Volume 3, Issue 6: October 21, 2019
Welcome to The Mt. Lion Roar where you can read about some of the things happening in the Altoona Area School District. With nearly 8,000 students, AASD is the area's top choice for Academics, Arts and Athletics.
District 6 Class 3A Champions !!!
AAHS girls tennis team includes (from left): First row—Sophia Caputo, Emma Skelley, Mya Crownover, Isabella Frank. Second row—Mallory Cree, Becca Holliday, Eve Hogan, Alese Rinker, Alyson Hollingsworth, Morgan Stevens, Meg Keating, Alaina Koehle, Maura Brandt, Brooklynn Rupert, Emily Neil. Third row—Head coach Eric Hovan, assistants Mark Sapita and Adam Redinger.
AAHS Performing Arts Club Presents......
Baker's Makers Club
Baker Elementary School recently started a Baker Makers Club. Students in grades 3-6 were invited to join. Students in the club are responsible for planning and selecting the activities for Tinker Tuesdays at Baker. Currently, about 15 students participate in the club. The first club meeting was held on October 11, 2019. It started with a brainstorming session which led to students designing the following three STEM activities for Tinker Tuesday on October 15:
  1. Design a device to launch a candy pumpkin across the room
  2. Design a container that would hold at least two pounds of candy
  3. Make a tower out of pencils that could hold the weight of a small, medium, and large pumpkin.  
Students designed challenges, decided on supplies, and selected restraints for the activities. Students and families had a wonderful time with the activities!
 
Pleasant Valley Alumni Give Back
Once a Cougar…always a Cougar! On Friday, 31 former Pleasant Valley Elementary students used their day off to come back to their Alma Mater to assist with a variety of tasks. The current Junior High students did everything from cutting out high frequency word cards, to assembling Reading Workshop reward bags, and they even read to our current students. We are extremely grateful to have such wonderful alumni and look forward to continuing this great tradition!
AAHS Alumni Association Recognizes Distinguished Alumni
(Left to Right) AAHS Alumni Council President Peggy Cawthern '66; Cheryl McDonald '64; Joe Servello '50; representing Betty James '37, Christopher James and Rebecca Morris: representing G. Robert Sheetz '52, Steve Sheetz.
The AAHS Alumni Association recognized four distinguished graduates in this year's 2019 Distinguished Alumni Class. Alumni met with students on Friday, October 11 and were honored at a dinner on Saturday, October 12.

Cheryl McDonald '64 retired as President and General Manager of WDAF-TV/Fox 4 in Kansas City, MO. Joe Servello '50, a very gifted visual artist has had a distinguished career as a graphic artist, muralist, teacher, and illustrator of over 50 published works. Bob Sheetz '52 purchased the first Sheetz Dairy Store and worked diligently to make it a retailing success and locally brand name. Betty James '37, was honored posthumously, for her success as President of James Industry manufacturer of the Slinky.
Altoona Curve Delivers Character Education Message
Loco visited Ebner Elementary School as part of the Altoona Curve's Character Education Assembly tour. Elementary students throughout Altoona will get a visit from Loco.

Students were enlisted to help Loco feel confident about himself as they learned about ways to display good character for others to see. Students learned that each person is unique and important.

Attention Parents of the Class of 2020 - any Parent interested in assisting with the Afterglo is invited to a meeting on Tuesday November 12, 2019 in Room A214 of the AAHS at 6 p.m.. Enter the doors off of 13th street near the Planetarium. Questions call Kim Shope at 946-8254
Destiny Montgomery, Mt. Echo reporter, talks about S parkle, an inclusive, student-led cheerleading/pep club led by cheer coach Jamie Dyer, and captain, senior Brook Del Biondo.

This article was chosen by the Student Newspaper Organization as a Best of SNO story. Congratulations Destiny!


Congratulations to the Mt. Echo Staff!

The Mountain Echo was awarded a silver rating from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for their 2019 rating. The judge said, "The staff and adviser of the Mountain Echo are to be commended for creating a new website during the year and getting it up and running. Building a site is definitely a monumental task, and doing it with such a small staff is a huge accomplishment."