Towanda Area School District - Towanda Area School District
A Children's Play With a Little Différence!
"It was a true children's play, a play for children and with children." That's how Phyllis McNeal, Towanda Jr. Sr. High School French teacher described what her students had been working on these last weeks of school. On Friday, May 11, THS French III and IV students went off to J.A. Morrow to teach second graders a little more French, through drama. They started teaching French mini-lessons on May 3 to the second graders in Ted Foust's, Melinda Miller's, Kathy Minard's, and Ashley Roy's classrooms as well as Sue Christian's at St. Agnes. And they finished big: with a French version of Le Vilain Petit Canard or The Ugly Duckling last Friday.
"The costumes were all dress-up-box-type creations, ones a child could imagine making himself. We had yellow firemen's hats turned duck bills, pink paper and pipe cleaner pig snouts, and even a black prom dress made into the villainous cat's costume with the addition of a tail!" McNeal added. The intention of the project was to present a teaching program that allowed the second graders to use the French they had learned in the classroom as they watched the play.
Science in Motion
By Trevor Gowin
Although it started off on a bumpy road, because of mechanical flaws in the remote control cars, Clayton Weaver's Towanda Jr. Sr. High School Science, Technology, and Society course is having a highly successful end to a project newly added to the curriculum. Over the last 12 weeks Mr. Weaver bought the remote controlled cars and the class fixed and raced them every Friday.
These cars, Traxxas Slash two wheel-drive models, are larger than the average sized remote control cars and they come with electric motors and suspensions much like that of an actual car. The class was designed around the hands-on learning idea to teach the students about car suspension and motors, for example. The students challenge each other's cars in drag races, hill climbs, tug of wars, and more, and as they do they learn about the mechanics that go into constructing almost any kind of vehicle. Friday afternoon, the class races to test their science experiments. They see if their modified actions and theories make for the fastest time on homemade courses around the outside of the school. The racing course is the equivalent of a miniature cross country course, weaving through trees, going over bumps and tree roots, and testing the cars' power on every up and down hill.
May 11, for example, they cheered as they urged their cars around every corner and over every root. All students were enthusiastic. They said the class was "fun", "different", and "interesting." They also agreed that "it's more fun to learn this way, than just out of a book." Mr. Weaver definitely hopes to continue and expand upon the project in the years to come or as he has said, "If you let them build it...They will learn."
The Greatest Prom on Earth
Knights BIG TOP CIRCUS, The Greatest Prom on Earth will be held Saturday, April 21st from 7-11 pm. Prom will once again be held at the Towanda Country Club. Tickets are $30 for a single, and $50 a couple. Seniors with paid dues are free, and underclassmen must be a guest of an upperclassman. The BIG EVENT of crowning will take place at 10 pm. IF it is raining, crowning will be held inside. Only close family and friends of the court are asked to attend the crowning to limit the crowd. Senior Prom Court for 2012 is as follows: Gentlemen are Robbie Abrams, Casey Corbett, Jordan Dawsey, Garrett Dinelli, Zack Johnson, Jacob Manchester, Zack Ripic, Mason Roof, and Nick Spencer. The ladies are: Taylor Coolbaugh, Ashley Fleming, Tiffany Fleming, Jamie Homet, Terra Landis, Laura Maryott, Hannah Primrose, Mackenzie Watkins, and Tori Welliver. Students are reminded that this is a formal event, and formal attire is necessary. No jeans or baseball hats will be allowed.
Public Notice
The Towanda Area School District Board of Education will meet on Monday, May 21, 2012, in the Towanda Area Elementary School Conference Room #101 as follows:
6:00 PM – Policy & Curriculum Committee
7:00 PM – Regular Session for General Purposes
RFQ from Energy Service Companies
The Towanda Area School District is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) from Energy Service Companies for Performance Contracting. RFQ’s must be submitted prior to 10:00 AM on May 14, 2012 to the Towanda Area School District, Business Office, 410 State Street Towanda PA 18848. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for the building profile and utility information.