Hickory Middle -

🎉 A HUGE thank you to our incredible Hickory community partners and families for helping SCA make this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week extra special! 🍎💛 Throughout the week, our amazing teachers took part in a fun BINGO challenge filled with creative clues and activities. Once they hit BINGO, they earned fantastic prizes — all generously donated by YOU! We’re especially grateful to: 🛒 Hanbury Harris Teeter 🎁 Southern Magnolia Monograms 🌮 Los Primos Mexican Restaurant 🍺 Big Ugly Brewing 🏁Hotrodders Cafe 🎬 Edinburgh Cinema Cafe 🏡 Melissa McCutcheon Real Estate ❤️ The Koski, Whaley, Schuyler, Edmonson, Brunner, Crouse, DeLorenzo, and Rolfes Families 🌟 And of course, our amazing SCA family! Your generosity, time, and support helped us celebrate our teachers in a truly meaningful way. Thank you for showing just how strong and thoughtful the Hickory community really is! 👏

🏫💬You are invited to attend the Gifted Advisory Committee Meeting to help advocate in the interest of gifted students. These meetings are open to the public. 💻For more information, visit our website: https://www.cpschools.com/o/cps/page/advisory-committees-gifted-education

🌟 There’s no place like HMS — especially during Staff Appreciation Week! 🫧 🧙‍♂️ Today, we had a magical surprise visit from The Wizard of HMS (who could it be hiding behind the curtain?). With flair and a little mystery, the Wizard delivered special gifts to all the good students of Shiz — aka our amazing staff! As if that wasn’t enchanting enough, our incredible PTSA waved their wands🪄 and conjured up a delicious lunch from Jason’s Deli, complete with a lemonade bar that had us all feeling positively spellbound!🍋 ✨From sparkling surprises to savory spells, the magic just keeps coming this week — and we’re thrilled to be on this ride together.

⚽️Huge congratulations to the HMS Boys Soccer Team — your 2025 CMSL City Champions!🏆 With an incredible 5️⃣-0️⃣ victory over Deep Creek Middle, these athletes showed what hard work, teamwork, and dedication can achieve. We are so proud of each player and Coach Clark who made this season unforgettable! 🎉Let’s hear it for our champs — HMS, you did it!🩵🩶🖤

✨The magic continues at HMS for Staff Appreciation Week — and today, we got to float through the day feeling a little extra bubbly! 🫧 Thanks to our fabulous PTSA, staff were treated to a refreshing Bubbl’r sparkling water pick-me-up. With every sip, we felt a little more energized… and maybe even a little more Galinda-fied (yes, we’re riding high in our own personal bubbles like the good witch herself)! 🪄 Thank you to our incredible PTSA for keeping the good vibes flowing — and helping us sparkle just a little brighter. More fun still to come this week! 🩷💚

Our staff is feeling the love this week at HMS — and it’s only Tuesday! A huge THANK YOU to our amazing admin team for starting our week off right with a hearty Chick-fil-A breakfast on Monday. Our friends at Hatcher & Frey went above and beyond with thoughtful goodie bags packed with teacher essentials (seriously, how did they know that stress balls are perfect as we head into SOL season?). And today, the PTSA treated us to a delicious spread of Panera bagels and pastries — the carb-fueled joy is real! We are so grateful for the appreciation and support — it means the world to our staff. And rumor has it… the celebrations aren’t over yet. Stay tuned! #TeacherAppreciationWeek #HMSProud

🕺🎶 8th Grade Flashback to the Fabulous 50s! 🎶🍦 Our 8th graders took a nifty trip back in time for 1950s Day! From The Price is Right: 50s Edition in Math class to learning about nuclear war and fallout shelters (plus spicy atomic fireballs!) in Science, the day was packed with learning and fun. 📚💥 In English, students connected 1950s culture to The Outsiders, while in History class they played 50s slang bingo and enjoyed classic root beer floats. 🍨📝 The day ended with photo ops, fun props, and even some students dressed to impress in their best 50s gear! 📸🧥 What a swell way to learn and celebrate history! #50sDay #MiddleSchoolMagic #TimeTravelWednesday #SpiritInStyle

🎺 Yesterday our trumpet students had a truly special experience! 🎺 We were honored to welcome Captain Brian Walden for a trumpet master class. Captain Walden is currently the conductor of the Virginia Wind Symphony and formerly served as the Commanding Officer/Conductor of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. He shared incredible insights and inspiration with our young musicians—what an unforgettable opportunity!

Does your child have an IEP or a 504 plan? Then SEAC is your voice! When: May 13 Time: 6:30pm Where: School Admin Building TOPIC OF DISCUSSION: I'm Determined - Transition and Inclusion For more Info: https://www.cpschools.com/o/cps/page/special-education-advisory-committee

📚✨ 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