CMHS Times

Macs of the Month is the high school's initiative to recognize our outstanding students and staff! Each month, a staff member will be recognized, voted on by their colleagues and students. Students will be recognized by their peers and staff in the categories of creative arts, kindness, academic achievement, school pride, athletic achievement, and leadership.

We proudly announce our September Macs of the Month below! Congratulations to everyone on the well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations to Canon-McMillan High School senior, Lindee Miles (pictured right). She recently placed third place in the 2-dimensional art category during the judging for the AMI’s annual Fine Art Show. The 15th Annual AMI, Inc. Poetry and Fine Art Show will take place on October 9th (11am-6pm) at the Washington Elks Lodge Ballroom with a special awards ceremony at 2pm. Her winning piece is below! Congratulations, again, Lindee!

Homcoming 2024 was a huge success! Thank you to all who helped to make it possible!

Congratulations to the Homecoming King and Queen, Jackson Schaeber and Sophia Collins, and the rest of the court (LtoR): Lily Bane, Frankie, Zhang, Sophia Collins, Jackson Schaeber, Lucas Cupp, Mikhail, Jorma, Vinnie.

Mrs. Fazio's Human Anatomy students dissected large dill pickles. This lab is designed to critique their cutting skills and show their knowledge of directional terms and body planes. Make no "dill" about it, they loved it!

Students in Ms. Jakiel's English 11 classes spent a day outside creating nature journals of items they found. This activity followed the reading of an excerpt from Emerson's "Nature" and a class discussion about the idea that being in nature makes one a "perpetual child." The students were instructed to draw pictures of what they saw and provide a description of the item through poetic language.

Last month, students in Mrs. Fazio's newly formed Forensic Science 2 course learned proper crime scene processing techniques and evidence collection protocols. As the semester progresses they will learn how to process the evidence collected. In this scene they were focused on securing the scene, photography, evidence logging and packaging and crime scene sketching.

Mrs. Stauffer and a handful of Canon-McMillan High School students in the National Art Honors Society attended the 2nd Annual Arts in the Park event on Saturday, September 7.

The CMHS Art Department was asked by WQED Education to create an activity that would engage families and have them interact with an art experience. The goal of the event is to bring as many art-based activities to the families of Washington as possible, in a single afternoon. It was a great day at Washington Park for the community to come together and see that art is everywhere!

Special thanks to Ava Ferguson, Marissa Barto, Morgan Wilcox and Sarah Plank who dedicated their time and energy on Saturday at the event. They did a great job of nurturing the creativity of all of the young guests who visited their table. The team was already invited back next year and is excited about the opportunity to work with the City of Washington Citywide Development Corporation again.

Mrs. Geist's classes had a busy month!

• In Zoology, students have dissected squids, earthworms, and crayfish.

• In AP Environmental Science, students got to watch a curly haired tarantula molt!

• In Environmental Science, students are creating a seven day itinerary to visit a National Park of their choice. We have also tracked Hurricane Helene and the devastation this storm caused to many states.

Canon-McMillan High School students in the Sports/Entertainment Management class did a google meet with Jerry Csaki, the Senior Director of Youth, Education, and Leadership for the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. The meeting kicked off with Csaki describing what his passion is with football, from growing up to now. He went on to explain how a day-to-day schedule of a NFL Manager might go. As the meeting continued, Csaki shared a number of videos that briefly explained the careers possible in the sports field. The videos went into detail about what college courses people can take to get into specific jobs, what degrees are needed, and other experiences that could help the job search. At the end of the meeting, he finished off by answering questions the students had for him.

-Written by Sports Management students, Jesse Downer & Gwen Pajak

After finishing the first novel in Ms. Berteotti's Young Adult Literature class, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the students drew upon their knowledge from the book to complete their own scavenger hunt through the school like Harry, Ron, and Hermione did in the novel. The students visited various teachers throughout the building solving clues such as “This teacher would be most likely to smuggle a dragon into our school” (the answer was Mrs. Geist who greeted them with a real-life bearded dragon!).

Congratulations to the winning team, pictured below (from left to right): Alaina Kauffman, Elizabeth Tsourekis, Madelynn Bishop, Alanna Bevan, Julia Larouere, and Maiya Kane.

Congratulations Riley Edkins! Riley participates in Western Area's Auto Mechanics program. He is employed at South Hills Toyota of Canonsburg through WACTC's Co-op program.

Congratulations Keira Hale! Keria participates in Western Area's Auto Mechanics program. She is employed at South Hills Toyota in Canonsburg through WACTC's Co-op program.

Congratulations Blake Leichty! Blake is a senior who attends Western Area for Collision Repair. He employed by Opeka Auto Repair in McMurray through WACTC's Co-op program.

Congratulations Cameron Cox! Cameron attends Western Area for Collision Repair and is employed by Opeka Auto Repair in McMurray through Western Area's Co-op program.

CMHS Art Club and NAHS members have been painting seasonal artwork on the windows of Canonsburg Hospital since 2016. Students make 4 trips a school year (fall, winter, spring and summer) and members create and paint the designs in the windows of the hospital cafeteria and Emergency Department.

Check out their creations below!

• Snoopy (L-R) Emily Elliott and Ava Ferguson
• Pumpkins (L-R) Abigail Verdu and Mattie Weir
• Cats (L-R) Jordin Williams and Grace Guyton
• Sunflowers (L-R) Amber Mistick and Morgan Wilcox

The country’s fastest growing sport has made its way to Western PA and is taking the region by storm. Pickleball–a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong–has been growing in popularity in the area and is now the newest student club at Canon-McMillan High School.

The Canon-McMillan Pickleball Club was proposed to the Board of Directors last spring by a group of parent volunteers that are not only skilled players themselves, but also committed to teaching the sport to our club members. Ultimately, our club goal is to provide a fun, inclusive environment for all students–regardless of experience–to play pickleball with their peers. In addition, we hope to provide competitive opportunities for our students that are interested in taking their pickleball game to the next level. With the explosion of pickleball throughout the country, many colleges and universities are forming teams of their own, and we hope to provide our club members an opportunity to explore post high school play.

The CM Pickleball Club currently has over 160 student members and meets for open play 1-2 times a month. You can follow our club on Instagram @canonmac_pickleball

Senior Photo Requirements for the 2024-2025 School Year

Attention Class of 2025: The yearbook staff wanted to provide information regarding your senior photos for the 24-25 school year! Canon-McMillan seniors are required to submit a formal ‘Head and Shoulders’ portrait photo. We recommend all formal ‘Head and Shoulder’ portraits be taken using a neutral background, without any props.

Senior Photo Submissions

1. All senior portraits will need to be taken and submitted to the yearbook staff prior to Thanksgiving break (November 27, 2024).
2. If Redford Photography takes the senior portrait, they will submit the photo directly to the yearbook staff.
3. All other senior portraits will need to be emailed by parents, students, or photographers to yearbook@cmsd.k12.pa.us. When submitting the photo, please ensure the image is high resolution and the email contains the senior’s first and last name.

Redford Photography Senior Photo Options

1. (No Charge) Seniors are welcome to be photographed (and placed in the yearbook) on the regular school picture day in the Fall. A specific Senior Portrait background will be provided. It’s recommended that seniors bring a formal top to school this day for this portrait.

a. Picture Day - Monday, September 30, 2024

b. Make-Up Picture Day - TBD

2. (No Charge) - Redford will be set up in the CMHS cafeteria for CM Class of ‘25 students on two dates in August. Dates will be listed on RedfordSchools.com/CM. Students will be welcome to be

photographed and a parent/guardian is welcome to help choose their favorite image on site on the session date.

3. (Payment required/discounted for CM families) Call and Schedule a paid senior portrait session at Redford Studios in Canonsburg. Pricing available on RedfordSeniors.com.

If you have any questions regarding senior portraits, please contact the yearbook staff at yearbook@cmsd.k12.pa.us. Thank you!

All 11th graders are required to turn in a physical assessment completed by a physician. To fulfill this requirement, please complete one of the following options.

• If you wish to have your student seen by the school physician, please complete the following Physical Examination Google Form
• If you wish to have the exam done by your family physician, you may do so at your own expense. Please have the physician complete the Physical Exam Form and return it to the school nurse.

To start the 12th grade a second dose of the Meningitis A, C, Y,W vaccine is required. Please provide the nurse with a copy of your immunization records either in person or via email at: speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us Vaccination Requirements for 11th Grade.

Please contact Kristen Speer at speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us or by phone at (724)-745-1400 x 5013

October 14: No School; Act 80 In-Service/Staff Development

October 23: PSAT (Grades 10 & 11)

October 25: End of 1st Marking Period

November 1: Report Cards Distributed

Attention all 10th-12th Graders interested in taking the ASVAB Test on Tuesday, October 29th!

The ASVAB Test will be administered on Tuesday, October 29th, at CMHS from 8:00-11:00 am. Registration should be submitted on or before by Tuesday, October 22, by completing the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/Y3EmjDpBdj92bHLu9

Reasons for taking the ASVAB Test are many, but this particular communication is meant for students in 10th-12th grade who are planning to:

• Enlist in one of the military branches
• Students who need to provide evidence for one of three Act 158 Alternate Pathways. Please Note: While different branches require different scores in order to enlist, the score one must achieve for the Act 158 requirement is 31.

Taking the ASVAB Test is not only for those students, however, as the ASVAB also measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success.

INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES:

https://www.officialasvab.com/

https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/asvab

https://asvabbootcamp.com/blog/how-long-is-the-asvab-test/

https://www.asvabprogram.com/parents-test (info for parents)

ASVAB TEST PREP VIDEOS:

How To STUDY FOR & PASS The ASVAB! (2022)

How To Study For The ASVAB | All Military Branches

How to PASS the ASVAB 2022 [TIPS from a Recruiter

If you have any questions, please see one of the military recruiters on most Wednesdays in the cafeteria or please feel free to contact Ms. Humbertson in the School Counseling Office via email at humbertsons@cmsd.k12.pa.us.

Follow our School Counseling Office on Instagram @CMHS_COUNSELING

Every high school student is encouraged to join the School Counseling Resources group in Schoology! Resources including academic development, career development, employment, community service opportunities, scholarships and more can be found there! Students can join the group by using the following access code: DB7QW-K4WWP

Please see the program sponsored by CCAC below.

Not only is the Skilled Trades Academy FREE to attend, participants also receive a $150 stipend after completion!

Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to apply! Interested students should sign up HERE!

We look forward to a strong partnership, and if you have any questions about the Chill room or the Chill Project, please reach out to the Chill room Facilitator, Ms. Paige Cholewinski, cholewinskip@cmsd.k12.pa.us , or Ms. Jamie Hopkins, Assistant Principal, hopkinsj@cmsd.k12.pa.us.

Kristen Speer, School Nurse

Email: speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us

Phone: 724-745-1400 ext. 5013

If your student needs to take a daily medication or needs to have an as needed medication available at school please use the following form . It must be completed by a doctor and signed by the parent/guardian. The medication must be brought in the original pharmacy container or unopened over the counter container that matches the paperwork.

The medication authorization form must be completed each school year by the physician and turned in to the school nurse for the new school year.

If you have any questions you can contact the nurse.

Marijke Lucia

Secretary of Student Affairs

mailto:luciam@cmsd.k12.pa.us

Phone: 724-745-1400 ext. 5009

Fax: 724-745-4490

All forms are linked below. You can also access the forms on the high school's website under School Forms, linked here for your reference.

Attendance:

If a student is not seated in their first period class by 7:45, they will be considered absent (shown as IUn in PowerSchool). Prior to the end of 2nd period, an attendance rollover will take place and those students still marked as absent will be marked absent for all 9 class periods. That evening you will receive both a phone call and an email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of your student's absence.

Please send your student in with an excuse within three (3) days of their last absence. You can either provide us with a parent note, an email, or complete the form, linked below. Parent notes can be placed in the absence excuse bin in the Student Affairs Office.

Each student is allocated 15 absences (for any reason), per school year, before a doctor’s excuse is required. Any absence over 15, that is not accompanied by a medical excuse, will remain unexcused.

Tardies:

If your child is going to be entering the building late, they must first go through the Student Affairs Office to receive a late pass. Please provide your student with an excuse. Acceptable forms are a parent note, doctor's excuse, email or an online form submission found here: Tardiness Form. If they enter with an excuse, their absence will be changed to an excused tardy (TEx.) If they do not have an excuse, they will be entered as tardy unexcused (TUn.) If your child is marked as tardy unexcused, that evening you will receive both a phone call and email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of their tardy. Each student is allocated 4 tardies, per semester (parent note or online submission) before a doctor's excuse is required. Disciplinary action will be taken for excessive tardies. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

Early Dismissals:

If your student will need to leave the building prior to the end of the school day (2:40pm), you must provide them with an early dismissal note. This can be a parent note, email or online submission found here: Early Dismissal Form. A student is allocated 13 early dismissals per semester. All early dismissals require BOTH written and verbal confirmation. Please call Mrs. Lucia in the Office of Student Affairs (724-745-1400, ext. 5009) to confirm your child’s early dismissal. All early dismissal requests must be made by 9am. If you are requesting an early dismissal after 9am, please allow 20-30 minutes for your request to be processed. Once both forms are received, a pass will be sent to your child and they may leave at the time of their dismissal. If you are picking your student up, they will meet you outside, if they are a driver, they are free to leave and drive themselves. If you choose, you can come into the main office to sign your student out. No student’s will be permitted to leave until both forms of confirmation are received. All early dismissals will be entered as ER in PowerSchool. If your child has medical documentation for their early release, please provide us with this information and we will change their ER to a medical early release (MER.) Medical early releases are not counted in attendance reports. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

The Student Affairs Office is closed daily from 12:30-1:00. Students may leave during the closure IF their early dismissal request was submitted and confirmed prior to the closure. If you did not submit a request and you need your child to be released during the office closure, please come to the main office to sign them out.

CTC (Western Area & Parkway):

Please note that if your child attends WACTC or Parkway and is absent from school, you must provide 2 excuses (parent note or medical excuse). One will need to be given to Mrs. Lucia in the Student Affairs Office and one will need to be given to WACTC/Parkway. No copies will be made of a student's excuse and forwarded to another location.

Pre-Planned Trips:

The pre-planned trip form, linked below, must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the start of your trip. Please note that students will only be given one day, for each day they are absent, to make up their work, and they are highly encouraged to make arrangements for their work prior to their trip.

Standing Medical Notes:

If your student has a standing medical note, please note that we will need an updated copy for this school year. Medical notes are only good for one school year and must be updated annually.

Ms. Brittany Taylor, Principal

Ms. Jenna Handra, Academic Principal

Mr. Tom Orr, Academic Principal

Ms. Jamie Hopkins, Assistant Principal

Follow CMHS on Instagram @canon_mcmillan_high_school