J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

P A G E 1

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Lip Dub

Video 1

Kudos 1

Principal’s

Letter 2

Interact

Update 3

Leadership

Award 3

S.T.A.R.

Award 4

Writing

Center 4

Food Drive 4

Sports News 5

Intel Science

Talent Search 6

Comcast

Scholarship 6

Scheduling

Update 6

Students of

the Month 7

PA Student

Councils Assoc. 7

M A R P L E N E W T O W N

H I G H S C H O O L

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

Kudos

H elping Paws raised $145 selling candy canes in December in its continued

effort to raise money for the Delaware County SPCA. In addition, the club also collected gently used towels and blankets for the animals. In February Helping Paws will sell Valentine's Day candy. Thank you for your continued support!

T he Hi-Q team won its home contest against Interboro and Chester by a score of 46-32-12.

S tudents decorated, prepared food, and hosted their friends for the 15th annual

holiday party in the culinary classrooms. They shared these treats and others for the Superintendent's party at the Gauntlet Center.

R achel Connelly has been accepted as the first Marple Newtown student to attend

the Culinary Institue of America in New Hyde Park, New York, often referred to as the "Harvard" of culinary arts schools.

MNHS Roars in Lip Dub Video

O n December 20, Marple Newtown High

School filmed its second lip dub video. The music video was set to Katy Perry’s song “Roar” and was a great success. The video highlighted MN’s school pride and spirit. The entire student body as well as teachers, staff, and administrators took part in the filming of the video and contributed to its success. Teachers and students volunteered their time and energy leading up to the filming to ensure that it went off without a

hitch. Each grade level was assigned a hallway to decorate and display their MN Pride. Freshmen,

sophomores, juniors, and seniors all developed their own ideas and put great effort into their section of the video.

The efforts were coordinated through the Marple Newtown Student Council and TV Production

classes. The student editors worked tirelessly throughout the day to edit and finalize the video so the entire student body could watch the video before leaving for winter break.

A link to the video is available on the high school website or you can visit: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=NFl9Ft59RB0

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

P A G E 2

T H E E Y E O F T H E T I G E R

From the Desk of the Principal

Dear Tiger Families,

Welcome to the second semester. As we

embark on the second half of the school

year, we have so many wonderful events

happening at MNHS. At the end of

January, our juniors and seniors will be

treated to a semiformal dance where the

students can continue to make

memories of their time at MNHS. Our

sophomore dance is February 21st and

the freshman dance is March 21st.

We have two big community events in

March. The first is the MNHS musical

performance of “Shrek the Musical.” This

performance will be a great show for the

whole family and we hope you will join

us. The dates are March 13 – March 15.

Please check our performing arts center

webpage at http://www.mnpac.net for

ticket information. Our elementary and

middle schools will be visiting the

beautiful performing arts center in early

March for a preview of the performance.

Our second event will take place on

March 29. Through the efforts of the

joint PTOs, the Harlem Wizards, a farm

team to the Harlem Globetrotters, will

be performing in our high school

gymnasium. More information about the

Harlem Wizards is to come. We hope

you will join us at both events.

Our students and staff have been

working hard this year and we have been

trying to showcase their

accomplishments through different

means. We have been using our website

as a place to announce upcoming events

and accomplishments. You may have

seen our students and staff often gracing

the cover or majority of the pages of the

County Press. Another way is through

this newly designed Tiger News. I would

like to thank Dennis Reardon, Assistant

Principal/Athletic Director at the high

school and John Pearce, a secretary at

the high school, for putting together a

wonderful and informative newsletter

for all. We are proud of our students and

staff and will continue to celebrate their

accomplishments throughout the year so

please check our webpage, http://

www.mnsd.net/school_home.aspx?

schoolid=1, for updates and

acknowledgements.

Finally, our students are starting the

process of selecting their courses for the

2014-2015 school year. Yes, that is

correct; students are picking their

courses for next year. The scheduling

process takes a good six months to

complete and a lot of work goes into the

scheduling process. Good

communication between the parent,

child, and counselor is essential in

making sure that your child receives the

schedule that meets his/her needs. Our

curriculum guide can be found on the

high school webpage under the

Academics and Guidance section. The

course selection guide is a

comprehensive guide to the scheduling

process that includes information about

credits needed, graduation

requirements, course descriptions, and

much more. Please use the course

selection as a guide when choosing the

schedule that is right for your child. Our

guidance counselors are always available

to answer your questions and concerns.

Our goal is for students to have a

schedule for the 2014-2015 school year

when they leave for summer vacation in

June. The courses students choose

should be interesting to the students

and/or chosen to prepare them for life

after high school.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., I leave

you with a quote from the great leader,

“The function of education is to teach

one to think intensively and to think

critically. Intelligence plus character -

that is the goal of true education.”

Sincerely,

Gregory Puckett

Principal

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

P A G E 3

October: • Coin collection for Children with Apraxia of Speech – A neurological brain disorder that causes problems with speaking • Trick or Treat from Mom and Dad • Trick or Treat for UNICEF ($442.69) • Broomall Rotary Doggie Show • Collection of recyclable technology – Ongoing • Culbertson’s Pumpkin Festival • Hillview Nursery School Pumpkin Festival • Leaf Raking for senior citizens November: • Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes (32 boxes) • Adopt-a-Child for the holiday • 6 Thanksgiving dinners for families in the school district in need of help • Coin collection for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation bracelet sale ($303.24) • Lighten the Load for custodians in celebration of American Education Week

December: • Holiday party helpers for children of low income families sponsored by the Media Women’s Resource Center • Reindeer Romp Walk to support Special Olympics • Pictures with Santa and his elves with the Broomall Rotary • Caroling around town at businesses in Newtown Square • Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest collection for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ($502.90) January: • Sack Suppers (decorating bags to fill with a dinner) for low income children in Michigan through an organization called Kids Food Basket • Volunteers for Potter Cup

Looking ahead

April:

• MS Walk

• Broomall Rotary Junior Olympics

INTERACT Community Service Events:

“The highest result

of education

is tolerance.”

- Helen Keller

Iman Elkhashab - Recipient of Widener University High School Leadership Award

J unior Iman Elkhashab was selected as a

recipient to receive the Widener

University High School Leadership Award. She

will receive an opportunity to participate in a

distinctive leadership program at Widener

University and will be invited to join other

selected students at a special awards event at

the National Constitution Center on March 20,

2014.

“In partnership with WCAU-TV NBC 10,

Widener University has created a program to

identify the region’s best young leaders and

honor them for standing up for what is right,

finding a way to address a wrong and making

a difference in a significant way at his or her

school or community. Principals in

Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware

identify one current high school junior who

exhibits strong leadership skills, academic

excellence and exceptional character. This

character can be shown through participation

in extracurricular activities, volunteering

and/or demonstrating a positive influence on

their peers.”

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

P A G E 4

T H E E Y E O F T H E T I G E R

“Education is not

the filling of a pail,

but the lighting

of a fire.”

- William Butler Yeats

Need Some Help With Your Writing?

Welcome to the Marple Newtown High School Writing Center

Located in the MNHS Library

Open Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or by appointment if needed

S.T.A.R. Award Winner

A lexandra Adams has won the

Student Achievement

Recognition Award (the

S.T.A.R. Award) from the

Delaware County Youth

Council which is part of the

Delaware County Workforce

Investment Board. This group

highlights the many accomplishments of

the youth in Delaware County. As a

sophomore, Alex was MN’s

participant for the Youth Council

Leadership Academy, and her

group won top honors with its

presentation. She was chosen

because of her outstanding

leadership skills, volunteerism,

and community involvement.

S tudent Council organized a canned

food drive during the

holiday season to benefit

Philabundance. In just six

days, the students of Marple

Newtown High School

collected over 1,200 pounds of canned

goods! The food was dropped off to the

Preston and Steve Camp Out

for Hunger campaign

through radio station 93.3

WMMR. The bar has been

raised, and we hope next

year’s campaign will be even bigger!

Canned Food Drive a Success

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

P A G E 5

Sp

orts

Ac

co

lad

es

Sp

orts

Ac

co

lad

es

Sp

orts

Ac

co

lad

es

All Central

1st Team:

Anthony Cunningham , LB

2nd Team:

Anthony Cunningham, TE

Zach Falcone , DL

Markos Katrakazis, OL

Honorable Mention:

Abel Hoff, RB & DB

Adrian Sapnas, RB

Nik Rhoads, WR

Ross Binder, DB

All Delco

Honorable Mention All Delco:

Anthony Cunningham

Zach Falcone

Markos Katrakazis

Abel Hoff

Adrian Sapnas

Nik Rhoads

Save the Date Save the Date Saturday, March 29th, 6:30 p.m.

at Marple Newtown High School

Don’t miss the District PTO Basketball

Game vs. The Harlem Wizards

This promises to be a fun family night, as the

Wizards are the farm team for the Harlem

Globetrotters. The faculty squad will be

comprised of teachers from all of the MNSD

schools, looking to knock off

the talented Wizards squad.

Swimming Update

AAA Swimming District Championships

Feb 28—March 1

John Truax—qualified for the 100-meter breast stroke

Julian Farrer—qualified for 1-meter diving

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

P A G E 6

T H E E Y E O F T H E T I G E R

“You must be

the change

you wish to see

in the world.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Priyanga Selvakumar Announced as Intel Science Talent Search 2014 Semifinalist

T he Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation's most prestigious pre-college

science competition. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and National Medal of Science. Annually, students entering the Intel STS compete for $1.25 million in awards. Only 300 students are announced as semifinalists each year. From this select pool, 40 finalists are then invited to Washington, DC, in March to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists, and compete for the top award of $100,000.

The semifinalists of the Intel Science Talent Search 2014 were selected from among 1,794 entrants representing 489 high schools in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and seven overseas schools.

Each of the 300 students named as a semifinalist in the Intel STS 2014 will receive a $1,000 award for his or her outstanding research. Additionally, to recognize excellence in teaching and school support of individual student research, every school will receive an award of $1,000 for each semifinalist named in the Intel STS 2014. This award is used to further excellence in science, math, and/or engineering education.

S enior Ashley Ding was one of the recipients

of this year’s annual Comcast Leaders and

Achievers Scholarship Award of $1,000.

“Each year, Comcast asks principals and

guidance counselors to help identify the best

and the brightest high school seniors for

recognition as ‘Leaders and Achievers.’ Our

signature scholarship program rewards young

people for getting involved in their schools and

making positive change in their communities. In

recognition of their community service,

academic achievement and leadership skills,

winners receive one-time college scholarships.”

Ashley Ding - Recipient of Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship

T he scheduling process has officially begun with an informational meeting

held for parents, on January 7th. Students were informed about course selection during assemblies for the 8th graders on January 23rd, and for high school students on January 24th.

Counselors began meeting with students during the week of January 27th to make

course selections. The student course selection process will take several weeks and conclude during mid-March at which time the master schedule will begin to be built. Parents are encouraged to discuss

course selections with their child(ren).

Scheduling Update

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

P A G E 7

Marple Newtown

High School

120 Media Line Road

Newtown Square, PA 19073

(610) 359-4215

www.mnsd.org

Principal:

Gregory Puckett

Assistant Principals:

Dennis Reardon

Dr. Tina Sweeley

Donald Tabar

Congratulations to MNHS Students of the Month Students of the Month Students of the Month

December 2013

Sierra Annand

Thomas Davis

Zoe Weiner

Priyanga Selvakumar

David Levengood

Rebecca Vandevere

Emma McKelvey

Patrick Callaghan

January 2014

C ongratulations to 9th grader Taylor Schwartz. Taylor has been selected by the

Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils to be the regional representative for Region

F, which includes the counties of Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware. This

is believed to be the first time in the 81 years of the PASC that a representative has been chosen

from Marple Newtown High School. Taylor’s two-year term began on January 10, as she

attended the committee’s annual meeting at Altoona High School.