Honor rolls for the 4th quarter have been announced.

Congratulations to our students for all your hard work!

Grade 7 students enjoyed a day of hands-on learning at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake on June 6 as part of their class field trip.

Thanks Dr. Reardon for the photos!

The annual class trip to the Bronx Zoo was a hit with 6th graders on June 5.

Thank you to all our volunteer chaperones who helped make the trip possible!

The Accelerated Art class visited MASS MoCA art center in North Adams, Mass. on May 15 for a field trip.

“Students had a great time exploring and learning about Contemporary Art,” said Art Teacher Jeanine Mitchell. “The museum is preparing to double in size in two weeks and features the work of Sol Le Witt.”

Gardner-Dickinson students created artwork for the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site that will be on display in its Visitor Center through May 31.

Gardner-Dickinson was one of 17 schools to create art for an exhibit that challenged students to explore the National Park Service through art.

The art project is in partnership with the Dream Rocket project. Artwork will be collected after the exhibit is over and join thousands of pieces of student artwork from around the world to wrap the skeleton of a replica NASA rocket.

A new Creative Writing class is offering 8th graders an opportunity this year to explore different writing styles.

Instead of spending time in study hall, students gather around a library table where they first read from a book and discuss the motivations of characters and how the author writes.

One week, the novel is “Skeleton Creek,” a story told from two different characters’ perspectives. Another week, students discuss “The Crossover,” the Newbery Award winning book written entirely in prose.

After the book discussion, students try their own hand at writing in different styles. Students write fiction, poems and even a graphic novel, with the help of art teacher Jeanine Mitchell.

“We read, we write, we discuss,” explained teacher Rebecca Delaney. “What I like best is they don’t think of it as work. It’s so much different from what they do in class because they have free reign to write what they want.”

Student Rayne Barnes noted she appreciates the opportunity to be creative with her writing and feels her writing has improved as a result of the class.

“I enjoy the freedom we have here,” explained Rayne. “If you give us an idea to write about, it’s easier for me than to be told exactly what to write.”

Ms. Delaney said other teachers have mentioned to her how they also notice improvement in students’ writing, something she credits with how the students help each other.

“They’re always willing to listen and accepting of each other’s work,” said Ms. Delaney. “They value the critique. They want to get better.”

Months of rehearsing afterschool paid off for the Gardner-Dickinson Drama Club who presented the musical “The Little Mermaid Jr.” on Mar. 31 and Apr. 1.

Performing the musical’s signature songs such as “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”, the 24 students in Drama Club drew standing ovations from a packed gymnasium for each show.

This was the first year the Drama Club performed the school musical twice. Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reardon said the change worked out well, particularly because the musical typically takes place the day before graduation.

“The Drama Club really had a chance to stand on their own without so much of the focus on graduation,” said Dr. Reardon. “I’m so proud of our students. It was awesome to see such a wide range of students working so hard behind the scenes and then taking a risk by putting themselves in the public eye. That takes courage.”

Ask a Gardner-Dickinson 6th grader about their Demigods research project and you’ll get an earful.

“I was really excited to research as much Greek mythology as I could,” said student Isabella Marte. “We had to research the god’s appearance, their personality, and their image on a notecard. I chose Paen, he is a satyr, which is a half-goat, half-man. He created the pan flute and the word panic actually came from him because he liked to jump out and scare people sometimes.”

What made the library project particularly engaging for students was the opportunity to create their own demigod, particularly after having just read “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” in their English Language Arts class.

“That’s why this demigod project wasn’t like any other project. I really liked how you got to pick one god and just with the evidence and the information you found out about her or him you got to make your own new character,” explained Lauren Czubek, who created a demigod named Pearl. “I gave her a seashell that she clipped onto her belt that would call all of her dolphins, which Poseidon used to get her mother Amphitrite.”

Theresa Crawford was so excited about the project she created twin demigods and had a hard time stopping. While most students wrote a page about their demigod, Theresa kept writing.

“I kind of took part of my story from ‘Percy Jackson’ because there’s a centaur in the book so I put a centaur in my story so it really blended together,” said Theresa. “My goddess was Hera, and I really liked her because she was beautiful. My two kids were Victoria and Rosealina. When I was little, they were my favorite names because I thought they were beautiful so those names came just right to me.”

Library Media Specialist Linda Fecura was amazed at the stories students came up with. She said that part of the project engaged students and aligned with their English Language Arts class.

“The project was all about connections. It enhanced their reading and understanding of ‘The Lightning Thief’,” explained Ms. Fecura. “They totally loved it on their end because there was a creative component. I wanted them to internalize the knowledge and produce something unique on their own.”

That point was not lost on Ryan Strong, who noted he’s read about mythology for years and was excited to research Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmithing and fire.

“When I heard we were doing this I got real super excited,” said Ryan. “It was kind of like a new boundary for me because it’s something I don’t usually get to do. When I read my books I’m always the one reading the connections, I’m not the one making the connections. That why it wasn’t like any average paper that you sit down and write. This was all out of your brain, but like an exciting part of your brain.”

The excitement students had for the project and the researching skills they gained impressed Principal Mary Yodis, who noted students learned to use technology effectively, find reliable sources of information, and the proper way to cite those sources.

“I find it remarkable. They’re using technology and research tools because they’re creating their own demigod that was based on their ELA and Social Studies content,” said Dr. Yodis. “Our kids are like ‘Oh my God, Mrs. Yodis. Please come and look at my Demigod. Do you want to see what I’m writing about?’ They loved it. They were so engaged.”