A summer reading assignment led to kindness projects at Smith Middle School.
The school's current seventh graders were told to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The book is written for middle school students and is about a child born with an abnormality that disfigured his face. It tells the story of 10-year-old August Pullman who is making the transition to middle school and how he is accepted by the other students. Solanco High School's homecoming celebration has spawned a community service project.
Students in the Varsity Club and members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are using the week-long festivities to collect items for Solanco Neighborhood Ministries. "I had an idea to do a service project at homecoming," said Evan Kline, a member of the fellowship. "I talked with my mom and she suggested a food drive. I took it to Coach [Mike] Hammel and he really liked it." Homecoming week in Solanco will be October 15 through 18. The homecoming football game will be Friday, October 18 at 7 p.m. vs. Cocalico. The homecoming queen will be crowned at the football field prior to the game. The homecoming king will be announced during the homecoming dance at the high school Saturday night, October 19, from 7 to 10 p.m. Last year, Solanco High School's concert band performed a number of composer Randall Standridge's creations.
"The kids really fell in love with him right away," said music teacher and marching band director Scott Weyman, "and I became a fan of the composer." So when Weyman was looking for a program for this year's marching band, he looked at Standridge's shows. "He scores a lot for middle and high school bands," he said. "I started to go through the options he has written for a marching band. He writes more contemporary style marching band shows." Weather held up the start of two of Solanco School District's major construction projects, business manager Sandra Tucker said last week.
Earlier this month, Scott Long moved across the office, down the hall, and into his new job at Solanco High.
He brings with him a vision for the school's future and plans to turn that vision into reality. "We need to do a better job with college and career readiness," he said. "We need to get kids ready for what they're going to do after high school. "College is not the be-all and end-all. We need to work with CTC [the county's vocational schools] as well as our own training here." Organizing Solanco High School's blood drives has become a tradition passed down from one small group of students to another.
Rachel Johnson and Gabi Dolan planned the most recent drive, which was held in the chorus room on May 30. Elementary-age kids and high school students share something in common.
They all enjoy escaping the classroom for a day of fun, food, and friendship. They did just that Thursday, May 23, as Solanco High School hosted its 15th Ophelia Day, a celebration where students from Solanco School District elementary schools visited the high school and "buddy up" with high school students. Everyone did not read every book.
But six Solanco High School students did get through most of the 45 books listed for the first Intermediate Unit 13's Reading Olympics. In the process, they learned enough to tie for second place when teams from two counties competed last month. Thanks to its Renaissance program, Solanco High School students are routinely recognized for outstanding academics, good attendance records, and exemplary behavior.
On Friday night, May 10, students will have the opportunity to display different types of skills. The school is hosting a talent/variety show Friday night at 7. Doors open at 6:30. Admission is $5. Members of Solanco High School’s football team spent Saturday morning, April 27, raking leaves and spreading mulch at the SECA grounds in Quarryville.
Buses, students, and teachers now have to wait for traffic to clear before leaving Solanco High School at the end of the day.
Solanco High School's small engine repair team finished third in the annual regional competition. The contest was held in the school's ag shop on Tuesday afternoon, March 26.
In order to fully understand how high Johnny Rogan hopes to go, you must first comprehend how low he has already been.
Rogan, known by the name "Johnny Rogue" in the music business, has packed a lot of living in his 25 years. It hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns. Rogan, a 2011 graduate of Solanco High School, dropped out of college. He has been broke and hooked on drugs and alcohol. He has endured the disappointment of not being able to reenlist in the Marine Corps. He even considered taking his own life. Yet he has risen from the depths of despair to a state of unbridled optimism. Solanco High School librarian Emily Dawley says students still love to read print books.
That's why she started The Great Book Swap seven years ago and why it's still a popular program today. "Generally, reading books might be down a little but we still have a lot of kids who absolutely still love reading books," said Dawley. "Reading is still a priority for kids. There are still a lot of kids who prefer print books." Solanco School District officials hope to begin construction of a new sports building this spring.
The structure will replace a wrestling building destroyed by heavy snow last winter. Three members of the Solanco High School FFA Chapter will earn the organization's highest state degree next month.
Seniors Kelly Foose, Lexi Findley, and Carlos Shillenn will receive their Keystone degrees at FFA activities during the annual state farm show. The chapter and the experiences that go with it are a tradition in her family, Findley said. Solanco's FFA small engine repair team won the annual regional contest last week. Reilly Sollenberger finished first in the individual scoring with a total of 199.5 and Daniel Craig was third with a score of 180.5. That gave the team a total of 380 points. The team from Pequea Valley finished second with 352 and Lampeter-Strasburg came in third with 302. Elementary-age girls who want to look their best for the Daddy-Daughter Dance on March 3 can get help from a group of Solanco High School students. On the day of the dance, members of the high school's freshman class will host a salon for the girls. "The kids just wanted to do something outside the box [as a fundraiser]," said high school librarian Emily Dawley. Dawley and teacher Leslie McRobbie are the class's advisors. The music in this year's halftime show is familiar, Solanco High School band director Scott Weyman said last week.
"We're doing a Queen show, based on the music from the British rock group," he said. A lot of listeners as well as musicians know the songs, and that can be a challenge for the band. Early next year Solanco will join the increasing number of districts that have police officers in schools. "Of the 16 school districts in the county, only Solanco, Lampeter-Strasburg, Pequea Valley and Cocalico do not have school resource officers," said Dr. Brian Bliss, Solanco's superintendent of schools. "Penn Manor has had one since 2000, Conestoga Valley started in 2002, and Garden Spot in 2003."
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