Attica High School Newsletter
November 2024
Greetings community members to the inaugural edition of the Attica High School Newsletter. Each month the High School faculty and staff will be creating a newsletter to share the outstanding educational experiences they provide to our students. There will be highlights of lessons and insightful commentaries that will help you be more engaged in just what Attica High School is offering your children as our families and the faculty work together to help prepare our students for the next chapter of their lives.
It is my absolute conviction that families are the expert on their child while educators are the experts on how best to provide academic learning opportunities to each student. I fervently believe that families and educators must work together in order to help students achieve their full potential.
I would like to share with you the critical role each family member plays in a child’s achievement. I am convinced that every parent wants their child to be as successful as they can be in their life. Every parent wants their child to grow into an independent, successful adult; one who can contribute to their families, our community, and our country. The educators of the Attica Central School District share the same goal. To help accomplish this goal we must work together. We must engage with each other. We must support each other if we are to help your child achieve this objective.
One of the most critical steps in preparing students for a good life is an outstanding education. In my short time here, I know Attica does provide such an education. However, one of the key ingredients in high student achievement is attendance. There is an old saying, “Teachers can’t teach an empty chair.” There is no truer statement. When students are in class engaging in their learning, with their teacher and classmates, they are able to transform the subject matter into relevant learning. This allows them to become independent thinkers who can then use their acquired knowledge to apply that learning to their everyday lives. When students are absent they are missing the opportunity to be successful.
Parents, grandparents, siblings and other relatives are indispensable in the role they play in making sure that students realize that an education is essential to a successful outcome in life. The School District needs your help in making sure your child comes to school prepared to engage in their education everyday. We can help you in the goal of seeing that your child has the knowledge and tools to enter their adult life with the best possible chance to be successful, but only if they are in school. (Attendance is a family affair.)
I write this commentary not as a condemnation of anyone, but as an appeal to each family. The educators who work with your children are dedicated professionals who want to help your child achieve his or her full potential. We can only do that by working with you. When your child is in school, I cannot guarantee success, but I can tell you that opportunities to be as successful as we all dream of for our children will be limited if they don’t come to school and participate in their education. Please reach out and engage with your child’s teachers. We will be reaching out to you more consistently. You, and the educators who care so deeply about our children, want the same thing. We want them to have a successful, productive life as a citizen of the greatest nation on earth.
Respectfully,
Thomas K. Kopp
Interim High school Principal
Agriculture/Animal Science/Future Farmers of America
Miss Wright and four members of the Attica FFA had the opportunity to attend the National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana from October 21-26th. This Attica crew joined a charter bus with other local schools such as Perry, Warsaw, and Pavilion, as well as other schools from all over NYS.
Their first stop was the Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton, PA. Here, they spent an hour in the mines learning about the rich history of the coal mining industry in Pennsylvania. Then, they headed further south to participate in the Hersheypark experience.
On day 2, they experienced a tour of Ohio’s State Department of Agriculture. From there, they headed towards Cincinnati to Jungle Jim’s International market. Our Attica students got to see and taste test products from all over the world. They tried guava juice, passionfruit, european cookies, and one student was brave enough to join Miss Wright in taste testing dried mealworms!
Attica’s road trip into Indiana brought them to Purdue University, where they learned about Purdue’s history as a prestigious agriculture and engineering college. For the next several days, Miss Wright’s FFA group was back and forth between the Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, and the Indianapolis Convention Center.
Between the convention center and stadium, our students were exposed to 70,000 other FFA members from across the United States. These members shared the same incredible determination as our Attica students. Two Attica students were determined to get a signature from 1 FFA member from each of the 50 states, and they accomplished their goal. Our students also came home with many autographs; some from famous bull riders, and some from convention speakers such as Temple Grandin.
It wouldn’t be a successful FFA trip without some fun and games! Miss Wright was able to get them floor tickets to the National FFA concert where Megan Moroney was performing. There were a few times these students were on the floor because they were laughing extremely hard, and they got some good laughs out of pranking Miss Wright. As you can see from the picture, this trip brought our group closer and made lasting memories for everyone involved.
In our AP Statistics class, we recently gave Barbie, and a few of her friends, a thrilling experience with the "Barbie Bungee Jump" project! Students experimented by dropping their dolls with different numbers of rubber bands (from one to seven) and measured how far she fell each time. The real challenge came when we used that data—along with scatterplots, residuals, and functions—to predict how many rubber bands would be needed to safely drop them from the top of the football bleachers, a 275-inch drop! The goal was for Barbie to have the most fun possible...this means getting as close to the ground as she can without bumping her head.
This wasn’t just about plugging numbers into formulas—students had to create scatterplots of the original data, analyze the trends, and then use linear, logarithmic, and exponential models to extrapolate the perfect number of rubber bands for the final drop. It was a hands-on, creative way to bring math to life, combining data analysis with a real-world challenge. Knowing where this would all lead made the math parts more engaging and fun.
And the results: Sam and Tim tied with Julie and Emira for the Most Fun Jump. Addy and Lucy's group had the safest Barbie. Alan's Ninja Turtle got a little bump on the head at the bottom of his jump. The "Barbie Bungee Jump" is the kind of project that gets students genuinely excited about math. It shows them that math is more than just equations on paper—it’s about solving cool, real-world problems in a creative way.
Credit to STATSMEDIC for the foundation of this lesson.
Cold and Flu Season Tips: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer when soap and water isn’t available. Cover your coughs and sneezes using a tissue or your elbow. Get rest and stay hydrated. Avoid touching your face, germs enter the body easily this way! If you're sick, stay home and away from others. Reach out to your primary care provider or the Wyoming County Department of Health at 585-786-8890 for other flu prevention information.
Physicals: are required for all students entering 9th and 11th grades, new students, and any student participating in sports.
Sports participants: remember to get signed up on Family ID before the season begins.
Hearing and vision screenings will be done for those in 11th grade. Scoliosis screening for those male students in 9th grade if not noted on their yearly physical.
The Attica Central School District has partnered with Wyoming County to bring a new intervention from the American Lung Association. INDEPTH is the Association’s Intervention for nicotine dependence. Approximately 13 of every 100 middle school students, that’s the age of Attica’s 5th - 8th graders and 31 of every 100 high school students, that’s Attica’s 9th - 12th grade students reported that they currently use tobacco products, including e-cigarettes (Vapes). That is an alarming number of children who may become addicted to nicotine.
This interactive program teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives and making the change to be free of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. (Credit: American Lung Association)
Attica’s support staff including the Counselors, the Social Worker, the Assistant Principal, and the School Psychologists have worked tirelessly with our partners from Wyoming County to bring this program to our students.
If your child has a nicotine problem, we encourage you to reach out to our staff and investigate whether this program is right for your child. Saving someone from a life of addiction is one of the best ways to show that individual how much we care about them.
