The 9th Grade Experience

While much of the start of the 2020-2021 school year has been anything but normal, there are still time-honored school traditions that have occurred during the first 9 weeks of school, including the the election of class officers. On this episode, you will hear from three out of the four newly elected leaders, including President Bella Desiderio, Secretary Angela Tran, and Treasurer Sarah Greene as they discuss the start of their school year, the beginnings of hybrid learning, what led them to become involved with these positions, and tips going forward to balance a jam-packed academic and extracurricular schedule.

For more information from the class officers, check the Class of 2024 Schoology Page and be on the lookout for a new Class of 2024 Instagram page.

For the full video, go the 9th Grade Experience Podcast on YouTube.

As we approach the holiday season and the end of 2020, it is a great time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for here at Emmaus High School on the second annual Attitude of Gratitude special episode. There are many people, either in a classroom, on the field or court, or in the school’s many offices that work together to make the transition from middle school to high school as smooth and successful as possible for all students. On this episode you hear from students through Zoom interviews or from students and staff who contributed written response through email and message boards. So before you fill your plates with food, once again fill yourself with an attitude of gratitude, with the members of the EHS community.

Our 9th Grade School Counselors Mrs. Demchak and Mr. McInerney return to the show this week to help you finish up the calendar year 2020 as strong as possible and give you momentum toward a much needed new year. Some of the topics we covered included

• A recap of the first 3+ months of the school year (marking periods, grades, timelines, and deadlines)
• Tips and strategies for improving your learning remotely
• The importance of reaching out for help and being your own advocate
• Scheduling for next school year, which starts on Thursday, December 17

Jessica Lahey is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, keynote speaker, wife, and mother. But at her core, she is an educator. She has worked with a wide variety of students at all levels from sixth through twelfth grade. In this interview, she gives tips and strategies from her teaching career and her 2015 book “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed” for students, teachers, and parents to apply during that all-important 9th grade year.

Where to find Jessica online:

Website: https://www.jessicalahey.com/

Twitter: @jesslahey

Instagram: @teacherlahey

Get any of the books mentioned during today’s show at Let’s Play Books in Emmaus, Pa. https://www.letsplaybooks.com/

In the world of high school athletics, and even on previous episodes of this podcast, most of the attention is placed on the results of the varsity teams. But before the Friday Night Lights, local television, newspaper and radio coverage, and league and district championships, many athletes improve their skills on junior varsity or freshman teams. In perennially strong programs, like boys basketball, making any of the three teams is quite the accomplishment for a 9th grader.

If the success of this season’s Freshman Boys Basketball team is any indication of future fortunes, the Hornets hoops program will be in great shape. The boys went 20-1 during the regular season and won a season-ending tournament, while outscoring teams over the course of the year by an average of 28 points per game.

In this episode, we catch up with three members of the team, Chase Muckey, Dylan Darville, and Daniel Charlot, who spoke about the process of coming together as a team, the sacrifices of individual players for team success, and the adjustment to competitive high school basketball.

So it’s time to run the three-man weave as we go strong to the hoop with Chase, Dylan, and Daniel.