Sutherland Blog

In the past couple of weeks, we have been visiting Robert everyday and have loved every minute of it.  We have gotten to know him very well and hope to get to know him even more.  We have talked with him, listened to music, and even played Simon Says.  Robert talks to us through his Ipad app and he also signs some.  Today we were privileged enough to use a wheelchair.  Robert taught us how to turn, go up and down ramps, and maneuver around people and items.  It was a lot harder than we expected it to be and we were in awe.  Robert is so good at using and controlling the wheelchair as he does it all day, everyday.  We hope to continue visiting Robert, learning more about him, and doing more activities with him. By: Laura A, Hayley W, and Sydney W

Inspired by The Migration Series by American artist Jacob Lawrence, Ms. Bergin's seventh grade history classes painted pictures about the Great Migration and when free African Americans moved to the North. The pictures were about the unequalities that were happening to the people.                                                            Painted by Jacob Lawrence YouTube Video                             

Congratulations to all who won the SCA elections! Thanks to all the candidates for their hard work, but the results from the voting are in! The new SCA president is RYAN! The new SCA vice president is KATIE! The new SCA social director is MADISON!

 "On the hike we learned about few invasive plants but there were few because of the climate on the mountain. They have the largest amount of black bears in Shenandoah National Park. Then, we learned about the Paragrin Falcon, the staff of the National Park dunks them in water so they would forget where their original habitat was and they would adapt to Shenandoah. The wind was strong and cold with the feeling of fall on the top of the mountain. The tree's size and amount became smaller as we limbed higher on the mountain. Overall, it was a beautiful, educational, and memorable experience." -Evan

Mrs. Harris and Mr. Crow led an awesome ICA project; School Beautification! The students planted flowers at the front of the school and cleared other areas from overgrown shrubs.Thanks to these students for all they did in helping out their community!

Some of the first semester 7th grade science students participated in an overnight field trip through the Green Adventure Project at Triple C Camp .  Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

The SCA Presidential speeches were on Wednesday, October 19th. There were 9 speeches, both president and vice president. All of the candidates were there, and amazingly there are more students running for social director than for president! Each speech was unique, and there was deafening applause after each. Now it all comes down to the votes! Below are some quotes from each candidate, so you can get a look at each one. The voting will happen on Thursday the 20th. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" -Ryan "Live everyday like it is your last" -Nick "Peace, love, Abigail" -Abby "Help me, help you, vote for Madison" -Madison "Look at the glass half full, not half empty" -Maggie "Rumor has it that everyone is voting for Emma" -Emma The vice president candidates were: kelsy, Lucas, Katie,

Invasive Plants Symbaloo

Some of the seventh grade students heard The Giving Tree ( by Shel Silverstein) read aloud as an introduction to their case study.  This is a children's book about a tree who plays with a little boy. As the boy grows older he takes from the tree without giving back. In the story whenever the boy is happy the tree is happy. The students used meaningful words to create a wordle (see picture). If you haven't read it in a while, or never at all, read it, and I'm sure you will enjoy it!

Congratulations to all the ladies who made the choral group. That was a hard cut to make, and the people the tried out had some real courage and skill. We are proud all of you, and thanks to Mrs. Rife, the chorus teacher for all of her hard work!

The First Dance Sweat. Pizza Grease. Soda spills. Ear-blasting music. All of these things immediately remind me of my past dances at Sutherland. They are an essential part of the Sutherland experience. Unfortunately, by the eighth grade year, the majority of students are slightly tired, and look forward to high school prom and the renown Eighth grade Formal Celebration. I especially noticed this when I went into a sixth grade classroom and asked who was planning to attend the dance. Nearly all the students responded with yes. Comparatively, when I went into an eighth grade classroom, only one student was coming. Eighth grade, why are you less enthusiastic? We should be the leaders of the school, being models for the younger students. Let's not lose our sixth grade enthusiasm!

The salsa class was a new experience for our returning Sutherland students. It was rather interesting to see what other cultures incorporate into their dance. Most boys were reluctant to dance, in spite of the fact that they had signed up for the class. All the girls were very enthusiastic about dancing with the boys! Most of the girls were 6th graders while most of the boys were 8th graders which caused some awkwardness! Overall it was a great cultural experience! YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Students in Mr. Schwalm's 7th grade science class all did amazing projects to represent a cell. What they did was think of an analogy of a cell( example: nucleolus was like a manager or boss). Then they had to create a model of that. There were 5 options of project, students could do a poster, a PowerPoint, a story, a movie, or choose their own. One duo of creative artists made a clay representation of Santa's workshop. Taylor and Sophie's work was amazing, and well presented. Some people did factory posters and they are currently displayed on the 7nth grade wall near Mr. Schwalm's room.