Lady Knights Dominate Sauquoit Valley
Date: January 31, 2012
Written by: Tyler
On Saturday, Jan. 28th, the Hamilton Emerald Girl’s Basketball team won a hard-fought game against Sauquoit Valley Central School District. At the end of the third quarter, Hamilton held a close 36-35 lead. In true Hamilton athletic style, Hamilton was just warming up! After a dominant fourth quarter, the Hamilton ladies walked away with a 55-39 victory. Great work, Lady Knights!
Dance Team Hits the Court
Date: January 25, 2012
Written by: Peter
The Hamilton Central School Dance Team recently performed at the girls' basketball game against Oriskany. The dance team is lead by Mrs. Ford, an elementary math teacher at HCS. The Dance Team performs at half time when Hamilton has a home basketball game. After school, they practice very hard to try to perfect their moves for their performances. The HCS Dance Team boogies the night away to music including Shake Senora (Sean Paul and Pitbull), Don’t Stop that Party (Black Eyed Peas), Rock that Party (Black Eyed Peas), Saxobeat (Alexandra Stan) and Take Over Control (Afrojack). The HCS Dance Team is always excited to motivate the fans, so come and enjoy the HCS their moves at our girls' home basketball games!
Class of 2012: Dinner and a Movie
'Spaghettie Una Notre Cena'
Date: January 25, 2012
Written by: Bailey
On Friday, February 3rd, the class of 2012 will be hosting a dinner and a movie to raise money for their senior class trip at the end of the year. The spaghetti dinner begins at 6:00pm in the cafeteria and ends at 7:00pm, at which time the movie Ratatouille is being shown in the auditorium. The cost is $7 for adults, $6 for students, and $4 for children under 10; or a family of four or more is $25. It should be a great time and the class of 2012 invites everyone to come out and enjoy dinner and a movie with their families!
Penguins Go Parading in Second Grade
Date: January 25, 2012
Written by: Mr. Coriale
Penguins, in Hamilton? Oh yes! If you stroll down to the terrace level, you will notice that second graders are sharing their hallway with some unique penguins! Mrs. Hanson's students created their own penguins by tracing their feet and hands, and each has its own individual characteristics. Check out the pictures below with their "Penguin Parade" poem.
Elementary Safety Patrol
Date: January 25, 2012
Created by: Mrs. Latella and Elementary Student Council
Video Edited by: Sam and Barney
As an extra measure to ensure the safety of our elementary students, Student Council has created a plan that is unique and new to HCS! Their plan consists of using student hall monitors to help ensure that students are doing their part to keep the halls safe. The video below outlines this new initiative for students and will be aired in elementary classrooms. Great idea, Elementary Student Council!
Edible Aquifers and Contaminated Water Lab
Date: January 24, 2012
Written by: Mrs. Orth
Ninth grade scientists were recently part of a lab that they will not soon forget! Students just finished a unit on surface water and groundwater. Groundwater is a finite resource and something that good citizens should be aware of. There are areas in Pennsylvania where you can set tap water on fire! These areas have had groundwater contamination from hydrofracking, which has released gas from bedrock. In lab we simulated groundwater contamination by layering crushed ice, gummy bears, chocolate chips to represent the rock layers that are saturated in the aquifer. We capped those layers with an impermeable layer of vanilla ice cream. On top of the impermeable layer we added crushed Cocoa Crispies to represent the soil layers. Our contaminant was powdered Kool-Aid that was sprinkled over the 'soil layer'. Students then drilled a well using a straw through the layers to get to the water table at the top of the zone of saturation. In other words, they stuck the straw in the cup through the ice cream down to the chips and crushed ice. Ginger ale represented our water in this model. As students drank through the straw, they were able to see the color change in the ice cream and the ginger ale from the Kool-Aid spreading. It was clear to everyone that once the groundwater is contaminated, there is no way to separate the contaminant out!
Knights Knook Reopens for Business
Date: January 24, 2012
Written by: Lauren
Starting this week, the Computerized accounting class reopened the Knight’s Knook with fresh new paint and new inventory. The school store now has snacks such as gum, goldfish, fruit snacks and trail mix which is all sold for less than two dollars.They also have new school supplies along with coloring books and crayons (for stress-relief). Everyone should stop by the Knights Knook and support our school store! There will be a brand new website for parents and the community coming soon, along with a new line of clothing!
Thank you, HCS!
Date: January 22, 2012
Written by: Mr. Coriale
If you have been following recent events this fall, you know that HCS students helped out a neighbor-in-need after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee ripped through their community. Headed by Ms. Briggs, HCS students donated countless articles of winter clothing to help families who lost their homes in the Gilboa-Conesville Central School District. Colgate University was also an important part of this fundraiser. They added many items for this donation and their outreach also impacted many students and their families, who now are in the process of rebuilding their community. Please review past posts about this event, beginning in November. Please check out the "thank you" letter and certificate, sent to Ms. Briggs from the Gilboa-Conesville Central School District.
Sixth Graders Present to the HCS Board of Education
Post Date: January 19, 2012
Event Date: January 17, 2012
Written by: Mr. Coriale
A group of seven HCS sixth grade students represented their classmates at the January BOE meeting this week. Their goal was to share the ways learning has been innovated through the use of iPod Touches and iPads. They made it clear that these devices have revolutionized the way they learn in the classroom and that it has enhanced collaboration, differentiation, access to current events and the global community, and creative thinking. Each student shared specific examples of learning experiences where their iPads have played a key role. These ranged from Ancient Egyptian economy apps and access Barnes and Noble Nook books to rich content-based multimedia and publishing writing workshop final pieces. Their message was simple-the iPads have changed the way they do business on a day-to-day basis, and that learning and thinking is enriched through the addition of these tools. We are proud of our sixth graders and thank them for speaking so eloquently about a topic that they are passionate about. We look forward to continuing this journey with our mobile devices! Thank you to the HCS Board of Education for your continued support of technology within our learning community.
Leadership: On and Off the Field
Date: January 19, 2012
Written by: Barney
On Wednesday, January 19th, the Hamilton Boys’ Varsity soccer team had a brunch at the Colgate Inn. The brunch was held to recognize the team’s accomplishments during their championship season. Both Dr. Bowers and Mr. Dowsland talked about the importance of leadership, which the team exemplified both on and off the field. They also pointed out that their leadership is important in that it inspires younger generations to become leaders too. This leadership will carry on for the 2012 soccer season.
Hamilton Students Collaborate with Colgate
Date: January 18, 2012
Written by: Sam
On January 17th, Karen Giannino, Senior Associate Dean of Admissions at Colgate and Karen Luciani, Art Director at Colgate, visited Hamilton Central for a unique purpose. A select group seniors (who were enticed with pizza) critiqued a set of pictures taken both by Colgate students and professional photographers. The students gave feedback as the Colgate representatives observed their reactions. The purpose of this was to provide insight on images that may be used for future publicity for prospective students at Colgate. At the end of this session, everyone left happy, as the students now had full stomachs and Colgate received valuable feedback. After viewing the pictures, the students were presented with a Colgate t-shirt, shown in the pictures below. Thank you to Ms. Giannino and Ms. Luciani, for providing HCS students with this opportunity!
Almedia Chooses The Help
Date: January 17, 2012
Written by: Erica
The Almeda Literary Society has chosen their first novel for the new year! We are excited to begin reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. A group of students and teachers will be reading this book, and will gather on March 2nd to have a book talk in the HCS cafeteria. A dinner and movie will be included as well. We encourage the entire HCS community to join us as we read this book and ALL are invited to attend our dinner and book talk on March 2nd. Get your copy at the HCS library, and we’ll see you there!
A special thank you to our advisors, Ms. Monty and Mrs. Orth, for all they do for this organization.
A special thank you to our advisors, Ms. Monty and Mrs. Orth, for all they do for this organization.
Submit to E!
Date: January 17, 2012
Written by: Anne-Elise
Every two months, Mrs. Moren’s Creative writing class publishes a literary magazine called the E!. This magazine, edited by Annie and Sammie, currently has two issues, The Spook-E! and The Winter-E! Many wait in anticipation for the upcoming Februar-E!, which will be available soon. These magazines are filled to the brim with creative poems and stories by the students of HCS, and even contain unique artwork. Student contributions of any kind are welcome and can be submitted to Mrs. Moren via e-mail at [email protected]!
Check out the covers from The Spook-E! and The Winter E!
Check out the covers from The Spook-E! and The Winter E!
HCS Welcomes Suzanne Fisher Staples
Date: January 11, 2012
Written by: Elena
Hamilton recently welcomed author Suzanne Fisher Staples into our learning community. We were fortunate enough to catch her while traveling from her hometown in Pennsylvania. Guest speaking to the ninth graders, Suzanne discussed her writing process with the hope that her words of wisdom would rub off on the students when writing their upcoming travelogues. The 9th grade travelogue project is a combination class project between the English and Global History departments, in which students create a travel narrative of a character as they journey through time. Ms. Fisher Staples also spent time with HCS sixth graders and answered many of their questions about the writing process and the life of an author. Many thanks to Ms. Fisher Staples for sharing her expertise, wisdom, and experiences with the ninth grade students. Your visit will surely have a huge impact on ninth grade projects this year!
Books Donated from the Hollis Family
Date: January 11, 2012
Written by: Hayleigh
Last week David Hollis and his wife, Lisa, donated new books from the Backseat Book Club to our school libraries. They came across these books when they were listening to NPR. They thought the books were very interesting and they decided to order them through the Colgate Bookstore and donate them to the HCS libraries. A huge thank you to Mr.and Mrs. Hollis for their very generous donations. The students love new books to read! We are so lucky to have people like you in our community!
Electives Fair at HCS
Date: January 11, 2012
Written by: Patrick
Yesterday, students headed down to the gym at the end of the day to check out electives being offered at Hamilton next year. Students could sign up for the electives they are interested in, so teachers can get an idea of how many students they are interested in the course. Some of the electives offered include Digital Broadcasting, where students can work with others to complete projects including a weekly newscast, music videos and public service announcements. Other electives that are offered include Piano and Guitar, Pots and Prints, Renewable Energy, Film as Literature, Sociology, AP Courses, Creative Writing, Consumer Math, Foreign Language, Computerized Accounting, Mechanics, Small Animal Care, Advanced Art, and Ag science.
Volcanoes Erupting in Earth Science
Date: January 6, 2012
Written by: Mrs. Haskins and Mr. Coriale
Mrs. Haskin's ninth grade students are determined to design a volcano that errupts with a bang! Judging by the video and picture below, any science fair would be lucky to have these students enter. In between important moments of working on their volcanoes, this class took a moment to get their picture taken during their earth science hat day! Check out the video and pictures below!
Ski Club Hits the Slopes
Date: January 6, 2012
Written by: Noah
As of Thursday, January 5th, Hamilton Central students who have signed up for ski club will begin going to Toggenburg every Thursday. I have heard nothing but positive reviews from students and all it takes to sign up is a registration fee for a pass, parental permission, an athletic participation form and a completed sign-up sheet. The ski club members will get to ski at Toggenburg for five Thursdays during the winter and then, after it has concluded, they can use their ski passes to ski for the entire month of March. With all that being said, it is a great experience for all of those involved and it is definitely a good thing to do for the upcoming winters here in Central New York.
Crazy Superlatives
Date: January 5, 2012
Written by: Devin
HCS seniors are very excited for the upcoming release of the superlatives. They are categories that students feel describe other students in the senior class. The votes are only cast by other seniors, not by other classes. The seniors vote by filling out the form below and then turn it into Mrs. Lehman. Some examples of the categories are most athletic, most outspoken, best smile, best tattoo, and most patriotic. The final results for the superlatives will be on their own pages in the yearbook which comes out in late May during May Jam. We’d like to thank the students who counted all the votes and put the superlatives pages in the yearbook and also to Mrs. Lehman who is in charge of the year book staff. A huge thank you to Mrs. Lehman for all of her hard work!
Agriscience Class Preserves History at HCS
Date: January 4, 2012
Written by: Mrs. Bossard
Students in Mrs. Bossard's Agriscience class were busy this semester crafting their skills in the wood shop. Many of their projects helped to benefit HCS and have included designing set pieces for the fall play and elementary furniture restoration. Additionally, they recently completed a major rebuild of the HCS auditorium podium! This podium, donated by the HCS Class of 1960-1961, has been a centerpiece here for decades! The entire podium was rebuilt, as the original had seen many years of love by HCS students, teachers, and administrators. Although it was a complete rebuild, the original dedication sign from the donating class was proudly preserved and fixed on the front of the new podium.
A special thanks to Mr. Joel Moraine, theatrical set designer at Colgate, for sharing is wisdom in wood building with our students. His help is greatly appreciated!
A special thanks to Mr. Joel Moraine, theatrical set designer at Colgate, for sharing is wisdom in wood building with our students. His help is greatly appreciated!
9th Graders Visit Picker Art Gallery
Date: January 3, 2012
Event Date: December 14, 2011
Written by: Mrs. Moren
As part of the 9th grade Travel Narrative project, the ninth grade classes visited the Picker Art Gallery on Colgate Campus. The students looked at the show that is curently on exhibition, called "Intersecting Narratives." With the help of Monika Burczyck they explored the photos and the stories they found within the pictures, then wrote a narrative based on the art. Next month we start researching for the travel narrative writing portion of the interdisciplinary Travelogue project. The students will write an historically accurate fictional narrative, and then turn their narrative into a piece of art that portrays their story in a different way.
HCS App Database Up and Running
Date: January 1, 2012
Written by: Mr. Coriale
Over the past four years, we have diligently integrated a wide array of technology-related tools into our classrooms throughout HCS. Among these tools are the iPod Touch and the iPad. These devices provide students with an additional resource, customized to meet individual needs. Check out the HCS Innovation and Enrichment website for more information on this integration journey!
Many parents have requested "app" titles to purchase for their devices to use with their children. The link below will take you to the newly created HCS App Database. This database highlights some of the apps students and teachers are using to enrich student learning in our classrooms. We will be updating this database on a regular basis, so we invite you to check back often for some great apps that you can purchase for your personal devices from the iTunes App Store! Please be our guest to this site as we share apps that have been successful for students in our learning community.
HCS App Database Link: http://hcsappdatabase.weebly.com/
Many parents have requested "app" titles to purchase for their devices to use with their children. The link below will take you to the newly created HCS App Database. This database highlights some of the apps students and teachers are using to enrich student learning in our classrooms. We will be updating this database on a regular basis, so we invite you to check back often for some great apps that you can purchase for your personal devices from the iTunes App Store! Please be our guest to this site as we share apps that have been successful for students in our learning community.
HCS App Database Link: http://hcsappdatabase.weebly.com/