News and Events from the 2011-2012 School Year

Kudos for the South Region History Fair Finalists!

The Pin Oak Middle School family congratulates the following talented students who will represent POMS in the South Region History Fair to be held at Jackson Middle School on Weds February 1st from 1-4 PM.

Grace Armstrong, Corrinne Cassel, Karla Benavides and Hibah Akhter competing in the Group Website
Noah Switek competing in the Individual Website
William Kennedy competing in the Individual Historical Paper
Lillian Evans and Patrick Revilla competing in the Group Exhibit
Julia Casbarian competing in the Individual Exhibit
Elliot Ross competing in the Individual Documentary
Caitlin Berg and Kerrigan Quenemoen competing in the Group Documentary
Haeyum Lee Competing in the Individual Exhibit
Claire Stringfellow competing in the Individual Historical Paper
William Falloure competing in the Individual Documentary
Isaac Winter competing in the Individual Historical Paper

Call of Duty
There were tears and hugs all around as the girl's basketball team said goodbye to their coach, Phyllis Fredricks. Fredricks is the department chair for physical education at Pin Oak Middle school. She has been called up for duty to the Army National Guard. Coach Fredricks will return in three months to her teaching duties at Pin Oak when she completes her military assignment.
Pictured here: Coach Phyllis Fredericks and niece, Jade Miller (who attends Roberts Elementary).
2nd picture: Pin Oak Middle school coach recieves a group hug and heartfelt send off from the Pin Oak girls basketball team.

Celebrating a Season for All
Music is the universal language and students at Pin Oak Middle School celebrated that with their annual muticultural showcase. This year's annual schoolwide performance included dances ranging from Chinese to Irish, to Latino to Hip Hop, along with music from the orchestra to the stage band. The event is organized by Social Worker Alyson Blotckey as part of Pin Oak's No Place for Hate designation. Photos coutersy of Katherine Stamp.

All Region Orchestra Winners
Four orchestra students from Pin Oak Middle School have been named to the All Region Orchestra. Paula DeAnda, viola, Jacob Miller, viola, Ruizhe Wang, violin, and James Tedore, viola, (pictured above) competed against several hundred students from the Houston area for this honor.

The student musicians will attend a clinic and then perform with the All Region Orchestra November 19th at Morton Ranch High School in Katy. The orchestra program, under the direction of Ms Carol Whiting, is in its fourth year at Pin Oak. It has almost tripled in size since it began and has won Sweepstakes ratings at U.I.L. competition for concert and sight-reading the last two years.

Get "Wolfed Out" at Westside High School Community Open House
Come find out what all the buzz is about! Westside High School invites the community to join us on Thursday, January 26, 2012 as we showcase our visual and performing arts, athletic programs and more than 40 clubs and organizations. We offer outstanding academics in our five small learning communities including various career-centered enrichment opportunities. Find out more about our Academy of Fine Arts, Applied Science & Health Professions, Business Academy, Computing Sciences & Engineering, and Media Relations Academy, and see our beautiful state-of-the-art facilities.

The event begins at 6:45 PM with a special collaborative performance by Westside Inertia, Jazz Band, Percussion and Choir that's sure to bring you back for our concerts and shows. We'll share information on our academic programs and unique small schools before moving to the Commons where you can talk with deans, coaches, club sponsors, and WHS students and parents. By the time we wrap it up at 8:15, you'll know why Westside is ranked one of Newsweek's top high schools in the nation!

If you would like to see the school, please arrive at 6:00 and faculty and student representatives will take you on a brief tour. Westside High School is located at 14201 Briar Forest Drive, Houston, Texas 77077. For additional information, please contact Noelle MacGregor at 281-920-8036 or nstockma@houstonisd.org.

'Tis the Season to Give Thanks
Students at Pin Oak Middle School pack donations for the Houston Food Bank. The annual drive wraps up this week. The school hopes to exceed last year's donation of 1400 pounds of donated food. Pin Oak has participated in a food drive every year since it opened 10 years ago.

Pictured are Fisihatsion Negussie, Christian Cherry, Carolina Ramirez, Madeline Cullins, and Cameron Gibbons

Pin Oak Middle School Day  Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary and Homecoming
The City of Bellaire honored Pin Oak Middle School by naming Tuesday, September 27th Pin Oak Middle School Day in recognition of our celebration of the Ten Year Anniversary of POMS. Pin Oak was established and opened for its first teaching semester in August of 2002.
The Homecoming Pep Rally and 10 year celebration ceremony was held on Tuesday, September 27th at 2:20 pm in the school gymnasium. 
Honored guest included Chief Middle School Officer Dallas Dance, Ph. D.,  HISD Trustee District V Micheal L. Lunceford, HISD School Improvement Officer Anastasia Lindo-Anderson, former HISD Trustee Diane Johnson, Mayor Cindy Siegel and Tom Koch, ABC 13. Mayor Siegle presented the Proclamation of PIN OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL DAY in Bellaire to Principal Monaghan before an elated student body. The celebration continued with entertainment by POMS Pegasus Dance Team, our POMS cheerleaders and Charlie the Mascot. Everyone cheered on the heros of the afternoon, POMS football team members and coaches.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration continued on with an Alumni reception at Evening With The Stars on November 4th. All Alums of POMS including former principal Michael McDonough and former PTO President Ann Nichols were welcomed at a reception in the school library catered by Jason's Deli for a look back at the past 10 years at Pin Oak, to see what's new,  see old and new friends and enjoy Fine Arts Entertainment, Raffles and Carnival Games.

A Field Trip Without Leaving the Building.
A Field Trip Without Leaving the Building.
Sometimes the best way to take a school field trip, is to bring the field trip to the school. At Pin Oak Middle School, 8th grade American History students spent a day talking with several historical figures. Betsy Ross (aka Ginnie Evans) explains to Alex vanRavenswaay her role in sewing our country's first flag. The students had completed special assignments leading up to their in house field trip.The history teachers chose topics that included women, founding fathers, fashion, communication, documents and battles of the Revolutionary War.  The American history figures came to the school in costume to give their presentations and answer questions on these areas of interest. The in house field trip project began two years ago when it became obvious that going on field trips was becoming too expensive. This is a way the students can still experience an enriching history lesson.

Pin Oak Championship Chess Team:
Pin Oak will compete in several chess tournaments this year, including the Texas State Scholastic Championships in Dallas. All skill levels and grades are welcome. For more information, see Mr. Wagner in room A128 or e-mail him at gwagner@houstonisd.org. A flyer with additional information can be obtained by clicking HERE.