The Hornets. That is our mascot. But what does that mean? What are the characteristics that make up a hornet? Put another way, what does it take to be a hornet? To be honest, I know very little about hornets. I know they have nests, I know they fly, and I know they can sting. Other than that, I have very little understanding of this winged insect.
Since they are our namesake, I thought it would be a good idea to find
out some relevant facts about hornets.
As I researched, I began to see a more clear picture of what makes a
hornet.
The first notable
characteristic of a hornet is their community. They mature from an egg to an adult while inside
the community hive. Hornets are known
for their strong and robust physiques, and the workers inside the hive work
tirelessly to collect food, building materials, and water. In order for a colony of hornets to continue
to grow, more workers must constantly be raised. Hornets are attracted to bright lights,
causing them to sometimes become disoriented like moths, but they can quickly
reorient. The community hive is crucial
to the hornet, and it is important to maintain natural nest cavities while also
creating additional cavities for hornets to build hives in.
A second fascinating
characteristic is that hornets are very peaceful
and helpful insects. They are not a
nuisance like wasps, and they will not invade your picnic area. They mainly eat flies, bees, spiders, wasps, and
other insects.
Hornets do not ever pick or
scavenge, they catch only living animals. Hornets are the single largest predator in
the insect world, and are comparable to
the eagle of the bird world. Eagles
it is important to note, are known for their majestic appearance and for their
ability to fly. In the same way, hornets
are highly rewarding to observe.
While they are highly
peaceful, hornets are also fiercely
protective, particularly of their own hive.
When threatened, hornets have been known to be highly unpredictable,
often attacking in great numbers. They
usually attack as a swarm and fly faster than a human can run.
While their sting is potent
and can cause a dangerous reaction, it is important to remember that hornets
rarely sting, and only do so after persistent attempts to disturb their
nest. If you lash out or flail around a
hornet, you are more likely to be stung.
The most important things to avoid around a hornet are: rapid movements,
blocking their flight path, and
disturbing their nest.
Sadly, in my research, I learned
that there are many misperceptions and
falsehoods about hornets. Many people
view hornets as dangerous and try to persue their elimination. People have not always been tolerant of these
beautiful animals in their neighborhood, and the media has often promoted false
conceptions and given hornets a bad name.
Despite these misconceptions,
there is hope. Hornets have been named a
protected species in Germany, and it is illegal to kill them. Many countries around the globe have taken
steps to support and nurture these wonderful creatures, and in almost every
case, hornet populations have responded
positively to protection and care.
All of this is great
information, and I now feel thoroughly educated on our favorite insect, but how
does this relate to the Hundred Hornets?
1.) Community – Much like the insect, the Hundred version of the Hornet
is highly reliant on community. Our
hive, Long Drain School and Hundred High School, serves as the development
centers. We must work tirelessly as a
community to build and grow our hornets into adulthood and to build our
colony. We are especially grateful for
those in our community that have supported us at every turn, our community
partners Backwoods ENT LLC, First
Exchange Bank, Henderson Farms, Statoil North-America, and Union Bank as
well as our Local School Improvement
Council (LSIC)
2.) Peaceful and Helpful – Our Hornets shall strive to be generally
peaceful and helpful creatures. We will
place a great emphasis on serving our community and being respectful to
others.
3.) Catch only living animals – These Hornets will not settle for the
easy win, for the dead scraps on the side of the road. They will work to achieve the greatest of
goals, not just the easiest ones.
4.) Comparable to the eagle – Our Hornets will be known as the eagle of
the insect world. We will be noble and
soar majestically through the sky. We
will become a great symbol, much like the eagle is a symbol for our
nation.
5.) Highly rewarding to observe – Whenever you see our Hundred Hornets,
we will strive to give you something great to observe.
6.) Fiercely protective – Our hornets will work to defend our
hive. We will stick together as a swarm
and not allow ourselves to be negated or put down.
7.) Blocking the flight path – We Hornets know who we are and we know
we are going to fly, and we will eliminate all obstacles that block our ability
to fly.
8.) Misperceptions
and falsehoods – We will work closely with our community and local media to
build up a positive energy and perception of our great school. We are especially excited about our relationship
with local media like the Wetzel
Chronicle and WETZ and their
efforts to build up our students and school.
9.) Responded positively to protection and care – The final and most important correlation between the insect and our Hundred Hornets is the positive reaction to protection and care. These Hornets are ready to fly, and it becomes more evident to me with every day that our school and students are responding extremely positively to what is taking place within our walls.
Staff News
Mr. Scott Ash took
our students to the annual Wetzel County Ham and Bacon show this past Friday
and also took a group of students to the state ham and bacon show Monday and
Tuesday of this week. We owe a huge
thank you to Mr. Ash for his commitment to our students and the success of agriculture education.
Mr. Ryan May has
been hard at work with his 10th grade health class preparing for our
first annual health fair which will take place next Tuesday, March 17, from
4:00 – 6:00 in the school commons area.
He has arranged a partnership with several other school organizations
and clubs, as well as several community agencies who will be
participating. We owe a huge thank you
to Mr. May for his initiative to educate our community about healthy living,
and make sure to stop by and check out the health fair next week.
Mr. James White is
taking his choir students to the all-county choir competition this Monday and
Tuesday. He has worked very hard in
preparation for this event, and we owe a huge thank you to Mr. White for his commitment
to our students and to music education.
Student Spotlight
Our Vocational
Agriculture Students participated in the Wetzel County ham and bacon show
this past Friday. Our students came away
with a record setting sale of over $70,000 in products sold. Additionally, Casandra Henderson had the reserve champion egg, Annie Fox had the third place egg, and Valerie Soles had the third place
ham. Congratulations to all of our
students for a successful sale.
Casandra Henderson, Danny
Kolat, Kaitlin Kuhn, Billy Mace, Meliah Umstead, and Madysen Wheeler represented
Hundred
at the state ham and bacon show this Monday and Tuesday.
Nick Kirby, Macy Lemasters,
Katrina Matthews, Maggie McGill, Samantha Opyoke, and Tyler Simms are
representing the Hornets this Monday and Tuesday at the all-county choir
competition. Congratulations for your
recognition as all-county choir members.
Allie Hayes has
been selected for an interview for a program at WVU Hospitals for a college
program. Congratulations Allie, and good
luck at your interview.
Andrew King has
been selected for recognition as a student ambassador by the US attorney in
Wheeling and will be recognized at a reception this Thursday. Congratulations to Andrew for this
honor.
Alumni Connection
Dr. Emily McDowell is
a graduate of the class of 1952. She is
a retired professor of nursing who spent her career teaching at Fairmont State
University. She has endowed a
scholarship for Hundred High School students that assist them in pursuing
higher education goals. She has been
honored as a professor emeritus and has been a member of the West Virginia
Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses. She has also presented scholarships at
numerous graduation ceremonies and has shown a great commitment to the students
of Hundred High School. Dr. McDowell has
been selected as a recipient of our distinguished alumni award as part of our
first induction class and will be recognized at graduation this spring and the
alumni dinner in the fall.
Upcoming Events
For up to date baseball, softball, and track schedules and scores:
March 13 – Digital Learning Day
March 17 – Hundred High School Health
Fair in Commons Area – 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
March 20 – Long Drain School 1st
Grade Father Daughter Dance – 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
March 21 – Hundred High School Track
Fundraiser Breakfast in Commons Area – Time TBA
April 7 – Instructional Rounds Process at Hundred High
School
April 13 – Donkey Basketball in Hundred
High School Gym – 7:00 PM
May 2 – Hundred High School Prom on the
Gateway Clipper Fleet
May 17 – Baccalaureate in Hundred High
School Auditorium – 2:00 PM
May 22 – Graduation in Hundred High School
Gym – 7:00 PM
Classroom Strategy of the Week
Use of project based learning
or PBL is a great way to engage students in learning. It involves students working closely together
as part of a team to experience learning through completion of hands on projects
that address real world issues and challenges.
The students are assessed by products or presentations that reflect what
they have learned from their project.
For some great resources about project based learning, visit the WVDE
PBL site here: http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/pbl.html
and check out a great explanation of what project based learning is here: http://bie.org/about/what_pbl
Video of the Week
A video explanation of what Project Based Learning (PBL) is:
A video explanation of what Project Based Learning (PBL) is not:
Quote of the Week
Post Flight Preview
Join us next Tuesday
as we discuss a civil war commander who was determined to succeed and talk
about our quiz bowl team, health fair, and other exciting happenings here at
Hundred.
Thank you for all you
do as a part of our school and community.
True flight would not be possible without the contributions of all of
us. Please let me know if you have any
suggestions or information you would like included in an upcoming edition of
the Flight of the Hornet: 304-775-5221 or dgottron@k12.wv.us
Remember to follow us
on Twitter for daily school updates @HundredHornets
Dan Gottron,
Principal, Hundred High School
Citations/Sources
Billig, Elmar, Thomas Rickinger, and Kevin Foster.
"Hornets: Gentle Giants!" Hornets. Dieter Kosmeier, 26 Apr.
2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.vespa-crabro.com/hornets.htm>.
Franklin, Ben. "Benjamin Franklin Quote." BrainyQuote.
Xplore. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/benjaminfr383997.html?src=t_learning>.
"Hornets, Hornet Pictures, Hornet Facts - National
Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/hornet/>.
Milburn, Naomi. "Characteristics Of Hornets." Animals.
Demand Media. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://animals.pawnation.com/characteristics-hornets-9172.html>.
"Project Based Learning Explained by Common Craft
(VIDEO)." Project Based Learning. Common Craft, 5 July 2011. Web.
10 Mar. 2015. <https://www.commoncraft.com/video/project-based-learning>.
"Project Based Learning." Teach 21. WVDE.
Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/pbl.html>.
Robin, Jeff. "High Tech High Videos - What Project
Based Learning Isn't." High Tech High Videos - What Project Based
Learning Isn't. High Tech High, 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://howtovideos.hightechhigh.org/video/265/What Project Based Learning
Isn't>.
"What Is Project Based Learning (PBL)?" What Is
PBL? Buck Institute for Education (BIE). Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://bie.org/about/what_pbl>.
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