Last week, the Golden Bear Wrestling team at UMHS "Saluted those who Serve" by competing in Army-issued camo singlets supplied by the Pennsylvania National Guard. Before the match, there was a ceremony to recognize veterans & active service personnel in attendance. 🇺🇸
Also at the event, Coach DeFranco was recognized for his 150th career dual win as head coach. Congratulations, Coach DeFranco on this amazing accomplishment! 🏆
#UMProud #MilitaryAppreciationNight
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our MLK Day of Service at UMHS yesterday!
With over 100 participants—including approximately 65 student volunteers, along with parents and staff—we came together to make 75 handmade blankets for Project Linus, providing comfort to children facing serious illness or trauma.
We also collected five boxes of donations for EACH of the food pantries at UMHS, UMMS, & UMEC.
Thank you for showing up, giving back, & making an impact on our school community! 💜💛
#UMProud #MLKDayofService
Last week, our UMHS Chief Science Officers (CSOs) brought science to life for our 2nd & 5th graders at UMPS & UMIS. ✨
Grade 5 students attended an assembly, while Grade 2 students explored hands-on experiments in small groups. They created elephant glue, experimented with catapults & magnets, & learned about heat transfer while making real scientific hypotheses!
Shout out to our amazing high school student leaders who planned & led every activity themselves! 👏
🔬 Check out this link to learn more about the CSO program: https://www.paseed.org/cso
#UMProud
6th-graders in Ms. Valentine's class at UMMS stepped back in time to ancient Mesopotamia! As part of their study of this civilization, students crafted their own Sumerian ziggurats. 🏛 #UMProud #HistoryInAction
Yesterday was National Twin Day! 🎉 Check out this before & after of our twins from the Class of 2025 - from 5th grade to Seniors! #UMProud #TwinDay
The halls at UMPS are all decked out for the holiday season & students have been wearing their festive gear all week! ❄ Only two more days of school left before Winter Break! ⛄ #UMProud
Students at UMIS are counting down the days until Winter Break with two Spirit Weeks! Last week was filled with cheer as students:
🎩 Sported their Holiday Hats
❤️🖤💚 Wore red, black, & green to celebrate Kwanzaa
💙🤍✨ Dressed in blue, silver, & white for Hanukkah
🧦 Rocked their favorite Winter Socks
🎄 Wowed us with their Holiday Sweaters!
Stay tuned to see how they wrap up the season this week! #UMproud
This month, UMHS held their "Give Thanks & Win a Pie" event, where students & staff shared thank-you notes with one another. Hundreds of heartfelt notes were received this year, & each one was delivered with care. 💌
Congratulations to the lucky winners who won a pie for themselves & their note recipients! 🥧 Thank you to all who took the time to express their appreciation! 💜 #UMProud #GiveThanks #Gratitude
This month, UMMS students came together to provide 35 families with food baskets for the holiday season through their annual Turkey Trot Food Drive. 🦃
Led by Student Council, who worked hard to tally, organize, & manage the drive, students celebrated their collective efforts on Wednesday with a day of fun & teamwork. Check out some photos from their culminating Turkey Trot, including a fun run/walk, gym activities, & Minute to Win It games.
We're #UMProud of our students for demonstrating kindness & leadership this holiday season! ☺
This month, 1st-graders at UMPS participated in the Turkey Trot STEM Challenge after reading the book "Balloons Over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet. This book tells the story of the puppeteer who made the Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloon floats come to life with his inventive & unique creations. As a follow-up to the book, students constructed their own movable Turkey Marionettes. 🦃 #UMProud #Thanksgiving #STEM
We are so thankful for our incredible students, dedicated staff, & supportive community! YOU make UMTSD a special place to learn, grow, & thrive! 🤗 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂 #UMProud #HappyThanksgiving
Last week, 3rd-graders in Ms. Corso's class focused on gratitude with a simple but meaningful activity. Each student picked a random classmate's name & wrote them a note sharing something they appreciated about that person. 💜 Activities like this remind us how important it is to take time to reflect & share what we're thankful for! Great job! 👏 #UMProud #Thankfulness #Gratitude
In honor of World Kindness Day and the Kind Like Joey Foundation, 6th-grade SEL students at UMMS crafted friendship bracelets to distribute to the UMMS community. #SpreadKindness #UMProud
First graders at UMPS are celebrating the 50th Day of School today by dressing up in 1950s fashion! Take a look at Mrs. Ferguson's class looking fabulous in their awesome outfits! #UMProud #50thDayofSchool
Yesterday, UMMS welcomed guest speaker Mike Vecchio from the Travis Manion Foundation in honor of Veterans Day.
Mr. Vecchio spoke with our 8th-graders about the importance of character, leadership, & service. Through the stories of veterans Travis Manion & Brendan Looney, he shared the Foundation's motto, "If Not Me, Then Who?"
We’re grateful for this powerful reminder to lead by example & for the Foundation’s mission to build stronger communities. Thank you, TMF, for inspiring our students!
#UMProud #VeteransDay
Yesterday our amazing students at UMIS honored Mr. Joe & Mr. Bill with handmade cards & a parade in celebration of Veterans Day! Thank you to all of our staff members at UMTSD who have served our country! 💙🇺🇸 #UMProud #VeteransDay
This week, the UMHS Book Club made a special visit to our 3rd-grade classrooms at UMIS! 📚
3rd-graders designed & colored bookmarks, and UMHS students shared their favorite books like "Jumanji" & "Horton Hears a Who!" Afterward, students discussed the stories' themes, messages, & outcomes.
Thanks to our UMHS students for inspiring our young readers! 📖 #UMProud
Today, students & families at UMPS & UMIS celebrated Halloween with our annual Halloween parade! 🎃 It was amazing to see all the creative & fun costumes. A special thank you to the UMMS Band & Color Guard for the incredible entertainment they provided our spectators in the afternoon!
This week, #ProjectLIT Book Club kicked off its 7th year at UMMS with our first read, "A Work in Progress," - a story about a young boy's journey toward self-acceptance, using art to express his emotions.
During our activity, club members went around to four emotion-themed stations - happy, sad, angry, embarrassed - spending a few minutes drawing, doodling, or coloring what that emotion looks or feels like to them. We finished the activity with a gallery walk, seeing how others visualized each emotion.
Some reviews from this month's meeting included:
⭐ "Loved mixing with different people!"
⭐ "The community coming together is awesome!"
⭐ "The book was so inspirational"
⭐ "My group's discussion was great"
⭐ "The FOOD and the BLOOKET were my favorite!"
⭐ "We had so much fun"
⭐ "Pizza AND cookies?! Yes, please!"
⭐ "I loved the trivia game!"
Sound like something you're interested in? Stay tuned for our next book & meeting reveal in the next few weeks. Information will be shared via our weekly e-newsletters!
Earlier this month, the UMHS Diversity Club hosted its Kickoff/Kick Back Event, welcoming students back to school with an evening of cultural exchange, food, & fun! The event aimed to foster community & encourage students to share their cultures & learn about each other in a relaxed, welcoming environment.
Attendees enjoyed homemade dishes brought in by students & staff, played games led by the high school Physical Education Department, & enjoyed music curated by DJ Li (UMHS Senior, Lianna Adame).
It was a great event, bringing students & staff together to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the UM community! #UMProud
