Comments Enabled for Mercer Middle-High School News Blog

Viewers of this blog now have the opportunity to post comments or questions with each news item.

This is in part of a larger effort to provide both transparency and clarity to students, parents, and community members.

Please be aware that ALL comments are monitored, previewed, and accepted by Mr. Greg Acre (blog administrator) before they will appear public. Please be respectful and use good judgment before submitting a post. Thank you for your understanding.

Grand March- Friday, May 8th

The Mercer Middle-High School Student Council will be hosting the annual Grand March on Friday, May 8th in the High School Auditorium.

Prior to departing for the prom, student attendees have the chance to participate in the Grand March. This 30 minute activity allows parents and community members the chance to take pictures and see all of the students in their prom regalia.All participating couples and singles will be announced. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m.

Participating couples are to report to the High School Cafeteria by 4:15 to register. There is no cost for participants or spectators.

Middle School Semi-Formal Dance- May 9th

The Girls' Basketball Boosters are sponsoring a semi-formal dance for Mercer students in grades 7-8 on Saturday, May 9th from 7:00-10:00 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. The cost for students is $5.00.

High School Band Concert Held on April 30th

The Mercer Band program will host their spring concert on Thursday, April 30th. The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

This will be the final concert of the year with the theme of "Faces of Courage". Joining the Mercer Bands program for this event will be Patrick Burns, Adjunct Professor of Music at Monclair State University in New Jersey and founder of Bandworks Publications.

Here is a description of the evening as told by Mercer Bands Director, Dr. Travis Weller:

In addition to a number of moving works, we are please to welcome Patrick Burns, Adjunct Professor of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey and founder of Bandworks Publications. Patrick will be conducting Harford Rhapsody with the Sr. High Wind Ensemble, and will conduct the combined bands in grades 7-12 on Electric City Celebration. In addition to performances by our three academic concert bands, our jazz ensemble will perform works by Brubeck, Monk, and Miles Davis on the program.

 

Our Senior High Concert Band will perform a work by Stephen Melillo entitled Those Who Serve, a homage to armed service personnel past and present. They will also present Ask Not, which chronicles the life and time of our 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. The Wind Ensemble will perform a powerful and moving tone poem honoring Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks. Mark Camphouse’s Movement for Rosa is a moving tribute to her life represented by noble and uplifting themes that are contrasted by dark and at times haunting material representing the racial tension that she faced and still underpins parts of our society. The Middle School Concert Band will perform a fantastic setting of three American Revolutionary War-era folk tunes by Larry Neeck. Sons of Liberty includes “Chester” by William Billings, “Paul Jones Victory” which details the battle between the USS Bon Homme and the HMS Serapis in 1779, and the well known and celebrated “Yankee Doodle” that was originally used by the British to mock the Continental Soldiers and later turned into a rallying cry for young American Army. They will also debut Hammer and Rail, which pays tribute to the legend surrounding John Henry through use of the folk song “This Old Hammer”. The combined groups that make up the Symphonic Concert Band close the concert with music from the motion picture The Hunger Games. Prior to the emergence of the Katniss Everdeen in those novels, few female heroines have risen to such popularity in American popular culture and at the same open a door for young people to engage in dialogue about larger social and human issues like war, power, sacrifice, personal ethics, and social inequality. On behalf of the student musicians in the Mercer Bands, we hope that you can join us!

 

In-Service Day on Friday, May 1st

There will be no school on Friday, May 1st due to an In-Service Day for the Mercer Area School District staff.

Athletic Events Week of April 27th

The following athletic events will take place during the week of April 27th-May 2nd:

Monday
Baseball vs. West Middlesex @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Sharon @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Tuesday
Baseball vs. Reynolds @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Track & Field vs. Lakeview/Farrell/Kennedy @ Lakeview HS (4:00 p.m. start)

Wednesday
Baseball vs. Rocky Grove @ Rocky Grove
Middle School Track & Field vs. West Middlesex @ West Middlesex (4:00 p.m. start)

Thursday
Middle School Baseball vs. Sharon @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Titusville @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Friday
Baseball vs. Kennedy Catholic @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m.)
Softball vs. Lakeview @ Lakeview (4:15 p.m. start)
Track & Field @ Pine Richland Invitational

Saturday
JV Baseball vs. Hickory & Lakeview @ Brandy Springs Park (10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.)
MS Baseball vs. Conneaut @ Conneaut (1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.)
Varsity Baseball vs. Conneaut @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m.)
Softball vs. Conneaut @ Brandy Springs Park (3:00 p.m.)

Advanced Government Students Shine at Mercer County Commissioners Forum

On Wednesday, April 22 Mercer Middle-High School hosted a forum for the eight candidates seeking posts as Mercer County Commissioners in the upcoming election.

Members of Ms. Merrilynn Giles Advanced Government class had an opportunity to become active participants in this forum. Not only did the students create questions for the candidates, but also took responsibility for running key components of the program.

Mrs. Peggy Lengauer and her Culinary Arts classes provided refreshments for the event last night. Mercer Middle-High School students were instrumental in facilitating the program last night, such as setting up the stage and operating the lights and sound.

You can access a news article and video from WKBN.

http://wkbn.com/2015/04/22/mercer-commissioner-candidates-face-off-at-forum/

Community Photo for Gail Habbyshaw Scheduled for April 23rd at 6:30 p.m.

Mercer community members are invited to take part in a community photograph in show of support for Gail Habbyshaw on April 23rd at 6:30 p.m. The photograph will be taken in the Mercer Middle-High School Stadium. If there is inclement weather, the photograph will be taken inside the school building.

Gail Habbyshaw is known as "Mercer's Own" resident Record Argus reporter. Gail's contributions to the school and the Mercer community are numerous. During this event, the Record Argus managing editor, Caleb Stright, will be collecting stories of how Gail's dedication to the people and community of Mercer has touched you, your family, or your organization.

Anatomy and Physiology Students Travel to IDEXX Laboratories

Mrs. Tracy Sevin and seventeen Mercer students from the Anatomy and Physiology class will travel to Boardman, OH to shadow a lab technician on Wednesday, April 29th. The members of the class will travel to IDEXX Laboratories to observe and learn about chemistry, immunology, urinalysis, hematology, coagulation testing and blood bank. The students will have the opportunity to observe specimens through the use of cutting edge instruments and technologies.

Mr. Myers Recognized by Shenango Valley Urban League

Mr. Derek Myers has been selected by the Shenango Valley Urban League as the recipient of the Rising Star Award. Mr. Myers will be recognized at the Urban Scholars and Educators Awards Reception on Tuesday, May 12th at The Corinthian, Sharon, PA.

Mr. Myers is one of two winners in the Shenango Valley. The parameters for the Rising Star Award were as follows: This educator shows promise as an up and coming educator in the district and have employed creative teaching strategies early in their career. The individual has served 10 years or less as an educator.

Congratulations to Mr. Myers!

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on April 22nd

The National Honor Society will induct their new members on Wednesday, April 22nd at 2:45 p.m. Congratulations to the following students that will be inducted:

Juniors
Jordyn Buchanan
Kaitlin Conner
Austin Hall
Ryan Hamilton
Emily Kirila
Megan Lang
Tim Lang
Hannah McElrath
Janalyn Miklas
Noah Minarik
Mark Peters
Jeremiah Robertson
Jacob Schmid
Rebecca Simcik
Sean Strain
Kyle Wamboldt

Seniors
Margaret La Barge
Rachel Stine
Kendra Walker

Students for Charity Shining Spotlight on Autism Awareness

During the month of April the members of the Students for Charity organization, led by Mrs. Peggy Lengauer, are attempting to raise awareness for autism. There are several different components of this campaign:

• Students for Charity is selling cookies every Thursday during the month of April for $1.00.
• Individuals that purchase these cookies receive a puzzle piece, to which they write their name. These puzzle pieces are then posted in the hallway to raise awareness.
• All students and staff members are encouraged to wear blue on April 24th to help raise awareness and show support for Autism Awareness Month.

Meet the County Commissioner Candidates at HS Auditorium

The Mercer County Commissioner Candidates Forum will take place on Wednesday, April 22nd in the High School Auditorium. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Athletic Events Week of April 20th

The following Mercer athletic events will take place during the week of April 20th:

Monday
Baseball vs. Maplewood @ Maplewood (4:00 p.m. start)
MS Baseball vs. Sharon @ Sharon (4:00 p.m. start)

Tuesday
MS Baseball vs. West Middlesex @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Jamestown @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Wednesday
Baseball vs. Kennedy Catholic @ Brandy Springs Park (3:00 p.m. start)
MS Track and Field vs. Reynolds @ Mercer High School (4:00 p.m. start)

Thursday
Baseball vs. Reynolds @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Track and Field vs. Reynolds @ Mercer High School (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Sharon @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Friday

Saturday
MS Baseball vs. Hickory @ Brandy Springs Park (12:00 and 2:00 p.m.)
JV Baseball vs. Cochranton and Conneaut @ Cochranton HS (1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.)
Track and Field @ Lock Haven Invitational (12:00 p.m. start)

Athletic Events Week of 4/13

The following athletic events will take place during the week of April 13th:

Monday
Baseball vs. Rocky Grove @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Grove City @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Tuesday
MS Baseball vs. West Middlesex @ West Middlesex (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Franklin @ Franklin (4:00 p.m. start)

Varsity Track & Field vs. West Middlesex @ West Middlesex (4:00 p.m. start)- Make-Up Event

Wednesday
Baseball vs. Jamestown @ Jamestown (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Sharpsville @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)
MS Track & Field vs. Lakeview, Sharpsville, Slippery Rock @ Lakeview (4:00 p.m. start)

Thursday
MS Baseball vs. Sharon @ Sharon (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Wilmington @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)

Friday
Baseball vs. Sharpsville @ Sharpsville (4:15 p.m. start)

Saturday
MS Baseball vs. Shenango @ Brandy Springs Park (12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.)
Varsity Track & Field @ City of Hermitage Invitational

Mercer Students Excel at Trinity College

During the last weekend in March students from Mercer High School and Elementary School, in conjunction with Westminster College, completed the 11th annual Trinity College Fire Fighting Robot competition. This is the fourth year students from our school have traveled with Mr. Dave Shaffer and his college students to Connecticut to compete in this international robotics competition.

The Trinity College International Robot Contest is an open, not-for-profit event that requires invention of autonomous, socially relevant robots. The contests promote creativity, teamwork, the understanding and application of STEM subjects and the sharing of ideas. Teams are from all over the world including: Indonesia, China, Israel, and the US to name a few.

Senior Ben Shaffer took home the award for smallest robot.

The competition has many divisions and in their division, senior Anna Garner and freshman Kate Shaffer placed 1st in presentation and 2nd in robot. But more impressively, the duo won the BURP Award. According to the website: The BURP Award is the highest honor that a fire fighting robot team can earn. The relative ranking of the robots within their respective division determines their BURP score. The BURP score is based on 50% of the robot performance in the arena, 25% on the Olympiad score, and 25% on the poster score.

Results from the Harbor Creek Invitational

The Mercer Track & Field Team traveled to compete at the Harbor Creek Invitational on April 11th. Here are the results:

Overall Team Standings
3rd- Girls' Track & Field

100m Hurdles
3rd- Nicole Young

100m
3rd- Alexa Stanton
5th- Courtney Young

200m
4th- Alexa Stanton
5th- Courtney Young

300m Hurdles
2nd- Nicole Young

400m Relay
1st- Alexa Stanton, Nicole Young, Emily Young, Courtney Young

Discus
3rd- Megan Parker
6th- Katie Brest

Shot Put
4th- Katie Brest

Evening of Forensics To Be Held on 4/17 and 4/18

The Mercer Speech Team will host their only public performances of the season this weekend. The annual "Evening of Forensics" will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 17 & 18 beginning at 7:00 p.m. each night in the Mercer High School auditorium. Each program will last approximately 90 minutes in length and will feature a different cast each night as the Mercer students perform their speeches and selections which have won awards at local, district, and state competitions this year. Tickets are available from any speech team member and can be purchased in the Mercer High School office during school hours. Tickets will also be available at the door both nights.

Mercer Speakers Win Big at Freshman-Sophomore Tournament

On Saturday (4/11) fourteen members, from grades 7 through 10, of the Mercer Speech Team traveled to Keystone Oaks High School to compete in the Pittsburgh District Freshman-Sophomore Tournament. Ten of the Mercer speakers advanced into the final round, with eight of those individuals earning awards in their categories. Here are the results:

Humorous Interpretation
1st- Andrew Brinker
2nd- Gray Covert
3rd- Mason Borowicz

Extemporaneous Speaking
1st- Mary Hogue
6th- Rose Gigliotti

Poetry Interpretation
1st- Sarah Turton (also named Pittsburgh District Rookie of the Year)

Original Oratory
1st- Elizabeth Ludwig

Duo Interpretation
3rd- Hailee Ostapko and Abby Grabigel

Prose Interpretation
6th- Brianna Jarrett

In an additional note, Mr. Hugh Ringer was selected as Coach of the Year at Keystone Oaks Freshman-Sophomore Tournament. This year marks his 43rd year as the head coach of the Mercer speech program.

Mercer Wrestler Honored as an All-American

Bobby Gregory (9th grade) was recognized as an All-American for finishing 6th place (285 lbs) at the NHSCA High School Wrestling Championships (Freshman Division) earlier in March at Virginia Beach.

Students of the Month- March 2015

Each month there are Students of the Month that are selected that best represent positive attributes. Students are nominated by members of the faculty and reviewed by the administration. There are four distinct qualities that the faculty is looking for when nominating a student: honor, respect, excellence, and determination. The follow students were recipients of the Student of the Month Award for the month of March: Reagan Priester (11th grade), Makenzie Burk (8th grade), Kaily Priester (8th grade),and Alyssa English (11th grade). Congratulations to those students for exemplifying those special qualities.

Mercer Students To Take Part in Borough Clean-Up

Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11th multiple student representatives from various school clubs will be participating in the Mercer Borough Clean-Up Day. This volunteer opportunity is available to all students in the Middle-High School. Those interested individuals should sign up in the main office. Participants are to report to the Mercer Borough Building at 9:00 a.m. on April 11th.

Winners of the NCAA March Madness Challenge

All students and staff members at Mercer Middle-High School were invited to fill out a NCAA March Madness bracket. Here are the winners of this challenge:

The student winner of the Mercer Middle-High School Bracket Challenge is Kevin Minner.

The staff winner of the Mercer Middle-High School Bracket Challenge is Dr. Travis Weller.

The following students were the leading point earners in their respective grades:

12th grade- Rodney Brant

11th grade- Chris Micsky

10th grade- Kevin Minner

9th grade- Josh Wamboldt

8th grade- Riley Kennis

7th grade- PJ Boggs

Congratulations to all winners! Thank you to all individuals that participated.

 

Athletic Events Week of 4.6 to 4.10

The following athletic events will take place this week:

Monday
Baseball vs. Wilmington @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
Softball vs. Reynolds @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)

Tuesday
Softball vs. Titusville @ Titusville- POSTPONED
Track and Field vs. Wilmington @ Wilmington HS (4:00 p.m. start)

Wednesday
Baseball vs. Greenville @ Brandy Springs Park (4:00 p.m. start)
MS Track and Field vs. Farrell, George Jr., Grove City @ Mercer High School (4:00 p.m. start)

Thursday
Softball vs. Sharpsville @ Brandy Springs Park (4:15 p.m. start)
Track and Field vs. West Middlesex @ Mercer High School (4:00 p.m. start)

Friday
None

Saturday
Softball vs. Grove City @ Brandy Springs Park (1:00 p.m. start)
Varsity Track and Field @ Harbor Creek Invitational