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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Jokes of The Week!


Jokes of The Week!

1. My dog used to chase people on a bike. One day, it got so bad, I had to take his bike away


2.
















3.


4. I wanted to grow my own food, but I couldn't find bacon seeds anywhere

7West celebrates with Pi

Students from 7West gear up in Pi-themed hats to celebrate March 14, aka Pi Day.











The all new advice column!!!!!

All New Advice Column!!!!!!!
Ask The Unicorn

   The WoodHill Gazette is introducing a new column! An advice column! Just write any questions and/or concerns about life! There will be a box in the Hub, with paper and a pen to address your situations. DON’T BE AFRAID! It will be anonymous. The advice that we give will be posted on the WHMS Gazette newspaper.

Trailers!!



Students from 6 West have created book trailers on more than 40 books in The Hub. Check out their book recommendations (in video format) and discover some great reading selections. Students wrote summaries, found pictures, and put the trailers together using Animoto, an useful tool for creating these videos. They were then published on The Hub's Website as well as our Youtube Channel!



 

POLLS!!!!

TAKE OUR SUPER ANNOYING WEEKLY POLLS

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Wood Hill shines at Destination Imagination Competition

By: Abby Chou and Emme Pitts

The regional competition for Destination Imagination was held last weekend. Wood Hill’s two teams did very well. Team Mega V took first place and are heading on to the statewide competition. Team Defying Gravity’s--a team combined with seventh and eighth grade students--place is currently unknown. Congratulations guys, and good luck to the teams heading to the statewide competition!

Destination Imagination is an international program to allow kids to be creative and think critically. A team of two to seven people chose a special challenge that is based off of your team’s interests and skills. The categories include the technical, scientific, improvisational, fine arts, service learning, structural, and for kids in grades two and under, a rising stars challenge. These challenges are specifically designed to challenge kids’ creativity and ability to think quickly on the spot.

The team’s final performance is judged by a team of duct tape and creativity-loving judges wearing some of the craziest looking hats you’ll ever see to help you laugh and loosen up when you are feeling nervous about your performance. Whoever succeeds in impressing the judges and making a rock solid yet creative performance gets first place in the regional competition moves on to the state competition. If you come out on top in the state competition, you move onto globals, the biggest competition between the best Destination Imagination teams in the world. It’s an amazing experience with some of the most creative new products being shown.

“It’s an awesome program that gives kids a chance to show their creativity,” says Katie Budinger, a former Destination Imagination participant on 7 West. Her team participated for two years together, during one year they went to Globals. A new season is coming around in September, and if you have any interest in joining next year, make sure to ask Mrs. Murray about her Wood Hill teams!

SUPER ANNOYING WEEKLY POLLS RESULTS!!!! 3/17/16

SUPER ANNOYING WEEKLY POLL RESULTS FROM 3/17/16!!!!!!!!!!!
Milky Way or Snickers

Milky Way: 8 
Snickers: 2
Both: 0
Neither: 3

Books or Movies

Books: 7
Movies: 5
Both: 1
Neither: 0

Morning Bird or Night Owl

Morning Bird: 4
Night Owl: 7
Both: 3
Neither: 0

MILKY WAY WINS!!!!!!!!
BOOKS WINS!!!!!!!!!!
NIGHT OWL WINS!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Crew T-shirts!!


The New Crew T-Shirt
By Katie Budinger

Crew is getting T-shirts! I’m sure that you’ve seen the potential designs hanging in the stairwells. Each crew was given a chance to vote on their favorite designs and those votes were tallied! The winning T-shirt front and back will be revealed at the community meeting on Wednesday, March 23rd.

Most crew groups submitted designs for both the front and the back of the T-shirt. The front of one crew could be picked, but the back could be from another crew. We will be posting the results on the blog when they are released.

UPDATE: The winning crews are Ms. Kouletsis and Mr. Tisbert

12th Annual MHL Teen Poetry Contest

By Nadia Shah

Do you love to write? If you do, you should enter the 12th annual Teen Poetry Contest! It is open to students in grades 6-12. They may submit up to three poems, starting on March 14 and going through March 28. Prizes will be given to the top 3 poems in the Middle School and High School categories, as well as Honorable Mentions. The Teen Poetry Contest reading and reception will be Tuesday, April 26, at 7 pm. To submit a poem, go to poetry.mhl.org.


Take our new polls!!


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Austen-Speak

Dearest Readers,
The gazette appreciates your scrupulous efforts in keeping this website just absolutely amazing. You have gratified us with your reading of our scrumptious articles and photographs. You might just have to admit that this website is endearing to you and all the other ladies and gentlemen that inhale the words of this "electronically powered source". We hope your enthusiasm for this website keeps on swelling until your inflating injury can't take it anymore.

                                                                                                                     Sincerely,
                                                                                                            The Wood Hill Gazette

Senior Squad interviews residents with Alzheimer's disease

By Iliana Brouillette

The "Senior Squad" as the kids call it, is a group of 10 students. It's run by Mrs. Spataro and consists of 7 East students. The group meets every flex period to discuss what they are going to do at the Senior Center downtown. Hence the name “Senior Squad.” Weekly, these students interview a group of elders diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Students interview these Andover residents about their family, old friends, pets, their childhood, hobbies, their life, and other memories. The seniors have also discussed lessons they've learned and regrets they have from their life. Also, they share pictures of their travels and experiences. The students are hoping to create a living history for the senior's they interview.  At the end of this project, they will give the movies to their families. This is the first year 7 East is participating  in  this project. There is still no defiant answer on whether or not this will be annual project or just a one time thing.

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Special thanks go to Mrs. Medwar and Mrs. Rikkers  who generously donate their time and driving to help students get to the Senior Center each week.

Come join Buddy Up!

By Katie Budinger and Abby Chou

Buddy Up is a peer mentor program that takes place after school. Wood Hill students go to High Plain and offer homework help and play games with kids in grades 1-5.

“I first started a peer mentor program when I first started teaching. That was in Houston, Texas, in 1992. I also did one in Salem, Massachusetts. This is my third peer mentor program. The nice thing about it here is that we have kids of different ages,” says Mrs. Billings. “We started with 10 kids, then we had 25, last year we had 55 kids in the program.”

“I like interacting with younger kids, I don’t have any siblings.”  Says Katie Budinger, a 7th grader on West. She is in the program for the second year now. Boys are welcome too! Last year they had seven or eight boys from middle school who loved the program. At the end of each session, they have a big party and last year there were 80 people. There are no kindergarteners in the program.


Camp Kieve!

By Emme Pitts

As many of you know, most of seventh grade goes to Camp Kieve every year, and it’s coming up in May. The seventh graders and their parents heard more about the week-long trip at recent assemblies and meetings. Curiosity is building and students are getting more and more excited to go!

The Leadership School at Kieve is in Nobleboro, Maine, and helps kids develop leadership skills. According to their website, “Since 1981, The Leadership School at Kieve has been developing leaders and strengthening communities by challenging students, teachers, and parents to take positive risks, set meaningful goals, make healthy decisions, all while being supportive team members and strong leaders. Adolescents still face a world of challenging choices and conflicting messages: our approach to supporting them as they face the challenges of growing up remains the same.” The experience also helps you trust people from your own school that you don’t know that well. To do that, you participate in small trust exercises, like trust “leans,” and larger trust exercises, such as going on a ropes course 40 feet in the air. Although the camp is licensed as a school, it does not have normal classes. The staff try to keep you interested and on your feet as much as possible. Students are excited for this amazing experience.

Many students will be attending the Leadership School. It has many aspects of CREW and will help people with teamwork and team building skills alike. In addition, many teachers think it is an amazing experience. “Kieve is a place where kids can challenge themselves to be the best they can be,” Mrs. Kouletsis tells us, the science teacher on 7East.

What is a typical day at The Leadership School like?

Be prepared to wake up early and go to bed exhausted. You will be moving all day, having a lot of fun and experiencing many new things. So, while bed time may seem early to you now, we can guarantee you will be exhausted at lights out.

7:30 - Wake Up
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00-Noon: Classes. Don’t worry, there's a snack in the middle of the morning!
12:00-12:30 - LUNCH
12:30-3:00 - Class
3:00 - Snack #2
3:20 - Choice time. (See below for sample choice time activities)
5:15 - DINNER
6:30 - Evening program
8:00 - Snack #3
9:00 - Lights out(6th graders) 9:15(7th graders) 9:30 (older students)

What is “Choice Time?”
After you finish your class day, you will have a snack before selecting a “Choice Time.” There are always a variety of activities to choose from including sports, arts & crafts, ropes course, nature walks, and really anything else that is appropriate that you can suggest to your educators.

What is “Evening Program?”
During evening program, Leadership School Educators will introduce a number of activities that you will not have seen in the classroom. Activities like “Circuits” and “Air Guitar” will keep you involved and entertained!

City of Bones Book review!

By Katie Budinger

Clary is a fifteen year old girl living in New York City with her best friend Simon. When she and Simon go a club called Pandemonium, she sees three tattoo covered teens murder a kid with strange weapons. And how it seems like only she can see them? The three teens explain themselves as Shadowhunters, people who are specially trained to fight demons. But before Clary has a chance to tell anyone, her mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demon in her apartment! The Shadowhunters want to know why demons would be interested in an ordinary Mundanes like Clary and her mother.This fantastical book is filled with action and plot twists that you are sure to love!

Thursday, March 3, 2016

New Polls (Week of March 3. 2016)

Take our new polls!!
(Week of 3/03/16)





Go to this link to see our latest news video!


https://youtu.be/2jPaR-sU5kc

#Selfies











#Photobomb! 

7West Worm Farm!

By: Abby Chou and Katie Budinger

7West got worms! Thanks to the hard work of Mrs. Kelly, the 7West math and science teacher, the greenhouse is now home to two worm habitats. These worms (about 5,000 of them) decompose compost from the cafeteria, turning it into usable soil. Once every few days, food scraps are ground up, mixed with bread crumbs and newspaper, and fed to the worms. It helps students learn about other living things, as well as ecosystems and how they work. If you want to see how they are fed and maintained, see the videos below! (sound affects and squealing provided by Karli)




Shindig Shutdown

By Iliana Brouillette

If you were planning on going to the 7th grade dance this Friday, you need to change your plans. It's CANCELED! Due to low projected attendance the organizers called it off. But don't fear if you've already bought your tickets. Any one who pre-purchased tickets will receive a full refund. Hopefully the next dance goes off with out a hitch.

Winter Concert

Winter Concert!!!!!












Chorus and band perform at the Winter Concert.
I'm Thankful For...
Students from 6East read "Thank You Sarah" with Mrs. Downs and create designs that show what they're thankful for.

1st WHMS Snowball Fight!