With a triumphant return to Fireman's Field, Field Day 2022 was a fun day back to the cherished tradition of outdoor games, hot dogs, and grass! Split into a gold and blue team - which are HNOM's school colors - 8th graders competed in a relay race, the color game, a pipeline challenge, and a bucket-filling water activity! To end the day, 8th graders played tug o' war and then competed against the 7th grade in a Tom and Jerry race! Great school spirit and sportsmanship, Class of 2022!

Congratulations to Jose and Myles, the 8th grade winners of the middle school Math Bee! With quick-thinking and strong mental math skills, the 8th graders excelled in the academic tournament. Two 6th grade students - Morgan and Ryder - won the overall competition, which included all students in Grades 6-8 and was hosted by Miss Ciminelli in the gymnasium during first and second period. Mrs. Powell assisted with timing and Miss Mehring monitored answer accuracy.

With bologna sandwiches and candy bars from Windrixville, chocolate cake from the Curtis brothers' household, and popcorn and Pepsi from the Nightly Double drive-in theater, 8th graders enjoyed book-based snacks as they watched the movie adaptation of THE OUTSIDERS. The snacks were grounded in three different story settings and the gold color scheme of the tablescape was inspired the famous words of Johnny: "Stay gold, Ponyboy." 8th graders compared and contrasted the movie to the book throughout the movie!

To reinforce characterization in their E.L.A. class novel, THE OUTSIDERS, 8th graders dressed up as either a Greaser or Soc. As East-side Greasers, students wore basic attire, like jeans, white or black t-shirts, and leather jackets. And as the West-side, affluent Socs, 8th graders chose preppy clothes that were crisp and put-together.

For a nostalgic return to Aaron Blabey's children's book series and grade-level literary discussion on dramatic irony, onomatopoeia, and genre-specific text features - like emanata - 7th and 8th graders attended a private screening of the new 2022 animated movie, THE BAD GUYS, at Merrick Cinemas 5.

To bring to life the characterization of Mr. Shark and his role as the "master of disguise" in THE BAD GUYS book series and the new 2022 animated movie, 8th graders received a paper doll version of Mr. Shark and created their own disguised character in a photo challenge!  The activity prepared students for their E.L.A. class field trip to see the movie adaptation of THE BAD GUYS. 8th graders also analyzed dramatic irony, reviewed comic text features (emanata, onomatopoeia, etc.), and read the first four books in the ongoing 14-book series to prepare! As a nod to Mr. Piranha's comfort food in the book series, the winner of the "Disguise Mr. Shark!" challenge received a gift card to Taco Bell and an award certificate!

7th and 8th graders were invited to Chaminade High School's Dolan Center for several fun STEM activities. First, students used pipe cleaners, bubble wrap, balloons, cotton balls, hot glue, and other craft materials to create landing gear for a paper cup Mars rover filled with marshmallow astronauts! Then students learned about plastic waste before creating seaweed-based edible water bottles!

After reading a short biography on Kobe Bryant - whose middle name, "Bean," was inspired by his father's "Jellybean" nickname - 8th graders read and watched the animated video of Kobe Bryant's retirement letter, "Dear Basketball." Through a mimic poem writing assignment in which students wrote to their own beloved hobbies or favorite things, students reviewed friendly letter format and were introduced to the literary device of apostrophe (when a narrator/speaker addresses an abstract idea or inanimate object as if were capable of hearing, understanding, and responding). As an tactile and sensory component to Writers' Workshop, students enjoyed some jellybeans - due to the inspiration behind Kobe's middle name! - as they filled out a brainstorming graphic organizer and a fill-in-the-blank draft template.

With blue baby bottle-shaped Kool-Aid, cheesecake, cheese and crackers, and green pea snack crisps, 8th graders delighted in a baby shower-themed party based on Roald Dahl's short story, "Lamb to the Slaughter," while comparing and contrasting the original 1954 story to a film adaptation. Students dressed down in either pink or blue to represent their guess about the gender of Mary Maloney's baby - a detail about the protagonist's six-month pregnancy only mentioned in the film adaptation! 

8th graders donated canned food items specifically linked to an essential setting - Sam's Grocery Shop - from Roald Dahl's short story, "Lamb to the Slaughter," to not only bring the setting to life in the classroom, but to extend the story into the parish community. To create her alibi in the story, protagonist Mary Maloney visits a local grocery shop and inquires about "a can of peas" and some Idaho potatoes to help her cook an impromptu Thursday night dinner for her husband, Patrick. Students recreated this scene by donating 7 cans of peas, 8 cans of split pea soup, and 15 potato soup varieties to HNOM's parish pantry.

To celebrate vocations during Catholic Schools Week, 8th graders dressed up in attire that reflected their ambitious career goals and future aspirations! From artists and basketball players to referees and sanitation workers  8th graders represented a wide spectrum of fulfilling and rewarding careers! Dream big, Class of 2022!

Organized by Mrs. Powell, Miss Sciortino, and Miss Faux, HNOM School held its 2nd Annual Talent Show on Tuesday's student appreciation day of Catholic Schools Week. Since Mrs. Powell is also the faculty supervisor for HNOM School's chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), two 8th grade NJHS members volunteered to help in the school event by introducing all the acts on stage.  With fantastic public speaking skills, Kyara and Jasmine embodied the leadership qualities that the NJHS promotes and did a phenomenal job at the microphone!

For student appreciation day on Tuesday of Catholic Schools Week, 8th graders enjoyed watching science experiments with dry ice, spinning coins, baby shampoo, a leaf blower, and fire during a "Mad Science" presentation in the cafeteria!

As a small, E.L.A.-aligned treat after HNOM's 2nd Annual 8th Grade vs. Faculty Free-Throw Basketball Competition, 8th graders received bags of Cheez-It crackers and Oreo cookies with labels that featured punny Basketball jokes. In addition, for winning the game against their teachers in a 19 to 15 victory, the Class of 2022 also received a new Spalding basketball for outdoor recess and a new book for their classroom library: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID #16: BIG SHOT. Congratulations on the win, 8th grade!

In HNOM School's 2nd Annual 8th Grade vs. Faculty Free-Throw Basketball Competition, the Class of 2022 took the win with a score of 19 to 15 against the teachers. As an after-school sports event, students and teachers lined the paint while they took turns shooting three free-throws each. Getting all three consecutive shots in earned each team a bonus point! In this friendly competition, 8th graders cheered on their teammates and demonstrated sportsmanship to their HNOM teachers.

To immediately immerse students in the setting of Roald Dahl's short story, "The Landlady," 7th graders were greeted with window signs in their English classroom door - a yellow chrysanthemum photograph, a B&B notice, and a travel marker to a nearby lodging - as well as a tray of vanilla and chocolate tea biscuits and lemon Lipton iced tea. 7th grade enjoyed munching on the tea and biscuits during an interactive read-aloud of the classic suspense story. Throughout the reading, the 7th graders were able to understand the other classroom changes, like the plush parrot hanging in a cage at the front of the room, the fireplace video crackling away on the Smartboard, and the small plush dachshund on the floor beneath it. 7th graders love when the story - from its sights to its tastes - comes to love in their own classroom.

In Ms. Brown's English class, 8th graders researched the New Year's traditions of countries and religions around the world because the New Year - as it is their graduation year - is particularly significant in 8th grade. On their Chromebooks, students conducted online research to write an informative paragraph that focused on and described three main traditions from their randomly assigned country/religion. 8th graders compiled source information on graphic organizers to be able to generate a Works Cited page and include M.L.A. format parenthetical citations in their writing as they synthesized the information from at least two websites. Students also created a Google Slide that brought their country's/religion's traditions to life, since they were challenged to locate photographs of the New Year's festivals, "lucky foods," and rituals. Since pomegranates are considered a lucky New Year's food in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, students enjoyed a fruit strip treat as they listened to each other's research presentations! 8th grade learned a lot about why many different foods and activities mark the New Year!

Inspired by O. Henry's classic holiday story, "The Gift of the Magi," the Class of 2022 participated in the 8th grade's 2nd annual "Mystery Magi" gift exchange in which they had to purchase a $2.00 surprise gift for a classmate! In the short story, Della - the protagonist - believes that her savings of $1.87 were not adequate to buy her husband, Jim, a worthy Christmas present. Through this misconception, the story emphasizes thoughtfulness - not expense - as the key to gift-giving, so students set out to prove Della incorrect by purchasing $2 gifts. Their favorite snacks and candy came spilling out of most "Mystery Magi" presents - from Swedish Fish, caramels, hot cocoa, and chocolate bars to Sour Cream & Onion chips and spicy Doritos! However, the funniest gift was a pack of crayons - because one "Mystery Magi" was tired of his classmate being unprepared for coloring assignments!