Submitted by Cheryl Johnson and Kellie Aughenbaugh

STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) is so much fun in second grade! Mrs. Aughenbaugh’s class and Mrs. Johnson’s class celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a few STEM activities. In Mrs. Johnson’s class, students designed and built leprechaun traps.  Students’ traps were very creative as was the bait they used to lure the leprechauns.  They must have been successful, as no leprechauns were found!  Mrs. Aughenbaugh’s class created rainbows. Students were given water, cups and red, blue, and yellow food coloring to create all the colors of the rainbow. What a beautiful display! Both classes also worked in small groups or individually to design and create 3 cm bridges using either real or plastic coins. Two groups even used golden coins left by one of the leprechauns who escaped. We are looking forward to many more STEM activities.

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Submitted by Carole Shearer

Three students from the York Suburban German Honor Society (Delta Epsilon Phi) went to 613 West Princess Street in York on February 24th to teach a group of children German words and phrases in partnership with the Adopt-A-Block program. The three high school seniors, Ashley Griffith, Brad Smith, and Paige Smeltzer used flashcards to teach the children the German words for colors, along with many other everyday words and phrases.  They then allowed the children to split into groups and play a matching game which tested their newfound knowledge of German. They also talked with the children (aged 7-14) and answered several of their questions about high school, college, and the overall importance of education.

Rockin’ and ROLLIN’ into the 50’s!

Valley View and Indian Rock elementary students attending Hildebrandt Early Learning Center engaged in an inquiry-based Wheels project during the month of February.  The children were asked a seemingly easy question “What is a wheel?” and were given many opportunities to explore this question and many ideas related to this simple machine.  The value of the project grew beyond just a correct response to the question into the process of exploring, discovering, researching, testing, and developing ideas.

At first,the students observed and played with a variety of wheels to discover the characteristics.  Then they considered where wheels are observed everyday to identify how wheels help people.  A variety of experiments and investigations were conducted to examine the physics of wheels.  Finally, the budding engineers in Kindergarten Enrichment were challenged to use their newly discovered knowledge to construct a vehicle with recycled materials.

In the 1950’s wheels turned everywhere – think roller skates, record players, and drive-in movie theaters – so a 50’s themed Open House was held on Thursday, February 25.  The students took the lead as they shared what they learned about wheels with their families.  After the students shared their discoveries, all who attended were invited to participate in some fun-filled fifties activities.  The students had a great time sharing and family members enjoyed the opportunity to get a “sneak peek” into their child’s day at Hildebrandt.

Submitted by Carole Shearer

On March 7, 2015 thirteen German IV students joined the York Jewish Community Center’s annual bus trip to the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.  The trip was made possible through a generous $540 grant from Dr. Ben Slotznick and the Central Pennsylvania Holocaust Education Fund.  The class was extremely grateful for the opportunity to visit the museum and deepen their understanding of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.  Each student expressed their personal reflections on the visit and appreciated the experience provided by the museum.