TrojanNewsletter fromWissahickon High School Talk

FEBRUARY 2020

Raffle Tickets for BIG Cash Prizes! Purchase a 2020 WEOF Raffle Ticket for the chance to win a BIG cash prize and support Wissahickon on Stage - a new initiative to upgrade the WHS Auditorium stage lighting. Prizes include GRAND PRIZE of $5,000, Second Prize of $1,000, Third Prize of $500 and Fourth Prize of $250. The drawing is February 29, 2020 at Trivia Night, but you do not need to attend to win!

BUY YOUR RAFFLE TICKET

Students Enjoy Winter WonderlandOur Semi Formal was a great success! On February 8th, over 700 students danced the night away in a beautiful Winter Wonderland created by the Junior Class Committee and the WHS Art Club. Thank you to our HSA for their support and a shout out to all of the parent volunteers who helped make the night a special event. The students enjoyed a performance by our Jazz Band, danced to music played by the DJ, and captured memories in a photo booth headed by the TV Production Club!

Register for Camp for Success Registration for our WHS Summer Camp for Success is now open! Once again, we are offering pre-teaching and SAT/ACT Prep classes during the summer at no cost. Our pre-teaching courses are designed to address gaps in knowledge that students may have in a given content area and help students get a head start on a particular course. The goal is to prepare students for their future courses before the school year begins. The SAT/ACT preparation course is designed to build students’ confidence for the tests. The teachers will help students learn test-taking strategies and skills needed to increase performance on the tests. These courses are free of charge for WHS students. Registration forms should be completed and submitted to our Administrative Suite in D-hall by April 3rd. Please feel free to discuss these options with your student’s School Counselor and/or teachers. We hope that you are able to take advantage of these opportunities! View and Complete Registration for Camp for Success

Upcoming Events• March 5th, 6th, and 7th – Spring Musical at WHS• March 13th – Jazz Festival• March 18th and 19th – Conferences• March 18th, 19th, and 20th – Student Early Dismissal• March 27th – MiniThon!

I am happy to share a wonderful opportunity with our parent, student, and school community. Students from Haverford School District, under the guidance of their teacher, Mr. Nate Wagner, designed an app to promote safe driving and prevent accidents caused by distracted driving. Cell phone use while driving plays a role in 1.5 million automobile crashes every year and is responsible for over 500,000 injuries and 3,600 deaths per year. The Haverford students wanted to end this unnecessary devastating statistic and they created TASL, This APP Saves Lives. TASL is a free mobile app that rewards drivers who choose not to use their phones while driving. Rewards are provided by local and national brands that care about public safety and also share in the passion to end phone-based distracted driving. WHS has teamed up with TASL to promote safe driving among our students, staff, parents, and entire school community. Do your part by downloading TASL! When registering, please use the referral ID: Wissahickon. Thank you for being a driving change for safe driving in our community!

This APP Saves Lives

Vaping continues to be a growing concern, both at WHS and “in the real world”. We are continuing to incorporate discussions about vaping in our Health Curriculum and hoping that the facts will help students make healthy choices. The county has shared this resource for parents to help support productive discussions at home as well. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

View Vaping Tipsheet for Parents

Vaping Tipsheet for Parents

ERIN WILSON - World Language

Erin is a very motivated student. She has a natural gift for writing in French and she quickly grasps new grammar and vocabulary and is able to incorporate the learning into her written and spoken expression. She has a wonderful French accent and her pronunciation is always on-point. She makes valuable contributions to the class discussions.

GABE ROBERTS - NMTCC

Gabe’s teacher appreciates his positive attitude and his excitement for learning. He is a positive influence in his class and is a quiet leader, always willing to help his peers. His teacher is confident in his ability to develop into a skilled and talented technician and feels honored to teach him.

SARA ALHAFFAR - Language Arts

Sara is recognized for her hard work and dedication. She consistently gives her best effort and she is doing a superb job when reading parts in A Streetcar Named Desire. She never gives up and is very diligent about completing all of her assignments and independent reading.

TALAYA COFFEY - Kindness

MORGAN WILSON - Social Studies

Morgan consistently connects historical events to the world today. His contributions to the class discussions are exceptional. He asks questions to seek deeper meaning because he values knowledge and understanding. His teacher appreciates his kind demeanor and enthusiastic attitude.

LAMAIYA NORTHAN - Good Citizen

Lamaiya is very respectful and motivated to do her best. In her classes, Lamaiya is often the first student to arrive, excited to start class with all of her materials ready to go! She frequently volunteers, asks clarifying questions, and supports other students as well. She is very polite and kind.

ANNA COCCODRILLI - Health and PE

Anna is a pleasure to have in class. She commands the respect of her peers and her teacher appreciates her willingness to volunteer and help others in both her PE and health classes. She works very hard and always puts forth her best effort.

GINELLE MITCHELL - Science

Ginelle comes to class each session ready to learn. She is clearly dedicated to being her best self. She is a hard worker and strives to achieve success. She clearly cares about learning and always advocates for herself. She is an exceptional student!

JACK MARCANTONINI - Art and Music

Jack showed consistent effort and work ethic in his Graphic Design 1 class last semester. He is selfless in the classroom and was committed to helping his peers navigate the software. Jack consistently went above and beyond to complete all of his projects with a unique and creative vision. His teacher appreciates his energy and contagious enthusiasm.

REED BRAM - Math

Reed is an excellent student and he is always prepared. He asks specific and insightful questions, showing his depth of understanding and curiosity. His teacher appreciates his strong work ethic, excellent time management skills, and commitment to learning.

DORA STAVENGER - Business/Technology/FCS

Dora always demonstrates a positive attitude and welcomes challenges. In both her Computer Science and Engineering classes, she works hard and exceeds all expectations. She is a great role model for her peers.

Congratulations to our Students of the Month

ANTHONY SCHOPPE - Athletics

As a captain, Anthony is a true leader on our boys’ swim team. He is one of the first swimmers on the pool deck, the hardest working swimmer in the water, and the last to leave practice. He encourages his teammates and he is always cheering on his team. Anthony’s coach appreciates his talent, selfless leadership, and enthusiasm.

Talaya is being recognized because she recently demonstrated her leadership and kindness when she noticed and supported a student who was having a difficult time. Talaya’s empathy was extraordinary to see. Her kindness is very appreciated.

Learning Highlights

Teacher Professional Development In January, our teachers participated in a professional development opportunity focused on college and career readiness. The teachers attended four different panel discussions. Panel 1 was a group of local Human Resource Representatives who spoke about how we can best support our students in being “career ready”; the panelists discussed how students should develop a resume, provided interview tips and suggestions, and discussed the impacts of “cringe worthy” social media posts and pictures on the hiring process. Panel 2 was a group of College Admissions Representa-tives and Military Recruiters. They shared what they are looking for in their ideal candidates and provided suggestions for us to share with our students. Panel 3 was a group of College Professors from Swarthmore, Villanova, and MCCC. They shared what strengths and needs they are seeing with incoming freshmen. Panel 4 was a group of WHS Alumni from the past 15 years. Hearing directly from them was extraordinarily powerful.

Our teachers shared positive feedback about their learning and experiences during this professional development and I am confident that our students are going to reap the rewards. In February, our teachers participated in a team-building professional development session. Our teachers took on the role of our students and attended various colleague-led “IEs” highlighting the talents, strenghts, and hobbies within our WHS staff family. Teachers practiced yoga, completed crossword puzzles, enjoyed laser etching in our FabLab, learned how to paint with watercolors, and learned how to bake among many other options!

January In-Service HR Panel: Michelle Zappolo, Debbie Hancock, Leon Singletary, and Sonia Calvano.

Learning Highlights

Some of our student leaders came together to make Valentines for the residents at Springhouse Estates. This group of student leaders attended a leadership conference at the University of Pennsylvania through the Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity. Following the conference, the students were charged with returning to their schools and creating a service project to benefit the larger community. Our students did exactly that! We are very proud of their kindness and leadership!

Our Wiss Pals students came together to spread an important message of kindness and compassion. We love their creation! Check out their positive wall art to spread love during the month of February!

Our World Education Club participated in the “Pulsera Project” at WHS between January 31st and February 10th. The project is a free-trade organization that employs artisans in Nicaragua and Guatemala and then sells their products at a fair price. The artisans are paid for their labor and the remaining profits directly benefit the health care and education systems in the community. Under the leadership of officers Lilian Wang, Paige Zimmerman, and Anna Zheng, the club at WHS sold over 100 bracelets and raised $500.00 to support this important cause. WHS pays it forward! Our students in the Model UN Club have been busy preparing

for a recent simulation activity – General Assembly and Crisis. The students had their first Sim on February 4th and were invited to attend two larger multi-school Sims. Their focus has been on the drug issues in Central and South America. We are so proud of their hard work and commitment! Great job!

Financial Reality Fair Coming UpOur second annual Financial Reality Fair is just around the corner! On March 17th, all of our eleventh grade students will have the opportunity to learn the basics of budgeting, a critical and necessary life skill. During the Financial Literacy Fair, the students will be assigned a job and a salary and then visit fourteen different booths, manned by our generous community volunteers, to design a budget for housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, food and the “not-so-basic-add-ons” such as technology, entertainment, pet care, and travel. They will learn what they can and cannot afford, given their assigned salary. Juniors will receive more information in the coming weeks. Thank you to our volunteers!

WHS is proud to announce that 16 of our musicians auditioned for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Band and Orchestra at Upper Dublin High School and five of our superstars passed and earned chairs in the PMEA 11 Orchestra! Phil Lee, Evan Qiang, Tiffany Chen, Jenny Seo, and Jeremy Luu performed in a gala concert at Hatboro Horsham High School; they performed works by Bernstein, Copland, and Tchaikovsky. Next up, these students will audition for the PMEA Region VI Orchestra and the PMEA All State Orchestra. Congratulations! We are so proud of you!

In other very exciting PMEA news, for the fourth time (and third in the last four years!), WHS will be represented in the 2020 PMEA All State Jazz Band by our Senior Jazz Trumpeter Max Klugherz! This is an extremely prestigious honor and we are so proud of Max!

Our Concert Band has 18 musicians who were selected for the 2020 Montgomery County Honor Band. The musicians are: Ella Carter, Ben Krause, Emily Dunsmore, Nick Santoro, Will Lee, Kennedy Casey, Ash Fiori, Donovan Leary, Camille Hubbs, Kali Ramanathan, Olivia Bamford, Julia Oborna, Chongwoo Kim, Nina Zhang, Alex Yum, Jason Lee, and Max Bleefeld. They performed on February 7th at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. The concert was a tribute to the legendary late Upper Moreland Band Director, Mr. Robert Barron. The students were outstanding and the concert was enjoyed by all!

Our Jazz Bands have been busy! It is Adjudication Festival Season! The students have upcoming performances at Cheltenham High School, Upper Moreland High School, Central Bucks South High School, WHS on March 13th, and Souderton High School. They will also be performing in the Cavalcade of Bands Association Jazz Championships in April. The students from the One O’clock Band recently traveled to South Philadelphia and visited the Buckeye Recording Studio and recorded a few pieces. The students had a great time performing in an actual studio!

WHS Instrumental Music Program News

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Digregorio, Math Teacher

Class of 2020 Graduation Information Commencement for the Class of 2020 will be held on Thursday, June 4th at 6:00 p.m. The caps and gowns have been ordered! They will be distributed to the students at the rehearsal on June 3rd. Many families have been asking about tickets. If the ceremony is outdoors in the stadium, each student will get 10 tickets. If the weather requires that we move our ceremony indoors, each student will get 2 tickets for the Circle Gym and an additional 2 tickets for guests to view the ceremony via live feed in our Auditorium. Tickets for handicapped guests will be available upon request. Students will receive their tickets on June 3rd at our rehearsal. This year, as in past years, we are offering families the opportunity to order flowers for their graduates in advance or on the day of graduation. Please see the details on page 9. We are planning our Victory Lap tradition scheduled after the rehearsal on June 3rd. Students received information about this via Schoology and should submit their intent to participate by February 28th. It is a great celebration – don’t miss out! The students dress in their cap and gown and walk the halls of the middle school and their former elementary school to celebrate with teachers and students in those schools across the district. View Graduation and other Class of 2020 information on the district website. Stay tuned for additional graduation updates throughout the year. Congratulations, Class of 2020!

Each month, we feature a teacher interview. This month, let’s get to know Mrs. Digregorio, Math Teacher:

Q: What is your favorite thing about WHS?A: The staff and the students are WHS are amazing. The students are fun to be around. They are genuine,

hardworking and caring. They bring an energy to the building that makes me want to do my best. The opportunities I have to talk with them and build connections are the best part of the day. The staff is dedicated and knowledgeable. They are hardworking, but at the same time fun. It is great to be able to laugh and learn with my colleagues.

Q: Who was instrumental in helping you become a Math teacher?A: I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My first grade teacher, Sister Miriam Theresa was such a kind and caring person and when I was younger I wanted to be just like her, including at one time, thinking of going into the convent. She eventually left the convent, and that got me to thinking that perhaps that lifestyle was not all it was cracked up to be. I always liked math, it was my favorite subject in school. In high school my peers would come to me for help when they didn’t know what to do. That always gave me a feeling of satisfaction.

Q: What is one thing about yourself that most people probably don’t know?A: So, I already gave one away- There was a time when I thought I wanted to be a nun. (Imagine that!) In college I had the opportunity to do part of my student teaching in Ireland. I spent 6 weeks there teaching and traveling. That was one of the best experiences. I taught in the poorest part of Dublin. The students were just amazing and it is an experience that helped shape me as an educator. I love flip flops. If I could, I would wear them year round.

Q: Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why?A: I went to a small Catholic HS. The community there was like family. I had several teachers were my favorites but for different reasons. Mrs. Bommer, my Calculus teacher. Back then you were not required to take the AP exam. I was the only one in my class who decided to take it. She worked with me individually to make sure I was prepared for the test. Mr. Boyle, my Social Studies teacher. He was studying to be a lawyer. I had him for a Government Class senior year. He taught us so well that when I took American Government in college, the professor actually asked me if I had taken the course before. Mrs. Coffey, my English teacher, senior year. English was not high on my list of favorites. While I love to read, many of the books that we read were not of interest, Shakespeare, etc…until senior year. While the books were still your classics- To Kill a Mockingbird, Hamlet, etc…she had a way of making them interesting and engaging.

Q: Since you teach a lot of seniors who are getting ready to graduate, if you could give them one piece of advice, what would it be?A: At the Middle School I always told you, “The choices you make now, can affect the options and opportunities that you have later.” By now, I hope that you made choices that are allowing you to realize your dreams as you get ready to graduate. Whatever you are going to do, college, career, military, trade school, there are many opportunities that are going to be available to you. Embrace and use them to make yourself better as a person and in whatever you choose to do with your life. Life is short, enjoy the ride and learn from it.

Class of 2020 Graduation Calendar

Our Senior Class Advisors, Mr. Stokes and Mr. Dorner, created a Senior Class Calendar to help our soon-to-be graduates plan all that is ahead. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Stokes (tstokes@wsdweb.org) and Mr. Dorner (wdorner@wsdweb.org).

Class of 2020 Calendar

DATE EVENT TIME LOCATION September

18

September 25

October 10

–

October 16 Josten’s Cap and Gown AssemblyOctober 18

& October 25 November 4 January 21 – –January 22 – –February 8

March 31

May - TBD

May 15

May 26, 27, 28

–

–May 28

May 28 May 29 – –

June 1 – –

June 2 –

June 3

June 4

Academic Support Resources

We would like to remind you of the two academic support initiatives at WHS: our Extended Learning Time Program (ELT) and our Math and Writing Labs. ELT is an after-school program designed to provide academic support in our core subject areas. ELT is open in the Library until 4:15 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and until 5:15 on Wednesday 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 teachers or School Counselor for more information on this support. Additionally, our Math Lab and Writing Lab are two resources available to students during lunch or study hall all sessions of the day in the Library. Both Labs 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 programs to better support his/her goals and academic success. These resources help support our DOn’t quIT theme.

STARS Tutoring Reminder STARS is a peer-to-peer tutoring program that students can utilize during Study Hall, Lunch, I/E, or afterschool on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday beginning at 2:40 pm. Students can sign up to provide help as a tutor or to receive help in the different subject areas. Applications are available in the library or counseling office. Please return completed applications with a parent/guardian signature to the library or to Mr. McCabe in room G-02. Meetings will be arranged through Schoology. If you have any questions, please email Mr. McCabe (bmccabe@wsdweb.org) or via Schoology message. Check out our STARS Website.

Student Assistance Program (SAP)

The Student Assistant Program (SAP) offers support services to students experiencing concerns of mental health, issues involving substance use, behavior, and/or emotional difficulties that may pose barriers to school success. Students can be referred to the SAP team by parents/guardians, school personnel, peers or self-referrals. The SAP team is comprised of specially trained teachers, administrators, school counselors and mental health and/or drug and alcohol consultants. The goal of the team is to work with students and families to provide supportive interventions and recommendations for success. Where barriers are sometimes beyond the scope of the school, the team can provide information and help families gain access to community resources. View brochure for more information about SAP.

WHS welcomes prospective students and families who are interested in learning about our programs to visit and tour the school. Please contact School Counselor Mrs. Marissa Samit (msamit@wsdweb.org) to schedule your visit. Our tour dates and times for the 2019-2020 school year are:• March 12th at 10:00 and 1:00• April 29th at 10:00 and 1:00• May 27th at 1:00

WHS Tours for Prospective Students

"A person who has never made a mistake never tried anything new." Albert Einstein

Quote selected by NHS Inductee Yara Alhaffar

TROJAN TRIUMPHSAthletic Update from Jim Cairnes, Athletic Director

BOYS BASKETBALLUnfortunately, all good things must come to an end, our basketball season ended at Spring-ford after a hard fought battle and a two-point loss. The team had an impressive season considering a 0-5 start. This team didn’t hang their heads or point fingers when times were rough. The players were gritty. They dug in, looked to correct the mistakes from the first 5 games, and put themselves on a path to make the playoffs. A great foundation for our underclassmen to build off of, and an excellent display of hard work and determination by our seniors. Our five seniors will be missed: Carmen Ostroski, Harrison Williams, D’Shan Love, Justin Rappaport, & Andrew Buck.

BOYS SWIMMINGThe Boys Swim Team took 4th place in the American Conference Suburban League Championships with 247 points. Griffin Bowers earned automatic district cut in the 200 yard freestyle and consideration for the 100 freestyle. Anthony Shoppe took 3rd in the 200 free and 1st in the 500 free. The 200 free relay (Anthony Schoppe, Griffin Bowers, Nick Donofrio, and Nathan Valentine) earned consideration time for districts. Anthony placed 3rd in the 200 Free and Griffin placed 4th. The 200 Free Relay Team if Anthony Schoppe, Daniel Crump, Sid Rajesh and Griffin Bowers placed 1st. Griffin placed 4th in the 100 Free and Anthony Schoppe placed 1st in the 500 Free. GIRLS SWIMMINGThe regular season came to an end at the American Conference Suburban One League Champs. The Girls finished 3rd overall and had some outstanding swims. Tess Klugherz won Diving and Regan Santoro finished 3rd. The 200 Medley Relay team of Jaclyn Staub, Maddie Johnson, Katie Sapozhnikov and Karis Kim placed 3rd. Katie had a personal best and placed 3rd in the 200 Free while Julia Weiss placed 4th. Both girls earned automatic District One qualifying times. Katie placed 2nd overall in 100 Fly and Karis placed 3rd. Julia Weiss finished 3rd in the 100 Back earning her first ever League Championship individual podium spot. Julia Ronca dropped nearly 3 seconds to place 4th in 100 Breast earning her first ever District One consideration time. The 400 Free Relay Team of Maddie, Karis, Julie W. and Katie had an exciting 2nd place finish where Katie chased down the anchor from Hatboro Horsham on the last 50. Districts will take place at LaSalle on 2/27 and 2/28.

WRESTLINGCongratulations to the following Wrestlers for winning the SOL American Conference Wrestling Championships: Christian Smalley (132lb), Matt Fritz (138lb), Kevin Salmon (170lb), and Dan Keller (190lb).The Wrestling team heads to Interboro on Friday, February 21st and Saturday February 22nd to compete in the District Championships. The Trojans will be defending their District Title from last year - and although not considered the favorites this year, if the entire team performs well they could be battling for the Title again this year. The Trojans will be led by Seniors Dan Keller, Kevin Salmon and Christian Smalley.

COMMUNITY SWIMFREE community swim will resume January 8 in the WHS Natatorium and be held each Wednesday night from 8-9 pm through May 20, 2020. The Lap Swims are open to adults, 21 and older, who are residents of the school district. No noodles or recreational flotation devices are allowed. No registration is necessary. Just show up and swim! For more information or questions, please contact Kristina D'Amore at 215-619-8000 Ext. 8090 or kdamore@wsdweb.org.

SPRING SPORTS TRY-OUTSSpring sport try-outs will begin the first week of March. Please have all physicals completed and paperwork submitted to the Athletic Office no later than Tuesday, February 18.

As our regular Winter Season comes to a close, we celebrated our Seniors and wish them the best of luck as they move forward

GIRLS BASKETBALL

BOYS BASKETBALL

BOYS SWIMMING

CHEERLEADING

GIRLS SWIMMING

WRESTLING

CELEBRATING OUR SENIORS