PCMS Press

Tessa McGee—Editor-in-Chief

Audrey Archambault—Managing Editor

Aleah Dixon & Bethany Zenil — Graphic Designers & Editors

Meredith Ballou, Amaya Blake,

Sophie Curtis, Grace Donnelli,

Spencer Hay, Chloe Helmer,

Alicen Hornbeck, Taylor Mayne,

Amaira Peterson, Paige Roberts, Karson Suiter,

Ida Walsh , Paige Znamenacek

Mrs. Singer—Adviser

On February 9, the 2018 Winter Olympics finally began and finished on February 25th. The United States was lucky to have 244 Olympians who competed in PyeongChang this year. Several of our extremely talented athletes medaled including, Chloe Kim/Gold, Shaun White/Gold, Lindsey Vonn/Bronze, Mikaela Shiffrin/Gold/Silver, Red Gerard/Gold, and many more. Shaun White succeeded when striving to win his third Olympic gold medal and the United States 100th Winter Olympics gold medal. As Shaun stood at the top of the halfpipe preparing to blow his fanbase away on his final run at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and sure enough he did, perfecting a link pair of 14s. I guess third time really is the charm. Although Shaun wasn’t the only one to blow us away, the USA Women’s Ice Hockey team took the gold for the first time in twenty years.

Medals by country

Ready… Set... GO! The 2018 track season has begun! Practice started on February 26 and runs Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 5:00. Their first meet will take place on March 26 against Smithville and will be a home meet at PCHS.

2018 spring sports have started. A new spring sport for middle school is swimming for the 7th and 8th graders. The swimmers that joined the team will have five meets:

March 29th - NKC at Platte Co

April 3rd - KC at Platte Co

April 17th - Platte Co at ISD

April 19th - Platte Co at Belton

April 25th - Championship Meet at Gladstone

There will be No practice on the following dates:

3/14 (PLC)

3/19 -3/23 (Spring Break)

3/30 (Good Friday)

4/11 (PLC)

March 1 - PCMS Student Ambassador meeting @ 7am

-PCMS PTO Meeting @ 4pm

-PCMS & Barry PTSA Skate Night @ The Rink 6pm

March 2 - NJHS Meeting @ 7am

March 5 - PCMS School Pictures

March 7 - PCMS Assembly Schedule

-Platte Valley Bank Day

March 8 - STUCO Meeting

March 9 - End of 3rd quarter

March 11 - Trolley Run Practice @ 3pm

March 14 - PLC

March 15 - NJHS Induction Ceremony @ 6:30pm

March 16 - Report cards go home

March 19 - No School - Spring Break

March 20 - No School

March 21 - No School

March 22 - No School

March 23 - No School

March 26 - Track vs Smithville @ 4pm

March 27 - Chess Club session 2 @ 3pm

March 29 - Swim Meet vs NKC @ 4pm

- Pirate games & Staff vs Student Basketball game

ELA: Persuasive research papers, start reading Tuck Everlasting and reviewing literary terms and skills.

Math: Algebraic/Numerical Expressions and Properties

Science: Skype session with aerospace engineer Michelle Munk, part of the NASA Mars exploration team, continue exploring the Universe and planning a Mission to Mars, which includes planning, budgeting, equipment, mass, and other constraints.

Social Studies: Geography, History, Cultures & Economies

ELA:Finishing up our information for research essays and then moving on to a short unit on central ideas and writing objective summaries.

Math: percentages

Science:Simple Machines

Social studies: Olympics and Middle Ages

Science:Simple Machines

ELA: Delineating and Evaluating Arguments and Argumentative Writing

Math:

8th Grade Math - Transformations, Triangle/Angle Relationships, Pythagorean Theorem, Rational/Irrational Numbers, Scatter Plots

Algebra 1 - Exponent Rules, Exponential Functions, and Rational/Irrational Numbers

Geometry - Similar Figures and Polygons

Science:

Human Anatomy, Organ Systems, and How Organ Systems Work Together

Social Studies:

Jefferson’s Presidency, Westward Expansion, and War of 1812

Applied Technology:

6th- Working on partner design in dream living

7th- Using physics in sketup

8th- Work on programing test beds

Art:

6th - Paper Mache Masks

7th - Watercolor painting

8th - Acrylic painting

Band:

6th - Learning accidentals, dotted quarter notes, and expanding range

7th - Learning sixteenth notes, enharmonics, and chromatic patterns

8th - Preparing for chair placement test in sight reading and technique

8th Jazz - Preparing for NWMSU Jazz Fest on Friday, February 23rd

Choir:

6th, 7th, and 8th - Continuing their work for the spring concert

Computer Literacy:

6th - Typing, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Code.org

7th - Typing, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint

8th - Typing, Microsoft Excel, Google apps, and Coding

Music Appreciation:

7th and 8th - Learning about different jobs in the music industry

PE:

6th, 7th, and 8th - Learning the fundamentals of soccer and practicing them in games

World Language:

6th - Spanish and Swahili

7th - Finish study of French with a final interview and celebrate their study with a Mardi Gras celebration

8th - Human body parts in Spanish

Congratulations to the December students of the month!

6th grade students of the month: Morgan Uthe and Sam Ragone

7th grade students of the month: Demi Riechers and Karsyn Stehlik

8th grade students of the month: Jailyn House and Joe Nicholson

Jenna Wheeler, Sydney Farr, Shelton Mots, Ava Healy, Morgan Uthe, Issac Medina, Sam Ragone, Maddie Lewis, Calvin Thrasher, Resse Picket, Hannah Mand, Maggie Major, Maddie Haugsven, Cameron Dean, Korbyn Loehr, Trenton Guthrie, Jaiden Webb, Jami Prettyman, Anja Chance, Demi Riechers, Andrew Reil, Alivia Fredrickson, Jaycie Minor, Karsyn Stehlik, Carli Hollandsworth, Brooklyn Saale, Brylie Kovar, Isabella Hughes, Lanna Albright, Piper Sudduth, Sloan Kassen, Alison Dolan, Joe Nicholson, Madalyn Jaynes, Cole Rhoden, Liberty Wallen, Ashton Liberty, Jaisyn House, Jailyn House, Zach Sill, Allison Dolan, Lacy Gutsfon, Olivia Aagesen, Norah Aagesen

Congratulations to the January Students of the month!

6th grade students of the month: Bode Stubbs and Sarah Larson

7th grade students of the month: Hannah Hampl and Sam Teufel

8th grade students of the month: Jarrett Mueller and Allison Hornbeck

Danica Shay, Ayden Frankhauser, Shelton Mots, Sahara Barker-Weeseley, Josh Bertram, Kinsey Canole, Hampton Curtis, Zach Rhodes, Drew Boyer, Evan Sears, Bode Stubbs, Rosie Walters, Zeke Woodring, Sarah Larson, John Hicks, Gypsy Renfrow, Chris Morgan, Katelyn Williams, Skyler Stewart, Miles Lang, Madeline Judy, Korbyn Loehr, Jessica Fernandez, Jack Wall, Sam Feufel, Mackenzie Ryerson, Ryan McCoy, Lexi Orozco, Trenton Guthrie, Cameron Wolf, Jordan Pearson, Aspyn Hutchinson-Nelson, Hannah Hamphl, Grant Kingery, Grant Johnson, Jarrett Mueller, Tori Allen, Spencer Hay, Amaya Blake, Alicon Hornbeck, Kalina Arnold, Garrett Ruel, Darren Morris, Dominic Armbruster-Yasquez, Lauren Bradley, Tanner Powers, Nick Stone, Nicolus Wrinkle

Here are the results for our Regional Science Olympiad tournament, the last tournament of the season, held at Staley High School on February 17th. There were a total of 16 participating middle school teams in 23 events for Division B (Middle School). Ms. Poe just got the full results after they were certified by the State Director. The PCMS Science Olympiad team placed 7th overall in the Regional tournament.

* Receiving medals/ribbons at the tournament were:

• Meteorology - Andrew Reil - 1st place [This makes three 1st place medals in a row. Fantastic!]

• Battery Buggy - Alyson Stone - 4th place

• Dynamic Planet - Alyson Stone - 4th place

• Fast Facts - Celine Reed & Savanna Cullins - 5th place

• Solar System - Maggie Major & Savanna Cullins - 4th place

• Write It / Do It - Andrew Reil & Thad Sutphin - 5th place

* Honorable Mention (several placed in the top 10):

• Anatomy - Alex Watson & Isabella Hughes - 6th place

• Ecology - Abigail Duryea - 10th place

• Herpetology - Alyson Stone - 6th place

• Hovercraft - Zane Miller - 10th place

• Microbe Mission - Cooper Stokes - 10th place

• Mystery Architecture - Isabella Hughes & Samantha Teufel - 14th place

• Optics - Cooper Stokes - 10th place

• Potions & Poisons - Alyson Stone - 15th place

• Rocks & Minerals - Samantha Teufel & Isabella Hughes - 7th place

• Roller Coaster - Alex Watson & Savanna Cullins - 6th place

• Thermodynamics - Alyson Stone - 7th place

• Towers - Alex Watson & Savanna Cullins - 10th place

• Wright Stuff - Cooper Stokes - 7th place

Thank you all for participating in this season of Science Olympiad as members of the PCMS team. Mr. Sipes and Ms. Poe appreciate all of your involvement and willingness to take on multiple events. We hope to see you in the next season of Science Olympiad starting in late September 2018.

Andrew Reil takes 1st for the 3rd time in a row in Meteorology.

The Platte City Middle School Robotics Team competed at the state championship in

Rolla, MO on 2/17.

Y Team (Aedan Sutphin, Liberty Wallen, Jake Crowell, Kylee Miller, and Morgan Flynn) placed 3rd among all middle school teams in individual skills.

Z Team (Noah Mumma-Yeater, Jon Oliver, Caitlyn Matthys, Gabe Stickler, Kage Audas, and Ava Robertson) won the excellence award for best all-around middle school team in the state. As a result, they received an invitation to the world championship in Kentucky at the end of April.

The Z team posing proudly with their award.

will be all it takes for this year's middle school musical to be presented on Apri 27 and 28. Ms. Mahnken and Ms. Rolls direct while PCMS and Barry students portray the characters in Mary Poppins, Jr. Practices are every day after school. Everyone involved in the musical is putting forth their best effort to make the production a hit. Hope to see everyone at the Wilson Center for the exciting acting, singing, and dancing.

Congratulation to the following students in Jazz Band who took 3rd place at Jazz Fest last Friday!

Zoey Burch, Arianna Gardner, Erian Stone, Miranda Edlin, Audrey Booth, Isaac Havemeier, Jonathan Mickleboro, Chandler Skahan, Andreas Kellepouris, Cooper Sharp, Nick Stone, Tori Allen, Sophia White, Levi Davies, Minna Arthurs, Nick Vedder, Tanner Powers, Paige Roberts, Ava Robertson, Breanna Serna, Chris Gentilia, Grant Kingery, Claire Graves, and Caitlyn Matthys.

On February 16, for the first time at PCMS, 7th and 8th graders were entrusted to have their phones out during lunch. Our STUCO officers conferred with the principals and School Leadership Team in a discussion about cell phones. They have come to an agreement to allow phones on Fridays during lunch. The sixth through eighth graders at our counterpart, Barry, are allowed to have their phones at lunch every day. Due to this, many students are opposed to getting only Fridays, but one day is better than none. This privilege will be only on Fridays, only for 7th and 8th graders; and will be reevaluated towards the end of this school year to see how it worked.

The month of February in the United States is observed as Black History Month (or National African-American History Month). Black History Month is a month to celebrate and commemorate the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout our country's history. Here at Platte City Middle School, we learned facts about famous African Americans and events that have occurred to bring all races and colors together as one nation.