Sales Force - Carnegie Mellon Today Article by Jonathan Szish
KnightVisionApril2015
1. Monthly Electronic Newsletter of the Norwin School District
281 McMahon Drive, North Huntingdon, PA 15642
Esse quam videri (To be, rather than to seem to be)April 2015
KKKNIGHTNIGHTNIGHT ISIONISIONISIONVVV
Look What Your Support Can Do for Norwin Students on Westmoreland County Day of Giving
The Westmoreland County Day of Giving will be held on Tuesday,
May 5, 2015. This is an opportunity to support your favorite local
non-profit organizations, which will receive a portion of a
matching funds for donations made on that day.
The Norwin School District Community Foundation is one such
eligible non-profit. It uses donations made on Day of Giving to
support a teacher grant program that is benefitting 1,000 students
this school year. Thanks to previous financial donations made on
Day of Giving, Hillcrest Intermediate School students were able
to begin their own in-school student news broadcast this year. Also,
Norwin Middle School music students have been experiencing iPads in the music classroom this year, which has provided technologically
enhanced band and music lessons. (See photos at right.)
Each donation is 100 percent tax-deductible. Visit www.westmorelandgives.org on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, from 8 a.m. to midnight to make
an online donation. You can visit that Web site before May 5 to learn more about the process. Please mark your calendar and consider making
a gift to support these valuable educational opportunities. Thank you!
Norwin Senior Wins Congressional Art Contest, Is Recognized for Skill in Visual Arts
Norwin High School senior Alyssa Minko’s commitment to improving her skills as a visual artist has been recognized on
three fronts recently.
Alyssa won first place in the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for a pencil drawing titled “Reflections of Memories
Past.” Her artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building for one year and she will be invited to participate in a
ribbon cutting ceremony in Washington D.C.
Alyssa also won the High School Poster/Video contest held by Ray of Hope: Westmoreland County Suicide Awareness and
Prevention Task Force.
Based on Alyssa’s artistic accomplishments, the Norwin Art Department has selected her as this year’s recipient of the Greensburg Area
Cultural Council’s 17th Annual Achievement in the Arts Awards Celebration. Click here to read more and see her artwork.
Middle School Students Respond to Mock
Environmental Disaster at STEM Day
Nearly 400 eighth-grade students participated in fun and stimulating
hands-on activities at the second-annual STEM Day at Norwin Middle
School on Friday, April 24, 2015.
At the beginning of the day, students were provided with the simulated
scenario: A major truck accident on Route 30, North Huntingdon,
pinning the driver with the tanker spilling hazardous material onto the
road. Under the scenario, several people involved in the accident
sustained life-changing injuries.
All students were assigned to three breakout sessions in which they
used some aspect of science, technology, engineering, or math to work
on the problem.
“The goal of our STEM day is to introduce the students to a real-life
scenario where people from many fields of study must work together in
a collaborative effort for one purpose: To help others improve their quality of life,” said teacher Mr. Matthew Wyant. There were a total of 15
activities run by a combination of teaching staff and community experts from the fields of science, engineering, and medicine. You can see a
photo slideshow and learn more about school and community contributors by clicking here.
May School Calendar
Friday, May 8
Two-Hour Early Dismissal
Friday. May 22
End of Grading Period / Last
Student Day / Graduation
Mon.& Tues. May 25 & 26
No School
Wednesday, May 27
Professional Day / No Students
Click here for the full calendar.
Pennsylvania Avenue School to Open Time Capsule May 27
On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, a ceremony will take place beginning at 10:00 a.m. to open the
Pennsylvania Avenue School Time Capsule at Golden Heights Personal Care Home facility.
Pennsylvania Avenue School was open from 1958-2003. Prior to its closing as a school, a time
capsule was buried in June 2000 to commemorate the millennium. The Norwin School District is
organizing efforts with the current owner, Golden Heights Personal Care Home facility, to celebrate
the opening of the time capsule.
Click here to read Norwin’s official invitation letter and learn more. At right is an engraved metal display of the former Pennsylvania Avenue
Elementary School which was provided by retired teacher Debbie Nabuda Kunkle.
Hillcrest Student News Broadcast iPads in Middle School Music Classroom
2. Six Students Make All-State Ensembles
Congratulations to the six Norwin students who made the
2015 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA)
All-State Ensembles.
These students went through District and Region auditions
and earned placements into All-State Chorus, Band, and
Orchestra. They attended the annual PMEA Conference in
March, where they rehearsed and then performed a concert at
the Hershey Theater in Hershey, PA. Each group consisted of the best musicians from around the state and these
Norwin students gained a valuable and educational experience unlike any other. Their hard work and diligence paid off.
The Norwin band students who made All-State included Maura Kurp (trombone), Irene Pehanich (clarinet), and Austin Schmidt (percussion).
The chorus students included Jeremy Spoljarick and Isaac Meyers (tenors). Orchestra also sent a student to All-States: Amy Russak (viola).
Photos by Kim Glover.
Students See Dangers of Drunken Driving Up Close
The Norwin High School Students Against Destructive Decisions club presented a mock accident on
April 28, 2015, to remind students that that one mistake, one risky behavior, one chance taken, or
one split second of poor judgment could lead to death or permanent injury for themselves or others.
In the auditorium, students heard presentations made by families who have been devastated by drunk
driving. Afterward, students moved outside Norwin High School to the hillside along the baseball
field to observe an emergency response to two cars involved in a mock drunk driving accident. Local
police and emergency personnel, along with student actors, portrayed characters involved in the
event. A medical helicopter, and the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office, also participated.
The mock accident has been provided to Norwin High School students annually for at least the past 20 years.
Athletics
Spring sports teams are quickly approaching the end of their seasons. All teams are looking to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs
and have a successful postseason. Information on playoff achievements will be available next month. All Norwin athletic
schedules are posted at www.norwinwpial.org. Photo by High School Journalism Production students.
Hillcrest, Middle, and High School Students Succeed at Pittsburgh Regional Science Fair
Nearly 1,100 students from more than 100 schools across western Pennsylvania and Maryland competed for $1,000,000 in cash prizes and
scholarships this year at Carnegie Science Center's Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair.
Students from Hillcrest, the Middle School, and High School represented Norwin with pride. They were Catherine Moran, Mark Patterson,
Cecilia Fidler, Kyla Bailey, Sarah Chervenick, and Elizabeth Zapanta. Click here to read about their accomplishments.
High School Team Wins Westmoreland County Envirothon for Second Year in a Row
Norwin has won the Westmoreland County Envirothon competition for the second year in a row. The
Envirothon is an environmental competition in which students identify and assess forestry, aquatics,
soils, wildlife and a current issue (this year’s current issue was urban forestry).
The Norwin High School team placed first in forestry and first overall out of 18 teams. The event
was held at Twin Lakes Park on April 27, 2015. The team will travel to the University of Pittsburgh
at Johnstown for the State competition on May 19th
and 20th
.
Pictured from left to right are Lauren Kratzenberg, Maggie Lyons, Joyce Muchoney (sponsor),
Brooke Blatney, Rachel Bindas, and Caity Pietrusza. Photo by Ted Kopas.
Two High School Students Earn Spots in All-Eastern Band
Every other year, the National Association for Music Educators selects students from the northeastern
states to perform during their biennial conference. Students from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Vermont, the District of Columbia, or Department of Defense schools in Europe could apply. To apply,
they must have earned All-State honors from the previous school year. They then submitted a video
audition of pre-selected repertoire.
This year, two Norwin students earned spots in the NAfME All-Eastern Band and attended the NAfME
All-East Conference in Providence, RI. Megan Seiler (clarinet) and Matt Seiler (percussion) were
selected to perform with this prestigious group. This outstanding honor is well deserved!
Congratulations! Photos by Kim Glover.
Maura Kurp Austin Schmidt Irene Pehanich Jeremy Spoljarick
and Isaac Meyers
Amy Russak
Living Wax Museum at Hillcrest
The 5th and 6th grade SEAL students presented a living wax
museum to all students at Hillcrest. They selected a famous
person they would like to learn more about and had to show
how he/she related to STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) field.
After weeks of research, the students wrote a
biography. They were then challenged to write a 60-90
second speech in first person that they would present at the
wax museum. Costumes were encouraged. At the living
wax museum, the students were frozen in a pose until they
had people to present to. They came to life, gave their
speech, and went back to their pose. The museum was also held in the evening on April 6 for parents.
A few examples from among
many at Hillcrest’s Living
Wax Museum. From left:
Steven Spielberg, (Ian Resnik),
Nikola Tesla (Doug Samber),
and Marie Curie (Paloma
Swankler).
3. High School FCCLA Students Experience State Leadership Conference
Norwin High Schools’ Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club attended the PA
FCCLA State Leadership Conference from March 18 through March 20, 2015.
The attending students participated in leadership development, spent time networking with students from other
schools across the state, and competed in STAR Events (Students Taking Action with Recognition).
Several Norwin students earned awards. In addition, Natalia Rosario and Lauren Kratzenberg were both elected
to the PA FCCLA State Executive Council for a second term. Lauren Kratzenberg will serve as the 2015-2016
PA FCCLA President. Natalia will serve on the executive council. Click here to read more.
School Board Approves Three Resolutions
The Norwin Board of Education is urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact reforms to school employee pension programs, cyber
charter school funding, and funding for basic education.
Click here to read about these Board resolutions.
FBI and Norwin Work Together To Benefit School District
Norwin School District’s partnership with the Pittsburgh office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations continues to bear fruit, as a proposed
cyber security course is planned for Norwin students in 2016-17, and two administrators have recently graduated from the FBI Citizens
Academy.
Click here to read more.
Educational Leaders Share Best Practices, Grapple with Demographic Data, at Westmoreland
County Workforce Forum
High school students in Westmoreland County could benefit from the creation of an interconnected,
county-wide bank of local internship opportunities to help them put theory into practice and make the
most of their junior and senior years, according to Westmoreland County school superintendents.
The county-wide internship bank concept is emerging as a priority goal of a working group of
Westmoreland County superintendents, educational leaders, and several business and government
officials who serve on the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development.
The Forum’s second session was held April 1, 2015 at the Westmoreland County Community College’s new Advanced Technology Center.
Additional sessions are planned in the future. Click here to learn more about their work at the April 1st session.
Pitt’s Center for Neuroscience Visits High School
Representatives from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh visited Norwin
High School to share cutting-edge research and information with about 60 students who are
enrolled in Advanced Placement Psychology. Students learned about issues ranging from
traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia to anatomy and electro-physiology.
The Pitt researchers led students in sessions involving a Jeopardy-style game about
schizophrenia, as well as a display about electrical impulses from the brain (shown at right),
among others. The visit was coordinated by A.P. Psychology teacher Mr. Patrick MacLaughlin.
At the conclusion of the program, the Pitt researchers shared an inspirational message about why
each of them decided to go into brain research, which included motivations such as wanting to
help people and to expand human knowledge.
Senior Citizens’ Dinner
The Norwin High School Student Council was pleased to host approximately 300 senior citizens at the 29th-
Annual Senior Citizens’ Dinner, which was held in the Norwin High School cafeteria on April 26, 2015.
After the dinner, people moved into the auditorium and were treated to performances from the Jazz Band as
well as the Select Orchestra. At the conclusion of the day, five scholarship awards were presented to selected
members from the student council. Photo by Leslie Quealy.
Bridge Engineering Competition
Seven teams of students from the Norwin High School Advanced Placement
Physics curriculum competed in the 9th Annual Carbone’s Pasta Bridge
Engineering Event held at the Fred Rogers Center at St. Vincent College in
March.
The competition is the culmination of a two-month curriculum in the course
that covers aspects of engineering including scale modeling, computer
simulation, materials testing, and failure analysis. The night of the
competition, Norwin placed in two of the top five spaces. The team of Davis Herchko, Mark Patterson, Tyler Quintana, and Corey Supel
earned third place overall, holding a weight of 33.2 pounds with a bridge that weighed around only two pounds! Norwin has placed in one of
the top three spots in three out of the four times we have competed in the event. Photos by Matt Anticole.
Stewartsville STEM Day
Stewartsville Elementary School students built spaghetti towers, made objects sink, made bubbles move with an
electromagnet, made models of water contamination, observed how parallel circuits keep the lights working on
Kennywood rollercoasters, and even made edible concrete.
These were just some of the many hands-on activities that captivated the students on STEM day on April 24,
2015.
A lawyer, a doctor, an air traffic controller, a dune buggy designer, and a gardener, were just a few of the 22
professionals that taught the children how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are used in their jobs.
Photo by Trisha Brunazzi.
4. Used Book Sale at Norwin High School Library
The Norwin High School Library is now accepting gently used books for their 2nd
annual used book sale. The sale will take place August 31 –
September 3 in the Norwin High School Library, and donations will be accepted through September 3. The sale is open to staff and students 7
am – 3 pm and open to parents during open house on Wednesday, September 3. All proceeds help to fund reading programs at Norwin High
School Library.
Teacher’s Recommend “App of the Month” — Virtual Manipulatives
Virtual Manipulatives is a math app that is designed to help learners visually understand the relationships among percentages,
fractions, and decimals. If students have used fraction bars at school, they will know how to use this app.
Click here to read more about this educational app.
Alpacas Visit Sheridan Terrace Elementary School
Sheridan Terrace Elementary School students had an up-close experience with alpacas
just before the state science exams. Mrs. Sharon Polovina, a paraprofessional who
works at Sheridan Terrace, arranged for an educational presentation about Alpacas to
fourth-grade classrooms on April 16, 2015.
Alpacas are long-haired domesticated South American mammals related to the llama.
They are valued for their wool. Mrs. Carole Rost, an owner of Asgard Acres Alpaca
Farm located near Butler, brought two Alpacas to the school and also presented
information about the animals for a science-literacy connection that tied in with recent non-fiction reading activities. Mrs. Polovina also raises
alpacas.
Poetry Slam at Hahntown Elementary School
Twenty-four students read original poems to their parents at the Hahntown Elementary School “Poetry
Slam,” held April 10, 2015.
Fourth-grade students in Ms. Jamie DePew’s classroom spent the month of March learning about poetry
elements and reading and writing a variety of poetry. Students completed a different type of poem every day
and then published their poetry in a book. They were permitted to select any of their poems to share at the
Poetry Slam. At right, student Emma Ursiny reads her poem.
Guidance Corner
Keystone Testing will begin on Wednesday, May 13th and run until Monday, May 18th. Make-up testing for students who are absent will
take place starting on May 19th and will run until May 22nd. Testing will take place in Biology (9th grade), Algebra I (9th and 10th grade),
and Literature (10th grade).
There are SAT and ACT testing dates in June, but the SAT and ACT tests will not be offered at Norwin High School for these testing dates.
Any student who wants to take the June SAT or the June ACT will need to look for an alternate testing site. The registration deadline for the
June 6th SAT is May 8, 2015 and the registration deadline for the June 13th ACT is May 8, 2015.
Guidance Counselors will have limited availability over the summer. Counselor summer days are being finalized and will be posted to the
Guidance Web site the week of May 4, 2015.
PTA District Science Fair
More than 120 students continued from their building-level fairs to compete in the District-wide
science fair held at Norwin Middle School on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Students from
kindergarten through Grade 8 were represented in a variety of categories and topics. Volunteers
from the St. Vincent science education program and from Thermo-Fisher Scientific in Pittsburgh
helped judge the projects. The Norwin Council of PTAs would like to thank the following
organizations for generously sponsoring the T-shirts that every student participant received: Excela
Health, Eat’n Park, Valley Pools & Spa, Duncan Financial, and AVets. Photo by Matt Anticole.
High School, Middle School Students Excel at Science Olympiad
On Wednesday, March 18th, for the first time in school
history, teams from the Middle School and High School
both qualified for States at the Science Olympiad regional
event held at California University of Pennsylvania.
The event requires teams of 15 students to compete in
more than 20 different events across a broad range of
science subjects and formats, including written tests,
laboratory activities, and engineering projects. The
Middle School placed 7th out of 20 teams and the High
School placed 4th out of 28 teams.
Both schools advanced to the State Competition, held at Juniata College on April
25. Norwin High School earned a first-place medal in the ‘Cell Biology’ event. That event featured students Maggie Lyons and Maddy
Mihalchik. Congratulations to all! Photos by Matt Anticole and Brad Zundel.
Left to right: Maddy
Mihalchik and Maggie
Lyons
The Norwin Middle School
team
The Norwin High School team
Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center: Norwin Students of the Month
The Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center is pleased to report that Norwin’s Student of the Month winners
are Carol Adler and Cassandra Veitz.
Carol Adler is a three-year student in the Commercial Art program with Mrs. Szymkiewicz. Cassandra Veitz has also
attended the CTC for three years in Graphic Communications with Mr. Meloy. Click here to read more about them.
