highlands middle school news from the hornet’s nest …

HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS FROM THE HORNET’S NEST

Principal Papierski’s Point of View Yes, it’s true! There are less than 6 weeks of school left. It seems like I was just writing September’s new letter. It has been a fantastic year and we are looking forward to an exciting finish! I encourage you to read this newsletter carefully and mark your calendars, as the upcoming weeks are quite busy, particularly for our eighth grade students. I recently met with the eighth grade English classes. I invited all eighth graders that are interested in speaking at graduation to submit a commencement speech. All speeches will be evaluated by a three-person committee, resulting in the selection of the 2 to 3 speeches. Each student was given three informational pages that identified the required criteria, the evaluation process, the rubric used for evaluation and a cover page to ensure anonymity of the student. If you have any questions, talk to your child or give the middle school office a call. I have also met with the 7th grade students regarding our student planner contest. All 7th grade students have been invited to create the “student-designed” cover for our 2007-2008 student planner. All entries must be submitted to the middle school office by Friday, May 26. Dress Code/Bicycles/Pickup/Drop-off With the warm weather approaching please review the school dress code with your son or daughter. It is important that we maintain a positive and respectful teaching/learning environment. Also, please review with your child the appropriate walking and bicycling procedures. Students must walk their bicycles on school property and take their bicycle home after school. I understand drop-off and pickup is a bit stressful for several minutes before and after school, however, for the safety of all our children your patience is imperative. We are looking into a possible new procedure to improve the flow of traffic for next year. To currently help with the flow of traffic, please drop off your children in the far right lane, pull up as far as possible and pick them up in the in the center lane in the crosswalk. It is also a great idea to put your cell phones down for a few minutes and give 100% of your attention to the safety of our students. Summer School Don’t forget about our exciting summer school classes. Call the office if you need a summer school schedule. We are offering a number of engaging enrichment classes! This is a time to have fun, see your friends and learn at the same time. Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) Please find enclosed in this month’s mailing, your child’s ITBS results. Take the time to review these with your son or daughter. We will review the results in order to improve our overall academic programs and your child’s individual classroom instruction. On-Line Survey Please participate in this very important survey. It will influence the future of teaching in learning in our district. There is also a meeting on May 19, from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. where you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas. Please see the enclosed letter from Mr. Eric Callis, our technology director, for details. Finally Remember there is no better time than summer for reading! Enjoy the summer reading a good book with your child. Encourage your child to read on vacation, in different outdoor places, before going to bed, when they get up in the morning or any time they feel like it! Have a relaxing summer filled with many hours of family and friends! Mr. Michael Papierski

May/June 2007

News from the Hornet’s Nest Page - 2-

Thank You! We would like to thank all the moms who have helped the middle school office

by taking time out to help collate our monthly newsletters.

Student Transfer Please notify the middle school office as soon as possible if your child will not be attending

Highlands Middle School next year. REGISTRATION FOR 2007-2008

Believe it or not, the upcoming 2007-08 school year will be soon approaching. We at Highlands would like to streamline the registration process by enclosing the required forms mandatory for registration. Please fill out the enrollment and emergency forms, and submit to the middle school office as soon as you can.

Transportation Reimbursement

The claim form for transportation reimbursement is in the middle school office and will be available for parents to sign until the end of the school year. You are eligible to apply for reimbursement if:

1. you live more than 1-1/2 miles from school, or 2. you live less than 1-1/2 miles from school with a verified serious safety hazard and have

received authorization while your child attended Highlands Middle School


HIGHLANDS CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS Spotlight on Sixth Grade

Language Arts – Ms. O’Brien and Ms. VanVoltenburg The sixth grade language arts students wrapped up their research papers by presenting them to their classmates. We learned many interesting facts about a variety of topics. The students began their study of the Dust Bowl with a short documentary film, and then they read excerpts from the book Children of the Dust Bowl in preparation for the novel Out of the Dust. The PAL language arts students have been busy researching gods and goddesses from Greek and Norse mythology in order to present a speech in character and in costume to their classmates and parent visitors. As always, our literature study will be intertwined with vocabulary, grammar, spelling and writing assignments. We will finish out the school year with poetry and drama units, including a "Poetry Slam!" event and student-produced plays. Math – Mrs. Novotny The 6th grade math classes did a great job on their ratios, rates, and proportions chapter! This will lead us nicely into our next unit, which will be on percents, including percents less than 1 or greater than 100. Students will have to build on their prior knowledge of proportions to solve problems involving applications of percents. They will also draw upon their understanding of the relationship between decimals and fractions to express both as percents. The PAL math class will be finishing the year with linear functions and graphing. They will be learning that a function is a number generator. If you input one number into the function, the function outputs a second number. We will be using function machines and making up some of our own. Science – Mr. Swick 6th graders are immersed in their study of ecology. We have just studied food chains, food webs and the biotic and abiotic factors that make up ecosystems. We will now put this new knowledge to the test in outdoor labs where students must analyze these relationships “in the field.” Students will participate in a quadrat study to determine the biodiversity of a school ecosystem. This data will then be compared to the biodiversity in a natural Illinois prairie ecosystem.

We will also begin out debates on global warming as students analyze both sides of this topic. We will then finish out the year with student-created labs where 6th grades construct a solar-heated device. This can be anything from water heaters to hot dog cookers.

Social Studies – Mrs. Sandusky In sixth grade Social Studies, we will be moving into a study of two types of revolutions that changed the modern world: democratic revolutions and the industrial revolution. Students will compare democratic revolutions throughout the world (United States, France and South America) in the late 1700s and early 1800s. As a part of this study, we will look at national anthems and how political cartoons are used to portray events. As we move into the industrial era, students will take part in a simulation to see how factory work changed the way that goods are produced today. We will look at how capitalism has changed life for people today and some of the struggles that workers went through to achieve modern workplace standards (vacation time, 40 hour work week and safe working conditions). We will end the year with a project related to the World War era. Each group will choose a topic from this time period (Russian Revolution, World War 1, Great Depression, World War 2 and the Cold War) to create a newscast for their class. There will be general information given by the news anchors about their time period as well as "roving reporters" giving us "live updates" from the field! Thanks for a great year this year!


HIGHLANDS CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS 7th Grade News

Language Arts - Mrs. Cleys and Mrs. Racolta This month we are excited to be starting new literature units. Some of our classes will be beginning a study of poetry. Students will be reading various types of poetry and learning the key poetic devices. The unit will culminate with students choosing their own poetry project demonstrating their knowledge of concepts. One of these choices will be to create their own original poem modeled after the format used in Nikki Grimes’ book Bronx Masquerade. Other literature sections will be beginning a unit on fables. This unit will entail a reader’s theatre approach in which the students will be acting out the fables that they read. We will also be learning about modern fables and comparing those to traditional fables. Our final grammar units will be a study of adjectives and adverbs and sentence types. We will be working with students to improve their use of complex sentences in their writing. Math - Mrs. Curran We are in the final stretch of the 2006-2007 school year and we are still moving along in both math classes. While they are ready for the summer, please encourage the importance of having all materials (pencils and paper) and completing homework. Thank you! Also, both classes will have a cumulative final exam. The dates will be posted on the homework website in the next few weeks. They will have sufficient amount of time to look over the chapters. For the remainder of the year, students in Algebra 1 will build their knowledge on concepts that incorporate polynomials. They will add, subtract, and multiply monomials, binomials and trinomials. They will also begin to factor polynomials. We will then back track to chapter 8 to discuss negative exponents and scientific notation. Students in Pre-Algebra will focus on solving problems that associate with ratios and rates. Such concepts include scale drawings, probability, percents of change, markups and discounts. They will then move on to extended their skill with the algebra process by solving two-step equations, multi-step equations and equations with variables on both sides. Science - Mr. Anagnostopoulos The 7th grade science classes are continuing their study of the muscular and nervous systems. We are beginning our dissection units this week with the chicken wing lab in which we will look at bones, joints, and muscle contraction. We will end the year with a guest speaker from Chiro One in Burr Ridge as they share their knowledge of the nervous system and spinal column with the class. Don't forget about coming in to participate with the cow eyeball lab the last week of school! Contact Mr. A if you are interested in helping out. Social Studies - Mr. Kissel The seventh grade Geography classes have been studying Central Europe with a focus on France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland. Our study included a hand drawn map or poster of the region. We also studied the economic issues relating to communism and capitalism. Students learned about the differences found in the political and economic systems in the former East Germany and West Germany. We learned about the failure of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which resulted in the reunited Germany of today. Students also considered future careers as part of our study of economic systems. They considered occupations and the preparation required for getting a job in a particular field. They learned about how the college students in many European countries receive a free education and discussed whether the United States government should do the same for our university students. We looked at statistics relating to what certain occupations pay and average salaries for white collar in relation to blue-collar jobs. We will move our study to Southern and Eastern Europe in the weeks to come. From there we will move on to Asia with a strong focus on Japan, China and India.


HIGHLANDS CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

THE 8th GRADE TEAM “MAKING A DIFFERENCE” IN MAY & JUNE

There is a good reason they call these ceremonies “commencement exercises.” Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning. Orrin Hatch May and June seem so far away from the beginning of this school year. Yet here it is. There are so many “beginnings” in life and the Highlands teaching staff has been there supporting and cheering on these 8th grade students for nine years. We are very proud of their accomplishments and know that they will be successful in whatever endeavors they choose to follow. We wish them the best! Language Arts – Mrs. Babcock and Mrs. Schweizer The focus this month is on writing in a variety of formats, finishing up the 8th grade research report project, reading several novel units, completing the genocide unit-- which correlates with the prejudice unit, and revisiting basic grammar concepts. Mrs. Schweizer’s language arts classes will have an exciting month. They will break into literature circles groups to read and discuss a variety of novels. They will also be putting the finishing touches on the research papers and complete the social studies Power Point presentations highlighting their research papers. Finally, the students will spend the month in a Writing Workshop reviewing and refining writing skills using the Six Traits of Writing as they reflect on their years at Highlands. The students will compile a class book, similar to the Freedom Writer’s Diary that will feature some of the best essays written this year. Parents are invited to attend the book’s debut in Mrs. Schweizer’s room (Room 205) on May 25th during the regular language arts class time. The authors (students) will be reading from their books, showing their writing portfolios, and sharing stories from this year. Refreshments will be served! Mrs. Babcock’s classes will be focusing on completing their research papers. Final copies will be due at the end of the month of May. All students will be reading books pertaining to the Prejudice/Genocide Unit. They will learn how prejudice affects them and the world around them. They will learn about other cultures and how they have dealt with prejudice and, finally, they will learn how they can affect prejudice in the future. Students are also finishing up To Kill a Mockingbird and The Canterbury Tales. As always, spelling and grammar will be intertwined within the various language arts activities. Also, in the beginning of May, students will be presenting their last monthly book report. This school year, students have read a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction materials, which they will find helpful in their future academic career. I have been very impressed with their openness to try new reading and writing experiences. Their wide range of interests will serve them well in the future. It has been a pleasure to be part of their experience here at the Highlands.


HIGHLANDS CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS 8th Grade (cont.)

Science – Mr. Zeman The remainder of the school year will be spent studying electricity and magnetism. We just finished creating electromagnetic fishing rods and tested them during class over a two-day period. The results were great and the 8th grade students have shown that they understand the scientific process. The year will wrap up with the dissection of the frog. One of my favorites!

Math – Mrs. Funk The 8th grade students will find the month of May extremely busy. With several assemblies and field trips, it is very important that all students stay current with the homework assignments, study for quizzes and tests, and come in for extra help when needed. Please check the homework web site frequently as it will be continuously updated with assignments, important dates to remember, and times available before and after school for extra help and practice. During the months of May and June regular 8th grade classes will be working on rate of change, slope, graphing linear equations in slope-intercept form, and creating scatter plots with a line of best fit on the graphic calculators. We will also continue the consumer math project that was started in April. A final exam covering material from Chapters 1-6 will be given on May 16th, May 17th, and May 18th. Students will be receiving a review packet approximately one week prior to the exam and there will be some review days in class before the exam. During the months of May and June the PAL 8th grade class will be completing their study of rational equations and functions, as well as completing a study of radicals with connections to geometry. The second semester exam will be given on May 29th, May 30th, and May 31st. Students will be receiving a review packet approximately two weeks prior to the exam; and there will be some review days in class before the exam. Letters will be given to the students by June 4th with exam results and Algebra II placements.


HIGHLANDS CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS 8th Grade (cont.)

Social Studies – Mr. Steele PREAMBLE TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

If you happen to hear your son or daughter singing, rapping, or simply reciting the above section of the Constitution, it is because we are deep in our study of this important document. As part of this study, the students have to memorize the Preamble, and so far, they have not only impressed me with their memorization skills, but also with their singing skills. We are currently studying the seven articles in the Constitution that set up our national government. We are learning about the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. After learning about the government, they will then move on to the amendments to see what changes have been made to this document over the years. By the time they finish, your son or daughter will be a Constitution expert! Please remind them to save their materials from the Constitution, as they will be able to use this again as juniors when they take the test for the second time. The Constitution has a lot of information in it and I would appreciate any help in reviewing you can provide for your child. They will be having their final Constitution test near the end of May -- right before their 8th grade trip. It has been a pleasure working with the 8th grade students this year. I wish them the best as they begin their high school careers next year. It will be a quick four years--remember to take advantage of every opportunity and learn something from all of your experiences--both the good and the bad.


HIGHLANDS PEFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

ART with Ms. Johnson 6th grade This class has just finished their drawing project. With this project, the subject is their choice. We focus on line, pattern, value and contrast. Overall, the projects have turned out very well. The next project is the stained glass window project. We are in the beginning steps of that project; I am looking forward to the finished products! Projects for the remainder of the year include printmaking, and maybe a bit of landscape drawing outside! 7th grade - Drawing This block will start out learning the basic techniques of implementing perspective in their artwork. I always look forward to this project; I know they will turn out well. We will also work with portraiture and a multimedia still life. I look forward to finishing out the year with a great drawing class. 8th grade - Set Design- We just finished up the musical, and thanks to the entire class! We could not have done it without you! 8th grade - Hand building- We will start out with out first project, coil pots. Students are advancing their skills from the 7th grade, and the bar has been raised for creativity and originality. We will review basic techniques, and learn some new ones. I look forward to seeing how all of the projects turn out!

ART Club

We have received our elephant for the “Elephants on Parade” this year. Our elephant will be painted and displayed this summer on LaGrange Rd. in downtown LaGrange in time for the Pet Parade. The students and I are very excited, and have been looking forward to this all year. Thanks to the Highlands PTC for the sponsorship! We could not do this without you!


Technology - Mrs. Lanciloti 6th Grade Students just finished working on keyboarding skills. Have your child practice typing for you. He or she can type the alphabet, spelling words, or write a letter to a family member or friend. Currently, students are learning about technology terms. Ask your child about the word he or she is researching? Soon the class will present the their findings and take a test on 24 words. 7th Grade Seventh grade students will end the year in computer class learning about database and spreadsheet. Students will learn vocabulary related do these applications. They will create their own database and look at databases on the internet. During our spreadsheet unit they will learn how to compile data, use formulas and graph data. 8th Grade Eighth graders will end the year in computer class learning about the internet. Students will understand internet terms and focus on internet research, safety and ethics. Eighth graders will use the skills they gain and create their own webpage.

Recycling Thanks to all of the students who have participated in recycling club. This is a wonderful service opportunity for students to get involved and show their support for our school and the environment. We recycle paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass. Thanks to all of the parents, staff, and community members who have given our school their used printer cartridges to recycle. We will continue to collect these over the summer. Keep protecting our Earth!


HIGHLANDS PEFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS (cont.)

Dans les classes de français….. Mrs. Provan

How quickly the end of the year is approaching! In May and June the sixth grade French classes will continue their total physical response storytelling, as well as practice dialogues using as much of the vocabulary we have been learning as possible. We will also be screening the classic Jean Cocteau film “La Belle et la Bête.” Both sixth and seventh grade students will celebrate May Day with a little art project. The seventh grade students are continuing their study of verbs and adjectives. Their French Impressionist Artist projects are due May 11. Parents of seventh grade French students are invited to join us in our “gallery walk” on that day during their child’s French class. Seventh grade students will also explore the world of French cinema through a showing of François Truffaut’s famous film “L’Argent du Poche.” The eighth graders will be working on the passé composé (past tense) with both avoir and être. We have already begun to sample some French dishes as part of our food study, and will continue to do so. Parents of the eighth grade students are invited to join us on food tasting days during their child’s class period. All of the recipes they researched and prepared will be compiled into a cookbook for them to keep. Time and weather permitting, all French students will be introduced to the traditional French lawn bowling game of pétanque or boules. “Bonnes Vacances” to all!

Spanish

6th grade – Ms. VanVoltenburg The students in block five have started with a review of many of the concepts they learned in the elementary Spanish program, including greetings, farewells, numbers, and people. Once the students are finished with the review chapter they will move on to the first unit of the book, which will focus on classroom objects, talking about more than one thing, and talking about people and things. They will then move onto Unit 2 where they will learn about shapes, colors, and animals. They will share “Mi Animal Favorito” where they will give details about their favorite animal. The students will then go on to Unit 3, which will take until the end of the block. In Unit 3 the students will learn the days of the week and various places they might go. They will also learn about the verb IR which means “to go.” This verb will allow the students to make sentences saying where they are going to go in conjunction with the new places they learned.

Foreign Language


HIGHLANDS PEFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS (cont.) 7th grade – Mrs. Rus and Ms. VanVoltenburg The students have started Unit 2 Chapter 3. They are continuing to learn about Mexico City in this chapter. The students have learned IR a + infinitive or what someone is going to do. Also they have now learned how to conjugate “-ER” and “-IR” verbs. This allows them to conjugate all three verb types. They will learn the irregular yo forms of the verbs oír(to hear), conocer(to know), and hacer(to do or make). The students will also be able to discuss plans and talk about places and people they know with their new vocabulary and grammar concepts. The students will finish up the year with Unit 3 Chapter 1. The unit theme is about Puerto Rico. Chapter 1 is full of feeling words. The grammar objectives focus on expressing feelings using the verb ESTAR, to say what just happened using ACABAR DE, to say where you are coming from using VENIR, and to say what someone likes to do using GUSTAR + infinitive. The students will be able to extend invitations, talk on the phone, express feelings, say where they are coming from, and say what has just happened using the vocabulary from this chapter. 8th grade – Mrs. Rus This month the students will finish the chapter talking about one’s daily routine. They have been working on reflexive verbs and they drew their own “extra-terrestre” to practice the body parts. This chapter also contains irregular and negative commands. They will make posters showing what not to do to practice the negative commands. To finish the year they will learn the past tense. ¡Buena suerte! The P.E. classes are finishing up the year with our last two units, softball and lacrosse. During the softball unit, the students will learn the positions and fundamentals of playing 16-inch softball. During the lacrosse unit, a new sport to Highlands P.E., the students will learn basic skills, rules, equipment, and how to play a lacrosse match. During both units, fitness days will be incorporated throughout. Both units will close with a comprehensive test to assess the students’ understanding of the two sports.

Physical Education – Mrs. Eskra, Mrs. Groetsema and Mr. Kolar



6th grade - Health – Mrs. Lanciloti Currently students are learning about diseases. Students are learning about infectious and non-infectious diseases. Students will choose a disease to research and make a presentation on their findings. Our main focus is on disease prevention. Toward the end of May students will partake in a first aid unit. Sixth graders will have a chance to practice CPR on dummies, create a splint, bandage a cut, and prevent choking. We will also receive a visit from local paramedics. 7th grade - Health – Ms. Johnson We will start out discussing tobacco and the various effects that this drug has on the human body. We with them continue talking about alcohol and various drug at the 7th grade level. Student will be informed so that they will make healthy decisions for themselves in the future. 7th grade - Health – Mrs. Provan The final 7th Grade Health 2 classes began on April 30 and will run until the end of the school year. Students will be learning about the effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs on your health. We will also be discussing positive nutritional choices. 8th grade - Health – Ms. Johnson This health class focuses on growth and human development. We have just started the class, and are beginning the unit on reproduction. For the remainder of the year, we will focus on topics such as reproduction, abstinence and various health issues connected to these topics. The goal is to inform students so that they will make healthy decisions for themselves in the future.



from Mrs. O’Reilly

CONGRATULATIONS! to the cast and crew of Once on This Island. You did a spectacular job at all three performances. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I enjoyed watching you perform and hearing you sing. It is truly a labor of love for me and when the pay off is as great as you all were, the whole project becomes a source of pride and joy! Thank you for the beautiful bouquet, the wonderful card and generous gift certificate. I look forward to using it. The standing ovations you received were well earned. ‘Til next time…….. Mrs. O’Reilly � 6th Grade Music The sixth graders have entered their final block for the year. In music, we have completed our unit on rhythm and are progressing into putting the notes on the staff and writing melodies together and individually. This will prepare the students to use the keyboard lab. We will be learning the C major scale, F major scale, and the G major scale. Ultimately, the individual notes will build into chords, which will be utilized by playing the acoustic guitars. 7th and 8th grade Chorus The seventh and eighth graders will be finishing the year by raising their voices in song. Please mark your calendars for Monday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. and join us as we present our Spring Choral Concert. The eighth graders will also prepare to sing for their own graduation on Tuesday, June 5. As always, thank you for supporting the Highlands Middle School music program.

Highlands Show Choir

Highlands Show Choir is packed and ready to roll! By the time you receive this we will be south bound on our way to Nashville to participate in the America Sings! celebration. I’m sure there will be many exciting stories to tell and wonderful memories made. I invite you to one final event for the Highlands Show Choir and Jazz Band on Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room. It is our annual benefit concert where both ensembles will perform and baked goods will be sold to raise a bit of money for a good cause. I will also be honoring our graduating eighth graders. It proves to be another musical evening well spent. I hope to see you there.



BAND news On Tuesday, April 17th, the Highlands Concert Band attended the Vandercook Band Festival. We performed and received comments from multiple judges and participated in a clinic with a faculty member from Vandercook. The band performed beautifully and behaved wonderfully. We received many wonderfully affirming and helpful comments. I was so proud of them. The day was a wonderful time of music making. Congratulations to everyone that performed. Our Spring Band Concert will take place on Wednesday, May 23rd on 7:30pm in the middle school gym. The Concert Band, Jazz Band, Intermediate Band, and Beginning Band will perform. Please invite your friends and family to enjoy our final concert of the year! The 6th and 7th grade Concert Band members will be coming together to form this year’s Graduation Band. We will be playing for the 8th grade graduation on June 5th. More details will be coming home soon. Thanks for a wonderful year of beautiful music making!

Spring Orchestra Concert May 10th @ 7:30 p.m.

Service Club News


The Service Club needs your help with two final projects of the year! First, we are collecting empty, rectangular Altoid tins for an organization that makes "super crayons" that can be more easily grasped by disabled children. Please bring your empty Altoid boxes to Ms. O'Brien in room 152 by June 1, 2007. Second, keep saving those aluminum pull tabs from soda and other cans! We'll donate them to the Ronald McDonald House where they'll recycle them and use the proceeds to help with the operating costs associated with providing "a home away from home" for families of hospitalized children. Save the tabs in a baggie or other container, and bring them to Ms. O'Brien in room 152 at any time before the end of the school year.

Upcoming Events: May Service Club meeting: Friday, May 13, 2007 Meal preparation for the residents at Ronald McDonald House: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 Meal delivery and tour of the Ronald McDonald House: Thursday, May 17, 2007

Student Council We are well underway with the Student Council elections. Our candidates are meeting with Mrs. Cleys to revise and edit their speeches. The Election Assembly will be held May 11, after which the 6th and 7th graders will be voting in their 1st period classes. Election results will be announced at the end of that day. Our new officers will be inducted at the Honor’s Day Assembly June 1, 2007. Good luck to all of our candidates! Silver Wars Thanks to all that participated in our Silver Wars. We raised over $1500. The winning homerooms were: Mrs. Babcock’s, Ms. VanVoltenburg’s, and Mr. Swick’s. Our final dance of the year will be held on May 11, at 6:00-8:30 pm. Plans are underway to make this the best dance yet! We hope to see everyone there.

highlands middle school news from the hornet’s nest …

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