Tag Archives: #GreatDayToBeARanger

NHS Art Show, Prom, and Academic Banquet

The Northwood High School Art Show

Over 200 projects have been displayed in the F-Pod, featuring watercolor, pencil, acrylic paint, screen printing, block printing, sculpture, plaster casting, ceramics, scratch board, oil pastel, chalk and ink. This showcase represents all of the hard work that students have put into their art this school year!

Congratulations to senior Brooke Schmitz, who was awarded “Best of Show!”

Both students and teachers alike, enjoy seeing the artwork on display. Students can be especially proud to have their work chosen for the show. The artwork fills the common areas and makes the space colorful and inviting for all students!

Students and staff in grades 7-12 voted electronically last week. Each person voted for their 6 favorite pieces. Forty ribbons were awarded, including a “Best of Show” for overall votes!

“An Evening in Venice” NHS Junior/Senior Prom

The NHS Junior/Senior Prom took place on Saturday, May 4th at Sunrise Banquet Center in Millbury, Ohio. A huge thank you to our junior class and our advisor, Ms. Blausey, for a wonderful evening!

  • Congratulations to our 2019 Prom King and Queen, Donte Dixon and Khalia Keophath!
  • Congratulations to the NHS Class of 2019. You will be missed!

Academic Awards Banquet

The annual Academic Awards Banquet took place on Monday, May 6th. Students in grades 9-12 were acknowledged for their academic achievements. Additionally, our “Alumnus of the Year” award was presented via Skype to Meryl (Smith) Groff, a 2004 graduate of Northwood High School. Below is her biography that was featured in this year’s program.

Meryl graduated from Northwood High School in 2004. She earned a B.A. degree in Journalism from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in 2008. In the last ten years, Meryl’s professional career thus far can mostly be described in one word – eclectic.

After a very impactful trip to New York City through Northwood High School, Meryl chased her dream to live there through her four years in college. In Spring of 2008, she accepted a junior level project manager position at a management consulting company in the Big Apple. Throughout her four years in the consulting world, she used every opportunity to take inventory of herself and the feedback of others to further develop and grow as a professional, hone her strengths and improve on her weaknesses. While she had achieved her dream to live in New York City, Meryl knew she would eventually want to pursue a profession that appealed to her more creative ambitions.

In 2012, Meryl was offered the opportunity to be an office coordinator at a growing television production company. In a risky move, she decided to start over in this new career, but quickly learned it was exactly where she was meant to be. Over the last seven years, Meryl has taken project opportunities that have introduced her to many new people and cultures and has cultivated a fulfilling and exciting occupation that has taken her all over the world. Some of her credits include “Dark Waters” on Discovery ID, “Secrets of the Underground” on Science Channel, “Behind Bars Rookie Year” on A&E, “Secret Space Escapes” on Science Channel, “Amish Mafia Season 3” on Discovery and “Breaking Amish Season 3” on TLC.

Currently Meryl is the Production Manager for a new documentary TV series for Travel Channel. She lives with her husband, Kevin, in Maplewood, NJ with their two cats, Frankie and Penny.

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

The following students were inducted into the Northwood High School Chapter of the National Honor Society:

Mitchell Hurley      

Lydia Long               

Davonte Sauer                    

Zoe Sherman

Logan Urbanyi                    

Natnicha Vayavong

Sierra Vendt           

Christina Zielinski

The new inductees join our current members:

Ashley Crampton

Kylie Grant

Alex Hoffer

Northern Lights Acapella Choir

Congratulations to our new and returning Northern Lights acapella members for the 2019-2020 school year. We look forward to another wonderful year of talented musical performances!

Safety Town:

Kids Eat Free:

STARS Summer Program:

BE A PART OF RANGER HISTORY:

For more information on purchasing a brick, please visit 
http://www.northwoodschools.org/article/97404

CLOTHES BIN AVAILABLE NOW:

NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION:

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

  • Fri. May 17th – Senior Awards, 1:30pm
  • Wed. May 22nd – End of 4th Quarter – Last Day of School
  • Thurs. May 23rd – Teacher’s Records Day
  • Fri. May 24th – Graduation Practice, 12pm
  • Sun. May 26th – Class of 2019 Graduation, 1:30pm
  • Thurs. August 15th – 2019-2020 Open House
  • Tues. August 20th – 2019-2020 First Day of School!

School Library Month

Did you know that April is School Library Month? The Ranger Roundup recently sat down with our Library Media Specialist Kris James and our Library Aides Connie Hughes and Martha Wiley to discuss their integral roles in our district and all things books!


Library Responsibilities

As the library media specialist, Mrs. James is responsible for making sure that students have access to as many resources as possible. She maintains and updates our on-site library as well as access to online and digital materials. Mrs. James said, “I also see myself as a the go-to person to educate students and staff about the benefits and dangers of living life online. It’s to that end that I teach Media Literacy to seventh graders and also offer support to classroom teachers (particularly in the English department) to enhance student web literacy.” Mrs. James enjoys helping staff find materials to support their classroom activities and especially enjoys co-teaching lessons that involve finding, accessing, and evaluation information from multiple sources. She added, “I try to stay up-to-speed on common tech tools so that I can help students and teachers who are using media to share their ideas in high-tech ways.”

Mrs. James shared that it’s her love of reading that drew her to this school role. She spends a great deal of her time reading books that she thinks students would enjoy. “I keep the Wood County Public Library’s Libby app busy with all the ebook and audiobooks I borrow!” she said. She then takes what she’s read, watched, or listened to, and uses it to tempt students to read or watch or listen for themselves. One way she does this is to create bulletin boards and book displays. “By encouraging student reading I am nurturing their brains, since there is little we can do to develop intelligence and problem-solving more than reading!” she stated.

Our library aides Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Wiley, do much to assist Mrs. James in running our school library system. They also work regularly with the elementary students. Their responsibilities include reading to students, checking out books, preparing special lessons on historical events, encouraging students to read books or read on their iPads, and also to weed out old and worn materials in order to order new books for our library.

Challenges and Rewards

When asked about the challenges of her role as the Library Media Specialist, Mrs. James confided that working in a support capacity can sometimes make her feel invisible, as she doesn’t have a platform to shout out the services the library offers. She sometimes feels that students don’t understand just how she can help them. She explained, “Dealing with this distance between me and students is the hardest part of the job for me.” However, Mrs. James loves when students to talk to her about what he/she is reading. She expressed, “If we’ve read the same book, a quick conversation about a given character or a similar situation charges me up like nothing else!” Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Wiley expressed that not having a dedicated library space, and now having the library set up in the various pods, is the most challenging part of their position. The most rewarding part of their role as library aides is reading to the children and answering questions that relate to the books being read. Mrs. Wiley added, “We also enjoy listening to their thoughts on how the book we are reading might turn out.”

Library Activities and Events

Mrs. James currently runs a Book Club consisting of high school students who eat lunch together several times a month to discuss books! “We all read the same book and then let our talk about the book take us in any direction we want it to. Since good literature reveals what it means to be human, our discussion of that literature illuminates our shared humanity,” Mrs. James explained. This month, students are reading Kristin Cashore’s Graceling, a fantasy that centers on gracelings, gifted being who use their supernatural abilities for both good and evil. Mrs. James predicted, “When we finish, no doubt, we will discuss not only the elements of the story, but also issues of gender and identity, marriage and more.” Interested students are also encouraged to join the summer book group. The book club will meet twice a month to discuss books and other media that explore what it is to be teens in the world today. Feel free to email Mrs. James at kjames@northwoodschools.org or message her on Schoology for more information.

Family Literacy Night is coming up for our NES students on May 9th. Author David FitzSimmons will be the guest speaker. He will speak to students during the day and will also attend the Family Literacy Night event in the evening. Additionally, due to the success of last fall’s book fair, the library staff is looking into coordinating another book fair for next fall.

Final Thoughts

The NLS library is always open! The school library website can be found at www.northwoodlibrary.weebly.com and can be used to access many online resources,as well as to share a question, book review, or media resource. Mrs. James concluded, “The Northwood library staff is small but mighty! I couldn’t provide the services and creative support I do without the help of our elementary library aides, Martha Wiley and Connie Hughes. They both work extremely hard to encourage student literacy and love of learning. Many thanks for all their help!” Finally, Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Wiley encourage all students to “Read. Read. Read!”

BE A PART OF RANGER HISTORY:

For more information on purchasing a brick, please visit
http://www.northwoodschools.org/article/97404


CLOTHES BIN AVAILABLE NOW:

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY!

NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

  • Fri. – Mon. April 19th – 22nd: Spring Break
  • Tues. April 23rd: Teacher In-Service Day – No School for Students
  • Tues. – Sat. April 23rd – 27th: Junior and Senior NYC Trip
  • Sat. May 4th – Prom, 7pm
  • Mon. May 6th – HS Academic Awards, 6pm
  • Thurs. May 16th – Seniors’ Last Day
  • Fri. May 17th – Senior Awards, 1:30pm
  • Wed. May 22nd – End of 4th Quarter – Last Day of School
  • Thurs. May 23rd – Teacher’s Records Day
  • Fri. May 24th – Graduation Practice, 12pm
  • Sun. May 26th – Class of 2019 Graduation, 1:30pm

Spring Lessons Bring Literature Circles, Geometry, and Cross-Curricular Science!

Literature Circles in CP English 10

Students in Mrs. Toflinski’s College Prep Sophomore English Class are currently participating in a Literature Circle unit. Mrs. Toflinski stated, “I wanted to add a literature circle unit to my curriculum this year and decided on four award-winning young adult novels that deal with themes of identity, racism, police brutality, mental health, immigration, and family dynamics.”

At the beginning of the unit, students participated in a “Book Tasting.” Students were given the opportunity to sample each book (while also enjoying cookies) by watching a book trailer, looking at the book jackets of each book, and reading the first few pages of each book. At the end of the activity, students used their “menu” to rank their reading choices and to explain why they were most interested in their number one choice. The books in this unit include: All American Boys, Dear Martin, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and American Street.

Students were then placed into literature circle groups of three to four based on the novel assigned. These groups worked together to come up with their own reading schedule as well as to assign literature circle roles for each literature circle meeting date. Students meet for literature circle meetings once a week and each take on the role of Summarizer, Connector, Literary Luminary, and Word Wizard. They complete their assigned task prior to the meeting so that when they meet in groups, they each have something to share with their peers.

Mrs. Toflinski expressed, “It has been a great experience to see students excited to read. I enjoy observing their discussions during their literature circle time. Additionally, they did a fantastic Socratic Seminar with Miss Shiple, our methods student from the University of Toledo, and I was blown away with the discussion and the connections that they were able to make with the world around them.” Additionally, Mrs. Toflinski explained that this unit has seemed to rejuvenate an appreciation of reading for some of her students. She concluded, “A few students flew through their book and asked to move on to another groups’ novel, even though it isn’t assigned to them. Additionally, I have been sending students to Mrs. James for book recommendations and to check out novels from our school library. It’s all very exciting. Few things make me happier than seeing teenagers enjoy reading.”

4th Graders Begin Geometry Lessons

Mrs. Besgrove’s fourth grade math students are currently working on geometry! Mrs. Besgrove explained, “Geometry is so important in our lives because it is everywhere around us! Angles, shapes, lines, line segments, and other aspects of geometry are every single place we look! We have been learning about these concepts and how these concepts apply to our lives.”

During this unit, students have been working hard to identify lines, line segments, rays, and ray points. They have also been identifying types of angles and measuring angles. “The students have really enjoyed classifying different geometric shapes like trapezoids, rhombus, and rectangles,” said Mrs. Besgrove. Additionally, students have enjoyed the geometry lessons that get them “up and out” of their seats, especially the lessons on lines, line segments, and points. Mrs. Besgrove concluded, “The students especially love drawing and measuring different types of angles!”

Cross-Curricular Collaboration in Environmental Science

Mrs. Eaton’s Environmental Science students are currently learning about energy, specifically where our energy comes from as well as how much energy we are using as a society and as individuals. The unit focuses on how each of our energy choices have potential pollution consequences that can damage our environment in the long run.

During this unit, students have completed Pollution Law Research Presentations, a webquest activity, and even created Energy Board Games for a cross-curricular project. Mrs. Eaton stated, “My students definitely enjoyed making the board games and playing them with the junior high students. After they felt comfortable with the material, they got to be creative and teach the junior high students in an engaging manner.”

EASTER PARADE 2019:

CLOTHES BIN AVAILABLE NOW:

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY!

FAMILY FUN DAY 2019:

PROM 2019 INFORMATION:

NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:

  • Fri. – Mon. April 19th – 22nd: Spring Break
  • Tues. April 23rd: Teacher In-Service Day – No School for Students
  • Tues. – Sat. April 23rd – 27th: Junior and Senior NYC Trip
  • Sat. May 4th – Prom, 7pm
  • Mon. May 6th – HS Academic Awards, 6pm
  • Thurs. May 16th – Seniors’ Last Day
  • Fri. May 17th – Senior Awards, 1:30pm
  • Wed. May 22nd – End of 4th Quarter – Last Day of School
  • Thurs. May 23rd – Teacher’s Records Day
  • Fri. May 24th – Graduation Practice, 12pm
  • Sun. May 26th – Class of 2019 Graduation, 1:30pm

BPA Nationals and Classroom Spotlights

BPA Rangers Head to National Competition

For the past several years, Mrs. Kara Myers has not only led our business courses, but also our BPA Program. For those who are not familiar with BPA, BPA stands for Business Professionals of America which is a career technical program quoted as, “A student organization dedicated to the preparation of global professionals through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic & technological skills.” Students get the chance to compete in various competitions, become officers that lead community events, and advance basic fundamental life skills. Senior Isaiah Bolyard and sophomore U-sa Vayavong have worked vigorously over the course of this school year as BPA competitors and both recently accomplished an outstanding achievement in receiving first place in their presentation categories in order to qualify for the national BPA competition.

Isaiah explained that there are usually a very broad range of topics to choose from, each meeting a person’s skills and interests. Isaiah stated, “I chose ‘Extemporaneous Speech’ which, by definition means ‘spoken or done without preparation.’ You receive two topics on the spot, choose which one you would like to present with, prepare for ten minutes, and give a speech based off of that prompt from two to four minutes total. This requires a student to be witty and work well ‘on their toes,’ a drastic difference from the prepared competitions other students participate in. Fun fact: Extemporaneous Speech is currently the ONLY fully un-prepared event in BPA.”

U-sa stated, “I competed in the ‘Entrepreneurship’ which is where students have to create a business plan for a start-up company. My objective is to present my business to potential investors in hopes of securing a loan or any other investments. If you think about it, it’s a bit like Shark Tank.”

When asked to reflect on their journey to the state BPA competition, U-sa said, “Before I made it to states, I had to make it past regionals. For the first term, I had to develop the foundation for my business plan and then submit my final copy. This was probably the most stressful part for me since I started with a blank slate and had to come up with pages worth of valuable information. Then, I worked on my presentation part and hoped that the judges liked my plan. They did, and I won. So, I then had to revise my business plan, which we ended up submitting an hour before the deadline. Afterward, I worked on my presentation part that didn’t quite pull through until the last minute. I felt a ton of different emotions throughout this journey, but I am happy to have made it this far.” Isaiah reflected, “State was such a great experience. The trip was joined with PENTA Career Center so we were able to make new friends from other schools. Any school-related trip is so much fun because of all the passionate and friendly staff that volunteer their time to make it awesome for us. Also, the location was in Columbus at the Convention Center, so there were many new things for us to see.”

Reminiscing about their reaction to receiving first place at the state competition, Isaiah expressed, “Because I chose a competition that specialized in my areas of strength (talking and wits) I was confident of a ‘Top 10’ placement. When my name was announced as first place, I was so surprised and filled with pride and joy. A huge reason I was so happy is because I wasn’t just winning for me, I was winning for our local area, Northwood specifically, and above all, Mrs. Myers.” U-sa added, “When my name was announced, I glanced back at the board to see if it was actually me who had won it. I was initially shocked that I was able to get first place. I remembered all of the time and effort I put into my project, but I also remembered that there were a lot more people that went into this win which makes me grateful.”

Isaiah and U-sa now must begin preparing for the national competition, which will take place the first week of May in Anaheim, California at Disneyland! U-sa has her mind set on perfecting her presentation. She stated, “There are two parts for my competition, the business plan, and the presentation. I am very excited to say that my business plan, the hardest part, scored almost perfectly meaning I won’t have to spend as much time on that. So I’ll be working on perfecting my presentation until I can say it in my sleep and I will need to prepare to answer the judges’ questions.” Isaiah’s preparation process includes having several mock competitions and presenting them to the Accounting class. When asked what they are most excited about in regards to the national competition, U-sa said, “I am excited to compete and to be in California! I am hoping to win the first place title again at nationals, but I am just glad that I am able to have this experience.” Isaiah added, “I am most excited to spend a week in a completely new part of the country and represent Northwood from so far away. BPA allows you to build lasting relationships with other student and other advisors and the opportunity to travel across the country.”

U-sa concluded by adding, “I could never have done this without the help and long nights working with Mrs. Myers. She dedicated her time because she believed that I could do it, despite the times where I had many mental breakdowns trying to juggle all of my activities and schoolwork. There were also many teachers, friends, and family who have given support and input into my project, which I truly appreciated. I really hope that future students find the business program to be enjoyable and that next year we can take more students!”

Funny Jokes and Puppet Shows in Mrs. Nice’s Classroom

Have you heard a good joke lately? We have in Ms. Nice’s second grade classroom!

Our class has been working hard to improve our writing skills. An important part of answering questions involves restating the question. What better way to do that than writing jokes! After being asked a joke, students had to restate the joke in their answer. Then the fun really started!

After practicing their jokes, each student made a sock puppet video. They recorded their voices with one puppet asking the joke. Then, the other sock puppet restated the joke and added the punchline. They were able to modify their voice for each puppet making it lower or higher in pitch, as they preferred. They also had the fun of selecting their own scene for the puppets to have as their backdrop.


Everyone did a great job and we had a lot of fun creating puppet shows and sharing them with each other.  

PROM 2019 INFORMATION:

NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:

NES CARNIVAL INFORMATION:

  • Fri. March 29th: NES Carnival, 5:30pm -7:30pm
  • Mon. – Fri. April 1st – 5th: NES Testing Week
  • Tues. April 2nd: NEO Marcos Pizza Night
  • Mon. – Fri. April 8th – 12th: NES and NHS Testing Week
  • Fri. – Mon. April 19th – 22nd: Spring Break
  • Tues. April 23rd: Teacher In-Service Day – No School for Students
  • Tues. – Sat. April 23rd – 27th: Junior and Senior NYC Trip
  • Sat. May 4th – Prom, 7pm
  • Mon. May 6th – HS Academic Awards, 6pm
  • Thurs. May 16th – Seniors’ Last Day
  • Fri. May 17th – Senior Awards, 1:30pm
  • Fri. May 24th – Graduation Practice, 12pm
  • Sun. May 26th – Class of 2019 Graduation, 1:30pm



“Mary Poppins” Will be Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

This year, the Northwood High School Drama department is taking on a musical classic with a production of “Mary Poppins.” While many of our community members will be quite familiar with the scenes and music made famous by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, for some of our Rangers, participating in this production is their first experience with the musical. River Emmert, a junior who is playing the role of George Banks, stated, “I’ve never watched it, but I knew of the songs because of Disney.” Cayden Schober, a junior who is playing the role of Bert, said, “If I’m being honest, I only knew about ‘A Spoonful of Sugar.’” However, some of our Rangers did have a bit more background of the musical. Senior Philip Brice, the student director for this year’s show said, “It’s my grandmother’s favorite musical, so I know it well. Plus, I’m a huge fan of Dick Van Dyke, so I know it well because of him.” Senior Alex Hoffer, who will be playing the role of Mary Poppins explained, “My father was in the Oregon Community Theater production of ‘Mary Poppins.’ I knew the show pretty well after watching him perform as Mr. Banks.”

Over the years, Northwood High School has become well-known for the musicals produced under the direction of choir and drama teacher Annette Slater. When asked what will make this year’s production stand out from the rest Alex stated, “Mrs. Slater has a lot of ideas for this show.” Many of these ideas, are surprises that won’t be revealed until the opening curtain! River added, “My cast members, Alex and Kennedy are great at their roles and strong leads, Cayden is incredible with what he does, Carson Dickey (a third grade NES student) and Brielle Closson (a sixth grade NES student) are just outstanding for how young they are, and I join the mix and bring what I have to the table and it all comes together amazing.” Sophomore Mitchell Hurley who is this year’s crew chief said, “This year’s production is larger than life. The set looks beautiful, we have a good crew who’s very efficient, and the cast members are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. The main thing that stands out to me is just the positive energy that everyone in the entire production has.”

When asked what they are most excited for this year, Senior Sarah Frey who is a chorus member and new to the stage this year, stated, “The show itself, and the makeup, and just bonding with the other people.” Our Jane, better known as Brielle said, “I have always wanted to sing and dance in a musical, so actually being on stage is so much fun!” Carson agreed, stating, “I just can’t wait to perform in front of everyone!” Senior Rylee Hazlett, who is new to the stage this year and will be portraying the role of the Bird Woman, expressed, “I’m just excited to see how the whole show will turn out. So far, I am loving the musical and I’m excited to see all of the scenes fit together.” Senior Kylie Grant who will be playing the role of Mrs. Brill added, “I am most excited to see the ‘Step in Time’ dance because it is very difficult, but the dancers are doing a great job at performing the dance onstage.” From a crew perspective, sophomore Usa Vayavong, who has been integral to our painting crew, stated, “I am mostly excited to see everything come together, especially since we have so many sets this year and little fun surprises!”

Each year, the NHS musical production encompasses the largest variety of students of any of the student groups at NLS. Time and time again, students express that the best part of being involved with the musical is the bonding experience and becoming one big family. Alex stated, “I really enjoyed picking up the younger kids for practice. They were excited and were fun to chat with.” She continued, “The best part of musical is the relationships that are made. I, for one, can say it was a lot of fun getting to know Brielle and Carson these last few months. They are such a wonderful addition to this year’s musical. They are so bright and fun and have worked so hard. I can’t wait to see how they do when they are in high school.” Kylie added, “The best part about being involved with musical is getting to make new friends from different social groups that I may not have talked to otherwise. All of these different people come together to make an amazing production.” Rylee added, “Being with all of my friends and trying something new. Originally, I tried out for a smaller speaking role and then when I got a call back for a singing role as Bird Woman I pretty much had to be dragged to the audition because I never thought I would sing alone in front of so many people. I’m  just glad everyone pushed me so far out of my comfort zone because at first I was nervous and I regretted it because I was so scared, but now I’m a lot more comfortable on stage and I’m glad I accepted a singing part.” Kennedy Brossia, our Winifred Banks, added, “The absolute best part about being involved with musical is the people you meet and the friendships that you make. I’ve gotten extremely close with people who I’ve never had a good friendship with. This time of the year brings so many different types of people together that you would never guess would come together. It’s an amazing thing that you don’t see very often. I’m so happy to be a part of this family.”

When asked for concluding thoughts, River expressed, “I couldn’t be more thankful for everyone participating in musical and showing up. I really want this musical to make Mrs. Slater proud and I know we’ll give her our all because that’s what she deserves and this musical will be great.” Cayden added, “If you’re thinking about joining the musical, but aren’t so sure, stop thinking about it and just do it. Unless you’re the busiest human in the entire world or if acting, singing, or dancing isn’t your thing (which is fine), join the musical. You won’t regret it.” Mitchell stated, “The people behind the scenes are just as much of stars of the show as the cast are. Philip Brice is an extremely inspiring and dedicated Student Director. Usa Vayavong is so talented and did a magnificent job alongside Mrs. T and Mrs. James with running the paint crew. Cameron Brice and Logan Urbanyi have been immensely helpful assistant crew chiefs to me and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. And most importantly, Mrs. Slater has outdone herself this year. Her hard work and dedication to this production is unmatched to anyone I’ve ever met. The amount of time and care she puts into musical is the main reason we put on such an amazing show!”

When reflecting on it being the last show for our seniors, Philip stated, “It is going to be difficult to say goodbye to musical. The growth and friends I’ve earned is the best thing I could’ve asked from my high school career.” Alex concluded, “I want to say that if you’re in high school you should at least try musical once. Every person that I know that has done musical their senior year regrets not participating the first three years of high school. You experience something different. You make a second family and bond. It’s something magical.”


NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:

NES CARNIVAL INFORMATION:

PROJECT RUNWAY PROM:

  • Fri. March 15th: End of 3rd Quarter / NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (opening night) at 7:30pm
  • Sat. March 16th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” at 7:30pm
  • Sun. March 17th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (final show) at 2:30pm
  • Mon. March 18th: NEO Meeting, 8am
  • Tues. March 19th: HS Winter Sports Banquet, 6pm
  • Wed. March 20th: 5th-12th grade Band-O-Rama Concert, 7pm
  • Tues. March 26th: 7th-12th grade Choir Concert, 7pm
  • Fri. March 29th: NES Carnival, 6pm
  • Mon. – Fri. April 1st – 5th: NES Testing Week
  • Tues. April 2nd: NEO Marcos Pizza Night
  • Mon. – Fri. April 8th – 12th: NES and NHS Testing Week
  • Fri. – Mon. April 19th – 22nd: Spring Break
  • Tues. April 23rd: Teacher In-Service Day – No School for Students
  • Tues. – Sat. April 23rd – 27th: Junior and Senior NYC Trip

Polar Animals, Escape Rooms, and the Drone Rangers!

Preschool Rangers Learn About Polar Animals

Our preschool Rangers are currently focusing on a unit in which they are learning about Polar Animals. Students have had choices to play with penguins on an iceberg in the dramatic play area, search for polar animals in the sensory table, look at books about animals in the reading center, put animals in the correct habitats on a zoo magnet board, make animal habitats from play doh, and build habitats with blocks for plastic zoo animals. The preschoolers have really enjoyed the iceberg and penguins in the dramatic play area as well as songs and Clevertouch activities about penguins and other polar animals.

Mrs. Walker reminds us that Mr. Rogers once said, “Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others…play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But, for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” In preschool, children are given the opportunity to learn through play. Activities and toys are carefully selected to give children a variety of learning experiences.

Sixth Graders Break Out of “Escape Room”

Mrs. Kaylor’s sixth grade language arts students are currently learning about point-of-view and perspective. These lessons help students to analyze texts and to determine how information is presented and why it is presented in a certain way.

Students really enjoyed collaboration in their groups to “break out” of the escape room. The activity featured several different “locks,” which required certain numbers or words to unlock. Students had to complete a series of tasks in order to receive the clue or puzzle for the lock. Then, students had to solve that clue to figure out the lock. It was challenging for everyone, but Mrs. Kaylor stated that students had a great time and were really proud of themselves each time they solved a clue. Mrs. Kaylor concluded, “It was so much fun watching students work through the puzzles and seeing what they could really do when it came to practicing point-of-view.

Have you Heard About the Drone Rangers?

Northwood Schools is always looking to add new extracurriculars for our students. Recently a drone team, affectionately named, “The Drone Rangers” has been formed in our junior high school. The team came about when Penta Career and the Challenge Center through Lake Erie West offered a drone set-up to area teachers. Mrs. Fish went to a session where teachers learned how to build and use the drones. She then gathered a group of students who were interested in drone racing. Greg Huber, a parent who is very knowledgeable about drones, has helped get more drones along the way and has helped to train using the pvc pipe gates. Mrs. Fish stated, “All of the parents have been so supportive in helping get t-shirts for the team, practicing with the kids, and having such a positive attitude with the students.”

Through this program, students are not only learning to build and fly drones, but are also learning teamwork (they have a team pilot, co-pilot, and technician, and continuously switch through these roles), build confidence, and learn organizational skills. When asked what students most enjoy about the drone team, Mrs. Fish explained, “I think the students enjoy helping each other out and being part of a team. They also like the donuts, hot chocolate, and other snacks that parents provide for sustenance!” Mrs. Fish concluded, “We have really enjoyed growing in our drone flying skills. We started out having very little knowledge of how to use and fly drones and have improved our skills by leaps and bounds!”

The Rangers currently involved with the Drone Rangers include: Garrett Hill, Marcie Hill, Nick Genzman, Jocelyn Huber, and Jet Stribrny.  These students practice every Tuesday and Thursday after school from 2:40 to 4pm in the D-Pod of the junior high wing of the school. There are a total of four competitions, once a month on Saturdays, either at Penta Career Center or at the Challenger Center in Oregon. These competitions take place from 9am – 1pm.

Reserve your tickets for “Mary Poppins!”

Ticket Information:

Tickets for this year’s show are $10 each for students/seniors and $12 each for adults. Tickets can be reserved online by using the url’s below. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the school office at 419-691-3888. This is a show you don’t want to miss!

Friday:  https://bit.ly/2RYOtEf

Saturday:  https://bit.ly/2U7yukL

Sunday:  https://bit.ly/2CC8SFd


NORTHWOOD/WCESC PRESCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION

The Northwood/Wood County Preschool, operated in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center, is pre-registering for the 2019-20 school year.

The preschool programs are developmentally appropriate, play-based preschools supporting the Ohio Department of Education’s model curriculum. The Wood County Preschool Program is an inclusionary preschool program serving children ages 3–5 who have delays in development and children who are typically developing. Tuition, based on a sliding-fee scale, is charged for children without special needs. Children attend preschool two full days per week (either Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri).

Please contact Naomi at nstickles@wcesc.org or 419-354-9010, ext. 133 to get on the 2019-20 mailing list. Parents who have questions regarding children who may have special needs can also contact Naomi.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:

NES CARNIVAL INFORMATION:

COLLEGE AND CAREER PREVIEW NIGHT:

GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN SUPPORT GROUP:

  • Sun. March 10th: Daylight Saving Time
  • Fri. March 15th: End of 3rd Quarter / NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (opening night) at 7:30pm
  • Sat. March 16th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” at 7:30pm
  • Sun. March 17th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (final show) at 2:30pm
  • Mon. March 18th: NEO Meeting, 8am
  • Tues. March 19th: HS Winter Sports Banquet, 6pm
  • Wed. March 20th: 5th-12th grade Band-O-Rama Concert, 7pm
  • Tues. March 26th: 7th-12th grade Choir Concert, 7pm
  • Fri. March 29th: NES Carnival, 6pm
  • Mon. – Fri. April 1st – 5th: NES Testing Week
  • Tues. April 2nd: NEO Marcos Pizza Night
  • Mon. – Fri. April 8th – 12th: NES and NHS Testing Week
  • Fri. – Mon. April 19th – 22nd: Spring Break
  • Tues. April 23rd: Teacher In-Service Day – No School for Students
  • Tues. – Sat. April 23rd – 27th: Junior and Senior NYC Trip

Greek Mythology and the Art of Debate

Fourth Graders Study Greek Mythology

Mrs. Chrysochoos’ fourth grade Language Arts students are currently studying Greek Mythology! During this unit, students read different myths and determine the theme – retelling the main idea of the myths – while also learning different facts about Greek history.

Mrs. Chrysochoos explained that Greek Mythology is part of the common core standards for fourth grade. She added, “Greek/Latin roots are an important part of this unit as well. They sound so boring to study, but we try to make it fun by having the students earn beads for a bracelet they are making for each week that they master their list of Greek and Latin Roots.” The students even have a Rap song that they learn to go along with the roots as a fun way to remember them!

The fourth grade Rangers have enjoyed making the bracelets and adding beads each week. They have also enjoyed looking at actual pictures of Mrs. Chrysochoos visiting family in Greece!

Soon, fourth graders will be starting the novel The Lemonade War and hosting a lemonade stand in the Pod!

8th Graders Learn the Art of Debate

Mr. Myers’ eighth grade students are currently partaking in a debate unit. During this unit, students write speeches using logic, evidence, and persuasive language. Students also focus on critical thinking and logical fallacies to make sure the arguments make sense. Additionally, students practice public speaking skills by holding mini-debates and presenting short, extemporaneous speeches.

Mr. Myers explained, “This unit challenges students to look at all sides of an argument, encourages critical thinking, and helps to develop their argumentative writing and public speaking skills. Additionally, students work with partners throughout the entire unit, which allows them to collaborate and help to build interpersonal communication skills.”

Students have enjoyed the mini-debates where they practiced responding to their classmates’ claims about a variety of topics. The mini-debates were very informal, so students felt more comfortable sharing their opinions, which encouraged many students to speak up!

Reserve your tickets for “Mary Poppins!”

Ticket Information:

Tickets for this year’s show are $10 each for students/seniors and $12 each for adults. Tickets can be reserved online by using the url’s below. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the school office at 419-691-3888. This is a show you don’t want to miss!

Friday:  https://bit.ly/2RYOtEf

Saturday:  https://bit.ly/2U7yukL

Sunday:  https://bit.ly/2CC8SFd

OHIO DENTAL OUTREACH PROGRAM:

GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN SUPPORT GROUP:

  • Fri. Feb. 22nd: Senior Night
  • Wed. Feb. 27th: NES Spring Picture Day 
  • Sat. March 2nd: Lift-a-Thon
  • Tues. March 5th: NES Marco’s Pizza Night
  • Sun. March 10th: Daylight Saving Time
  • Fri. March 15th: End of 3rd Quarter / NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (opening night) at 7:30pm
  • Sat. March 16th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” at 7:30pm
  • Sun. March 17th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (final show) at 2:30pm


Classroom Spotlights and Coming Home Information!

Kitchen Safety in Family and Consumer Science Class

Eighth grade students in second semester Family and Consumer Science class will be learning about foods and nutrition. Mrs. Metzger explained, “We’ve started off the semester familiarizing students with the food lab rules and the kitchens they’ll be working in during our cooking labs. We also will be learning and practicing safety and sanitation while cooking.” Students will also practice reading recipes, budgeting money for meals, and analyzing nutritional content of food.

Currently, students are learning about the rules of the food lab and where the tools and utensils are located in each of their kitchens. Mrs. Metzger stated, “This is important as we will be cooking several times during the semester and students will need to follow these rules for their own personal safety and to prevent contamination of food that they’ll be working with. In addition, we’re spending time learning about how to use the equipment in their labs.”

Students have enjoyed telling stories of “kitchen disasters” that they’ve had or observed in their own kitchens. They also enjoyed watching a video of a girl doing a terrible job cooking a meal, while the students identified the many things she did wrong. Mrs. Metzger said that our Rangers did a great job identifying the food safety violations in the video. Finally, students enjoyed conducting scavenger hunts in their assigned kitchens to correctly locate the tools and utensils they will be using in their labs!

Third Grade Math with Mrs. Turner

Our third grade Rangers are focusing their energy on multiplication, as multiplying is an everyday life skill. In order for students to be able to do higher math, students must first master the four basic operations. Students are currently working on fact fluency, finding area, and using the distributive property.

Mrs. Turner stated that students love working through the twenty-six tests to earn their black belt in multiplication and 13 test to earn their division belt. You can often catch Mrs. Turner’s tweets in which our Ranger Multiplication Masters are featured!

American Government’s Study Political Ideology

American Government students have been learning about Political Ideology and what is really behind our two party political system. In order to make research fun and allow students the chance to showcase what they have been learning, they did a “Stick Political Figure.”

After doing some basic research and note taking, the Government students were given a task of identifying the differences in political ideologies and then trying to match up the political parties that would best fit their figure. Each Stick Man had to include the beliefs of the party (thought bubble), five things you can count on their side voting on (open hand), what their side stands for (legs), their sides biggest strength (heart), and their biggest weakness (heel).

They were also encouraged to add their own creative touches like adding a mirror with the person their side most admires, a house with their family values, and some kind of wallet to depict their economic concerns or beliefs. Some added famous names, images or other political symbols into their pieces in order to really emphasizes points.  

In addition to making these fun Stick Men, the students participated in an online discussion that allowed them to investigate both the two major parties as well as third parties in order for them to see how the ideologies of the Left and Right have become intertwined with our Two-Party system.

Coming Home 2019

King Candidates:

Queen Candidates:

Spirit Week Information:

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS:

FAMILY GAME NIGHT:

OHIO DENTAL OUTREACH PROGRAM:

GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN SUPPORT GROUP:

JEFF YALDEN – ADAMHS SPONSORED EVENT:

  • Fri. Feb. 15th: NES Jump Rope for the Heart & Valentine’s Day Parties / Coming Home & High School Dance
  • Sun. Feb. 17th: Honors Band & Choir Performances
  • Mon. Feb. 18th: No School, President’s Day
  • Fri. Feb. 22nd: Senior Night
  • Wed. Feb. 27th: NES Spring Picture Day 
  • Sat. March 2nd: Lift-a-Thon
  • Tues. March 5th: NES Marco’s Pizza Night
  • Sun. March 10th: Daylight Saving Time
  • Fri. March 15th: End of 3rd Quarter / NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (opening night) at 7:30pm
  • Sat. March 16th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” at 7:30pm
  • Sun. March 17th: NHS Drama Department presents “Mary Poppins” (final show) at 2:30pm

Roller Coasters and Flat Stanley!

Designing Roller Coasters in Physical Science

Mr. Donegan’s 9th grade Physical Science students are currently designing a roller coaster! The catch is that the roller coaster will need to stop within 10 centimeters of the end of the ride without hitting an object. In order to do this, the students will use their knowledge of the law of conservation of energy to get the marble to stop at the end of the track. The students will then calculate the potential energy, kinetic energy, and energy transfer that occurs throughout the roller coaster.

The students have thoroughly enjoyed designing their roller coasters. Mr. Donegan stated, “This unit is very math heavy, so it was nice to provide students with some ways to apply the knowledge that we have been working on in class.”

Differentiated Instruction in 1st Grade Reading Class

Mrs. Anderson’s first grade reading class students have been busy working in their reading groups. Mrs. Anderson explained that during reading groups, one group of students has begun reading The Adventures of Flat Stanley. While these students are reading their chapter books, other students work on various activities at their own level. Those students can read books of their choice, write in their monthly journals, practice their spelling words, or listen to reading using their iPads. Mrs. Anderson added, “The students like the freedom of choosing their own activity and feel accomplished when they can complete their own work independently.”

Additionally, those students who are reading about Flat Stanley, read a chapter together and dig deeper to describe characters, sequence of events, learn new vocabulary, and create things that go along with the chapter. Using this beginning chapter book allows differentiated instruction while still working to meet the first grade reading standards. Mrs. Anderson concluded, “This group has enjoyed reading and working together. They like to create their own ideas and extend their knowledge using the information they’ve read.”

CCP Night 2019:

  • Thurs. Dec. 20th: End of 1st Semester 
  • Fri. Dec. 21st: Teacher Records Day / Winter Break Begins for Students 
  • Mon. Jan. 7th: School Resumes! 
  • Tues. Jan. 8th: NEO Marcos Pizza Night
  • Sun. Jan. 20th: Drama Class Mystery Dinner “Clue” 
  • Mon. Jan. 21st: No School, MLK Day
  • Fri. Feb. 15th: Coming Home 
  • Mon. Feb. 18th: No School, President’s Day
  • Wed. Feb. 27th: NES Spring Picture Day 


Ranger Learning Experiences Abound!

JH Rangers Receive Stewardship Award for Dedication in Testing Water Quality

On Friday, November 9th,  nine junior high students from Mrs. Fish’s environmental science group in the Northwood Outdoor Classroom participated in the annual Student Watershed Watch, sponsored by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG). Eight different schools participated in the event, which was held at the University of Toledo.

Northwood students picked their outdoor classroom at Curtice and Bradner Road to collect water samples. They tested the water along Dry Creek for several different variables including pH, nitrates, phosphates, streamflow, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and fecal coliform. Their results can be found in the presentation they gave. (Click HERE to view the presentation).

Our students won the stewardship award for their dedicated work testing water quality. This accomplishment means the world to our students because of the care they give to the outdoor classroom, which extends beyond water testing. Not only do they care about the health of Dry Creek and the flow of water into Lake Erie, but they also care about restoring the twenty acres of farmland at the Northwood Outdoor Classroom to a native habitat, with a bluebird trail, infinity loop, monarch butterfly tagging, soil testing, story walk, and seed dispersal.

Our students visit the outdoor classroom weekly to learn and care for different aspects of the environment. The Northwood Outdoor Classroom is open to the community, and we wish to share our successes with Northwood. Congratulations to these students for caring so much for the environment and putting in the dedication and hard work to make our programs successful.

You can find out more about what our students are doing in the Northwood Outdoor Classroom by following us on Twitter @nhsoesl.

6th Graders Study the Rock Cycle

Mrs. Welker’s 6th grade Science class has been studying the rock cycle, minerals, and soil as natural resources. Additionally, students have discussed how fires and storms have caused erosion, which has greatly affected many areas of the United States. One highlight of this unit are the labs completed in class. In the first lab, students identified aspects of minerals. A second lab was done in which students identified whether rock specimens were igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.

Students enjoyed learning the folklore behind the different gemstones as well as the various hands-on activities with the rocks and minerals. Students were even able to look up information related to their birthstones, such as the hardness of the gemstone, where it is mined in the world, and the folklore related to their specific gemstone. They then created posters that they shared with their classmates!

6th Grade Spelling Bee Winners

Eden Schoch, Aubree Lamb, and Lizzie Caspar are the winners of the recent 6th grade spelling bee. They will be competing against Mr. Myers’ 7th and 8th graders on December 14th for a spot in the county spelling bee!

Researching Current World Problems

Mrs. Geerken’s 6th grade gifted students are currently focusing on effective research skills and connecting research information to current issues in our world today. Students are completing an “Independent Study” in which they have chosen an individual focus topic. This topic has to relate to a current world problem. For this project, students will complete history and background research as well as current event research. They will then research possible solutions for the problem, and create a product and Google Slide presentation.

Mrs. Geerken explained that students are in the beginning stages of the project. Students are enjoying exploring their topics and learning new information. Currently, students are using Infohio (EBSCO), Newsela, KidRex search engine, and books provided by our school library, to gather information about their topics. Some of the topics include how space weather from the sun threatens our technology, deforestation, feral cats and animal shelters, illegal pet trade, and water pollution.

Physics Students Complete “Elevator” Lab

Physics students are currently focusing on unbalanced forces and how they cause objects to accelerate. Mr. Kohring explained that this unit helps clear up misconceptions about the relationships between forces on an object and the motion of that object.

During this unit, students performed an elevator lab. This lab required students to stand on a bathroom scale and record their weight at different points of travel in the elevator. Students were able to observe how their weight seemed to “change” when the elevator was speeding up, slowing down, and moving at a constant velocity. Students also drew force diagrams and used Newton’s Second Law to solve complex problems regarding forces and motion.  


Toys for Tots:

CCP Night 2019:

PENTA Career Night:

Skilled Trades Open House:

ATHLETIC BOOSTERS BINGO NIGHTS:

Athletic Boosters presents BINGO Night!.jpg
  • Mon. Dec. 3rd: Athletic Boosters BINGO @ 6pm in the AAA Building / Penta Career Night 6-8pm 
  • Tues. Dec. 4th: NEO Marcos Pizza Night
  • Tues. Dec. 11th: 5th Grade DARE Graduation @ 11:30am, AAA Building
  • Thurs. Dec. 20th: End of 1st Semester 
  • Fri. Dec. 21st: Teacher Records Day / Winter Break Begins for Students 
  • Mon. Jan. 7th: School Resumes!