September/October, 2002

Volume XXI, Issue 5 February/March, 2004

Dear Parents:

Spring will soon be here. I am already receiving so many fashion advertisements in newspapers and through the mail. Having five daughters I get an incredible amount of fashion and clothing catalogs and flyers. I am amazed at the cost of clothing today and more amazed and disturbed by what I see being advertised toward our young people. As a father, and as a middle school principal, I am worried about the message being sent to our young people - particularly our young women. Please know that we will continue to support our parents and consistently reinforce our district expectations and school dress code.

I know what a struggle it can be sometimes with all the emphasis on fashion and the pressure our students feel to fit into a group. I also worry about the majority of students in middle school who do not fit the “perfect physical profile” that they are exposed to every day. Our culture has really changed over the past years. Our young people are exposed to more negative influences than ever before.

The fashion influence from television, movies, magazines and society in general all pressure our young people to grow up quickly and to look like adults. We know they may look like adults however; they do not yet have the qualities and experience needed to handle adult situations. They need to be kids a littler longer. I was in Baby Gap at Exton mall and saw a toddler leather jacket on sale complete with pockets for a wallet and cell phone. In the misses department at J.C. Penny is a shirt bearing the quote “my boyfriend thinks he’s the first”. What was considered shocking a short time ago is commonplace today. And the truth is that many of the role models that captivate our young people do not demonstrate the kind of character we would want them to exhibit.

I also believe that our young people need to be able to have individual styles. We want to celebrate the uniqueness of our students. It is wonderful to see middle school students develop into unique and special young adults and create styles and fads that identify their generation. Historically this has been the pattern for many generations. It’s great when your children look at a picture of you from years ago - sometimes the reaction is amazing. My pictures from middle school look fine however; many people tell me that it takes some courage to show their children pictures of themselves during middle school years. We want all our students to feel comfortable and safe in school. We are so fortunate to have a facility that is comfortable during each season and even during very hot days the climate is perfect inside for studying.

We also appreciate all the support we receive from our parents. Many of you have communicated encouragement and support for the culture of this building - including the dress expectations. It means a great deal to all of us. Thank you.

Please contact me if you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions. We appreciate hearing your ideas and getting your feedback.

Sincerely,

Stephen Swymer, Ed.D.

Principal

GVMS Newsletter

Volume XXI, Issue 5 February/March, 2004

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

These students were selected by their teachers for the honor of Students of the Month. The students and their invited teachers receive a complimentary lunch at the Paoli Wendy’s or the Frazer KFC/Taco Bell, or complimentary breakfast at the Frazer McDonald’s.

January honorees were:

Grade 8:

Keelin Hood has a great attitude, always willing to help, hard working, pleasant, conscientious, very active around school.

Megan Dormond is hardworking, a very good student, demonstrates a desire to learn, an excellent school citizen, and very positive.

Lisa Ulearey is very hardworking. She tries very hard, even when things are very tough for her. She always goes out of her way to say “hi” and often smiles and is very polite. Lisa is always willing to ask questions and help others when needed.

Grade 7:

Sandra Ray positive attitude and hard worker.

Grant Gilbert very conscientious, wonderful attitude, perseveres in all academic areas.

Cody Dougherty has done a complete turn around in class! He has brought his grades up, participates, works well with others, and is working hard to excel academically. He is pleasant and respectful to others.

Grade 6:

Chris Dewey is consistently responsible and respectful. He also demonstrates citizenship on a regular basis. Academically, Chris is a strong student who puts forth maximum effort.

Alina Crisi is an outstanding person. She is hard working, caring, kind, and responsible. She is always polite and tries her hardest even when work is new or difficult for her. She is self-motivated and conscientious with her schoolwork. She always has a smile for everyone.

Danielle Nispel is a good listener and cooperative. She is a great student who always does her work.

February honorees were:

Grade 8:

Katie Quindlen is a conscientious student in all classes, is a great writer, and a good musician. She has put tremendous effort into her independent work such as the 20^th Century Project, and is a role model for her classmates.

Ashley Day is hard working conscientious, friendly, and is a positive role model for other students.

Ben Cates is always dong what is asked of him in class. He is always mannerly, conscientious, helpful to others, and pleasant.

Grade 7:

Howard Marano is a self-motivated, highly responsible student who is truly interested in learning. He is such a pleasure to have in class.

Madison Andrews is a very conscientious student. She is an avid reader, participates in class, and has an obvious love for learning in general.

Taylor Morrow is a model student. She is always prepared for class, has a pleasant attitude, and is always willing to help another student. Besides that, she earns great grades!

Grade 6:

Heather Nelton is a hard worker, is conscientious, respectful, and polite.

Ryan Aceto is reliable and responsible. He is friendly to everyone. He works hard, but he also knows how to have fun. He makes positive contributions in the classroom and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Kirsten Loose is self-motivated, friendly, kind, an all around great gal!

Distinguished Honor Roll

Grade 6

Second Marking Period

Ryan Aceto Christina Bohn Jessica Bomm Charles Chiang Luke Cori Alina Crisi Molly Davis Kathleen Durkan Jack Fields Alana Fischer Elaine Grazulis Megan Hockenbury Andrew Hudson

Hillary Hyduke Nathan Josephs John Kemmerer Hannah Krumbhaar Nicole LaBarge Carolyn Lewis Christina Lipson Lynn Ma Ashley McFadden Natalie McQuiston Michael Moore Heather Nelton Danielle Nispel Rachel Orlow

Cassia Petridis Matthew Powers Nicole Reyna Kyle Rinda Caroline Sapyta Michael Scari Gwyneth Sharer Emily Shuman David Sims Christian Weber Mackenzie Weiler Crystal Ye Shirley Yu

Distinguished Honor Roll

Grade 7

Second Marking Period

Mallory Byrne Olivia Byrne Prentice Clark Carly Clayman Erica DePenna Jessica Dunbar Drew Gardner Alexa Gibbons Grant Gilbert

Lindsay Haskell Melissa Hoffman Elizabeth Kelemen Chris Marroletti Jeremy Mateyk Heather McKelvey Justin Mehalick Taylor Morrow John Nurthen Anne Olsen

Angela Qian Brian Rispoli Deepthi Shashidar Kate Sullivan Kevin Sullivan Jonathan Urban Ryan Wallace Max Wang Matthew Witman

Distinguished Honor Roll

Grade 8

Second Marking Period

Cara Baskin Devon Booth Zev Chonoles Michael DePrince Jennifer Desmarais Lindsay DiPiano Megan Dormond Emily Ellisen Eric Fernandes Jamie Frees Caroline Gillie

Caroline Gimmillaro Katharina Grinjuks John Haskell Nihir Kothari Lindy Li Stephanie Lin Raija Madsen Jessica Meeker Robert Moore Jillian Nyman Susan Phan

Katherine Quindlen Laura Rainville Kimberly Ralph Emily Richardson Maria Tuchinsky Zheng Yan Wang Kimberly Wenger James Wu John Yu Karin Zhu

Honor Roll

Grade 6

Second Marking Period

Nitesh Alve Meaghan Aylward William Batchelor Theresa Behler Sarah Beirnes Lauren Binstein Carrick Borillo Hayley Bowden Kevin Brennan Rebecca Bullard Katelynn Bullock Ashley Bunks Carl Bushnell Cloe Buzan Kyle Carroll Douglas Cates Michael Chawaga Hali Chung Melissa Clark Alexander Converse Jessica Cooperstein Samantha Cooperstein Erin Corry Maria Corsaro Jessica Cottone Ryan Cox Grace Dalton Samuel Davidson Zachary Davis Christopher Dewey Gregory Dickinson Ryan Duffy Jason Emery Maxwell Ferrick Blaise Forcine Anne Fosnocht Darragh Friedman Ashley Fryberger Sarah Gallacher Nicholas Gaynor Laura Geisler Baldwin Giang

Calder Goldberg Olivia Gregory Natalie Griffith Emily Hagar Charles Haines Elizabeth Harris Kelsey Hawes Kimberly Healy John Hegarty Melissa Heivly Mahroh Jahangiri Tyler John Alexis Johnson Rachel Landry Kim Le Samantha Leonetti Nicole Lex Nicole Ligon Kirsten Loose Cynthia Ma Brigham Madden-Cox Annalie Mallon Alan Masciangelo Scott McElroy Andrew McGee George McHugh Brendan McKinley Jennifer Mikus Megan Moffett John Morabito Jonathan Moules Jaclyn Mouras John Muir Jessica Nawojski Joseph Nulty Kathleen O'Neill Nandan Pandit Samantha Patton Taylor Pendergast Victoria Perla Katharine Pietak Timothy Prendergast

Conor Quigley Jason Robins Jennifer Rothstein Cristina Sanfrancesco Nicholas Schwartz Andrew Scutt Stephanie Seavey Vignesh Selvakumaran Daniel Shackleton Shivani Shah James Shaughnessy Andrew Sherry Katherine Shuman Aditi Singh Brittany Smith Sarah Smith Timothy Smith Stephen Speth Jessica Steciw Arielle Stockbridge Matthew Sugalski James Sylvester Amanda Tabb Victoria Talvacchia Joshua Taylor Liliya Tchistiak Brian Tighe Maria Trongo Robert Vine Sarah Walker Jennifer Walsh Nathaniel Wicke Alexandra Wilson Grace Winicov Matthew Wismer Katie Wright Christopher Yake Brian Zhang Adam Zwaan

Honor Roll

Grade 7

Second Marking Period

Matthew Addis Madison Andrews Matthew Barnes Brooke Barstar Lydia Bickel Scott Biddle Christian Blaum Amanda Bowers Mary Boyce Christopher Campbell Andrew Carbonar C Anthony Carbonar Kevin Crooks Zachary Cunningham Rebecca Curtis Marc Daubert Jazmin Davis Veronica DeSantis Matthew DeStefano Stephen Dickinson Lauren DiPaul Kristen D'Isidoro Elizabeth Ferber Lydia Ferber Amanda Foti Allison Frank Alexis Gable Herman Goldner Peter Gorman Hannah Grant Devon Hagan Kristina Hahn

Bryan Haly Evelyn Harbison Laura Hashem Andrew Heivly Samuel Hirsch Ryan Holden Seth Houston Julie James Richard Karwoski James Kerr Alec Koffer Kelly Lakis Nathan Liss Stephanie Lodge Abby Long Gary Magill Ryan Mahoney Anisha Malhotra Howard Marano Paul Matsiras Duane McCrory Aurora McFee Emily McMurtrie Tierney McQuaid Gina Meyer Mark Milbrandt Anthony Miller Kelsey Morgan Madeleine Morgenweck Emma Nelson Kailey Nicholson Leah Nissle Todd Nitsche

Grace O'Neill Andrew Orner Taylor Patchak Kyle Pegon Victoria Piersanti Sandra Ray Valerie Reason Robert Rinaldo Christina Rosso Brody Ruhnke Taylor Saia Annamarie Salvatico Joseph Samuel Daniel Schelhorn Kelsey Schlichter Julia Scutt Nicolas Sheehan Bryan Sutherland Myles Tornetta William Turney Andrew Vassallo Kelly Waite Jillian Walsh Matthew Warner Alison Weltman Anna Weng Chelsea Wiener Dorothy Wilkinson James Wismer William Zandi Samuel Zantzinger Victoria Zhang Carissa Ziegler

Honor Roll

Grade 8

Second Marking Period

Jessica Abramson Alvaro Almiron Zehra Alsarraj Arnold Andersen Lindsay Augusterfer Natalie Bank Ashley Baugher Kevin Beam Kara Bergman Kaitlyn Bianchini Emily Bierly Steven Bigelow Elizabeth Bowden Amanda Brogan Christina Buettner Raymond Byrne Jessica Caccese Christina Capriola Dana Charitonchick Logan Cohen Robert Conklin Stephanie Conklin Holly Cooper Katelyn Corcoran Shane Corcoran Katharine Curran Christine Davis Ashley Day Adrienna DeRobertis Daniel Dietrich Maureen DiLello Alexander DiValerio Joely Dorr Marie Doyle Leslie Drinkwater Ian Eck Peter Eckerson Gabrielle Eisenhower

Andrew Feimster M Domenic Furman Kelly Gilliford Kristen Golen Sarah Greene Jennifer Gu Megan Guiltinan Kathryn Haines Ashley Haly James Harris Erin Harrison Lindsay Haston John Hausladen Terrence Heim Joseph Hilton Jessica Hoerr Ryan Holleran Keelin Hood Forrest Hudes Cameron Hudson Jackson Hunter Chelsea Johnson Paige Kessler Kristy Kingan Madeline Knecht Megan Komarek Stephanie Leibfried Kirsten Levinson Laura Loyola Alicia Ma Keith Macchione Sarah Macey Alyssa Maloney Allison McCormack Brendan McFadden Christopher McKay Shannon McSweeney Sana