Miss Youmans' Blog

I'm enjoying TN!!!

2009-11-13T23:20:00.004-05:00

I made it to TN tonight around 7:30...Heather T and I have already been shopping :-) Check out her new outfit for the wedding we're going to tomorrow:

THANK YOU!!!

2009-11-02T21:09:00.004-05:00

I was honored to represent Williamsport as a finalist for 2010 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year! My students, colleagues, family, & friends were super supportive & excited for me. It really takes all of us working together to make it happen though...so thanks to all of you :-)

The 12 PA Teacher of the Year Finalists for 2010 (they were all jealous of my nice Millionaire shirt)!

My mom & aunt with me at the Capitol

Mom & I spiffed up for a nice dinner & dessert at the Governor's Mansion (no, he wasn't there...I think he may have been at the Eagles vs. Redskins game in D.C.)!

Mr. Elliott, me, Nuria Hunter (my student presenter), & Dr. Kelley after the awards ceremony.

One of the many cool prizes we received! (I plan on allowing a student each period sit in this chair....afterall, it's because of my students that I'm able to be a teacher)!

Period 1 students ready to devour another of my prizes!

This is what 5 lbs of chocolate looks like!

This is what was left of the 5 lbs. of chocolate after a day in G202! (my students saved me 12,000 calories by helping me eat this) :-)

Roast beef was good...

2009-10-07T08:23:00.004-04:00

Teshawna said dinner was de-lish last night :-)

SPEED MONSTERS....

2009-10-07T08:04:00.010-04:00

Speed monsters are taking over G202! We are racing today...typing all the letters we've learned so far (minus home row) in a minute to see who can type the most.

RE TOUCHING (the letter we know)
RE TOUCHING
RE TOUCHING
RE TOUCHING....

AUSTIN (PERIOD 1) CHOMPING AT THE KEYS!

KYLIE (PERIOD 2) LOOKS HAPPY TO BE WEARING THE HAT...BUT TOOK IT OFF...THINK IT SLOWED HER DOWN! BY THE WAY, SHE BEAT MY SCORE OF 94 GWAM...SHE GOT 101 GWAM! SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDY :-)

CHEYANNE (PERIOD 3) IS SO QUICK ON THE KEYS SHE SAYS SHE DIDN'T NEED THE HAT TO TYPE QUICKER....SO MR. FAUSNAUGHT WORE IT FOR HER!!!

BAYLE (PERIOD 4) LOOKS THRILLED TO BE WEARING THE HAT DOESN'T SHE???

AUSTIN (PERIOD 6) COULDN'T BELIEVE HE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO WEAR THE HAT!

ISAAC (PERIOD 7) SWEARS WEARING IT BACKWARDS MADE HIM EVEN FASTER!?!?!

Roast Beef....

2009-10-06T19:36:00.001-04:00

Teshawna made me laugh this morning when I asked if there was anything else anyone wanted to talk about in advisory period....she told me that she was having roast beef tonight for dinner (and also shared what she had last night for dinner)!!! Ironically, I also had roast beef tonight for dinner...and mmmmmmmmmmm...it was good :-) How was yours Teshawna???

SPIRIT WEEK...

2009-10-01T10:34:00.012-04:00

This week is spirit week because of homecoming on Friday. Check out these SPIRIT photos:

Second period (minus bio lab students who are @ lab today)...ALL sporting the cherry & white today :-)

SKY cannot believe MARCUS is sooooo cute all mismatched!

MR. ZANGARA sportin' the old school look on DECADES DAY!

GREAT game

2009-09-20T22:34:00.001-04:00

Awesome football game on Friday night!

A new week is upon us...and it's PROGRESS REPORT WEEK, which means we're already half way through our first marking period together! Can you believe it???

HEARTBREAKER...

2009-09-07T16:31:00.002-04:00

The first football game of the season was a tough one! Sorry your hard work didn't pay off on the scoreboard guys....I enjoyed cheering for you! KEEP TRYING :-)

It was a beautiful night on the hill!

Did anyone notice the new cheerleader?

BUCKET FILLERS...

2009-09-07T16:26:00.002-04:00

BE ONE!!! We had a great discussion last week about being kind to others & "filling others' buckets" with good deeds or kind words. I was quite impressed with how many of you came back the next day saying you filled a bucket :-) KEEP FILLING THOSE BUCKETS!

Working hard already...

2009-09-07T16:15:00.006-04:00

Great teamwork on your class symbols/mottos for Keyboarding & Careers!

PERIOD 1

#13 = 2013, when we ALL will graduate

PERIOD 2

Brick wall = we build our own futures

PERIOD 3
Arrow = we're moving our way on up to success

PERIOD 4
"S" with eyes = we are looking for success

PERIOD 6
Graduation cap = we will all be wearing one in four years

PERIOD 7
Heart = we are loving our futures

Welcome Freshmen!

2009-09-07T16:09:00.002-04:00

It was a great first week getting freshmen acclimated to life on the hill :-)

Old faces...

2009-09-07T16:01:00.003-04:00

Always good to see some of my former students in the hallway:

AWESOME FIRST DAY!

2009-09-01T19:11:00.002-04:00

Things seemed to go really well today! I think it's going to be a great year :-) Check back for first week photos this weekend.

GREAT WEEKEND...

2009-08-30T21:15:00.005-04:00

Had a good "last weekend before school starts" trip! Guess where I was (2 places):

FRESHMAN ORIENTATION NIGHT

2009-08-27T20:19:00.003-04:00

Great to see so many of you & your families tonight! Excitement is in the air on the hill :-) Loved seeing last year's students easing our new freshmen through their transition. It's going to be a great year Millionaires! SEE YOU TUESDAY!!!

I'm so excited...

2009-08-19T20:05:00.002-04:00

and I just can't hide it! That's an old song...anybody know it??? Actually, I'm getting excited for school to start. Teachers & classroom aides start calling each other wondering who's ready to go back & what our opening days will be like. You'd think I'd get used to the beginning of school jitters...but I'm as excited as always. CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK IN THE GROOVE ON THE HILL!!! See you soon :-)

Block Party...

2009-08-13T23:13:00.003-04:00

On a much happier note...last night I, along with some other WAHS teachers, administrators, & staff, went to the Antioch block party. What a great event that is! It's great to have everyone together, being happy and enjoying the neighborhood. I was running a game so I didn't get to mingle too much but it was nice to see some of you and hear your summers have gone well....and it got me excited to see you again on a regular basis in our hallways :-) Stop by G202 to say "HI"!!!

UGHHHHHH!!!!

2009-08-13T23:11:00.002-04:00

Why can't any of my teams just play ball & win??? It's always some drama in my sports world! My Mets are stinkin' up this summer & my Eagles have disappointed me so much by signing Vick that I'm not sure I can support them with him on the team :-( I want to cry.....

VISITED SCHOOL TODAY...

2009-08-03T22:53:00.003-04:00

Headed up on the hill this morning for a meeting with Mr. Elliott, Mr. Fausnaught, Mr. Zangara, & Mr. Moon. The hallways seem so empty without our smiling students' faces...won't be long now!

After our meeting, I met Mr. Jett from Alt. Ed. for lunch at Leslie's Cafe on Memorial Ave. YUMMY!!! Was so good to see him and catch up on our summers. When I left there, I ran into Shaquille & A.J. walking down the street....so good to see you both (I even got hugs) :-)

Can't wait to see everyone back on the hill...IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT YEAR!!!

Functions of the Brain

2009-07-30T15:42:00.002-04:00

Well, today we've learned all about how the brain works...which you learn about throughout your education...but today it became crystal clear how the brain functions impact behavior in school! POWERFUL STUFF :-)

My brain will be focused on CRUSHING Mr. Moon & Mr. Fausnaught tonight in cards for the Championship of the week (yes...Mr. Z & I tied up competition 2-2 with a victory last night)!!!

AWESOME "stuff"!!!!!!!

2009-07-29T12:34:00.003-04:00

Can't even explain how excited today's Governor's School presentation has made me. It's always good to reconnect with our passions :-) Is it September 1st yet???

YOU GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO FOLD 'EM...

2009-07-28T23:21:00.002-04:00

Seriously???!!! Somehow, some way Mr. Fausnaught and Mr. Moon are whooping Mr. Zangara and me at cards during our week at Bloomsburg together....and it's NOT because they have skills!!! I just can't figure it out.

We are learning A LOT of great stuff during the days while we're here to bring back to the 'Port for improving our school...it's only at night that we talk trash and play cards :-)

Card Playing....

2009-07-27T23:20:00.003-04:00

So, I'm at Bloomsburg University for a week as I stated before. We decided to have a nightly game or 2 of my favorite, Euchre. Last night, Mr. Zangara and I took 2 out of 3 games from Mr. Moon & Mr. Fausnaught. Tonight, however, they took 3 of 5 games AND....here's the kicker...Mr. Fausnaught had 3 perfect loners. HMMMMMM....he looks innocent enough doesn't he???
CARD SHUFFLING FOOL!!! We'll get you tomorrow night :-)

Working Over the Summer

2009-07-27T12:28:00.002-04:00

Hey all! It's been a long time since I last blogged...SORRY...guess I got BOGGED down :-)

Summer is going well. I've been on quite a few trips (Tennessee, Washington DC, Camp Dost) & now I'm at Governor's School at Bloomsburg University with Mr. Moon, Mr. Zangara, and Mr. Fausnaught. We are learning lots of good stuff to hopefully make WAHS even better than what it already is.

Keep enjoying summer vacation & we'll see you in about a month!

CONGRATS...

2009-04-08T14:32:00.002-04:00

To MR. WENTZEL for being able to retire at the end of this school year! ENJOY RETIREMENT MY FRIEND, YOU'VE EARNED IT :-)

To MR. FAUSNAUGHT for being named as the new gold house principal for next school year! WELCOME ABOARD...I love your blog :-) Check out his blog:

http://www.mrfausnaught.blogspot.com/

YOU BET WE ARE....

2009-04-08T14:31:00.002-04:00

CTE Career Expo at Roosevelt

2009-04-08T13:52:00.008-04:00

We moved our show on the road! Last Thursday, April 2, many of our high school's CTE, math, phys. ed., art, and drama teachers went down to Roosevelt Middle School to display all the fun things we do at the high school. We had a great time meeting some future Millionaire students.

THANKS TO MR. DIXON & MR. YOKITIS FOR SPEARHEADING THE EFFORT!

MRS. BAIER & MR. WEISKOPF LOOK READY TO MINGLE:

COMPETITIONS BETWEEN PHYS. ED. TEACHERS MS. EISENHOWER & MR. STEPPE:

DR. ADAMS, OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, WAS THERE TO HELP:

MR. TEMPLE (SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER), MR. CHOATE, MS. EISENHOWER, & MS. SAUERS POSING FOR A PHOTO:

MY STUDENT, AJ, SWUNG BY TO SAY "HI":

MR. SOARS BEING TIMED BY OUR STUDENTS:

MR. KNIPE SHOWING PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE A T-SHIRT:

SOME HIGH SCHOOL WELDERS SHOWING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS HOW TO WELD:

MISS MINNIE & MR. WADDELL STRIKING A POSE TOGETHER:

SOME MORE OF MY STUDENTS, KRISTIN & DAWANDA, FOUND ME:

MR. DIXON & MR. PIWOWAR TALKING WITH A PARENT AND STUDENT:

MR. SOARS DEMONSTRATING TO A MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT HOW TO PROPERLY SAW THROUGH METAL:

OUR KEY CLUB STUDENTS REPRESENTING:

HARD WORKING HORT. STUDENTS:

MRS. GEPHART & MRS. CARMAN-HARRIS, LEADERS OF OUR FABULOUS HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT:

MR. WILLIAMSON & MS. SAUERS TESTING OUT THE MINI HOCKEY RINK MADE BY OUR CONSTRUCTION TRADES STUDENTS:

MATH TEACHERS PUZZLING STUDENTS...IN A GOOD WAY:

OUR CREATIVE ART TEACHERS:

Winter Pep Rally...

2009-02-18T12:20:00.008-05:00

VERY NICE PEP RALLY LAST FRIDAY, FEB. 13! Nice job to all the sports teams, the pie contest participants, Mr. Elliott who took 2 pies in the face, and the cheerleaders! SGA did a nice job of organizing the event for the whole school to enjoy. Some pictures of the rally:

MR. CHOATE LOOKS LIKE HE HAD FUN!

DOC WEAVER WAS DECLARED THE CHAMPION OF PIE EATING!

CODY...IS THIS YOU SLAMMIN' ONE DOWN :-)

COACH TAYLOR THANKING HIS ARMY!

LOOKS LIKE MY GIRL ALICIA :-)

ONE OF OUR SWIMMERS REPRESENTING US WELL!

BOYS WRESTLING HAS SHOWN MUCH IMPROVEMENT THIS YEAR!

THE CHEERLEADERS IMPRESSED ME...WHAT A DANCE!

WELCOME TO 2ND SEMESTER!!!

2009-02-18T12:07:00.004-05:00

WOW! Time flies....I can't believe we're on the downhill slide to summer :-)

Hated to say goodbye to last semester's great students but am also happy to have my new students! So far, your behavior and work ethic have impressed me. I hope we continue to have many good days together :-)

Here are the class symbols this semester's students chose to create:

PERIOD 1: "G"---BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOING AFTER OUR DREAMS

PERIOD 2: "DIVERSITY"---BECAUSE WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT WITH DIFFERENT FUTURES

PERIOD 3: "MAGIC"---BECAUSE WE CAN DO MAGIC

PERIOD 4: "SPACESHIP"---BECAUSE WE'RE OUT OF THIS WORLD

PERIOD 6: "UP"---WE'LL KEEP MOVING UP...THE SKY'S THE LIMIT

PERIOD 7: "STRAIGHT FACE"---STRIVING FOR STRAIGHT A'S

Fly Eagles Fly...

2009-01-11T21:19:00.002-05:00

Philadelphia Eagles Theme Song

Another great Eagles' victory...

2009-01-11T21:12:00.005-05:00

Had an awesome time watching the games today with my friends, the Augustine's/Smith's. A few pictures of our festivities:

SNOW DAYS

2009-01-07T07:41:00.005-05:00

Not a big fan of snow days simply because we lose a planned vacation day then & are stuck inside with nothing to do on days like today.

However, since I didn't go to bed until after midnight last night...I'll take today's snow day :-)

Plan on finishing grading your college research papers, taking a nap, perhaps playing a little guitar hero with some friends....MAYBE SNOW DAYS AREN'T SO BAD AFTERALL!!!

Speaking of snow...check out this ghetto snowman Heather T, my godchild from TN, and I made at my place right before our holiday vacation. I wasn't prepared to make a snowman so we had to improvise: pencils for arms, bows for mittens, celery for eyes & nose, a sock for a scarf, & a wide variety of hat choices. Here's our creation:

Eagles Message to Bryan

2009-01-07T07:32:00.003-05:00

Mr. Abels and I recorded a message for our friend Bryan about this weekend's Eagles vs. Giants game (we are dorks)! We borrowed Mr. Jett's coat and hat for the project. Check it out:

SEE YOU SUNDAY FOR THE GAME BRYAN (hope your Giants' fan Grandpa is ready for some Eagles torture)!!!

E-A-G-L-E-S

2009-01-05T22:13:00.003-05:00

EAGLES! Another shocking weekend...not only have my Eagles, who TIED the pitiful Bengals earlier in the season, make playoffs but they WON yesterday :-)

Now...BRING ON THOSE GIANTS!!! I'll be watching the game with my pals, the Augustine's, & my high school basketball coach (who will no doubt be talking trash about his Giants). AND OF COURSE...I'll have to endure Mr. McNeill's pesky Giants e-mails all week at school! Hope if we bet cash this time & I win, he remembers his wallet to pay me :-)

I'll let my team do the talking from this point forward & end with this picture:

13 days until the end of the first semester...

2009-01-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

can you believe it? Time does fly! Tough coming back today from break but look at it this way...YOU'RE ANOTHER DAY CLOSER TO SUMMER :-)

We'll wrap up our career & college research in the next 13 days...then you'll be off to phys. ed.!

15 school days and counting....

2008-12-02T20:39:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I last blogged...SORRY....time just flies!

We are now moving into our career unit where we will be exploring the world of your interests/skills, career choices, college/post-secondary options, & real world living. This week and next week we'll be taking a look at what it costs to live on your own....talk about REALITY CHECK! I hope that you get a practical look at why it's important to stay in school, get as much education as you can, and choose a career that you are passionate about. The "real world" is tough enough if you do all of these things, let alone if you take a tougher path!

I hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving break. Only 15 more school days left until our winter holiday vacation :-) WE CAN MAKE IT!

I enjoyed spending time with my family and shopping for Christmas over Thanksgiving break. Here are a few pictures of me with my niece and nephew, Maddy and Patrick:

FOR THE BIRDS...

2008-11-10T16:25:00.011-05:00

The Eagles' game last night, that is! Enjoyed watching the Eagles/Giants game last night with my best friend Amy's family. Shout out to my pals Bryan and Katie (pictured below): I CHEERED AS HARD AS I COULD FOR YOU AFTER YOU BOTH FELL ASLEEP...BUT WE LOST :-(

GOOD TIMES WITH FRIENDS BEATS WINNING A GAME ANY DAY THOUGH....so thanks my friends for hosting the party!

Coach Smith, my high school basketball coach, kept saying "it's only a game Jen" every time his Giants did something great. GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR COACH...where was that frame of mind when I played basketball for you??? MUST COME WITH AGE :-) As does memory loss....remember, I'm on your side for baseball season!

Bryan, me, & Katie all geared up for the game!

My friend Tom, the "bookie", made up slips of paper that we each picked from a hat (these were mine). Each slip of paper was worth 25 cents from everyone if that play happened! We each also put $1 in at the beginning of each quarter of the game and whoever had that quarter's score won...that's how I left $17 richer!
NOTE TO TOM: NEXT TIME REMEMBER, 4-0 STAYS OUT OF THE FIRE :-)

I arrived home around 12:30 a.m. & got to bed around 1:00....working on 4.5 hours of sleep is not good! And to top it all off, Mr. McNeill showed up bright-eyed and all smiles this morning in my classroom. We bet on the game and of course, I lost! LOOK AT THIS HIDEOUS SWEATSHIRT HE MADE ME WEAR & TOLD EVERYBODY ABOUT...I MEAN REALLY...I WAS AFRAID TO EAT LUNCH AND SPILL SOMETHING ON THIS ANTIQUE:

I attached that blue sign I'm holding to the shirt.
It read:
U-G-L-Y
THIS SHIRT AIN'T GOT NO ALIBI
IT'S UGLY
HEY, HEY IT'S UGLY :-)
and that it was!!!

I BELIEVE IN YOU...

2008-11-07T14:53:00.006-05:00

One of my friends sent me this YouTube clip. WATCH IT & know I BELIEVE IN YOU! Many times I know that you think I'm being "mean" or that I "don't like you"...NOT TRUE! The most frustrating part of being a teacher is seeing students make poor choices and waste their potential. Each of you has what it takes to succeed....I believe that with my whole heart! I will continue to push you to maximize your potential and refuse to allow you to accept anything less than the best for yourself. BELIEVE IT :-)

Here's the clip:

5th grader Dalton Sherman inspires Dallas teachers

Parent-Teacher Conferences...

2008-11-07T14:36:00.004-05:00

THANK YOU to all parents who took the time to visit our school the past 2 days for conferences. I enjoyed meeting with parents and discussing what we can do to make school even better for you! We are truly a team that, like any team, needs to work together to win. As a team, we accomplish many victories along the path of your high school education. This team is made up of students, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, school staff, coaches, and even your friends. Working together is the easiest way to accomplish these victories. Our championship victory comes the day our students walk across the stage to receive their high school diploma! On graduation night each year, as a school family, we are on top of the world and realize that all of the struggles are worth it. Nothing is better than seeing you in your cap & gown! THAT IS OUR GOAL! You see this every day at the front of our classroom for a reason:

SO KEEP AFTER THAT CHAMPIONSHIP! You must practice (do your homework, study outside of the school day, manage your time wisely, make smart decisions). THE CHAMPIONSHIP (DIPLOMA) IS ON THE LINE...IT'S WITHIN YOUR REACH...all you have to do is GO FOR IT WITH ALL YOU HAVE & I GUARANTEE SUCCESS! We're here to help...let us :-)

Thanks again PARENTS...keep in touch!

VOTING FOR A PRESIDENT...IN KEYBOARDING & CAREERS!

2008-11-04T18:05:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Becker tallying the votes!

While visiting our classroom today, our freshman guidance counselors also conducted elections in the spirit of today's presidential election. Each student was asked to cast an anonymous vote by paper ballot & write WHY they felt that person was the best candidate. I am SO PROUD that regardless of which candidate students chose, the great majority had a valid reason for supporting that person. I urge each and every one of my students to register to vote when they are 18, vote in EVERY election, and to research each candidate's stance and voting record prior to going to the polls. As Americans, we are blessed to live in the United States of America where we have the freedom to vote; the least we can do is research each candidate to see which is the most closely aligned to our values and beliefs. We SHOULD NOT vote for a candidate just because they are a Republican or a Democrat, but because we feel they would do the best job for us!

A VERY important issue was brought to light during second period. We had one student who chose not to vote because he felt he didn't know enough about either candidate to cast a vote one way or another. That's honorable and I explained ABSTAINING from voting. At the end of class, Mrs. Becker announced that we had a 16-16 tie and that neither candidate could be declared a winner for second period. We discussed how this proves EVERY VOTE MATTERS & that once you choose to abstain from voting, you give up your right to do so and cannot go back to vote after the polls close just because you didn't like the results.

GREAT LESSONS LEARNED TODAY! HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

Period 1 = 23-9 OBAMA
Period 2 = 16-16 TIED
Period 3 = 20-9 OBAMA
Period 4 = 13-5 OBAMA
Period 5 = 13-7 OBAMA
Period 6 = 10-6 OBAMA
Period 7 = 23-8 OBAMA
--------------------------------
OVERALL = 118-60 OBAMA

TROLL FOR PRESIDENT DOLLS GIVEN AS PRIZES!

STAY TUNED TO ELECTION RESULTS TONIGHT & TOMORROW TO SEE HOW CLOSELY ALIGNED OUR FRESHMAN KEYBOARDING STUDENTS ARE WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY!

FRESHMAN GUIDANCE COUNSELORS VISIT OUR CLASS

2008-11-04T14:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday and today our freshman school counselors were in all of our Keyboarding & Careers classes. Yesterday they discussed the importance of passing 9th grade. THIS YEAR COUNTS & WILL APPEAR ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT FOREVER! It is a sad and proven statistic that if someone fails ninth grade, they are highly likely to drop out. With the end of the first marking period, it is a great time to reflect and ask yourself "am I doing all I can to pass ninth grade with 7 credits?"

Today Mrs. Becker & Mr. Roe were in again. This time they showed us some great websites for students to use to get live homework help, to research various things, to download books on tape, or to just find current events going on right here in Williamsport. Check them out:

www.lycolibrary.org

www.know-zone.org

PERFECT ATTENDANCE & GRADES

2008-11-01T19:13:00.008-04:00

The first marking period is over! We're officially 1/4 of the way done with the school year. On Friday, I gave each student their grades and awarded some prizes.

GRADES:

2nd period had the best overall average as a class at 91.1%. They barely beat out 6th period who had 91.0%! I'm VERY PROUD to report that 103 out of 108 students received a C average or higher this marking period :-)

PERFECT ATTENDANCE:

The best class with perfect attendance was 6th period with 41.6% of the students having perfect attendance. 4th period, however, had the highest number of students with perfect attendance (7). Below are pictures of the students who had perfect attendance this marking period. THANK YOU TO THESE STUDENTS FOR BEING IN SCHOOL EVERY DAY!

CONGRATS MR. ABELS & ALL PHILLIES FANS!

2008-10-30T17:40:00.010-04:00

It pains this Mets fan's heart to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PHILLIES ON BECOMING WORLD SERIES CHAMPS last night! However, I am happy for my good friend Mr. Abels who is a HUGE fan and hasn't seen his team win since he was 3 years old. His smile was so big today that he could barely fit through a door :-) In the true spirit of friendship, I gave him a little victory gift:

BE WARNED....
next year, the Mets WILL make it to October & win it all;
although, I've been saying that since 1986 & it hasn't worked yet☺

My Godparents & Me

2008-10-30T12:55:00.006-04:00

HERE IT IS....A PICTURE OF ME WITH MY GODPARENTS, UNCLE BILL & CAROL! I was not even a month old in this picture. AM I ADORABLE OR WHAT??? Cracks me up because you can see a picture in the background of the Blessed Virgin Mary at my grandparent's house :-) That's those "old school" Catholics for you...pictures & statues of saints all over the place!

Hope you enjoy the flashback Godmom Carol!

A Shout-out to my GODMOTHER...

2008-10-29T20:48:00.004-04:00

I just spoke with my mom who told me my Godmother, Carol, who lives in Rochester, NY called her to wish her a happy birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM...Oct. 26). Apparently, the only thing Godmother Carol thinks is missing on my blog is her picture! I didn't even know you checked this out :-)

Hope this shout-out makes you smile....I can hear your laugh!!! I'll add a picture of you and I from back in the day soon! TAKE CARE ;-)

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

2008-10-29T17:46:00.003-04:00

I am so excited that WAHS is finally having parent-teacher conferences! I've said since I arrived here 12 years ago, "why don't we meet with parents when teenagers are the ones who need the MOST guidance?"!

If you want to meet with me, please call or e-mail me to set up an appointment. You're also welcome to "walk-in" and try to meet with teachers. Remember though, that many of us see over 100 students a day so it's quite possible that if you don't schedule a time, we may be booked and busy with other parents. PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS THIS IS OUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT CONFERENCES...LEAVE TEACHERS A MESSAGE IF WE'RE BUSY AND I'M CERTAIN YOU'LL HEAR BACK FROM US!

Here's the scoop on conference dates/times:

THURSDAY, NOV. 6:
8:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M. (lunch break 11:00-12:00, dinner break 4:00-5:00)

FRIDAY, NOV. 7:
8:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. (lunch 11:00-12:00)

I know many teachers are willing to be flexible with meeting times that will work best for parents. JUST CONTACT THE TEACHER & SET SOMETHING UP!

I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING MANY PARENTS NEXT WEEK :-)

BROTHERS & SISTERS...

2008-10-29T17:39:00.004-04:00

Did you enjoy yesterday's assembly? I thought the Step Afrika group was very energetic and sent a good message considering all of the performers were college graduates who stressed the importance of teamwork, self-discipline, and community service in all we do throughout life.

GOOD LUCK to our WAHS students who will be opening Step Afrika's show tonight at the Community Arts Center downtown. I won't be able to make it, but know you'll represent us well :-)

END OF THE MARKING PERIOD...

2008-10-29T17:31:00.003-04:00

Where does the time go? I've not blogged in a month and it's already the end of the marking period! We're a quarter of the way through the school year...time flies!

So we've moved through learning all the keys on the keyboard and are doing timings all this week to test speed and accuracy. Do you think you're quicker at typing after 9 weeks of class? I hope so! I see much progress in most of you.

I'll post final class averages for the marking period soon....wonder which class will have the highest average? Prizes for highest average and best attendance! Stay tuned for grades...

OPEN HOUSE IS TUESDAY, OCT. 7!

2008-10-04T17:28:00.007-04:00

Don't forget this Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. is our PTSO's Open House. Students are encouraged to bring their parents (or parents can come alone) to meet teachers & visit classrooms.

Hope to see many of you! Let's see if your parents can type with the keys covered :-) Wonder how fast they type?

COME VISIT US!!!

SPIRIT WEEK!!!

2008-10-04T16:50:00.009-04:00

What a great week at school! Each day we had a different theme that many students and staff seemed to enjoy participating in. Mr. Holloway, red house secretary, and I dressed in matching colors on Thursday, even though Monday was "twin day"...and we didn't even plan it!

Thursday night we had the first bonfire in my 12 years at WAHS! I was surprised at how many students, parents, and teachers turned out. What an awesome celebration of school spirit. How about Mazz jumping on Mr. Weaver's shoulders to lead the crowd in "Let's go Millionaires....burn Comets burn"!!! So good to see so many of you taking pride in our great school!

Friday's pep rally was one to remember. For the first time, our pep rally took place in the auditorium. The sound quality was much better in the auditorium. The band sounded great! The cheerleaders are looking superb and all of the sports teams represent us well. Could you believe Mr. Elliott dancing in the sumo wrestler outfit? And wasn't he surprised when Mr. Choate came out to wrestle him instead of Mrs. Fox??? Great laughs!

Friday night's football game was icing on the cake with our second win of the season! The team is starting to come together and work as a unit...NICE VICTORY GUYS!

GREAT JOB MILLIONAIRES ON THIS WEEK'S SCHOOL SPIRIT!

EAGLES...BIG "D"

2008-09-22T09:59:00.004-04:00

How about that Eagles' defense? Hoping our offense comes around and that Westbrook isn't injured too bad. Watched the game with some friends yesterday and loved winning even more since my friend Tommy is a big Steelers fan! Winning is always more fun when you can rub it in a bit :)

I believe that "W" was for my friend Bryan! GET WELL SOON BUDDY :)

LAST WEEK AT SHEA STADIUM...

2008-09-22T09:55:00.004-04:00

Well the Mets are once again giving me a stroke in September! I'm hoping that they'll keep it together this week for their last regular season games at Shea. We've got 7 games left of regular season and are currently one and a half games out of first place. GO METS...LOSE PHILLIES :) I'm sure it'll be a stressed filled October for me!

Horticulture @ WAHS

2008-09-22T09:28:00.003-04:00

Mrs. Carman-Harris always amazes me with how much work and dedication she puts into her Horticulture program at our school. She not only teaches great info to students about landscaping, floral design, greenhouse management and the environment, but she also stresses the importance of a strong work ethic. Believe me, she practices what she preaches!

Here's a picture of a few of our Horticulture students at a community function in Newberry on Saturday, Sept. 13. WAY TO REPRESENT 'PORT HORT :)

CLASS MOTTOS

2008-09-10T17:09:00.005-04:00

Each of my classes were given an assignment: using squares or rectangles, each student was to record some information, making predictions about their future lives. Then, upon finishing, the class as a whole was to use the squares or rectangles to create a symbol that represented their class and come up with a "class motto". I must say, each time I do this activity the students seem to get more and more creative! GREAT JOB EVERYONE ON THIS PROJECT & THANKS FOR A GREAT START TO THIS SCHOOL YEAR!!!

PERIOD 1: "SNAKE...BECAUSE WE SLITHER OUR WAY TO SUCCESS!"

PERIOD 2: "PEACE...BECAUSE WE PASS PEACE ON TO OTHERS!"

PERIOD 3: "LOLLIPOP...BECAUSE WE'RE POPPIN'!"

PERIOD 4: "LETTER B...BECAUSE WE'RE THE BOSSES OF ALL BOSSES!"

PERIOD 6: "BOMB...BECAUSE WE ARE DA'BOMB!"

PERIOD 7: "EYES...BECAUSE WE ARE FACING OUR FUTURES!"

The rest of weekend sports...

2008-09-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

The rest of the weekend in sports was up and down:

WE ARE...PENN STATE: Penn State looked pretty darn good Saturday. Joe Pa has to be happy! TN didn't play this weekend! WVU (West VA) lost to Eastern Carolina...how did that happen?

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!: WOW! Did they look good today or what? I watched the first quarter and then had to get outside to enjoy the beautiful day...but popped back in every now and again to check them out. What I saw made me hopeful for a great season!

METS: UGHHHH....being a Mets fan IS NOT easy..especially in September :-) But faithful we are! The Mets lost the first 2 of 3 games to the Phillies this weekend. As of right now, we're up by 1 in the 3rd inning...but will we hold the lead? WHO KNOWS! If we get swept by the Phillies, we will be tied with them for first place and Mr. Abels won't let me live it down! WA-HOOO...Delgado just slammed a homerun...we're up by 2 now :-) See me in the morning for the outcome!

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

2008-09-07T20:45:00.006-04:00

Even though we lost Friday night, nothing beats Friday night football (except maybe baseball in October...more on that later)! I enjoyed seeing many of you at the game, on and off the field. Our new scoreboard looks great doesn't it? The sunset view from our stadium always mesmerizes me! As always, the band had a great pre-game show and the cheerleaders looked good pumping up our fans, who were looking full of 'PORT PRIDE....who says our school spirit isn't alive and well? As for the football team...KEEP TRYING GUYS! You can't let one game get you down...and remember to hold your heads high and play with integrity :-) A few photos from the game:

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!

2008-08-21T21:50:00.013-04:00

Hey everyone! I hope your summer was tons of fun and that you're ready for a good school year. I'VE MISSED YOU!!!

ANTIOCH PICNIC
I did see some of you at Antioch Church's annual block party a few weeks ago. A group of CTE teachers decided to get together and help out. What a super event to get neighbors outside & mingling! I hope to make it every year. Here are a few pictures of the event:

IT'S A BOY!!!
I welcomed a new nephew into the world on Aug. 9! HOW EXCITING! Patrick William seems happy & healthy, as is his "big" sister, Maddy. I'm enjoying spoiling both of them :) Check out their first meeting in the hospital...IT IS TOO CUTE:

ROCKY TOP
I spent a great deal of time visiting my cousin and her family/friends in Knoxville, TN throughout the summer. In fact, I was there so much that I've still got my "southern" slang Y'ALL :) I really feel that city is my "second home" and thank all of my new friends there for their hospitality (and as always, I valued my time with my family there)! I got to see my god-daughter in her new classroom...YES...they started school already, on Aug. 11th to be exact! Here's Heather walking in to school & at her second grade seat in Mrs. Tipton's class (A.L. Lotts Elementary, Knoxville, TN):

LITTLE LEAGUE, METS, SMOKIES
I arrived back in Williamsport Monday night and was able to catch a Little League game on Tuesday (Japan vs. Latin America...GREAT GAME). It is always such a great event for our community and the world...teaching us that you can have many differences and not even speak the same language, yet appreciate each other and a game that teaches so much more than just baseball! I LOVE BASEBALL!

Speaking of baseball....have you seen my Mets??? I hate to say it and jinx us, but they're looking PRETTY GOOD! While I've not seen them play (except on TV) since the end of May, Heather and I took in a minor league game of the Tennessee Smokies in July...it was her first baseball game, she loved it, and even knows "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" already! Check out these all-star players we saw there:

HURRY BACK...
Well, today was your teachers' official first day back at school! While summer vacation is great and appreciated, it's always cool to come back and see everyone. We're working hard to make this year a good one....all we need is you :) So get back here & tell me all your summer stories. STOP IN & SEE ME....STILL IN G202! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR SMILING FACES NEXT WEDNESDAY (FRESHMEN ONLY TUESDAY).

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

2008-06-10T21:35:00.007-04:00

What a quick year huh? I can't believe it's over! Today was the first day of summer vacation for us...what did you do? Please keep in touch over the summer and let me know what you're doing!

I plan on getting things done around my place that I put off during the school year, visiting family & friends, soaking up the sun, and of course....RELAXING!

Hoping all of you have a great summer...check back in...I may post every once in a while to let you know what I'm up to!

Here are a few pics from our end-of-the-year fun:

KEYBOARDING TRIVIA

HANGING OUT

CONGRATS & GOOD LUCK JORDAN & ALL OF OUR GRADUATES!!!

CTE Expo @ The Center

2008-04-26T13:23:00.007-04:00

Our CTE (Career & Technical Education) teachers were at the Center downtown last night from 5:00-7:00. We held a career expo to expose the community to all of the great things we teach at our high school in Career and Technical Education. Guests had the opportunity to eat dinner and participate in a raffle for fabulous prizes. There was a great turnout and I think people were enlightened by all that we teach. YOU ARE LUCKY TO BE A MILLIONAIRE & HAVE THESE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AT YOUR SCHOOL...TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM AND SCHEDULE A CTE CLASS FOR NEXT YEAR!

Every Wednesday (April 30-May 28) we will hold mini-workshops from 5:00-7:00 at the Center for anyone to come and learn a skill. THESE WORKSHOPS ARE FREE TO ANYONE LIVING IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT...NO NEED TO SIGN UP IN ADVANCE! Workshops include: Printing/Graphics & Construction Trades (April 30), Computer Skills & Welding/Manufacturing (May 7), Foods & Child Care (May 14), Auto Care & Horticulture (May 21), Health Care (May 28).

Here are a few pictures from the event:

SCHOOL RALLY...

2008-03-31T16:34:00.008-04:00

Were you at the school rally last Friday? It was not only intended to pump up our juniors, but to also tell ALL of our students that we believe in you!

Many times we get busy teaching and are so focused on getting you to learn that we forget to tell you we believe in you. Plus, students often mistake their teachers' "demands" and "pushiness" as us being upset with you or not liking you...when in fact, we're just trying to get our students to realize the potential we see in them.

The most frustrating part of being a teacher for me is to see students waste the potential they have to do great things and "settle" for less than the best just because they don't want to push themselves to be all they can be. Hopefully, over the last couple of weeks we have reached you in some way to let you know that we are here for you, our students, and that we want you to be the very best you can be at everything....classwork, tests, sports, competitions, and yes PSSA tests! After all, you know what my friend Chad Foster says...."never let anyone tell you that your best isn't good enough"....but you also know my follow-up "BE SURE TO BE YOUR VERY BEST & THEN THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH!"

WAHS TEACHERS ROCK IT FOR THEIR STUDENTS:

check out our Rally dance on YouTube (YIKES....luckily, you only see my "moves" for a split second!):

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

2008-02-18T08:34:00.010-05:00

I visited New York City over the weekend. I just LOVE that place...and not just because of my beloved Mets! I don't know why I don't go more often...it's only a little over 3 hours from here.

SPRING FEVER...

I thought I died and went to heaven in the Mets Clubhouse shop! The others left me behind as I just couldn't tear myself away :)

SHOP, SHOP, SHOP...

'Til we drop, drop, drop...and that's what we did :)

SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY...

Nothing beats seeing the Statue of Liberty to remind us how lucky we are to live in the U.S.A.!

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING...

Speaking of the red, white, and blue...the view from here is amazing...especially at night!

CENTRAL PARK...

Have to do a carriage ride thru it!

SUBWAY OR CAB...

Heather prefers hailing a cab!

BRRRR...

I'd prefer visiting in warmer weather...but wouldn't trade this past weekend for anything! Seeing things with my god-daughter, Heather, who visited the city for her first time was priceless. I think she fell in love with the city and just may become a Mets fan too :)

Congrats Giants' Fans!

2008-02-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

Congratulations go out to the 2008 Superbowl champs, The New York Giants, and their fans. My cousin Timmy is a huge Giants fan and won 2 bets we made on Eagles/Giants games this season. I am happy for him but am officially done cheering for them, as my sights are now set big for next season...when my Eagles will reign :) (I hope!)

SECOND SEMESTER STUDENTS

2008-01-27T21:03:00.000-05:00

Well we've started semester 2 and all appears to be going well. My new students seem very attentive and are eager to get started after a week of reviewing rules and classroom expectations. We did manage to create class "symbols" in our short week last week. Each student received a square and had to put their name on it along with various pieces of information about their future dreams (car, house, career, salary, reasons for loving that career, marital status, children, college info, etc.).
Check out the cool designs:

PERIOD 1 ("#1" because we're period 1 and number 1!)

PERIOD 2 ("WE'RE #1" because we have an exclamation point!)

PERIOD 4 ("MONEY" because it makes the world go around!)

PERIOD 5 ("CIRCLE" because we're the center of attention!)

PERIOD 7 ("SEVEN" because we're lucky period 7!)

NICE WORK EVERYONE! I am looking forward to a great semester full of fun learning and getting to know each of you!

We're Halfway There!

2008-01-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

Semester 1 officially ended Friday. 94% of you passed Keyboarding & Careers and earned 1/2 credit towards graduation :-) We celebrated having a successful first semester by playing some fun games.

THANK YOU to all of my first semester students...you worked hard, respected my rules, and made teaching fun for me. I WILL MISS YOU...please stop in to see me and let me know how you're doing! And remember to BEHAVE...life is tough enough when you're on the right path not to mention how hard it is to turn yourself around to get off of a bad path. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR DESTINY...I BELIEVE EACH OF YOU HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE & LIVE AN AWESOME LIFE...GO FOR IT!!!

BEAR, SALMON, MOSQUITO: this was kind of like paper, rock, scissors....with a twist! Students find a partner, stand back to back, and on the count of three turn around and pretend to be a bear, salmon, or mosquito. They must move/sound like the animal in order to win. Bear eats salmon, salmon eats mosquito, and mosquito has malaria so when it stings the bear, the bear dies! Oh what fun this one was...

FACE OFF: find a partner, stand back to back, on the count of three turn to face each other. The first person to laugh, smile, or talk loses! We had to try this one a few times before people could get their "game faces" on...everyone kept laughing at first, but once they got serious some people lasted a long time!

KNOTS: We did this one boys versus girls. Stand in a circle, grasp hands with people around the circle, then try to "untangle" without letting go. Students were "all tied up" with this one....and the boys untangled the best!

"I Need A Vacation From My Vacation!"

2007-12-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard that saying? Whew...it's been a busy week! One of you dropped me a comment asking how my vacation is going so I thought I'd update you:

I've been up in the northern tier (Blossburg/Mansfield) for most of the week. Celebrated my niece's 1st birthday on the 23rd with a big bash...of course, she didn't have a clue what was going on!

Came back to Williamsport that night and then headed back up there the next day for Christmas Eve. Went to church and then had a big dinner with the family. Opened presents Christmas morning (I'm going to need one of you to show me how to load songs on my new MP3 player because I just can't seem to figure it out!), had brunch at my brother's while watching the niece open even more presents (their house looked like Toys-r-us!), and then my cousins and god-daughter Heather were up to exchange presents. Heather found out that the big present I had previously put on the blog was a leopard print bean bag chair! Christmas night I slept at my brother's so he and his wife could get a full night's rest...I had baby duty...she did pretty good, just up a few times during the night.

I came back to Williamsport Wednesday afternoon just to catch my breath and check on Joey, the super cat :-) My cousin and her husband picked me up an hour after I got home and we went to the movies to see National Treasure...pretty good/action packed. Then we went to the mall, where I bumped into a few of you, and Wegmans before I finally got home for the night.

I went back up to the northern tier Thursday for a girls' day of shopping at the Arnot Mall in Horseheads, NY and eating out at our favorite spot up there, "Bernie Murray's"! Then visited with my great aunt until bedtime.

Friday morning I visited Ms. Carman, our horticulture teacher, who lives close to my parents. She and her fiance are building their house themselves and are doing a great job! Then I met the family for an afternoon of bowling. I tied my 6 year old god-daughter with a score of 87 on the first game and barely scored over 100 on the second game...but it was fun! Yes, we're all wearing the same shirts...it's a long story...ask me about it in school and I'll give you the scoop.

Met some friends for dinner and then came back to Williamsport Friday night. I need a day of lounging around my house and today just may be the day :-)

Hope you are enjoying your break as much as I am. TELL ME HOW YOUR BREAK IS GOING AND IF YOU GOT ANY COOL GIFTS (please put your name in there so I know who's commenting)!!

Advice From WAHS Grads

2007-12-19T16:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks goes out to two of my former students, Naja Thompson and Kirsten Schuyler, who came in today and discussed college life with our Keyboarding & Careers classes. We've been busy researching careers and college options over the past week and felt that hearing from some current college students might be beneficial to our freshmen. Naja & Kirsten did a great job explaining their majors, college life, and more importantly what our high school freshmen need to be doing now and throughout high school to be prepared for their futures.

What I was most proud to hear was that they both felt Williamsport Area High School prepared them very well for the demands of college. They both said that they've seen other college students struggle because they didn't get the level of education that students at our school receive. THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR US! Many times we, as your teachers, don't hear from our students again once they graduate so we never know if what we do every day makes a difference or not. It's very rewarding when we do hear positive feedback from our graduates or hear that they are doing great things with their lives and for our society.

I couldn't be more proud of these two Millionaire alums. They are set to graduate this spring and you can bet I'll be happy to be there cheering them on as they cross the stage to get their college diplomas. GOOD LUCK to Kirsten as she begins student teaching at Cochran in January and to Naja who will finish up her studies in Communications! THANK YOU LADIES FOR VISITING & SHARING YOUR ADVICE....YOU ARE FINE EXAMPLES OF THE GREAT THINGS WAHS CAN DO FOR THOSE WILLING TO BE ALL THEY CAN BE :-)

Door Decorating Contest

2007-12-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Freshman ELO's were encouraged to decorate their ELO doors in a holiday/winter theme over the past week. The doors were judged today and the winning ELO will be announced tomorrow. I'm hoping my ELO students won (I think they should...AWESOME JOB GUYS/GALS!) because winners get a pizza party on Thursday. GO G202!

Mrs. Baier had a tough time keeping the paper on her door, but I let her borrow my duct tape and then all was well! Her students did a nice job too!

A few other doors that I managed to get pictures of included:
Mrs. Dincher's
Mr. Weaver's
Mrs. Butler's
Miss Saxon's

GREAT JOB EVERYONE....many ELO's participated & your "spirit" is to be commended :-)

It's snowing in Tennessee!

2007-12-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

My God-daughter Heather called this morning from TN so excited she could barely form a sentence. She HAD to tell me that it was snowing there. It was great to hear her excitement...made me not want to be miserable with today's weather here. They don't get a lot of snow and this is the first they've seen a flake this season. She was outside with her snowsuit and boots on with a bucket trying to catch all the snow she could! My cousin said it was only flurrying....however, life according to Heather is a winter wonderland in TN! Can't wait to see them...one week from today they'll be here to celebrate Christmas and I'm sure Heather will insist on building a snowman and sledding if we've still got snow :-) In that case, I don't mind being cold and wet from the snow.

HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY CELEBRATE THE SEASON?

SNOW DAYS!

2007-12-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

Don't like them for 2 reasons: (1) we end up losing a scheduled day off where I can actually plan to do something or go somewhere, and (2) I'm stuck shoveling snow and not doing anything else. I HATE BEING COLD!

That being said, last Thursday's day off was ok because I got all of my Christmas cards written and presents wrapped. I really hope we don't have any snow days this week. We have a lot to get done before leaving for break! One thing I've told myself over and over again though is that we can't control the weather so it is what it is :-) What do you do on snow days?

And the trend continues...

2007-12-02T22:11:00.000-05:00

I truly think I'm doomed in sports this year...don't feel bad if you don't see me at any of your sporting events cheering you on...I don't want to jinx you!!!

Did you watch any football this weekend? Lots of upsets in college football on Saturday. I watched Boston College, Tennessee, & West Virginia all lose...what a shame :-(
Then, of course, the Eagles couldn't get a victory today! I'm speechless...and winless this weekend!!!

'Tis the Season

2007-12-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

The tree is finally lit and decorated...now all I have to do is finish my shopping...that'll have to wait until next weekend!
FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA :)

I did manage to wrap some presents today. My 6 year old God-daughter, who lives in TN, called tonight as I was wrapping her gift...I told her it was HUGE and of course, she's desperate to know what I got her. It's a good thing she only has 23 days to wait! Here's a picture of it in front of my tree...she won't sleep if she sees this picture (notice Joey the supercat napping on the sofa!):

Which reminds me....last weekend I tried getting a nice picture of my soon-to-be one year old niece Madeline in front of my parent's tree for a sentimental gift for my brother and his wife. Although I did get a couple of good pics, Miss Maddy seems to have a mind of her own and didn't really want to pose...check out this shot:

ARE YOU READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS? Drop me a comment and let me know what your family traditions are.

Good Test Scores!

2007-12-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Nice work on your second test! Here are the results, by class:

Period 1 = 91.6%
Period 2 = 91.6%
Period 4 = 86.0%
Period 5 = 90.4%
Period 7 = 90.7%

A Great Break!

2007-11-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

Seems hard to believe it's time to return to school tomorrow...yet, I'm grateful for the time off! My break from school was fun, relaxing, and jam packed. WHAT DID YOU DO OVER VACATION?

Thanksgiving day I went to my parents' house for dinner--it's always good to "go home". My 11-month old niece Maddy ate more than I ever knew a little body like that could hold :)

My mom and I braved the "Black Friday crowd"...or so we thought we would! When we got to the mall, we just kept on driving...didn't even try to find a parking spot...I mean really, WHERE DO ALL THOSE PEOPLE COME FROM? We hit some smaller stores around town and did just fine.

Saturday I did some shopping on my own and met up with my best friend from high school and her family. Her dad, my high school basketball coach, was there so I got the low down on this year's North Penn girls' basketball team....GOOD LUCK LADY PANTHERS!

I tried to get the lights on the Christmas tree on Sunday (still working on that task). DID ANYBODY ELSE GET A LITTLE EXCITED WHEN THE EAGLES ALMOST BEAT THE UNDEFEATED PATRIOTS...wow that game peaked my interest yet again in the BIRDS!

This morning I got up early and went back to Blossburg to hang out with my niece while my brother and dad got in some hunting. Unfortunately, all they got was WET...it was a rough opening day for hunters! I headed home in the late afternoon to tackle some more lights on the tree...still not done...should've bought a pre-lit tree! Kinda reminds me of Chevy Chase's movie...it's a must see this time of year and was the only thing I was laughing at while tangled up in lights and tree branches!

Now it's time to rest up for tomorrow's big day back to school! I always feel I need a vacation from my vacation. LET'S GET A LOT DONE IN THE NEXT MONTH BEFORE OUR NEXT BIG BREAK...this is the time of year when some students slip a little on their grades because of all the vacations so stay on top of things and work hard over the next month...then you can truly enjoy the holidays and not worry about school! PROGRESS REPORTS WILL BE OUT IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS...what will yours look like?

"Gobble Gobble..."

2007-11-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

“When we are grateful for the good we already have, we attract more good into our life. On the other hand, when we are ungrateful, we tend to shut ourselves off from the good we might otherwise experience.” ~Margaret Stortz

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I wish each of you an awesome vacation full of good times with family & friends. Remember to give thanks for all that you have, tell those you love that you are grateful to have them in your life, stuff your belly with good food, watch some football, go out shopping on "Black Friday" if you dare, and enjoy yourselves.

GOOD LUCK TO THE HUNTERS...bring me a picture of your trophy buck!

I'll see you back in school on Tuesday, November 27....rest up for 3-minute timings and a test on the keys when you return :)

Sorry for your loss Mr. Zangara!

2007-11-19T17:38:00.001-05:00

The agony continues for my pal Mr. Z (principal at Curtin). The Eagles beat his winless Dolphins yesterday...I should have bet him! It's ok Mr. Z...the Eagles aren't looking too great either :)

Veteran's Day

2007-11-06T16:40:00.000-05:00

DON'T FORGET TO THANK A VETERAN OVER THE WEEKEND....Sunday, November 11 is Veteran's Day! Those who have served, and/or continue to serve, to protect our country and help defend others deserve our gratitude for their courage....regardless of our individual viewpoints on wars. There are 3 great men in my life whom I will mention briefly here in honor of this day:

(1) MY DAD - My dad is a Vietnam Veteran. If you know any veterans, most of them don't necessarily like to talk about their experiences with war and violence. My dad is one of them! He did, however, manage to instill in my brother and I a sense of pride in our great country and respect for our veterans. We've had some great 4th of July parties celebrating the red, white, and blue! Sure, we have our problems in the United States...but, WOW...we also have so many opportunities....opportunities that many people would and have died for! My dad is actively involved with my hometown VFW and American Legion posts so when I go home, I often get to see many veterans at these places and events they hold.

(2) GRANDPA STACHOWSKI - I have the flag that draped his casket at his military funeral 12 years ago...it reminds me daily of the courage he showed to earn a bravery medal during World War II (something he rarely discussed or showed to anyone).

(3) UNCLE ALFRED - I am also blessed to have been given my Great Uncle Alfred's Army ring by his wife upon his death a few years ago. Each day when I open my jewelry box, I see his ring in there (it's like a class ring). It reminds me of his career in the Army and the many years of his life he dedicated to working for his country.

I have many other family members and some friends, as well as former students, who have served or are currently serving our country. I have always tried to support them...just hearing someone say "THANKS" means a lot to them! My dad's card will be in the mail Friday...what are you doing to show your gratitude to a veteran?

Mini-vacation

2007-11-06T16:11:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to check in as I promised...Penn State is fun! I'm learning a lot of good stuff at this conference to bring back to you. I've been in touch through e-mail and have heard the majority of you are working hard and behaving for the substitute...THANK YOU! Those who aren't...we'll talk when I return!

Hope you enjoy your upcoming 4 days off...don't forget you're not in school on Thursday and Friday this week! Seeing as though I haven't been in school yesterday or today and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, you all should be missing me terribly by the time we meet again next Monday, November 12 :) Drop me a comment and let me know how things are going!

AWESOME FIRST MARKING PERIOD!!!

2007-10-31T18:28:00.000-04:00

I'm so proud of the hard work you've put in to earn great grades for me this marking period. It's been fun working with all freshmen this year. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive about not having any upperclassmen this year just because in the past 10 years it's been nice to work with freshmen part of the day and upperclassmen the other part. However, it's been very nice being in one classroom throughout the day as opposed to three and the way we've re-designed Keyboarding & Careers has proved extremely worthwhile as the grades for this marking period reflect.

Out of 88 students, 79 passed with a C average or better! AWESOME JOB STUDENTS :) Here's the breakdown:
A's = 26
B's = 32
C's = 21
D's = 6
F's = 3

Averages for each class:
Period 1 = 90.1%
Period 2 = 86.8%
Period 4 = 88.6%
Period 5 = 83.2%
Period 7 = 88.3%

I HOPE YOU DID THIS WELL IN ALL OF YOUR CLASSES...I'LL BE ASKING YOU ABOUT THE OTHER GRADES ON YOUR REPORT CARDS ONCE THEY'RE DISTRIBUTED!!!

Congrats Bo-Sox Fans!

2007-10-29T11:35:00.000-04:00

Boston swept the World Series! Congratulations to all their fans, including my good friend Trace....he's a die-hard :) Watch out for my Mets next year!

Hmmmmm......

2007-10-28T21:21:00.000-04:00

They won! Wonder if I should stop watching???

Eagles Experiment

2007-10-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

OK...it's Sunday morning and the Eagles play at 1:00 today. I'm going to experiment here...let's see if it works! My mom is coming to visit today, so we'll be headed out for some shopping and eating out. Therefore, I'll not be tuning in to today's game. Let's see if it's me jinxing my teams this year...if I don't watch, cheer, and stress out, will the Eagles win???

Ugly Teacher Contest

2007-10-22T19:24:00.000-04:00

Our Interact Club is sponsoring an Ugly Teacher Contest this week and boy do we have some ugly ones! I wish I could be creative enough to join in on the fun, but I can barely crawl out of bed and arrive to school on time in the morning. So I'll play the role of photographer and will try to add some more pictures throughout the week of our UGLY TEACHERS! Did you recognize Mr. Speight a.k.a. "Lil Jon" in the picture above? I think his gold teeth need some dental attention :)

OH MY....the close up is scary:

New Teacher?

2007-10-22T19:05:00.000-04:00

My cousin Carolyn and her daughter Heather are visiting from Tennessee. Schools there are closed this week for Fall break....how nice would that be? They stopped in after school today on the way to their family's home in Mansfield. Heather, like all of you, just LOVED my cool chair...check her out "playing teacher" in our classroom!

Un"bear"able...

2007-10-21T21:41:00.000-04:00

The Eagles are killing me! It is clearly not a good year for my sports teams. Today's game didn't look great, but I was excited with under 2 minutes to go that we'd get a win out of it....or so I thought! Our defense let the Bears go 97 yards quickly and score a touchdown with 9 seconds remaining---GIVING Chicago a 19-16 win. UGHHHHHHHHHHH....what more can I say?!?

"STRAWS? What are we doing with straws?"

2007-10-18T20:06:00.000-04:00

That was the question of the day as students entered class and read the chalkboard for the day's game plan. After giving a test of what keys we've learned so far this year, Mrs. Getz and I decided to put in a little teambuilding activity.

Each student was given a straw and then in groups, they formed circles and held the straws around their circle by fingertips. Then, without talking, they had to perform various movements without dropping any straws. I have to say students, you did better than I thought you would! It was a lot of fun to see how students communicated to each other without talking to keep their team in the game. Circles moved left, right, forward, backwards, down on one knee, all the way sitting down, hopping, eyes closed....ALL WITHOUT DROPPING THEIR STRAWS AND NO TALKING! Well...at least for a little while the straws didn't drop!

Most impressive was at the end of the activity, students discussed the adjustments they realized their team had to make in order to overcome problems they encountered and they found ways to work better together. What an excellent life lesson....GOOD JOB TEAMS!

Watch Your TECHNIQUE!

2007-10-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

Technique grades are out! Most of you are doing a great job (see pictures below of a few students caught in good technique form). A few of you aren't happy and have asked me to re-grade your technique, which I'm happy to do after reading what you intend to improve. I'll be re-grading technique between now and the end of the month for those of you that requested me to watch you again so please REMEMBER...sit up straight, feet flat on the floor, fingers on home row, eyes on copy, wrists parallel to the keyboard, elbows relaxed at your sides, and practice good ethics throughout class! Check out these good techniques...

Progress Reports

2007-10-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

Not much happening on the sports scene for me, the Mets are done and the Eagles had a bye week! Although, my cousin and her 2 sons are attending tonight's Monday night football game in Buffalo so I'll be tuning in to see if I can find them on tv!

Just reminding you that progress reports are out and you should be receiving them in the mail if you haven't already.

PARENTS: if you haven't seen any reports and are wondering how your student is doing, don't hesitate to contact specific teachers or guidance counselors (323-8411). We are more than happy to discuss our students' progress with parents and look forward to hearing from you.

STUDENTS: we have less than 4 weeks to go in the first marking period....19 days to be exact! Get moving and get caught up if you're behind...now's the time to dig in and get yourself off to a good start with your grades for this school year! Talk to your teachers, ask for help, and be willing to put forth the effort....I guarantee good results if you choose to focus on that. HOW ARE YOU DOING IN ALL OF YOUR CLASSES? LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP!

NASCAR #25 Visits WAHS

2007-10-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

Some WAHS students had the opportunity to see a real NASCAR vehicle up close. Mr. Dixon, automotive teacher, arranged for the National Guard to bring Casey Mears' car #25 to our school yesterday. Mrs. Getz and I took our Keyboarding & Careers students who were passing out to see the car. The National Guard gave us some facts about the car (did you know the fuel they use in these cars costs $9.00 per gallon?) and answered any questions students had about the car and/or the National Guard. Everyone jumped, and some people ran, when they started the car up...now I know why people say being at an actual race is LOUD!

The Agony is OVER!!!

2007-09-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

I figured I might as well acknowledge my Mets misery right now before I actually see any of you this week! I wasn't even home from my weekend getaway before the first phone call came from a "friend" harassing me about the Mets being DONE for the year, and I'm sure there's more harassing to come :( It's ok...I can take it...in fact, I'm used to it being a Mets fan! Three points I'll make and then be done: (1) the Mets don't deserve to be in the playoffs the way they've played in the month of September---even though the rest of their season was pretty darn good, (2) my heart thanks them because I won't have the agony of playoff stress, and (3) THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR...a favorite saying of a diehard Mets fan!
P.S. Baseball is not over for me until the World Series ends. I will now root for the Phillies and whoever is playing the Yankees...of course wearing my Mets shirt and actually RELAXING on the sofa :)

Morgantown, WV

2007-09-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

3 of you guessed it...Nik, Sabrina, and Alex---I owe you!
I spent my weekend in Morgantown, WV home of West Virginia University! My mom, aunt, and I meet my cousin, Carolyn, and her 6 year old daughter, Heather, twice a year in Morgantown. Carolyn and her husband, Rob, are graduates of WVU and lived there for many years, before moving to Knoxville, TN so Morgantown is now a middle point for us to meet for what we call "girls' weekends"! Check out the crazy wigs we discovered in a WVU bookstore:

I Gotta Get Out of Here!

2007-09-28T08:21:00.001-04:00

WOW! The Mets are looking PATHETIC. This week seems to have tired me out and I'm leaving town this weekend to revive myself. Try to guess what town I'll be in by the hints below. Post your guesses and I'll give the winners a souvenir from there on Monday :) Have a good weekend and don't forget NEXT WEEK IS SPIRIT WEEK!!! Monday-black & white day, Tuesday-Hawaiian day, Wednesday-mix & match, Thursday-sports team, Friday-cherry (red) & white...pep rally!

HINTS FOR MY WEEKEND LOCATION:
1 - south of Pennsylvania
2 - the town has a big university (school colors = blue & gold, mascot = mountaineers)
3 - John Denver sang "Take Me Home Country Roads"

Guess My Career!

2007-09-26T17:38:00.000-04:00

Today, with the help of our career counselor Mrs. Becker, my students competed against Mrs. Getz's students in a game we call "Guess My Career". A student from one side would pick a card and on that card would be the title of a career, gross monthly salary, description, education and skills needed, etc. The student could then choose whether to act it out like charades or draw it like Pictionary and their classmates had to try to guess that career. Afterwards, the student had to choose three facts that were listed on the card about that career and tell the rest of the class so that we could become more knowledgeable about a variety of careers. Like the Mets these days, I'm sad to report that my classes suffered the most defeats and Mrs. Getz came away with the overall best record for the day. THAT'S OK....WE'LL GET 'EM NEXT TIME GUYS!

Why We Love Chad Foster...

2007-09-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

Logan from 1st period: "I like Chad's book TEENAGERS PREPARING FOR THE REAL WORLD because it gives out great advice for my future and he tells it in a really cool way."

Miss Youmans: "I met Chad Foster this summer at a conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. I've used his book TEENAGERS PREPARING FOR THE REAL WORLD in the past with juniors and now with our freshmen. As a teacher, I enjoy reading and discussing the book with students because they seem to 'get' what he's saying. Chad Foster's honesty and straightforward ability to connect to young people is what I admire most about his work!"

E-A-G-L-E-S --- EAGLES!

2007-09-23T15:16:00.000-04:00

Today, the Eagles lowered my blood pressure by crushing the Lions 56-21! FINALLY...they started looking like the Eagles I know and love :) with the exception of their uniforms, that is! I couldn't find them on tv at game time because they were wearing blue and yellow throwback uniforms from 75 years ago...sure was weird cheering for the team in blue and yellow...but hey, they played better this week in those colors than they have the past 2 weeks wearing green! I vote for them keeping the new uniforms if this is how they'll play. Here's Jevon Kearse & David Akers sporting the colors:

GO METS!

2007-09-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Friday night the Mets won after a lengthy rain delay. Saturday, they were on tv playing in Florida at 4:00, so of course, I was glued to the sofa cheering for them to get back on track. They looked pretty good and came away with another win. Sunday they weakened my heart yet again by going extra innings...but they won 7-6 in the 11th inning! WHEW! So that makes 3 in a row for my Mets (I hate to even say it and jinx them)....they are now 2.5 games ahead of the Phillies with 7 more games before playoffs. We'll see what this week brings.

Check out my niece Maddy "coaching" Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca and then posing with Mets manager Willie Randolph and me last weekend when they were in a slump and not playing well! Maddy seems to have blue and orange running through her blood...the Mets seem to be the one thing on tv that she can't take her eyes off! Can't say I blame her :)

High School Football

2007-09-23T10:58:00.000-04:00

Well it started out Friday night with my alma mater, North Penn High School in Blossburg, losing big time for the second week in a row. The Panthers have been really good the past few years, so it's tough to accept defeat there....especially in our small town where school activities are the heart and soul of the community. I'm sure they'll bounce back!

I didn't make it up to our high school game because the Mets game didn't end until after 7:00...but I did listen for a bit on the radio. I have to believe that only good things are destined for Millionaire football...KEEP THE FAITH BOYS AND DON'T GIVE UP! I haven't had many of these young men in class since they were freshmen, but I enjoy seeing and chatting with them in the hallway. While they may not be "winning" as far as victories go, they are respectful and looking sharp, dressed up wearing ties on game days. While watching the replay of the game Sunday morning on tv I was so impressed and proud when I saw some of our players after the game congratulating the opposing coach (Coach Curry got his 400th victory against us in this game). THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! You have proven that it's not just about putting up numbers on a scoreboard. Rather, sports teach our students how to work together, be a contributing member, and respect the game. While winning is nice, it truly isn't everything and if that's not a life lesson, I don't know what is!

WHAT'S GOING ON???

2007-09-19T08:39:00.000-04:00

Many of you have poked fun at my 2 favorite teams the past couple of days....can't say that I blame you. I am beginning to wonder what's happening! The Mets have lost 5 straight and the Phillies are now only 1.5 games from catching up to us...not good heading into playoffs. Then there's the Eagles. The offense is just not looking like they gel these days...not sure what's going on there! I'll end with a favorite Mets quote from their Amazing Year in 1969...."YA GOTTA BELIEVE"!!!

Let's go....

Future Puzzles

2007-09-16T09:32:00.000-04:00

One of the first activities we did in Keyboarding & Careers this year was to create a class puzzle. Each student was given a puzzle piece and had to write on it things about his/her future (career, salary, education needed for that career, why they chose that career, typical work schedule, marital/child status, dream house and car). Together, as a class, they then created a puzzle that best represented their class. The students did a great job and had fun coming up with their class "shape". Mr. Robbins, blue house principal, and Mr. Wentzel, gold house principal, chose their favorite puzzle. Mr. Wentzel liked period four's puzzle "The Diamond" because he said it sent a positive message that the students felt they were "unbreakable". Mr. Robbins, however, liked period five's puzzle "The Puzzle" because the students felt they each had to contribute to the puzzle, thus emphasizing teamwork. GREAT JOB ON THIS ACTIVITY GUYS & GALS....YOU'VE BEEN AWESOME TO WORK WITH SO FAR THIS YEAR :)

Period 1 "The Cannons"

2007-09-16T09:28:00.000-04:00

"We are all cannons because we do cool things."

Period 2 "The Fun Freshmen"

2007-09-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

"We put the fresh in freshmen."