On Tuesday, December 13, 2016, News Channel 9 chose Lyrik Jackson as the Athlete of the Week. A Reporter came after school to interview her and shoot some video. The whole team was present and happy for Lyrik.

Congratulations to Coach Reggie and Coach Terry for their tireless work on and off the court with the team.

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Click here to see pictures of Lyrik Jackson-Athlete of the Week

On Thursday, December 9th, One night after posting 32 points on seven 3-pointers in a defeat to top-ranked Westhill, Syracuse Academy of Science star junior Lyrik Jackson continued her scoring binge in an easy win against LaFayette. Jackson scored a career-high 40 points on five 3-pointers Thursday to lead the Atoms over the Lancers, 76-33, and produced 20 rebounds and 11 steals for a triple-double as well.

With her outburst against LaFayette, Jackson has now set new career-bests in scoring in back-to-back contests, as her effort on Wednesday came in a 63-48 loss to the Warriors. Before this week, the Section III girls basketball leading scorer's only previous 30-point game was also against the Lancers, Jan. 15, 2015, during her freshman season.

She is averaging 25.6 points per game through five contests thus far this season, with the Atoms holding a 4-1 record. Jackson has posted a double-double in each game this year.

SAS coach Reggie Pickard pointed to Jackson's all-around game and aggressive defense as key factors to her scoring prowess. She picked up 30 points in the first half, 10 in limited action in the third, and did not take the floor in the final frame.

Pickard added that Diamonne Harris (16 points, five steals) was also a big contributor in the victory.

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Article posted on Syracuse.com

On Wednesday, December 7th, 2016 the SAS Middle School held its monthly OLWEUS Classroom Meeting. The focus of this meeting was the value of friendship and the comparison between acquaintances, friends, and best friends. Students shared what qualities are most important to them when selecting a friend and participating in a strong equal friendship. These meetings are a part of our continual effort to bring bullying out of the shadows in order to promote a safe, comfortable environment for all of our students.

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Click here to see pictures of 3rd OLWEUS Meeting at Middle School

On Thursday, October 27 and Friday October 28 SAS High School was visited by two colleges. Nazareth college visited on October 27th and Carnegie Mellon visited on Friday, October 28. SAS students then visited Nazareth for a campus tour on Thursday, November 17, 2016. It was great experience for our seniors. Special thanks to Mr. Gabriel Marshall, Director of Student Access and Achievement in HEOP/Excel.

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Click here to see pictures from the college visits

On Friday, December 2nd, 2016 the SAS Middle School held its Student of the Month Ceremony. The assembly was kicked off with some words from Mr. Carter about  the importance of our Holiday Drive. Students were recognized from each section as well as for their efforts in their specials classes. This continues to be an important event so that staff can recognize the amazing efforts of our students in front of the entire school! Keep shining bright ATOMS! 

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Click here to see the pictures of the Award Ceremony

On Tuesday, November 15th, 2016, third grade visited The MOST to further students' understanding of science and technology in our world. The various themed rooms were engaging and fun for students to delve into the science behind each category. Students explored simple machines by using inclined planes, pulleys, screws, and levers to maneuver objects in the room. The body systems room gave students the opportunity to see how their body parts and systems work together to help them do their daily activities. We observed the toothpick structures from around the world where we learned that the structures made it into the Guinness Book of World Records! Finally, students got to check out the science play house where they climbed, crawled, and jumped through various scientifically designed structures. 

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Click to see photos from third grade's trip to The MOST

From November 1st, 2016, until November 30th, 2016, SAS students donated their new and gently used coats for those in need this winter. Thank you to all the families of SAS elementary who made this year's coat drive a success! Together we were able to collect fifteen coats and one pair of snow pants. All donations will be given to children in need

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Click to see picture of the coats collected by our elementary students

On Friday, October 28th, 2016, fourth grade students participated in a field trip to Chittenango’s interactive zoo, The Wild. Students were presented with the unique opportunity to connect our classroom learning about animal adaptations with animals in the real world. We observed the feeding behavior of lions and tigers. Students were able to touch and feed a camel and discuss the adaptations we had previously learned about in class. Feeding the giraffe carrots was one of the highlights of our trip! Everyone loved the baby snow leopards. Students asked a variety of insightful questions and learned about the leopards' behavioral and physical adaptations.

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Click to see photos of 4th grade's trip to The Wild

On Monday, November 28th, 2016 and Thursday, December 1st, 2016, the 2nd graders at SAS Elementary visited Five Star Martial Arts in North Syracuse.The Sensei and his assistant showed the students basic martial arts techniques, such as high kicks, resting pose, and self defense. They participated in relay drills in teams and focus skills. The students had a fun time learning all about the art of Martial Arts.

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Click here to see pictures of Five Star Martial Arts trip

On Thursday, December 1st, 2016 State Senator John DeFrancisco visited the Syracuse Academy of Science Middle School. The senator has served the people of New York State with distinction for over twenty years. He has championed different causes that are important to the people of Central New York. Over his tenure, he has introduced legislation that helped to address crime, job creation, and the reduction of taxes. In addition, he is a supporter of both our school and charter schools in general as he was influential in the opening of our sister school next year, the Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship School. Before speaking to the students, he received a tour of the middle school as this was his first visit. With the students, he brought a message of C.A.R.E. The acronym stands for Character, Attitude, Respect, and Excellence. This message of hard work and positive attitude fits right into our mission at SAS, which is to instill these qualities so that our students have the tools they need to succeed in a very complex world. He fielded a number of questions from our students such as “What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a senator?” Students additionally quizzed him about his family, his hobbies, and even his reading interests! Two of our wonderful 5th graders presented thank you cards to the senator on behalf of the entire grade and he brought wonderful books that highlight many key details about our amazing state! Thank you Senator DeFrancisco for taking time from your schedule to support our students!

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Click here to see pictures of Senator DeFrancisco's visit