October 2016 Board Highlights
Oblock Junior High School
Student Council
Student Council members, under the leadership of Mrs. Jenna Romanelli, are busy planning fun and charitable activities for Oblock students to participate in this year. The mission of Student Council is to cultivate leadership, to provide opportunities to demonstrate leadership skills in the school and the community, and to instill the value of service through charitable acts. Activities for this year include planning and decorating for the Welcome Back Dance, Harvest Dance, Snow Flake Dance, and Valentines’ Dance, along with sponsoring Hat Days, organizing a pet food drive, and fundraising for the Make a Wish foundation.
Yearbook
Oblock’s award-winning yearbook is already being planned and subscriptions are being taken by a dedicated staff of 7th and 8th graders under the leadership of Mrs. Amanda Durick, AEO Art teacher. The 24-page soft cover book will include colored pictures of all students and faculty. Additionally there will a video link that will include sports, clubs, and activities. It is on sale now for $12. To order, submit cash or a check made payable to Oblock Junior High School to Mrs. Durick. All orders must be received by October 31.
Girls’ Basketball
The Oblock eighth grade girls’ basketball team is having a successful season! The following athletes are members of the eighth grade team: Anna Betar, Amoni Blackwell, Jillian Durst, Khyliah Horne, Brooke Kundla, Kennedie Montue, Carly O'Connell, Mia Pampena, Gina Proviano, Jamie Seneca, and Gabrielle Walkup.
The 7th grade girls’ basketball team is enjoying a very positive season as well. Members of the team include: Sydney Anderson, Alexandra George, Kai Johnson, Jaralyn Kincaid, Marissa Liberto, Maura Marston, Megan Miller, Jenna Nardo, Ashley Pastor, Ashley Polakovic, Cassidy Starr, and Bailey Walker. Nice job girls!
Girls’ Soccer
The girls’ soccer team finished their season with a record of nine wins, three losses, and one tie. According to Coach Mendenhall, the captains for the 7th and 8th grade girls’ soccer team were Emily Kirkpatrick (8th grade), Abby Lewis (8th grade), and Bailey Walker (7th grade). The players with the most goals and assists were Emily Kirkpatrick with 14 goals and 3 assists (8th grade), Andrea D'Incau with 13 goals and 3 assists (8th grade), Jamie Seneca with 10 goals and 7 assists (8th grade), Marissa Liberto with 5 goals and 5 assists (7th grade), and Gina Proviano with 3 goals and 7 assists (8th grade). Congratulations to the girls’ soccer team for their great season!
Boys’ Soccer
The AEO Boys’ Soccer Team finished with a record of 10 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties this year. Coach Paradise said the team worked extremely hard and worked well as a team. Coach Paradise stated that it was a great team effort throughout the season.
Cross Country
A total of 35 boys and girls participated in cross country this year at Oblock. According to Coaches Mr. Wade Campbell and Mrs. Karen Mienke, the team worked extremely hard. For the girls, Morgan Filar placed 13th in the Fox Chapel invitational, as well as Nick Kinek placing 7th and Ethan Jones placing 23rd. In their final WAADA meet, the team ran very hard, and both teams finished in 4th place. Most of the runners ran their best times of the year. Morgan Filar placed 4th overall, and Nick Kinek placed 3rd. All of the athletes had a great season, and every single one of the runners improved their times from the beginning of the year to the end. Both teams ended the season with winning records. Their coaches couldn't be more proud of them.
Fall Fest
On Friday, October 28 a Fall Fest took place outside the Art and French rooms during all lunches. Apple cider and s’mores were on sale, along with a fire pit and music. Good times and fun were had by all. The proceeds benefited Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Thanks to all those who participated.
Football
Over fifty 7th and 8th grade boys learned football fundamentals this year under the guidance of head coach, Mr. Adam Szarmach, and assisted by Mr. Rich Bernardi, Mr. Nathan Rebovich, and Mr. Kyle Cline. Over the course of the season they learned the game of football and became a better team ready to move on to the next level. The athletes worked hard as a team and had a successful season.
Creative Convention
On October 20, two teams of GATE students from Oblock traveled to Springdale Junior-Senior High School to compete in the Creative Convention with GATE advisor, Mrs. Yorkshire. Of the twelve teams from school districts in the eastern suburbs, Plum’s seventh grade team placed first. Congratulations to the following students: Gowri Warrier, Mark Van Orden, Ellie Tongel, Leila Durham, and Addison Sofran. Also congratulations to the 8th grade team who placed 2nd- Olivia Rivett, Joey Panichella, Clark Van Beek, Chloe Brown, and Lily Klucinec.
History Bowl
Fifteen GATE students traveled from AEO to the Heinz History Center on October 27th to participate in the History Bowl, an academic event designed to engage students in problem solving and creative thinking. Accompanied by Mr. Miller, GATE Coordinator, the students had to complete challenges using the exhibits. The challenges were: How it Changed History, Interviewing History, Sports A-Z, and Who Am I. Over 200 students from area schools took part.
The purpose of the event is to promote interest in American history and the heritage of Western Pennsylvania through the interactive exhibits. AEO students did an excellent job in the competition and had fun, while learning about local history. Attending the event were the following students: Robert Fleming, Alexandra George, Khyliah Horne, Lily Klucinec, Gavin Monick, Cameron Nese, Justin Piel, Olivia Rivett, Zoe Sallinger, Evan Smith, Erica Taylor, Ellie Tongel, Alex, Vidas, Mark Zarroli, and Nicco Zazzera.
Library News
Oblock is working hard on reading again this year as more incentives and programs challenge the students to read more than they ever have. Students are listening to excerpts from books during their lunch periods, they are already being rewarded by getting in the lunch line first when they reach the Reading Hall of Fame, and teams are preparing for the Battle of the Books competition.
Many students have already earned numerous AR points to guarantee their place in the Reading Hall of Fame as part of the library’s Team Read competition. All students may participate in Team Read by accumulating Accelerated Reader points in order to reach one of the four levels of the program: Junior Varsity, Varsity, All-Star, or Hall of Fame. There are 25 at the Hall of Fame level already, including 6 in the 300 Point Club. At the All-Star level there are 33, 249 at Varsity level, and 188 have made it into the JV reader level! That’s a total of 495 students who have made it into one of the levels.
There are 44 (v. 35 last year) students comprising 9 (v. 7 last year) teams preparing for the annual AEO Battle of the Books competition. Books from the Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice list are circulating among the team members as they prepare for the first day of competition on November 2. Teams will compete during activity periods with the winners being declared after the final competition on November 16.