Your hard work, dedication, and musical talent have earned you recognition as one of the city's top student musicians. We are so proud of the way you represent our school and share your passion for music.
Way to go! Keep making beautiful music! 🎼✨
🎶 Fine and Performance Arts Month Spotlight! 🎙 Our latest district podcast episode highlights the powerful impact of music education across our division. In “From First Note to Full Ensemble,” Supervisor of Music Orion Burke and Deep Creek Middle School chorus director Taylor Mercier share how Chesapeake’s K–12 music pathway helps students discover their voice, build confidence, and find a sense of belonging. From the first notes in elementary music class to full ensembles in middle and high school, this episode celebrates the teachers, opportunities, and experiences that help students grow as musicians and leaders. 🎙️ Listen to the episode at cpschools.com/amplified or wherever you get your podcasts!
Last night, our Speech Team City Champions were recognized by the School Board! 🎤🏆
These talented students demonstrated incredible confidence, preparation, and poise on their way to earning the title of City Champions. Their dedication, countless hours of practice, and passion for performance truly paid off.
We are so proud of the way they represented our school and showcased the power of student voice. Thank you to the School Board for recognizing their hard work and outstanding achievement.
Congratulations to our Speech Team City Champions! Your commitment and talent continue to make our school community proud. 👏✨
Becoming a city champion is no small feat—it takes countless hours of training, perseverance through tough matches, and a commitment to representing our school with pride.
We are incredibly proud of these wrestlers for their achievements on the mat and for the way they represent our school and community. Thank you to the School Board for recognizing their accomplishments and celebrating the success of our student-athletes.
The Assassin Bug: It doesn't just kill; it wears its victims! This predator sports a dead ant backpack. This gruesome trophy pile acts as a visual shield to confuse hungry spiders. 🧪💥
The Bone Collector Caterpillar: This specialist builds its defense by harvesting the remains of victims from spider webs, weaving those bits into its own protective body armor. It’s a literal walking graveyard! 💀🏗️
Download a bracket and play along. This is the ultimate test of Life Science, strategy, and a little bit of luck. Remember, if you're learning, you're winning! #2026MMM
Our Hickory community always comes together when one of our own is in need. Recently, a local family lost their home to a fire. During such a difficult time, we are grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support from our community.
We thank everyone who reached out, donated, and offered support. Your generosity and compassion truly show the strength of the Hickory community.
The school store is one of the ways we recognize and reward positive behavior, and students love working toward those incentives. To keep it running, we need support from our amazing Hawk families.
If you’re able to help, please consider donating items from the wishlist or volunteering to help run the store.
🛒 HMS School Store Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/CLPYYJ6XK2A8?ref_=wl_share
🙋 Volunteer Sign-Up for March 20: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094FAEAE2AA5FA7-62562331-hickory#/
Supplies are needed as soon as possible to restock before the next store day.
Thank you for helping us celebrate students who are making great choices every day.
🍎 Your future starts here!
Whether you are a new graduate or an experienced educator, we want you on our teaching team in the City of Chesapeake! Join us at one of our upcoming hiring events:
1️⃣ Title I In-Person Job Fair
🗓️ March 11, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 Oscar Smith Middle School
⚠️ Must be eligible for a VA teaching license.
📝 Apply here:https://www.cpschools.com/events?id=51819906
2️⃣ Virtual Teacher Job Fair
🗓️ March 23 – March 27, 2026
📝 Deadline to Register: March 13 (Required)
🔗 Register: https://www.cpschools.com/events?id=51833839
✨ We offer incredible perks for our educators, including:
✅ Low-cost health insurance
✅ Our own dedicated pharmacies & health clinics
✅ A supportive professional community
🔗 See all benefits: https://www.cpschools.com/page/benefits
🎥 Check out this video highlighting our pharmacy: https://youtu.be/G5Do-FMSsaU
Candid encourages families to pre-order as soon as possible, as the online prepay option expires at 7:00 PM the night before (Sunday, March 15th), the photo shoot!
We had an amazing day at our 4th Annual Teen Summit this past Saturday at Indian River High School! 🙌 We were honored to hear from former James Madison University All-Conference Running Back Dr. Eugene Holloman, who inspired students with a powerful message about perseverance and purpose. From mental health and money management to athletics, college prep, and stress management, our teens gained tools for success now and in the future. Thank you to our Department of Family & Community Engagement for organizing the event, and to our presenters, volunteers, and community members who made it such a success!
Each school fielded two teams in a battle of the books style competition. Students read and prepared for several months. The emcee was CPS Library Supervisor, Amie Seigel. Coordinated by HMS Librarians, Cathy Timmins and Vicki Mayfield, and GBM Reading Specialist, Alicia Pruitt.
📚 The reading club, Pages and Projects, will meet on Tuesdays starting March 3 from 3:10 to 4:30 for 5 sessions. The club will offer hands-on, artistic activities—like found poetry, squiggle creations, Socratic discussions, and thumbrint art—to build deeper, creative interactions with texts and peers; the club, sponsored by Mrs. Dekker, is limited to 25 students. Members need to be picked up promptly at 4:30.
Mrs. Ehret’s 6th-grade math students lit up the classroom with a “Glow” lesson this week! Using glow-in-the-dark activities, students explored math concepts in a fun, hands-on way that made learning interactive and exciting. 🖤✨📐
It’s amazing to see our students engaged, thinking critically, and having fun while mastering important skills. Who knew math could glow this bright? 🌟
Students had the opportunity to try traditional Jewish foods including challah (a braided bread often enjoyed on Shabbat), babka (a sweet, swirled cake), and apples and honey (a symbol of a sweet new year during Rosh Hashanah), along with other delicious kosher treats.
As students are currently reading Night by Elie Wiesel, this experience helped deepen their understanding of Jewish culture, traditions, and identity. Food is more than nourishment — it carries history, faith, family traditions, and resilience. By learning about cultural traditions alongside literature, students build empathy, global awareness, and a stronger understanding of the world!
We are proud of our Hawks for engaging thoughtfully, asking meaningful questions, and showing respect as they expand their knowledge of diverse cultures.
Learning extends beyond the classroom — and this week was a powerful reminder that understanding others begins with experiencing and honoring their traditions. 💙
