On Thursday, November 12th, 2015, the middle school was visited by Staff Sergeant Eric Navarro from the United States Air Force. He came to our building to speak on a variety of subjects. He began the presentation with some details about his life and what led him to the military. As time went on, Sergeant Navarro went on to describe what it is to serve in our nation's military. Concepts of duty, service and sacrifice were introduced to our students in this event. After his presentation, our students amazed our guest with a variety of amazing questions about his experiences in both the Army and the Air Force. We thank Mr. Navarro for his time serving our country. He exemplifies the best qualities that ATOMS work to develop!

On Friday, November 6th, 2015 the SAS Middle School held its very first quarterly award ceremony for the 2015 school year. Students were recognized for a variety of accomplishments. Setting the tone for each grade level, Best Citizen and Best Academic were presented. High Honor and Honor Roll students were celebrated for their academic achievements. Core subject teachers presented the Student of the Month awards for their respective homerooms. In addition, special area teachers presented their first "Special Area Student of the Month" awards to each grade level. Not to be outdone, Mr. McGriff presented the Athlete of the Month award for the student that displayed excellence both on and off the court. The amazing day was also shared with approximately 30 SAS family members who were able to attend and share in their students accomplishments and recognition.

On Monday, November 9th, 2015, SAS middle school students took an adventure of massive proportions. They visited amazing areas such as the Great Barrier Reef and ancient Greece today all without leaving their classrooms. They used virtual field trip simulation technology, called Google Expeditions, that is currently being piloted by Google across the country. Expeditions use Google Cardboard viewfinders and cellphones, connected to the Expeditions app, and are controlled by a teacher using a tablet. They feature 360-degree views including photos, 3D images, and video.  Each grade marveled at the experience as they traveled to many of the areas that are details in our curriculum. This was an amazing experience were cutting edge technology magnifies the excellence routinely experience in our classrooms.

Some of SAS high school students visited Lockheed Martin to attend Manufacturing Careers Day. Students were able to see the work that manufacturers do on a daily basis and learned how important manufacturing is to the local, national, and global economy. Students had a wonderful time and we are excited to be invited to this valuable learning experience again next year!