Walking around Neshaminy High School after the end of the school day, you wouldn't be surprised to find students practicing or playing sports, rehearsing for an upcoming musical concert, or getting some extra help with homework in the library. But on some days, you will also find also students practicing yoga in a darkened classroom, debating, discussing a book, drawing and creating sculptures, playing a surprisingly noisy game of Dungeons and Dragons, or learning self-defense techniques. With over 30 clubs to choose from this year, students have more opportunity than ever to explore their passions, serve their school and community, and find classmates that share their interests.
And these co-curricular learning and service opportunities aren't limited to the high school.
With the start of the 2021-2022 school year, student interest in clubs, musical groups and sports teams has spiked across the District. At every grade level, students are signing up at levels exceeding those prior to the pandemic to participate in a variety of clubs, community service organizations and sports teams.
"It's been an awesome turnout for co-curriculars since the fall began," said Neshaminy High School Assistant Principal and Co-Curricular Director Lisa Pennington. "I think our students are really ready to get back and get involved, socializing with each other and exploring their interests."
While many clubs have been operating for years such as the Playwickian newspaper or the Interact service club, Ms. Pennington said that the administration is open to student suggestions from students for new activities. A new club can form if there is enough student interest, and a club adviser can be found. Among clubs added in recent years is the Yoga Club, run by English teacher Kim Montone, which meets in the Art Gallery conference room across from the Main Office every two weeks. Art Teacher Justin Burske runs an Anime Club, along with the Art Studio Club. BCIT teacher Siri Sammartino has started a self-defense club that invites trained experts to share prevention, awareness, de-escalation and safety skills.
Ms. Pennington emphasized that clubs are for all grade levels, and she encourages students to get involved no matter what class they are in.
"Clubs are for everybody," she said. "You don't have to be an expert, it can just be something you enjoy or have always wanted to try."
The Neshaminy School Board will meet on Tuesday, November 23 at 7 pm in the District Board Room at Maple Point. Among the action items on the agenda:
- Consideration of the final draft of the District Comprehensive Plan for 2021-2024 for approval
An Act 34 hearing to consider the construction of a new elementary school on the Maple Point MS property will be held Thursday, December 2 at 7 pm in the auditorium at Maple Point. The Board reorganization meeting will be held on Monday, December 6 at 7 pm in the District Board meeting room at Maple Point MS. Meeting agendas and livestream video links can be found at www.neshaminy.org/meetings.
Committee Meetings:
- The Board Educational Development Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 30 at 6:30pm.
- The Board Facilities and Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 15 at 6:30 pm.
All Committee meetings are scheduled to take place in the District Board Room at Maple Point. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.
Neshaminy is pleased to offer an important online-only webinar just for Neshaminy families, "Supporting Today’s Overwhelmed Teens with Love, Laughter, and the Science of Resilience." It will be held on Tuesday, December 7 from 7-8:30 pm. The host is Dr. Michael J. Bradley, a licensed clinical psychologist with a doctoral degree in psychology from Temple University. In this webinar, you will:
- Explore the neurology of the developing brain, focusing upon its role in decision-making, resilience challenges and vulnerability to anxiety & depression.
- Discover implications of learning and memory under stress and anxiety and the ability for students to effectively engage in their education.
- Investigate how appropriate “doses” of stress can protect against the diseases of anxiety and depression.
- Receive resilience-building parenting strategies (overall goals) and tactics (specific “what-to-do-when” suggestions).
The program will be followed by an audience Q&A. The program is free; advance registration is required.
In conjunction with the Veterans Day parade at Maple Point MS, the eighth-grade students also collected over $800 for “Stockings for Soldiers” a program that works to bring some holiday joy to service members. The funds went toward purchasing different items to brighten the day of those who served our country.
Second grade students at Tawanka reached out to their families and "met" veterans that are a part of the Tawanka family. They enjoyed seeing pictures of the veterans and learning what branches they served in. Additionally, we got to practice math skills by figuring out how long each veteran served. Each of the participating veterans received thank you cards from the students.
The annual food drives across the District are under way. Every year, the Neshaminy community works to identify families that could use some help through school counselors, nurses, teachers and administrators. Throughout the holiday season, our schools are holding food drives, which are supplemented with donations from individuals, businesses and the United Way of Bucks County that include everything from Thanksgiving turkeys to gift cards for groceries and other necessities. At right, the grocery carts at Pearl S. Buck Elmentary School are overflowing with the generous donations from students and their families from each grade.
Albert Schweitzer Elementary School supported families in their school community by asking for staff and families to donate items for families in need at Schweitzer. Donated items included stuffing, gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, instant mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, and Redner’s gift cards to purchase everything else needed for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. One family even donated $250 worth of gift cards! They are forever grateful to the Schweitzer family and are proud to take care of families in their own school community.
Poquessing MS gave out 45 Thanksgiving baskets, including turkeys donated by Tracy Siler Morgan from Keller Williams- Langhorne. Other supports of their food collection were Giant Food Store in Feasterville, Lower South Police Department, GlennCo, LLC of Newtown, The Doneker/Petersman Family, Poquessing Student Council and residents of Lower Southampton Township. Neshaminy retirees – Marie Dempsey, Barb Alexandrowicz and Joan Avato assisted with the distribution of the baskets.
The 8th-grade Spanish classes at Maple Point MS created amazing shadow boxes which are were on display in the hallway for all to see celebrating Latinx Heritage. The projects were created in recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) and Day of the Dead, the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the memories of those that have died, celebrated on November 1 and 2.
The award-winning NHS Marching Band ended their busy fall season on Saturday, November 13 performing in the Cavalcade of Bands Championships at Hershey Park Stadium. The band competed in the Yankee Open size classification. The band finished in 5th place with a score of 89.4. The percussion sections placed 2nd overall.
Students in all the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes at Neshaminy HS spent some time preparing bags of pre-packaged food items. The food was donated by NHS staff, faculty and parents and was given to the Philadelphia-based, non-profit Caring for Friends group, which provides support and companionship to shut-ins and those facing homelessness. AVID students also visited Temple University in November.
Several staff members at Neshaminy High School raised $821 generously donated by family, friends, and students during "No Shave November." They gathered pledges for the Four Diamonds Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research and the recipient of funds raised at the Penn State University Thon event and the Neshaminy HS MiniThon.
A "Mini-MiniTHON will be held on Saturday, December 11 from 10am-12pm in Gym 1 at Neshamiy HS. The main NHS MiniThon is scheduled for Gym 3 at NHS on Friday, January 14 from 2:30 - 8:30 pm.
Recently, the High School Field Hockey Team hosted two events for younger players in the district. The first event was a free clinic for players in grades K-6. The clinic was a fun day for young and first time players. Players got to meet and be coached by the high school team, learn basic skills, the rules of the game, and have fun! It was a Halloween themed clinic where costumes were encouraged and ended in a Trunk or Treat! The second event was a tournament featuring teams from Maple Point, Sandburg, Poquessing, and the Freshman team. It was a great day for hockey! The teams played in a round-robin style tournament with a championship game held on the varsity field. The high school team members were also a part of the day as they helped to run the tournament and ref! It was a fun way to end the season and to bring all the Neshaminy teams together!
2021 Suburban One League Patriot Division Champs and both teams competed in Districts: Field Hockey and Girls Soccer
Girls Tennis
Nicole Ilovic placed 3rd in singles in the SOL which qualified her to compete in Districts
Nicole Ilkovic and Alyssa Rokharg placed 2nd in the Main Draw SOL and qualified to compete in Districts.
Girls Cross Country
Juliana Carragher finished 6th in the SOL Patriot Championship meet which qualified her compete in the PIAA District 1 Championship where she finished 75th in the entire District.
Boy Cross Country
Ryan Tarapchak is the boys SOL National Conference Champion and Patriot Division Champion with a personal best time of 15:44. He then went on to finish 9th in the District which qualified him for the state championships at Hershey.
Ryan earned a state medal by running at time of 16:27 to finish 11th in the state.
