Congratulations to Franz-Peter Jerosch

Franz-Peter Jerosch, an 8th grade student at HMS, has qualified for the U.S. Pairs Championships in Greensboro, NC on January 17 - 24. He and partner, Lindsey Stevenson (15 years old from Southboro, MA), are the U.S. Figure Skating Eastern Sectional Juvenile Pairs Silver Medalists.

Franz-Peter and Lindsey (far left) on the podium.

YEF Grants Awarded to Randy Dehetre and Bob Gross

Randy Dehetre and Bob Gross were visited by the wonderful YEF Prize Patrol on 11.21.14 They were thrilled to receive YEF grants for their work!

Randy's STEAM lab received a grant that will allow the 6th grade students to learn about “Pneumatics and Hydraulics: Harnessing the Power.” Students will discover the differences between these two technologies, and will be able to distinguish when one system would be used over the other. Students will work with "Fischertechnik Pneumatic 3" kits and teacher built hydraulic models. Essential learning will focus on experiments with fluid pressure, an introduction to a simple formula for calculating pressure (P=F/A), and taking measurements using appropriate units for fluid pressure. Students will be encouraged to dig deeper by analyzing the parts that make up the two systems, think critically as to how these systems achieve work, and use this knowledge to build working pneumatic and hydraulic models that solve a problem. 

Bob's 7th and 8th grade Think Lab groups received a grant that will allow them to design and build boats out of one sheet of plywood.  Since the beginning of the school year the students have been exploring why boats float and how the volume of displacement determines the weight that a boat will hold. They have constructed boats out of clay and heavy stock paper ‘waterproofed’ with duct tape. From this exploration the students have asked if they can actually build boats. After some some mathematical and online research, the groups determined that a boat built out of one sheet of plywood could float comfortably with a 200 pound person in it. Students will be able to build a workable small boat and then use that boat to study the displacement weight of the water.  Based on their calculations, they will be able to determine where to place the water line on the hull.  This hands on project will allow the students to begin with design, build a small boat, and then test their calculations on something that they can enjoy using once the project is complete.

Congratulations to Randy, Bob, and their students!

Randy Dehetre

Bob Gross

Mr. Brann In Action

 Mr. Corey captured this impressive action and priceless quote during 6th grade intramurals today as Mr. Brann played knockout with the students:

 "Mr. Brann is so good.  He hasn't missed a swish. He is wicked good!"  - 6th grade observer

Not many principals receive this kind of praise and admiration!

                                                                       

Mr. Brann in action

The Future of Food

Merry Stuhr shared the following information about a trivia event called, "Chew on This."


It's National Geography Awareness Week, and this year's theme is "The Future of Food." The HMS Library is observing this with a school-wide trivia event we're calling, "Chew on This." Daily questions tie into national and international issues surrounding food, such as genetic modification and fair trade.  Each day the question will be different and most will require a tiny bit of research.  While the trivia event is designed to be fun, our ultimate hope is to raise awareness so that students will be able to make informed decisions where food is concerned.  The food choices we make are not always black and white……even when it comes to something as seemingly basic as chocolate!

                                                                                   

HMS Students Present at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute Annual Conference

On Thursday November 13th, Duncan Birkbeck, Olivia Feeley, Michael Guertler, Sophie Walsh, and Sam Marjerison represented the Frank H. Harrison Middle School Green Crab Group at the Annual Gulf of Maine Research Institute Conference.  The students did an amazing job describing their results that they concluded from the Pogey Cove Clam Study that they conducted with the DownEast Institute and University of Maine Machias Professor, Dr. Brian Beal.  

The group received a round of applause as they left the conference for their efforts on raising awareness of the effects of the European Green Crab on the soft shell clam industry in the State of Maine.  

6th grade students study gravity

Mr. Dehetre shared the following information about the study of gravity and tribology:

The 6th graders in Mr. Dehetre’s STEAM class have to work their way through an interesting challenge. They need to build a wooden race car that is solely powered by gravity. Students race their finished cars down the ramp outside of the STEAM lab with the hopes of making it to the bottom of the ramp in less than 5 seconds. 

Along with learning about gravity, students will also study tribology (friction), and the use of lubrication to reduce the amount of friction acting upon their speedy cars. Does this work include math? You bet! After the races, students use the data they collect to determine speed in feet per second and miles per hour. Their car speeds are then compared to their own walking and running speeds. Combining fun with learning works every time! 

                                                                              

6th Grade students perform Double Trouble

The cast and crew of the 6th grade play Double Trouble outdid themselves with their hilarious performances, and wonderful sets, special effects, and lighting for this show! Every student involved in the production worked extremely hard, putting in many long hours to ensure a fun and entertaining evening; they delivered exactly that!

Sincere thanks to Kathy Gardner for her on-going support of our plays; we couldn't do it without her.

Special thanks to our amazing parent volunteers for their assistance with this whole process from the auditions all the way to the shows.

Thank you Deb Sevee for ALL you do for each one of our plays! We're grateful for everything that the entire Sevee family contributes to HMS theater!

The cast and crew of Double Trouble