ROCHESTER AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE
Transcript of ROCHESTER AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE
of all of the musicals dating
from 1972 to 1984, Philip
Inman, was the first high
school director to ever have
students perform “My Fair
Lady” in the United
States. Mrs. Timpano also
added that the musicals
during the time she was in
school were so good that five
people from Rochester have
made their living in the mu-
sic/entertainment industry.
So the next time you are
cleaning, remember to look
before you toss. After all,
Mrs. Haffey has preserved a
little bit of Rochester’s mu-
sical history by being a lit-
tle curious.
Don’t forget to see Roch-
ester’s latest Broadway per-
formance of “Seussical” in-
April.
By Bijon Anderson
It all started during NWEA
testing while doing a little bit of
early spring cleaning. Mrs.
Haffey was going through her
filing cabinets and came across
a torn up envelope with the
following message: “Musical
Programs. Anyone: Never
Throw Away!” After reading
this, Mrs. Haffey messaged the
recently retired Mrs. Timpano
to inquire more about the con-
tents of this envelope she inher-
ited over the summer.
In the envelope was a treas-
ure from the past that Mrs.
Haffey didn't expect to find.
Now it wasn't a pot of gold or
anything with monetary value,
but instead it was a collection
of Rochester’s musical pro-
grams from 1972-1987. One of
the most strikingly beautiful
characteristics of many of the
programs was the hand-drawn
artwork obviously done by stu-
dents at the time. Looking at
the beautiful artwork, you
have to appreciate the hard
work and patience that went
into these covers, especially
because technology has made
designing programs easier for
anyone to do.
While looking through the
vintage programs, Mrs. Haffey
noticed some familiar names
of teachers, including Mrs.
Timpano’s name as a student
performer and later as a facul-
ty member of the produc-
tions. She even discovered a
cousin’s name in the 1973 pro-
gram of the musical,
“Carousel.” After further ob-
servation of the programs, it
was discovered that Rochester
High School performed their
first Broadway musical pro-
duction, “Brigadoon,” in the
spring of 1963.
Furthermore, the director
A Blast From Rochester’s Musical Past!
ROCHESTER AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Friday, January 20, 2017 Volume 2, Issue 2
IN THE MIDDLE
In the Middle News Staff
Bijon Anderson
Ryan Clark
Keiarra Farren
Aubrye Feltes
Christopher Grossi
Jensen Hoffmeier
Amir Mason
Sydney Rippee
Regan Valent
Jenna Zawislak
Ryan Zawislak
Inside this issue:
In the Middle School 2-3
Teacher Spotlight 4
Students of the Month 4-5
In the Community 6
In Athletics 6
Student Input
7
Just Ask Jenna
7
Did You Know? 8
A collection of Rochester’s musical programs from 1972 to 1987and the envelope they were discovered.
By Regan Valent
A record number of mid-
dle school students attended
the Christmas Dance this
year. Over ninety tickets
were sold, which is more
than last year’s dance. This
dance honors the Christmas
season and offers middle
school students an oppor-
tunity to dress up and have
a fun evening. This year’s
dance was held on Satur-
day, December 17th in the
auditorium lobby.
Each year, the middle
school student council spon-
sors the dance and is re-
sponsible for choosing a new
theme. When all the back
and forth debating was
over, they finally came up
with a theme that everyone
was thrilled about: Silver and
Gold. When asked for her
thoughts about the theme, 8th
grader, Aubrye Feltes, said, ¨I
liked the theme of the dance
and all the decorations. I had
a lot of fun with all of my
friends.” Another student,
6th grader, Dominick DeLuca,
added, “I liked the refresh-
ments. The music was okay,
and I had a lot of fun.”
This year’s DJ, Norm,
mixed-up all of our favorite
songs. Even the high school
invited Norm to DJ their New
Year’s Bash. “The music
selection was very good! I felt
like every person there had a
great time by the way they
were dancing,” stated Miss
Smith. Additionally, eighth
grader, Mya Norman ex-
pressed that “The dance was
the best. I loved the food we
had. The dancing was on
point, and everyone had a
great time. I didn't like when
R.A.M.S. Annual Christmas Dance
Page 2 IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
the dance was over.¨
Overall, the stu-
dents had a blast. The
food, decorations, and
DJs were all a hit once
again.
Seventh graders, Abby Martin and Gabby Thompson pos-
ing in front of the tree at this year’s Christmas Dance.
By Sydney Rippee
Good behavior is some-
thing that should be re-
warded. Student Council is
rewarding students that
have achieved honor roll,
have minimal absences and
no discipline referrals with a
field trip. The students will
have the opportunity to go
to the UPMC Lemieux
Sports Complex in Cranber-
ry, PA on January 30, 2017.
The students that attend
will have the chance to have
a tour around the complex
and skate on the ice as a
reward for their good be-
havior.
In order to go on the field
trip, students cannot have
more than three days of ex-
cused absences. Also you are
not permitted to have any
office referrals such as ISS
and out of school suspension,
or failures to behave well in
general. Finally, you must
have the grade requirements
needed to qualify to attend.
Also, you must make the
honor roll for the second nine
weeks. If you meet at least
two out of three of the crite-
ria mentioned above, then
you qualify to attend. If you
meet only one or none of the
criteria, you will not likely
be allowed to attend.
The complex is open to all
for public skate, Monday
through Friday. The cost for
adults is eight dollars and
children under twelve pay
six dollars. Skate rentals are
three dollars if you don’t
have your own. The com-
plex features 185,000 square
feet of total space dedicated
to training athletes at every
level. Also, there is 54,000
square feet of clinical space,
including a sports’ medicine
clinic with 24 private pa-
tient rooms. The UPMC
Lemieux Sports Complex is
also the primary practice
and training facility for the
Pittsburgh Penguins.
Overall, good behavior is
a blessing, yet sometimes it’s
a curse. It is a blessing
when it’s a reward, yet a
Page 3
curse when people think of
you very lowly because of
your behavior. Take note
that if you behave well you
will be rewarded and get
the chance to miss a day of
school for fun. While if you
CHOOSE to misbehave, you
will be punished and forced
to spend all your time at
school.
SWPBI Field Trip– UPMC Lemieux Center
Let the Games Begin for G.A.T.E.!
IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
By Ryan Clark
G.A.T.E. is a class for
students who enjoy enrich-
ing academic activities. It
provides them with chal-
lenging competitions
throughout the year. These
competitions are called Ac-
ademic Games. Schools all
over the county send stu-
dents to these games to
compete in the following
categories: Propaganda,
Linguistics, Equations,
Presidents, and Current
Events.
Even though some of the
games seem easy enough,
others are much more chal-
lenging than others. One of
these challenges is Math 24.
In order to represent Roch-
ester at the county compe-
tition, you have to beat
your peers first. Many stu-
dents find this more nerve-
racking because they are so
competitive with each other.
The challenge to make it
to the next level gets even
tougher for the propaganda
competition, where competi-
tors have to figure out what
slogans appeal to and many
other language-based activi-
ties. In order to qualify for
nationals, you have to make
it in the top 15% of scoring,
which is not an easy task to
do. Propaganda is a question
and response game. Students
sit in groups of three or four
for purposes of checking each
other’s answers and keeping
score.
Linguistics is played with
23-lettered 3D squares on a
two segmented tangle. Every
match includes three players
from various schools. Numer-
ous matches happen at the
same time and keep going for
35 minutes. Contingent on the
time planned, a few such
matches can occur on a given
day. In order to qualify, an
individual must score a six-
teen or higher. The most
someone can earn is eight-
een which very few people
do.
Finally, Presidents and
Current Events are also
part of the Academic
Games. It is a great deal
of fun to test your
knowledge of facts in both
of these categories. If you
Rochester Middle School G.AT.E. students at the Linguistics Competition on November 29, 2016
By Jensen Hoffmeier
Congratulations to the stu-
dents of the month recipients
for November and December.
You all worked so hard for this
accomplishment.
Eighth grader, Jason Bai-
ley, explains he earned it in
November because he always
has his work done. Jason’s
advice for others to strive for
student of the month is, “If
you work hard enough, you’ll
have a brighter future.” Ac-
cording to Mrs. Haffey, he was
selected because he works
hard, is very respectful and
doesn't get involved in trou-
ble. He is a true example of
well-rounded student.”
Sixth grader, Kristen
Sokolovich, explains her se-
lection. “I read a lot and do
my work.” Kristen’s advice
to others is, “If you put forth
effort, you’ll succeed.” Her
teachers nominated her be-
cause she is self motivated,
responsible, respectful, and
overall a good student.
The seventh grade No-
vember student was Abby
Martin. She explained why
she thinks she was selected.
“I have good attendance,
my grades are good, and
overall I have a positive
behavior.” Abby’s advice
for people who want to be
student of the month is, “If
November Students of the Month
Teacher Spotlight: Miss Smith: Home Sweet Home Rochester!
and trying to run everything as
smoothly as it was done the
past several years.
Q- Where did you attend
college?
A- I have earned both my
bachelor's and master’s degrees
from Slippery Rock Universi-
ty.
Q- What do you like to do in
your free time?
A- I like to read novels, hang
out with family, and walk my
two dogs.
Q- What is your favorite
food?
A- My favorite food is lettuce.
Q- Did you play sports in
school? If so, what ones?
A- I played soccer for sixteen
years.
Q- If you could meet any
person in the world, who
would it be and why?
A– It would be Benjamin
Franklin, because he was in-
novative and influential in
history.
Q- What do you enjoy most
about being a teacher?
A- I enjoy working with stu-
dents and encouraging life
long learners.
Q- If you could pick any job
in the world, what would it
be and why?
A- I would be a vet, but unfor-
tunately, I’m allergic to most
animals.
Q- Why did you choose to
become a Social Studies
teacher?
A- I have always had a pas-
sion for Social Studies. To be
honest, I was never really good
at math.
By Keiarra Farren
The In the Middle news staff
sat down with Miss Smith
to ask her a few questions
about returning to Roches-
ter as a teacher.
Q- What school did you
teach at before coming home
to Rochester?
A- I taught at Northampton
Public Schools in Virginia for
one year before landing the job
here.
Q- What inspired you to
become a teacher?
A- My grandfather was a So-
cial Studies teacher at Roches-
ter for 30 years.
Q– What do you enjoy
about advising student
council, and what’s your
biggest challenge?
A- I enjoy organizing the trips
to help communities, and my
biggest challenge is being new
Page 4
7th and 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher-Miss Smith
Q- Where is your favorite
place to shop and why?
A- My favorite place is
PetSmart, because I can never
spoil my dogs enough.
Q- What’s your favorite sport
and team name?
A- My favorite sports’ team is
the Pittsburgh Pirates. LET’S
GO BUCS!
Q- What do you like to do in
the summer?
A- I love going to beaches and
state parks.
you work to your limit, you
will accomplish a lot of
things.” Her teachers all
agreed that Abby is a hard
working student, who is
very organized and always
participates in classes.
IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
R.A.M.S. November Students of the Month– Jason Bailey, Abby Martin and Kristin Sokolovich
By Jensen Hoffmeier
R.A.M.S. staff members
caught up with December stu-
dents of the month for a few
questions.
Eighth grader, Mya Nor-
man, explains why she re-
ceived the award. “I do my
school work, and I have good
grades.” Her advice for other
students is to live by these
words, “ I can, I will, It’s
done!” Miss Ranone says,
“She is organized, on top of
things, and is nice to everyone
and she always tries her best.”
Mya’s future plans consist of
going to college for nursing.
For seventh grader, Ryan
McEachern, he says he thinks
he was chosen because he
gets good grades and works
hard. His advice to others
striving for their best is,
“Dreams do come true when
you work for them.” His
homeroom teacher says he
selected Ryan because “he is
a new student with positive
energy that does his work.”
Lastly, sixth grader,
Lasina Dobritz, explains why
she received the honor in De-
cember was because of her
grades and behavior, which
seem to be consistent charac-
teristics of all honorees. Her
advice for other students
wanting to receive this recog-
nition is to stay focused.
Her homeroom teacher’s
reason for choosing her
is, “ She always partici-
pates and does well with
school.”
Page 5
January Students of the Month
By Jensen Hoffmeier
Eighth grade student,
Ryan Zawizlak, explains
why he received the student
of the month award in Janu-
ary. “I’m hard working, and
I always try my best. Some-
times, I know I act silly, but
I’m always dependable.” His
advice for other students is,
“No matter what, always
try your best.” As for
Ryan’s future plans, he is
looking into the world of
science more likely chemis-
try. His interests and hob-
bies include football, and
basketball.
The seventh grade-
selection, Gabriella Thomp-
son, says that she tries to be
nice and keep her grades up.
Her advice to other students
wanting to become student
of the month is, “Eat, Sleep,
and Read.” Miss Smith said
December Students of the Month
IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
R.A.M.S. December Students of the Month– Ryan McEachern and Mya Norman.
(Missing is Lasina Dobritz)
R.A.M.S. January Students of the Month– Amarina Simoni, Gabrielle Thompson, and Ryan Zawislak
she chose her as student of the
month because “she has a
good work ethic, is very help-
ful and cares about her
grades.” Gabrielle’s plans for
the future consist of her going
to USF in Florida for dentis-
try. Her interests and hobbies
are sleeping and reading.
Last but not least, sixth
grader, Amarina Simoni, ex-
plains that she thinks she was
recognized as the student of
the month because she obeys
the rules and gets her work
done. Her advice to others is
“Always try your best.” Mrs.
Denes said, “Amarina is con-
scientious about her work and
always has her nose in a
book.” Her current hobbies
and interests consist of her
passion for dance, board
games and movies.
Congratulations Elks Essay Contest
Winners!
6th Grade: Nicholas Gelston, Isabella Seybert,
and Amarina Simoni
8th Grade: Mya Norman, Jenna Zawislak, and
Ryan Zawislak
Photographs by
Regan Valent
By Aubrye Feltes, Sydney
Rippee and Jenna Zawislak
In November, student
council hosted it’s annual
canned food drive in the mid-
dle school for the Salvation
Army. This year’s goal was
to collect 900 cans before the
Thanksgiving holiday. We
finished with a total amount
of 722 cans. Even though we
fell short of our goal, the do-
nations were very much ap-
preciated and helped those
who needed them to feed
their families. The home-
room with the most cans was
Mr. Dinardo’s seventh grade
homeroom with 194. As a
reward, these students will
receive an ice cream party.
Student council plans to host
another canned food drive
later this Spring.
In December, members of
student council went to the
Greater Pittsburgh Food
Bank. Students entered the
food bank, received assign-
ments to do, and then went
to work. They packed boxes
full of various items that
contained certain foods such
as cereal, snacks, and a vari-
ety of foods. While some
volunteers packed the boxes,
others constructed, along
with sealed and labeled
them. The students received
a short respite after a certain
duration of working. After
this period of rest, the stu-
dents went back to work
until it was time to head
back to Rochester.
Next month, members
of student council will ven-
ture to Rochester Manor
to play Bingo with the
residents. Last year, stu-
dents enjoyed their time
and so did the residents.
Salvation Army Canned Food Drive and the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank
Page 6
R.A.M.S. Boy’s Basketball—Bouncing Back
R.A.M.S. Student Council members
packing boxes at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank
Ryan Zawislak. The seventh grade
players also dress for the eighth grade
team.
So far we have tried our best, but it
hasn’t been enough to etch more wins.
Hopefully, with a little more hard
work, we can win more games this
season.
Hopefully, this year will be
even better.
Community service has
an important impact on stu-
dents lives. These activities
help shape them into the
mature young adults they
should become.
IN THE COMMUNITY
IN ATHLETICS
By Ryan Zawislak
Once again, another middle
school basketball season is under-
way for the boys. Mr. Dan O’Bri-
en and Mr. Ed Gorman have re-
turned to their coaching duties for
another year. It has been a bit of
a rocky road so far this season, but
the boys and their coaches are op-
timistic about the remainder of the
season.
Our first game of the season
was a scrimmage against Ellwood
City in which we lost, but we had
only learned about three of our
plays. Improvements have come
slowly, which has made for a little
bit of a frustrating start to the
season. Currently, the 7th grade
squad is winless, while the 8th
grade team has managed one win
so far. The eighth grade team has
lost to Central Valley, Black-
hawk, New Brighton, Beaver
Falls, and Shenango, but man-
aged to play well enough to beat
Midland. Even though, we
have played well, it still hasn’t
been enough to win more games
this season.
Even though we have strug-
gled to find more wins, both the
seventh and eighth grade players
are hopeful for turning this sea-
son around. Members of this
year’s seventh grade team in-
clude Jonathan Azulay, Ethan
Digmiller, Noah Haskins, Klay-
ton Henshey, Logan Hill, Sal
Laure, and Jerome Mullins. The
eighth grade team consists of
Keiondre Abercrombie, Jason
Fogle, Devon Hemer, Evan
Lewandowski, Brock Palak, and
Seventh grade players waiting after a foul against Beaver.
By Jenna Zawislak
Every year, people
around the world come up
with New Year’s Resolu-
tions that they try to fol-
low during the next year.
People around the middle
school have some interest-
ing resolutions.
1. Mrs. Haffey, one of the
8th grade teachers said,
“ My New Year’s Reso-
lution is for all of my
eighth grade boys to
magically mature.”
NOTE: This was the
same resolution she
had last year for the
same boys!
2. Eighth grader, Aubrye
Feltes wants to be “A
more friendly person and
have better taste in
friends.”
3. Miss Smith, our 7th and
8th grade Social Studies
teacher said, “ My New
Year’s Resolution is to
be more patient.”
4. Another 8th grader,
Gavin Buttermore,
wants to “ get better
grades.”
5. Our 7th and 8th grade
Science teacher, Mr. Di-
nardo, said, “ My New
Year’s resolution is to be
more positive-the cup is
half-full of protein.”
Seventh graders, Noah
Haskins and Janae Jetter,
also have great New Year’s
Resolutions.
6. Noah said, “ My New
Year’s Resolution is to
workout more and live a
healthier lifestyle.”
7. Janae said that her New
Year’s Resolution is “to
Just Ask Jenna– The Book Bag Debate
“Hillary would have made
America better.”
Sal Laure stated, “I want-
ed Hillary, but I don't know
why.”
Sixth grader, Amarina
Simoni said, “I wanted Hilla-
ry, because she's not Donald
Trump.”
On the flip side, some
many students were not Hil-
lary supporters. Chris Grossi,
said, “Trump wouldn't lie as
much.” Ryan Zawislak also
said, “I took a test in Social
Studies that said I was more
for Trump.”
On Friday January 20,
2017, Donald J. Trump will
become our forty-fifth presi-
dent of the United States.
Let's hope he does a good job
at keeping our country safe
and will “Make America
Great Again.”
By Bijon Anderson
On November 8, 2016,
our country found out who
our new president would be
for the next four years,
Donald Trump. Many peo-
ple around the world have
had very strong opinions
about this year's presiden-
tial election, and it is con-
sidered to be one of the
most popular elections of all
time. Some of the students
and teachers have shared
their opinions with In the
Middle staff.
Mr.Ziegler said “I'm glad
it's over.”
Miss Ranone said, “I'm
happy that it's over and
that I don't have to see an-
ymore ads.”
Some students shared
their opinions on the results
too.
Dante Sherod said,
Page 7
New Year’s Resolutions—The Good, the Bad, and Impossible
STUDENT INPUT
IN OUR OPINION
so, students and staff could
trip over these bags and suf-
fer serious injuries as a result.
On the other hand, being
able to have book bags in the
halls and classrooms would
be helpful in saving time for
both students and teachers.
This would eliminate unnec-
essary classroom disruptions
to go to lockers to get a book
or homework assignment. As
a result, lockers would be
more organized, and this
could alleviate the piles of
trash left in the hallways.
Ultimately, lifting the class-
room and hallway ban on
book bags seems worth at
least trying even for a few
weeks or a month to see if
the benefits outweigh the
negative consequences.
just have more
friends.”
8. Finally, we have 6th
grader, Cassie Cervi,
who said, “ My New
Year’s resolution is to
quit talking in class
and talking back to the
teachers.”
As you can see, Roches-
ter Area Middle School
staff and students have
exceptional New Year’s
Resolutions.
By Jenna Zawislak
One rule that our school has
that I do not particularly en-
joy is we are not allowed to
have our book bags in the halls
or in the classrooms during the
school day. It would be help-
ful if we could have bags in the
halls and the classroom be-
cause then we would not have
to go to our lockers as much.
Having a bag to carry your
books could also prevent stu-
dents from being late to class. I
think the number one reason
students are late for their clas-
ses is because they had to go to
their lockers. I understand
why we can’t have bags in the
halls and the classrooms be-
cause many would abuse the
privilege and not-to-mention
safety. For instance, people
may be tempted to steal things
which could get them in a lot
of trouble as well as cause a
headache for the victims. Al-
Reflections on a Historical Election
Rochester Area Middle School
We’re on the
web!
www.rasd.org
“The Best Is In the Middle!”
the first president to be sworn into
office wearing long trousers.
In 1917, women were in-
cluded for the first time in Wood-
row Wilson's second inaugural pa-
rade.
The first inaugural parade
broadcasted on the internet was Bill
Clinton’s second inauguration in
1996.
The warmest inauguration
was Ronald Reagan's first at 55ºF
in 1981, and the coldest was
Reagan's second inauguration at
7ºF in 1985.
I hope you have learned
more about the inauguration and if
you want to learn more go to http://
www.thedailybeast.com.
By Chris Grossi
Most people know that inaugu-
ration day is the day when the
elected president is sworn into
office. Today, we inaugurate our
forty-fifth president into office,
Donald J. Trump. There are in-
teresting facts that surround the
inaugurations of some of our most
famous and not-so famous presi-
dents.
George Washington
holds the record for the shortest
inaugural address at 135 words,
while William H. Harrison holds
the record for the longest inaugu-
ral address at 8,445 words.
John Quincy Adams was
Did You Know? Presidential Inauguration Facts
Upcoming Events:
SWPB Field Trip—
January 30th
Sweetheart Bingo–
February 14th
R.A.M.S. Snow tubing–
February 16th
Cal U Basketball—
February 25th
R.A.M.S. Student vs. Faculty Basketball Game and Sky Zone
Field Trip—March
Did You Know? Martin Luther King Jr.
By Amir Mason
Martin Luther King Jr. was an
American Baptist minister and
activist, who was a leader in the
African-American Civil Rights
Movement. Martin Luther, whose
birth name was Michael, but later
changed it, was born January 15,
1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.
He attended segregated public
schools and graduated from high
school at the age of 15. Martin
earned his Bachelor of the Arts
degree at Morehouse College in
1948. He also took three years of
theological study at Crozer Theo-
logical Seminary in Pennsylvania.
In Boston, he met and married a
woman named Coretta Scott.
They later had two sons and
daughters. In 1954, Martin Lu-
ther King became pastor of the
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama.
In 1955, he began a bus boy-
cott that lasted 382 days. During
that boycott, Martin Luther was
arrested, his home was bombed,
and he was abused. In 1957, he
was elected president of the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, an organization
formed to provide new leadership
for the now burgeoning civil
rights movement.
At the age of 35, Martin was
the youngest man to have re-
ceived the Nobel Peace Prize.
When notified of his selection, he
announced that he would turn
over the prize money of $54,123 to
the civil rights movement. On
April 4, 1968, while standing on
the balcony of his motel room in
Memphis, Tennessee, he was as-
sassinated. His legacy lives on
and is celebrated still today. If
you want to learn more, then in-
formation can be found at
www.nobleprize.org
John Quincy Adams being sworn in as the sixth president of the United States on March 4, 1825.