News

REGISTRATION is now open for the 2023 Mount Olive Steam Camp! 

Please visit our WELCOME PACKET for detailed information.

Mr. Osner-Hackett named "Teacher of the Month" after being nominated by his student!

6th grade student Natalie Fischer took it upon herself to nominate her science teacher, Mr. Osner-Hackett, for the iHeart Radio "Teacher of the Month" contest! After a careful selection process, Mr. Osner-Hackett won for the month of February!

Congratulations to both Natalie and Mr. Osner-Hackett!

Attn: MOMS Families,

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Mount Olive High School on March 26th at 4pm to take on the Tinc Trotters! This will be a fun community event for everyone involved. 

The Trotters will be composed of teachers and staff from multiple schools. We are looking to get as many community members and clubs involved. The  ROTC will be presenting the colors, the high school cheerleaders will be performing at half-time and we are hoping the pee-wee cheerleaders will perform pre-game.

Tickets are on sale now!  Below is the link to purchase. Please share with your community. At the end of the check-out process there is a drop down box where the purchaser can choose a school to support. This is where you can choose MOMS.   For every ticket sold in support of your school, the parent organization will receive $1. 
https://bit.ly/Wizards23

There are limited VIP tickets, so please purchase sooner rather than later.

MOMS PTO

Please contact the MOPTO with any questions or suggestions momsptox@gmail.com.
Follow the MOPTO on Social Media: Facebook @mtolivemiddleschoolpto  | Twitter @MomsPto | Instagram @momsptox
Thank you for your support!
MOPTO Board 2022-2023

A new trimester elective at Mount Olive Middle School created a buzz this year. Podcasting gave seventh-graders the opportunity to learn storytelling techniques and professional audio production skills.
 
“It’s really so many skills combined,” said teacher Sasha Freger. “It’s researching, presenting, speaking, interviewing, and collaboration.”
 
The classes completed pieces in a variety of genres including true crime stories, personal narratives, and short dramas. The most poignant, however, were the investigative projects that brought the podcasters into the halls to speak with their peers about issues specific to MOMS. The podcasts gave students on both sides of the microphone a voice. For the interviewees, the process sent the message that their thoughts and opinions were valued.
 
Dispelled was the notion that teens think about and discuss only the superficial – social media influencers, pop singers, sports teams, and heartthrob actors; the investigative podcasts revealed ideas and emotions on issues far wider than boy bands and the best PlayStation 5 games. Students spoke openly about topics such as dress codes, queer representation, dealing with stress, and the social and emotional impact of COVID.
 
“When kids have the microphone in their faces, they would open up and talk on a really personal level,” said Chloe Cline. “It was almost a heart to heart.”
 
The projects also provided the podcasters an opportunity to discuss important school and social matters with faculty members and administrators.
 
By learning the art of telling an interesting story through audio, the seventh-graders discovered a newfound appreciation for sound in podcasts, radio, video games, film and television. Music, sound effects, volume, and vocal intonation all combine to create emotion and a sense of time and place. Everything heard is a creative decision made by someone.
 
Most of the podcasters had never experienced a course that melds creativity, technology, and student choice quite like this. Through their work, many learned lessons about themselves.
 
“Podcasting encouraged me to be a little more outgoing, to share a little bit about myself more often,” said Brynn Davis, who has a YouTube channel with her brother.
 
For Emma Sweeney, who had decidedly low expectations for the new course, podcasting ignited a fire for storytelling and the communication arts.
 
“I thought we wouldn’t be doing anything interesting,” she said Emma. “It turned out to be the highlight of my day, every day. If I could record or edit or even just look up sounds, I would be so excited.”
 
She hopes to further explore her interest in communication, perhaps by learning video production at the high school. When the storytelling bug bites, the fever never breaks.
 
Podcasting is big business and it’s expected to keep growing. Recent research showed that 73% of the U.S. population aged 12 and older have listened to online audio in the last month; more than one-third of Americans listen to podcasts regularly.

The seventh grade band won Rutgers’ Battle of the Bands Competition. This fall, the students – as part of MOMS eighth grade band – will attend a Rutgers football game and play the Rutgers fight song with the university’s own marching band.

“The students and school community are thrilled for this opportunity,” said Melany McQueeny, the district’s music department chair for grades 6–12. “I am incredibly proud of the work that our music students have been able to accomplish since the pandemic. Winning the Rutgers’ Battle of the Bands will allow us to showcase their hard work, perseverance, and dedication.”

This winter, Rutgers invited all middle school bands throughout the state of New Jersey to participate and submit a video performance of “The Bells Must Ring”, the university’s fight song. According to Rutgers, the video submissions all displayed technical skill, a joy to resume playing together [post COVID], and pride in New Jersey’s flagship institution.

The date of the performance has not been determined as yet.