MOMents

MOMents – College Mail

Will it ever stop coming?

When the first bit of college mail arrives on the doorstep, it's exciting. The kids wonder if they are truly wanted by the schools who court them.  The brochures are slick and glossy and it makes the next step in life look exciting. You wonder how they knew about your child and allow yourself to dream a little bit about the process of finding a college. Was it test scores that brought this bounty of colorful catalogues to your door? Was it a box your child checked off on a standardized test? Does someone out there realize that your child is special even if they have little information? Before long, you realize that none of the above is true. Your child is simply on an “elite” list of “high school students." You are now part of a huge …

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UPDATED: Swampscott High Student to Serve on Governor's Youth Council

Freshman Madison Van Dam was among the students selected to serve as regular and alternate members to the Governor's Youth Council.

  Swampscott High freshman Madison Van Dam, at 14, is one of the youngest members on the Massachusetts Youth Council, whose job it is to create positive change in their communities. She'll be a busy 14-year-old adding the two-year Council commitment to an already full schedule. Madison, a high honors student who is taking honors classes in her first year at Swampscott High, volunteers at Girls Inc. in Lynn. There the daughter of Faythe and David Van Dam mentors students and helps them with science and math lessons. She has also volunteered for veterans related projects and ran cross country. Applying for the Council was a job in and of itself. Madison applied back in June and spent weeks answering questions, securing recommendations and …

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Middle School Recognizes Two Students' Hard Work

Liam O'Brien and Annie Norton are team players, as well. They listen to and help their classmates.

  Liam O'Brien and Annie Norton didn't know why they were called to the principal's office but they were sent there. What they found out was that a couple of awards were waiting for them. Teachers at the grades 5-8 Swampscott Middle School nominated Liam, 13, and Annie, 14, for the school's effort award, given out each month. Principal Robert Murphy told them the engraved plaques they received recognize and reward them for their consistent and well done work. Liam, who likes to play and listen to music, and whose favorite class is social studies, is an extremely thoughtful student, say the teachers who nominated him for the effort plaque. "His teachers feel that he is always willing to improve what he has done, so far, despite the fact …

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Swampscott High Travelers Head to Morocco Today

The five young people and two adults got use to roughing it on Thursday night by sleeping on the high school cafeteria floor.

  The five young travelers said they were anxious, excited and not knowing what to expect on the eve of their month-long trip in Morocco. Zach Benson, Robbie Long, Renee Cooper, Max Hanlon and Ben McGrath said they just wanted to get on the plane and get their trip underway. They were gathered in the Swampscott High cafeteria about 7 pm Thursday. They gabbed about what they had packed for the trip and cracked the occasional joke. They hope Moroccans do not practice cannibalism. They ate cheese pizza from Captain Pizza and cookies. Their travel gear sat atop cafeteria tables. They are traveling light. In addition to their clothing, walking boots and sleeping bags, the tables held bottles of Advil, tubes of sun screen, water bottles, books …

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Flour Power At Elementary Schools

Kids learned to bake bread and donated their work.

  This article was submitted by Sharon LaRosa. Thanks to the King Arthur Flour Company, approximately 120 Swampscott fourth graders at the Hadley, Clarke, and Stanley Elementary Schools, learned how to bake bread and give back to the community. King Arthur Flour delivered 480 pounds of flour for the students. It was separated and packaged with the help of Hadley School student leaders and grocery bags donated by Stop & Shop of Swampscott and Shaw’s of Salem, and each student went home with four pounds of flour, yeast, baking tools, and a cookbook filled with recipes and the history of bread. An assembly was held at each school as part of the King Arthur Flour Life Skills Bread Baking Program, which teaches students to bake at home with …

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Student Sunday

Student Sunday

This column provides updates on Swampscott students in college. Where are they going to school? What are they doing? Academics, sports, music, volunteering ... . Send info to terry.date@patch.com

This information came from ReadMedia Newswire. Casey Bohannon, of Swampscott, has been named to the Dean's List at the Savannah College of Art and Design for fall quarter 2011. Full-time undergraduate students who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or above for the quarter receive recognition on the Dean's List. The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 areas of study, as well as minors in nearly 60 disciplines in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning. James Legere, of …

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Hadley's Got Heart

Students raised $146 at their pet parade and donated the money to the Northeast Animal Shelter.

Hadley Principal Sandra Rivers submitted ths article and photograph.   Janice from the Northeast Animal Shelter came to Hadley Elementary School with Teddy, a German Shepard who lives at the shelter. Hadley students presented Janice a check for $146.18 collected by the Hadley School during the first grade Pet Parade. 

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Back to School

Freshmen Today the Rest of the Crew Tomorrow

Swampscott High steps into a new school year. Thirty-five more students than expected have enrolled, the principal said.

Freshmen will have the high school to themselves today and all students are scheduled to report on Wednesday. Among the students walking through the school's doors this week will be 35 more students than expected, said Principal Layne Millington. There are 16 new upperclassmen and 19 new freshmen, he said last week. "So my numbers are growing," he said. The principal will not have a final tally on the enrollment until school starts. He said some of the students come from families that moved into town, some are transferring from an area charter school and, at least one student, decided against attending a private school. The high school will also have some new faces, as well as some familiar faces in new positions. Here is a list as …

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Dean's List Students

Here is some news of Swampscott students who are doing well with their studies in college.

These announcements were submitted by Colette Phillips Communication and Readmedia Newswire. Jessie Serven, a Swampscott resident, was recently recognized for an excellent academic performance this past semester at Wheelock College and was placed on the Dean’s List. Jessie joins only a small portion of Wheelock College’s growing student body on the Dean’s List, a universal symbol within the academic field as a sign of higher achievement. Wheelock College is a four-year, private, coeducational college with comprehensive arts and sciences and professional programs. With a student body of about 830 undergraduates, Wheelock College provides opportunities for students like Jessie to go on to live a life full of success. We congratulate Jessie …

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