PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER

January 11, 2019

Hello Viking Families,

If the school year were a marathon, we’d be approaching the 13-mile marker, almost halfway done! And at this pit stop, students will have an opportunity to show their teachers all that they learned in first half of the school year by taking their midterm exams. Just ten days away, midterms are an exciting and stressful time for our students as the next two weekends will undoubtedly be filled with studying.

Studying and reviewing are very important. Our freshmen had an overview of midterms during advisory this week, and they have a number of resources available to help them on their Student Canvas Page. Exams are 90-minutes long and students will take one exam on Jan. 22 and then two exams each day on Jan. 23, Jan. 24 and Jan. 25. (As a reminder, Jan 23-25 are also half days for students who will be released at 11:10am.)

Please make sure students get a good night’s sleep the night before each exam, eat a healthy breakfast and bring a snack to sustain them between exams. Students must arrive on time for exams. I encourage students to ride the bus or get dropped off early. Our cafeteria opens at 6:30am, and students can even buy breakfast. Students do not need the stress of sitting in traffic at the drop-off line. PLEASE COME EARLY. Additionally, make sure students bring all of the materials they need for their exams. Midterms account for 10% of the final class grade.

In addition to preparing for midterms, students are also selecting their courses for next year. Last night, students had the opportunity to learn about Advanced Placement Courses (college classes), the ARL (Career academies), and all of the elective courses that MHHS has to offer. There is so much to choose from! Students should select a schedule that promotes rigor, challenges them, and engages them. They should select electives that interest them, and their schedule should be balanced. Don’t hesitate to contact your student’s school counselor with any questions.

Second semester and third quarter officially begin on January 29, 2019, but before we start the back half of our marathon, let’s finish the first half strong!

Joelle

P.S. We know your time is valuable. We’ve separated the news between “new” and “repeating,” in hopes that it will help you navigate the newsletter faster. FOLLOW US & STAY CONNECTED Twitter: @hcpss_mhhs Website: http://mhhs.hcpss.org/ Student Online Newspaper: The Mountain: https://mthmountain.com/

UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS See the calendar on our website for additional dates. Date Time Event January 11 Last Day to Order Graduation Cap & Gown January 12 2pm Howard County Dance Festival @ Wild Lake High School in the Jim Rouse Theatre January 13 8am 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast @ Martin’s West January 14 6:30-8:30pm Youth In Conversation @ Oliver’s Carriage House also known as Kittamaqundi Community Church January 15 7pm GT Information Session in the Auditorium January 21 No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 22-25 Mid-Term Exams January 23-28 Early Dismissal @ 11:10am January 29 6:30-8pm “Innocent Stolen” Internet Safety Session for Adult Only @ Waverly Elementary School January 31 Deadline for Formal Drape/Tux Senior Portraits January 31 7-8pm Leadership U Information Session @ Miller Library February 4 6:30pm Viking Backers Meeting in the Media Center February 5 No School for Students/Professional Learning Day February 6 Report Cards Issued for Quarter 2 February 11 7-8pm Leadership U Information Session @ Central Library February 12 7pm PTSA Meeting in the Media Center February 13 7-8:30pm Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC) meetings @ Homewood School February 17 8am-4pm Science Olympiad competition @ Hebron February 18 No School - Presidents’ Day March 4 6:30pm Viking Backers Meeting in the Media Center March 5 7-8:30pm PTSA Cafe Conversations March 6 Interim Reports Issued for Quarter 3 March 7 7-8pm Leadership U Information Session @ Miller Library March 16 10am-4pm MTH Marketplace in Gym & Cafeteria April 5 Early Dismissal @ 11:10am/ Professional Work Day April 8 6:30pm Viking Backers Meeting in the Media Center April 13-22 Spring Break – School Closed April 24 Report Card Issued for Quarter 3 April 27 Prom @ The Hotel at Arundel May 6 6:30pm Viking Backers Meeting in the Media Center May 16 Interim Reports Issued for Quarter 4 May 20-31 Graduation Window June 3 6:30pm Viking Backers Meeting in the Media Center CELEBRATIONS!

A huge SHOUT OUT to Caroline Bodziak and our amazingly, generous PTSA who purchased two microwaves for our students to use in the cafeteria, and the Hollander Family who also bought one for our students to use! Shorter lines to heat up food = happier students and staff. Thank you! Thank you!

Congratulations to GT Teacher, Dr. Melissa Kiehl! The PTSA nominated Dr. Kiehl for recognition by the GT Advisory Council and the State Department of Education for her outstanding work as a Gifted and Talented educator at Mt. Hebron, and she will be recognized at a ceremony on February 6.

Congratulations to Odell Dickerson who was voted the Howard County Boys Basketball Player of the Month for December! He averaged 22.7 points on 46% shooting, with 8.4 rebounds over that stretch. Odell is a captain and has served as important leader for our team. He is being honored for his award this Saturday at Jim Coleman Honda with a plaque and tickets to an upcoming Wizards game! So proud of your accomplishments Odell! Way to represent the Vikings!!

Congratulations to Mount Hebron’s Model United Nations (MUN) debate team dominated the 14th Annual Frederick County Model United Nations tournament on Saturday 5 January.

Among more than 300 competitors from Frederick, Montgomery, and Howard counties, Mt. Hebron’s “novice” MUN squad of largely freshmen and sophomores swept the tournament, earning “Best Delegate” awards in every committee in which they competed, capturing its second Best Delegation recognition this year, and taking home a total of seven awards, including:

Best Delegate, Committee on the Integrity of Elections: Sudharsan Sundar Best Delegate, General Assembly, Educational and Economic Opportunities for Women: Julian Amaya Best Delegate, World Health Organization: Kyla Im Best Delegate, UN Environmental Program: Wyatt Currie Outstanding Delegate, UN Environmental Program: Ryan McClure Honorable Mention Delegate, World Health Organization: Sahil Mada Best Position Paper, World Health Organization: Fatima Bushra

Mount Hebron’s Secretary General David Jin has worked tirelessly training these talented young debaters. Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to Mount Hebron FBLA Team!! Over the weekend of January 6th, 2019, MTH FBLA participated in the regional level competition at Marriotts Ridge High School. Students competed in events ranging from objective tests about economics to performance events about social media campaigns for large businesses. These events not only demonstrate the top tier abilities of Mount Hebron Students, but also the classic story of working hard can cause great things to happen. Mount Hebron FBLA had a great performance at the conference; in total there were 110 participants, 87 which qualified for states, and 36 placed in the top 3. Our chapter also swept (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) in two events: Business Calculations and Hospitality. Other events our chapter dominated (1st and 2nd) include: Graphic Design, Economics, and Social Media Campaign. Students prepared for many weeks leading up to the conference, and their efforts paid off with many other students who placed first, second, or third. Mount Hebron FBLA president, Uzair Ahmad, remarked, “Though the competition was fierce, it was very nice to see the effort pay off for many individuals who competed at regionals”. Mr. Ahmad is indeed correct as we were neck and neck with Howard High school during the entire conference. Overall, Mr. Gorleski, the advisor for the club, was very proud of all of the members who attended and were able to place and hopes for a successful time at the state conference too.

Congratulations to our Indoor Track Team for a great showing at the National Hispanic Games in New York last weekend!

NEW NEWS

Welcome to Our New Band Director Effective January 29, 2019, we welcome Mr. M. Joseph (Joe) Fischer as our new Band Director. Mr. Fischer comes to us from Ellicott Mills Middle School where he has led an amazing band program over the last 4 years. He brings 20+ years of high school band experience with him as he transitions into his new role here at MHHS. As you may know, Ms. Nicole Sobel, our current, incredible Band Director has been out due to personal reasons. Ms. Sobel has requested a transfer in an effort to secure the continuity of the MHHS Band Program. We are grateful for the guidance and musical talent she shared with our students and the community while at MHHS. Fortunately, we will keep her in our Viking Community as she will be headed to Ellicott Mills Middle School to continue the tradition that Mr. Fischer has established. We wish both Ms. Sobel and Mr. Fischer the best as they start their new positions.

Leadership U Class of 2019 Is your student looking for leadership opportunities? Does he or she want to make a difference in our Howard County community? Consider joining the Leadership U Class of 2019!

Leadership U is an exciting, unique, experiential leadership, teambuilding, and community service opportunity for current high school sophomores. This unique four-month program involves a week-long summer program of hands-on activities, as well as involvement in a team community service project. This program is for students with leadership potential, a desire to learn with others, and for those with an interest in the community.

Come to learn more and speak to some of our grads at one of our information sessions: January 31 at Miller Library, February 11 at Central Library or March 7 at Miller Library. All sessions are from 7-8pm. Parents and students in both 9th and 10thgrade are encouraged to attend.

Additional information is available at http://www.leadershiphc.org/leadership-u-2/ or email Meg Ignacio [email protected]. Applications are due March 14, 2019.

Mt. Hebron Gifted and Talented Research Program The Gifted and Talented Research Program at Mt. Hebron High School includes two courses – Independent Research GT and Intern/Mentor GT. Both courses provide our students with a unique opportunity to explore a topic of their choice for the entire school year.

Students in Independent Research are in class with Dr. Kiehl every day. They learn about the process of conducting scholarly research, finding appropriate sources, refining their writing skills, connecting with professionals in their field, and presenting their research. They focus all of their assignments on a topic they choose and receive guidance at every step from Dr. Kiehl. Every year, the diversity of topics is fascinating. A few of this year’s topics include brain cancer, the bystander effect, water availability in third world countries, special education, and so much more!

Students in Intern/Mentor are placed in an internship in the community. They also advance their skills and understanding of research, writing, and presenting, but do so through authentic experiences with professionals and periodic instruction from Dr. Kiehl, who also monitors their internship progress throughout the year. Students are fortunate to be placed with a number of prestigious mentors in the area. Internship locations include financial advisors, hospitals and universities, the Applied Physics Lab, local doctors’ offices, the court house, and many more!

If you are interested in learning about these unique opportunities that set your child apart from others, please be sure to attend the GT Information Session on Tuesday, January 15th at 7pm in the Mt. Hebron Auditorium. Applications are available in the Mt. Hebron Media Center beginning December 1st and online at www.MtHebronGT.com. Students are welcome to see Dr. Kiehl in room 109 or email [email protected] with questions.

The Howard County Dance Festival - TOMORROW On Saturday, January 12th, 2PM @ in the Jim Rouse Theatre. The festival showcases the high school dance companies in Howard County, including Mt. Hebron High School's Dance Company and Jr. Company. Tickets are $8 and may be purchased from Ms. Reyes in the Dance Studio or are available for purchase at the door.

Innocence Stolen Protecting Our Children Online Think about what life would have been like if you faced internet dangers when you were impulsive and your brain was not fully developed. The presentation will be facilitated by Department of Justice Community Engagement Specialist Vincent DiVivo. This session will discuss topics such as protecting internet privacy, online predators, sexting, and other topics that present a risk to our students who have access to the Internet, especially their own devices. Please mark your calendars to attend “Innocence Stolen,” an adult only event which will take place at Waverly Elementary School on January 29 from 6:30 – 8:00pm.

Muslim Interscholastic Tournament The Muslim Student Association is proud to be attending MIST (Muslim Interscholastic Tournament) again this year in conjunction with students from the surrounding area and ISB. If your student is interested in participating this year, please have them contact Mrs. Brooks-Odom through canvas or email. Information for the weekend long event in April can be found here: www.dcmist.com and is open to all Mt Hebron Students regardless of beliefs.

WORTH REPEATING

AP Courses and Exams Do you have a child enrolled in an AP course this year? If so, we invite you to read more about the registration and testing process on our website at https://mhhs.hcpss.org/about/ap-exam-registration. More information will be shared in February when registration opens.

2019 Graduation Window Dates The window for graduation for the Class of 2019 is Monday, May 20 - Friday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 28 - Friday, May 31. The actual graduation schedule will be available in the spring (usually around April 15). Leadership and Service Opportunity All Middle & High School students interested in:  Sharing the Student Voice on changes to the HCPSS Grading and Homework Policy and the Dress Code Policy in addition to Community Issues  Gaining Leadership Skills  Practicing Community Service  Working with student leaders from across HCPSS

We welcome all interested students to attend Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC) meetings throughout the year on the second Wednesday evening of each month.

Next Meeting Wednesday 2/13 7-8:30pm @ Homewood School 10914 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042. For more information contact [email protected]

Science Olympiad Competition Comes to Mt. Hebron On Sunday, February 17th, 2019, Mt. Hebron will be hosting the regional Maryland Science Olympiad competition for high school teams for the first time. The event involves hundreds of students from all over Maryland testing their scientific skills on topics like Anatomy, Forensics, and Chemistry Lab concepts. There are also build events such as mousetrap vehicles and protein modeling. This a wonderful opportunity for our school and community to come together and help make this event a success for our future scientists!

We are asking for volunteers on that day. There are various ways to help like scoring tests, running errands, concessions, registration, greeters/directors, and setup, clean up, parking lots, etc. You do not need a science background to assist that day. You can sign up for a few hours or the whole day. (And the next day we have off from school.)

Please contact Mt. Hebron science teacher and co-director, Mr. Paul Sabota [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to volunteer please use Sign-Up Genius Science Olympiad Sign Up Genius.html Thank you for supporting our science students and community!

School Supplies Drive from African Affairs Club Starting December 3rd, Mount Hebron’s African Affairs Club is organizing a school supplies drive to collect much needed school items to African immigrant families in and within our community who have school aged children. We are asking for any new or slightly used school supplies to be donated to families in need. Labeled boxes are set up around the school and in the front lobby for students to drop off their donations. We are collecting only school supplies- pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. - will be accepted. NO money is being collected.

Releasing a Student from the Health Room When a student needs to go home, a parent/guardian who has custody will be initially contacted by the School Nurse or Nurse Assistant. If the parent/guardian is unable to pick up their child, the child may go home with a designated adult on the emergency contact list. To ensure your child’s safety, please double check who you have listed on as an emergency contact and make any changes as needed. For safety and liability reasons, the health room staff cannot authorize a cab/Uber or similar modes of transportation.

Please Join Us! On Sunday, January 13th, 2019 at 8am, The Alpha Foundation of Howard County, Inc. is hosting the 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast at Martin’s West. The keynote speaker will be Dr. David A. Thomas, the 12th president of Morehouse College.

Some Mt. Hebron Alpha Achievers will join Dr. Miller and Ms. Grimes representing all our Vikings. This event is open to the public. See the flyer or for more information visit: www.alphafoundationhc.org

Photography Supplies Donations Needed Do you have any 35MM film cameras not being used? Any old photo equipment, supplies, or other cameras that you no longer need? The Mt. Hebron Photo Department wants to grow the program for our students so they have more opportunities to improve their photography skills and concepts. Please contact photo and art teacher Caroline Creeden [email protected] for more information or donations. We appreciate for your support of your students, the art/photo department, and Mt. Hebron.

Senior Portraits The final school date for senior portraits was January 8, 2019. If you are unable to do this date, please call Lifetouch at 410-644-7700 to schedule an appointment at their Baltimore studio. Please note that studio appointments have a $10 sitting fee. You are only required to take the free formal yearbook photos, but are welcomed to choose any package available. For more information about senior portraits and Lifetouch packages and prices, go to our page on the school website https://mhhs.hcpss.org/yearbook

The deadline for formal drape/tux senior portraits is January 31st. If you are submitting a portrait from an outside photographer, please have them email it to [email protected] with a subject line of “Senior Portrait [Last Name of Student], [First Name of Student]”. It should be attached as a .jpeg file. Please note that the yearbook reserves the right to not accept portraits that are not high enough quality. Please see examples of appropriate senior portraits on our yearbook page: https://mhhs.hcpss.org/yearbook

Deadlines for optional casual portraits will be March 29, 2019. Please email it to [email protected] with a subject line of “Casual Senior Portrait [Last Name of Student], [First Name of Student]”. Please email Ms. Fischetti with any questions at [email protected]

Youth in Conversation Youth in Conversation is a group of high school students who want to “talk about the things no one talks about.” The goal is to build community by having conversations about identities we have in common and issues that separate us, such as race, culture, religion and gender.

All HCPSS high school students are welcome & free dinner will be provided by #OneHoward and the Columbia Association each evening we meet

We will meet the second and fourth Monday of every month from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Oliver’s Carriage House, 5410 Leaf Treader Way, Columbia, MD 21044 (also known as Kittamaqundi Community Church)

Meeting Dates in 2019: 1/14 & 1/28, 2/11 & 2/25, 3/11 & 3/25, 4/8 and 4/29 (In April we will meet the 5th Monday instead of the 4th Monday because of Spring Break), 5/13 Please see the FRONT OFFICE for a form if you would like to participate.

Beyond School Hours Program – Media Center A reminder that the Media Center is open every Tuesday and Thursday after school, until 3:40 pm. In addition, National Honors Society Tutors will be available for drop-in tutoring on any subject. Please encourage your child to utilize this free tutoring service whenever needed!

After School Activities Bus Dates: (Tuesdays and Thursdays, bolded dates are Wednesdays)

Jan: 3, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 29, 31 Feb: 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 27, 28 Mar: 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28 Apr: 2, 4, 9, 11, 23, 24, 25, 30 May: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16

Pick up time is approximately 4pm. The bus will stop at the following locations: 1) Liter Court and Liter Drive 2) Hollifield Station Elementary Station 3) Town and Country and West Springs Drive 4) Worthington Elementary 5) Brunswick Zone/Dunkin Donuts

Parent Support Group Mount Hebron has a parent group. The purpose of this group is to provide a voice and tools that will assist parents of students who have needs in the areas of social communication, social regulation and executive functioning skills - whether in a university, work or supported living setting. Mount Hebron parent, Michelle Im, along with members of our special education team, have volunteered to lead this amazing discussion and support group. Ms. Im also serves as the Vice President for Howard County's Special Education Citizens' Advisory Committee (SECAC).

The remaining meetings will be held in Mt. Hebron’s Media Center from 6:30-8:00 on the following dates. All are welcome! Please join us! Wednesday, January 16, 2019 - Beyond ESY (See FLYER BELOW) Group discussion is designed to help parents understand the importance of expanding their high school student's social experiences to include real world opportunities across multiple settings.

Monday, February 11, 2019 - Benefits of Building Partnerships and Social Success Group will review and discuss models of parent professional partnership, include a guide towards building successful partnerships with school staff and setting realistic expectations for lifelong learning.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - SI + SR =  Group discussion designed to foster an understanding of the relationship between social interaction and self-regulation; to prompt parents to implement strategies at home.

Your next VALHALLA VOICE will be published Monday, January 14th with the latest news from your parent advocacy groups and community.