1. education
2. school

INSIDER
January - March 2015 Newsletter
Lower Moreland Township
School District Newsletter
Dr. Marykay Feeley
Superintendent of Schools
T
H
E
Courage doesn’t always roar; sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, I’ll try again tomorrow.
Students Place at Montgomery County
READ ACROSS AMERICA
Pine Road School celebrated Read Across America
on March 2nd. NEA’s Read Across America is an
annual reading motivation and awareness program
that calls for every child in every community to
celebrate reading on this date, the birthday of
beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. The day began
with an assembly at which students and staff showed
off their Dr. Seuss-inspired attire. Each grade level
had special activities planned, such as writing book
reviews of Dr. Seuss’ books. The cafeteria also got
into the fun by serving a special birthday lunch of
Green Eggs and Ham and the lobby and cafeteria
were decorated to celebrate the day!
Read Across America also provides NEA members,
parents, caregivers, and children the resources and
activities they need to keep reading on the calendar
year-round. Read Across America’s purpose is
motivating children to read which is an important
factor in student achievement and creating lifelong
successful readers. Research has shown that
children who are motivated and spend more time
reading do better in school.
In May 1997, a small reading task force at NEA
came up with the big idea to create a day to celebrate
reading and get kids excited about reading. It was
called “NEA’s Read Across America” and we’ll
celebrate it on Dr. Seuss’s birthday.” And so was
born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of
reading this country has ever seen.
Page 2
MA Spelling Bee
An App for that
PA and TX Connect
Page 3
Page 4
Prisms of Light
Choir at Temple U
Multi-Cultural Night Rowland at Festival
Klinchin wins Gold A Note of Thanks
Jazz Ensemble wins
Science Research Competition
This year’s Montgomery County Science Research Competition (MCSRC)
was held at the Floy Lewis Field House of Ursinus College. The Competition
requires a tri-fold display board, log book and research report. Projects are
divided by grade and then again by category. Four Lower Moreland students
Continued on Page 6
ADDRESSING STUDENTS’ CONCERNS
The decision about
whether to close schools
due to the weather is one
of the toughest decisions
that a Superintendent
can make. In February,
Dr. Marykay Feeley,
Superintendent
of
Schools,
had
the
opportunity to visit the
first grade classroom
of Mrs. Linda Fisher to
speak to her students
about how she makes
this tough decision. The
visit was in response to
a letter writing exercise
Dr. Feeley, Superintendent of Schools, answers the tough questions. that students completed
and sent to the Superintendent. Most of the letters expressed their
disappointment when school was not closed because of snow and “they
couldn’t stay at home to watch movies and eat popcorn.” The classroom
visit brightened up a long and cold winter for the Superintendent and
provided a great learning opportunity for the students.
Page 5
Best for Music
PMEA Songfest
Page 6
Page 7
Chess Team in Check Art Work chosen
Raising Money...
Locks of Love
ON T
1. HE INSID E
Page 8
Making a Splash
Page 9 and 10
Basketball Champs
Blakeman retires
New at Pine Road
In Other News
Lower Moreland Township School District
Murray Avenue S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G B-E-E
Jongwon Yeo and Michelle Nikhinson
Spelling Bee Top Winners
Congratulations to Jongwon Yeo and Michelle Nikhinson for being the runner up and
the winner, respectively, in the Murray Avenue Spelling Bee! Michelle will move on to
represent Murray Avenue School in the Regional Scripps Spelling Bee Competition
held at Norristown High School on Saturday, March 28th.
There’s an
App
Pennsylvania and Texas Classes Connect
for that!
Ashwin Thomas, a 4th Grade student in Mrs.
McGuigan’s homeroom, has developed an
app to provide information about the Lower
Moreland Township School District. The
app has links to each schools’ website and a
copy of the District calendar. The app can be
found at: http://apps.appmakr.com/details.
php?appid=102216148.
Ashwin originally went on the Khan Academy
website to learn about programming. He
knows four program languages including Java,
HTML, SQL, and CSS. He then used a website
called Appmakr to allow him to build the app
for the District. He has developed seven apps
in all, including a Minecraft app, one for his
church, and one for his grandfather’s family.
Many projected jobs are in the fields of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
These skills are as vital as reading and writing.
Ashwin is well on his way.
VIDEO CONFERENCING
On February 23rd, Mrs. Geri Fishman’s 1st grade classroom had a video
conference with a 1st grade class in Oklahoma to celebrate Read Across
America! They have been practicing their fluency skills in class. So
at the video chat they read aloud different parts of the book Wolf! by
Becky Bloom. Mrs. Fishman’s class is pictured above.
Mrs. Rice’s 2nd grade English Language Learners (ELL) class did a video
conference with a 2nd grade ELL class at Mission West Elementary
School in Fort Bend, Texas. The Texas class compared the state capital,
bird, tree, flower, nickname for Texas and Pennsylvania. They then
demonstrated a Texan line dance and the two classes danced together.
Mrs. Rice’s students shared with the Texas class the book they read for
Read Across America and their sandwich book reports. Both classes
had a wonderful experience and they are going to try to connect again
in the Spring.
2.
January - March 2015 Newsletter
“Prisms of Light” as told by the Author
On January 28th, Mrs. Amanda McDowell’s
and Mrs. Jennifer McGuigan’s 4th grade Language Arts classes
welcomed Trudy Klein Gompers, a Holocaust survivor, to their
classes to hear about Mrs. Gompers’ experiences as chronicled
in her book, “Prisms of Light: Reflections of Shattered Glass.”
Three days before Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), her
family boarded a train and left Vienna for London, where they
NIGHT AT PINE ROAD
were treated as enemy aliens after World War II began.
The classes have been reading an historical fiction novel
called “Snow Treasure,” which takes place during the German
occupancy of Norway in 1940. The students have been
discussing the time period to build an understanding of the
events of the past.
Klinchin wins Gold Medal
Mark Klinchin, a Murray Avenue
student, won a Gold Medal in German on
February 24th at the Montgomery County
Association of Teachers of Foreign
Language (MCATFL) Oral Proficiency
Contest.
On March 19, Pine Road School held its 2nd
Annual Multicultural Night. The evening, which
was organized by Principal Mrs. Blakeman and
the school’s Diversity Committee, was designed to
recognize and honor the 29 countries represented
among the students at Pine Road School. It was
even bigger and better than last year, with a food
tasting, cultural fashion show, and singing and
dancing performances. The evening brought
parents, students and staff together for a truly
enjoyable night.
This annual contest provides a forum for
students to measure their oral skills in a
foreign language against students from
other schools in the county. Individual
interviews are conducted by foreign language professionals to determine
which students are most proficient in the second language.
The contest is open to students from MCATFL member schools. Students
must have learned their foreign language in a classroom in the United
States. Students who speak the language as their primary tongue at home
or who have spent more than six consecutive weeks in a country where
the language is spoken are not eligible to compete. Students compete in
French, Spanish, German or Japanese testing five levels.
Congratulations Mark for an exceptional job!
3.
Lower Moreland Township School District
CHOIR performs at
TEMPLE U
LMHS Junior Kayla
Rowland participated in
the PMEA District 11
Chorus Festival held at
Abington High School on
Thursday, January 22nd
and Friday, January 23rd.
On January 14th, the Lower Moreland High School Choir attended
Temple University’s Basketball Game to sing the National Anthem.
Although Temple didn’t get a win, the choir sounded great! To view a
clip of the performance visit: www.lmtsd.org/Public Relations.
A Note of Thanks
January was School Director Recognition Month. The
District took the opportunity to thank our School Board
Members for their many hours of service, all of which is
unpaid. At the January 20th School Board meeting, a video
was shown that was created by each of our schools. In the
video, students thanked the School Board Members for the
things that make our schools so great—like their wonderful
teachers, art and music classes, and their many afterschool
sports and clubs. Featured in the video were the children
and grandchildren of the Board members.
The Board Members were treated to a performance by
the Murray Avenue Jazz Band at the Board meeting. The
students put on a swinging, toe-tapping performance!
The Jazz Ensemble hasn’t missed a Beat!
Wins First Place
On January 31st, the Lower Moreland High School Jazz Ensemble took first place in
Boston at the Berklee High School Jazz Festive. The students placed first out of the 20
jazz ensembles in their division (based on the size of the High School). The winning
ensembles of each of the six divisions then performed one of their selections in the evening
“Winner’s Concert” on the main jazz stage. It was a great night for Lower Moreland!
Please visit: www.lmtsd.org/Public Relations to view a video of the performance.
Then on February 13-16, the Jazz Ensemble traveled to Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival in Rockville Maryland. The students were in
a competition with 12 bands who were selected to perform. This festival did not break up schools by their size or whether they
were performance arts schools, etc. Despite this, the Lower Moreland Jazz Ensemble placed 3rd and also got to perform on the
Main Jazz Stage that evening. Besides the competition, the students attended two days of workshops, masterclasses, clinics, and
concerts with some of the greatest jazz artists living today.
4.
January - March 2015 Newsletter
Lower Moreleand recognized as one of the
BEST COMMUNITIES for Music Education, again...
In March, Lower Moreland Township School District was recognized by the National Association of Music
Merchants (NAMM) Foundation as one of its Best Communities for Music Education. The Best Communities
for Music Education survey acknowledges schools and districts across the United States for their commitment to
and support of music education. NAMM recognized 388 school districts in 46 states. In its 16th year, the program
singles out districts for outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders
who have made music education part of the core curriculum.
Congratulations to Erin Stroup, our lead Music Teacher, as well as our other music teachers: Dr. Sarah Gulish,
Chelsea Dehner, Michelle Lillie, Dave Champion, Hillary Eisenman, and Amanda Handfinger.
PMEA DISTRICT II
Songfest
Congratulations to Erica Duffey, Nicholas Kasander, Michelle Nikhinson, Rylee Romanick, and
Remi Scolnick for their participation in the PMEA District 11 Songfest that took place on Friday at
Keith Valley Middle School. They worked really hard all day rehearsing all of the pieces with students
from other districts in Montgomery County and put on a FABULOUS concert in the evening!
5.
Lower Moreland Township School District
Montgomery County, Science Research Competition
continued from Page 1
Chess Team in Check
placed in either 1st, 2nd or 3rd place and will advance to the Delaware
Valley Science Fair and qualified for the Intel International Science
and Engineering Fair to be held on April 1, 2015. The noteworthy
students are:
David Grabovsky - 1st Place: 12th grade
Biochemistry
“Optimizing Small Molecule Drug Design”
Theodore Hansel - 3rd Place: 12th grade
Medicine and Health
“Developing ALK - Targeted Therapeutic Combinations to Overcome
Primary Resistance” and special award from the Pennsylvania Society for
Biomedical Research
Daniel Barychev - 3rd Place: 11th grade
Physics
“The Efficiency of Various Forms of Electromagnetic Generation”
Samuel Scoll - 2nd Place: 11th grade
Physics
Pictured from left to right Gabe Tkach, Alex Vasik, Chirag Ram,
Daniel Blumin and Andre Vasik. Not pictured Andrew Malinsky and
Daniel Shevelev.
“Seebeck Effect - Thermal Energy to Electrical Energy”
for a
y
e
n
Mo
se...
g
u
n
a
i
C
s
i
Ra
worthy
Congratulations to the Lower Moreland Chess Team
for placing in the Pennsylvania Scholastic State Chess
Championship this weekend. Their hard work and
dedication lead to this wonderful success.
Lower Moreland
Placed 3rd overall in the State Competition
Individually
Gabe Tkach - 1st Place
Among all juniors in the state and
th
5 among all high school students in the state
Chirag Ram - 1st Place
Among all sophomores in the state and
7th place among all high school students
Daniel Blumin - 2nd Place
In the U1400 section
On January 28th, students from Murray Avenue School and Lower
Moreland High School along with teachers from all three schools
performed to raise money for Women Against Abuse, a domestic
violence shelter.
Women Against Abuse in serving over 15,000 individuals
each year. Donations continue to play a pivotal role in
increasing resources for survivors of domestic violence.
6.
Andrew Malinsky tied for 10th Place
In the 7th-12th grade U1000 section
January - March 2015 Newsletter
Touch the Future
Talented Artists’ work selected for Show
Several Lower Moreland High School students had work selected to be included in the 2015
Pennsylvania State Education Association’s 28th Annual “Touch the Future” High School
Student Art Show. The show was held at Arcadia University in the University Commons Art
Gallery (450 South Easton Road, Glenside) with 28 school districts throughout Bucks and
Montgomery counties participating. This show was open to all public high schools in Bucks and Montgomery counties and
received 338 artwork submissions. It was juried this year by Lindsey Stevenson, Assistant Director of Admissions, Tyler School of
Art, Temple University. The highly competitive show juried in 253 pieces. The work of six students was in the show.
ARTWORK included in JURIED SHOW
Alex Caramagno – Digital Imaging
Olympia Diamantis – Painting
Kaila Landau – Sculpture
Ruda Lee – Painting
Stevi Pressman – Digital Photography
Savannah Shields - Drawing
At the 37th Annual Montgomery County High School Exhibition and
Competition at Montgomery County Community College, 15 LM High School
students had artwork included in this show. The show was in the Fine Arts
Center Gallery (340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell) with a “Meet the Artists” reception
on Sunday, March 8th. The show ran from March 2nd – March 27th. The following
students had work in this show:
ARTWORK included in SHOW
Olivia Ranieri – Sculpture
Bella Raykhman – Drawing
Desareta Resuli – Drawing
Lauren Rajauski – Drawing
Yen Nguyen – Painting
Samantha Murawsky – Drawing
Kerry Kovacs – Painting
Ruda Lee – Painting
Olympia Diamantis – Painting
Cora Castor – Painting
Mary B. Dykan – Digital Photography
Alex Caramagno – Digital Imaging
Stevi Pressman – Digital Photography
James McNulty - Digital Photography
Julia Cromwell - Digital Photography
LOCKS of LOVE
Pine Road School celebrated Valentine’s Day a
little early with a unique activity – truly a gift
from the heart. Students, teachers, and parents
were invited to have their hair cut and donate
it to “Locks of Love”. The event took place
on February 2nd starting with an assembly at
10:30 a.m. This is the 11th anniversary of the
first “Locks of Love” donation event.
The “Locks of Love” organization provides
custom wigs or hairpieces for financially
disadvantaged children with medical hair
loss. Thanks to Mrs. Dayna Shain, a Lower
Moreland parent and the owner of Salon
LaVogue in Southampton, Pine Road School
was able to provide this opportunity for the
students again this year.
To donate, “Locks of Love” requests that a
person’s hair be ten inches or longer when
combed into a ponytail. It must also be clean
and free of chemical damage. After the stylists
cut the ponytails during the town meeting
at 10:30 a.m., all participants had their hair
styled into a beautiful new cut!
A Gift from the Heart
Local news channels 3 and 6 were there to
cover the event and to focus on the school’s
positive contribution to the community.
Salon LaVogue owner cuts the hair of a generous
donor during the Locks of Love event.
7.
Lower Moreland Township School District
Boys Swim Team: 2015 AA District One Champions!
On Thursday, February 26th and Friday, February 27th, the Lower
Moreland Boys Swim Team competed for the AA District One
title at La Salle University. The boys won the meet with 333
points to become the 2015 AA District One Champions! Both
freshmen Connor Killion and Dan Shevelev qualified for states,
with Connor placing first in the 200 free and 500 free and Dan
placing third in the 100 back. In addition, Connor also earned
AA swimmer of the meet. Additional medal winners include
the boys medley relay, consisting of Connor Killion, Chris Kelly,
Anthony Sleptsov, and Tom Seefreid, who placed 2nd. For the
200 IM, Chris Kelly placed 5th, Connor Pietro placed 7th, and
Anthony Sleptsov placed 8th. For the 50 free, Tom Seefried placed
4th, Mark Ivensky placed 6th, and Alan Shtraks placed 8th. In 100
fly, Dan Shevelev placed 3rd. The 200 free relay (Mark Ivensky,
Dan Shevelev, Chirag Ram, and Alan Shtraks) placed 5th to end
Day 1. During day 2, medal winners included Alan Shtraks (5th
in backstroke), Chirag Ram (6th in backstroke), Connor Pietro
(3rd in breaststroke), Chris Kelly (4th in breaststroke), and the
400 free relay, consisting of Tom Seefried, Dan Shevelev, Chris
Kelly, and Connor Killion, placed 3rd. Congratulations to the
boys on an incredible accomplishment!
In the State championships which took place in March, Connor
Killion placed 3rd overall in the state in the 200 yard free! He
swam a best time of 1:41.64. He was seeded 4th! Senior Michelle
McCullough finished 19th in the state with a best time of 1:01.37!
Freshman Dan Shevelev finished 16th in the state (honorable
mention) with a time of 56 seconds. Connor Killion placed 4th
in the state (all state team) with a time of 4:38.15!”
Girls Swim Team: Placed in Districts!
The Lower Moreland Girls Swim Team placed 10th in districts
overall. Congratulations to senior Michelle McCullough for
qualifying for states, after placing 6th in the 100 back! The
200 freestyle relay, consisting of Michelle McCullough, Claire
Doneker, Sophia Tran, and Hanah Buczacki, placed 8th and
diver, Dani Polatnick, placed 7th. Other medal winners for day
two included the 400 free relay where the team placed 8th. The
relay included Eliana Yi, Allyson Lutter, Isabelle Leonard, and
Sophia Tran.
Congratulations are also due to the Swim coaches: Jessica
Brown, Jeanie Herbert, and Dan Brown.
8.
January - March 2015 Newsletter
Blakeman Retires
Bicentennial Athletic League Title
After
much
thoughtful
deliberation, Donna Blakeman
has decided to retire after the end
of this school year. She has been
the principal at Pine Road School
for 10 years and has overseen many
changes, including an expansion
of the building and the addition of
4th and 5th grades. Her leadership,
flexibility, and sense of integrity
have been invaluable throughout these many challenges
and great accomplishments. She will be leaving Pine Road
School with a legacy of fostering academic achievement
and a safe, nurturing environment for students.
The High School Boys Basketball League won their first
Bicentennial Athletic League title in February 2015.
William
Miles
joins the
William Miles, or Bill as he goes by, was approved by the Board
of School Directors at their March Board Meeting to become
the next principal of Lower Moreland High School. His
recommendation to the Board was made unanimously by the
final interview panel which included Dr. Murray Cohen, Board
President; the High School PTA co-leaders; two students; the
LMTEA co-presidents; teachers; and administrators. He is a
worthy successor to carry on the work and extend the legacy
of Julien Drennan.
Bill is currently an Assistant Principal at Central Bucks High
School South in Warrington, where he has been since 2011.
At CB South, he serves as Keystone Testing Coordinator and
supervises the Special Education Department. For the entire
Central Bucks School District, he serves as the K-12 English
9.
Pride
liaison. From 2007-2011, he was an Assistant Principal at
Hatboro-Horsham High School.
He came to public education after a successful 20 year career
in the Archdiocese, where the last administrative position he
held was as Principal of Cardinal O’Hara High School. He
spent 13 years in the Archdiocese as an English teacher.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and
English from LaSalle University. He went on to receive a Master’s
degree in English from Temple University and a Master’s in
Educational Leadership from St. Joseph’s University. He has a
Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility from Arcadia University.
With his late wife, he is the proud father of a daughter and two
sons. They make their home in Northeast Philadelphia.
We look to welcome him when he officially starts on June 29th!
Lower Moreland Township School District
In other news…
Dave Champion, a Lower Moreland Music Teacher, and Chelsea Dehner, a current Lower Moreland Music Teacher, play
in a band together called, “The Hoppin’ John Orchestra.” They were featured on the WXPN Radio Station on February
11th promoting their Mardi Gras appearance at Chris’ Jazz Café.
Coming Events
HS Art Shows
April 23 - May 14
PR Spring Concert
May 20, 27
Junior Prom
April 25
HS Senior Awards Night
May 26
Wounded Warrior
Amputee Softball Team
May 2
Senior Prom
June 4
MA Spring Concert
May 18
Commencement
June 10
Dr. Marykay Feeley
Superintendent of Schools
Cheryl Galdo, Esq.
Director of Human Resources/Public Relations
Dr. Murray Cohen
President
Mrs. Camille Baker
Secretary
Mr. Michael Mueller
Vice President
Mr. Steve Geiger
Mr. Alan Steinberg
Treasurer
Mr. Robert Howard
10.
Mr. Yuri Khalif
Mr. Howard Patent
Mr. Lance Wolbransky