Middle School

Last week kicked off 12 Days of Holidays fun hosted by Student Council! 🎅

Students and staff have been encouraged to show their holiday spirit by participating in themed dress-up days. Everyone who joins in is entered to win a prize at the end of the spirit days. 🎁

Thank you to everyone who has already participated, and don’t forget to keep showing your holiday spirit for the remaining days! 🎄

Contributor: Brooke Knorr, Journalism Staff Member

7th grader Audrina Stefanowicz visited Mrs. Pfirman’s classroom today to present on starting a business, and she led an engaging activity with the students. Audrina created both a presentation and a worksheet to help students explore entrepreneurship and consider what type of business they might start.

Southern Columbia Middle School proudly recognizes the November SoCo Stars of the Month!

These students were selected for demonstrating self-control, tolerance, academic integrity, and resilience within the school setting. Congratulations to each student and their families!

November 2025 Honorees:

Allie Delgrippo, Olivia Mitchell, Charlie Walker, Sawyer Rodriguez, Cathan Strohecker

Susquehanna Kids recently visited Mrs. Singley's and Mrs. Long's classrooms to lead an AI/coding workshop. Students got to create a dancing character while applying coding concepts and creativity. 

🎉 Congratulations to Our 6th Grade Students of the Month! 🎉

We are proud to recognize these outstanding students for their hard work, positive attitude, and dedication to learning:

📚 ELA (Mrs. Powell): Sarah Davis
🌍 Social Studies (Mr. Visnosky): Savannah Funkhouser
🔬 Science (Mr. Kaseman): Olivia Carl
➗ Math (Mr. Fegley): Makayla Fracalossi

🎄 Class of 2028 Afternoon Holiday Celebration! 🎄

Join us for a festive afternoon filled with fun activities, holiday movies, and holiday cheer.

📅 Date: Sunday, December 14
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM
📍 Location: High School Auditorium

See the attached flyer for full details!

❄️The Southern Columbia High School Student Council will be hosting the “12 Days of Holidays” beginning Monday, December 8th! 🎄All students and staff across the district are encouraged to join in the fun by participating in the daily themed dress-up days. 🎁

Southern Columbia Area students swept the competition at the PA VFW District 14 contest for both the Voice of Democracy Essay/Speech and Patriots' Pen Essay, sponsored locally by VFW Post 8306 in Catawissa. Declan McGinley, 11th grade, won the Voice of Democracy, and Levi Race, 8th grade, won the Patriots' Pen. This year’s theme was: “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” Both Declan and Levi will now compete at the state level, with winners announced at the Department of PA VFW Mid-Winter Conference held in Gettysburg in January.

Picture #1: Commander Mark Schlieder, Reagan Kusnerick, Shilow Welkom, Levi Race, and Gary Roberts, Sr. Vice

Picture #2: Commander Mark Schlieder, Declan McGinley, Emily Valencik, Leah Fenstermacher, and Gary Roberts, Sr. Vice

Students in Middle School Computer Classes combined gratitude with technology by creating projects that showcased what they are thankful for this holiday season. These projects included digital art and coding activities, allowing students to express their appreciation in creative, tech-savvy ways. 💻

7th Grade students had the opportunity to hear from two excellent guest speakers last week. Ann Dzwonchyk, a nurse at Evangelical Hospital, spoke to geography students about the dangers of nicotine products, and Jon Bobeck, an SCA parent, taught science students about honeybees. Thank you to both presenters for providing informative, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences for our students!

Our 6th Grade Ancient Civilizations classes traveled back in time to Ancient Mesopotamia! 🌍 Students used a stylus and Model Magic to write their initials in cuneiform, the world’s first form of writing. ✍️ This activity brought history to life and gave students a glimpse into how early civilizations communicated.

In the 8th Grade Advanced STEM class, students took on an exciting engineering challenge: designing and building bridges out of popsicle sticks modeled after major real-world bridge designs. Working under resource and design constraints, they applied key concepts such as structure and stability, forces like tension and compression, load distribution, and materials science. After construction, each bridge was tested by hanging weights underneath to see if it could withstand the required load. This hands-on project fostered problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking.

The Southern Columbia High School Student Council will be hosting its 12th Annual Blanket and Squishmallow Drive during the holiday season to benefit patients at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and other local charities. All blankets and Squishmallows, whether purchased or handmade, must be brand new. To help protect the recipients, please place your donation in a plastic bag and keep it free from dust and debris.

Donations can be dropped off in Miss Jen Stine’s classroom or in the High School Office beginning Tuesday, November 25th. The drive will conclude on Tuesday, December 16th, and donations will be delivered on the 17th. This timeline allows the Student Council to sort, organize, and prepare all items for delivery.

This marks the 12th year of our drive, and thanks to the generosity of our school community, we have donated over 1,500 blankets to date. Our Student Council hopes you will support this year’s effort and help brighten the holidays for those in need. If you would like to participate but are not local or cannot drop off a donation, please consider contributing through our Amazon Wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2DX8OVO1CMTO5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_EFX3B76YKFEDQ5DACRQQ_1
Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity!

FBLA and other business-minded students had the opportunity to attend Penn State University Park for a tour of the Smeal College of Business today. After enjoying lunch and Creamery ice cream, students received an admissions presentation and a tour of the College of Business. They had the opportunity to ask questions to current students pursuing majors in business. 

Congratulations to the following 7th Grade Students of the Month:

⭐Collin Maclay - Math
⭐Brynn Rosini - ELA
⭐Orion Mourey - Science
⭐Isabelle Leffler - Geography

These students have excelled in the classroom and spread positivity throughout our halls! Keep up the great work!

On Wednesday, six SCA students participated in the 2025 PMEA Middle School Band Fest. This event took place at Lewisburg High School. 162 Middle Schoolers participated in this event, which included students from 22 schools in 8 different counties. In order to participate in this event, students had to be chosen by their band director for their outstanding work as a musician. Congratulations to the following students who participated in this event: Kinsley Wiehe, Kason Klinger, Amelia DeWald, Liliana McGeary, Lincoln Barnette, and Levi Race.

Contributors: Karlene Wiehe, Kylee Henry, and Brooke Knorr, Journalism Staff Members

Congratulations to the newly inducted National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society members. National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society members are recognized for upholding the four pillars of the National Honor Society- scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

7th Grade Science students recently dissected owl pellets as part of their unit on birds. They sorted through regurgitated fur, feathers, bones, and claws to identify the various prey species eaten by barn owls. 🦉

🦃 Thanksgiving Spirit Week Starts Wednesday! 🦃

Get ready to show your Tiger pride and celebrate the season of gratitude! Our district-wide Spirit Week kicks off this Wednesday with fun themes each day leading up to Thanksgiving break. Check out the graphic for all the details and start planning your outfits. Let’s make this week festive and full of school spirit!