$420 Worth of Lasagna

Blogger's Note: This post shamelessly stolen, word for word (photos too!), from Alana Mauger's own post about this on the Think Success blog on Montgomery County Community College web site.

Student leaders at Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus in Pottstown raised $420 during their 13th Annual Lasagna Dinner on Feb. 19.

Proceeds from the dinner benefit the West Campus Student Scholarship Fund through the College’s Foundation. The scholarship is awarded annually to a West Campus student who is engaged in community service and is in good academic standing.

The buffet meal of meat or veggie lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and beverage was served by MCCC student leaders and was available for dine-in or take-out. Between 6-7 p.m., members of MCCC’s West End Student Theatre (WEST) presented an interactive improv dating show that had diners roaring with laughter.

The West Campus Lasagna Dinner is one of MCCC’s “50 Acts of Kindness” as part of the College’s 50th anniversary celebration. Throughout 2014, MCCC students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters are committed organizing 50 acts of community service – one for every year of the College’s existence. To learn more at the College’s 50th anniversary activities, visit mc3.edu/50.

To learn more about scholarship opportunities through MCCC’s Foundation, visitmc3.edu/giving.

Into the Lights

An Olympic Effort

Over 150 elementary students in the Pottstown School District took part in the Olympics but they did not have to travel all the way to Sochi to showcase their skills.

They stayed right here in Pottstown as they participated in the 14th annual Pottstown School District’s Reading Olympics Competition. 

The Reading Olympics requires teams of students to read 45 books in preparation for the event. 

Each round of competition sees two opposing teams attempt to answer 20 questions given in rapid-fire fashion from the moderators. After a question is asked about a book, teams huddle to determine the correct answer. 

One point is awarded for each correct answer and Olympic ribbons are awarded for overall performance. 

District teams qualify to compete in the annual Montgomery County Intermediate Unit competition which annually attracts over 500 teams and 7,000 participants. 

The Pottstown School District program is organized by Reading Specialist Karen Neitz. 

The goals of the Reading Olympics are to increase students' reading for enjoyment and promote reading skills that increase achievement and academic success. 

“I am always so excited to see our youngsters actively engage in reading. This event is an opportunity for students to experience teamwork and the satisfaction that comes from hard work,” explained Neitz.

For the ninth consecutive year the Pottstown School District’s Reading Olympics program has received financial support from the local Diamond Credit Union. 

John Foust, President of Diamond Credit Union, said, “We are proud to partner with the Pottstown School District in their efforts to promote the skill of reading so that students may learn to read so that they can read to learn. 

It is extremely rewarding to see the glow in students’ eyes when they correctly answer one of the questions. As an organization, Diamond Credit Union is committed to being a contributing member of our community.”

Ribbon award winning teams included:

Barth Page Masters – BRONZE	Barth Reading MVP - BRONZE	Franklin Bluebirds - BRONZE	Lincoln Lightning - BRONZE
Early Boyd-Brown Jenia Brown Michelle Castillo Joseph DeLeo Anthony DiPietro Mason Long Christinna Longenecker Mackenzie Moser Mylihng Ortiz Zavion Paschall Ma'Kea Regis Kaden Timbers Xzavier Francis Williams	Ashton Binder Jaylen Bryant Justyna Epright Eddie Higgins Makenzie Johnson Debra Laulu Jesus Linares Zachary Mitchell Tryniti Mott-Lewis Patrick O'Connor Grant Panfile Ivionna Reed Enam Robinson	Askew, Jamilah Brown, Tyonna Christman, Olivia Clyde, Shyeed Cocci, Joel Couch, Thomas Delgado, Janessa Eames, Liza Harper, Tyler Hill, Elias Mest, Kristen Ormston, Allison Pena, Jolyn Rabert, Austin Smith, Dakota Tinson, Braylon	Jonathan Calle Xochitl Cruz-Hernandez Madison Dunn Isabella Floyd Farid Gass Jailyn Hampton Isabella Harmon Maria Jimenez Angelina Ludy Jesseny Redrovan Abigail Rochlin Deanna Stefanavage Kayla Vitabile Sydney Wilerson Daniel Williams Jayniana Williams

Rupert Roaring Readers - BRONZE	Middle School Eagles - BRONZE	Middle School Falcons - BRONZE	Middle School Hawks - BRONZE
John Cranford Jack Engleman Emma Gain Amar Graves Beatriz Guardado Breckin Leh Hannah Monger Malachi Neely Kira Nihart Yasmin Paez Jaylin Reynolds Julia Scavello Amayah Scurry Scarlet Vallejo Melodie Velez	Naomi Parson Jaydin Douglass Elizabeth Brennan Eric Thornton Jacob Eames Xavier Agosto Kamrin Gatlin Julian Paskel Haile Clayton Keshana Brown Harmony Wood Nancy Deschamps-Ocampo	Destri Roye Zach Sands John Toussaint Kishan Patel Sebastian Buchanan Tajime Brown Beyonce Brown Kameryn Herpich Imani Brant Brian Cowie Kylee Pimentel Hannah Wilson	Gabby Reyes Xavier Cushman Samantha Deery Bobby Mitchell Cristine Martinez Jaleinda Thompson Talia Spruill Nate Lang Ciera Cwynar Anthony Russo Riley Mead Emily Weber

Musical Notes and Board Notes

Photo by Evan Brandt

Prior to getting down to the business of holding a school board meeting, the Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School Advance Band taught the board a thing or two about running a band.

Blogger's Note: Don't forget when you get to the bottom, you may need to click the blue "Read Next Page" bar to see everything.

A Speedy Council Meeting

Elementary My Dear Pottsgrove

Sherlock Holmes will be played by Jake Deska and Dr. Watson by MJ Bird.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove High School:

The game’s afoot at Pottsgrove High School when the world’s most famous sleuth and his faithful companion Dr. Watson appear on stage. 

 “Sherlock Holmes,” a suspense comedy, will be performed by a cast of 25 on Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22 at 7:30 pm in the school’s Dr. Richard J. Radel Auditorium.

This more traditional adaptation is based on stories created by Arthur Conan Doyle himself, combining elements from some of the Holmes’ famous cases, including “The Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” 

 In Victorian England, Sherlock Holmes (Jake Deska) and Dr. Watson (MJ Bird) are attempting to recover incriminating letters for an insurance company. What starts out as a simple case of blackmail evolves into a much more complicated scheme that pits Holmes against his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Kristi Shultz).

Alice Faulkner (Danielle Buchanan), who has the letters, is kidnapped by the evil James and Madge Larrabee (Josh Crocetto and Emily Weaver) until Holmes rescues her. 

A budding romance between Alice and Sherlock is threatened by the expected armed thugs, time bombs, and other complications. The play combines both mystery and humor to reach a satisfying resolution.

Other allies and adversaries for Holmes include Andrew Bayless, Brianna Beitler, Emma Burrus, Ashley Cole, Cierra Fekelman, Sydney Hernandez, Kendra Houck, Mollie Marko, Tayler Nofer, Shelby Poston, Nicole Raimondi, Anthony Romano, Rebecca Smith, Michael Thornton, Josh Toth, Hailee Tyson, Dan Weand, Allison Wentzel, Hannah Windrim, and Jake Witty.

The production is directed by faculty member Todd Kelly with assistance from Holli Artim. Student directors are Nofer and Poston. Costuming duties fall to Elizabeth Rodenbaugh and Cindy Wozniak. Cindy Scherer and Gwyneth Thomas are the art advisors. Dave Moyer supervises the stage crew.

Tickets are $7, discounted to $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased from cast members or at the door.

A Matter of Some Debate

The Hill School Debate Team, from left, Shaun Ho, class of 2016; Ali Syed, Class of 2016; 

Gillian Wenhold, class of 2014; Erik Schmidt, class of 2014 and Nguyen Nguyen, class of 2015.

Blogger's Note: The following was posted, with permission, from an item on The Hill School web site.

For the past three years, Collegeville resident Gillian Wenhold, Class of 2014  has been leading The Hill School’s Debate Team as a top competitor in the Lincoln Douglas style debate.

On Feb. 19, she celebrated the end of a successful regular season in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Debate League with a win in the final round of Lincoln Douglas debate for the second year in a row. 

Gillian went undefeated in the regular season and was first seed going into elimination rounds where she defeated five straight opponents to take home the championship!

The following evening (Feb. 20), Gillian qualified for the Pennsylvania State Debate Tournament for the second year in a row at the District 15 State qualifying tournament at Harriton High School. 

Gillian is the only member of Hill’s Debate Team to qualify for the state tournament, which will be held on March 28 and 29 at Susquehanna University.

Earlier this year, Gillian took third place at the Martin Luther King Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament at EL Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 

This was Hill’s first time participating in this event.

“Gillian’s dedication to the activity is unsurpassed,” notes Josh Schmidt, Ph.D., Hill instructor of physics and adviser to the Debate Team. “She is constantly researching and understanding positions she might face on a particular topic and devotes a great deal of time to getting better beyond just practice and tournaments.”

“A particular strength of Gillian’s is understanding her audience and how it changes from debate to debate,” adds Schmidt. “It is not easy to go undefeated in debate as every judge is different and likes to hear different things. Gillian understands that and adapts well to her audience. The team will greatly miss her next year.”

The Hill’s Debate Team has had a successful year all around. Max Holmes '16 (New Hope, Pa.) was the first alternate in Hill’s district during the Feb. 20 District 15 State Qualifying Tournament. At the Feb. 19 Southeastern PA Debate League final, Erik Schmidt '14 (Chester Springs, Pa.) and Nguyen Nguyen '15 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) placed second in policy debate, and Shaun Ho '16 (Taipa, Macau) and Ali Syed '16 (Wyomissing, Pa.) placed in the top four by making it to the semi-final round.

“This is an extremely strong result for such a young team and sets up high expectations for next year,” notes Schmidt.