MVMS Pride Newsletter
November 2018
Winter is Here!
Veteran's Day Assembly
Once On This Island
Kindness Counts
Also this month, MVMS students and staff recognized some of our unsung heroes throughout the building. We have so many amazing support staff members who we wanted to show our gratitude for. These people build positive trusting relationships with students and support them in a variety of different ways. They are hard workers, great colleagues and friends. We greatly appreciate all of you. Thank you for the work you do!
MVMS has earned a spot in the Cyber Robotics Coding championship to be held at UNH on December 15th!
Anything that get students to think outside the box is great. Coding is one of those things. The Cyber Robotics Coding Competition is an innovative and exciting competition that engages and excites students. The competition has students simulate virtual 3D robots that perform complex tasks and missions. MVMS was very excited to have our students begin participation in the program. Little did we know, we would go on to earn a spot at the finals at UNH!
Over the past two months, MVMS competed against other middle schools throughout the state in 3 different rounds. The Boot Camp round started on October 15th. During this round, MVMS had the most active coders out of any middle schools in the state. Our top coder, Ishmael, had a perfect score on all missions! Other awesome coders leading the way at MVMS included Alyssa, Beckett, and Ethan (who was excited to finish all his missions on his birthday!).
The second round was Qualifiers. Our success during this round has now landed us a spot at at the NH Coding State Championship. MVMS will be sending 2 teams of 2 people to participate! We would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs. Herrmann and Mrs. Searah for their hard work, dedication, and motivation for all of our coders. Thank you!
D.C. Trip - A Student Perspective
At the end of every year, the middle school does something called “Move-Up Day.” This is where current grade levels talk with teachers from the grade ahead of them. When we did this last year, the thing that the eighth-grade teachers told us over and over again was, “We’re not babying you this year. You guys are grown up now. You have a lot more responsibility and independence.” Independence seemed like a very central theme of the class trip to Washington, D.C. For one, D.C. is the capital of the US, a country that came into existence by fighting for its independence. Indeed, we saw the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives. Early American history is all about being a stand-alone nation, separate from England. That was an independence that was gladly welcomed. On the flip side, some people around our age are hesitant to not have their hands held. But that didn’t stop the trip from happening, of course. -B.
On the first day, it was expected that all students were at the school by 6:15 A.M, as the coach buses (which are very nice) departed promptly at 6:30, and it was necessary for chaperones to take attendance. Getting up early to get to the school on time was a bit of an issue for some of us, since we are not early risers, but there was plenty of time to sleep on the bus. -Marshall
The first stop during the trip is about two and a half hours after the buses depart. At eleven o’clock, students and chaperones eat their lunch (that they should have packed for themselves) so that by noon, everyone will be ready to get on the ferry to Liberty Island. A very loose definition of liberty can be “freedom,” and this stop to see the Statue of Liberty really marked our first point of freedom on the trip. Some of us knew immediately what our plans were, while others took awhile to figure out what they would do. -Marshall & B
After Liberty Island, it was back on the bus again. This leg of the bus ride was not unusual from any other bus ride that trip. It was, well, a bus ride. Our next stop was at a food court in Delaware. At the food court, there were plenty of options for food, ranging from fast food to healthy foods. It was also very clean and well-kept. It was definitely one of the best places for food overall (I especially like the chicken caesar salad). Actually, when we arrived home at the end of the week, the best part about that may have been eating a decent meal, finally. Anyway, after we had eaten dinner, it was back on the bus, and within two hours we arrived at the hotel. We had to grab all of our luggage and get to our room. -Marshall & B
On the subject of sleep: sitting, doing nothing on a bus for ten hours is exhausting. Most of us found it difficult to get up in time for breakfast to start the next day of the trip. If you were on buses one or two, the second day seemed to be primarily about national pride, honor, and power. The first thing half of us saw that day was the Washington Monument, which was built as a tribute to George Washington’s military leadership. There’s honor. Next came the White House, which is a sprawling piece of architecture that symbolizes pride and power. We also visited the World War II Memorial. It holds so much meaning. It recognizes the millions of people who were affected by this war and the Holocaust, which we had the opportunity to learn about in school before the whole trip. Students were really able to make a connection and were able to apply what we learned in school to everything we visited in D.C. This also allowed some of us to be able to honor the survivors’ histories more readily. That night, we were able to attend a show at the Kennedy Center called “Shear Madness.” Everyone got the chance to dress up and look their best. The show overall was incredible and enjoyed by many. -Marshall & B
On buses three and four, the first part of our second day definitely reminded us of our honor and gratitude for those who have served for our country. During that period of time, we visited the Arlington National Cemetery, which is a massive cemetery for a huge number of our former U.S. veterans, and for those with a high stature in our government. The National Cemetery also has the Eternal Flame, a tribute to John F. Kennedy and his legacy. Next, we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is a memorial for those lost in war whose remains have not been identified. Next, we saw Iwo Jima and the Air Force Memorial, also memorials for those who served in battle and made a difference in not just our society, but in other societies throughout the world. Later in the night, we were able to walk around the MLK, FDR, and Jefferson Memorials. During this time, we were really able to take in all of the history that D.C. holds and get a good understanding of why we have such beautiful memorials to recognize such powerful people. For the second half of the day, buses three and four went to the Museum of Natural History, which was for sure one of my favorite museums in Washington, D.C. There is so much to be learned there, and there is something that will pique everyone's interest. After dinner, we took a night tour of the Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson Memorials, which were absolutely astounding to see during the night, and were definitely good memorials for such major influencers in American history. -Marshall
On the third day of our trip, all of the buses visited the Korea, Lincoln, and Vietnam Memorials. We walked around, and this time was once again used to recognize all the history behind each memorial and really ask ourselves, “Why is this important?” All the memorials were beautiful in their own ways and represented something different. This was aptly conveyed by the architecture and artwork. The symbolism in the Lincoln Memorial is very clever, but we won’t give it away for future classes. Additionally, the Korea memorial had a very personal touch to it: families of fallen military members mailed in a picture of their loved one(s) that was then beautifully etched into stone. All four buses also visited the National Cathedral, which was absolutely gorgeous inside and out, especially the architecture and stained glass. We were also able to learn about what the Cathedral does and all the religious aspects of it, which was just as amazing. But it isn’t just religious: one of the prettiest stained glass windows there was the Science and Technology window. Later, buses one and two headed off to the Holocaust Museum. Like mentioned before, back at school we were learning about/had a whole entire unit about the Holocaust and being able to come to the actual Holocaust Museum intrigued many students and was overall an amazing opportunity and way to learn more. Because the museum is all about such a sensitive topic, it was hard not to get emotional. Just walking through all the halls, examining each picture carefully and listening to actual stories really brought everything to life. Some were even lucky enough to meet survivors of the Holocaust and able to ask questions. Meeting those survivors really put a new perspective of life to many people and made many feel extremely fortunate of everything they had. It was honestly such a pleasure and an unforgettable experience. As for the people on buses three and four, we also were able to enjoy a night at the Kennedy Center and watch the same show as well as dressing up and having a very entertaining night.
-Marshall & B
The fourth (and sadly last) day had lots of fun and exciting activities planned. Buses one and two started the day at Arlington National Cemetery then headed to the Air Force Memorial. Buses three and four started with the National Archives, where we saw documents like the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and also The Constitution. Next was the Holocaust Museum. Later during the day, all buses took a fun trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo where we were able to walk around and look at all the animals, as well as meet up with some of our friends in the opposite bus groups. We had a good few hours to roam and admire everything around us. We saw a variety of animals, from pandas to gorillas to even lions and all of their habitats. The thought of it being the last full day in D.C was certainly very upsetting, but it was very well spent. -Marshall
Then it was the final day, the day we had to head back home. Everyone woke up early in the morning, grabbed their luggage, and we were on the bus by 7:00 am. The ride back was definitely not like the way down. Everyone was quiet, and many were sleeping. We had all just finished a week in D.C, a week that would not be forgotten by anyone. We had been waiting so patiently for this trip to come, and just like that, it was over. So many memories were made and so many things were learned. Not only did we learn so much about our capitol, D.C, but we also learned so many important life skills like responsibility, being independent, having respect, having a new perspective, and so much more. This trip has bettered us all and has made a very positive impact. The whole week was overall so amazing and unforgettable.
-Marshall
Looking back, I notice another common thread for the week: exploration. Freedom certainly worked with exploration for us as students. Like I said before, we were free to roam, with some limits, and explore our surroundings. I’ve been to the National Zoo before, but I decided to go to an exhibit I had never seen, as a smaller-scale example. A sense of freedom also might come with teenage years as well, like our teachers said, and isn’t this a time in our lives that’s all about exploring our identities? And wouldn’t the early USA also have to find its cultural self and determine what was the best for its people? And think of the discoveries and inventions America has made: founding father Ben Franklin experimented with technology, Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar, and Edwin Hubble proved that the universe is rapidly expanding. And so are our boundaries. Exploration is central to the American identity. And as youth, we are the next discoverers. -B.
Art Happenings...
6th Grade
Students in sixth grade created coil pots using a variety of lines and shapes to build their vessels. This artwork and artist statement is by Jackie G who wrote about her recent coil project.
I think that the coil project came out very well because I spent a lot of time on it. I took time to smooth out what needed to be smooth and fixed other details. At first, it didn’t go as planned because it was too smooth. Then it was too tall. But I didn’t give up and constructed a smaller version. I was inspired by pictures that my art teacher showed the class. But I didn’t do just that. I also used my imagination. It was challenging to find a size that I liked. It was also challenging to accept that it wasn’t perfect. I feel I could have improved by layering the glaze thinner. I put a lot in some areas and they chipped off. In conclusion, the coil project has taught me a lot and I will do it again in the future to see how I have improved.
8th Grade
8th grade students have been working on perspective drawings. In art, perspective drawing is a method of creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface. Students were instructed to choose a well known art work of their own interest to study. They were to look for as many perspective techniques as they could find in the study art piece. After identifying all the techniques the artist used to created depth in their art, students were asked to make a sketch of the study art using the same perspective techniques.
The final product was a combination of perspective techniques copied from art piece they studied and their own alterations and edits form the original - adding or leaving out parts, as long as 3 perspective techniques remained in their rendition. Students chose whatever art material they wanted to try (paint, oil sticks, colored pencils, charcoal, etc.) and could alter the colors, and textures from the original as long as there final image had a sense of depth.
#Corbinstrong
Important Documents
Save the Date
- Tuesday, December 4th @ 2:30 - Winter Sports Team Picture Day
- Monday, December 10th @ 7:00 - 8:30 - School Board Meeting (MVHS)
- Tuesday, December 11th @ 7:00 Winter Band Concert (MVHS)
- Wednesday, December 19th @ 7:00 - Winter Choral Concert (MVHS)
Merrimack Valley Middle School
MVMS's mission is to promote an environment that teaches students to be active learners, critical thinkers, and responsible citizens in an ever-changing global society.
Email: blynch@mvsdpride.org
Website: http://mvms.mvsdpride.org/
Location: 14 Allen Street, Penacook, NH, United States
Phone: (603) 753-6336
Twitter: @mvmsPride