On Tuesday, April 5th, 2016 the SAS Middle School was visited by Mr. Robert Drummond. Mr. Drummond is a Syracuse Alumnus who had an amazing football career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles as well as success with the Canadian Football League as a 4 time Grey Cup winner. He spoke to the student body about hard work, dedication, and giving back to the community. Mr. Drummond is an excellent role model for our students and we appreciate his commitment to help model the values that we hope to instill in our students here at Syracuse Academy of Science.
On Friday, April 1st, 2016, several students from the Syracuse Academy of Science middle school entered into an Anti-Litter Poster Contest.
Meachem Area Parks Association is currently sponsoring an anti-litter campaign for the valley to launch in the spring. The goal is to restore pride in our neighborhood by encouraging people to keep our streets and green spaces clean and free of litter.
The poster had to be created on their own time without the help of adults. SAS is very pleased that students found the time to put forth effort and artistic skill on a poster design that stressed the importance of cleaning up our environment.
The winners will be selected on or before April 11, 2016. Two winning posters will be chosen, with one in each of the following grade levels: K through grade 4, and grade 5 through grade 8. Prizes will be awarded and both winning posters will be reproduced, printed and distributed for display in valley business, schools, churches and other public venues.
The Syracuse Academy of Science is very proud of their artistic atoms and are keeping their fingers crossed and wishing the best of luck to each student who participated in the Anti-Litter Poster Contest.
On Thursday, March 24, 2016, The NED Show visited the Syracuse Academy of Science Middle School. This organization brings a positive message to all students. NED stands for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best!! The NED Show brought us a world class performer who brought a fun, engaging, and entertaining show to our students and left them with a positive message that they will continue to remember for years to come!! Our students highly enjoyed this event and was a great way to kick off the extended Easter weekend!
On Sunday, March 20, 2016, 21 students of the SAS Middle School attended the CNY Science & Engineering Fair. The event is attended by schools throughout the Central New York area that includes 11 counties. Students are judged by STEM professionals from local businesses and institutions such as Lockeed Martin and Syracuse University. This was a rich, rewarding experience for all of the students that participated. The following students were recognized individually for their exceptional work.
- 5th Grade: Taha Hayali (Highest Honor)
- 6th Grade: Tahirah Abdul-Qadir- (Honor), Ayse Baysal (High Honor)
- 7th Grade: Xavier Wilson, (Honor), Karl Russo (Honor)
- Special Award Recipient: Ayse Baysal: IEEE Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
We are proud of all of the twenty one students that worked extremely hard to reach this event.
On Friday the 18, 2016, the students of the SAS Middle School held the 2nd Annual Staff vs. Students basketball game. 6th and 7th grade students challenged teachers and administrators to beat them at one of their favorite sports. Although the staff prevailed, each and every participant was a winner in what was an amazing experience for the audience and players alike. The MVPs of each team were awarded special trophies. Congratulations to J’viona Baker and Mr. McGriff for their wonderful performance!
On Thursday, March 17, 2016, St. Patrick’s Day, the students and staff of the SAS Middle School had a very special treat. The dancers of the Rince Na Sonas School of Irish Dance put on a show as part of their annual holiday dance outs. Students and staff highly enjoyed this demonstration of Irish culture. Thank you Mrs. Hickey and Mrs. Greenwood and their team!
On Thursday, March 17, 2016, the 7th grade math team had two wonderful guest speakers. Josiah Williams. He is a graduate of Jamesville-Dewitt High school. He currently goes to University of Buffalo and studies Business Administration. Also, he plays on the UB football team. He is the brother of our very own Mr. Williams who does great work in our 7th grade math classroom. The other speakers name is Greg Brangman. He is also a Jamesvile-Dewitt alumni. He is an Exercise Science major at SUNY Brockport. He also played a collegiate sport as well. The purpose for them speaking to the kids was to provide a different perspective of the expectations in life. Instead, two young fresh faces to provide them with knowledge and wisdom. Some of the key points discussed were time management, academic responsibility, and diligence. In addition, they shared their personal experiences that related to these topics, one of our important goals at SAS is stated in our mission statement. We seek to give our students the necessary skills to be prepared for college, career, and citizenship. These young men spoke to the expectations for two of those three amazing aspects of life.
On Monday, March 14, 2016, in Ms. Chapman's 5th grade Spanish class, three Honduran young ladies came to share about life in Honduras and answer students' questions. The Atoms had prepared and practiced questions in Spanish to ask the girls. The students enjoyed listening to their answers in Spanish and finding out more about Honduran culture. This was another wonderful event that speaks to our goal at SAS to bring as much culture and perspective to shape our students for a successful future!
On Friday, March 11, 2016 there was a lot going on at the SAS Middle School! Typically, this is the event in which our Students of the Month are recognized for their great contributions. This time however there was much, much more! The event started off with staff and students recognizing our custodian, Mr. Harry. He is instrumental in our school for so many reasons and his hard work and willingness to do anything to help the middle school was celebrated! Next up was our Math Counts team! Mr. Uber and his wonderful 7th graders went to the local competition and received 2nd place! Our SAS Science Fair award winners were next on the docket. Students were recognized for their achievements and presented medals and prizes that included Kindle Fires and iPods! Last, but not least, the Student of the Month awards were presented. Staff and Administration use these awards to recognize the continued, never-ending commitment to excellence that we are lucky to see every day! A great event for all that attended, GO ATOMS!
On Friday, March 4, 2016, our 7th graders participated in their first formal debate! The debate topic was to argue if Lyddie, the main character in the novel we read, should or should not sign a petition for better working conditions. Each section was broken up into 2 teams making 6 participating teams in total. They worked during their respective class time for roughly 2 weeks preparing for the debate. Each team had an opener, 3 argument leaders, 2 rebuttal leaders, a closer, and at least 2 note takers. The students were required to wear semi-formal attire, and behave according to formal debate standards. The entire debate was a true team effort. All teams worked together in a positive way to argue each side. Our 7th graders were engaged, prepared, and focused on this debate, and we are all very proud of the effort they put into this activity. The debate took place in front of their peers and some special guest teachers, which included our very own principal! We hope that we can expand the debate experience and work on debating other challenging topics in the future.
- SAS Middle School Winter Art Exhibition
- SAS Middle School Winter Music Concert
- SAS Middle School participated in MathCounts Competition at OCC
- SAS Middle School Girls Empowerment Activity
- SAS Middle School Science Fair
- Water Drive to Benefit the people of Flint, Michigan
- 2nd Marking Period Award Ceremony & Black History Month Celebration
- Winter Concert Rehearsal
- Sweetheart Dance at Middle School
- SAS parents, students, and staff members attended NYS Charter School Advocacy Day