Keeping MPH Running
A Big Thank You to the Facilities Crew
On one of those recent days when it was too cold to do much of anything outside other than run to the waiting warmth of the Phoenix, the MPH plow truck could be seen parked in the Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church lot. No one was in the truck because they had interrupted plowing duties to help a woman locked out of her car. It's just one of the myriad duties – none of them particularly easy – performed by the MPH facilities crew.

Another story? Last weekend while most of us were tucked away in our special cold-night PJs watching the Dallas Cowboys do their beautifully inexplicable failed dance with time, Mike Longden and Shawn Tompkins were managing a busted sprinkler in the Center for Early Learning. It was fixed and tidied up before the start of classes, as always.

The primary crew is made up Facilities Manager Mike Longden, as well as Matt McCrimman and Pat Giocondo. They are omnipresent on campus, standing out on Jamesville Road to guide students across the road safely to start the day, plowing at all hours, fixing the countless little creaks and tremors that appear around the MPH buildings, and rocketing across campus on their gators (ok, that looks like a lot of fun) to another waiting job.

The crew may not be in front of a class every day, but they provide an essential part of the MPH experience. Consider this a thank you for a job well done.
In Search of MPH's Future
One More Admissions Info Sessions for Interested Families
Do you know someone who may be interested in exploring an MPH education for their child? The Admissions Office will be holding another (virtual) Information Sessions next week for Grades 1-12! Families can get more info and register here on the MPH Admissions page.

We also have the December edition of our Discover MPH Admissions e-newsletter to share with inquiring folks (and it happens to include the registration link for our info session). Please forward it along to a friend or family member who may be interested. After all, the endorsement of our extended MPH community members makes for the best kind of encouragement for other folks to take a look!
MPH Photo of the Week
Ms. Walsh's Pre-K class got some time under a parachute in Core Health last week. The students were attempting to create a mushroom effect working together to bring the mushroom down to make an igloo.
Online Drivers Ed and SAT Prep Offered
All ONLINE Drivers Ed and SAT Prep classes from MPH fit our students' busy schedules and feature the high-quality instruction you'd expect from our fantastic community programs.

Drivers Ed begins January 31 and features pre-recorded chapter reviews, along with assignments and quizzes. Parents/guardians provide support for the required 24 hours of driving time and submit weekly logs.
SAT Prep starts February 7 and features a Sunday Zoom class that is recorded for anyone who can't attend at that time.

All classes are recorded and will be available up to seven days if a class is missed.
The Scene Around MPH
Photo by Charles Wainwright '74
Winter Teams Hitting Their Stride
As featured on syracuse.com, the MPH Boys Basketball team capped off a recent stretch that has seen the team win three of their last four games with a come-from-behind victory this week at Onondaga Central. Qonvalek Ewing stood out with a seven-point fourth quarter in the win, while James Wildhack and Ryan Kinane each added 10 for the Trojans. The stretch brings MPH's record to 4-6 on the season, moving them up in the middle of the Section III standings.

The team's next game is tonight at Fabius-Pompey at 7 p.m.
The MPH Girls Volleyball team has also found its stride these past few weeks, winning two of its last three games and improving its record to 4-8.

Volleyball beat Weedsport on January 15 and Port Byron on January 18 before dropping a tough one to Fabius-Pompey this week. Mary Smorol, Grace Montas, Abigail Hinshaw, and Sophie Menacho have led the team with 15, 11, 8, and 25 points, respectively.

The team's next game is tonight, January 21, at home against DeRuyter.
For up-to-date scores and schedules for both team, check out High School Sports States.
Model UN Delegation Has Another Productive Conference
This past Friday evening and all day Saturday, the MUN team participated in the Central New York Model United Nations conference. The conference was hosted by Fayetteville-Manlius High School, and drew delegates from 10 area schools. Our team, MPHMUN, performed very well with 11 of the 14 MPH participants earning recognitions. Delegates debated topics ranging from the crisis in Syria, gender equality in the workspace, regulating opioids, and prevention of wildfires, to the International Olympic Committee. The entire team did very well and had a lot of fun.

"I am very proud of their hard work in learning about the complex topics and the skill with which they navigated the debates in committee," said advisor Sarah Chhablani.

CNYMUN 2022

General Assembly | Honorable Mention,
Thatcher Thomas

General Assembly | Best Delegate,
Rafael Jennings
Special Political | Honorable Mention,
Jeffrey Pisciarino

Special Political | Outstanding Delegate,
Mitchell Rovit

Economic and Social Council | Outstanding Delegate, Jorge Niederhoff

UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization | Best Delegate, Neha Chhablani

United Nations Environment Program | Outstanding Delegate, Caroline Mezzalingua

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime | Honorable Mention, Schuyler King

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime | Outstanding Delegate, Asriel Anderson

Security Council | Best Delegate, Ayden Whitted

International Olympic Committee | Best Delegate,
Paul DiFolco
MPH's Model United Nations team is hosting a Red Cross blood drive Thursday, February 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the MPH gym.

Each donation at the drive will raise $10 in support of MPH Model UN and will help save potentially three lives – especially now when there is a blood shortage across New York state.

Schedule a time
Visit the Red Cross MPHMUN link or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to find a time.

Benefits
Not only do you help to save lives in our area, but donors also get:
  • An American Red Cross branded item
  • A $10 Amazon gift card

For Parents of MPH participating students
Students must be at least 16 to donate. Parents must sign this consent form for 16-year-olds. Please have your student bring the form on February 10.

There are also some specific height/weight requirements for students. Please read through this document in advance of scheduling.

For Students
The Red Cross provides a Student's Guide to Blood Donation.
Empower CNY Offers Student-Led Volunteer Opportunities
Students Grades 8 through 12 have a wonderful community volunteer opportunity through Empower CNY, which was founded about a year ago by CNY teens (and continues to be run by teens) to provide tutoring to local K-8 students as a means of addressing educational inequities.

Empower currently conducts tutoring sessions for more than 50 students, some virtually and some in person. Locations include the OCPL Central and OCPL Petit Libraries, as well as the Vietnamese Community Center of Syracuse. They are also actively expanding to new locations. More details are available on Empower's website: empowercny.org.

Further details on tutoring times and locations from Empower CNY
Students in Grades 9-12 can register to be a tutor on our website and let us know where they would be able to tutor through the Google form. We will then reach out to them with more details.
If they are interested in virtual tutoring, sessions take place Saturday and Sunday evenings and mornings.

Currently, all of our in-person sessions take place each Saturday: 

  • OCPL Central: Saturdays 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  • OCPL Petit: Saturdays 3 to 4:30 p.m.
  • Vietnamese Community Center: Saturdays 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

If you’re interested in contributing to the organization in more than just a tutoring capacity, consider applying for the Empower CNY LEAD Team. Admissions are rolling, and any student in Grades 9-12 may apply through this Google form.

If accepted, LEAD team members work alongside each other as well as the directors to facilitate outreach, brainstorm new ideas, and meet with each other bi-weekly to debrief.
Roots and Shoots Delays Can Drive to January 27
Due to the recent health protocols and risk of transmission, the Roots and Shoots Club is postponing the can and bottle drive to the first week of the third quarter: Thursday, January 27. Students will collect cans from parents in the morning drop-off line. They are hoping to then exchange these cans and donate the money to the Sierra Club.
Athletics Apparel Store Open Until Jan. 23
If you missed it the first time around, the Trojans Apparel Store is open for purchases until Jan. 23. There are men's, women's, and kids' options in a wide variety of sizes.

For those looking for MPH apparel that isn't athletics-themed, we will plan an order this spring. Stay tuned to Snapshot for details!

Manlius Pebble Hill School | 315-446-2452mphschool.org