the holland happenings issue #1, december 1, 2011 #1 s

The Holland Happenings Issue #1, December 1, 2011

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A lot of people have heard about Holland Happenings, but don’t bother to check it out. There are so many things that are interesting about our work......but where is it found? Each issue is located on the Holland Middle School home page on the web. Here are some interesting things you can check out while looking at Holland Happenings.

You can find many articles on the school events such

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as the science fair, school play, sports updates, and happenings in the World Languages. It is very important to read the newspaper to find out more about Holland Middle and its students.

In some editions, you will find a crossword puzzle or word search. Feel free to print this page out and attempt the challenge. New this year, we have included a “Heard in the Hallways of Holland”. This is a

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column dedicated to recording the random sayings and slip-ups from students from all different places in our HMS community.

Bored after school? Check the important events page to see what fun things you can do, such as Girls and Guys nite out, dances, food drives and many more.

We include so many photos from school events and

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Veterans Day Page 2

Heard in the Hallways of Holland Page 4

Fall Sports Page 7

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Why you should read Holland Happenings! Written by Emily Galvelis, Carly Iatesta and Alyssa Pizzigoni


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regular school days in Holland Happenings. We have a page set aside for pictures, although they are spread throughout the issue. You may even be in one!

The members of Holland Happenings work very hard to put our newspaper together. We try to stay on top of the latest events so you know what’s going on at HMS. Please share and enjoy!

Veterans Day By Alyssa Pizzigoni and Emily Galvelis

For weeks in advance, the student council officers prepared and practiced for one special day. This day was to honor all the veterans on Veterans Day. Students in 7th and 8th grade wrote poems honoring the veterans. Only two of them, one from

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seventh grade and one from eighth grade, were selected to be recited at the assembly. Many students with veterans in their families brought in pictures to be shown during the assembly. These pictures were put into a moving presentation to honor the veterans. Many social studies teachers informed their students on what happened to the veterans and how to respect them when you see them. Ms. Eichelberger helped to transform the cafeteria into a patriotic and beautiful place.

On the day of the assembly, we all gathered in the cafeteria, which was set up with decorations for the veterans and their families. The veterans all came in in one line and everybody gave them a round of applause. As soon as the veterans were seated, there were

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performances from the Holland Middle School band and chorus. This year’s guest speaker was Lieutenant Colonel McAleese. Lt. Cl. McAleese talked about his experiences in the military. Next, the student council members introduced each veteran. The family of former Council Rock School District student, Kenneth Elwell, was introduced and given a plaque in his remembrance. Kenneth Elwell went through Council Rock as a child and enrolled in the military. Elwell died in battle this summer. Lastly,

The Holland Happenings

We are a part of the HMS community that works as a collaborative team. Students and teachers contribute articles that display what is happening in the hallways of our great school. Be on the lookout for all four editions this academic year!

-The Holland Happening’s dedicated editorial staff


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students watched a touching video with pictures of students’ and staff members’ family members in the military. At the end of the ceremony, veterans left the room and had breakfast in the Family Consumer Science room. The Veterans Day presentation definitely gave students a look at what it’s like to be in the military, and gave them an opportunity to thank those who serve our country.

Fall Music Notes Almost 1/4 of all students at HMS are involved in at least one of the school’s performing musical ensembles this year!

On October 14th, the Holland Middle School Concert Band performed with the CR South HS Marching Band for the pregame show before the CR South H.S. vs. Bensalem H.S. football game. When we arrived at the high school, Ms. Milliken, who is the South High School Marching Band Director, met us. She told the students what marching band

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was like at the high school and introduced us to the band student officers who told us about what you need to know to play along with a marching band. The officers demonstrated things such as how to hold their instruments in “rest”, “ready”, “attention” and playing positions, how to march in step, and the various drum major commands we needed to be aware of for the performance. The South High School band members arrived at about 4:00 to practice with us outside and showed our kids how to march and play their instruments on the field. The combined bands proudly marched into the football stadium and performed to a packed stadium. We began with an arrangement of “Salute to America”, followed by “Born to be Wild”, “Rocky” (Gonna’ Fly Now), and concluded with the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.

On November 3, the Holland Voices sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Council Rock School Board Meeting. The meeting can still be seen on the Council Rock TV channel.

"The price of greatness is responsibility.” Sir Winston Churchill

Holland Happenings Staff

- Alyssa Pizzigoni

- Michael Grinshpun

- Becky Peters

- Morgan Gilmer

- Emily Galvelis

- Carly Iatesta

- Callie Goodman

- Lucy Mogiltansky

- Mr. Potoka


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Greek Day

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Congratulations for a job well done. On November 4th, string students from our orchestra program participated in the 24th annual String Day at Newtown Middle School. It was a fun day of sight-reading with a guest conductor and students from other Bucks County school districts. The day culminated with a concert of the music that was learned that day. Congratulations to all students who participated!

The Band and Holland Voices also performed for the entire school at the Veterans Day assembly on November 12th. Holland Voices began the program with the singing of our National Anthem and the Concert Band again performed the patriotic “Salute to America” medley. In addition a select group of singers performed a musical version of the song “In Flanders Field” which honors the soldiers who gave their lives in service to our country. Many members of our community who have served our country in the armed forces and their families were in attendance. (See related Veterans Day articles in Holland Highlights for more information).

Auditions for the HMS musical theater production of “Aladdin” took place the week of November 28th. Based on the talent and numbers of students who came out, it should be a great show. Students will begin production rehearsals in December and be ready to perform for shows on March 21st

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and 23rd. Students interested in helping out behind the scenes with costumes, scenery, microphones, or lights should contact Ms. Deis or Mr. Frank for information.

Talented students in Band, Orchestra, or Chorus may audition for the Bucks County Music Educators Association music festival on January 21st in the Neshaminy School District. The festival will be hosted by the Central Bucks School District this year and will take place on March 3rd. Those students who are interested in auditioning must contact Mr. Frank, Mrs. Rudat, or Ms. Deis no later than December 10th. For more information about BCMEA and audition requirements please log on to www.bcmea.org .

All music ensembles are in full swing, working hard to prepare for the Winter Concert on January 10th at 7:30 pm. For other information about our music groups please go to www.crsd.org and visit the HMS website then click on the Activities tab at the top for Band, Orchestra, Chorus, and Musical Theater.

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October 14th was a special day for 7th grade students here at HMS…and when we say special, we mean special in a Greek kind of way. Here are a few reflections from current 7th grade students after participating in the many Greek activities of that day:

“Greek day was fun and it was interesting to learn more about the Greeks and their culture. It was interesting to float from class to class and experience a different part Greek culture and history. In the library, we saw the labyrinth/maze game. I science, we witnessed the random spread of “the black death” chemical. Next, we drew pictures of Greek soldiers in Social Studies and finished the day by writing a modern day myth in Reading/English”.

“It was neat that everyone got dressed in his or her own personal Greek attire. The main outfit of the Greeks was the chiton, in other words, a toga. Some individuals accessorized their chiton with gold belts, loral leaf crowns and sandals”.

“How cool it was to attend a Greek banquet! We all go to eat together in the Greek Bistro! Boy, what a variety of Greek delights!


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(Continued)

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We ate food such as Greek pastas, Greek salads, pita chips, grapes, feta cheese, Greek pizzas, grape juice, hummus and cookies. All had a great time!”

*The reflections above were written by Amanda Zeltt, Garret Turco, and Elana Vergules and edited by Mr. Potoka.

Carl’s Corner

A Column dedicated to Carl Sagan’s life work

2012. Is it the end? No! Having broken at least one rule of writing, that is, to preserve the mystery for as long as possible, let us explain what is far more likely to lead to your demise.

Hollywood and local and national “news” outlets are far more likely to cater to your fears and other emotions than they would care to admit to you or themselves; therefore, they peddle danger, extremism, and catastrophe in between urgings for you to watch their latest “must see” offerings, many of which are actually more injurious to your well-being than the

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supposedly imminent disasters they highlight.

So what is likely to do us in? Will the vague fate as “predicted” by the ancients do us in next year, or will it be the asteroid impact the media love to cite (while only mentioning the infinitesimally small odds of it actually hitting us)? While little, if anything, can be said with absolute certainty, we really should not worry much about these outcomes.

Will Rogers once said “Worrying is like paying interest on a debt you may never owe.” The implication is that you should not spend too much time pondering things you cannot control and which may never occur; instead, manage that which you can, and which is far more likely to hurt you. What does this mean? Don’t waste time worrying about 2012, asteroid impacts or countless other natural disasters. Instead, focus the things you can control. Don’t smoke, manage your health, work hard, maintain healthy relationships, and avoid big personal mistakes and the types of habits that can deplete

Heard in the Hallways of Holland

1. “Computers are out to get me.”

2. “I heard what you said;

I just didn’t hear what you said.”

3. “An airplane? That

looks like a platypus and half a snake.”

4. “Like, I got it, I just

didn’t get it.”

5. “He’s listening to my paper!”

6. “We read a movie in

English today.” 7. “I think the

Gamechangers are going to take over Holland and give us an early winter break.”

8. “I never knew that ‘j’

comes earlier in the alphabet than ‘m’.”

9. “Today I tripped up the

stairs, but fell backwards.”

10. “I wish we had

personal hamster balls to walk around school with.”


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Dear students, teachers and staff at Holland Middle School,

I personally thank you for the wonderful tribute you gave me as a veteran. The time, talent, and hard work every one of you put into it is amazing.

The breakfast, the artwork, the singing, the poetry, and the band were outstanding. The video is an amazing production that I will always enjoy and be reminded of that very special day. Thank you for honoring me.

Richard Bowman

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Dear HMS,

Greetings: Again this year, I thank you and the staff and students of the Holland Middle School for the wonderful Veteran’s Day program. Each year it gets better! The singing, the film about Veteran’s Day, including the photos of the US Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and the delicious breakfast were great. Also, the gift of the Veteran’s Pins and certificate was much appreciated.

George B. Thompson, WWII Veteran

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your energy and attention. Should you prepare for unforeseen emergencies? Of course, but that preparation should only take a couple of hours per month, and once in place, should put your mind at ease. To help you figure out how to prepare for all kinds of emergencies, visit http://www.ready.gov/.

As for 2012 and beyond, the best advice we can give you is to, as Carl Sagan once said, keep on “…positively rippling with life!”

Ten Years Later: A 9/11

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Tribute

Morgan Gilmer and Mike Grinshpun Ten years ago in the early morning of September 11th, two US planes crashed at full speed into the Twin Towers which were once located in New York City. The causalities suffered were unimaginable and have affected people all over America, especially in the Northeast. To remember the horrific tragedy, we interviewed multiple teachers asking them one question: How did you find out about the attacks on September 11th, 2001?

The day began for Holland Junior High (as it was called then) with the Magazine Assembly. Upon returning to their classes, teachers began to realize what had occurred. Mr. Albrecht, a seventh grade social studies teacher remembers walking into Mr. Ambuster’s room (a past teacher at Holland) and seeing the events unfold on a television set. Mrs. Mackey, the school’s family

A Sincere “Thank you” from our visiting Veterans


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and consumer sciences teacher, shared a similar experience and turned her TV on to see the horrifying imagine of a second plane hitting the already flame-engulfed building. Other staff members like Mr. Kane, a school counselor, and Mrs. Ramon-Bobst, a Spanish and French teacher, closely watched the news coverage as it began to scratch the surface of this terrible attack

Although some of our current teachers were not employed by Council Rock during September 11th, 2001, they too shared their experiences about the day. Ms. Lanatto, currently a school counselor, was talking to her sister and mother on the phone as they relayed information to her at work. Her company let the employees have the day off to contact friends and family to make sure they were safe. Mr. Floch, a 7th grade social studies teacher, was currently working at Rolling Hills Elementary. As he took his class to their “special”, the art teacher approached him and asked, “Did you hear or see what happened?” She briefly explained what had happened and he stood, shocked, for a moment, trying to process the events. Ms. Potash, a gym/health teacher, was student teaching at the time and was informed about the attacks from a colleague. Mr. Holm, currently an 8th grade Science teacher, experienced the chaos of this day closer than most as he worked in Midtown NYC,

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not far from the attacks on the World Trade Centers.

Finally, most of our teachers learned through whispers and murmurs in the hallways. Mr. Lonergan, a gym and health teacher heard the words “a plane hitting the World Trade Center” from previous counselor Ms. Jesser. Mr. Lonergan says, “The rest of the day was surreal as I heard more details about the attacks and saw footage on television of the damaged towers and fighter jets circling New York City”. He watched children being picked up by their parents who wore concerned and frightened looks. Ms. Eichelberger, the art teacher, remembers hearing news from the school security guard who was here before Mr. Dempsey. As much as she and other teachers wished to turn on TVs, they restrained themselves to keep the students from knowing. Ms. Douglas, a math teacher, and Mrs. Krempa, a 7th grade science teacher, also heard the news from this giant chain of whispers and remember holding in the news to keep the day running smoothly. Ms. Deis, Holland’s music teacher, heard the news from a student. She wondered, “How stupid someone could be not be able to fly over a building that big” not knowing what was actually unfolding.

The events of 9/11 were tragic and horrible and yet, from the ash and metal rose hope for America. America joined together in mourning

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and remembrance. As Ms. Eichelberger said, “For months after the attack, people in the United States showed the most patriotism and camaraderie that I have ever seen in my lifetime”

French Week

Inside many classrooms, students at HMS are learning about the lives of people from all different walks of life. French students experience cheese tasting on Fridays. Every week, students bring in baguette and a French cheese they would like to share with the class. This experience gives students the unique opportunity to taste and smell French Culture!

French Week at Holland was a success! To celebrate the numerous contributions of French people to the world, French students dressed up as famous French people and impersonated them. They also sang French songs and played music for an audience of 14 parents and our Superintendent. The Eiffel Tower exhibit was definitely a hit in the library!


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The German Corner Oktoberfest 2011: To expose students to the Bavarian culture, we had a nice Oktoberfest celebration! Grilled Frankfurters, Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad and even Schoofly Pie and German Chocolate Cake Cupcakes were served. A great time was had by all and a lot of German was spoken in the building on that day!

The “Free German Lesson”: During R/A period, students have been meeting on days 1, 2, and 3 from 8:15-8:45AM to practice their German skills and they have had success teaching others who are interested in learning German! The youngsters are having fun! There are now five groups learning songs and dances. We are planning a fun activity to celebrate the success of the students this winter. Stay tuned for more information on “Winterfest”!

Guest Speaker: United States Air Force Special Agent Col. Eric Gartner gave an interesting presentation in German and English just one day before leading the Philadelphia German-American Steuben Parade as the Grand Marshal in September. The students enjoyed learning about his career and what it was like living in Germany.

How much German do you know? Try to figure out what these words mean in English (don’t forget, English, mostly comes from German!): Kindergarten, Haus, Maus, Hand, Mund, Apfel, Stein, Auto, Motor, Wassermelone, Hund, Katze, Schule, Bretzel.

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It’s Sombrero Time!

As students are entering the winter season, Spanish classes are kicking into high gear. Learning a variety of new words and questions, students are picking up the new language quickly. Some of you may have already heard of the “sombrero phenomenon” traveling around the halls of Holland. By the sight of a special sombrero on the top of their teacher’s head, they instantly begin speaking in Spanish instead of English. That’s right.........full conversations by the blink of an eye.

Although this bilingual boom is only traveling through 8th grade, it will be sure to travel to the high school and trickle down to current 7th graders by the beginning of next year.

Have you ever heard Música Latina on the radio or youtube? If not then tune into this next piece. Prince Royce is a rising star that has emerged from New York City. Although he grew up in the United States, he speaks both English and Spanish fluently. Check out his most popular bilingual hit “Stand By Me”. This song is performed in both Spanish and English, seamlessly integrating both languages to create a beautiful piece of music.

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Can you answer the following questions en español?:

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1. ¿Cómo te llamas? 2. ¿Qué llevas hoy? 3. ¿Qué día es hoy? 4. ¿De dónde eres tú? 5. ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?


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Cheerleading

The Fall Cheerleading squad completed their season with pride and enthusiasm by cheering on Holland’s Soccer team, Football teams, and girls’ Volleyball team! They also performed during two half-time shows at Council Rock North High School, where the squad truly showed their talent and spirit.

A very special thanks to Leah Barrett, Emma Brown, Jillian Brunetti, Natalie Crawford, Sylvaneta Dent, Alanna Devlin, Jaclyn Di lorio, Kelly Donohue, Abi Freedman, Danielle Gormley, Natalie Kazokas, Hannah Lewis, Mercedes Masciulli, Lauren Nem, Lena Nguyen, Kendall O’Neill, Ruianna Relvas, Brittany Roland, and Ashley Weiss for making it a great season!

Girls’ 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball 2011

The girls’ seventh and eighth grade volleyball team had a tremendous turn-out again with over sixty girls participating. Sixteen girls competed on a varsity team while the remainder of the students participated on a junior varsity practice team. Both teams practiced rigorously everyday and learned the basics of volleyball.

This year’s varsity squad had four seventh graders start or contribute (Kasey Schlupp, Jessica Magee, Stephanie Olson, and Dana Dombrowski). The team also had four returning players from last year’s varsity squad (Captains: Ana Didonato and Grace Lagan, along with Rachel Millstein and Emily Discavage ). Other varsity starters were eighth graders Kelsey McGill and Rachel Yakobashvili. This year also brought some new faces to the varsity court with the following eighth

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graders: Marina Salvatore, Meghan Solomon, Sofia Rush, Izzy Dubrow, Alison Orkin, Sarah Devlin and Brooke Duncan. This year’s team succeeded because they showed up for practice every day with enthusiasm and a love for learning volleyball. The girls finished the season with a winning record of 8 -2. Great job girls!

JV Volleyball

The JV Volleyball team did its best to use its limited practice time to give our players “touches on the ball” to develop and improve basic skills such as serves, sets, positioning and passing. The practice squad players, led by Alexa Spagnola, Abby Blank, Carly Iatesta, Holly Hartman and Caroline Hanlon, were invaluable assistants, sharing their knowledge and offering encouragement and advice both on and off the court during practices. As a team, girls were always willing to call lines and keep score, put up and take down nets and gather up all the practice balls. As the season progressed, more balls were called, more movement happened on the court, more passes, sets and hits were made and more points were scored. Overall, it was a season of growth, fun and good volleyball. Well done everyone!

8th Grade Boys’ Soccer

The 8th grade boys’ soccer team had a challenging season, but ended the season with its most exciting game against Tohickon. Team members included Zach Brilliant, Garrett Cantor, Joey Fantacone, Eric Friedman, Matt Gaeman, Ryan Gartenmayer, Shahvez Khatri, Justin Matsnev, Ryan Meehan, Harry Oliver, Brett Rosenblatt, Tom Sibert, Samson Tessema, Josh Vergules, and Ryan Vetter. Jenna Pelowitz was a

HMS FALL SPORTS


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big help as the team’s manager. Thanks for a fun season. Good luck at the high school!

7th Grade girls’ Field Hockey

Kudos to the 7th grade Holland Middle School girl’s hockey team! Twenty young ladies ran tirelessly across the district’s fields for seven weeks, consistently developing their speed and agility. The stiff competition challenged our team to improve their skills, and some of these athletes will continue their efforts by participating in the winter hockey season. The camaraderie fostered by team sports is evident in this cadre of players, as these girls rallied and supported each other through a very tough season. They developed a healthy respect for the opposition, and their coach is appreciative of their friendly competitive spirit. Council Rock is truly proud of these athletes and wishes them much success in the next season!

Congratulations to Alison Castronuovo, Michelle Dashevshy, Emma Donohue, Ardith Held, Emily Keller, Eleen Kravchenko, Marie Hammer, Dominique Marino, Kristin McBride, Emily McKee (Goalie), Heather McKenna, Georgina Mitsas, Erin Quinn, Delaney Rourke, Jackie Seitz, Casey Superfine, Elana Vergules, Cayla Wegimont, Phylicia Wilkov, Chloe Wszolek, and manager Katie Horvath.

8th Grade Girls’ Field Hockey

The 8th grade girls’ field hockey team finished a wonderful season with a record of 3-2-5. The girls came out to tryouts excited and ready to play, and from there the season really took off! Our leading scorers this year were Allison Meihofer, Samantha Olson, Julia Davis, and Emily Wilkinson. Way to go girls! They were surrounded by a great cast of offensive threats including Sarah Bradley, Georgina Garvey, Alicia Beyer, Sara Rowlands, and Cailyn Hall. We had strong defensive play from Maura Farrell, Amanda Makara, Katie Rafter, Kimberly

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Starke, and Brandi Zbarsky. Finally, Julia Pero was our hard-working, tough goalie who rarely allowed a ball to get past her. It was a memorable season from our games to our bus rides and the end-of-the-year party with the boys’ soccer team. Our sing-a-long to the hit musical, “High School Musical”, was a blast, too! Thanks girls for a great season and good luck next year!

The 7th grade soccer team completed an undefeated season by finishing with 9 wins and 1 tie. The offense, which scored 43 goals, was powered by Ethan Benedict and Justin Weinberg. Great mid-field play was turned in by Saim Ali, Brett Gold, Andrew Harman, Jack Hannum, Charlie Lynch, Alec Power, and Tyler Teufel. The defense led by Shaun Boggs, Kevin Bowers, Adam Lish, Thomas Reilly, and Noah Wolf with Nate Zajdowicz in goal only allowed 11 goals all year long.

Football Teams The 110 lb. football team worked hard during practice and all games during the fall season. Although the season proved to be a difficult one for the team, they did not fall to William Penn’s well-equipped team, leaving with a 0-0 tie. Great job boys!

The Holland Unlimited Football team spent the season running drills and preparing for games. The result of this hard work created a strong defense and an impressive offense by the end of the season. Good luck in the future guys, and we’re looking forward to seeing you on the field at South!


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2011-2012 Student Council Officers

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Team Discovery

Sam Epstein

Morgan Gilmer

Rick Johnston

Julia McTigue

Alex O’Brien

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Team Omega

Bryn O’Mara

Jenna Pelowitz

John Smyth

Meghan Solomon

Jack Wheatly

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Team Integrity

Karyn Castronuovo

Michael Feinman

Zack Rovner

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Team Unity

Lindsey Buchman

Charlie Lynch

Alyssa Smith

Fall Crossword Puzzle

Across 3. Scares away crows

4. October 31st

6. Day to honor military veterans

8. Stuffed poultry consumed on Thanksgiving

9. Eat with your family and give thanks

10. Always has a question of the day

Down 1. Gathering crops in the fall

2. Come in your Halloween costume to hang out with your friends

5. Changes colors in the fall

7. Carved to make jack-o-lanterns on Halloween


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the holland happenings issue #1, december 1, 2011 #1 s

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