Middle School

5th Grade Science students recently learned about how to make it rain using varying water temperatures for the atmosphere and the surface water. In this lesson, students developed a model to explain how water cycles from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again. In the activity, Make It Rain, students created simple models of the ocean and sky to see how these two systems interact. Students compared how the temperature of the ocean and the temperature of the sky affected evaporation and condensation. 🌧️

Save the date for the 2026 Daddy/Daughter Dance on April 3rd from 6:00 to 7:30 PM for girls in grades K–5. See the flyer for more details! 🩰

🎉 6th Grade Students of the Month! 🎉

Congratulations to our outstanding students for December!

📚 ELA (Mrs. Powell): Christopher Bilby
➗ Math (Mr. Leslie): Tucker Hartranft
🌍 Social Studies (Mr. Visnosky): Caleb Trometter
🔬 Science (Mr. Kaseman): Rhylin Faus

Southern Columbia Middle School Presents: 5th Grade SoCo Stars of the Month⭐

These students were chosen because they have displayed self-control, tolerance, academic integrity, and resilience within the school setting. Congratulations to each student and their families!

December Honorees:
Emily Jeffrey
Audrey Maciejewski
Cooper Williams
Hudson Hoffman
Nathan Reefer

⛄Congratulations to the 7th Grade Students of the Month for December⛄

We are proud to recognize these outstanding students for their hard work and dedication. Keep up the great work!

Math: Jackson Pfirman
Science: Ainsley Gajkowski
Geography: Kason Klinger
ELA: Kinsley Wiehe

Middle School students took part in a festive holiday fundraiser by purchasing snowballs for their teachers. The teacher who collected the most snowballs earned the honor of wearing the Grinch costume for the day. Mrs. Nestico won by a landslide, proving she truly is a mean one! 🎄💚

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.