Trojan Talk

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It is hard to believe this is our final newsletter of the school year, though we will share pictures of all the exciting Class of 2024 celebrations next month! I hope the final weeks of the school year are happy and exciting for the entire WHS community. I wish you all a happy and safe summer vacation and look forward to starting off another great school year in August!

WHS continues to promote an inclusive community for all of our students and community members. This month, WSD acknowledges and recognizes the influence and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Additionally, May is also Jewish American Heritage Month and Haitian American Heritage Month. Wiss Nation recognizes the history of Jewish contributions to American culture and the influence of Haitian Americans on our culture and achievements. And finally, next month, WHS also recognizes that June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride month. I continue to be proud of the efforts of all of our staff and students to celebrate inclusivity and promote a sense of belonging for each member of our community. Thank you for all of the support as we continue to prioritize belongingness at WHS.

Please join us for the 37th Annual Wissahickon Art Show featuring the great work of our WHS and WMS students! The Art Show will be open to classes on May 21 through May 23 during school hours and open to the community on Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23 from 6:00-9:00 PM. Our National Art Honor Society will have their Induction Ceremony on Thursday, May 23 starting at 7:30 PM. Come out and see all the amazing artwork created by WHS and WMS students. You will be in awe!

Join us Saturday, May 18, 11AM-2PM, for the 3rd Annual WHS Asian Culture Fair! There will be buffet-style food from local Asian restaurants, tables representing various Asian countries, as well as performances of KPOP dance, drums, traditional Kathak, and more. Free entry, food for sale, and fun for the whole family!

The Wissahickon School District’s Bike to School Day will take place on Thursday, May 30! Our School District, in conjunction with The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County and the Lower Gwynedd and Ambler Police, are sponsoring this effort. On May 30, we will have an increased Police presence around campus for safety and a bike lane will be blocked off on Knight Road beginning at 6:00AM, allowing a safe path for all cyclists. Let’s all go green on May 30 and get some morning exercise too!

Final examinations for Seniors will be given on Friday, May 31, and Monday, June 3. Senior finals will be given by subject area during the times listed below. If you have specific questions, please contact your teacher or school counselor.

• Friday, May 31 (Day 5) - English Language Arts from 7:49-9:19 and Math from 9:25-10:55
• Monday, June 3 (Day 6) - Social Studies from 7:49-9:19 and Science from 9:25- 10:55
• Tuesday, June 4 (Day 5) - Make-ups from 7:40-9:10 in the Upper Café

Final Examinations for students in grades 9-11 will be given on Wednesday June 5, Thursday, June 6, Friday, June 7, and Monday, June 10. Finals exams will be following the same format as last year and midterm exams. Students will take their finals in their classroom with their teacher. Students utilizing accommodations will receive information about their testing from their Special Education teacher (IEP) or School Counselor (504s). If you have specific questions, please contact your teacher or counselor. Below is the Final Exam testing schedule for grades 9-11.

• Wednesday, June 5 (Day 5) - Course 1- 7:40-9:25 and Course 3 from 9:35- 11:10, Regular Day 5 in the afternoon 11:15- 2:35
• Thursday, June 6 (Day 6) - Course 2 - 7:40-9:25 and Course 4 (meets Day 2 session 3) from 9:35-11:10, Regular Day 6 in the afternoon 11:15- 2:35
• Friday, June 7 (Day 5) - Course 5 - 7:40-9:15 and Course 7 from 9:25-11:00, 11:05 dismissal (all students)
• Monday, June 10 (Day 6) - Course 6 - 7:40-9:15 and Course 8 (meets Day 2 session 7) from 9:25-11:00, 11:05 dismissal (all students)
• Tuesday June 11 (Day X)- Make-ups from 7:40-9:10 in the Upper Café

Please note: Any student who misses an exam must have a doctor’s note.

There will be an additional make-up date for students in exceptional situations (students should have already communicated to their school counselor) on Friday, June 21 in the Upper Cafeteria. Missed exams without a doctor’s note and exams that are not taken on June 21 will result in a 0% exam grade. We thank you for your cooperation during final exams.

Health Careers Club member Anika Rastogi was honored at the Montgomery County Commissioner's meeting for her overdose recognition billboard design. Her artwork was selected from among 51 entries submitted by high schools across Montgomery County, and it will soon be displayed across four billboards in the county. This recognition is a testament to Anika's creativity, hard work, and commitment to raising awareness about drug abuse and its impact on our community. Anika's outstanding achievement was celebrated at the Commissioners Meeting, where she was invited to speak about her artwork and the message behind it and she received a well-deserved reward and recognition from the county officials. We're incredibly proud of Anika and grateful for the recognition she has brought to our school!

Since the beginning of the school year, John Kuffner (11th grade) has been ensuring that food excess in the cafeterias is sent to the Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard through the program, Food for Thought. During lunch he noticed that hot lunch buyers are required to take a piece of fruit and many choose not to eat it and throw it away in the trash. He reached out to WHS school administration and coordinated getting Food For Thought donations bins in the cafeterias, giving students the alternative to donate the fruit instead of throwing it away. These fresh fruit donations are delivered twice per week to Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard and are offered for free to the community in the Produce Shed or used as snack at Rising Stars Homework Club. I am so impressed and grateful for John’s vision and leadership!

Over the winter John enlisted the help of Interact Club to broaden and sustain the program. Interact members now help with the bi-weekly food deliveries and the promotion and management of Food For Thought. Thank you to Frau Popovic and Interact students for helping grow the program, which provides a great service and benefit to our community!

Harrison Earnst, 11th grader, brought his A-game to the AP Testing room on Friday, May 10. Students were taking the AP United States History Exam and Harrison decided that if he dressed the part, he might do better on the test. He definitely lightened the mood and alleviated some stress for his peer test-takers!

On April 16, 17, and 18, the 9th Grade Wellness Classes took their inaugural field trip to Stecher Adventures to participate in cooperative activities and low and high ropes challenges. It was a huge success and the students found value in the teambuilding and personal growth. It aligns perfectly to our focus on teambuilding this month. There was plenty of cheering, laughing, and smiles - it was great to see them interacting and thriving outside of the building! A special thank you to our sponsors and angel donors, and Stecher Adventures for allowing everyone to take part. You can check out the adventure course at @stecheradventures or on Facebook: Stecher Adventures. A huge shout out to our HPE teachers for organizing and supervising this awesome field trip. I hope it is the first of many to come! The learning opportunities were fantastic! Check out our students.

Experts from Wiss Trails facilitated an on-campus field trip for students in Environmental Science. Students saw many birds including a raven, a red tail hawk, red wing blackbirds, robins, tufted titmice, swallows, vultures and more. It was fun and exciting to explore our own backyard! We are hoping that this will inspire our citizen scientists to share their passion with their families.

Our Freshman Seminar students recently worked together on a team project and used a variety of learning styles to "breakout" of their boxes. Their ultimate challenge was to build the tallest structure they could, using only spaghetti and mini-marshmallows. They showed grit, resilience and great teamwork skills (and a pretty solid sense of humor along the way).

Mrs. Founds' Dance Fusion class had a guest presenter this week. Anoosha Shukla, Class of 2024, taught the students several Garba dances. Garbo (singular) is a celebratory dance that originated in Gujarat state, India and is mainly performed at festivals and other special occasions. Thank you, Anoosha, for sharing your beautiful culture with other WHS students! It looks like everyone had a great time!

On Thursday, April 25, Wissahickon High School’s Computer Club Team of Matt DiGiovanni, Zacky Albandar, and Kevin Lobo won 1st place in the expert division at Lower Merion High School’s annual CodeLM programming competition. We are so impressed – and equally as proud. Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

On April 18, student volunteers from the WHS Asian Student Association, the WHS Indian Cultural Association, and the WMS Asian Student Association visited all four elementary schools in the district. The students read stories featuring Asian and Asian American characters, authors, and illustrators in honor of May's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. A huge thank you to all those who helped and supported this field trip! I am so proud of our WHS students who are spreading the important message about inclusivity through mentoring our younger students in our community.

On April 19, our juniors celebrated their Junior Prom at Presidential Caterers. More than three hundred students danced the night away. Highlights for the students included the fashion, the delicious food, the setting for pictures, and the over-the-top candy bar (Thank you, HSA!!!) A special thank you to the WSD staff who came out that night to chaperone, to the Junior Class Officers for their leadership, and of course to Mrs. Founds and Mr. Joyce for their unwavering support and their time

A shout-out to our WHS Student Council! To increase the springtime school spirit, our StuCo hosted a Spring Spirit Week during the week of April 30. The five theme days included: Philly Sports Day, Adam Sandler Day (I had to ask around about that one!), Hawaiian Day, Dress Like a Celebrity Day, and Class Colors Day. They also organized school-wide afterschool activities including a carnival, trivia, a Capture the Flag game, a talent show, and a movie night on the lawn. Thank you to all of our Student Council student leaders and to Mr. Mahoney and Ms. Stokley for their unwavering commitment!

Join us in celebrating our May WHS Students of the Month! We are so proud of each of you!

Each month, our staff will be focusing on a different SEL skill with our students; these skills foster connection, celebrate individuality, promote a collective community, and highlight the importance of relationships. Our theme for the month of May is Teamwork and Collaboration. Healthy and productive relationships and partnerships rely on our efforts to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, negotiate conflict effectively, embrace differing social and cultural priorities and backgrounds, problem solve with attention to the interest of others, and seek and accept help and support when needed. Teamwork is a priority and point of pride at WHS; I am happy to share (brag!) that the WHS staff excels in this area and they set a great example for our students.

Graduation will be here before you know it and we are excited! During IE on April 25, Dr. Haney met with the Class of 2024 to review a lot of important information. The PowerPoint of the presentation is posted to our website.

Graduation will be held on Thursday, June 6 at 6:00 PM (with a rain-date of Friday, June 7). The ceremony is planned to be outside in our stadium on June 6. In the event that we are rained out on the 6th, we plan to have the ceremony in the stadium on June 7. If it rains on the 7th, we will hold our ceremony indoors. If the ceremony is outside, each student will receive ten wristbands for their guests. If we are rained out on the 6th and the 7th and need to move the celebration inside, each student will be given two wristbands for our Circle Gym. Tickets for handicapped guests in either location will be available to families. Students should report to Dr. Haney’s office as soon as possible to let her know if they are in need of handicapped seating. Our students will receive the wristbands and their cap and gown during their graduation rehearsal on June 5. We can already feel the excitement in the air! We cannot wait to celebrate the Class of 2024!
Victory Laps: Don’t forget! We are planning our annual Victory Laps at WMS and the elementary schools after the rehearsal on June 5. This is such a fun tradition! Participating students will have the chance to wear their cap and gown and walk the halls of WMS and one of our elementary schools to celebrate with teachers and students across the district.

To Do:

• Students will need to attend a graduation rehearsal in the auditorium at 7:45 AM on June 5th and at 7:45 AM on June 6th. Please mark your calendars accordingly.
• In order to participate in graduation, all graduates must agree to and electronically sign the graduation contract. That link was posted to Schoology on April 25th. Please be sure to check this off your to-do list!
• Please be sure to clear all outstanding obligations before June 5th. Open obligations will prevent a student from receiving a copy of his/her diploma at graduation. We appreciate your attention to this matter. You can find information about your student’s obligations on the Fees tab in Infinite Campus or you can contact your student’s Assistant Principal with questions or concerns.

Flowers: We are offering families the opportunity to order flowers for their graduate in advance. Please see the details below. A percentage of all sales are returned to the school to help future graduates with graduation expenses.

Please be on the look-out for updates sent from Dr. Haney's office to all 12th grade families over the next few weeks. Information will be communicated through Smore to graduates and their families. We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you!

• June 4, 2024
• Tickets on Sale April 15th through May 7th using myschoolbucks.com
• $75/person

Stay tuned for more information about the times closer to the date. Hope to see you there!

The Senior Class is spotlighting future plans. Seniors are encouraged to submit their future information using this link: https://forms.gle/FWkrtKHEa797dSdD9. We look forward to celebrating everyone’s next step!

May 28 - Decision Day: Wear your Futures Gear and let everyone know what you are doing after high school!

May 29 - Senior T-Shirt Day: Make a lasting impression on your teachers and classmates as the Class of 2024 and wear your 2024 Class t-shirts with pride!

May 30 - Aloha Day: Aloha means hello and good-bye. Wear your Hawaiian shirt to say good-bye to high school and hello to your next chapter.

The boys’ track team wrapped up their dual meet season on April 30 finishing undefeated with a 5-0 record. Along the way, Dominic Harvey-Sheppard lowered the sophomore school record in the 300 meter hurdles 5 times while also breaking the sophomore school record for 200 meters. Grayson Ruffner went undefeated for the month in the 800 and 1600 meter runs culminating in wins at SOL Liberty Champs in both.

Other Liberty Division champions were Jason Verrier (Pole Vault), Aiden Wescott (Triple Jump), Harvey-Sheppard (300 hurdles). Down at the Penn Relays, the 4x400 team of Ruffner, Harvey- Sheppard, Amari Nash and Jonah Sydney finished first in the American Conference race. The boys fell just short of the in the Division title meet losing to Hatboro Horsham by just 1 point, 136-137.

The WHS baseball team finished the season with a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS. The victory earned the team a 14-6 overall record (11-5 league record). The Trojans have clinched a District 1 6A playoff berth and will host a t.b.d. opponent in the opening round.

The Varsity Softball Team traveled to Quakertown for a rare night game. Gianna Trerotola pitched exceptionally well in a 4-0 loss. Siena Miller had several huge defensive plays at 3rd base while Giuliana Schumann had several big-time catches in left field. Quakertown’s pitcher held the bats in check. On Thursday Gianna pitched and the Lady Trojans picked up a nice 10-6 win against Abington. This time the Offense staked Trerotola to a 6-0 lead in the 1st inning and the rest was history. Abington threatened but the defense came up with some nice plays in a complete team win.

The Boys Varsity team concluded their season with a commendable record of 12-6, securing the #19 seed in the PIAA District One standings. Among the standout moments of the 2024 season, our journey on a luxury bus to Hershey stands out as a memorable highlight, culminating in a victory against Hershey HS. Additionally, our excursion to the Jersey Shore proved to be both enjoyable and successful. Marked by a triumph over Oakcrest HS, followed by the Ocean City boardwalk and a rewarding fishing expedition aboard the Miss Avalon, where Matt Rines demonstrated his prowess with an impressive catch of eight fish. Undoubtedly, the pinnacle of our season was the remarkable upset victory over Springfield Montco during the senior night festivities. The unwavering dedication and awesome performance of our senior players were instrumental in securing this significant win. Furthermore, the Junior Varsity team's creditable record of 8-2-2 reflects the depth of talent and dedication within our program. As we integrate the promising JV players with the five freshman varsity starters, the future of our team shines brightly, promising continued success and growth.

The WHS junior varsity girls’ lacrosse program had an excellent spring, ending it with a win against Springfield to finish the season with a 14-2-1 record. While the team was a mix of players new to the sport and those with experience, they worked hard at practice and got stronger as the season progressed. With so many freshmen and sophomores on the team, it is good sign of things to come for the program. In the midfield, the team was led by Carly Lehman, Reagan McCabe and Aulii Simmers. Mya Stoll, Cate Brecher and Layla Keller anchored the defense while Tessa Garrick, Dani Brog and Paige Dratch provided the firepower on attack.

The WHS varsity program ended the regular season ended the season ranked #14 with a 13-4-1 record, earning a spot in the district playoffs and will host Boyertown on Tuesday night at 6pm. The highlights of the season for the team were big wins against Plymouth Whitemarsh and Abington. Alexa McCabe scored her 200th career goal against William Tennant and Emma Greenberg scored her 100th against North Penn. All season long our three seniors-Nora Ryan, Chloe Acuna and Thalia Tsiobikas have set the example of good sportsmanship for their teammates. We will truly miss them next spring and wish them the best of luck as they head off to college.

The Wissahickon Boys’ Volleyball team completed a successful -2nd season with a home victory over Council Rock North HS. The team finished with an 8-8 overall record and ranked 16th in PIAA District One, only 4 spots away from qualifying for the playoffs. The team worked on starting out faster in our matches as we have let a few opening sets slip away that were winnable. The team continues to work on taking the next step and close out some matches against perennial powers after losing 2 very tough 5 set matches to CB South and Abington. The team was led by a well-balanced attack. Here were some statistics midway through the season:

Sophomore Reed Harris leads the team with 136 kills, 140 Assists, 34 Blocks and 24 Digs. Junior Captain Nate Oh is leading the team with 204 assists, 60 kills and 10 blocks. Junior Aiden Robinson has 88 Kills, 22 Blocks, and 16 Digs. Junior Captain Colin Ramos has inspired the team with his motivational speeches and has contributed 20 Digs. Jonas Sabia has contributed 60 Kills and Libero Sebastian Gheorghe has 31 Digs.

Flag football team has been building a culture of hard work, dedication, and perseverance this season. We look forward to continuing this culture for years to come.

Wissahickon would like to recognize our student-athletes who made the commitment to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. We are very proud of their accomplishments and wish them luck both in the classroom and in the competitive arena!

We hope our new ELT model is meeting more of our students’ needs.

Our Math, Science, and Writing Labs are open during the afternoon in the Library. Students can visit the Labs for extra support, re-teaching, pre-teaching, and/or second chance learning opportunities.

We are happy to provide an opportunity for our students to receive breakfast (in the Lower Café) each morning. Please encourage your student to get the day started off with the nutritious options available each day.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” before it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Here’s how it works:

• Submit an anonymous tip report through the Safe2SaySomething system
• The Crisis Center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
• The Crisis Center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
• If needed, the Crisis Center may contact the tipster anonymously through the app
• You can also access Safe2Say by phone or via our district website: https://www.wsdweb.org/about-wsd/school-safety/safe2say-something.

As a reminder to all of our students, together, we need to keep our community safe. Please be sure not to open any outside doors and please alert a teacher or administrator about any concerns you have. Thank you for the teamwork!