OMS Scoop
November 2017
Welcome
A Salute to Veteran's
OMS Veteran's Day Assembly
The O'Donnell Middle School held its annual Veterans Day ceremony on November 9, 2017.
OMS is fortunate to have several veterans, from World War II through the present-day War on Terror, continue to participate and bestow their knowledge, experiences, and life-lessons on our eighth grade students. Local veterans from the Stoughton community who participated in the assembly included Joe DeVito, Charles Wade, Richard Hickey, Matthew Gada, Billy Farwell, Robert Devine, Greg White, Sheanna Isabel, Mike Pazyra, Tom Fitzgerald, Paul Andruchow, and Joe Fustolo. Each veteran was interviewed by an eighth grader, who presented their veteran to their entire eighth grade class. This years eighth grade participants included April Richardson, Evan Hoover, Yasmin Sousa, Colin Alessi, Grace Lally, Sophia Leyva, Immanuel White, Eve Saade, Genesis Parker, Sydney Menz, Bella DeMarino, and Jonah Ly.
Mr. Charles Wade was the 2017 O'Donnell Middle School Veteran of the Year. To ensure Mr. Wade that his service in the Korean War will never be forgotten, the OMS faculty and staff generously contributed to help raise money to honor Mr. Wade with a Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) Life Membership. An additional donation to the KWVA Memorial Fund was placed in Charlie's name to assist with the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, which the KWVA co-hosted on November 11.
The assembly was organized by OMS Assistant Principal David Guglia and 8th Grade Social Studies teacher Caitlin Valair. The OMS band and chorus, led by Keith Curbow and Betty Bauman, did a wonderful job performing a variety of patriotic music.
Student performance
Veterans and OMS Students
Welcome Veterans!
Veteran's Day Poetry
Dear Veteran
The joy I feel, I cannot describe,
Besides saying what I feel inside.
You served our country, you set us free,
You protected all of us, you protected me.
This country is safe, happy, and never at zero,
Because you have chosen to become our hero.
I am so grateful for people like you,
Who sacrificed all, even if nobody knew.
The fame doesn’t matter, you were willing and strong,
To put it all on the line, who knows for how long.
Whether you served in peace or war,
You still gave your all, that little extra more.
Finally, there’s this one saying that makes me go numb,
That some gave all and all gave some.
This is what I know, every single part,
Veterans like you have changed my heart.
By: April Richardson
You Survived
You fought to survive,
Saw your fellow veterans fall,
Cry for home and comfort,
But over all those hardships you faced,
You survived.
You struggled to keep the tears in as you took a deep breath,
Every night thankful to have survived another fight,
Yearning to see the ones you left to fight for our freedom,
For family, strangers, and for our country.
You may have failed to fight back the tears,
Cried silently to yourself,
Wishing to be home,
But you survived.
Now you lay at home,
Thankful to be surrounded by the ones you missed in war,
To sleep without worry of the next day if you will lose the war,
Your life,
To see everyone free because of your courageous contribution to the war.
You survived,
You won,
Thank you for our freedom,
Thank you veterans.
By: Arianna Campbell
We can get crazy...
Crazy Hat Day
The first thing I saw when I walked into the OMS building was… hats. And not just any ordinary hats. Crazy hats.
It was the morning of Halloween. Everyone was very pumped for the night and people definitely showed it. In the spirit of Halloween, the school allowed people to wear crazy hats in the building. Normally, it is a school rule that you’re not supposed to wear hats in school. That day was an exception.
As I walked in the hallways of 6th grade, I saw lots of cool hats. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite because they were all so unique and creative. There were big hats, small hats, colorful and sparkly hats.
During lunch, everyone who wore a crazy hat stood together and took a picture. The yearbook club took an enormous picture of everyone wearing their hats. This day was a big success.
Overall, I would like to commend all the people who wore crazy hats that day. It takes bravery and courage to wear silly hats like that. In the end, it all turned out great. People got to express themselves with something other than clothes. And I think it is cool to walk in the hallway and see all the colorful hats. It certainly caught my eye! I think at the end of the day, the day was hat-tastic!Story and pictures by Aleksandra Lada
Check out our spirit!
OMS Spirit Day
What do you think of when you think of a fun-filled, festive, and carefree day at the OMS?
I think of Spirit day. It was filled with so many fun activities for everyone to participate in and to enjoy.
First, we had the door decorating contest. All students were able to participate in this activity in their homeroom classrooms. All classes had 20 minutes to decorate their door though they were able to prepare beforehand. They just weren’t allowed to put anything on the door until that morning when they said go.
After, all the doors looked great. All showed amazing spirit, but this was a competition. The first place winner was Ms.Killian! But great job to everyone because they were all great!
Then, there was minute to win it. That was very exciting. Each grade had their own game.
When it was time for six grade’s minute to win it, the whole grade gathered in the cafetorium. There were black and orange streamers everywhere on the walls and tables covered with bright orange tablecloths. I would like to thank student council members Natalia James and Shawn Mcgowan for staying after school the day before to decorate the cafetorium. It looked very cheerful.
The goal for the minute to win it is to beat your teachers in tough yet fun challenges.
Students were chosen by teachers to compete in these challenges. Students and teachers could only compete in one challenge so they had to choose wisely.
For each challenge, you had a minute to complete it or you would be “eliminated”.
Everyone had so much fun cheering on everyone and watching people complete these challenges. In the end, sadly, 6th graders lost to the teachers of 6th grade. My sources say that 7th-grade students won against their teachers!
In the gym, we had our big spirit day assembly! As everyone walked through the nicely decorated gym doors, the SHS marching band played some catchy tunes that many students and teachers definitely recognized.
People kept filing in until our principal, Mr. Colantonio, stepped up to the mic. He said his opening speech and gave the microphone to Mr.Block, who runs Student Council. That is when he and Tiffany Davis, our student council moderator, announced the spirit wear winners. They were so many people to get a certificate because many people wore a lot of spirit wear that day. Many teachers and students were nominated.
After it was time for the band to play and for the color guard to perform. Students got to learn about the sections of the marching band and the color guard. They were also interested to see that 8th graders were actually in the marching band and color guard, performing with them.
Strike up the keys was what they played for the assembly and everyone enjoyed it. It was great!
To end the day, there was the turkey toss amongst the teachers and staff. Teachers teamed up in pairs to throw a turkey across a distance. They had to catch it or else they were eliminated! It was very close at the end, but our winner was our very own principal and Mrs. Burak. They threw it the farthest and caught it. In close second was Mr.Whiting and Mrs.Gallagher of 6C!
I would really like to thank the student council for preparing and putting this whole event together. It turned out great!
I got a chance to talk to the moderator,Tiffany Davis and Ella Anderson about the subject.
I wanted to know what was the point of the Spirit Day. I mean, it certainly can’t be about just fun and games.
“ Spirit day was to help motivate our school,” said Student Council Member Ella Anderson.
While Tiffany Davis said, “This day was to really make everyone feel uknighted and as one is school.”
I think they definitely got their point through. It looked like everyone really bonded through all the fun and games.
I also asked Ella if there was anything she would want to change about Spirit Day overall. She said, "No, it was really great."
There you have it, Stoughton! An amazing day at OMS!
Job well-done everyone!
Written by Aleksandra Lada
OMS Pride
8B
Mr. Colantonio and Mrs. Burak after winning the Turkey Toss
Teacher Spotlight
My name is Marie Bagunda and I am a 6th grade student here at OMS. We thought it was important to let students get to know teachers a little better so we decided to do a teacher spotlight every month on the Scoop. This month, I interviewed Ms. Fannoney, who teaches 7th and 8th grade Spanish and Mrs. Greable who teaches math on 6A.
Marie: What inspired you to be a teacher?
Fannoney: When I moved to Washington D.C., I saw how bad the inequity of education was and how unfair it was that students did not have an opportunity at an education. I wanted to help them, so I became a teacher.
Greable: I was inspired by my mother, who was also a teacher.
Marie: How long have you been teaching at OMS?
Fannoney: 10 years
Greable: 15 Years
Marie: When you were in 6th grade, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Fannoney: I wanted to be a hairdresser. When I was younger, I loved doing hair.
Greable: I wanted to be an astronaut. After I watched the space shuttle explode on national T.V., I didn't want to be an astronaut anymore.
Marie: How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a teacher?
Fannoney: I was 25 when I decided to be a teacher
Greable: I was 20 when I figured it out.
Marie: When you are a teacher, you have to give homework. What are the best excuses you have heard for why a student did not have their homework?
Fannoney: Some of the best excuses I have heard were “It was in my locker”, “in my other folder”, I didn't know there was homework”, and “I didn't get the paper”.
Greable: One student told me that her mom was sprinkling holy water in the house and it got the homework all wet. Another student told me that her cat peed on the homework.
Marie: What was your major in college?
Fannoney: Spanish and international affairs.
Greable: Spanish education and psychology.
Marie: Speaking of education, what subjects were you good at and not so good at?
Fannoney: I am good at ELA, math, and writing but was not always good at science and French.
Greable: I am good at math and ELA but was not always good at religion and social studies.
Marie: What do you enjoy the most and least about working at OMS?
Fannoney: The thing I like most is building relationships with students. The thing I like least is correcting papers.
Greable: My favorite thing is that the students and teachers are funny and make me laugh. The thing I like least is having to wake up early every day to get to school.
Marie: If you could teach any grade, what would you teach?
Fannoney: I would stay in 7th grade because I like the 7th grade curriculum, their age group, and their independence.
Greable: I would stay in 6th grade because 6th graders are the perfect age to teach.
Marie: What advice would you give your students about life?
Fannoney: Attitude and effort matter, you get what you put in, keep it 100!
Greable: Pay attention to the world around you and watch out for yourself. Live life to the fullest!
Marie: There is more to teaching than meets the eye. Teachers put in a lot more effort and time in their work than a lot of people realize. We are definitely grateful for two amazing teachers like Ms. Fannoney and Mrs. Greable. Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed!
Interview and write-up by Marie Bagunda
Contact The OMS Scoop
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Website: https://oms.stoughtonschools.org
Location: 211 Cushing Street, Stoughton, MA, United States
Phone: 781-344-7002