On Thursday, March 17, 2016, St. Patrick’s Day, the students and staff of the SAS Middle School had a very special treat. The dancers of the Rince Na Sonas School of Irish Dance put on a show as part of their annual holiday dance outs. Students and staff highly enjoyed this demonstration of Irish culture. Thank you Mrs. Hickey and Mrs. Greenwood and their team!

On Thursday, March 17, 2016, the 7th grade math team had two wonderful guest speakers. Josiah Williams. He is a graduate of Jamesville-Dewitt High school. He currently goes to University of Buffalo and studies Business Administration. Also, he plays on the UB football team. He is the brother of our very own Mr. Williams who does great work in our 7th grade math classroom. The other speakers name is Greg Brangman. He is also a Jamesvile-Dewitt alumni. He is an Exercise Science major at SUNY Brockport. He also played a collegiate sport as well. The purpose for them speaking to the kids was to provide a different perspective of the expectations in life. Instead, two young fresh faces to provide them with knowledge and wisdom. Some of the key points discussed were time management, academic responsibility, and diligence. In addition, they shared their personal experiences that related to these topics, one of our important goals at SAS is stated in our mission statement. We seek to give our students the necessary skills to be prepared for college, career, and citizenship. These young men spoke to the expectations for two of those three amazing aspects of life.

On Monday, March 14, 2016, in Ms. Chapman's 5th grade Spanish class, three Honduran young ladies came to share about life in Honduras and answer students' questions. The Atoms had prepared and practiced questions in Spanish to ask the girls. The students enjoyed listening to their answers in Spanish and finding out more about Honduran culture. This was another wonderful event that speaks to our goal at SAS to bring as much culture and perspective to shape our students for a successful future!

On Friday, March 11, 2016 there was a lot going on at the SAS Middle School! Typically, this is the event in which our Students of the Month are recognized for their great contributions. This time however there was much, much more! The event started off with staff and students recognizing our custodian, Mr. Harry. He is instrumental in our school for so many reasons and his hard work and willingness to do anything to help the middle school was celebrated! Next up was our Math Counts team! Mr. Uber and his wonderful 7th graders went to the local competition and received 2nd place! Our SAS Science Fair award winners were next on the docket. Students were recognized for their achievements and presented medals and prizes that included Kindle Fires and iPods! Last, but not least, the Student of the Month awards were presented. Staff and Administration use these awards to recognize the continued, never-ending commitment to excellence that we are lucky to see every day! A great event for all that attended, GO ATOMS!

On Friday, March 4, 2016, our 7th graders participated in their first formal debate! The debate topic was to argue if Lyddie, the main character in the novel we read, should or should not sign a petition for better working conditions. Each section was broken up into 2 teams making 6 participating teams in total. They worked during their respective class time for roughly 2 weeks preparing for the debate. Each team had an opener, 3 argument leaders, 2 rebuttal leaders, a closer, and at least 2 note takers. The students were required to wear semi-formal attire, and behave according to formal debate standards. The entire debate was a true team effort. All teams worked together in a positive way to argue each side. Our 7th graders were engaged, prepared, and focused on this debate, and we are all very proud of the effort they put into this activity. The debate took place in front of their peers and some special guest teachers, which included our very own principal! We hope that we can expand the debate experience and work on debating other challenging topics in the future.

On Tuesday March 1, 2016, The Syracuse Academy of Science held their winter Art Exhibition. The theme showcased throughout the exhibition was the 7 Elements of Art. Students represented the 7 Elements of Art with wonderfully detailed value portraits, vibrant colorful animal vectors, strategic pastel mandalas, and many more works of art that the students spent hard work and dedication on. Our winter exhibition was a great success that displayed the true talent and artistic skill our Atoms put forth in their art.

On Tuesday March 1, 2016, Syracuse Academy of Science Middle School held their winter concert. Our students came together under the direction of Miss Farruggio to share an evening of music with a powerful message. New and returning band members played together to show off their hard work, dedication, and musical skills. Each grade level shared a musical selection with the audience, each with a message of friendship, self-reflection, responsibility, and respect. Our concert theme this winter was "Make a Change" and together, the whole student body came together to sing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Our winter concert was a great success, and our audience members truly enjoyed the evening.

On Saturday, February 27, 2016, Syracuse Academy of Science Middle School MathCounts team which is formed by 7th graders participated in Regional MathCounts competition in OCC. Our team took 2nd place and qualified to participate in NY State Chapter competition. Congratulations MathCounts team players. Keep up the good work.

On Friday February 26, 2016 SAS Middle School hosted our Girl's Empowerment All Night Shut In Event. Our school counselor, art, and music teachers planned this event and had a wonderful turn out! 60+ 5th-8th graders got together to enjoy an evening of fun. Most importantly, however, our goal was to teach these girls how to embrace the message of being a strong, confident young woman through positive self image, communication, compassion, and respect for themselves and others. Our evening began with dinner for the girls, and a talk over tea and coffee with the parents and school counselor. We had the pleasure of hosting presenters from Contact Community Services, Theta Phi Beta Sorority, and Onondaga Community College throughout the evening. Our young female students listened to the powerful message of each presenter, telling them to stand out and be confident in their own shoes. The girls also had the opportunity to spend time with their friends, and make new ones, through games, dancing and listening to music, doing makeovers, and much more! Overall, the evening was a great success!

On Friday, February 26, 2016, the students of the SAS Middle School held their annual Science Fair. 4th grade students from the elementary school were also part of the event. Nearly 260 students were proudly standing near their science fair boards for judges to see the fruits of their amazing labors. Judges included non-science staff as well as 9 great students from our high school. Students gathered at the end to celebrate our judges and to cheer each other on for a group picture! Many students will be going on from this event to the CNY Science & Engineering Fair on March 20th! Go ATOMS!