Ready for KICK Off? We are Penn State!

On the 25th anniversary of Penn State’s first national title, a favorable schedule has the faithful dreaming big yet again. Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Ohio State all come to State College. But the Lions must travel to Michigan—and must beat the Wolverines for the first time since 1996—before they can think about fulfilling championship aspirations. It would be great if JoePa could win another championship before he hangs up the "highwater" pants.

Did you know that 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Paulhamus is a graduate of PSU?

Georgia LLWS Champs! (and an end to summer)

Dalton Carriker slugged a walk-off solo home run to right field to give Warner Robins (Ga.) Little League a dramatic 3-2 victory today in the 2007 Little League Baseball World Series Championship Game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
“I was looking for a fastball and he threw me a curveball and I just kept my weight back and took it to right field,” Carriker said of his game-winner against Tokyo (Japan) Kitasuna Little League. “Right off the bat I knew it was pretty much outta here, but it was a very nice hit for me."
Congrats to the World Champs for winning with a walk off homer! What a great game and another end to a great summer! Now back to school!

New Student Orientation

Andrew G. Curtin new student orientation was held this past Tuesday at 6PM in the auditorium. It was a well attended evening. Any new student to Curtin Middle School who came to orientation received a free t-shirt. "You just can't hide that Curtin Pride!" I would like to thank the staff who attended to assist with building tours. Mr. Zangara co-presented the orientation to showcase our school. Thank you Mrs. Stopper, Mrs. Wagner, Mrs. Armstrong, Mr. Fink, Mr. D. Hess, Mr. B. Hess, Mr. Radspinner, Mr. Beatty. Everyone did an awsome job. Below is a copy of a video we shared with parents and students who attended. Remember that "extrordinary people started as ordinary at one time." How do you want to represent yourself?

Little League Marks the End of Summer!

Little League signifys the end of summer for area resident students and staff. After the championship game on Sunday, you have one more day of summer, then back to the grind of school. Staff has been back in session since last Thursday. My two sons, Connor and Cameron have attended several games this past week. Trading pins has become a hobby of both of them this year. Aren't we fortunate to have a world-wide event right in our own backyard? If you are in to pin trading let me know so I can hook you up with my sons to trade.

Alumni Soccer at Balls Mills

This past Saturday evening I played in the inagural WAHS Alumni Game sponsored by the Balls Mills Soccer Club. Thanks to Vic Engel, Marc Lovecchio, and Chris Lovecchio for putting together this event. It also marked the 25th year WAHS Soccer has been in place at our high school. I was actually the second oldest alumnus partaking in the evening. Nate Sanders, class of '87 was the eldest of the group. I graduated in '88. It felt great getting on the pitch again and kicking it around former players from WAHS. The Balls Mills Soccer Complex is fantastic. I was able to kick it around with my 'ol chum, Mr. Poole from Jackson Elementary. The best news is that I can still walk after this event. Also, the alumnus came out on top of the current '07 squad. Keeping working hard boys! It will payoff.

Grand Slam Parade

My family and I ventured downtown to take in the 2007 Grandslam Parade. This was a great event for us to enjoy as summer begins to wind down and Little League begins to take off. Good luck to all the Little Leaguers in the tournament this year. I saw many familiar faces in the parade volunteering like our superintendent, Dr. Kelley, director of human resources, Ms. Deb Savage, and our business manager, Mr. Chuck Peterson. They all did a fine job but looked a bit hot from the walking.

We also saw two of Little League's favorite uncles, Mr. Mick Cioffi and Mr. Denny Logan, both teachers in WASD. They looked like they were having fun on the float with team Mexico. Best of luck in the series and may you have a great school year at Round Hills for Mr. Cioffi and Cochran Elementary for Mr. Logan (he still owes me a soda). Hey Mr. Cioffi, the Yanks are starting to come around eh! Pirates remain consistent as usual.

Can Anyone Tame the Tiger?

Tiger Woods is 31 years old and has won 13 majors. He is in pursuit of Jack Niklaus, winner of 19 championships. The prediction is that Tiger will smash the record. There are four major championships in an annual golf season. How does someone become so superior at a sport such as golf?

Is Your Brain Sleepy?

It seems like at night that I can barely stay awake to watch any television or relax. I thought about this the other day and thought finding some current research on sleep related to the brain would be interesting to know. Here is what I found out. The bottom line is to get enough sleep so you can perform and function to the best of your ability.
~~ Sleep deprivation and sleep habits do correlate with academic grades. A study out of Worcester, MA, shows that students who received low grades (C's, D's, F's), obtained about 25 minutes less sleep and went to bed an average of 40 minutes later on school nights than students with high grades (A's and B's). Adolescents who slept less than 7 hours reported increased daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, and behavior problems. Wolfson, A. 1998. Child Development, Vol 69(4) 875-887.
~~Good news from the Washoe Sleep Disorders Clinic in Reno, Nevada (a good place for a sleep disorders clinic if you ask me:>). Short-term sleep deprivation does not impair cortical function. While it has been shown many times that long term sleep deprivation interferes with test taking, attention and task completion, apparently sleep deprivation for shorter periods of time do not. Binks, et.al, Sleep, 1999(May), V. 22(3), 328-334.

King Bonds? or Not?

Barry Bonds connected for his 756th homeroom last evening. What an amazing feat for any athlete. Do you think his legacy will be tarnished with his allegations related to steroid use? I thought Bonds was a better player when he was with the Pirates, he certainly wasn't as buff as he is today. Regardless being the "Homerun King" of baseball is pretty awesome. Making contact with a ball being thrown at you with speeds between 80 - 90 mph 756 times is amazing!

Online Homework Help is Available!

Homework Help is available to you thanks to the James V. Brown Library. Did you know that the library is 100 years old. Anyway click on this link and you can get live help on your homework everyday from 3-10PM. James V. Brown Library Homework Help. They will assist with any subject area. Wish they offered this when I was in middle school.

I Can Barely Ride a Tricycle!

During the month of July every year The Tour de France takes place. This bicycle race has 20 stages to it and is over 2,000 miles. I have trouble riding my daughter's tricycle at times. What a grueling test of fitness, strength, endurance, and persistance amongst these athletes. There is much controversy surrounding this sport since last year with Floyd Landis "doping" (term used to describe a cyclist who is suspected of using performance enhancement drugs).

I read a book about Lance Armstrong two summers ago called It's Not About the Bike. It was an interesting read.