MPH Homecoming Weekend 2021 is Here!
Homecoming Weekend has arrived, complete with food trucks, temporary tattoos, tons of MPH teams in action, service-learning opportunities, and even a really good cup of coffee.

The full schedule for the weekend is available on the MPH Homecoming page, but here are some highlights:

Friday
4 p.m. | Chicken Bandit and Gannon's Ice Cream trucks join us as we prepare for an evening of celebration and soccer
4-5 p.m. | Visit the School Spirit Pop Up Tent for temporary tattoos, Red & White popcorn, and free pom poms!
4:30 p.m. | the MPH Boys Varsity Soccer team takes on Homer on the Lower Field

Saturday
10:30 a.m. | the Recess Coffee cart opens the day and opens eyes to prepare for girls soccer while the School Spirit Pop Up Tent supplies the temporary tattoos and pom poms once again
11 a.m. | the MPH Girls Varsity Soccer team faces Fabius-Pompey on the Lower Field
Livestreams by Light and Magic
MPH's own video production company
A few weeks ago as the MPH Girls Varsity Soccer team warmed up for a 4:30 p.m. home game, the late summer brood of mosquitoes thickened enough to panic most adults. But three MPH students calmly tapped away at tablets and adjusted cameras, safe under a haze of Off!, and focused fully on their duties. The Light and Magic crew, now in their second year of livestreaming MPH sports, knew the drill.

Cameras on. Off! on.

Light and Magic was created in October of 2020 under its first moniker, Trojan TV, with the express purpose of livestreaming athletic contests under COVID restrictions. That was so successful that the group's role expanded to include weekly All-School Meetings during which Light and Magic manage all of the technical needs for the school and provide a one-to-two-minute introduction video. The example linked above is how this week's meeting opened.

This year the team has three current, active members: Simon Fortner, Nick Trivelpiece, and Jake Aretsky (with more in the wings), as well as 11 middle schoolers just getting their feet wet. The team is responsible for livestreaming athletic events and says that, "In the future we hope to expand into making short films for festivals and for the MPH community."

For more information and upcoming games, check out the Light and Magic website.
MPH Photo of the Week
Grade 1 students in Ms. Meyer's class were able to get outside and enjoy the warm September weather this week.
Photo courtesy of Shelah Meyer
New Staff Profile: Nikole Bonacorsi, Ph.D. | Life Science and Biology Teacher
Nikole is a paleobotanist who loves all things plants and evolution. During her Ph.D. work, Nikole researched how 400 million year old plants reproduced, and even got to name a new genus of fossil plants.

Nikole loves teaching, and has worked with students of all ages in the classroom and out in nature. She is excited to bring her prior experiences working at Brown University’s Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning and The Wheeler School to her students at MPH.

In her free time, Nikole enjoys reading, boxing, and walking her dog.
New Staff Profile
Emma Firenze | Core Health Teacher
I am entering my first year at the Manlius Pebble Hill School as a Core Health Teacher, and I’m excited to be a part of the MPH community. I am a native of Syracuse, and have recently relocated back to the area. I have developed a passion for fitness, health, and well-being through my experiences as a former Division I soccer player and Division I soccer coach. I feel the development of all facets of well-being is an essential part of growing and learning. In my spare time I enjoy spending time traveling, watching ‘Cuse basketball, and hiking with my rescue dog, Kira. 
Battling the Bugs
The mosquitoes are having a great year – but some of our younger students are struggling to share their enthusiasm.

Parents, if you could lather them up in the bug spray of your choice before arrival, it would make our outdoor adventures a little more tolerable (at least until the cold does its work).
Flu Shot Clinics
Sept 28
+ Oct 2
From Kinney Drugs
On-Campus Flu Clinics

On-Campus Flu Clinics
Representatives from Kinney Drugs will be on campus to administer flu shots:
  • Tuesday, September 28, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. for MPH employees and Middle and Upper School students
  • Saturday, October 2, from 8:00 a.m. - noon for all MPH students, employees, and family members

For student to participate, there are two steps:
  1. Register here for a time.
  2. Complete this consent form and either A) send it in with your child, or B) deliver it directly to the school nurse or email to [email protected].
SAVE THE DATE! | Lower School Program Night | Thursday, October 7 on Zoom
Meet the LS Teachers and Learn about LS Curriculum | More Details Soon!
The Scene Around MPH



Pinball Wizards
MPH Class meets Emmy-winning streamers
The Broadcasting and Cinematic Storytelling classes had visitors from Pittsburgh this week talking about sharing their passions with the world and the importance of online content creation and marketing. Beck Gallagher, a customer success manager, and Jordan Allen, an Emmy-winning video editor for WPXI-TV, are the creators of HUP Challenge, an online streaming show focused on building the pinball community around the world.

Their streams have gained notoriety across the pinball landscape and have even been highlighted and sponsored by Stern Pinball, the largest pinball manufacturer in the world. Gallagher and Allen talked to students about developing technology use to enhance the quality of their broadcasts, knowing the market to encourage growth in their user base, and understanding the importance of consistent branding.

Most importantly, they talked about the value of sharing their passion with online the community.

Both classes are taught by Mr. Zlomek and focus on video content creation and internet distribution.
Grade 6 Explores the Benefits of Bacteria
Grade 6 scientists swabbed a surface of their choosing around campus and then learned how to swab their Petri dish, transferring any microbes. Dishes were divided into a control and experimental side to better grasp the idea that science comes to learn through comparison. Dishes were incubated for a few days. In the pics here, students are using a light board to trace the microbial growth. Shifting their lenses regrading bacteria, in particular, was part of the lesson. They learned that bacteria produce yogurt, pickles, and cheese. They also learned that beneficial strains live in the large intestine.
MPH Artists Recognized by The New York Times, the NYS Fair,
and Bronx Arts Center
Two MPH students and one alumni were recognized recently for astonishing achievements in the arts.

Above: Olivia Bigtree, Class of 2020, was featured in a New York Times Style Magazine piece focused on up-and-coming artists. Well-known Native American contemporary multimedia artist Wendy Red Star had this to say about Olivia's work: "It’s also sophisticated, slick and has style, and she’s unafraid to work collaboratively with subjects. I think she’s going to be a really powerful force."

Right: Abigail Hinshaw, Grade 11, saw her photography selected for a special exhibition at the Bronx Documentary Center Annex in New York, where it will be on display until October 3. Her work will be showcased with student work from around the country.  

Below: Senior Annabel Davis won first place and best of show for the entire state of New York and saw her painting displayed throughout the New York State Fair.


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