The Boerne Bulletin
A Boerne Middle School South Publication
School News
Track Season Kicks Off at BMSS
By Katelynn S. and Chelsey F.
February 26, 2016
This year, at Boerne Middle School South, the track team has started preparing for their first meet on March 3rd, 2016. This meet will be held at Dobie Middle School in San Antonio. The athletes have been working extremely hard, and are excited for the outcome of their first meet.
Part of the athlete’s success is because of their amazing coaches. Coach Countryman is the 7th and 8th grade girls coach along with Coach Carter. The 7th and 8th grade boys’ coaches are Coach Fallon, Coach Rios, Coach Peña, and Coach Harbuck. All of the coaches are proud of their athletes. However we have all new coaches, except for Coach Fallon and Coach Rios.
Track image courtesy of:
Track is a fun and energetic sport. There are fifteen events that all of the athletes are able to participate in. A new event that is offered at Boerne Middle School South is pole vault. However this event is not open to everyone, there are a couple of requirements. In order for girls to participate, they will need to have at least four years of gymnastics or have participated in competitive cheer. They will also have to prove their core strength and flexibility. Athletes have to practice everyday even if its after school or during athletics. For each event there will be only three people competing, which means that the athletes will have to compete against each other just to go to the meet. It is especially difficult for the boys doing sprints in the relay races at the meets. For the girls, many of them want to be competing in the field events. Therefore, to compete at every meet they will have to work very hard and be mentally strong. To show they are disciplined, they will have to push themselves to greater limits to be an excellent athlete.
If every track athlete works hard and pushes themselves then we are going to have a great season. Go Chargers, let’s win big this year!
A New Vice Principal for BMSS
By Hunter F. and Nick T.
February 16, 2016
Matthew Myers is one of our vice principals here at Boerne Middle School South. He originally came from Kendall Elementary, where he also served as vice principal. Before diving into the career of a vice principal, Mr. Myers was a math teacher for the 6th grade. He is very excited to be working at BMSS and is thoroughly enjoying his time with us. He tries his hardest to make this school shine out as one of the brightest in Texas and we are very thankful for his dedication.
He keeps himself busy by helping students with learning discipline, aiding around the school campus, and managing attendance. His goal is to one day become a campus leader. This is a goal he puts great effort into. Mr. Myers has been serving in the education industry for 11 years and has loved what he has seen of it. Our vice principal is married and has 3 boys. Before Mr. Myers became a vice principal he went to A&M Corpus Christi where he worked in a small business as a plumber and did other small jobs like lawn work. He chose the education industry because he enjoys helping kids and making a positive impact on the children he works everyday with.
Before he came to Boerne, he was a teacher at Corpus Christi Schane Estates School teaching 4th grade math. He then moved to the Boerne area and became a school teacher for us. He taught grade levels for a while then the time came when Mr. Myers had the opportunity to become vice principal for Kendall Elementary School where many of us who went to Kendall recognize him as one of our favorite teachers.
About four and a half years later he came to Boerne Middle School South to replace our former vice principal, Mrs Mireles. Sadly she had to leave to work for San Antonio Garcia School District, but now we have Mr. Myers. So far he has been sharing the vice principal role with Mr Wingfield. Both of them have made a positive impact on our school and we appreciate all they do for us. We are very lucky to have Mr. Myers working for us and next time you see him in the hallway, make sure you send a friendly wave his way.
Mr. Myers poses for a quick photo while working hard in his office (courtesy of the BMSS Yearbook Team).
By Geoffrey G. and Sam D.
February 16, 2016
BMSS UIL Competition
The UIL season has just ended, and with it the many contests Boerne Middle School South has won. So what is UIL? The University Interscholastic League is the academic battle between multiple schools on core subjects and speaking events. This annual praxis that lasts from January to February and students from all Middle School grade levels can participate. This year there was approximately sixty to seventy kids in the program. It is truly a fantastic learning environment for children who enjoy a good competition.
Mrs. Merkens is in charge of the UIL department for BMSS and helps organize it every year. She coordinates the events held at BMSS, seeks out and signs up kids for UIL, and holds the tryouts for all of the events every year. She receives help from Mrs. Arnold, Mr. Snowden, Mrs. Voulgaris, and a variety of other teachers who help coach students in their subjects.
The testing events include social studies, mathematical charts and graphs, science, number sense, general math skills. calculator applications, spelling, diction, writing, and listening skills. Any students who want to participate have to be passing their classes and have enough to work ethic to study for the event. Every week Mrs. Merkens tests her students to see who will be going to the meet. In that aspect students must also compete simply to attend UIL.
The schools that attend are Alamo Heights, Summerset, Boerne North, Boerne South, Pleasington, Medina Valley, and Uvalde. Boerne South won at every event including the district meet. This district meet was held at BMSS and our school has won consecutive years since 2009. Mrs. Merkens has done a great job training our kids for UIL and we are thankful for her aid in helping us to succeed.
Any student can join UIL if they have the ambition to get the grades required and the vigor to push through the competing schools. If you want to be apart of something big, contact your teachers for UIL training to begin in December next year. It’s a fantastic experience and all students should consider joining.
Images of UIL District meet (hosted at BMSS) courtesy of the BMSS Yearbook Team.
BMSS Tennis Team
By Katie D. and Bridget C.
February 16, 2016
The Boerne Middle School South Tennis Team has been very successful in the past. This year will hopefully be another success with Coach Rau being the head coach for the first year. The tennis team has four meets and one tournament to start off the season.
But before anyone can play, everyone had to compete for a spot on the team. Each person is required to bring a racquet, water, appropriate clothes and shoes, and must be passing all of his/her classes. If they meet these requirements, the tryout group was broken up by grade level and gender. First up, the seventh grade girls had their tryouts on January 11th and 12th. Then, on January 13th and 14th, the seventh grade boys went on the court and worked their hardest for a spot. And the eighth grade girls tried out the next week on the 19th and 20th. Finally, finishing out the two week-long tryouts for Coach Rau, the eighth grade boys tried out on the 21st and 22nd.
After these nerve-racking tryouts and weeks of training, the team started their season with a cold and windy tournament against Oakrun and Kerrville. Our Tennis Team won both matches; the record against Oakrun was 16 wins and 4 losses and their record against Kerrville was slightly less successful, 15 wins and 5 losses. The whole team played very well and put in enormous effort.
Here is the following list of competitors:(seventh grade girls) Isabel Medina-Sanchez, Natalia Schluter, Kylie Grossman, Lily Mattern, Kaelin Mireles, Erin Weber, Kendall Shoemaker, Ashley Rickenbach, (seventh grade boys) Walker Butler, CJ Thompson, Ben Jacobs, Dustin Bolner, Adam Borderding, Zach Simmons, Ethan Laing, Jacob Schlemmer, (eighth grade girls) Morgan Hoyt, Alex Lischka, Emerson Clarke, Natalia Gonzales, Alexandra Purchatzke, Abigail Roberts, Abby Bond, Isabelle Costello, (eighth grade boys) Ethan Evans, Michael Padron, John Hawkins, Blake Weaver, Preston Raimondo, Jack Chance, Mason Daum, and finally, Andrew Crank.
By: Chelsey F.
February 12, 2016
National Women's Heart Month
Heart disease results in more than 2,200 american deaths every day. Think about one person dying of a heart attack or stroke every 39 seconds. Since results came back showing that over 500,000 women died of a stroke or heart attack in 2003, women have joined together to create organizations and fundraisers to raise awareness. Marking the first Friday of every February as National Women’s Heart Health Month or National Wear Red Day is one way of raising awareness. This information and more can be found at https://www.goredforwomen.org/home/about-heart-disease-in-women/research/
Red represents the women uniting together to stay strong and keep trying to make a change. They have a ton of supporters contributing in every way that they can. Some people donate money to the organization and others participate by simply wearing red. Most of the students and staff at BMSS wore red on Friday, February 5th, to help raise awareness. These actions are appreciated by a ton of women in need of a little encouragement as victims of heart disease.
According to the American Heart Association, Over past years, there has been more than $3.3 billion spent on research to better educate scientists on the disease. Even though they have come a long way in their research, they still have a ways to go and need more donations to help further their findings.
Macy’s, the widely known department store, is a proud national sponsor of the organization. Since 2004, both associates and customers have helped raise more than $55 million to support the cause. This has helped save 285 women’s lives every day. This information and more can be found at https://www.goredforwomen.org/sponsors/macys/
Unfortunately, the disease can have great affects on everyone. Even one of BMSS’s own Mrs. Taylor, registrar who works in the front office, went into sudden cardiac arrest. Her husband’s quick thinking helped save her life. He knew how to perform CPR and called 911. The doctors revived her with an AED (automated external defibrillator). She then spent six days in the hospital and three weeks at home recovering. Meanwhile her friends, family, and pastors came to comfort her in her time of need. Today, she takes medication for her heart, eats healthy, exercises, and sees two doctors once a year to help lower her risk of going into cardiac arrest again. She and her family are now very involved with the organization online and have donated money to help with more research.
Heart disease is a serious matter that can be prevented. People should to be aware of their personal health, and they should be prepared if there ever is a situation where someone has a heart attack or stroke.
By: Piper A. & Hunter P.
Information
School Population: BMSS has a total student population of 1,121 kids! At BMSS, there are 378 Sixth graders, 371 Seventh graders, and 372 eighth graders.
Smart boards should be arriving in OCTOBER!
Students will be able to drop out of ANY Pre-Ap class from: September 14th - October 2nd!
The BMSS library is now open from 8:05am-4:00pm/Monday-Friday.
Office hours: 8:00am-4:30pm
School Rules
Remember: School rules still apply through the WHOLE YEAR.
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Any personal devices are not allowed during school hours, unless a teacher gives you permission to use them. Cell phones should be put away in your backpack! Remember to keep them on silent, so it doesn't disturb the class.
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If you have technology out during class, there will be a consequence.
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First, there will be a warning and parent notification.
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Second, $10.00 fine; the technology will be stored away in principals office , for ten days.
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Lastly, $10.00 fine; the technology will be held in the office for thirty days!
Our school’s computers are a privilege, andprivileges can be taken away. So, if you don’t treat them with the care and respect you do for your own devices at home, they will be taken away from you and maybe even your whole class! And, we don’t want that! So please treat our technology with respect!Whenever you get your username and
REMINDER:
Password for the computers and/or Google, be sure to write them down in your planner! Then, it is easier on you and your teachers when you need to use the computer!
2. Dress code still applies throughout the year.
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Girls : Shorts, skirts, and dresses should be fingertip length.
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Leggings may be worn but with a long enough shirt or dress with a top that is fingertip length.
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Inappropriate clothing will be corrected by covering it with gym clothes or jacket/sweater.
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Boys: clean shaven and no sleeveless shirts
3. NO VANDALISM
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Whenever you see writing on desk or drawings please report it to your teacher. Everyone wants a clean desk and room!
4. Remember during lunch , eat quickly, keep you area clean and don’t leave any food/trash.
Charm and Cheer tryouts are right around the corner!
By: Bridget Cleary and Chelsey Frye
4/8/16
Champion High School has recently announced the tryout dates for the interested students wanting try out for a spot as a 2016-2017 cheerleader, Charm, or drill team representative. The girls trying out for drill team and charms are still preparing for their long awaited try-out dates, April 11th through the 15th. Although the cheerleaders have already tried-out, the girls have started preparing for the upcoming fun-filled year.
The cheerleaders’ purpose at the school is to implement high spirits throughout the year and obtain a great deal of fun while exhibiting great attitudes. Some of the girls from Boerne Middle School South who tried-out will be representing their previous years at Boerne Middle School South. Next year, they will be representing Champion High School on the field as Junior Varsity Cheerleaders. Lauren H., Lily S., Anna P., and Maddison L. made the team. These students recently received their uniforms for next year after demonstrating their abilities in early March. Their outfit includes: a skirt, top, shoes, bloomers, and poms.
The Drill team and Charms’ purpose for the school is to create a fun and healthy environment for the High School. They will have great experiences at football games and competitions. The tryouts for this endorsement are April 11th to April 15th. There are several outfits for this program. Their first outfit is a practice outfit which consists of a tank top and workout pants. For competition days they have a warm up outfit which is completely separate from their practice outfits. These warm up outfits include a jacket and a matching pair of pants. For performances, the Drill team has a skirt, shirt/top and boots as well as a bow. In addition to the Drill team outfit, the Charms also have a hat and belt plus a whistle for the captains or lieutenants.
Many girls from Boerne Middle School South are excited and ready for next year. As a result of their hard work and dedication, the girls are hoping to become apart of the cheerleading and Charm team. them have worked long and hard, wanting to be a charm or cheerleader all of their life.
Images courtesy of Boerne-Samuel V. Champion High School website.