January 11, 2019
Volume 3, Issue 3
Embedded Files
Veterans Day Program
Veterans Day Program
by Mary Hallgarth
A few weeks ago at our middle school, we celebrated a national holiday in an amazing spirit. SDMS had a Veterans Day program to celebrate all of the amazing veterans in our country. It contained the 7th and 8th grade band, 7th and 8th grade choir and showcase, and a few students to give speeches, poems, and words of thanks. We were lucky enough to have several veterans attend and enjoy our program.
Our school’s principal, Mr. Cheek, delivered a speech welcoming all of us in the audience and expressing how thankful we all are for our current and past veterans. After Mr. Cheek's introduction, the eighth grade band played the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. Reynolds, the SDMS band director, led our talented young musicians in a rousing rendition of our nation's anthem.
President of the National Junior Honor Society, Darci Garibay, read an invocational reading. Mr. Cheek then gave a brief welcome speech and proceeded to welcome our guest reader, P.G. Gentrup, who talked about veterans and how much they do and have done for our country. Mr. Gentrup is a veteran of the Vietnam War and spoke of the pain, dangers, and losses he and those with loved ones fighting abroad have endured. Although they served without any expectations for praise, Gentrup challenged all of us to take time and thank veterans for their service and the sacrifices they made to keep us safe.
After our keynote speaker, the program surrounded itself with musical accolades. The 7th and 8th grade choir, led by Mr. Selmeyer, performed a beautiful rendition of a song entitled "American Heart". A song that tugs at the heartstrings, "American Heart" helped convey the passion and sacrifice of those who have fought for our freedom. Thanks to Mr. Selmeyer and the amazing choir and showcase members. With their lyrical help, we showed our gratitude to veterans all over the world.
The 7th and 8th grade band performed next. They performed "Tribute for Band", an amazing song. It was a very thought out and outstanding performance, especially with over sixty middle schoolers trying to play something as simple but as complicated as "Tribute for Band". The band was lead by Mr. Reynolds. Without Mr. Reynolds and the outstanding 7th and 8th grade band, they wouldn’t have played such a fitting song to honor our veterans.
After the main musical part of the program, Natalie Rupp, president of SDMS’s student council, read an outstanding poem that was followed by a moment of silence. Then Brooklyn Ward, historian of the National Junior Honors Society, read another thankful reading.
Our Veterans Day program ended with the playing of Taps, as it has quite a significant meaning to our veterans. Max Burger and James Murray played a duet version of Taps.
Overall, our Veterans Day performance was an astounding success filled with student performance and solemnity. All students, whether they were performing or not, showed immense gratitude towards all veterans, past or present.
Photos courtesy of Mr. Rand Ballart
"The Squire Times" Riddle
"The Squire Times" Riddle
by Michael King
If the end of the year is December 31st, then what is the end of Christmas?
If the end of the year is December 31st, then what is the end of Christmas?
Answer can be found at the bottom of the page.
Teacher of the Month
Teacher of the Month
Mr. Norbert Reynolds
Mr. Norbert Reynolds
by Diane Tolentino
Meet Mr. Reynolds, The Squire Times Teacher of the Month. This is his 1st year at SDMS where he teaches both 7th and 8th grade band; however, Mr. Reynolds is no "new" teacher. He has been teaching for a long time. Mr. Reynolds is a former graduate of both Morehead State University and the University of Dayton, which is a private Catholic college. He achieved his undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Dayton while also acquiring his Masters Degree in Music Ed. from Morehead State University. In addition to his great achievements, he was a Graduate Assistant for one of his professors from UD which provided him a platform where he didn’t have to pay for college.
Mr. Reynolds has also taught at several schools for the past 36 years including the following: South Dearborn, East Central, Colonel White School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Belmont High School. He has taught in South Dearborn schools for 16 years.
Tolentino: What inspired you to be a teacher?
Mr.Reynolds: Even as a very young child I was very interested in school. I would raise a fuss when my older brother and sister left for school, so I had an imaginary teacher instead of an imaginary friend as most children do. I would pretend to have school each day, (this is according to my Mom..I don't remember it.) so I think that I was always meant to be a teacher and help others learn and grow. It kind of chose me, I didn't choose it.
Tolentino: What do you enjoy most about conducting/teaching?
Mr.Reynolds: Watching students grow as musicians and connect to their emotions through music!
Tolentino: What is a performance that is still dear to your heart and why?
Mr.Reynolds: Performing in class A at a contest with the concert band at Colonel White High School.
Lloyd Martin was the head of the school, he was a friend of mine, (we started teaching band in the same school district in 1984), and he hired me to come teach there. He wanted the Concert band to play at this very high level of demand, (Class A). They had been playing two levels lower with the director before me. I was speaking to Lloyd on a friday about how I thought we were going to be able to do this, and he was so happy. That weekend Lloyd died suddenly of a heart attack, so we dedicated our contest performance to him. It was very emotional, but also a fitting tribute to him.
Tolentino: What is your preferred instrument to play and why?
Mr.Reynolds: Trumpet. My whole family plays instruments: my older sister plays clarinet while my older brother plays saxophone, so I chose something different from them. Just happened to be the trumpet.
Tolentino: What are some other hobbies that you thoroughly enjoy?
Mr.Reynolds: I collect comic books. It was something my dad and I shared an interest in.
Boys' Basketball
Boys' Basketball
by Avery Wustefeld
The 7th and 8th Grade boys basketball season is in full swing under the direction of coaches Ben Coffman, Dave Strotman, Joe Teke, and Seth Couch. Try-outs took place in October with the first game being November 5th. With 7 games remaining before the SEI Tourney, the 7th grade record is 7-4 and the 8th grade record is 6-8.
The 7th grade boys teams are on a winning streak after beating both South Ripley and Milan. Members of the 7th grade team are: Peyton Hill, Brodie Teke, Sean Head, Hunter Gates, Nolan McLane, Hudson Grammer, Blake Lagaly, Hayden Saylor, Adam Kunkel, Reid Thornton, Sam Cassini, Blake Pruss, and Mclean Manford. “Making the team and being able to play with my teammates is my favorite thing about basketball season, “ said Hunter Gates.
The 8th grade boys team recently participated in the Mini-Rivertown where they suffered a tough loss to Greendale Middle School, but they were able to rebound with a win against Milan. Members of the 8th grade team include Braden Foist, Corbin Cassidy, Ryan Willoughby, Ashton Kittle, Adam Gainor, Logan Thies, Nathan Ullrich, Andrew Shuter, Breckin McCreary, and Adam Bruner.
Both teams will be on the road for several match ups prior to Christmas Break. The next home game will be January 7th against Rising Sun. Come out and cheer the Squires to a victory!
Artisan of the Month
Artisan of the Month
Ariana Brown
Ariana Brown
by Cadyn Smithson-Cox
Roaming the halls of SDMS, there's a young Georgia O'Keefe among us. 8th grader Arianna Brown joined Art Club because “I enjoy sketching, painting, crafting, etc. It seemed pretty fun when I saw the email about it in 7th grade, so I decided to go to the meetings.” If you haven't already noticed, SDMS is currently receiving a new mural in our cafeteria. Although painted by Art Club, the design came directly from Ariana's imagination. “Mrs. Johnson gave me what she wanted in the mural, and I just put what I thought up on paper. I did have to think of how I was going to draw the tree limbs and hands though. It definitely took me a few tries to get them how they are now." When The Squire Times asked if there were any changes that the SDMS Art Club made from the original design Mrs. Wagner told us, “The original design was submitted to Mr. Cheek and Mrs. Johnson. The first version had the hands showing more of the fingers and the tree was smaller. They asked us to make the tree more the focus. We also changed the placement of the creed qualities (Respect, Diligence, Motivation, and Support) so that they were part of the bark lines rather than crossing the trunk." Keep a look out for the mural as it continues to change!
Artist Ariana Brown (8th)
Artist Ariana Brown (8th)
Cafeteria Mural (in progress)
Cafeteria Mural (in progress)
Where in the World
Where in the World
is The Great Blue Hole?
is The Great Blue Hole?
by Mr. Wagner
Off the coast of the small Central American country of Belize, there is a geographical phenomenon that still partially remains a mystery to both scientists and explorers alike. 43 miles off the coast of Belize, in the middle of Lighthouse Reef, there is a gigantic marine sinkhole called The Great Blue Hole. The hole is circular in shape, 1,043 feet across and 407 feet deep. Jacques Cousteau, the marine explorer, made the site famous when he labeled it as one of the top five scuba diving locations in the world. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Best Gift Poll
Best Gift Poll
by Karleigh Kittle
The answer to the best gift according to SDMS, is money. Out of eight answer choices, 30.7% of SDMS thinks that money is the perfect gift for Christmas. But why is money a good gift to receive? Well, 7th grader Alexis Bennett says that money is a good gift to get because if you get money then you get to pick out what you like. While that is a good point, Lauren Stevenson, also a 7th grader, says, “Christmas isn’t about the money; it’s about your friends and family.” What do you think about the idea of receiving money as a gift? Is Christmas about the presents, or is it about your friends and family?
127 students and staff members were polled.
127 students and staff members were polled.
Academic Team
Academic Team
by Mary Hallgarth
In case you missed it, a pretty awesome thing has occurred within the past few weeks that has to do with our school’s academic team. On November 14th, our middle school’s academic team did amazing at a meet! Out of six schools including South Dearborn, South Dearborn won first overall!
The first team to compete was Mr. Wagner’s team, the language arts team. They did amazing! Mr. Wagner, frighteningly enough, was ringing the ‘five second bell’ and controlling the slide show with the questions. The language arts team’s captain was Emma Kochert, and they got first place! The other members on the language arts team includes Diane Tolentino, Becca Kreimer, Lauren Stevenson, and Clovis Hudnall. The team won first place for language arts. Congratulations!
The second team to compete was the social studies team, who Mr. Dennis is the coach of. Mr. Dennis was actually in charge of the scoreboard, so thanks to him we knew quickly who won! The captain of the team was Austin Pitts. The other attributes to the social studies team were Riley Lagaly, Cameron Spence, and Austin Hoskins. and James Murray. This wonderful team got second place for social studies, so amazing job, guys!
The third team to compete was the lovely science team! Mr. Gardner coaches them. The captain of the science team was Max Burger. The rest of the team members are Hayden Fox, Adam Bruner, Lorena Osorio, and Mary Hallgarth. The science team got a shiny red ribbon for placing second place, so great job to them!
The fourth team to compete was the math team. The team was coached by Mrs. Mullalley. The captain of this team was Nathan Ullrich. The members on this team did amazing, capturing first place ribbons! The team members include Lillie Davis, Jullian Lane, Leroy Tice, and Brendan Lowe. Amazing job on getting first place!
The last team to compete was the all around team, which basically is just as combination of all the past rounds threw into one round. The people one this team are the captains of the normal teams, plus two other people. The two other people for this meet happened to be Riley Lagaly and Cameron Spence. Interdisciplinary also did well and got third place!
Just as a quick summary, the academic team did amazing. This was their first meet of the year and their only home meet. Their next meet is on January 29th at Sunman Dearborn, so come to support SD's academic all-stars! It starts at six. Don’t forget to congratulate any of the wonderful students and teachers involved with the academic team in the hallways!
"The Squire Times" Riddle Answer
"The Squire Times" Riddle Answer
by Michael King
If the end of the year is December 31st, then what is the end of Christmas?
If the end of the year is December 31st, then what is the end of Christmas?
Answer: The letter "S"
Answer: The letter "S"
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