HillsideWhat's New

Representatives of Hillside's Student Council, along with their advisor, Mrs. Stovcik spent two wonderful, fun-filled days at Mason High School, just north of Cincinnati attending the OASC. Hillside was awarded the Army of Volunteers, Honor Council Book (compiled by Bryan R.), and the Five Star Awards. Mrs. Stovcik was also surprised to be personally honored in receiving the 2008 Ohio Outstanding Middle Level Advisor of the Year Award. The nomination letter from a former Hillside student (Michael B.) was read before Mrs. Stovcik received her award. It was an amazing time for all who attended!

HILLSIDE IS ON THE NEWS

Fox 8 News at 5:30 and/or 6:30pm recently broadcasted a segment with Mr. Cook and Hillside PTA parent, Mrs. Nada Susak. They were both interviewed regarding parents volunteering in schools. Kathleen Connor, Fox 8 reporter, also asked that some of our students join Mrs. Susak while she was selling Spirit Wear.

Be sure you catch the news to see our Tigers in action! Click here to see the video on Fox 8's Web site

BUILDER'S CLUB IS AT IT AGAIN!

The newly formed Hillside Builder's Club has been very busy over the last several weeks. Tyler G., Vince L., Courtney W., Jacob W., Brandon W., and Jeremy C., participated in the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon. Tyler G. was also responsible for putting the squares together on our quilt for Keep America Warm Project and the club proudly donated the quilt to Pat Catan's for a needy family. The Club has also collected over 1,000 items for the Hope Totes campaign which benefits the City Mission and the Parma Hunger Center. Donated items included canned goods, boxed items as well as personal hygiene products. This was a very successful first campaign for the Builder's Club!

DRAMA CLUB UPDATE

The Drama Club students have been working very hard to write, produce and perform their very own, original opera! The Drama Club has been working with someone from the Cleveland Opera, who has written original music for the production. Eileen Moore will be playing the keyboard live at the evening's performance along side some of our own Hillside students. The performances will be held in Hillside's Media Center on Friday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. in the evening. Everyone is welcome to attend.

HILLSIDE FOOTBALL CAMP

Hillside Middle School is holding its annual Football Camp again this year from Monday, June 16 through Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The camp is coordinated by Mike Lark, who has been the head football coach at Hillside for the past 14 seasons. Mr. Lark will be assisted by several middle school and high school experienced players and coaches, who have competed at the high school and college levels. The primary focus is on teaching the basic football skills necessary to succeed on an organized team. The team concept and sportsmanship will be emphasized as keys to a winning attitude. The cost is $45.00. More information will be forthcoming.

"RESULTS" of HILLSIDE "SADD" CHAPTER vs. STAFF BASKETBALL GAME

SADD is proud to inform everyone that the SADD Student vs. Staff Basketball fundraiser for the Parma Hunger Center raised $552.00 this year. This was an amazing accomplishment since due to "snow days" we were only able to sell tickets for 2 school days. When the Parma Hunger Center goes to purchase food at the Cleveland Food Bank, they are able to purchase $6.00 worth of groceries for $1.00. That means that our fundraiser will allow them to purchase $3,312 worth of groceries. Thank you for helping Hillside "Make a Difference".

HILLSIDE "SADD" CHAPTER vs. STAFF BASKETBALL GAME

Hillside Middle School's SADD chapter will be sponsoring their 7th annual SADD Student vs. Staff basketball game on Thursday, March 6, 2008 from 3:15-4:30 !!! We invite everyone interested to attend and watch our Hillside staff compete against our SADD student basketball team. SADD is very proud that approximately 40 staff members will be participating in some way as a basketball player, a cheerleader, referee, etc...and that all proceeds will benefit the Parma Hunger Center!!! Tickets for Hillside students must be bought during lunch; but there will be tickets available at the door for community members. The cost of this fundraiser will be ONLY $2.00 but well worth it to see our staff basketball team. They are as follows: Mr. Bennett, Mrs. Butterfield, Mr. Casalinova, Mrs. Dawson, Mr.DeAngelis, Ms. Dickerson, Mr. DiSalvo, Mr. Forney, Ms. Ganelli, Mr. Judson, Mr. Lark, Mr. Maxson, Ms. Pohlchuk, Mr. Viening, Mr.Ziemanski and Mrs. Zimmerman. Our staff team will be cheered on by none other than our "Staffettes" who are Mrs. Bozich, Mrs. Brosemer, Mrs. Hopkins, Ms. Kafiti, Mrs. Layhew, Mrs. Nowlin and Mrs. Tatoczenko. Our staff will compete against a tough student SADD team so don't miss the fun!!! Come join us for a great cause and thank you for helping Hillside SADD "Make a Difference" !!!

"DOPE IS FOR DOPES" - 8TH GRADE ASSEMBLY

On February 7, 2008, SADD once again sponsored the program from the Grafton Correctional Facility entitled,"Dope is for Dopes". "Dope is for Dopes" was presented to all Hillside eighth graders and it was a presentation by two inmates relating to our students their personal experiences that led to their poor life choices and incarceration. The objectives of this program include bolstering positive decision making by teens after listening to adults who lives have been damaged by poor decisions and drug related offenses. Young people need to hear first hand that this can happen to anyone and it can happen to them as well. SADD was proud to sponsor this program and student as well as adult feedback was extremely favorable.

SPRING PRE-SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

Hillside's Life Skills students will once again be conducting their annual Spring Community Service Preschool project.
On March 14, 2008, approx.40 preschoolers (ages 2-4) will be visiting the Home of the Tigers and participate in free-play, crafts, parachute fun, lunch and an egg-hunt around our building led by none other than the Easter Bunny!! Life Skills students plan, set-up, conduct activities and prepare snacks and treats for the preschoolers as well as the parents. Great fun is had by all and what a learning experience!!! How long is the attention span of preschoolers and did we plan enough activities?
How important is our patience and understanding of the preschooler? Let me count the ways !!!

VOCATIONAL VISITATIONS

As part of our career exploration unit, Life Skills students have the opportunity to visit the vocational programs that are offered at Valley Forge and Normandy High School. On February 27th and 28th, Hillside students will visit at Valley Forge, Visual Communications, Cooperative Business and Marketing, Auto Service Technology and CISCO. At Normandy High School, students will be served lunch at the Sword & Shield Restaurant, which is run by the Culinary Arts students , and afterwards, they will be able to tour the kitchen/restaurant facilities. Also at Normandy, students will visit the Medical Professions program, Dental Assisting, Radio & TV and Cosmetology. Each program has students present information about their programs and many hands-on experiences are provided for our students. This field trip has proven to be very beneficial for our students as well as the Vocational programs.

BUILDER'S CLUB

Builder's Club will be participating in the "Keep America Warm" project by working with a local volunteer from Pat Catan's to put quilts together for the homeless and less privileged children. The Builder's Club will be sponsoring a "Funds for your Future" mini workshop for young teens on ways middle school students can actually create funds for their own futures. This workshop will be held by Bob Gillingham from the Parma community. See Ms. Bender for questions about these worthwhile projects.

DRAMA CLUB

Hillside's Drama Club and ALPS TOO program have been working together in writing an Opera which they plan to produce. The tentative date for this after-school presentation is April 25, 2008. In addition, the Drama Club is taking a field trip to the Cleveland Playhouse for a Jumpstart Day Workshop in which the students will engage in dance, acting and improvisational activities. Please feel free to call Ms. Kafiti at Hillside for further information.

7TH GRADE PAWS HOUSE CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The 7th grade PAWS House has put up a Black History Month display in the main showcase and has added biographies of famous Black Americans to morning announcements.

PAWS/CLAWS 7th GRADE BASKETBALL GAME

The Claws-Paws basketball game was once again a great success under the direction of Mrs. Butterfield. The hallways were alive with school spirit, and the game did not disappoint as the PAWS won a close victory over the CLAWS. The students were on the edge of their seats during the game, pie eating, and tug of war competition. School spirit was displayed throughout the gym by the outstanding posters made by art students.

WINTER WONDERLAND DANCE

Student Council sponsored the Second Annual Winter Wonderland Dance on Friday, January 11th. The gym was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with hundreds of little white lights around the gym, trees decorated in white lights, snowmen, and snowflakes. Ohio School pictures set-up an area for formal pictures. Refreshments were provided. It was a fun-filled, magical evening for all.

INVENTION CONVENTION

Once again PCSD students had a spectacular Invention Convention at the Great Lakes Science Center on Saturday, January 12, 2008. There were 110 inventions eligible for the competition with 107 exhibited. I believe all 40 of our students from Parma were in attendance with their 25 inventions. Our students, represented by all three middle school schools, wore a path up to the stage gathering 30 of the 50 Superior Innovator awards presented. This is quite a feat.

Hillside eighth grade student Jessica W. garnered a coveted Chairman's Choice Award.

So....over 75% of our students brought home an award! A very good day! The list of winners by school has not yet been posted by Invention Convention.

HILLSIDE JAZZ BAND

The Hillside Jazz band has 20 hardworking members in the 7th and 8th grades who meet twice per week all year. The students are some of the top musicians in the school and they work hard to play challenging music. In December they performed at the Parmatown Mall, where they represented our wonderful music programs in Parma Schools and helped get the shoppers in the holiday spirit! They also performed their winter concert on Monday, Dec. 18. Don't miss our next performance at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25 at Strongsville High School for the Middle School Jazz Festival! Hope to see you there!

HILLSIDE ART STUDENT WINS MARTIN LUTHER KING CONTEST

A Hillside 7th grader, Melaney C. has been chosen as the grade level winner in the Happy Birthday to Dr. King Contest. Students from across the county were asked to design a birthday card and submit it for judging. There were a total of 1008 entrants and one winner was chosen for each grade level. In addition to the honor, Melaney will receive money toward the college of her choice. Melaney is the art student of Mrs. Laurie Clugh at Hillside Middle School.

HILLSIDE SADD CHAPTER GIVING TREE

The Hillside SADD Chapter decorated a "Giving Tree" that provided 125 holiday gifts that were delivered to the Parma Family to Family Collaboration Center on Monday, December 10, 2007. Gifts were purchased and wrapped by the faculty, staff and members of the Hillside SADD Chapter. Santa (Mr. Kokesh) and Mrs. Claus (Mrs. Maphis) made a special appearance at the SADD Christmas celebration bringing smiles to everyone in attendance and especially the "littlest" of tigers -- children of the faculty and staff. A wonderful time was held by all in Hillside's Media Center (the gathering place) at the HOME OF THE TIGERS.

HILLSIDE 7TH GRADE -- PAWS HOUSE

Students in Hillside's 7th grade PAWS HOUSE took the time before the holidays to write over 300 Christmas cards to the troops stationed in Iraq. The cards were mailed in time to reach the soliders at the front lines before the holidays. The cards were donated by faculty, staff and students at Hillside to show support for our troops.

HILLSIDE STUDENT COUNCIL PARTICIPATES IN REC CENTER PARTY

Student Council participated in the City of Seven Hills Christmas Party on Sunday, December 9th at the Seven Hills Community Recreation Center. Student Council members face painted many, many youngsters throughout the evening. The celebrity of the evening was Santa Claus! It was an event not to be missed!

GREEK OLYMPICS

Both seventh grade teams, Paws and Claws, participated in a Greek Olympics Day in December. It was the culminating activity to a unit study on Greece. Throughout the weeks prior to Olympic Day, students learned and implemented the Pythagorean Theorem, read and discussed classic Greek myths, and explored the legacy of ancient Greece and its impact on world history. The Olympic Games were conducted throughout the day and students were assigned to teams with names reflecting the Greek states they had studied, i.e. Sparta, Thebes etc. Teams competed with one another in events such as Jeopardy, where students were asked to answer questions based on previous lessons, solving math and logic puzzles and riddles, creating a Greek inspired art project, and participating in Olympic themed events in the gym. Both students and teachers enjoyed the day and it was a great success.

HILLSIDE STUDENT COUNCIL SPONSORS VETERANS' DAY ASSEMBLY

Our Seven Hills VFW Post 7609 came to Hillside on November 7th to share their experiences with our 8th grade classes. Many thanks to Ken Groner who is the Youth Chairman and organizes the veterans for this event. The students listened as veterans spoke of their experiences in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War and had a great opportunity to ask questions. Student Council provided a luncheon for the veterans which gave Student Council members an excellent time to sit down with our American Heroes and share a meal and conversation.

HILLSIDE SADD CHAPTER ANNUAL CHICKEN DANCE

Hillside's SADD Chapter once again held its annual Chicken Dance to raise money for the American Cancer Society. With the help of the faculty, staff and especially the students, Hillside was able to raise $445.50 to see 34 faculty, staff and administration dance the Chicken Dance on the school roof. Money was collected during the four lunch periods to reach each step to help get more dancers on the roof. Mr. Maxson was the Fabulous "Chicken" and Mrs. Maphis was a Tigerrific Tiger for the entire dance. Mr. Viening, Mr. DiSalvo and Mr. Ziemanski put on ballerina costumes (thanks to Mrs. Kowicki) for a great finale.