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DMS Students Build a Permanent Aquaponics System
Summer Program Provides Opportunity to Build and Maintain Academic Skills
They were learning math, reading, science, and art concepts, but these middle school students weren’ t thinking about those skills – they were too busy accomplishing a common goal to design and create a permanent, self-sustaining aquaponics growing system outside their school.
• The Dorseyville Middle School Mixed Choir, made up of the girls chamber chorus and the FoxTones choirs, took first
• place The Dorseyville and ranked“ Middle Superior School,” the highest Sinfonia rating and Philharmonic possible, at a Music orchestras in the received Parks Festival special in awards Hershey at. a The Music group in the was Parks also given Festival the in Overall Hershey Best. The Jr. High Sinfonia / Middle placed School first in Choral their division Award. Additionally with a“ Superior, the” DMS rating Girls. The Chamber Philharmonic Chorus placed performed first in independently their division and with also a“ Superior placed first” rating and earned and won a“ Superior first overall” rating orchestra. The DMS. The FoxTones Philharmonic earned also a first won place the and Espres a rating de of Corps“ Excellent Award”(. the second highest rating).
• The Dorseyville Middle School Honors Band earned first place at a Music in the Parks Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia. The band also earned a rating of“ Superior.”
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For the first time, Dorseyville Middle School offered a full-day summer program. The morning session consisted of English language arts and math and was designed for students to maintain and build the skills necessary for academic success. A new component was added in the afternoon – a project-based learning activity that was met with high enthusiasm from students as they dug in( literally), working together picking out jobs, researching hydroponics and aquaponics, planning and measuring, designing, and building.
“ We were very excited to expand the middle school summer learning academy this year to a full day,” said Matt Harris, the school district’ s director of secondary education and instruction. He explained,“ We revitalized the English language arts and math programs with new curriculum and teaching practices. We also added the afternoon component where students engaged in an authentic challenge to construct an aquaponics /
Elementary hydroponics system with ponds and
Students Have Fun a greenhouse.”
While Learning
Program Designed to Prevent Summer Slump
Fox Chapel Area educators leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring that all students achieve success. The elementary summer learning academy provides extra support in reading and math in a small-group setting. The program is designed to prevent the summer slump that can occur with students over the summer break. A total of 164 students participated in the 19-day program this past summer.
“ This program really impacts students in pre-K to grade five across the district. Our teachers invested a great deal of time and effort to ensure that our students would benefit from this exemplary program,” said Director of Elementary Education and Instruction Ashley Nestor. She added,“ The pre-K class is especially important because it’ s a nice opportunity for the children to interact with the kindergarten teachers and get acclimated to a regular school day. It really provides a smooth transition for the start of their formal education.”
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