Mahopac Middle School

News & Headlines

• Middle Schoolers Explore Careers

  Mahopac Middle School seventh and eighth graders recently got to spend some time thinking about the age-old question "What do I want to do when I grow up?" At the Middle School Career Fair, held in November, the students got to meet professionals who work in a dozen diverse careers and hear what day-to-day life is like in all sorts of jobs.

  “Rather than a fair where students wander from table to table, this year’s middle school career fair was held via Zoom,” said Aaron Kleinman, Director of School Counseling K-12 for the Mahopac Central School District. “It actually worked better, I think. There were no distractions. All of the children got to hear what the professionals had to say.”

  The professionals included an architect, chiropractor, veterinarian, police officer, firefighter, librarian, banker, marketing executive, Putnam County Youth Bureau representative and a media person.

  It was not the middle schoolers’ first exposure to career choices. They start taking career inventories in the sixth grade, via the district’s Naviance computer system. When they get to high school, career choice is among the first subjects discussed in the freshman MHS Life class, which every student is required to take.

  “We want to have these conversations earlier so the students will start thinking about what classes to take that will help prepare them for their future,” Kleinman said. “Research has shown that the more information and exposure students have to career choices, the more directed they will be when it comes to what they plan to do after graduation.”

  MMS News & Headlines

• Middle School Newspaper Seeks Hero Journalists

  When sixth grader Chris Moran first learned that the Mahopac Middle School newspaper, The Torch, was looking for student reporters and editors, he was curious, but not convinced it was the after-school club for him. 

  “I thought I’d wait and see,” said Chris, who is 12. “Some of my friends joined, but that’s not what made me join. It was when I saw the first edition. I said ‘Oh, this is cool.’ I really liked the movie reviews. I want to write movie reviews, so here I am.” 

  That is pretty much the reaction that The Torch newspaper advisor David Gordon was aiming for. Gordon took over leadership of The Torch this year and saw it as an opportunity to update the publication.

  “We are in the process of trying to make a newspaper that the kids themselves would be interested in reading,” said Gordon, an eighth grade social studies teacher. “We’ll publish reviews of movies, books and games, maybe write about new businesses in town and spotlight somebody the kids think is interesting. This has to come from them.” 

  Gordon recruited Michael Woodrow, another eighth grade social studies teacher, to be co-advisor. 

  “We really are trying to create a culture, a community with a mission,” Woodrow said. “We wanted to make them feel like they are part of something big.” 

  The club launched in the third week in September. Students who signed up got a Torch lapel pin and a press pass that allows them to use their phones in school to take photos if they are working on a story. 

  The first issue was published in November. At 16 pages, it included a poem, story and drawings by Mia Panebianco, who had just moved to Mahopac in February, and an editorial by Kylie Quackenbush, the pop culture editor, who asked “Is cereal soup?” 

  “That’s a popular debate right now,” she said. 

  Roma McConnell and Jackson Spedaliere interviewed Mahopac Schools Superintendent Anthony DiCarlo, who recently announced that he will retire in June.

  “I was nervous at the start,” Roma said. “I learned a lot about what he does from talking to him. I learned that he is in charge of a lot of people. We learned a lot about the importance of decisions we make now, and how they can affect our future.” 

  The kickoff issue also included an inspiring front page story by advisor David Gordon that called journalists heroes, quoted the Washington Post’s slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” and referenced mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, as well as muckrakers like Nellie Bly and novelist Upton Sinclair.  

  “Our world needs heroes like Upton Sinclair and Nellie Bly as much as we needed them one hundred years ago,” Gordon wrote. “The Mahopac Middle School encourages students to join the ranks of the heroes who came before them.” 

  Judging by the group of enthusiastic students who attended a meeting in early December, The Torch will have no shortage of heroes. 

  MMS News & Headlines

• Fast-thinking Middle School Students and Teachers Save a Boy from Choking

  William, a sixth grader at Mahopac Middle School was walking through the hallway with a friend during change of class on Friday, Nov. 12 when the friend suddenly stopped and started motioning toward his throat. Then the boy’s face turned red and a terrified look came over him.  

  Thinking fast, William ran into a classroom, where Jenifer Maloney was preparing to teach her MMS Success class and Michael DiLeo was gathering his things after teaching a Spanish class.

  “Help, Help,” William yelled. “My friend is choking!”

  Maloney has taught in the Mahopac Central School District for 22 years and, like all teachers, has had training in life saving. Mr. DiLeo, a first-year teacher in Mahopac, had also received training when he worked as a lifeguard. Still, training is one thing. Actually saving a life is another. 

  “We looked at each other and just said, ‘Ok, here we go,’” Mr. DiLeo recalled. 

  Maloney quickly jumped into action. Grabbing the boy and tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver, wrapping her arm around him and pushing her fist into his abdomen. 

  “He had his backpack on, and it didn’t work,” Maloney said. “It was terrifying.” 

  She pulled the boys’ backpack off and asked DiLeo to step in while she ushered the other students out of the classroom and into the gym. 

  With the backpack removed, DiLeo tried the Heimlich again, and this time, the boy started breathing. 

  “The lifesaver didn’t pop out,” DiLeo said. “It moved enough so he could breathe, though.” 

  The minute the child could catch his breath, he began to calm down. 

  It had all happened so fast that the teachers did not even notice 11-year-old Abby was in the classroom. When she heard the commotion, Abby did not stop to ask permission. She just ran to the school nurse’s office to get help. 

  “Someone’s choking,” Abby yelled to the nurse.  

  When asked how she knew to get the nurse, Abby said: “It was instinct.”

  Abby led the school nurse back to the classroom. By the time they got there, the boy was already breathing again. Then the Sheriff’s deputy arrived and transported him to Putnam Hospital Center where he was soon released. 

  “It felt like it took forever,” Maloney said. “But it was probably really just seconds.” 

  The boy, who the district is not naming for privacy reasons, posted on Snapchat thanking his friends, teachers, first responders and others who came to his rescue. 

  MMS News & Headlines

• Middle Schoolers Learn Team Building

  Naturalists from the Center for Environmental Education at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES visited Mahopac Middle School recently for a team-building workshop. Students from  Team 8A were presented with mental and physical challenges that could only be completed if the students all worked together.  

  “Teachers were only there to observe -- not to help --  and it was great to watch the students learn lessons from one another,” said Karen Haitoff, Team 8A English teacher. “At first everyone was talking at once, and doing things the way they wanted, but they quickly realized that in order to meet the challenges successfully they needed to work as a team and listen to one another.” 

  Students' social and emotional growth was at the forefront of the activities, which were both fun and impactful. The  team-building program is a powerful and proactive tool that helps students learn and practice social skills that create a safe and supportive climate.

  Team 8A is a looping group, so the students have stayed with the same group of teachers for seventh and eighth grades.  

  “Although we are in our second year together, we did not have a typical first year together at all,” Haitoff said. “As a result, we are especially excited to further develop the close community we value in our looping program.”

  The BOCES programs put a premium on relationships between members of the group and help  establish a sense of acceptance and belonging. Some of the skills and issues addressed include creating a climate of respect and acceptance, understanding and appreciating differences, tolerance, compassion, patience, support and encouragement, positive attitude, humor and flexibility. The workshop emphasizes transferring these skills from the activities to the school environment.

  MMS News & Headlines

• Middle School Gourd Contest

  If you’ve been wondering about the strange looking gourds that started appearing in Mahopac Middle School last month, Kelly Kischak, the Living Environment teacher on team 8D, is the person to ask.   

  “We’ve done this every year for about 10 years, except for last year because of Covid, of course,” Kischak said. “It’s a way to get the kids to work together and be creative. It’s a team building exercise.”

  It’s also a contest. The staff at the Middle School have until Nov. 5 to choose the best gourd. The top three winners get a goody bag. Take a look at this Google slideshow and pick your favorite. While you’re scanning, see if you can find the gourd that 8th-grader Vincent meant to look like Mr. Woodrow, another teacher on the team. Or, hunt for the gourd that Ryan made to look like the TV art teacher Bob Ross. 

  MMS News & Headlines

• Kindness Rocks Mahopac Middle School

  Math teacher Marie DeNicola and English teacher Karen Haitoff started the school year with an exercise in compassion for their 8th grade students. 

  DeNicola and Haitoff, loop teachers who stay with the same class of Mahopac middle schoolers for two years, have their students working on the Kindness Rocks project. 

  Started in Cape Cod in 2015 by author Megan Murphy, the project aims to make the world a little happier by painting inspiring messages on rocks that are then left on roadsides, hiking trails, playgrounds or anywhere else that strangers might find them. 

  “These kids are resilient and wonderful, but they have been through a lot this last year and there is still a lot of recovery going on,” Haitoff said. “This gives them a chance to express that.” 

  First, the students research quotes and pick three that inspire them. Then they write a paragraph about what the quotes mean to them.  

  “It adds depth to the exercise,” Haitoff said. “It forces them to think about inspiration and how you take that out into the world.”  

  Not to mention that it sneaks in an opportunity for the students to read some great writers. 

  Eighth-grader Angelica picked a quote from Mark Twain, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” 

  “I am not the same as everybody else,” Angelica wrote. “No one is the same, but having kindness in my life reminds me that you don't have to be perfect or fit in. Having kindness in your life can show you that being different is ok!”

  Damian wrote that the quote “Kindness begins with understanding that we all struggle” by Charles Glassman resonated with him because you cannot always tell from the outside how others are feeling. 

  “Everybody goes through different struggles every single day,” Damian wrote. “It's always a good thing to be kind, but especially when you understand that other people have their own struggles.” 

  After the students chose a quote, DeNicola, who teaches math but has a passion for art, had the students paint it on a rock. 

  “As a math teacher, I usually only get to see one side of the kids,” DeNicola said. “This allows me to see their artistic side, and to get to know them a little better.” 

  When the project is finished, the students will have the option of placing the rock out in nature where it can brighten a stranger’s day or keeping it and finding their own inspiration every day.

  Whether they find it on a rock or carry it in their hearts, these middle schoolers know that the quote Noelle chose, “Kindness is giving hope to those who think they are all alone in this world,” is important every day. 

  “There are children who have no friends and feel lonely at school,” Noelle wrote. “There are adults who only focus on work instead of their friends and family. There are old people who are alone in nursing homes. By being nice, saying hello, a quick chat, a warm smile, can give these people hope and happiness.” 

  MMS News & Headlines

• On Your Mark, Get Set, COOK

  It’s a good thing that being in middle school is nothing like reality TV. 

  Just ask the 7th graders who have been cooking up some tasty quesadillas in Virginia Gertling’s Family and Consumer Science class. 

  “It is kind of like the British Baking show," Emma D. said. “There are five kitchens and they are set up in a circle, kind of facing each other. Each kitchen has a group of four kids who work together. We have a time limit, like they do in those shows. Here, the time is limited by the bell.”

  The comparisons end there. Sometimes the students compare the end results, but no one is judged. Mostly they just enjoy eating their work. If a quesadilla ends up overcooked or a little runny, of course, no one gets kicked out of class. 

  “Quesadillas were the first thing we made,” Ryan W. said. “It was pretty simple and quick. Next we’re going to make pumpkin bread. There’s a lot of steps to that.”  

  Students in the Family and Consumer Science class learn the kind of practical skills that will last a lifetime. In addition to cooking, they learn sewing, how to manage money and how to manage their time when they have so many activities going on at once.

  “I really like this class,” Maya I. said. “It’s fun cooking and getting up and making things rather than always using a pencil and writing on paper.”   

  Just because the students like cooking in school doesn’t mean, don't count on them to start preparing the family meals. 

  “I don’t think I’ll start cooking dinner regularly,” Maya I. said. “Quesadillas are the kind of thing where I’ll always tell my mom that hers is better, even if secretly I think mine is.” 

  MMS News & Headlines

• 2021-2022 Supply Lists

  Teacher assignments will be posted on the Portal on Tuesday, August 24 at 3:00 p.m. Once students know which class they are assigned to, 2021-2022 Supply Lists can be accessed here.

  MMS News & Headlines

• Moving Up 2021 Celebration

  The forecast threatened rain, but our eighth graders and their families gathered under a bright blue sky for the moving up ceremony on Monday, June 21. MMS Principal Tom Cozzocrea welcomed everyone and applauded his students on the hard work and resilience that got them to this celebration. He reminded them that it was the support and love of their parents and many educators that helped them along the way. “These people will continue to support you for the next four years and beyond. Greatness is team effort and you are fortunate to have an amazing team!”

  Superintendent DiCarlo spoke to the class quoting Walt Disney, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,” he said. The celebration ended with Assistant Principals Allyson Fallman and Patrick Keevins calling up each student to receive his or her certificate from either Mr. DiCarlo or Mr. Cozzocrea.

  Before being dismissed, the class turned and faced the bleachers and cheered for their parents to thank them. Our newest freshman class then exited the stadium to raucous cheering while Journey’s  “Don’t Stop Believing” played over the speakers.

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  MMS News & Headlines

• MMS Virtual Variety Show

  The Mahopac Middle School Theater Company's is proud to have produced their 20th production: a virtual variety show celebrating 20 years of greatness, under the direction of Heather L. Palkewick and Victoria A. Velders   Although the pandemic prohibited us from producing a traditional show this year, we embraced the opportunity to take on a challenging and unusual project so that the show would go on. This year’s experience required our theater company’s staff to think outside of the box and off the stage.  We designed a performance that met the creative needs of the singers and actors we have in school today and paid tribute to all of those who have graced our stage in the past.  This year, we have put together a collection of work from every show produced at MMS.  Using scenes, songs, and the visual arts we have created a theatrical production during these most complicated times.  

  Watch the video here.

  "A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the faculty, staff and administration who helped us on this year’s production, and every production for the past 20 years," said Palkewick, MMS Chorus Teacher & Musical Director.  "We have been honored to have worked with so many talented actors, musicians, and stagecrafters during our tenure. We also send out thanks and congratulations to the students who worked on this production.  It was a long and strange process this year.  We started with an interactive, yet virtual experience, and just recently began to meet in person.   The students and staff of 2021 persevered and rose to the challenge and for that we are ever so proud!  We hope you enjoy this Celebration of 20 years of Greatness!" 

  MMS News & Headlines

• Middle School Orchestra Spring Performances!

  "Our students have worked incredibly hard for these virtual concerts and I'm excited to share what we've been working on all year with you all!" said Middle School Orchestra Director, Katelyn Tai.

   

  Enjoy!  

   

  6th Grade Concert

   

  7th Grade Concert

   

  8th Grade Concert

  MMS News & Headlines

• Weiss Places Second in Assemblyman Kevin Byrne's 94th Assembly District Art Competition

  Congratulations to MMS 8th grader Alexandra Weiss for placing second in Assemblyman Kevin Byrne's 94th Assembly District Art Competition. Designed to offer more opportunities for young people to engage with their elected representatives and witness democracy in action, this year Assemblyman Byrne’s office launch its first ever district-wide Art Competition for middle school students (Grades 5-8) throughout the 94th Assembly District.

  The contest sought submissions in a wide variety of mediums - painted canvas, drawings , two dimensional collages, mixed media, computer generated art, and photography - all of which were on display at the A. Eric Arctander Gallery from June 5 to June 13, where parents, teachers and students were able to come in and admire them. Winners were announced at a ceremony on June 13 at the Putnam Arts Council.

  MMS News & Headlines

• Steel Drum Concert Delights!

  After skipping last year due to the pandemic, the annual steel drum concert was held on Wednesday, June 9 at the middle school. Parents, community members, and Mahopac staff brought lawn chairs and sat on the pavement outside the gym to enjoy the music. 

   

  “Last year we were not able to have this concert, so I invited back my students who missed out last year and they performed with us this year,” said Mahopac Middle school/high school music teacher and steel drum band teacher/conductor Donald Flynn. The band was also supported by teachers and staff members playing instruments as well as special appearance by former MMS Spanish teacher, George Feebles.

   

  The band delighted the crowd with popular favorites such as “Brown Eyed Girl,” “La Isla Bonita,” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” as well as other less well-known but no less fabulous songs from Trinidad and Jamaica.

   

  As joyful as it was for the students to be performing together, the evening was bittersweet as it was Flynn‘s final concert after 36 years at Mahopac. The evening closed with a presentation of gifts from Flynn’s students, both current and past.

   

   

  MMS News & Headlines

• MMS National Junior Honor Society Celebrates 2021 Inductees

  The National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony brought parents, administrators, board or education members, teachers, staff, and students together, in person for the first time in over a year. Everyone gathered to celebrate students with both a high scholastic average and outstanding commitment to the MMS community.

  NJHS adviser Kerry Tarantino enthusiastically greeted everyone and thanked them for their support of the program and their children throughout their middle school career. She handed the microphone to Principal Tom Cozzocrea who congratulated students for “climbing the mountain of high academic success. The best news: there are more mountains to climb!” He continued, “Thank you for not giving up, for being you, and for letting me be a small part of it. This is your night enjoy it!”

  Superintendent Anthony DiCarlo, too, expressed his excitement at this chance to be together in person, “It is wonderful to have parents here for tonight’s celebration! Greatness is a team effort. Thank you for taking our guidance and encouragement and achieving greatness.”

  He closed by saying, “You are are now in an exclusive club. This combination of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character shows there is much more to you than your grades. It’s an honor to be here with you tonight!”

  The ceremony continued with students lighting a candle for each pillar of the NJHS  pledge, each coming to the front of the stage to accept their certificate and pin, and finally reciting the pledge together:

  “I pledge to uphold the high purposes of the National Junior Honor Society to which I have been selected; I will be true to the principles for which it stands; I will be loyal to my school; and I will maintain and encourage high standards of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Citizenship, and Character.”

  The evening ended with group photos of the new inductees, their parents and friends. 

  Congratulations MMS NJHS Class of 2021!

  MMS News & Headlines

• MCSD 2020-2021 District-wide Art Show

  The Mahopac Central School District believes that Art education is an essential component of human development. Through Visual Art, students are empowered to be creative, “out of the box” thinkers and conscious designers; they are able to discover and express who they are, communicate their ideas, understand the visual, cultural, and virtual world, take risks, work collaboratively, make connections in their learning, innovate, develop an increasing sense of their own aesthetic, and authentically engage in their education.

  The inaugural District-wide Art Show centralizes all the a talent district wide from Kindergarten to 12th Grade. Click the link below, explore, and enjoy!

  2020-2021 MCSD District-wide Art Show: https://sites.google.com/mahopac.org/2020-2021-art-show

  MMS News & Headlines

• Choose Kindness!

  For the past 14 years, Mahopac Middle School English teacher Beth Palmer has incorporated teaching about the Holocaust into her class and this year was no exception. Eighth graders read The Cage, a non-fiction book about the hardship and cruelty of being a Jew during the Holocaust written by Ruth Minsky Sender. “I find that if my students know the history, they get the more out of the book.” 

  Palmer works with the speakers bureau at the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center in White Plains to make sure that the kids get to meet a survivor. “I think it makes it more real to them to hear someone who went through the actual events. It is much more impact than just watching a video or seeing pictures.” Typically the meeting happens in person, but this year 90-year-old Hanne Holsten “zoomed” into their classroom. This enabled all students, in-person and remote, to share the experience.

  Holsten lived a normal life in Nuremberg, Germany in 1938 with her parents, sister, and brother. She told students the story of Nazis coming into her house on Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), destroying everything her family owned and placing them in jail overnight. The students were enthralled as she spoke about her two year journey traveling around Europe and being hidden by smugglers to avoid being captured by the Nazis. She emphasizes to students that her family only survived as a result of the kindness of others

  “We were really able to have a conversation with Hanne about history and the people who were persecuted, why it happened, and how not to let it happen again. Meeting a survivor is a tangible way for the kids to care about the people who perished,” said Palmer. “There will not be many, if any, survivors left in a few years, so it is important to me that students get the experience of meeting one.”

  Palmer also uses the unit as an opportunity to discuss tolerance. In addition to reading The Cage, writing a research paper, and meeting a survivor, students create a wall of remembrance in the classroom. Everyday the class reads two names of people that did not survive and adds them to the wall. They also commit to performing random acts of kindness which they also document on the wall.

  “It is important for students to understand the snowball effect of bullying and nasty comments. The Holocaust did not happen overnight and I want them to see that their individual actions can help, or hurt, others in ways they may not realize. I hope the whole experience inspires students to choose kindness, just as Hanne asked them to do at the end of her talk.”

  MMS News & Headlines

• May the 4th Be With You!

  Thank you MMS Student Government for giving us the perfect way to celebrate #Maythe4th and show our school spirit! And thank you to all our students - and teachers! - who came to school today in their best #StarWars gear. Congratulations to everyone who collected tickets and won raffle prizes. We can't wait for the next Spirit Day!

  MMS News & Headlines

• Extra, extra, read all about it!

  Hot off the presses, Mahopac Middle School's newspaper, The Torch, Winter 2021 edition is now available!

  Steam Far awards, staff interviews, art, creative writing, and short story context results, and much more!

  MMS News & Headlines

• 6th Grade Curriculum Night

  Dear 5th Grade Parents,

  It was a pleasure presenting to you during our 6th Grade Curriculum Night yesterday. This is the first step in transitioning your child from Elementary students to official Middle Schoolers in September. If you were unable to join us last night you can review the 6th Grade Curriculum Night Slides. Over the next few months there will be additional opportunities for both you and your child to learn more about Mahopac Middle School. We look forward to in-person or virtual visits to their schools as well as the students coming to the Middle school. We also plan on having a 6th grade orientation in late August to help them feel comfortable. Do not hesitate to reach out over the next few months with any questions that you may have. We look forward to working with you and your children over the next 3 years!

  Sincerely,
  Mahopac Middle School Administration. 

  MMS News & Headlines

• 7th and 8th Grade Curriculum Night

  The middle school team covered a wide variety of topics at our virtual 7th and 8th grade curriculum night including: Program(s) of Study, Accelerated Courses, World Language, Special Education, National Junior Honor Society, High School Graduation Requirements, NYS Assessments, and Academic Integrity. The presentation challenged parents to consider how their children manage time, if their organizational skills and study/work routines are keeping pace with the workload, and how to assess their expectations for their children.

  The entire presentation can be viewed here: Curriculum Night 7/8 January 20, 2021. 

  MMS News & Headlines

• #STEAMFair2021!

  Mahopac's annual celebration of STEAM is this Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Follow this link to the program of events for the day. The award ceremony will be live live-streamed at 2 p.m. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyGXNnB-fKndXzHrPO_WqA/videos (once the live-stream starts the link will update).

  Please access the STEAM Fair 2021 website using your Mahopac.org username and password. For the security of our students, it will not be accessible without Mahopac credentials. 

  This website includes:

  • Middle School STEAM Fair participants' projects 
  • Information about MHS Science National Honor Society (SNHS)
  • Middle school technology & engineering classes
  • MHS Project Lead the Way (Engineering Class)
  • Science-inspired art projects done by Mrs. Lyons’ class
  • Interactive Math Games hosted by the Math Experts
  • STEAM ITalian - save Venice!
  • Staying Healthy During COVID - participants can win prizes!
  • Gender Equality Club - Learn about the Red Box Project
  • STEAM Week highlights for our 5th grade students

  MMS News & Headlines

• 2020-2021 One Page Calendar

  This Calendar includes school breaks, holidays, and color cohort days for the entire 2020-2021 school year.

  MMS News & Headlines

• MMS Reopens Video!

  This video covers everything you need to know - arrival, health & safety, movement through the building, lockers/backpacks, dismissal. We can't wait to see you!

  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t_L9KmK5NMgR3sABlCxTQz05yPiyILnh/view?ts=5f6e3180

  MMS News & Headlines

• Letter Day Calendar

  The 2020-2021 MMS Letter Day Calendar will be updated monthly. Please note the date at the bottom indicates the most recent update.

   

  MMS News & Headlines

• 2020-2021 Supply Lists are here!

  Before purchasing all the items on the supply list, please have your child check in his or her teachers during remote learning. 

  2020-2021 MMS Supply Lists

  MMS News & Headlines

• Special Edition Spotlight: MMS Reopening

  Please enjoy this Spotlight especially for MMS Families about the reopening.

  https://youtu.be/HyVnGIfV0io

  MMS News & Headlines