Davies Dragon Pride Newsletter
February
Tween Tech Conference
On Friday, January 8th, 2016, 15 girls were selected from the William Davies Middle School to attend Tween Tech, a conference at Stockton University that offers girls an opportunity to acquire more knowledge about STEM opportunities. Stockton and the American Association of University of Women (AAUW), hosted the event and it included many interactive, hands-on activities, and women presenters who work in the STEM field.
The conference offered hands-on workshops for middle school girls. Due to anticipated demand of the event, we were limited in selecting 15 students. Sample workshop titles included Mystery Diagnosis, Solve a Murder with Forensics, Chemistry of Modern Cuisine, Science of Clay, and What’s the Chance of That? All of the workshops were engaging, hands-on STEM focused. The workshops that the students from the William Davies Middle School enjoyed the most were Brain Games, Little Bits, Lissajous Figures, the Chemistry of Modern Cuisine, and Build a Robotic Hand.
The day started with the students creating their own name badges, and using a sticker to symbolize the session of their choice. All of the students were split up into their workshop, forcing them to collaborate with other students from different schools. Once in their session, they were paired up to complete the task at hand. The workshops lasted for an hour, and the students attended two workshops. They were offered lunch and the opportunity to hear motivational women speakers who work in the STEM field. They were truly amazed, engaged, and excited to hear their stories and experiences.
While the students were in workshops, the teachers attended a presentation on Solving the Equation: The Variable for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing from the AAUW, as well as discussion on STEM majors. The presentation was about empowering women to pursue STEM careers. According to the report, the number of women in computer and mathematical occupations declined by 9% over the last 13 years. By the end of high school, fewer girls plan to pursue STEM in college.
When the presentation was over, we went into the Little Bits workshop, where students use electronic building blocks to invent large and small automated devices. Another workshop we attended was Build a Robotic Hand, which demonstrated hand function by using simple supplies such as, string, cardboard, straw, and glue.
In conclusion, all of our students had a great experience attending Tween Tech. It was a very successful and rewarding day for us. The students enjoyed the field trip the minute we stepped onto the bus to go to Stockton University. It made them realize the importance of an education, and the opportunities that are offered in STEM careers.
Here are a few quotes from our students:
“I am very happy I got the opportunity to participate in Tween Tech! This program has opened my eyes and exposed me to the different jobs and careers in STEM.” ~Alexa
“Today, I learned a lot!” ~Nina
“I had a fun learning experience. All of the volunteers were really helpful and the food was good!” ~Nathalia
“I had a lot of fun!” ~Hannah
“I learned a lot about Engineering and Technology. My favorite activity was building a robotic hand.” ~Megan
by Mrs. Malika Green and Mrs. Kim Mattina
Davies Got Talent
Culinary Arts and Science Together. Perfect.
Science smelled yummy in Ms. Gay Laubert’s seventh grade science classes the day Chef Kelly McClay came to visit. Dean of the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College, Chef McClay had students add cream of tartar to baking soda and baking powder as she explained leavening agents that work in making bread rise.
Ms. Laubert realized that food and cooking easily relate to each of her science units and everyone loves food. Combining those two thoughts led her to invited Chef McClay to add her culinary expertise to her science classes. Students saw how proteins react when eggs are scrambled. The best part was tasting the freshly made caramel as they dipped apple slices into the warm sauce. Seeing the sugar change when heated was an example of chemical change.
Students learned that a new career possibility is open to them called culinology. It is the combination of learning to cook like a chef and applying science to the process. Culinary Arts and science together. Perfect!
Principal Kafele Visits Students and Staff
South Jersey Junior High Band
Students accepted will perform in a special regional band concert this spring at Lower Cape May Regional High School. We wish the best of luck to the following students: Katelyn Diaz - flute; Matt Barrera - trombone; Rachel Bustard - clarinet; Justine Haye - mallets, battery, tympani; Grant Johnson - Ten. Sax; Vivek Kolli - Mallet Percussion; Lexi Phommathep - Clarinet; Abigail Harvie - clarinet; Sarah Brosman - trumpet; Andy Nguyen - Alto Sax; Max Tran - Alto Sax; Christopher Dib - mallet percussion; Alexa Rosario-Torres - flute.
South Jersey Junior High Chorus
Interactive Library
Mrs. Berchtold's Mallet Percussion Class
The 2015-16 Yearbook is on sale NOW!
Check out the cover of the Davies Yearbook! We THANK YOU for your support if you have already ordered your copy. If you have not, please click below to order your yearbook. You can also check out lots of ideas for icons and add-ons. You have until March 4th to personalize your book. After that date, only the basic book will be available for purchase. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Carter or Ms. Pickering. #WeAreDavies
Springboard!
All South Jersey Elementary Honors Chorus
The Wm. Davies Middle School Music Department is proud to announce the selection of six of our middle school choir members to the All South Jersey Elementary Honors Chorus. The following students will be performing a concert on Saturday, March 5th, at the TD Bank Arts Center in Sewell, New Jersey.
Alexia Bey
Joshua Lively
Alivia Mullery
Hannah Derringer
Evelyn Husta
Amelia Pullano
These six outstanding singers will be members of the 160 voice Elementary Honors Chorus, representing the best young singers in the 8 county Southern New Jersey region.
Davies Dragon Dodgeball Challenge
7th Annual "Ricky McAvaddy" Blood Drive
Joseph C. Shaner School
Monday, March 14
3:30-8:30
Register at: http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation Sponsor Code: Ricky
Sponsored by Hamilton Township Education Association
Questions? Contact Dorothy Gildiner at gildinerd@hamiltonschools.org or call 625-6600 x3028.
National Junior Honor Society
Wrestling
The Davies Wrestling Team had an awesome showing at the annual Middle School Tournament. We had more than half of our wrestlers place, including 1st Place (5), 2nd Place (4), 3rd Place (2), and one 4th Place.
1st Place – Hogan Horsey, Hunter Horsey, Hayden Horsey, Frankie Gabriel and Jonah Telesca
2nd Place – Sal Palmeri, Josh Mensah, Trevon Holland and Vance Arroyo
3rd Place – Ethan Rowley and Gunner Angier
4th Place – Dennis Forbes
For a video of the Davies v. Ocean City match from January 29th, click here.
Environmental Club
National Junior Honor Society
SWAT (Students Working to Advance Technology)
SWAT club has been meeting for the last two months and working on some fun and exciting the projects. The students are creating, filming, and editing video shorts to share with one another. Most recently, some 8th grade members filmed and photographed "Davies Got Talent" with the intention of making a video montage!
12 Best Sellers of 2015
For those of you, that go to the library and just cannot find a book, here is a list of 2015 top selling books, along with a short description of them. Just click the name of the book to go to the full description.
1.) The 5th Wave series- A desperate teen tries to save her younger brother as increasingly deadly attacks destroy most of the Earth. If you like reading a series of books with the same characters, give this set a try.
2.)Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the debut novel by American author Ransom Riggs. The book tells the tale of a boy who, following a horrific family tragedy, follows clues that take him to an abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island.
3.)Looking for Alaska- Miles Halter leaves his home in Florida to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama for his junior year. He uses François Rabelais’s last words—"I go to seek a Great Perhaps"—as his argument for choosing boarding school at such a late age. Miles is fond of reading biographies, and particularly of memorizing the last words of famous people.
4.)Since you've been gone- If you like books that are about a mystery and trying to find out what happened to a missing character, definitely read this one.
5.)Red Queen- This book is in a dystopian society, when a man’s world completely changes, if you like dystopian, this is a great choice.
6.)Girl Jacked- This book is about a man, who had a fait to be violent, but is finally letting that fate come true. It sounds really good.
7.)The Path- This book is about a boy getting lost on a path and meeting himself at different time in his life, read this, and find out what secrets he may learn.
8.)The Secret Fire- French teen Sacha Winters can’t die. Taylor Montclair is an English bookworm and it is up to her to save Sacha from something terribly horrible.
9.)The Program- The only solution to a teen epidemic of suicide is The Program. They erase your illness, but also your memories. This “dystopian romance” will grab you.
10.)Fangirl- If you are into realistic fiction, read this book about a girl going away to college and her sister wondering if she can make it without her.
11.)Every Last Word- Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But, hidden beneath all of her perfection is the truth: she has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. Until, she meets Caroline...
12.)Divergent Series- This dystopian series is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Maze Runner.
I hope you try out at least one of these books, and remember… Keep reading!!
~Alexis Cabrera
Movie Reviews (Spoiler Alerts)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was directed by J.J Abrams, but this time for Walt Disney, not LucasFilm, and is the seventh installment in the Star Wars saga. The story takes place thirty years after the events of Episode 6: Return of the Jedi, and from the ashes of the Empire, comes the First Order, lead by a mysterious masked figure named Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). But if a dark side exists, so does the light side, this time, being the resistance, lead by former princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). The planet of Jakku (not Tatooine) is being attacked by Kylo Ren and his Storm Troopers, when one of the protagonists, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) sends his droid, BB-8 with a piece of a map leading to the last of the Jedi knights, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who has been missing for years. Among the Storm Troopers, Finn, or FN-2817 (John Boyega), rebels with Poe but crash lands on Jakku where he meets Rey (Daisy Ridley). They go on to meet Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and end up fighting against the First Order alongside with the Resistance. The ending I will not spoil, but I will say that it has an unexpected twist. DEFINITELY a must-see!
~Jake Burnett
Holiday Dance
The annual holiday dance was held the week before Christmas to celebrate the happy holidays to come. There were refreshments such as drinks, pizza, candy, and water. Chill areas and DJ’s brought excitement like dance competitions and sing-a-longs.
Dances are fun because you can chat with friends or dance until you drop. Or both!~Deondre Davis
Winter Door Decorating Contest
Holiday door decorating is always a huge deal throughout William Davies. All of the staff and students were super excited to spread holiday cheer all over the school. Everyone was eager and ready to break out the lights and decorations, with the hope of beating their fellow classmates and co-workers. The fierce competition heated up, as everyone tried to impress the judges. There could only be three winners, though.
~Haley Duffy and Savannah Masker6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
New Year's Resolutions
Did you know that only 45 percent of Americans make a New Year’s resolution? Well, I went around the school and asked some of William Davies' very own teachers and students what their New Year’s resolution is for 2016. Here are the top 5 things William Davies' staff and students said were...
Get in shape or eat healthier.
Spend more time with family.
Get involved with more activities.
Get good grades.
Be a better person overall.
Now that you’ve read what some of Davies staff and students' New Year's resolutions are, what is your resolution for the new year of 2016?
~Alexa Goode