Hickory Middle -

📚✨ Get ready, readers! The Hickory Middle School Book Fair is coming soon — and it’s going to be epic! 🎉 📅 April 28 - May 2 📍 Hickory Middle School Media Center From thrilling adventures to laugh-out-loud favorites, there’s something for everyone at the Book Fair! Students can even set up an eWallet for cash-free shopping — it’s fast, safe, and easy. 💳📖 Explore the Book Fair homepage, preview books, and set up your eWallet here: 🔗 https://www.scholastic.com/bf/hickorymiddleschool Let’s turn the page to a week full of fun, discovery, and the love of reading! 📚❤️ #HMSBookFair #ReadersAreLeaders #ScholasticBookFair

📚🔥 Battle of the Books was ON FIRE! 🔥📚 Check out these awesome pics from the epic Battle of the Books competition, sponsored by the Chesapeake Public Library and none other than Kwame Alexander—author of The Crossover, writer of 40+ books, and proud grad of GBHS & VT! With Kwame himself emceeing the event (and asking the tough questions! 😅), it was a fierce showdown between teams. Shoutout to: 🥉 OSM for snagging 3rd 🥈 Our amazing Hawks taking 2nd 🥇 And a congratulations to GBM for their 1st place finish Our readers were treated like VIPs with goodie bags packed with books by Kwame Alexander, Jerry Craft (New Kid), and Gene Luen Yang (Secret Coders)—ready for autographs! 📖🖊️ And as a cherry on top... for making it to the finals, HMS earned a special author visit the very next day from Jerry Craft himself! 🎉👏 What an unforgettable celebration of books, brains, and big-time authors! #BattleoftheBooks #CPSCelebrates #Hickoryproud

📚🎉 Big day at Hickory Middle! 🎉📚 We were beyond thrilled to welcome award-winning author & illustrator Jerry Craft to HMS! 🙌 Known for his bestselling New Kid series, Jerry inspired our reading enthusiasts with stories, laughs, and real-life advice. Our school was specially selected for this incredible visit thanks to our participation in Battle of the Books—and it was SO worth it! 🏆📖 From Newbery Medal winner to New York Times bestseller, Jerry Craft brought the pages of his books to life right here in our media center. What an unforgettable experience! Swipe through to see some highlights from this amazing day! 📸✨

Proud moments at this morning’s CPS State of the Schools address! HMS was well-represented as Mrs. Deir was recognized for her incredible honor as Middle School Teacher of the Year! Joining her were Ms. Timmins, Reading Teacher of the Year, and a group of outstanding students who truly exemplify the Hawk Way. Special thanks to Dr. Pinello for leading our HMS crew at this inspiring and exclusive event. Way to soar, Hawks!

🎶💡 Wave Lab Day! 💡🎶 Dream Hawk students had a blast rotating through lab stations to explore sound and light waves! From the pitch and frequency of sound using water bottle xylophones and tuning forks, to the reflection and refraction of light, it was a hands-on experience packed with discovery. 🔊✨ Learning physics has never been more fun! 🌈👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 #STEMinAction #WaveLab

🚀 Future Engineers in Action! 🧠💡 Our 7th grade students have been hard at work learning the ins and outs of orthographic projections, computer-aided design (CAD), and product marketing—all in preparation for a real-world challenge! 🎯 Their mission: Design a toy or gadget that middle school students would love to buy as part of a school fundraiser. Over several weeks, students: ✅ Researched existing toys and gadgets ✅ Sketched original ideas on paper ✅ Designed their creations using CAD software ✅ Conducted market research ✅ Built investor-worthy slideshow pitches 💥 But there's a twist! This isn't just an assignment—it's a competition! Only the top designs will earn the chance to be brought to life on our 3D printer. 🖨️✨ We’re so proud of the creativity, innovation, and teamwork these students have shown. Stay tuned to see which designs make the cut! 👏👏👏 #FutureInventors #STEMEducation

🌟 Happy National Assistant Principals Week! 🌟 This week, we are proud to recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication and leadership of our amazing assistant principals — LaTricia Davenport, Meredith Smith, and Ress Walker. Your unwavering support, tireless commitment, and genuine care for our students, staff, and school community make a lasting impact every single day. Whether you're guiding students, supporting teachers, handling challenges behind the scenes, or leading with compassion and integrity, your efforts do not go unnoticed. Thank you for being the heart of Hickory Middle School. We are truly grateful for all you do to make HMS a place where everyone can thrive. You inspire us with your professionalism, positivity, and passion for education. Please join us in showing appreciation for these outstanding leaders — they make HMS a better place for all! 💙🖤 #NationalAssistantPrincipalsWeek #HawkProud

Double the style, double the fun! It’s Twin With A Teacher Day at Hickory Middle and the halls are filled with matching outfits, big smiles, and even bigger school spirit! From sneakers to ties, our students and teachers are twinning like pros. 💫📚✨ #TwinWithATeacher #SpiritWeekVibes #SeeingDouble

🎶✨ Exciting day for our HMS Band students! 🎶✨ We had a special visit from Flute World, where students got to explore a variety of upgraded flutes, piccolos, and even the rare alto and bass flutes! 🪈🎶 These instruments aren’t seen every day, so it was an incredible opportunity for our musicians to try them out and expand their musical experience. Huge thanks to Flute World for bringing this unique experience to our students! 🎵👏 #HMSBand

🎶🏆 Congratulations to the Hickory Middle School Music Department! 🏆🎶 We are thrilled to celebrate our amazing band, orchestra, and chorus for earning the 2025 Blue Ribbon Award—the highest honor in Virginia for music education! 🎼✨ All three ensembles achieved straight superior ratings at their assessments, a true testament to their talent, dedication, and hard work. We want to recognize our incredible music educators Mrs. Simmons, Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. Pearson, and Mr. Clendenin for their leadership and passion in inspiring our students to reach new heights! 🎵👏 Way to go, Hawks! 🦅🎶 #HickoryProud #BlueRibbonMusic #HMSMusicExcellence

🎉📚 Big shoutout to our HMS Battle of the Books Educators for securing 3rd place in a fiercely competitive showdown against Chesapeake's best! 🏆👏 Your hard work and love for literature truly shined! Now, it's our HMS student team's turn to take the spotlight! 🌟 They’re heading to the finals on April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library—let’s cheer them on as they turn the page to victory! 📖🔥 Go Hawks!

📊✨ Math + Lucky Charms = A Fun & Engaging Week! ✨📊 Our students are diving into a hands-on math adventure this week! 🎉 Sorting and counting Lucky Charms isn’t just a tasty activity—it’s a fantastic way to practice organizing data! 🌈🍀 Once they’ve gathered their info, they'll put their skills to the test by graphing it all out! 📈📊 Whether it's bar graphs, pictographs, or something else, they’ll be reinforcing key math concepts with every tally mark, addition, and subtraction. ✅➕➖ Who knew learning math could be this SWEET?! 🍀✨

🎉 Pi-tastic Achievement Alert! 🎉 A huge round of applause for the brilliant minds in Mr. Gosman’s homeroom who took on the ultimate Pi Day challenge—writing out the first ONE THOUSAND digits of Pi! 🤯🥧 That’s right, they didn’t stop at 3.14… they went ALL the way to 1,000 digits! Talk about dedication, memory skills, and some serious Pi-wer! 🔢💡 Way to go, mathletes! You’ve set the bar sky-high (or should we say Pi-high? 😉). Keep reaching for the infinite! ♾️👏 #PiDay #MathGeniuses

🏃‍♂️💨 How Fast Can You Go? 🚀 Islanders students put their motion skills to the test—walking, hopping, and skipping their way through a hands-on physics challenge! 📏⏱️ They measured distance and time, calculated speed, and even graphed their data like real scientists! 📊🔬 Who knew learning about motion could be this much fun? 🤩 #STEMInAction

🌱🍭 Our Hawkeyes are growing their knowledge! 🌸🌿 Last week's enrichment activity was sweet as students explored plant parts in a fun and tasty way! 🌻 They reviewed each plant part and its purpose — from roots to petals — and discovered how some flowering plants produce fruits for seed dispersal. 🌾🍎 To bring it all to life, our creative Hawkeyes used fruit-flavored lollipops to represent the fruit of the plant! 🍬🍃 Learning has never been so delicious! Great job, Hawkeyes! Keep blossoming with knowledge! 🌼💫

🌟 A Powerful Lesson in History and Humanity 🌟 Our 8th grade students had the incredible opportunity to hear from Arlene Kessel, a retired Virginia Beach teacher and dedicated Holocaust educator with the Holocaust Commission. As students continue reading Night by Elie Wiesel, Ms. Kessel shared the story of Kitty Saks, a Holocaust survivor and personal friend, whose life was forever changed when she was hidden in a convent to escape the concentration camps. Kitty’s story is part of the “What We Carry” program, sponsored by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater — a program that brings personal survivor stories to life for the next generation. Our students came prepared with thoughtful questions, took careful notes on powerful words and phrases, and applied their learning by writing comparison/contrast paragraphs that connected Kitty’s experiences to Elie’s. This visit was a meaningful reminder of the importance of learning history — not just from textbooks, but from real stories that must never be forgotten. #HolocaustEducation #WhatWeCarry #ElieWiesel

⛈️ Due to inclement weather, all after-school and evening activities for today, March 5, 2025, are canceled. Please note, this includes YMCA child care and Boys and Girls Club. 💻 For more weather-related updates, visit https://www.cpschools.com/emergency

🏃🏑Attention Spring Sports Families! ⚽🏐 Join us for our Spring Sports Parent Meeting to kick off the season and cover important information for all spring athletes and families. 📅 Date: Tuesday, March 11 🕠 Time: 5:30 PM 📍 Location: HMS Auditorium This is a great chance to meet the coaches, review schedules, and make sure your athlete is ready for a successful season. We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re bursting with excitement as we support our amazing friends at CHKD with a cuddly collection of stuffed animals from our Teddy Bear Drive! 🎉💖 Our partnership with CHKD means the world to us, and we love knowing that many of our students benefit from the incredible services they provide! 🤗✨ Thank you to everyone who contributed to this heartwarming mission! Together, we’re spreading smiles and making a difference! Keep shining, Hickory family! 🌈🌟

📣🐝 Exciting News from Hickory Middle! 🐝📣 Congratulations to Andrew Clarke, 6th grade, for successfully completing the Towne Bank Qualifier round of the Regional Spelling Bee, earning his spot among the top 50 spellers from across Hampton Roads. He will now represent HMS at the Regional Spelling Bee Finals on March 29 at WHRO studios, where he’ll compete for a chance to advance to the National Spelling Bee! 🌟 Way to go, Andrew! We are so proud of your hard work and dedication. Let’s cheer him on as he spells his way to the top! 🎉 #HMSProud #SpellingBeeChampion