact with the students’ kindergarten

teacher and find out how the children are doing.

So, now that you know a little more about Ms.

Kelly, make sure that you say “Hi” to Ms. Kelly when

you see her around Kirby’s Mill!

EXTRA ! EXTRA ! READ ALL ABOUT IT !

PRESCHOOL HAS A NEW TEA CHER , MS .KEL LY

By: Kylie Kenny

Have you met the new teacher for preschool? I

have and I can tell you that Ms. Kelly has a

fantastic job!

Ms. Kelly loves to teach preschoolers because

they are so fun to work with and are really

creative. She was inspired by her mom and dad

who were also teachers and was also inspired by

her kindergarten teacher because she was really

kind and nice. Ms. Kelly said that she likes Kirby’s

Mill school because everyone is so friendly and

welcoming and that it is like a family here. At

first, she worked at a children’s daycare as an

assistant. Then, she went up a level to where she

started to teach students in the daycare. Ms. Kelly

is currently working on getting her Masters of

Education degree with a specialty in reading from

the University of New England.

Ms. Kelly does not have kids of her own yet.

During the summer, she works in the Medford

Summer School and also for a company called

Autism on the Seas. For this company, she goes on

cruises and vacations and supervises children who

have autism. Her birth date is September 16th 1988

just like my sister except my sister was born in

Page 2

T he Ha wk’s He ra l d

Hawks are Hiding!

How many Kirby’s

Mill Hawks can you

find hidden in the

newspaper?

Ms. Kelly in front of her

students’ artwork.

Photo by: Kylie Kenny

Mrs. Kelley is getting ready for class.

Photos by:

Elena Garistina

By: Jules Barrett

Did you know that Mr. Dishong is more than just the Kirby’s Mill music teacher? He is also very involved in the middle school productions at the

Haines and Memorial Schools here in Medford. If you didn’t get to see Shrek, you missed out on an awesome show!

Mr. Dishong was one of the people who worked very hard to bring Shrek together as an amazing play. He rehearsed for Shrek for sixth months. That’s

a lot of rehearsing! The Haines/Memorial Drama Club performed at Lenape High School. Mr. Dishong says, “We performed at a high school so we could

have bigger audiences and more people to come and see our shows.” There were about 65 performers in Shrek. Shrek was performed 6 times in April. Do

you think it was easy picking the people to perform in Shrek? Mr. Dishong thought it was really hard. He said, “It’s always hard, but that’s why we do

auditions and do them very carefully starting back in October, and we listen to the kids singing and reading the scripts mult iple times. Then, the people

who figure out who gets each part sit down and carefully decides who gets each part.” Do you ever see kids you used to know i n plays that you’ve

watched? Students from Kirby’s Mill in the past performed in Shrek. There was Tori DiGennaro and Sami MacDonald who were both Donkey in Shrek,

John Oleniacz who was Pinocchio, Emily Wright who was the Fairy Godmother, and Sarah Beitel who was the Ugly Duckling. If you happened to see Shrek,

then you must have thought it was an amazing performance. The whole Shrek “crew” worked very hard, and it totally paid off. Mr. Dishong thought so,

too. Mr. Dishong said, “The shows turned out the way we wanted it to, maybe even more so. We practiced a lot and it really pa id off. It really did exceed

our expectations.”

At Kirby’s Mill, Mr. Dishong is the music teacher. But did you know that he joined the Shrek “crew” to perform in the pit ban d? The conductor, Mr.

Sheffer, kindly picked Mr. Dishong to play the keyboard in the pit band for Shrek the Musical. He said, “I play the keyboard, so I vocal-direct the show. I’m

known as “Keyboard 1” for the pit band.” Do you ever wonder how the actors/actresses and the pit band perform together so they match? If you ever

thought about it, you would probably think it was a huge challenge. Mr. Dishong thought it was one of the biggest challenges during Shrek. He states,

“The hardest thing we did was get the actors/actresses and the pit band to play together so we match. We all rehearse alone t o get it right, then, when

we finally get together at the end, it all comes together smoothly.” All of the songs in Shrek were pretty wacky, funny, seri ous, or songs that you’ve

probably heard before. Mr. Dishong loved the most wackiest song in Shrek: “Freak Flag.” As you have probably heard, the multi -talented singer, Prince,

died in 2016. So, in honor of him, the pit band in Shrek played a song by him called “Purple Rain”. It was a huge success, an d the big audience loved it. Mr.

Dishong loved being part of the pit band in Shrek the Musical. “It’s really fun being part of the pit band. It’s not just that, it’s being part of the production

and working with the actors and actresses that counts. I really enjoyed being part of Shrek the Musical.”

Maybe someday when you’re in middle school, you’ll be into drama and want to audition for the middle school production. Hopefully someday we’ll

see you on the stage at a high school performing another great musical. Lastly, when you see Mr. Dishong at Kirby’s Mill, just simply say, “Shrek was

awesome!”

Best Musical Ever: Shrek!

Page 3

T he Ha wk’s He ra l d

Photos from the Medford Township School District pro-

duction of “Shrek the Musical”.

PUZZL ING PUZZLES

Th e H a w k ’ s H e ra l d

Page 4

PUZZL ING PUZZLES T he Ha wk’s He ra l d

Page 5

Unscramble!

By: Luca Pinto

Page 6

T he Ha wk’s He ra l d

MR. TONY: WHERE WOULD WE BE WI THOUT H IM ?

By: Jules Barrett Do you know Mr. Tony? He is our dedicated custodian that does so much for Kirby’s Mill. You will learn all the interesting things that Mr. Tony does at Kirby’s Mill and the cool things he does outside of school. Mr. Tony takes good care of Kirby’s Mill School. He works there “to keep the school clean and be around kids.” He gets there a quarter after six in the morning. Mr. Tony has some challenges. Three of his most disgusting duties are “throw-up, clogged toilets, and now I have to dump out the compost food in the cafeteria.” Mr. Tony has various responsibilities throughout the day. His responsibilities are “doing up the school in the morning, keep it clean, and make sure everything’s running alright.” He’s also an expert at changing the air filters and the heaters; making sure the toilets are working and the sinks as well. In summertime, the Kirby’s Mill custodial team cleans the whole school by cleaning the rugs and washing the windows. Also, did you know that Mr. Tony puts extra effort into preparing for the Valentine dance and the holiday parties at Kirby’s Mill? He says, “I like setting up for the parties and all the concerts, because the whole school gets satisfaction out of that. I just want to make everyone happy.” Mr. Tony isn’t just a regular custodian. He’s a risk-taker! One time he went onto the roof! What a daredevil! He says, “I go up there to get all the playground balls down. Actually, a couple days ago I went to put the clock tower in near the entrance.” When you’re at Kirby’s Mill, he’s pretty much always there. But have you ever thought about some of the other things Mr. Tony does? He stays at Kirby’s Mill during the winter to shovel the snow. Luckily, he brings his snow blower. Mr. Tony has been working as a custodian for about fifteen years. His wife inspired him to become a custodian. Mr. Tony says, “I like every part of Kirby’s Mill. I really like my office and the cafeteria and the gym. I like the whole school, really. It’s a pretty building.” Mr. Tony does so much for Kirby’s Mill.

Mr. Tony doesn’t just work at Kirby’s Mill. “I have another business. Cherry Hill Janitorial Service, that’s what it’s called. I clean offices, house windows, and clean carpets. I’ve been doing this for forty something years.” Mr. Tony works at his business every day except for Sunday. Aside from all of the work he does, he’s a dad! He has three grown children; a daughter and identical twin sons. In the summertime, he goes fishing on his boat in LBI. Mr. Tony’s favorite food is steak. When you see Mr. Tony, did you ever realize that he wears different baseball caps? He says, “I like to change them all. My sons just got me a German hat from Peddler’s Village. They got me one from Hawaii, Malibu, too, it’s a nice one.” As you can see, there’s more to learn about Mr. Tony besides him being a custodian at Kirby’s Mill.

Isn’t Mr. Tony a fascinating man? So, when you see Mr. Tony in the hallways or in the cafeteria or anywhere else just say,

“Thank you for everything you do at Kirby’s Mill.”

Thank You,

Mr. Mortimer!

PUZZ L ING PUZ Z LE SOLUTI ON S

Unscramble!

Beach

Pool

Hot

Camps

Sports

Fun

Boats

Ocean

Boardwalk

Rides

Page 7

T he H a w k ’ s H e r a l d

By: Elena Garistina

Have you noticed how old our

computers in the tech lab are? Well,

they are probably older than you are…..they are 12 years old! It is

really time for an upgrade! That is

why Mrs. Green and other people in Kirby’s Mill School are creating the

New Fab Lab! Read more to learn

more about it! The whole tech room is going to

be changed. There are going to be

new decals on the walls and on the windows in the room are going to

celebrate STEM ideas! (Science,

Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics) Even the paint on the walls and the flooring will be new.

Instead of the uncomfortable chairs

that used to be in the lab, there will be work stools to sit and work on.

Instead of desk top computers, there

will be Chromebooks in the new tech

lab! Read the next paragraph to learn

more details!

Technology lessons, taught by Mrs.

Green, will also be different. The students will be doing more STEM

(Science. Technology. Engineering.

Mathematics) projects and when they are doing STEM units, they will be

working all over the room! The

students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will each have their own Chromebooks and the

children in grades PreK through 2, will

be learning how to use the Chromebooks so they are more

prepared when they get into the higher

grades. The lessons will be more

science-based and the students will be doing a lot of higher level thinking and

problem solving.

Mrs. Green is so excited about all of the new upgrades. She will be teaching

new lessons and helping to make the

Tech Lab be new and improved!

THE NEW FAB LAB !

Page 8

T HE H AWK ’S HER AL D

STEM units include: Designing a Maglev Train, Improving the Play

Dough Process and Cleaning Up an Oil Spill.

By: Kylie Kenny

Have you heard about Preschool Field Day? This year, Field Day for the 6 preschool classes

happened on Friday June Third. Mrs. Penz, Mrs. Moir, Mrs. Lafferty thought of the games for

Field Day.

The preschoolers participated in 5 stations: rubber ducky relay, parachute games, scooter

-board riding, a chalk drawing wall, and a throwing game where the target was a GIANT in-

flatable fish. While moving between stations, the preschoolers got to go through a tunnel,

jump on frog mats, and walk on a balance beam! They knew to wear play clothes and sneak-

ers but they did not have teams. Field day took place indoors, in half of the gym, because it

was raining that day….maybe next year the students will be able to be outside. The teachers

helped the kids at each station and there were 5 or 6 students in each group. In total, about

55 kids participated in Field Day and they were all between 3 and 5 years old. Each station

lasted at least 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of Field Day, the children got to eat popsicles!!!!

Here is what some preschoolers thought about field day: They said that they were ex-

cited to have field day and they were so enthusiastic about the parachute. The preschoolers

said that they had fun participating in the activities with their friends. All of the preschool-

ers loved, and I mean loved, the duck station because it had water! Some of them thought

that eating popsicles was the best part.

Mrs. Moir said, “Field Day is a great day because the children love it so much and it is

rewarding to see the smiles on their faces when they try a new activity.” Next year I am sure

that the preschoolers will look forward to having Field Day!

Preschool Goes Wild for Field Day!

Page 9

The Ha wk’s He ra l d

By: Chloe Dunleavy

Do you know everything about Mrs.

Rathman? Well, I’m going to tell you many things about her. I’m going to tell you

about why she became a teacher, some of her favorite activities and food, and why

she likes it here at Kirby’s Mill. At the end, I hope you know Mrs. Rathman a

little more.

Mrs. Rathman wanted to teach at the Medford School District because she grew

up here and went to school in this district. She wanted to teach at a school district

that meant so much to her. When Mrs. Rathman was younger, she either wanted

to be a veterinarian, a lawyer, or a teacher. She also said that she wanted to

help the kids learn. Mrs. Rathman has been teaching for 15 years.

Now I am going to tell you about some of Mrs. Rathman’s favorite hobbies and

activities. Mrs. Rathman’s favorite color is

blue and her favorite food is Chinese food. Her favorite season is spring because she

loves how everything is blooming and how the weather gets warmer. Mrs. Rathman

has two daughters, one in 4th grade and

one in 8th. Her favorite thing to do in the summer is to go to the pool with her

daughters and go on a vacation with her

family every summer. Mrs. Rathman arrives at school

around 8 o’clock every morning to prepare for the school day. She has

three hobbies; she loves to decorate, she loves to read with her family, and

she enjoys exercising! Lastly, I am going to tell you why

Mrs. Rathman loves Kirby’s Mill. Her favorite part of teaching here is the

kids. She has taught all grades from pre-school to 5th grade and enjoys the

fact that every time she changes a grade

level, there is a new challenge. 5th grade is her favorite grade to teach

because she loves getting the 5th graders ready for middle school. The main

reason that she likes Kirby’s Mill is that everyone is helpful and makes her feel

welcome. She also said that everyone is so friendly and she loves how the kids

want to learn!

Meet Mrs. Rathman!

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Medford

Township

School

District

Kirby’s Mill

Elementary

School

Preschool students are having a great time with

the parachute!

Page 9

Th e H a w k ’ s H e ra l d

CONGRATULAT IONS TO THE

F IFTH STA FF OF THE HAWK’ S HERALD!

This group of dedicated reporters completed the monumental task of

publishing Kirby’s Mill School’s student newspaper! They learned

about newspaper articles, selected a topic, conducted interviews,

took photographs and composed these outstanding articles!

Job well done!