Students Showcase Talents at Poetry Cafe

The 11th Annual IMS Poetry Cafe was fueled by student enthusiasm for poetry and music.  Held in the Media Center, the students came in droves to perform in front of their peers.  Performances included original poems, recitations of favorite poems, lyrics (performed with or without music), monologues and dramatic pieces, music, choral reading and Readers' Theater.  Poetry Cafe was a lot of fun!

Click here to see more pictures from this year's event.

Congratulations, Richie Stephenson!

Congratulations to Richie Stephenson, who received a $1,000 Carson Scholarship at a luncheon at the Omni William Penn Hotel.  The Carson Scholars Fund was founded in 1994 by Dr. Benjamin Carson to recognize and reward students in grades 4-11 who strive for academic excellence (3.75 GPA or higher) and demonstrate a strong commitment to their community.

Are You Smarter Than A Seventh Grader?

That was the question of the night as the students on Team Freedom staged "Are You Smarter Than A Seventh Grader?" in the IMS auditorium as a fund-raiser for the Homeless Children's Education Fund.  The show spoofed the popular Fox TV show, "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? and some brave parents tried their hand at answering questions from the seventh grade curriculum in subjects such as Social Studies, Math, Science, Reading and Language Arts, Music and Gym.  Any parent who could correctly answer 12 questions won $100 Grand (the candy bar, that is!).  The closest any parent got was Victoria Lofstead, who correctly answered seven, with the help of some intelligent seventh graders on Team Freedom.  It was a fun evening for a great cause!  Let's see how well you would have done: What type of writing was used by the Sumerians?

Please click here for the answer as well as to see more pictures from the event!

Two Win at Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Congratulations to seventh grader Shannon Fagan and eighth grader Will Ament, who were winners at the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at Heinz Field.  Shannon won a special award from the Chemical Association of Pittsburgh for her project, "Set-In Stains: Can They Be Removed From Carpeting?"  Will captured First Place in the Biology Category for his experiment, "What Is The Most Important Chemical In Fertilizer?"  The students competed against more than 1,000 students from over 100 southwest Pennsylvania and West Virginia schools in this event.

Eighth Graders Learn How to Work Together to Overcome Disabilities

Eighth grade students in Mrs. Peters' Language Arts classes prepared to read the novel, Flowers for Algernon, by participating in two projects.  First, they heard a presentation by guest speaker Carolyn Vidt, an advocate for Speaking for Ourselves, a group that works for those with mental handicaps.  Then, the students working in small groups, with each student "handicapped" (either having their eyes covered, their ears covered, their mouth taped or their hands taped) and all working together to build a house out of art materials.  It was a great lesson to teach respect and tolerance of those who have disabilities as well as encourage teamwork.

Please click here to see pictures from the activity!

Students Capture Second Place in Three Events at Science Olympiad

Four IMS students captured Second Place in three events at the Science Olympiad held at California University of Pennsylvania. Seventh grader Kyle Barron took Second Place in the Meteorology event.  Eighth graders Rebecca Kennedy and Sarah Howley took Second in the Disease Detective event, while Rebecca teamed-up with eighth grader Emily Eiben to earn Second in the Anatomy event.  Congratulations!

Seventh Grader Finishes in Fourth Place in Region Spelling Bee!

Congratulations to IMS seventh grader Kyle Barron, who finished in fourth place in the 58th Annual Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee, held on the University of Pittsburgh campus.  Kyle was among the 31 Finalists, and he was among the group of four students who made it safely through the first 11 rounds of the competition.  Congratulations, Kyle, for a great Bee.  Good luck next year!

BOLD & GOLD Tradition Continues!

In February, IMS hosted its annual BOLD & GOLD Nights for eighth graders, to help these students transition to high school in the fall. Boys attended the BOLD (Boys Only Leadership Development) Night and girls attended GOLD (Girls Only Leadership Development).  Each evening was gender specific and included team building activities, recreational activities and guest speakers.  Guiding the students through the evening were members of the TLC--Teen Leadership Corp--comprised of BPHS students who served as mentors for the evening.  It was a lot of fun and we encourage our seventh graders to begin to gear up for their BOLD & GOLD Night in 2009!

Click here to see more pictures of this year's participants!

IMS Welcomes Chinese Delegation

IMS was pleased to welcome a visiting delegation of 16 administrators, teachers and students from Xing Zhi High School, the district's sister high school in Shanghai, China.  The delegation had the opportunity to tour IMS; meet administrators, teachers and students; and eat lunch at IMS as part of their four-day visit in Bethel Park.  IMS is always pleased to be a part of the delegation visit, which occurs every other school year.  It is a great opportunity to learn more about education in another country as well as other cultures.

Please click here to see more visits from the delegation visit.

IMS Earns $2,000 Teach Award from Best Buy

Thanks to a winning application submitted by Reading Specialists Kimberly Pepper and Sonja Kubinec, IMS has been awarded a $2,000 Teach Award from Best Buy.  The award will be used to enhance the Academy of Reading and Read Naturally programs at IMS.  Mrs. Pepper's application was one of 1,300 funded by Best Buy in this year's program.  Thank you, Mrs. Pepper and Mrs. Kubinec!

Mrs. Peters Named a Teacher of Honor!

Congratulations to Language Arts Teacher Nadine Peters, who has been named a Teacher of Honor by the Teacher Excellence Center, along with Bethel Park High School English Teacher Charles Herd and Neil Armstrong Science Teacher Mary Huwe.  Mrs. Peters will be honored at the 2008 Celebration of Teaching, which will be held on April 24 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.  She is now eligible to be named one of seven Teachers of Excellence.  Good luck, Mrs. Peters!

Seventh Grader Wins Essay Contest

Congratulations to seventh grader Katy Michael, who was selected as the winner of the Family Life Night Essay Contest, sponsored by the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, for her 500 word essay on the topic "What My Family Means to Me."  As the winner of the contest, Katy was honored at a February 13 dinner at the Masonic Center in the North Hills, where she was presented with a $50 United States Savings Bond.  Way to go, Katy!

Students Win at PJAS

Congratulations to 11 IMS Gifted Students, who received awards at the 74th annual Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Region 7 Competition, which was held at Upper St. Clair High School.  Briana Brookins, Shannon Fagan, Jamie Lucarelli, Divya Raghu, Evan Schweitzer and Terah Williams earned First Place Awards for their projects and will compete in the State PJAS in May at Penn State.  William Ament, Alex Drozd, Lucy Sedor-Franzak, Emily Swogger and Kaitlyn Wagner earned Second Place Awards for their projects.  The students were prepared for this competition by Gifted Program Coordinator Kevin Connolly.

Please click here to see the names of all of the projects.

Eighth Graders Host Health Fair for Fifth Graders

Eighth grade Health students in Mrs. Hursky's class coordinated a Health Fair, where they presented a variety of health topics to Neil Armstrong fifth grade students, who visited IMS for the Fair.  Topics included skin care, healthy bones, drug awareness, tooth care, anger management, fire safety, bullying, seat belt and helmet safety, smoking and emphysema, nutrition, caffeine, emergency care, obesity and alcohol.

Please click here to see more pictures from this year's Health Fair.

Two to Play in Junior High District Band

Congratulations to Megan Kinzler and Alex Kiselica, who have been selected to play in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association's Junior High District Band Concert, which will be held on February 16 in the Montour School District!  They will be playing with musicians from 66 area school districts in this concert that features the best musicians in the area.  Directing the concert will be Dr. Gary Grant, Director of Bands at Edinboro University.

Carnival Raises $5,700 for Scholarship Fund

This year's IMS Charity Carnival was a special one for students and staff, as the proceeds were donated to the Marissa Boyan Foundation, which was created in memory of IMS Language Arts Teacher Marissa Boyan, who passed away in the fall. The Foundation will provide scholarships to deserving students who embody Ms. Boyan's passion for teaching, learning, athletics and life. Students had a chance to play traditional carnival games, board games, video games, have their faces and nails painted and enjoy carnival treats such as cotton candy and nachos--all for a good cause!  Additionally, students had the opportunity to purchase a blue "Lance Armstrong"-style bracelet in memory of Ms. Boyan. Instead of reading "LIVESTRONG," the bracelets said, "Marissa Boyan Never Quit."

Please click here to see more photos from this year's Carnival!

Students Host Book Drive to Benefit HCEF

Seventh graders on Team Freedom sponsored a book collection to benefit the Homeless Children's Education Fund.  This year's collection netted 337 books for children who are living in homeless shelters.  The IMS students wrote messages in the books and donated them around Christmas.  Thank you to everyone who supported this drive!

IMS Sends 48 Back Packs to Zimbabwe!

Thank you, IMS students, for your outstanding support of The Nyadire Connection!  Through your generosity, we were able to send 48 back packs (one for each IMS homeroom) as well as $50 per homeroom to support orphans at the Nyadire Mission in Zimbabwe.  The back packs were filled to the brim with school supplies and the $50 will help each student defray their school administrative costs, including uniforms.  Each homeroom will correspond with the student they "adopted" throughout the school year.

Team Liberty Walks for Zimbabwe

IMS Team Liberty (8B) conducted a Walk-A-Thon for the orphans at the Nyadire Mission in Zimbabwe.  Students solicited pledges and walked the track at Bethel Park Stadium to raise money to purchase school supplies and pay tuition for the students at the mission.  The weather cooperated and the students had a great day for their walk, which raised $1,354.50!  The students walked 628.50 miles in the process!  Great job!

Please click here to see more photos from the Walk-A-Thon.

IMS Welcomes Gold Card Members for Lunch!

Each year, IMS welcomes the members of the Bethel Park Gold Card Club to IMS for a Thanksgiving lunch.  This year over 130 Bethel Park residents visited IMS for a delicious turkey lunch with all the trimmings.  The residents were served by members of the IMS Student Council and entertained by the IMS Eighth Grade Choir.  It was a great day and a great way to begin the holiday season!

Please click here to see more pictures from the luncheon!

Seventh Graders Study Egypt

To kick off their unit of study on Egypt, seventh graders got to learn something about the ancient Egyptians and their gods with a visit to their classroom by some of the ancient gods.  Professor Indiana Jones (aka Mr. Randall) hosted the proceedings, which included a visit from a mummy.  Following the visit from the ancients, the students participated in a variety of Egyptian-themed activities.

To see more pictures from the activity, please click here.

Students Make Edible Cells

Seventh grade students in Michel Conklin's science classes were challenged by their teacher to make edible cells, creating an animal or plant cell by using only edible parts.  Prizes were awarded with Cody Dapper winning "Most Accurate Cell," Katy Michael winning "Most Attractive Cell" and Ryan Dodson winning "Most Disgusting Cell."  After the cells were judged, the students engaged in a "cell-ebration."

Please click here to see photos of the other winning cells.

Swimming Team Wins Championship!

Congratulations to the IMS Co-Ed Swimming Team, who finished their regular season with a 6-2 record and then went on to win the Championship Meet at Baldwin!  Way to go!

Graffiti Wall Lets Students Share Their Thoughts about Bullying

Graffiti is generally not welcome in school, but during Bully Week at IMS, graffiti was OK, as a large banner hung in the stairwell, which enabled students and staff to share their thoughts about bullying and how it impacts others.  Students were encouraged to write stories, poems and draw pictures.  Some of the comments included, "I thought he was a nerd and I made fun of him.  Now he's my best friend," and "Don't make fun of someone just because they're different."  Even Mr. Muench shared a story about being bullied!

Pavilion Dedicated in Memory of Mrs. Reid

On August 31, the Bethel Park School District held a dedication ceremony for the Suzanne Reid Memorial Pavilion, constructed in memory of Suzanne Reid, a Music Teacher at IMS who passed away in the spring of 2005.  The pavilion is located behind IMS and will provide a place for outdoor concerts and classroom lessons, as well as a place for staff, students and families to spend a quiet moment.

Please click here to find out more about the dedication ceremony and to see more pictures of the pavilion.