CMHS Times

The end of the first marking period is quickly approaching, and Canon Mac has been busy this past month with internships, school events, classroom activities, clubs, and sports.

Students were recently given the opportunity to share details about summer pre-college programs, internships, classes and other achievements that took place during summer vacation. We are pleased to profile the following students, who went above and beyond to obtain valuable career development. Congratulations to these students!

Jeffrey Chickis, a senior student in the Collision Repair program at Western Area Career and Technology Center, had a paid internship over the summer at Opeka Automotive. He learned about the opportunity from Mr. Bowman, his teacher at Western Area. His job at Opeka was to disassemble cars, perform body work, primer, then reassemble the cars. Opeka was so pleased with Jeffrey’s work that they offered him a cooperative education experience this year. Opeka Auto Repair shared this feedback, “Jeffrey is a prime example of the eager young talent present throughout our community. We are honored to have the opportunity to help build his skills beyond the foundation provided by WACTC and set him up for future success. We hope Jeffrey can be an inspiration for his peers to achieve their goals as well.” Mr. Bowman added, “Jeffrey is hungry, he wants to be a body man and he is making it happen!”

Just last week, Western Area and Canon-McMillan High School received word that Jeffrey scored 30% above the cut score for his pre-Nocti–a wonderful accomplishment! As a result, Jeffrey was able to add to his co-op schedule and is now working four days a week.

Jeffrey plans to enter the workforce after graduation. Congratulations, Jeffrey!

Nathan was an Electrics and Lighting Intern at Front Porch Theatricals. He worked alongside the Stage Manager, Master Electrician, and the Lighting Designer during the production of Grand Hotel. “I worked in the rehearsal hall for the first week, which included tasks such as taping the floor in the pattern of the set so that actors could begin getting accustomed to the layout, helping to manage equity breaks, and other managerial type duties. I then worked in the scene shop over the weekend with the paint charge to assist with scenic painting until the master electrician began working. Once the M.E. settled in, I began working with her on attaching and soldering LED tape to pillars, two of which would be on wheels and would move. Also in the scene shop, we worked on preparing approximately 45 practicals (installed lights that can be controlled via a light console with the rest of the stage lights) which were sconces in the railings. Once we loaded out of the production shop, and into the theater, we finished the wiring of the railing sconces, installed and wired the columns, hung four wall wash fixtures on the back wall, and rigged 3 chandeliers. I would have participated in hang and focus, but as I am under 18, by the New Hazlett's policy I was not permitted anywhere above the audience level. During the tech rehearsals, I was the board op for the lighting designer, whereas he told me what channels and parameters he wanted, and I would make changes accordingly. For the show runs, I was the board op, advancing cues as directed by the stage manager.”

Nathan intends on a college major in Theatre Design and Production with a concentration in Lighting Design. Congratulations, Nathan!

Vriana completed an Engineering Internship with Range Resources Corporation.

“I completed a 2-month engineering internship at Range Resources, a leading natural gas producer, through their SMART Start Internship Program. There, I worked closely with the Facilities Engineering team. The facilities engineering department consisted mainly of mechanical engineers (which is the major I plan on pursuing in college), who allowed me to attend their staff-meetings and gave me an insight on their jobs and responsibilities as engineers. During the internship, I gained a new vocabulary of terms often used in both engineering and the natural gas industry. I was able to complete clerical-like tasks for the engineers, which allowed me to become familiar with their work. After finally comprehending the jargon, I was allowed to complete lengthier engineering tasks. For example, in one of my tasks, I calculated the volume of water and condensate that are released after each dump-cycle for three different Gas Production Units (GPU) with semi-elliptical heads. It was exciting to complete actual engineering problems/tasks! In addition to working closely with a number of engineers, I was also able to attend a department presentation, where I learned about the imperative job each department holds at Range, a college intern discussion panel, where I met and learned from the experiences of college interns working at Range, a “Career Preparation” discussion (hosted by Human Resources), where I was given interview and resume building tips, and college intern presentations, where college interns presented their project results. Although I spent much time in my office, I was also able to travel to Steel Con, where I watched engineers discuss a layout for a facility that would eventually make its way to a wellsite. Additionally, I was given PPE (personal protective equipment) so that I could tour a production-site/wellsites with the engineers. At the wellsites, I was able to see the facilities that are engineered/designed back in the office. On top of all this, I also walked with Range’s float in the 4th of July parade in Canonsburg, volunteered with painting at the Trolley Museum, and attended a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game (the outing was hosted by Range). I would also like to note that I won the SMART-Start Internship essay scholarship ($1000), which is awarded to only one of the high school interns who completed the program. Through this internship, I have learned so much about a potential prospective career in mechanical engineering.”

Vriana plans on majoring in Mechanical Engineering in college. Congratulations, Vriana!

Congratulations to CM Seniors Melanie Lewis and Bode Dagen (pictured above), who were announced as the Homecoming Queen and King at the Friday, September 16th, football game. The dance took place on Saturday, September 17th at the High School. Congratulations to the entire Class of 2023 Homecoming Court (pictured below), which included:

• Anna Beachy
• Cassidy Dice
• Anna Kusturiss
• Melanie Lewis
• Callie Rose
• Laurel Williams
• Bode Dagen
• Calvin Daniels
• Kevin Kestner
• Samuel Mascara
• Luke Ross
• Kade Street

Kelsey Wandera, Allie West, Vriana Ruvalcaba, Annabella Bellino, Medha Biradar, and Julia Graeber (pictured below, from left to right) attended the Power of Her event held recently at Range Resources. Sponsored by Range Resources and Dress for Success, juniors and seniors from Washington County school districts were provided with speakers and sessions tailored toward women's empowerment and workforce development.

Thanks to Range Resources and Dress for Success for the opportunity!

Canon McMillan High School is the newest chapter of Best Buddies! This national/international

organization matches students without disabilities to students who may have a disability. The group size swelled to a record 58 members thanks to the lunchtime clubs and organizations fair held recently.

The first social event will be a ‘Getting to Know You’ social where students find out interesting facts about each other in order to find their Buddy match. Once matched, the Best Buddies matches are expected to share communication with each other at least once a week in addition to other fun activities.

Already our members have enjoyed having lunch together. On schedule is a pumpkin decorating social, a bowling outing for Friendsgiving and a holiday social in December. Membership is a rolling open membership where students can join at any time.

Students in Ms. Geist's Zoology class dissected crayfish and hosted Dr. David Argent, a professor from Penn West California, to speak to her classes about scientific research.

October 12: PSAT for students in grades 10 and 11

October 24: End of 1st marking period

October 31: Report cards available in PowerSchool

On Wednesday, October 12, the high school will be undergoing a series of events related to postsecondary planning. The breakdown of events are as follows:

Grade 9: Students will be developing an Academic and Career Plan in Xello and completing Entrepreneurship lessons in EverFi.

Grade 10: Students will take the PSAT. Students were provided with a resource guide to help them to prepare for this assessment.

Grade 11: Students will take the PSAT. Students were provided with a resource guide to help them to prepare for this assessment. This test is also the National Merit Scholarship Corporation Qualifying test.

Grade 12: Students will be given a choice of workshops:

• NCAA/NAIA: Students interested in Division I or II athletics will be given an overview of the recruiting process, including determining eligibility, communication with college coaches, and completing eligibility requirements with NCAA.

• Postsecondary Planning:

• Focus on aspects related to college, career, trades/technical, including but not limited to Common Application, Xello, recommendations, resume writing, college/career search, scholarships, financial aid, and the skilled trades.

We are looking forward to a morning of focused effort on postsecondary planning with your student.

For more information about resources and topics featured, please access the Counseling Department Newsletter.

The Junior Class will be selling Soy Candles, from Chestnut Hill, for their fall fundraiser from October 13th through the 20th to raise money for Prom and Homecoming next year.

Orders can be placed directly through Chestnut Hill's Website. To support the Junior Class, ENTER our GROUP ID: 3124. When you click this link, there is a catalog to view.

Candles are $13 and the students will make $4 profit on each candle sold online. Thank you for your support of the Junior Class!

Every high school student is encouraged to join the School Counseling Resources group in Schoology! Resources including academic development, career development, employment, community service opportunities, scholarships and more can be found there! Students can join the group by using the following access code: DB7QW-K4WWP

The Chill Room and the School Counselors are excited to be starting lunch groups! The lunch groups will take place in the Chill Room one day a week. Flyers for the individual groups can be found in the Counseling Department Newsletter and are posted around the school for students to sign up.

Students are being offered the choice of 5 different groups:

Making Connections: helping students feel connected to others, and make new friends.

Grief/Loss: learn what grief is, how it affects us, talk about grief, and learn healthy coping skills.

Stress Management: Learn health coping skills, connect with other students.

Social/Coping Skills: Learn effective ways to communicate and understand others.

Test Anxiety/Study Skills: Learn healthy ways to prepare for a quiz test or exam. Learn effective study techniques.

Permission slips for participation in these groups are available in the Chill Room. Groups will begin on October 17th!

Kristen Speer, School Nurse

speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us

CMHS ext. 5013

Marijke Lucia, Secretary of Student Affairs

luciam@cmsd.k12.pa.us

724-745-1400 ext. 5009

Fax - 724-745-4490

Attendance:

If a student is not seated in their first period class by 7:45, they will be considered absent (shown as IUn in PowerSchool.) Prior to the end of 2nd period, an attendance rollover will take place and those students still marked as absent will be marked absent for all 9 class periods. That evening you will receive both a phone call and an email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of your child’s absence. Please send them in with an excuse within three (3) days of their last absence. You can either provide us with a parent note, an email or you can fill out an absence excuse found here: Excused Absence Form. Parent notes can be placed in the absence excuse bin in the Student Affairs Office. Each student is allocated 15 absences (for any reason), per school year, before a doctor’s excuse is required. Any absence over 15, that is not accompanied by a medical excuse, will remain unexcused.

Tardies:

If your child is going to be entering the building late, they must first go through the Student Affairs Office to receive a late pass. Please provide your student with an excuse. Acceptable forms are a parent note, doctor's excuse, email or an online form submission found here: Tardiness Form. If they enter with an excuse, their absence will be changed to an excused tardy (TEx.) If they do not have an excuse, they will be entered as tardy unexcused (TUn.) If your child is marked as tardy unexcused, that evening you will receive both a phone call and email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of their tardy. Each student is allocated 4 tardies, per semester (parent note or online submission) before a doctor's excuse is required. Disciplinary action will be taken for excessive tardies. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

Early Dismissals:

If your student will need to leave the building prior to the end of the school day (2:40pm), you must provide them with an early dismissal note. This can be a parent note, email or online submission found here: Early Dismissal Form. A student is allocated 13 early dismissals per school year. All early dismissals require BOTH written and verbal confirmation. Please call Mrs. Lucia in the Office of Student Affairs (724-745-1400, ext. 5009) to confirm your child’s early dismissal. All early dismissal requests must be made by 9am. If you are requesting an early dismissal after 9am, please allow 20-30 minutes for your request to be processed. Once both forms are received, a pass will be sent to your child and they may leave at the time of their dismissal. If you are picking your student up, they will meet you outside, if they are a driver, they are free to leave and drive themselves. If you choose, you can come into the main office to sign your student out. No student’s will be permitted to leave until both forms of confirmation are received. All early dismissals will be entered as ER in PowerSchool. If your child has medical documentation for their early release, please provide us with this information and we will change their ER to a medical early release (MER.) Medical early releases are not counted in attendance reports. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

The Student Affairs Office is closed daily from 12:30-1:00. Students may leave during the closure IF their early dismissal request was submitted and confirmed prior to the closure. If you did not submit a request and you need your child to be released during the office closure, please come to the main office to sign them out.

Votech (WACTC):

Please note that if your child attends WACTC and is absent from school, you must provide 2 excuses (parent note or medical excuse). One will need to be given to Mrs. Lucia in the Student Affairs Office and one will need to be given to WACTC. No copies will be made of a student's excuse and forwarded to another location.

Pre-Planned Trips:

The pre-planned trip form is available on the High School website under “School Links” or by clicking here: Pre-Planned Trip Form. This form must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the start of your trip. Please note that students will only be given one day, for each day they are absent, to make up their work, and they are highly encouraged to make arrangements for their work prior to their trip.

Standing Medical Notes:

If your student has a standing medical note, please note that we will need an updated copy for this school year. Medical notes are only good for one school year and must be updated annually.

Mrs. Lucia can be reached by email at luciam@cmsd.k12.pa.us and by phone at 724-745-1400, ext. 5009.

Mr. Ken Crowley, Principal

Ms. Jenna Handra, Assistant Principal

Mr. Tom Orr, Assistant Principal

Ms. Brittany Taylor, Assistant Principal