From the 120 New Oxford Middle School students who entered the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, seven were chosen to advance to the district level: Brynden Goodling, McKensie Keefer, Edith Garcia, Bailey Deatrick, Megan Carver, Troy Hawkins and Priscilla Mendoza.

The VFW-sponsored competition is open to students nationwide in grades 6 to 8. Participants are given the chance to express their views on democracy with the prospect of winning U.S. savings bonds. The top 46 winners will receive at least a $1,000 savings bond. The first place winners will receive a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Linda Hermansen, from the Richard J. Gross VFW Post 8896 Auxiliary, East Berlin, announced the New Oxford winners. Edith Garcia and Bailey Deatrick were invited to share their essays during a Veterans Day program at the school and were awarded $50 from the auxiliary.

The guest speaker was Joe Wysocki, U.S. Air Force, a veteran of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and a 2002 graduate of New Oxford High School.

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More than 40 New Oxford Middle School students will take to the stage to bring a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof Jr.” at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Conewago Valley School District auditorium, 130 Berlin Road, New Oxford.

The show is a part of the Broadway Junior Collection, based on Sholem Aleichem stories. The scene is set in the little village of Anatekva. It tells the story of Tevye, a poor dairyman with five daughters as he tries to instill the traditions of their small, tight-knit Jewish community in the time of Czarist Russia. Authorized for young performers, it cuts across the barriers of race, class, nationality and religion with charm, warmth, humor and honesty.

Tickets, available at the door, are $3 for adults and $2 for children.

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By KAY JONES
Publications/public information coordinator,
Conewago Valley School District

At the 25th Annual Outstanding Teacher Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 13, Nellie Cyr, associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services, cited the “critical need for teachers of the highest quality to assure that our students are educationally and economically competitive in a global economy.” The most important component in a student’s success is the quality and experience of the classroom teacher.

Forty-four teachers from the 11 county area of south central Pennsylvania, including Bradford Heird and Michael Yingling from the Conewago Valley School District, were recognized. Heird, is a math teacher at the New Oxford Middle School and Yingling, a third grade teacher at New Oxford Elementary School.

The teachers were selected for their commitment to ongoing professional development, for utilizing innovative practices in the classroom, for serving in leadership roles in their schools and for their commitment to community service.

Over 165 teachers and administrators, university faculty and family members attended the event and joined in the celebration of the teachers’ outstanding commitment to teaching. The annual event is sponsored by the Shippensburg University School Study Council, a professional development partnership between public school districts and the University, which supports school system leaders in improving the instructional experience.

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New Oxford Middle School’s Select Choral Ensemble traveled to Harrisburg March 9 to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month. The students performed an hour-long concert in the Capitol Rotunda before a crowd of state lawmakers, employees, and visitors. The concert featured a wide range of music, from Renaissance madrigals to jazz standards to gospel, rock, and world music selections. The chorus is under the direction of Mr. David Bowman, accompanied by Mr. Matthew Wensel, and assisted by Gettysburg College student teacher, Miss Carin Smith.

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The New Oxford Middle School spelling bee was held recently at the Conewago Valley Intermediate School.

Right, pictured are sixth grade winners, from left,  Julia Hoffacker and Lindsay Fadenrecht.

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The New Oxford Middle School spelling bee for grades 6-8 was held Dec. 6 at the Conewago Valley Intermediate School. Pictured are winners, from left, first row, Grade 7, Sarah Coates, first, Alex Wilkinson, second, and Cale Unger, third; second row, Grade 8, Samantha Hodson, first, Daniel Fernandez, second, and Indira Rucic, third.

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The Richard J. Gross VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Post 8896, of East Berlin, presented Patriot’s Pen awards to four New Oxford Middle School students for their essays, “Does Patriotism Still Matter?”. Pictured are, from left, Jensen Sneeringer, Alexis Lamb ($50 award winner), Linda Hermansen (auxiliary member), Sophia Heyser and Abbie Britton ($50 award winner). The competition was open to students in grades 6-8 with these four student’s essays chosen to advance to the next level of the competition.

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