One of the unique features of life at MPH is the inclusive approach to athletics, which means all students who want to play a sport can play a sport regardless of their background, how many travel teams they've been on, or whether they've even played the sport before. In speaking with students, they see this is a positive aspect of the school culture. Instead of breeding cold-blooded competition among peers, it encourages of a culture of inclusion, support, and community. It doesn't mean the Trojans don't succeed, either. MPH is home to numerous league, sectional, and even state championship teams and individual performers. It just means everyone who wants to can benefit from the positive experience of participating in MPH athletics.

It also means the varsity boys basketball team can try to play volleyball against the very successful girls varsity volleyball team in front of a gym full of their peers – and lose. Soundly.

Friday was pep rally day at MPH, and once again the gym was the scene of plenty of energetic competition and noise, with the now-traditional tunnel entrance for each varsity team followed by a layup/three-pointer/half-court basketball contest, chairbound basketball, and the aforementioned volleyball game. Truth be told, the boys did well for their lack of experience, even going on a mini-run after a stumbling start. Despite the boys' height advantage, the girls outpaced them in positioning and poise ... and knowledge of the game ... and skill ... and eventually outlasted them in the good-natured meeting.

The pep rally came fast on the heels of the previous evening's Senior Night for Varsity Volleyball, during which the girls defeated Weedsport 3-0, improving their record to a tidy 8-5. The Trojans also finished second in last weekend's tournament at Cooperstown. Scroll below for pics from Senior Night and a team pic of the girls at the Cooperstown tourney.

The boys basketball team will celebrate its seniors February 8 against Fabius-Pompey.

Athletics note: The most-recent athletics schedule is always available through Schedule Galaxy and can be accessed on the MPH Calendar page or via the Schedule Galaxy mobile app. The schedule included below is subject to change after the date of distribution, so please check Schedule Galaxy before heading out to a contest.

5:30 p.m. JV Volleyball @ Weedsport

7:00 p.m. Varsity Volleyball @ Weedsport

5:30 p.m. JV Basketball @ Port Byron

7:00 p.m. Varsity Basketball @ Port Byron

7:00 p.m. College Night for Juniors | Dining Hall

5:30 p.m. JV Volleyball @ Stockbridge Valley

7:00 p.m. Varsity Volleyball @ Stockbridge Valley

5:30 p.m. JV Basketball vs. Mater Dei Academy

7:00 p.m. Varsity Basketball vs. Mater Dei Academy

3:00 p.m. Ski Club

5:30 p.m. JV Volleyball @ Tully

7:00 p.m. Varsity Volleyball @ Tully

Quarter Two Ends

Area All State | Ithaca College

5:30 p.m. JV Volleyball vs. Chittenango

7:00 p.m. Varsity Volleyball vs. Chittenango

5:30 p.m. JV Basketball @ Faith Heritage (to be played @ TBD)

6:30 p.m. Varsity Basketball @ Faith Heritage

Area All State | Ithaca College

As you may have heard from your child(ren), we will be hosting our first Middle School Dance of the year tonight from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Honoring a long-standing tradition and celebrating their final year in the Middle School, the 8th graders receive a bonus 30 minutes and may stay until 10:00 p.m. A special thanks to Ms. Rai, Ms. Bentley Hoke, and students on the MS Leadership Team who have been busy with the preparations.

If you have specific questions about the dance, please feel free to email Mr. Spear at mspear@mphschool.org. We look forward to a fun evening!

Carolyn Zimmerman provided us with this shot of winter finally arriving to campus, and doing so in striking fashion.

NOTE: The only option for delivery of these orders is shipping to an address customers provide. There will be no orders from this store delivered to the school.

The official Manlius Pebble Hill clothing store is now live with a wide variety of selections for all sizes, genders, and ages. A couple key points:

You'll find the weekly lunch menu here in Snapshot every Friday, but it also lives on the MPH website (you can find it through the direct link or on the left column of myMPH). And this week we welcome the return of Nutrislice, which lets users sort menu items by nutritional data, ingredients, and allergens.

The campus shop took a hiatus during COVID but returned this year as a club/experiential learning hybrid, guided by Ms. McBennett and driven by a core group of juniors and seniors, with senior Kate Chaffee serving as de facto store manager. The store runs as an actual campus business, having started with a seed loan from the administrative wing, a loan which is "nearly paid off," said Kate, and keeping tally of all sales, purchases, and trends. Like many business owners know, the students have learned that selling things is the easy part of the work.

"The easiest part is when we're open and selling at the window," Kate said. "The behind-the-scenes work is much harder. Creating a schedule so that we have workers when students have free blocks; knowing how much to buy and making sure we keep new things available; making sure especially Lower School kids have a nice variety of really healthy choices."

For Middle and Upper School students, the store runs conventionally, with students bringing money and selecting from a variety of snacks and drinks. Most popular according to Kate are Kraft Mac and Cheese and grape Kool Aid, although the recent addition of Capri Sun has put a dent in the Kool Aid market. Lower School students (it is limited to students in Grades 3-5) don't have to buy their snacks and are allowed one selection from a limited menu of healthier choices (the Flaming Hot Cheetos will have to wait).

"We knew it was really important for Lower School students to have equity," Kate said. "They have the same food choices, and they each get one choice. Usually it's something like Goldfish and Pirate's Booty, sometimes gummy snacks. We tally it and calculate the cost for Ms. Abdo."

The LS then reimburses the store to keep the books in line.

"The LS kids are the best," Kate said. "They're really polite kids. And it's really a big community builder. When I see them in the hall they'll say hi, and they recognize us from the store."

Kate said community is another plus for Middle and Upper School students as the store has become a gathering place in the Phoenix during free time.

"We get requests," she said. "Then we make a list and go to BJ's to restock. We try to add new items and keep the more popular items in stock at the same time. People get excited to see the new items we have. We're going to try to add Hot Pockets next. Every time we go to buy them, they've been sold out. But that's the plan."

MPH sophomore Alexa Rose Battaglia won the 2023 Symphoria Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, playing the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major from memory. She will perform this piece as a soloist with the Symphoria Young Artists Orchestra in the spring. Alexa Rose is concertmaster of the MPH Upper School Orchestra and a member of the Symphoria Young Artists Orchestra. She also serves as president of the MPH Bluegrass Fiddle Club. In addition to the violin, which she began playing at the age of five, Alexa Rose plays the piano and mandolin. She recently performed with the Senior All-County Orchestra and will represent MPH in the Area All-State Orchestra in Ithaca next month. Last year, Alexa Rose’s youth orchestra chamber group won Best Syracuse-Area Ensemble and she was featured on the popular TV segment Extraordinary Talent. Congratulations Alexa Rose!

MPH's Lunar New Year hot pot dinner for students, faculty, and the MPH community took place last week to celebrate the arrival of spring (eventually) and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in many Asian countries and is a time for families to gather and eat in celebration. Ms. Kuo sends her thanks to all of the students, parents, and teacher, as well as the fabulous MPH kitchen crew, for making this year's event such a success. "It takes a village to make delicious dumplings," she said.

Grade 10 Core Health and Wellness students got some practice in front a discerning audience this week as they presented a variety of health topics as part of their end-of-quarter projects to Grade 2 students in the Lower School.

The Parents’ Association invites you to attend a private MPH family event at The Four Seasons in Fayetteville on Sunday, January 29 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for an evening of tubing, hot chocolate and snacks!

You can sign up here! Please RSVP by January 28th.

Four Seasons recommends that children are at least three and a half years old, 40 inches tall, and able to go down the hill independently. Only one person is allowed per tube and children are not allowed to ride on an adult’s lap. You might also consider bringing a helmet, based on your own comfort level. Four Seasons has a policy stating that a ticket purchase removes any liability from the venue and verifies that the purchaser agrees to their expectations of conduct and safety. For more information about Four Seasons, you can visit their website here. Because this will not be staffed by MPH employees, we request that all parents remain on site. 

The deadline for creating a senior tribute ad in the yearbook is February 5, and the page can be created at the Jostens Yearbooks Ads for Seniors site. If anyone has any questions, contact Amy Hogan.

Registration is now open for the Winter/Spring 2023 session.

See our website for additional information and to register or call the Community Programs office at 315-446-2452.

For more information contact Kate Laissle at 315-442-7755 or kmlaissl@syr.edu.

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