The Mapletogian Newspaper~ January 2010
Jonah Cohen WINS Maple Avenue Geographic Bee
~Moves one step closer to
$25, 000 College Scholarship~
Jonah Cohen, a 7th
grade student at Maple
Avenue Middle School,
won the school-level
competition of the
National Geographic Bee and a chance at a $25, 000 college scholarship. The school-level Bee, at which students answered oral questions on
geography, was the first round in the 22nd annual National Geographic Bee. The Spelling Bee is sponsored by Google (visit www.google.com/educators/geo).
The kickoff for this years Bee was the week of November 9th, with thousands of schools around the United States and in five U.S. territories participating. The school winners, including Jonah, will now take a written test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in their state Bee April 9, 2010.
The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state champions and teachers escorts to participate in the Bee national championship rounds on May 25 and 26, 2010.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will moderate the national finals on May 26th. The program will air on television.
Great Job to all those who participated!
Runners up were Ariella Roberts (Grade 6), and Ushu Desai (Grade 8). Over 1,200 students participated in this years event at Maple Avenue.
Holiday Musical Concert Spreads Lots of Cheer
Maple Avenue Middle School Musical Students put on a great concert this year!
Many thanks to all of your hard work and dedication!
STRING-A-THON!
The string department is having a district wide (grades 5 - 12)
Stringathon concert on Wednesday, February 24th in the High School Blue gym if we don't end up with a snow day or
basketball sectionals here. If it is the later, we will still be having the concert but at the middle school. Should be pretty interesting since all of the middle school string
students (and elementary and high school) will be participating!
The Top 9 of '09
By Paul Harrington
In 2009, a lot of very interesting and important things happened. Since everyone else makes Top 10 Lists, I decided to make a Top 9 for 2009 list instead. In my opinion, the most important event of 2009 was the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African American president in the history of the United States. Second, the stock market had its biggest depression in decades. Third, one of the most iconic figures of music, Michael Jackson, died at the age of 50. Fourth, the swine flu epidemic spread, then the swine flu vaccination was created and distributed. Fifth, Pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger of US Airways saved his entire crew and 150 passengers by landing in the Hudson River. Sixth, the president sent more troops to Afghanistan. Seventh, President Obama called for healthcare reform. Eighth, the climate change conferences were held in Copenhagen. And Ninth, the Fort Hood Shootings left 13 people dead and 30 wounded. 2009 really has been an interesting year, but only time will tell if it will stack up against others.
Adopt a soldier Interview
By Liam Madigan
This month I decided to interview Clifford Seguin, the administrator of Operation Adopt a Soldier in Wilton. Although I did not interview Mr.Seguin in person, I corresponded with him over email. Here are my questions.
Initially I wanted to know what the organization was about. Mr. Seguin explained that Operation Adopt- a- Soldier (OAS) is an organization that sends packages to our soldiers in war torn areas of the world. Mr. Seguin also told me that Adopt a Soldier also helps the families left behind when their loved ones go over seas. He started the program in February, 2003 when his son, who was in the army, called home and asked his mother to send him some chocolate chip cookies. This simple request led to the formation of Operation Adopt a Soldier.
Mr. Seguin explained that the organization ha about 600 soldiers on their list as of today. They help and support thousands of soldiers a year. Hundreds of volunteers at Operation Adopt a Soldier feel very strongly that it is important for all of us to know about OAS because our soldiers are fighting for our freedom and they, and their families, need our continued support. They need a little bit of home brought to them.
Operation Adopt a Soldier is located on Route 50 in Wilton. At this location they maintain a steady supply of donations such as dry goods, personal hygiene supplies, hard candy, canned foods and many other supplies that may be necessary for our soldiers. They pack and ship boxes to the soldiers and provide family support meetings at this location.
If you would like to learn more about OAS, you can visit there website at www.operationadoptasoldier.org
8th Grade Dance was a hit!
Student Creation...Holiday Cards!
By: Ms. Cromwell
When learning Microsoft Publisher, Desktop Publishing software, our Computer Exploration class does a number of projects. One project in particular is creating Holiday Cards for the residents at Wesley Nursing Home.
For some residents who do not receive mail from relatives, we hope this provides some cheer during the holidays and lets them know that someone is thinking of them. The students create cards for both Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, Christmas/New Years or Hanukah.
Students prepare these cards for a grade as well as a good service to the residents. They must enlarge the fonts, put in appropriate pictures for the holiday and create or change a verse within the card. Students are expected to proofread and correct errors before they are sent out to the public. Hopefully the cards are more readable for those who have a hard time seeing as students make the fonts larger.
Our desire is that the students stop to think outside of their world and continue to pass on good to others. It is something simple that the students can do to make a large impact on a seniors life.
The roaring sound of the DJ and the excellent karaoke sung by Mr. Scrivo himself made for a wonderful night of dancing and gathering with close friends. The 8th grade dance on Saturday, January 23rd, was not only a night to remember but a night to see students shine. From the girls dressed in beautiful dresses to the guys dressed in their suits and ties...everyone walked away with lasting memories, beautiful pictures and sore feet from all the dancing. An extra special thanks to Ms. Meissner and Ms. Borden for all their hard work planning and setting up the night's festivities.
Great News from Uganda!
By Ms. Radigan
At our school in Uganda, all of our graduating class of P-7 students passed their Primary Leaving Exams! Over half the class passed in Division 1 (consider this the Ugandan academic equivalent of our athletic Division 1), and the remainder of the class passed in Division 2. Not only that, this class was comprised of mostly female students, who are not exactly encouraged to get an education at all. How amazing is that?!
A few facts to consider: Fewer than 6% of students in Uganda pass in Division 1. Fewer than 14% of students who begin primary school even continue on to secondary school. And only a decade ago, no children from our village, Bumwalukani, went on to secondary schools, much less the top schools they're now attending.
The students must take and pass 4 tests, one in each of their core classes - English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, AND they must do this in their second language, English. All of this they accomplish with no textbooks to take home, no electricity by which to study their notes, many with parents who speak no English, ...
Despite circumstances that could be claimed to hold them back, they succeed in grand fashion. I'm so proud of them.
