UDHS Community Update

Good afternoon, UDHS Family,

On Saturday, 19 of our young Upper Dublin STEM researchers presented their research findings at Souderton Area High School for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Regional Competition. The competition hosted 280 students from local high schools and middle schools. Each student should be commended for their hard work and perseverance in the research, design, experimentation, and analysis of their own, unique project idea. Judges of the fair include STEM area teachers, university professors, and industry professionals. Upper Dublin took home 15 first place awards (including two perfect scores) and four second place awards. Our first place award winners will go on to the state competition in May, held at Pennsylvania State University. Thank you so much to our high school sponsors (Dawn Edelman, Brian Palme, Joanne Lilliendahl, Doug Sample, Chris Smith, Leanne Jones, and Megan Gallagher) who mentored these students through this process. Click here to see the list of UDHS participants.

The German department is proud to announce that Nicholas Loza won the first place and Gold Medal in German at the James J. Doyle contest at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. This contest is hosted by the Montgomery County Association of Foreign Language Teachers (MCATFL) and offers students the opportunity to demonstrate their interpersonal speaking skills in Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, or German. World language professionals conduct individual interviews with students to evaluate their performance. Glückwunsch!

Our school has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Students and staff will be training, practicing, and drilling the SRP. Over the next few months we will conduct exercises on the protocol for Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. This week our students and staff performed a HOLD drill. This is to prepare for an event in which there is an uncommon situation that requires staff and students to stay where they are and clear the hallways. In this instance, business remains as usual within the classrooms after halls are empty and doors are closed and locked. We will continue to update our parents and guardians as these procedures are implemented.

Keystone Exams will be administered on May 14 - 17 in the morning at the high school. More information will follow and a letter will be mailed home to all students taking the assessments.

This past Monday morning, the Chamber of Commerce for Montgomery County recognized the achievements of local high school students who exemplify outstanding contributions to their school community. On behalf of the Chamber’s Inclusion Council, and in honor of Black History Month, three students identified as "rising stars" were showcased at a recognition breakfast. Josh Foster, Kendall Musgraves, and Christian Holland proudly represented Upper Dublin as they were able to connect with other "rising stars" from local school districts and received a certificate of achievement. Please click here to see a news segment featuring our students.

Friday night into Saturday morning we had eleven student teams join our faculty team in a round robin volleyball tournament. The 44th annual Volleyball Marathon raised $4800 for Abbey's Bakery. We also had many local businesses donate food to the event. Thanks to everyone who played a role and to our Student Government Association for their leadership of the event.

This week, four of our incredible FBLA board members proudly represented Upper Dublin High School at the Varsity LifeSmarts PA State competition. They traveled to the Attorney General’s office in Harrisburg to compete against PA’s top schools. We are proud to say that our team made it to the semifinals, and placed fourth in the state. Congratulations to Mrs. Sundling, Julia Kissell, Eleanor Blough, Julia Ravitz, and Dakota Mass. We look forward to seeing all that you accomplish at the FBLA State competition in April.

On February 23, seniors Zach Hunter and Max Obando completed their Culminating Project by organizing a chess tournament. Proceeds of this event went to The Gift of Chess, a charity which donates chess sets to refugee camps to share the gift of chess. This tournament was dedicated in remembrance of Stephen Konz. Over 30 Upper Dublin students competed for the prestigious title of being the 2024 UDHS Chess Champion. Congratulations to Cameron Molyneux (1st), Joseph Lee (2nd), and Ryan Gu (3rd). Pictures can be seen here.

Two seniors, Joy Kim and Daniel Jung, have entered the Make-A-Wish Rising Stars Program, a competitive fundraising program that includes various schools within the Greater Philadelphia area. This program's goal is to inspire students and their communities to aid in granting life-changing wishes for kids with critical illnesses. There are multiple children such as Branson who is fighting leukemia and wishes to go to Disney World, be a superhero, and push all the buttons in a tall building’s elevator. You are welcome to contribute if you scan the QR code (and also see a picture of Branson) found here.

Everybody Cut Loose and join us for a night full of great music and amazing dance numbers as the UDHS theatre proudly presents FOOTLOOSE. Tickets are on sale now at udhstheatre.ticketleap.com/footloose. Performances will be held in the Performing Arts Center with reserved seating so it is highly recommended that you select and order your exact seats via the seating chart. Please email UDHStheatre@udsd.org with any questions. Thanks to everyone who participated in the library concerts this week to help generate enthusiasm.

Our annual Music in Our Schools Concerts are extraordinary celebrations of our music at Upper Dublin. The Vocal Concert will take place on March 14 and Strings Concert on March 19. While the vocal night is sold out, tickets still remain for the instrumental evening, so please purchase your tickets by scanning the QR code. This will be an unforgettable event you do not want to miss.

Thank you to Mr. Heiland for his update on UDHS athletics.

What a weekend for UD Athletes:

Swimming:

• Boys
• UD sent 9 boys to districts this weekend with three individuals earning district medals. Toby Herzog (3rd Breaststroke) & Will Matthews (8th Breaststroke). Herzog also finished 6th in the Individual Medley.
• All three relays finished on the podium as medalists and virtually guaranteed a spot at states in 2 weeks.
• The team finished in 5th place which is the best finish since 2020.
• Girls
  
• The girls' team won the 2024 District I Championship this weekend at York!
• UD sent 16 girls who swam in 29 individual events which was the most in District I. The Medley Relay won a gold medal, while the other relays each finished in 2nd place.
• 8 individuals earned medals. Sophia Sileo Magliari won the District Championship in the 100 Breaststroke and set a new school record. Other medalists were Arinia Vorobyeva (200 and 100 Free), Olivia Auwarter (3rd in butterfly and 5th in the Individual Medley), Vikki Williams (2nd in backstroke), Alicia Taylor (5th in 50 free) and Maddie Shapiro (8th in 100 Breaststroke).
• 14 girls scored points for the girls' team who put up 261 points total, which was 79.5 points higher than the 2nd place team.

Indoor Track & Field:

• Congratulations to our Girls' 4x800 relay (Emily Kulak, Mason Kullmann, Talia Hoffner, & Faith Castronuovo) who won the State Championship in that event, shattering the school record.
• Two other relays, the Distance Medley Relay, and the 4x400 relay also won state medals each finishing in 7th place.

Girls Wrestling

• Rylee Netter finished in 3rd Place in the SE Regional Wrestling Tournament.

• Her 3rd place finish guarantees her a spot in the first-ever PIAA Girls Wrestling State Tournament next week in Hershey.

Boys Basketball:

• With a 55-25 win over Sun Valley on Saturday, the boys will face Unionville on Thursday night at West Chester for the District I 5A Championship. It is the school's first appearance in the district championship game since 1985. If you are attending, please wear red. Also parking at WCU is a bit unique. Please view the campus map to see where to park. If you are unable to attend, there will be a live stream on the YouTube station UD Media.

Congrats to our girls' basketball team for making states again this year. They will face CB East at home tomorrow at 6 PM in a state playback game. They will find out their first-round state opponent on Sunday.

Good luck to our wrestlers who will be competing at regionals this weekend at Oxford. Jake Evans, Dom Powell, and Niko Pittakas will represent UD with an opportunity to go to the State Tournament.

Good luck to our girls' bowling team, who will compete at regionals on Saturday in Lancaster. The girls competing are Gianna Bona, Abigail Ruppel, Maureen Hagerty, Audrey Weeden, Quinn Ryan, & Joelle Jung.

Hard to believe, with all the great things happening with our winter teams, spring sports starts on Monday. Registrations were due this past Monday, however you will still need to be approved before tryouts to participate.

With Cardinal Pride,

Bob Schultz

Principal

9th, 10th and 11th grade students - Please join the Guidance Department for our STEM Themed college fair scheduled on March 19th during office hours. The event will be held in the Library and there will be representatives from nine different universities. Linked here is the flyer with more information. All students that are interested should attend. We look forward to seeing you there for this exciting opportunity.

UDHS New Student Orientation - Please save the date - Wednesday, August 21, 8-10am. This event is for all new students and parents of Upper Dublin High School grades 9th through 12th. Information pertaining to schedules, academics and an overview of high school life will be included. Please save the date and join the UDHS Administration!

Course Selection - All students in grade 8th through 11th have until May 1st to make final adjustments to their course selection requests. Parents can review selections in the parent portal of their Infinite Campus account. Please be sure to review the students 2nd marking period report card as well as course selections for next year to get a better idea of potential transitional progress. As always, seek out your school counselor with any questions.

Eastern Center for Arts and Technology -This is a great opportunity for parents of high school students in Eastern Montgomery County to see how EASTERN can give students a competitive edge in college or in a specialized career program. At the Open House on Sunday, March 3rd, parents and students will learn how EASTERN students can earn college credits while still in high school through dual enrollment and articulation agreements and enjoy learning in a hands-on setting. The Open House also offers an opportunity to hear from EASTERN instructors on the business environment that complements students’ high school academics. Many special activities in EASTERN’s career programs are scheduled, and there will be college, industry, and military representatives on hand.

Strike Out the Stigma - Come out to MOD PIZZA on Welsh Road in Willow Grove on Tuesday, March 5th to support the softball team's Strike Out the Stigma event. 20% of all proceeds will go to support Abbey's Bakery, bringing awareness to mental health ~ just mention you are there to support Upper Dublin Softball! You can also use THIS FLYER. Thanks for supporting a great cause!

Junior Prom - All UDHS members of the class of 2025 are invited to attend the Upper Dublin High School Class of 2025 Junior Prom on Saturday, April 6th. Click this link for the invitation and detailed instructions for purchasing tickets. Don't miss out. The deadline for purchasing tickets is Wednesday, March 6th.

Yard Signs - Class of 2024 soon to be Graduates and families, Graduation Yard Signs go on sale March 1st through March 22nd. This link gives a few options for purchasing a yard sign for 2024 Upper Dublin High School Graduates. Families should expect to pick up the signs at Upper Dublin High School sometime in late April. A notification will go out through the Principals Weekly Community Update as well as, Schoology for the students.

AP Exam Registration - The final deadline to register for AP exams at Upper Dublin High School is March 8th. Please see this link for details on the AP Exam late registration process and the process for canceling an exam, if needed.

Social Media Safety Presentation on February 29 presented by UDEF - Learn how to keep your children safe on social media. Join us for a special presentation by the Organization for Social Media Safety tonight at 6:30 PM in the UDHS Forum Room. Click here to learn more and register. This event, along with related student assemblies at SRMS and UDHS, has been made possible thanks to a generous gift to the Upper Dublin Education Foundation.

UDHS PTO Meeting - Please join us as we welcome our guest speaker Dr. Chang on Monday, March 11th at 7pm in the UDHS Library for a discussion about Culminating Projects, Community Study, Senior Disney Trip and ACT 158. Parents and Caregivers of Rising Seniors, and everyone else who might be curious, please join us for an evening of Q&A about all of this and more.

Roll the Dice for a Cause: Winning Cards Casino Night on March 16 - Don't miss a night of fundraising and fun, hosted by the Upper Dublin Education Foundation and Upper Dublin Township, at the Manor House at Commonwealth. Winning "Cards" Casino Night is all about supporting our community, directly benefiting our schools and local charities. Join us for a night of casino gaming with professional dealers, delicious food and drinks, and incredible prizes and auction items. Bet on an entertaining night of giving back and register now.

Prom After Dark Post Prom Event - Attention Parents of ALL grade levels, please sign up for a UD Prom After Dark Committee. Become a Committee Lead or take on a specific task. Scroll through this document and fill in your info next to the slot where you can volunteer. We are so grateful for your time, coordination and help.

Upper Dublin Public Library - The Upper Dublin Public Library is hosting free SAT & ACT practice tests on Sunday March 3rd at 1pm. Take a full-length test and get a complete score report to see where you need improvement. Spots are limited. Interested Sophomores and Juniors should register at upperdublinlibrary.org.