Tornado Times Monthly Edition N O V E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

T h e N E W

Welcome back for 2014-2015 school year!

This isn’t the usual Tornado Times that you’ve seen in the past. The writing staff revamped

our publication into a news-letter-format to focus on more written stories. We plan to publish

on or around the 15th of each month and copies will appear in key locations in the high school

building: the front desk, the high school office, and the attendance office OR find our latest

issue online on the MCA school website. We hope you enjoy this issue.

If you have something you’d like to see featured in the New Tornado Times Monthly

email us at: TornadoTimes@mca.k12.pa.us. ~deadline for Dec. 15 edition Mon Dec. 8

One down, three MORE to go…

Well MCA, we’ve done it.

We managed to get through the first marking

period with all of the changes established in the

high school. While it might have been hard to

adjust to the new bell schedule, no morning

homeroom, and the enforcement of a more

rigorous attendance policy, it’s all here to stay.

And let’s not forget about the agendas. With all

the sighs, head shakes and eye-rolling aside,

every new change was made for the good of the

students and faculty. The school district makes

improvements that allow the school day to run

more smoothly. So far everything has been

running well. The school administration

appreciates the cooperation of all the students

and hopes to continue moving though the rest

of the school year as well as, if not better, than

the first marking period. ~Natasha Nevis

Adviser:

Mrs. Diane Rumbel

Contributors: Taylor Conches

Luke Darrup

Dylan Fiamoncini

Hannah Nolter

Natasha Nevis

Sara Parker

Maddie Shurock

Kayla Witt

In this Issue: Welcome Back

One Down, Three to Go

Thanksgiving Dinner

BYOT updated

Bye, Bye Birdie Auditions

Coffee Lounge

Fall Sports Wrap-up

Senior Projects

Shoot-out

Bottle caps

Who’s New at MCA

Student Council Awards

Student Awards

Upcoming Events

Thanksgiving

Dinner

It’s another year and another Thanksgiving

Dinner for MCA. This year’s dinner will be

served Thursday November 20. The staff

starts preparing early that morning, making

each component to the dish with care. Mr.

Jim Keller, Nutrition Inc, Food Service Di-

rector said, “The preparation for this special

meal actually starts weeks in advance, with

ordering, line setup and staffing, plus some

food prep actually starts days in advance for

us to ensure that everything gets done.” Stu-

dents and staff at MCA greatly appreciate

the time and hard work our lunch staff puts

into our meals, especially during the holi-

days. In addition to the usual meal honey

glazed cornbread and “Farm to Fork” green

beans will be served and an additional treat

for dessert: pumpkin ice cream!

-Maddie Shurock

Thanksgiving Dinner

November 20, 2014 Carved Turkey

Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy, Filling

Honey Glazed Corn Bread Steamed Green Beans

Apple Sauce Pumpkin Ice Cream

INTERACT CLUB FOOD DRIVE

For the month of November Benefits God’s Chuckwagon

BE GENEROUS!

Room 304, outside the Caf, Front Lobby

T O R N A D O T I M E S M O N T H L Y

BYOT UPDATE! Although we had the Bring your own Technology

policy or BYOT last year, there are some new changes for this year.

If you are bringing a device, it must be registered with the school’s wi-fi system. If you do not have it

registered, and you use the internet, you are vio-lating the policy. Also, if you leave a classroom for any reason during

class time, you are not to use your phone in the hallways. Cell phone use is not permitted in any place of privacy including, the bathroom,

locker room, and nurse’s office. Although, you are still able to use it during lunch, study halls and while passing classes.

All of these rules will be enforced with consequences for violations. Cell

phone policy during class is at teacher’s discretion, some may ask you to keep it face down on the desk, some may have pockets for you to put

them in and others may just want you to keep them in your own pocket. BYOT is a great way to include technology in school. However this sys-

tem will only work if all students are cooperative and everyone is con-sistent in following the rules. ~Peyton Worhach

What’s NEW at MCA Coffee Lounge in the Library

The new coffee lounge in the library is up and running and had its debut.

Juniors and seniors who already passed their Keystone exams enjoyed

relaxing in the library with some coffee and homemade cookies. In the

coffee lounge, students are able to do homework, socialize, or just chill

out. However, a Tornado Ticket is required for

admission. Mrs. Kelly Lesko’s Life Skills class

collaborated with the School Wide Positive

Behavior coordinator, Lisa Harner to make this

a positive experience for everyone. The Life

Skills Class organized the coffee lounge by

making the coffee, baking the cookies, and also

spending time with the juniors and seniors. The

coffee lounge will be open Monday’s and Friday’s, but a Tornado Ticket

is required for admission. Starting December, juniors and seniors that have

normally been dismissed for passing all three Keystone exams, will be

required to stay which will be a nice option.

Fall Sports Wrap-up The 2014 fall season has come and gone and Mount Carmel Area proved

that our athletic department is one of the finest.

Football:

Varsity - finished with 7-4 record, qualified for district playoffs

JV - finished with 6-3 record, including defeating rivals Southern

Columbia and Shamokin

Soccer:

Boys - great up and coming team on the horizon, ready for next year Girls - finished 12-7, qualified for district playoffs

Cross Country:

Coach Ben McConnell - 2nd time PHAC Coach of the Year

Boys - finished season undefeated, back-to-back district champs, placed 5th at state championship meet

Girls - finished season with 4-12 record, Chantelle Skavery made state

meet by placing 5th at the district meet

Our Lady of Lourdes co-op volleyball team: good experience year for a team

of young players, excited for what next season has to offer

Our Lady of Lourdes co-op golf team:

Evan Salamone - 2nd freshman ever to win the Schuylkill League

Championship Great season, folks!

School Board Merit Award Dylan Fiamoncini- Sept.

Ashley Stief- Oct.

Rotary Student of the Month Christian Kelley- Sept.

Caitlyn Curran- Oct.

7th Grade Junior High Pride Michael Balichik-Sept.

Mike Scicchitano- Oct.

8th Grade Junior High Pride Ava McGee- Sept.

Danielle Hooper- Oct.

Elks Awards:

Student of the Month Caitlyn Curran- Sept.

Isabella Stellar- Oct.

Jr Student of the Month Maura Fiamoncini- Sept.

Carl Darrup- Oct.

Teen of the Month Kourtney Honicker- Sept.

Ben McFadden- Oct.

Jr Teen of the Month Mackenzie Pyle- Sept.

Michael Balichik- Oct.

Student Council Awards:

NEW for 2014-15 Once a month students council

officers and representatives vote to recognize

teachers and students for their accomplishments.

The criteria for the teacher award is based on great

teaching methods and helpfulness in the classroom.

For students, is it based on having a GPA of a 90

or higher, showing community service, and using

good manners. The winners for September are

9th grader, Brendan Boris, and 8th grader, Ava

McGee and English teacher , Mrs. Shanna

Haden. October winner s ar e 9th gr ader , Ben

McFadden, 8th gr ader , Danielle Hooper, and

Tech Ed teacher, Mr. Keith Fourspring. While

passing through the hallway leading to the caf, take

a look at the bulletin board to see what students

and teachers have won the award for the month.

1st Marking Period Student Awards:

The Voice of Democracy: 1st Amber Kogut

2nd Alexia Schmidt

3rd Miranda Moser

Patriot’s Pen: 1st Elijah Watkins

2nd Cassandra Latshaw

3rd Katie Flynn

There’s still time to get your VIT’s just in time for winter sports! Admission to all home events Girls & Boys Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling

$20 students $35 adults Available in the Athletic Office Room 108

**POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL November 9, 2014** Good intentions vs Fast And Furious Congrats! Fast And Furious 28-22

Struggling to organize yourself and pass all of your tests at the same time? Fear no more there are many good, effective ways to study and stay organized at the same time! Here is a list to help re-organize yourself:

Purchase a planner- this way you have no excuse to forget you had homework or a test. Write everything you need in there and carry it with you everywhere!

Add Dividers - Spruce up your binder or notebook by adding tab dividers and labeling them for each class. This way you know where every paper is for every subject.

Homework first - Start on your homework right when you get home. This way you won’t forget to do anything because you’ll still be in “school mode”. It’s easier doing homework right when you get home rather than unwinding and waiting a few hours.

As for effective study tips, there are many different techniques students use to ace their tests. Here is a list of strong study tips that help students pass their exams:

Flashcards- this is a most effective way to study. First, because writing out the information can make it easier to memorize, and second, it helps with memorization.

Turn off all distractions- YES, this means to log off of Twitter and Instagram for an hour or two until you have your information down pat.

Chew gum - chew the same flavor of gum while studying and during the test- recent studies have shown that chewing gum on a regular basis while studying can actually improve memory recall.

Take frequent breaks- take a two minute break every 10-15 minutes of studying. Your brain can only fit so much information at a time and it is nice to give it time to collect all the information you’ve just studied.

Eat “brain food”- according to campustalkblog.com foods such as fish, nuts, grains, apples, vegetables, dark chocolate (not milk chocolate), berries, legumes, and onions can help boost your memory and improve your academic performance.

There are many ways to become organized and learn how to study better. If you’re really in a crunch go to www.youtube.com and look up videos on effective study habits and organization tips. Studying and organization doesn’t have to be boring, it’s a good feeling when your teacher hands back that test you aced! Sources: http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-School-Work

~Maddie Shurock http://www.campustalkblog.com/top-10-brain-foods-that-help-you-study-and-get-better-grades/

Winter Keystone Exam Test Window: Dec 3-17 Midterms: 3rd marking period starts January 15

PSSA’s -April 13-May 1, 2015 Spring Keystone Exam Test Window: May 13-27, 2015

Save your bottle caps! Bring to the Art Room 105

Help the art club create “bottle-cap” Art

All shapes & sizes!

SENIOR PROJECTS!—Seniors, your time is slowly

running out! Senior projects are a requirement to graduate and

time is slowly running out to get them done. Some examples

of senior projects are cleaning up the town, helping out at the

food pantry, or even sitting with the elderly. There are count-

less ways to help your community and show some pride in

whatever it is that you choose to do. It’s not too late to start or

finish your senior project today!

Grade Saver

“THINK BIG”

OCTOBER 25, 2014

$17,100.00. raised as of 11/13/14

And still counting!

Way to go, MCA!

Mark Your Calendars!

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Albert Peterson

Rose Alvarez

Kim MacAfee

Conrad Birdie

Mr. Henry MacAfee

Mrs. Doris MacAfee

Hugo Peabody

Randolph MacAfee

Ursula Merkle

The Mayor

And other supporting roles and

ensemble.

This year the musical is set for

March 21st and 22nd and will be under the direction of

Miss Melinda Hoopes and Mr.

Bernard Stellar.

The time is already here to au-

dition for this year’s school musi-

cal, Bye Bye Birdie. Auditions will

be held Tuesday, November

18th inside the auditorium, with

all students awaiting to audition

arriving in the band hallway.

Some of the available speaking

roles include:

“BYE, BYE BIRDIE” Auditions November 18 4:00-8:00pm

11/18- “Bye Bye Birdie” auditions- 4:00pm 11/22-MCA Girls Basketball Shoot-A-Thon-10am 11/23-District Band auditions- 11:00am 11/26- Act 80 Day- early dismissal 11/26—Jr High Spelling Bee 1st & 2nd pds 11/26—Student Council Movie Break 9am 11/27-12/1-Thanksgiving break 12/3-12/17-Keystone Test Window 1 Testing Algebra, Biology, Literature 12/3- ES Holiday Concert-6:30pm 12/6-MCA Santa Parade- 11:00am 12/9- Junior High Holiday Concert- 7:00pm 12/15- Senior High Holiday Concert- 7:00pm 12/16- ES Band Holiday Concert-6:30pm 12/23- Act 80 Day- early dismissal

12/24-1/5- Christmas/New Years Vacation

Who’s New?

MCA Jr. Sr. high school has new faces in the building this year. Bringing

excellence to our math department is Mr. Marc Persing teaching Math

7, and Miss Megan Rose teaching Advanced Algebra, Advanced Ge-

ometry, and Geometry. A new addition to our science wing is Miss

Alexis Albertson, teaching AP Biology, Honors Biology, and Ecology.

The Humanities department welcomes Ms. Amy Gee, who teaches

Spanish III and IV. Mrs. Kelly Lesko teaches in the Special Education

Program. Last, but not least, Mr. Jim Keller is the new food service

director for Nutrition, Inc. in the cafeteria. Welcome to MCA!

10:00am High School Gym Free and open to the public

Each player is paired with a guest shooter and must shoot

75 shots while their partner will shoot 25.

Guest Shooters:

Maria Fantanarosa- MCA basketball player and Pennsylvania’s all-time leading point scorer

Margot Guinan- Former MCA basketball player and most assists at MCA (500 assists)

Dave Shinskie- MCA alumni, former Boston College quarterback and pitcher for The Minnesota Twins

Ranotta Ahrensfield, Kim Andruscavage, Christina Perles, Ali Varano, Ana Ditchey- 1000 point scorers

Bernie Stellar- Superintendent , Greg Sacavage- Athletic Director

Pete Cheddar- Junior High Principal

Bryan Carnuccio- School Resource Officer

Tommy Ryan- local sports announcer and radio personality

Aaron Domanski, Coach Carm, Sam Ryan, Charlie Langton –Super Fan

Coach Mike Woytowich, Jeff Sluck- Athletic Trainer

Carl Darrup– MCA sophomore

Shoot-A-Thon November 22

Student Council

hosts the movie:

“Elf”

Wed., Nov. 26

9am Auditorium

Movie: 50cents

Popcorn: 25cents Advanced on

Keystones:

Free