WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
CHESTER COUNTY PRESS
7B
Chester County Press
Education Upland welcomes exchange students from Beijing Upland Country Day School in Kennett Square recently hosted four students from Beijing, China for five days through the Sisters International Education and Exchange Foundation in Chadds Ford. Every year in January and early February, when all schools in China have a one-month winter break, groups of students from middle schools and high schools travel to spend one or two weeks in schools in the United States. Upland was selected as one of the schools to host the students in the Pennsylvania area. Upland hosted four boys in sixth, seventh and eighth grades for the week. The goal of their stay and the program is for the exchange students to gain an understanding of how U.S. schools and classes operate, to observe teacher and students interaction, practice their English
and to experience American culture through home stays. The students stayed with Upland families during the week. The program is also an avenue to expose Chinese culture and language to Upland students. Visiting Upland were 11-year-old Ruibo Hong (Ray), 13-year-olds Cao Zi Rui (Billy) and Chen Hanlun (Henry), and 15-year-old Fangyue Dong (Vista). The boys each go by their native Chinese name and American names at home in Beijing. They all began learning English at 4 years old, and were proficient enough the language to participate in Upland’s history, math, English and science classes. Coming from the city of Beijing, and a large school with classes of up to 50 students and 15 classes per grade, the boys were impressed with the small
class size and country setting of Upland’s campus. While at Upland, they tried to spend time with each grade, sharing their culture. They visited with Upland first graders who were studying and preparing for Chinese New Year. Each of the first graders had prepared questions for their Chinese visitors and were surprised to learn that they had very similar interests. When not in school, the Chinese boys enjoy playing basketball, listening to music, spending time with friends, and playing video games. They also taught the Upland students While at Upland, the boys attended classes, participated in winter track and attended a Valentine dance before leaving to tour Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York and Boston before returning home to China.
Upland Beijing exchange students with Stacey Bartel's first grade class.
Hopewell Elementary names top students Hopewell Elementary School teachers nominate Students of the Month based on their academic achievements and participation in class and school activities.
Courtesy photo
Pictured with Principal Dr. Nicole Addis and Assistant Principal Matthew Hovanec, sixth grade September Students of the Month are, front row from left, Briana Sumner, Thomas Hanna, Emily McShane, Ashley Andrikanich, Darrelle Zavala and Brandon Carr; second row from left, Gavrielle Goldie, Taylor Todd, Michaela Schneider, Jocelyn Lorber and Franlleli Castillo-Salinas. Fifth grade September Students of the Month are, third row from left, Kristen Moyer, Samantha Dunlap, Paige Gruver, Abby Oliver and Alyssa Blittersdorf; top row from left, Sara Dougherty, Brianna Washington, Charissa Guina, Grace Burns, James A. Fleischer III and Matthew McCormack.
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Pictured with Principal Dr. Nicole Addis and Assistant Principal Matthew Hovanec, sixth grade October Students of the Month are, front from left, Jaden Vargason, Mya Ferro, Isabel Hernandez, Roberto Garcia and Brayden Todd; second row from left, Sabrina Rocha, Summer Deutel, Hannah Wilmont, Mason Schaefer, Zach Pannell and C.J. Evans-Ralston. Fifth grade October Students of the Month are, third row from left, Daniela Marquez, Cole Smith, Joey DiNapoli, Marie Weber, Vanessa Garduno and Raymond Davis; top row from left, Brenden Friel, Ryan Dewees, Matthew Blair, Kyle McElroy and Nick Richardson.
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Pictured with Principal Dr. Nicole Addis and Assistant Principal Matthew Hovanec, fifth grade November Students of the Month are, front from left, Isyss Alston, Leah Foutrakis, Jasmine Manchay, Charlotte Weir and Itzel Ayllon-Tapia; second row from left, Saul Carmago, Garrett Brady, Gina Martinelli, Lily Sapp, Hannah Aker and Jacob Wahl-Shifflet. Sixth grade November Students of the Month are, third row from left, Ben Carey, DeShaun Evans, Levi Rogers, Faithe Caron, Julia Wentzel and Sophia Sapp; top row from left, Brianna Trimmer, Turner Hannon, Victoria Koechert, Gabriella Lombardi and Katia Ayala.
Front from left are Oxford Rotary Club President Dr. Marilyn Knaub, Hopewell Elementary School Principal Dr. Nicole Addis and Earlyact members Dulce Alvarez, Ashley Andrikanich, treasurer; Marissa, Megan and Miranda Berg, J. Benjamin Carey and Eddie Chavez, and Oxford Area School District Superintendent David Woods; second row from left are Assistant Principal Matthew Hovanec, Emily Keiter-Cornett, secretary; Eileen Diaz, Joey DiNapoli, Garva Goldie, Isabel Hernandez, Dakota Jones and Hanna Jones; third row from left are State Representative John Lawrence, Kamryn Justice, Gabby Lombardi, Evan Maiers, Iyonn Phipps, Lilly Reyes, Sophia Sapp, president; and Jezziel Santiago; top row from left are Oxford Rotary Earlyact Club liaison Dr. Raymond Fischer, Christian Schwendner, Rachel Sedlak, Baily Shover, Teddy Standish, Antony Torres, Charlotte Weir and Seth Yoder, vice-president.
Hopewell Elementary School Earlyact club inducts first members On Jan. 28, the Hopewell Elementary School chapter of Earlyact, sponsored by the Oxford Rotary Club, held its inaugural induction ceremony. Earlyact is a community service organization for elementary school students ages five to 13 sponsored by local Rotary Clubs through Rotary International.
Each school year the Hopewell Earlyact members will plan and organize three projects to benefit the school, local and global communities. The club’s first project is a school-wide drive to collect medical supplies that sixth grader Seth Yoder, club vice-president, will take with him on a mission trip to Honduras in February.
The 28 Earlyact members were selected after writing essays describing their interest in joining the club and commitment to community service. Officers were elected after delivering speeches on their leadership skills and ideas for the club to the full membership. The Hopewell Elementary School Earlyact chapter is the
fifth to be chartered in Rotary International District 7450 which includes the Oxford Rotary Club. With the Hopewell Earlyact, the Oxford club now sponsors youth community service clubs at all three levels of Rotary International, including Interact at Oxford Area High School and Rotaract at Lincoln University.
Mobile agriculture education lab returns to Elk Ridge School
For the sixth straight year, the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, a division of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, brought its Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab to Elk Ridge Elementary School during the week of Jan. 26. The lab is designed to teach students about agriculture, Pennsylvania’s number one industry, in a fun and hands-on way. The lessons have been led each year by Deborah Ellis, a former Coatesville Area School District teacher, and are coordinated with each classroom teacher prior to the lab’s arrival. Each year, every first and second grade class at Elk Ridge visits the lab to perform science experiments focusing on farms, food and the environment. The lab comes equipped with all the
necessary materials and supplies for lessons and craft activities involving plants, bees and other insects, which are consistent with the first and second grade science curricula. First grade teacher Laura James, with help from Oxford Area Board of School Directors member Howard Robinson and Principal Herbert Hayes, has coordinated this event since it first came to the school. Mrs. James learned about the Ag Lab several years ago while attending “Ag in the Classroom,” an agricultural graduate class at Penn State University. For the past three visits to Elk Ridge, the Mobile Ag Lab has been made possible in part by a $500 grant from the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.
Courtesy photo
Deborah Ellis, program assistant for the Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab sponsored by the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, is pictured with Elk Ridge Elementary School second grader Sophia Kinkus. During the “Creepy Crawlers” lab lesson, Sophia helped Ms. Ellis demonstrate the body parts of insects by putting on a butterfly costume.