K'Nex

Students from Cambria and Jackson Elementary teamed up to attend the K’Nex STEM Challenge Competition this past Thursday. Eight students made up two teams who then competed against other schools in the surrounding counties. Their challenge was to build, using only K’Nex pieces, a structure that was at least three feet tall and could hold weight. The teams were given two hours to build their structure and then present it to the judges. In addition to building the structure, the teams also had to prepare a journal, a narrative report, and create blueprints of their structure. Our teams did not place, but did an outstanding job! Cambria and Jackson Elementary students and staff are very proud of the job they did!

Nifty Fifty States at JES

Students at Jackson Elementary are participating in the Nifty Fifty States Parade.

Law/Current Events Classes Conclude Miranda Week

On Thursday, February 25^th the Law/Current Events class concluded Miranda Week (one part of our current unit on the criminal investigation process) by utilizing one of our greatest resources. Officer Nathan Stohon came into our classroom and gave the students a glimpse of reality should they travel down the wrong path at some point in their lives. The arrest is obviously a vital component of the investigation process and while the students did have a pleasant time “being arrested”, our hope was to try and ensure that students understood the overall process, and hopefully, as well, never find themselves in handcuffs again. Officer Stohon’s expertise proved invaluable as I was able to hand the class over to him at certain points and allow him to convey the information on a different level than just teacher to student. I look forward to hopefully bringing Officer Stohon back in to my classroom in the near future to help put a real world spin on some of the things we are going to be talking about.

Healing Patch Grief Support Group to be Offered at CCHS

Did you know that 1 out of 7 children will experience the death of a loved one by the time they graduate from high school? (Home Nursing Agency, 2015).  The impact of grief can be debilitating if a child does not have the coping skills necessary to effectively deal with the changes caused by the loss.

The guidance counselors are planning on bringing the services of the Healing Patch to CCHS in the near future to assist grieving students. The Healing Patch is a peer support program administered by the Home Nursing Agency for children who have suffered the death of a loved one.  Trained grief counselors from the Healing Patch will facilitate a support group for interested students with parent/guardian approval.  The service will be provided at no cost to the participants.

If you know someone who might benefit from participation in a support group which addresses grief and loss, please contact the Central Cambria Guidance Office at 814-472-8860 (option 3) for information.  A guidance counselor will then be in touch with you regarding the registration process.

“What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”  - Helen Keller

CCHS AP History Students Visit Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C

On March 2^nd, 41 Central Cambria AP History students and 5 chaperones visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. This was made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Students were given the opportunity to connect to the past through the stories, artifacts, and primary sources available. They also had the opportunity to chat with two Holocaust survivors who were there that day. As part of the grant, students created written and visual reflections on their experience. These will be displayed at the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Johnstown, PA. In this way,  the entirety of the trip was a powerful experience that gave students a renewed appreciation for past events and the importance of the long duration of history, while forging connections across space, time, and religion.