Wiss Watch
September 2022
School Start Time and End Time Community Update
We invite Wiss Nation to review the timeline and key dates related to School Start and End Times. Over the coming months, details of four revised schedules will be considered for possible implementation. Please mark your calendar to learn more and participate in this important discussion! Details of the options will be shared with the community in late October, followed by Community Conversation listening/feedback sessions, and a survey to all students, families and staff this November.
KEY DATES
November 2, 2022, 7 PM via Zoom: Staff Conversation/Presentation (all Wissahickon staff are invited to attend and participate)
November 9, 2022, 7 PM via Zoom: Community Conversation/Presentation #1 of 2 (all Wissahickon families, students, staff and community are invited to attend and participate)
November 14-22, 2022: Survey shared with all students, families, and staff
November 22, 2022: Survey deadline
December 15, 2022, 7 PM via Zoom: Community Conversation/Presentation #2 - Survey results shared with community (all Wissahickon families, students, staff, and community are invited to attend and participate)
January 9, 2023 Public Board Meeting, 7 PM: Board will review and discuss the preliminary final version options.
January 30, 2023 Public Board Meeting, 7 PM: Board will review and discuss the revised final version options with any necessary changes from the review of the preliminary final options. February 6, 2022 Public Board Meeting, 7 PM: Board will vote on the one, final version
We look forward to the participation of everyone in our school community!
Patricia Fabiani Honored at 2022 Wiss Nation Hero!
During the public Board meeting on Monday, October 3, Dr. Crisfield, Superintendent of Schools, recognized Patricia (Patti) Fabiani as the 2022 Wiss Nation Hero! Ms. Fabiani, a special education assistant at Shady Grove Elementary, has worked in the district for more than 25 years. She has played an instrumental role in supporting Wissahickon students and their families beyond the school day. Most notably, she’s a community leader with an afterschool homework club in Ambler. This program was originally founded in 2015 and since the pandemic, it has transformed into the Rising Stars Homework Club serving students in our community who may need extra support with their schoolwork. Ms. Fabiani along with her co-founder, Heather Maltin, have created a safe and welcoming place for our students to go after school and have fun while learning. The Rising Stars Homework Club operates entirely with community volunteers and is a proud partner with Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard. At the meeting, there were a few special guests to help celebrate Ms. Fabiani as the 2022 Wiss Nation Hero – Dr. Jason Bialka, Principal at Shady Grove Elementary; Heather Maltin, co-founder of Rising Stars Homework Club; and Onyi and Ugo Ezenugo, Wissahickon parents. “She is a beacon of Ambler,” said Dr. Bialka.
The Wiss Nation Hero is an annual award presented to someone in our Wissahickon community who’s made an outstanding, positive impact in the community at-large. Previous recipients include Lenny Robinson, Eva O’Brien, Robyn Betterly, Teena Derkosh, and Kathy Dearborn. Click here to watch Ms. Fabiani’s presentation at the School Board meeting (start at 5:02).
National Merit Semifinalists & Commended Students
Congrats to our 2023 National Merit Semifinalists and National Merit Commended students! Eight WHS students are among the 16,000 Semifinalists: Tiffany Chen, Rachel Kim, Ryan O’Farrell, Napat Puenpatom, Anuhya Suhas, Andy Wang, Vincent Zhang and Lily Zhao. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million to be offered next spring. Additionally, 22 students received a Letter of Commendation: Thomas Buhring, Abigail Cooley, Gavin Crowley, Ethan Furman, Serena Harris, Vikram Iyer, Chloe Jeon, Dominic Joseph, Kevin Lee, Sophia Li, Michael Om, Mia Owusu-Antwi, Andrew Slackman, Devon Szczepkowicz, Brendan Vossen, Alaina Wenitsky, Sarah Williams, Matthew Winkowski, Daniel Yun, Albert Zhang, Audrey Zhong and Elise Zhou.
WHS Earns PIAA Sportsmanship Award
Congratulations to our WHS student-athletes, coaches and Athletic Director on earning the PIAA District One 2021-2022 Sportsmanship Award. This recognition, voted on by league member schools, exemplifies the leadership and values of our school community. There’s nothing more important than good sportsmanship! Pictured is Athletic Director Mr. Cairnes and Dan Schempp, WHS Football.
Wiss Nation Spirit: Homecoming Celebrations
Wiss Nation SELebrated Homecoming Week (October 3-8) by sharing their pride across the district. WHS students joined in a 3v3 basketball tournament and the inaugural Homecoming dance. The rainy weather did not dampen the rescheduled bonfire festivities on Thursday which included food trucks and games followed by the Hypnotizing America event hosted by alumni Tim and Michelle Miller. Lots of blue and gold spirit filled the hallways with our students dressing in different themes including pajama day and dress like a superhero or celebrity day. On Friday, Trojan fans filled the stadium to cheer on our team against the golden bears of Upper Moreland. Festivities wrapped up with the inaugural WHS Homecoming Dance on Saturday night.
Six Minutes for Space at WHS
WHS students start and end each day with a 6 minute period called "We Have Space" dedicated to building classroom community. Students participate in classroom activities related to the monthly SEL theme or watch a short video and discuss.
Start with Hello
Stony Creek students enjoyed Start With Hello Week - September 19-23 - participating in fun activities to create a culture of inclusion that values everyone! Students created a tree of promise in the lobby with every child's handprint and took pictures holding up the word “hello” in different languages to display in the cafeteria.
We Are Trustworthy!
At Shady Grove, students discussed the idea of trustworthiness. While the concepts of honest, reliability, integrity, and loyalty were explored, the school community prioritized being true to ourselves. Check out the smiles of some of our students who exemplified this trait during September.
Be The One!
During a school-wide assembly, WMS students listened to Ben Hartranft share stories about his journey with Autism and how they can be that one kind person to change someone else’s life. Cheering filled the auditorium with energy while students learned about how kindness and inclusivity create a sense of belonging.
Lower Gwynedd Recess Games
Lower Gwynedd Elementary PE Teachers, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Rossi kicked off SELebrations at the start of the year by teaching students recess games focused on collaboration, communication, and relationship building. The students learned the games during gym class, then practiced and played independently at recess time.
Fourteen WHS Alumni Inducted into Hall of Fame
Congratulations to the 14 new inductees in the WHS Alumni Hall of Fame: Bill Deering '86, Major Mehrdad Barikbin '00, Kristin Beckett '07, Joseph Donahue ’85, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn '77, Anne Redstreake French '78 (posthumous), Hope Thompson Laird ’78, Shelleah Jackson ’12, Keith Oliphant '14, Tim Miller ‘88, Melissa (Schiller) Pardi ’09, Kirsten Jahn Richardson '03, Ross Shanken '88 and Gregg Walker ‘90. Seven inductees (pictured on the WHS football field) attended our Hall of Fame induction ceremony on October 7, 2022 in person.
To read more about our inductees, visit our Alumni Hall of Fame webpage. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony may be viewed on our YouTube channel. We will also share a video each week on our social media about our honorees.
WEOF Celebrates 2022 - 2023 Academic Year
WEOF is very excited to kick off the new academic school year and celebrate our students. Our WEOF student Board representatives for 2022-23 are senior Alexandra Bladek and junior Gabriel Lassiter. Each year, Wissahickon faculty and staff submit applications to WEOF with innovative educational ideas to further engage students in classroom and co-curricular activities. Thanks to philanthropic supporters, WEOF has financial means to provide funding for grants that enhance teaching and learning through new programs, equipment, technology, and other resources. Interested in learning more about you can get involved? Visit www.weof.org
With Gratitude,
Wissahickon Educational Opportunities Foundation (WEOF)
