Article written by Elizabeth Herring, SOMS HSA board member.
The halls of South Orange Middle School were alive with the joy of learning at the school’s annual School in Action Night on Thursday, May 17.
First the 6th grade chorus entertained a large crowd, many of whom were there for the 5th grade parent/student orientation. They were followed by the 7th and 8th grade chorus, who serenaded the audience with a medley of Gershwin tunes, setting the perfect tone for the evening.
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As the audience spilled out into the halls, they encountered famous cultural figures from Babe Ruth and Charlie Chaplin to Frank Sinatra and the Beatles, all part of 6th grade social studies teacher Caroline Pew’s Living Wax Museum.
It was a wonderful introduction to the middle school for 5th graders and their parents. They could watch and even participate in live frog and earthworm dissections, get some salsa lessons from enthusiastic Spanish students, play math Jeopardy and other games, and see examples of students’ work, from videos to power point presentations. An amazing array of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and drawings was on display, and at 7:30, there was a Mosaic Masterpiece Ribbon Cutting ceremony as the SOMS Art Club unveiled its latest mosaic installation in the front lobby.
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The ever-popular Science Fair was chockablock with impressive experiments exhibited by the school’s budding scientists. The evening culminated with the announcement of the winners. The top prize for the 7th and 8th graders went to 7th grader Hanae Garrison for her “Food Preservation: How it Works and Why” experiment. With 79 entries, this year’s 6th grade contest was very competitive. There were two first prizes: Valerie Trewick for her “Shame a Stain” experiment and Jay Ascher for his “Color My World” experiment.
