On Saturday, April 12, UMHS's Glenn Cowen received the PMEA Citation of Excellence from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association! 🏆
This prestigious honor is awarded every other year to one outstanding High School/University-level music educator from each PMEA District. Mr. Cowen was selected for District 11, recognizing his lasting impact on music education.
🗨️ As his colleague Tonia Kauffman shared:
"Glenn's ability to inspire students, his deep passion for music education, and his exceptional musicianship became the foundation of the program's continued success. His commitment to self-reflection and continuous improvement as an educator, combined with his creativity, has broken teaching molds and led to transformative breakthroughs for students. Under Glenn's leadership, the band program has flourished into a comprehensive and dynamic powerhouse. It is cherished by the community and consistently achieves at the highest levels..."
Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved honor - congrats, Mr. Cowen! 👏#UMProud
On Saturday, the UMMS Winterguard team spun their best run of the season, clinching a first-place finish at Championships; earning a Gold Medal in a highly competitive division against six other middle schools.
This incredible performance marks their FOURTH consecutive championship win. 👏 Congratulations to our amazing students & staff on this incredible accomplishment! #UMProud
It's National Robotics Week, & our youngest Golden Bears at UMPS are getting a head start in the world of coding with Bee-Bots in their Technology special! 🐝 This hands-on activity introduces problem-solving, sequencing, & collaboration in a fun & engaging way.
Kindergarteners used coding cards & directional buttons to program robots to navigate from a starting point to a solo cup. Students were encouraged to design new paths & complicated programs as they completed each challenge. 🤖 #UMProud
🌟 Congrats to UMHS Rotary Student of the Month, Charleis Fayall!
Charleis embodies "Service Above Self" through her leadership, academic excellence, & dedication to making a difference. She has taken 8 AP courses over the last three years, serves as the Class of 2025 President, & is the student representative to the school board.
Beyond academics, Charleis is a field hockey player, a Diversity Club & CPSEA member, & a founding member of the Teen Senate, promoting mental health awareness. She also interned with State Representative Nancy Guenst & volunteers with Angels in Motion, providing resources to those in need.
Charleis will continue her passion for service at Howard University, where she will major in political science. Congratulations, Charleis! 💜🐻 #UMProud
UMPS celebrated Read Across America Week earlier this month with a "Let's GLOW Read" theme! They celebrated authors, illustrators, books, & of course, their Primary School Readers! Their main event for the week was their GLOW room, which was filled with literacy & STEM activities, and classes signed up to bring their classes there all week long. Many thanks to the Reading Events Committee & the HSA for bringing the GLOW room to life! #UMProud
Join the Upper Moreland High School Drama Company for their magical production of The Little Mermaid! 🐠
🎭 Showtimes:
Tonight & Tomorrow – 7 PM
Saturday – 1 PM & 7 PM
🎟️ Tickets are available at the door!
Students & Seniors: $5
Adults: $10
🌊 Stick around after Saturday’s 1:00 PM matinee for the Tides & Treasures Festival from 3:30 – 4:30 PM in the UMHS Cafeteria!
✨ With your show ticket, enjoy FREE entry to meet Ariel & her friends! Plus, enjoy:
🎨 Crafts & Face Painting
🎯 Games & Concessions (Cash Only)
🧜♀️ Dress as your favorite Little Mermaid character!
All proceeds support the UMHS Drama Company. #UMProud
On Friday, UM schools celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by rocking colorful mismatched socks! #UMProud
🧦 @ UMIS: Students watched a video to learn about Down syndrome & the importance of celebrating our differences. They then decorated their own socks and wrote about why being unique is awesome & why kindness matters!
🧦@ UMMS: Sixth grader Chris Ejdaharian took the lead in organizing a sock sale to support the T21 Club of the Delaware Valley, which promotes awareness & inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome in PA, NJ, & DE. Mismatched socks were sold all week to support this great cause!
🧦 @ UMHS: Our Golden Bear statue sported his crazy socks to show support!
History made! 🎷 On Sunday, UMHS's Jazz One took home Best Overall Jazz Band at the SteelStacks High School Jazz Showcase Finals - the first time our musicians have won it ALL!
Awards Earned:
🏅 Best Overall Jazz Band
🎶 Superior Rating
🥁 Best Rhythm Section
🎸 Best Rhythm Section Soloist: Liam Ritter (Guitar)
Congratulations to our incredible musicians, staff, & families! #UMProud
Our UMHS Jazz musicians delivered incredible performances at the Wissahickon HS Cavalcade of Bands Competition last Friday!
🎵 UMHS Jazz One – Superior Rating & a CLEAN SWEEP of section awards!
🏅 Best Saxophone Section
🏅 Best Trumpet Section
🏅 Best Trombone Section
🏅 Best Rhythm Section
🎖 Honorable Mention Soloist: Austin Hiele (Bass)
🏆 Outstanding Soloists: Lucy Heffernan (Alto Sax) & Liam Ritter (Guitar)
🎵 UMHS Jazz Two – Outstanding Rating
🎖 Honorable Mention Soloists: Ryan Schultz (Tenor Sax) & Ryan Mottola (Alto Sax)
🏆 Outstanding Soloist: Ryan Rettew (Guitar)
Catch them at their next performances!
UMHS Jazz One – SteelStacks Regional HS Jazz Finals
📍 Sunday, March 23 | @ 2:50 PM
UMHS Jazz One & Two – Bensalem HS Jazz Festival
📍 Friday, April 4 | Jazz Two @ 6:50 PM | Jazz One @ 9:10 PM
Congratulations to all of our talented musicians! #UMProud
Yesterday, students in our schools celebrated St. Patrick's Day with fun outfits, activities, & hands-on learning. 🍀🌈✨ At UMIS & UMPS, students designed leprechaun traps, crafted themed hats, & graphed Lucky Charms marshmallows. What a lucky day! #UMProud
We are thrilled to share that UMHS's Jazz One has been selected as a Finalist for the 2025 SteelStacks Regional High School Jazz Showcase! 🎷
Out of 26 competing bands in the preliminary rounds, UMHS Jazz One is one of seven advancing to the Finals on Sunday, March 23, @ 2 PM.
At their preliminary event on Sunday, Jazz One, under the direction of Glenn Cowen, earned a Superior rating and took home multiple awards:
🏅 Best Woodwind Section
🏅 Best Trumpet Section
🏅 Best Rhythm Section
🏅 Best Overall Soloist – Liam Ritter (Guitar)
UMHS Jazz Two, under the direction of Kevin Stahl, earned an Excellent rating and was recognized for:
🏅 Best Trombone Soloist – Tyler Brooks
👏 Congrats to our incredibly talented musicians & directors! We can’t wait to cheer you on at the finals! 💜💛🎶 #UMProud
Last week, UMHS senior Colson Campbell scored his 1,000th career point during the Golden Bears district playoff basketball game win against Marple Newtown! 🏀 Colson became the first Golden Bear on the boys' basketball team to reach this milestone since Keith Kochersperger in 1995. Congrats, Colson! 👏 #UMProud
UMMS Art Club Students had the amazing opportunity to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they explored the powerful traveling exhibit, "The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure."
Guided by a museum art educator, students viewed & discussed the artwork, allowing them to deepen their understanding of the exhibit's themes. They wrapped up their visit with the classic Philly tradition of running up the Rocky steps! 🏛️🎨🥇
#UMProud #BlackHistoryMonth #ArtEducation
Today, students & staff at UMIS traveled back in time to celebrate 80s Day! They celebrated 80 days left in the school year by rocking their best 1980s-inspired looks! 🎸⚡ #UMProud
It's Super Bowl Sunday, & you know what that means... GO BIRDS! 🦅💚 #UMPROUD #FLYEAGLESFLY
On Friday, our Golden Bears showed their Eagles spirit at UMPS & UMIS with an exciting Super Bowl Pep Rally! 🎉🏈 Students & staff participated in fun challenges, including a quarterback throw, touchdown dance-off, & trivia! UMIS students played the Eagles Victory Song, "Fly, Eagles, Fly," at both pep rallies while the crowd sang along! 🦅 #GOBIRDS #UMPROUD
Miss Bell’s Kindergarten class at UMPS learned about Lunar New Year this week! Students made dragon masks & danced around the room to traditional dragon dance music. They also created red banners featuring Chinese calligraphy to share wishes for a Happy New Year! 🎆✨
#UMProud #LunarNewYear
Last week, UMMS students took on the Great Kindness Challenge for the 8th year in a row! 💜 This year, they completed acts of kindness through the “KINDO” challenge board which was filled with a variety of creative kindness activities. Staff handed out kindness tickets to students spreading positivity, with winners announced during morning announcements.
Thank you to everyone who participated—your kindness makes a difference! 💕 #UMProud #BeKind
Students in Ms. Martz's 4th-grade class celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by reading "Martin's Big Words" & reflecting on his message about character. During social studies, they explored a portion of his speech & thought about the qualities they hope to be remembered for. After their discussion, students created a craft to reflect the values that matter most to them.
#UMProud #MLKDay
FLY, EAGLES FLY! 🏈 💚🦅
On Friday, students & staff across the district wore their green & Eagles gear to show their support ahead of today’s big game against the Commanders!
#GoBirds #UMProud
