Members of the National Art Honors Society of Greendale High School are working on a project at Clement Manor, a retirement community in Greenfield. To the delight of the residents, they are painting a mural in the hallway outside of the physical therapy room. The theme of the mural is “A Walk in the Park.”

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As a service activity, juniors and seniors in the GEM Program are making friendship bracelets for the Amazon Medical Mission group of Iquitos, Peru. Dr. Jack Baker, a cardiothoracic surgeon and the brother-in-law of GEM coordinator Sharon Sharko, will be going on an 8 day mission with the group this summer. The bracelets will be part of the souvenirs taken to the Amazonian villages that are visited throughout the trip.

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On a beautiful, sunny day in April, Highland View 5th graders traveled to Grootemat Park as part of both a Science unit on the Environment and a Social Studies unit on Community Action. The students happily set out to clean up a part of the Highland View neighborhood. They gathered lots of litter, including cans and paper to recycle, as well as a couple of tires that they "rolled" back to school for recycling.

The 5th graders used their field booklets to draw what they saw, record the types of trash they were able to remove, and write about how what they did that day helped the community and the wildlife that live in the park. The students celebrated their successful work and scientific observations and discussed what they enjoyed about the event.

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A group of caring and dedicated students from Greendale High School worked together to plan an interactive health fair at Greendale Middle School to raise awareness of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse. The fair was a great opportunity for the high school students to make a positive impression on 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

The theme of the student-run health fair was “Stomping out Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs." It was held on April 4 and 11 during the normally scheduled Physical Education “Fitness Friday” classes at Greendale Middle School.

GMS students had approximately 40 minutes to participate in interactive booths, each providing an anti-drug message. They received a “passport” which they filled by visiting at least six of the ten booths. When their passport was filled, they redeemed it for a chance to win raffle prizes. In addition, each student received a button to wear which shows they support “Stomping out Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs.”

Students coordinating the fair were members of the National Honor Society, Service Learning Club, FACT, and students from Health Education classes. They received a $1,000 mini grant from the Department of Public Instruction to assist with implementation.

Dawn Nibbelink served as the Health Fair Adviser.

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In recognition of the 70th anniversary of the “Greendale Original,” GHS Honors Physics students were charged with constructing an “Original” single family two-story home as part of the class’s 5th annual home builder’s project.

Twenty-seven students, working in groups, participated in the activity which showcased their creativity and knowledge of circuits. The student-built model homes were complete with lighting and doorbells and were decorated consistent with the time period.

In addition to constructing a model home, students were required to submit a portfolio of their project which included circuit schematics, written and pictorial documentation of the process, blueprints, and a description of the fictional family living in the home.

The GHS Physics Parade of Homes was held at the high school on April 9. At the event, the model homes were judged by Greendale Village Trustees Jeff Birmingham and Al Sikorski, Greendale Historical Society Board members Kathleen Hart and Bill Attewell along with Eppstein Uhen architect, Bruce Marne. Criteria included adherence to scale, construction, authenticity, and ability to capture the look of the 1930’s.

Congratulations to Liz Coenen and Jennifer Henschel who were crowned the winners of the 5th annual GHS Physics Parade of Homes.

The “Originals,” along with a replica of the Greendale Village Hall and the Greendale Fire and Police Station, will be displayed in the community at the end of April.

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Students watched in awe with smiles on their faces as magician Rick Allen performed for them on April 11 at College Park Elementary School. His fast-paced act weaved motivational messages about the importance of reading and mathematics with magic tricks that drew cheers from students.

Mr. Allen got an assist from eager student volunteers, who helped him perform magic. One crowd-pleaser was his “Cat in the Hat” trick which culminated with the dramatic appearance of his magic rabbit which was met with loud applause.

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As the culmination of a unit on writing, first graders at Highland View were working on writing a “How To” book. On April 7, they got some help from experts in the field.

Three employees of Reiman Publications, Stacy Tornio, Managing Editor of Birds & Blooms; Heather Lamb, Editor of Birds & Blooms; and Rachael Liska, Editor of Backyard Living, visited the first grade classrooms.

During this unique workshop, they supplied students with containers, soil, sunflower seeds and water and then helped them to plant the seeds. When all of the seeds were planted, the special guests spoke to the students about writing a book on how to plant a sunflower seed.

In addition, the aspiring writers learned that the duties of a magazine editor include checking the story for spelling and word use, encouraging writers, and helping writers when they have questions.

As a result of this fun, hands-on workshop, first graders at Highland View learned the importance of developing good writing skills.

Thanks to Stacy Tornio, Heather Lamb and Rachael Liska for sharing their time and talent.

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As part of a unit on the human body in science class, GMS 6th grade students are learning how our bodies respond to the environment via messages sent to the brain.

Through their study of the eye, they learned how light first enters the cornea, then the pupil (the iris is a muscle that controls the amount of light that inters the eye), then the lens (which bends the light) and is then focused on the retina. The students also gained an understanding of the diseases and conditions that affect the eye.

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