HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016
2016
Harding
Middle
School
February
Newsletter
2016
TO EDUCATE, MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE
IN THIS ISSUE
Black History Month
By Julia Zorthian, TIME
It was in 1964 when the author James
Baldwin reflected on the shortcomings of his
education. “When I was going to school,” he
said, “I began to be bugged by the teaching
of American history because it seemed that
that history had been taught without
cognizance of my presence.”
danger of being exterminated,” Woodson
said of the need for such study.
Baldwin’s thoughts echoed those of many
before and after him. Half a century earlier,
when Carter G. Woodson had the same
frustration, he set the foundation for what
would become today’s national Black History
Month, observed each February.
The celebrations and studies spread quickly,
driving demand for teaching materials and
spurring the formation of black history clubs.
But, though a newfound understanding of
black culture and literature was spreading
amongst the middle class, the idea of
expanding the week to a month did not come
until President Gerald Ford decreed Black
History Month a national observance in 1976.
In the early 20th century, while he earned a
Master’s degree from the University of
Chicago and a Ph.D. from Harvard, both in
history, Woodson witnessed how black
people were underrepresented in the books
and conversations that shaped the study of
American history. According to the way
many historians taught the nation’s past,
African Americans were barely part of the
story—a narrative that Woodson knew was
not true.
“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile
tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in
the thought of the world, and it stands in
In 1926, Woodson launched a “Negro History
Week” to bring attention to his mission and
help school systems coordinate their focus
on the topic.
Upcoming Events
See what events we have going on for the
month of February!
Page #2-3
Remembering the Past, Changing
the Present, & Creating the Future
Be a part of the Labelle Neighbors Who Care
Black History Month Essay Contest! Page #4
“In celebrating Black History Month,” Ford
said in his message, “we can seize the
opportunity to honor the too-often
neglected accomplishments of black
Americans in every area of endeavor
throughout our history.”
Presidents have issued national decrees with
each year’s theme since the 1970s. African
American History Month’s 2016 theme is
“Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African
American Memories.”
What’s Been Happening at HMS
Find out what we have been doing at Harding
Middle School!
Page #5
HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016 | 2016
Upcoming Events
At A Glance
We have lots of great events going
on during the month of February!
We hope to see you!
January 31-All Valley Youth
Rally 6-7:30pm SHS
Auditorium
February 11-College Credit
Plus Meeting 6pm HMS
February 11-Walt Mueller
6:30-8:30pm SHS Keenan
Conference Room
February 12—Early Dismissal
11:30am (Teacher In-Service)
February 15-President’s Day,
no school
February 16-College
Application Day
February 20—Red and Black
Gala 7-11pm Steubenville
Country Club
February 23 and 24ACCUPLACER testing for 8th
grade
Thursday, February 11th, 2016
6pm Harding Middle School Cafeteria
Would you like to learn more about your child taking college credit courses once they get to High School? Then this is the
meeting for you! Learn more about the ACCUPLACER exam and the possibility of your child earning FREE college credits
while they are in school! This informational meeting will be presented by Eastern Gateway Community College.
6:30pm SHS Keenan Conference Room
Designed for parents, youth workers, teachers and others dealing with the specific challenges
associated with understanding the world of pre-teens and adolescents.
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HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016 | 2016
7-11pm Steubenville Country Club
Join us for a causal dress event to raise money for scholarships!
We hope the Big Red Family can join us for the Red and Black Gala Foundation
Scholarship Fundraiser.
The evening will begin at 7pm where guests will have the opportunity to play
casino games, participate in Chinese and silent auctions, raffles and enjoy music by
DJ Dave Ott.
You can purchase your tickets at Steubenville High School. Tickets are $15/person
or $25/couple. For tickets or sponsorship information please contact Steubenville
High School at 740-282-9741.
You can also purchase tickets on-line at:
https://squareup.com/market/shsredzone
We hope you can join us for an evening of laughter and great company!
 Early Dismissal Friday, February 12 (11:30) for a
Teacher In-Service
 No School Monday, February 15 in observance of
President’s Day
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HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016 | 2016
Black History Month Essay
Contest
Sponsored by: Labelle Neighbors Who Care
Students in 5th-8th grade may participate in the contest by submitting an
original essay following these guidelines:
 Select a quote by a historical black figure and explain what it meant at that time and how
it relates to our current time period.
 Essay will need to be at least 250 words in length, neatly handwritten on college ruled
notebook paper or typed and double spaced.
 You may submit your entry by mail or drop box.
 Essay MUST be attached to the submission form for consideration. You may pick one up
at Harding Middle School.
 The deadline for all entries is Thursday, February 11th
 All first place winners will receive $100 and second place winners will receive $50.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Essay Contest Winners
Winners were recently announced for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contest
that took place in January. For the 5th and 6th grade group, Amya Livingston (6th) was
awarded first place and Lindsay Busby (6th) was awarded second place. For the 7th and
8th grade group, Madison Palma (8th) was awarded first place while Joey Hazelip (8th)
was awarded second place. A celebration was held on January 18, 2016 to remember
and honor the works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The contest winners were
recognized at this time. Congratulations to all of the winners on this achievement!
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HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016 | 2016
5
STUDENTS IN ACTION
What’s Been Happening at HMS
District Spelling Bee
Drama Club
The district spelling bee was held on
Wednesday, January 13th at Harding Middle
School. The regional spelling bee will be held
on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Buckeye
North Elementary School. Harding students
moving on to the regional spelling bee are:
The Drama Club members have started
preparing for their spring musical. The club
will be performing Seussical Junior.
Performances will be April 15-16 with a 7pm
start for both nights.
Sydney Emery (7th grade) 2nd place
Caleb Noble (6th grade) 4th place
Abigal Gilman (6th grade) 8th place
A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Barnes for
organizing this year’s district spelling bee.
Power of the Pen
Students from Harding Middle School
competed in the Power of the Pen district
tournament at the University Of Mount
Union on January 7th. Power of the Pen is an
interscholastic writing league that sponsors
creative writing competitions among 7th and
8th grade students throughout Ohio. The
students participate in three rounds of
writing. In each round the students are given
a writing prompt and must create a story
based on the prompt with only 40 minutes.
State Testing
Ohio’s state tests will be given this spring
beginning in April. These tests measure
student progress toward Ohio’s learning
standards. The subjects tested will be:
5th-English Language Arts/Math/Science
6th-English Language Arts/Math/Social
Studies
7th-English Language Arts/Math
8th-English Language Arts/Math/Science
Writers on the 7th grade team included Aiden
Gray, Emma Settle, Sofia Slivka, and Hannah
Winkler. Emma Settle finished 16th out of 110
seventh grade students from Northeastern
Ohio and will compete at the regional
tournament on March 5th at Malone
University.
The 8th grade team was comprised of Daniel
Baird, Destiny Clarke, Janna Glatzer, Nia
Jones, Melanie Mamula and Kaelyn Savinell.
These students competed against 106 other
8th grade students. Daniel Baird, Destiny
Clarke, Janna Glatzer, Melanie Mamula and
Kaelyn Savinell all qualified for the regional
competition. Thank you to our coaches Mr.
DeFrances and Ms. Tonacchio for all of their
hard work!
Harding Middle School
February
Newsletter
2002 Sunset Boulevard
Steubenville, Ohio 43952
740-282-3481
HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2016
2016