• Holiday

• Villa Business Bingo, sponsored by the Villa Alumnae Association, kicks off today (Small Business Saturday) and ends on Saturday, December 12. Support local and alumnae business when you shop this holiday season. Make purchases from any 5 businesses on the bingo card within the same row, column, or diagonally and achieve bingo. All verified bingo winners will be entered into a drawing to be held on December 18. One winner will be notified by email and will receive a free purchase at one of the businesses they supported to achieve bingo. The free purchase will be less than or equal to what was spent initially, but not to exceed $100. View more information on our website: www.vjmhs.org/bingo.

• Kate Abel Memorial Alumnae & Friends Event: Join us from 5:00-8:00 p.m. for a socially-distanced gathering outside with fire pits, music, and Have A Ball  food truck. In lieu of our annual basketball tournament, we hope that this event will serve as a wonderful way to keep Kate '09 close in our hearts. Visit www.vjmhs.org/abel for more information, to register for the event, and to donate directly to the scholarship in her name.

• Holiday

• Day 5, Virtual Learning
• Giving Tuesday: Look for an email on Tuesday to learn how you can join this global generosity movement.

• Day 6-4, Virtual Learning

• Day 1, Virtual Learning

• Day 2, Virtual Learning

Hello to Mr. Mayer's first Algebra 1 virtual conference last week!

Real-world statistics in action! Mr. Wisniewski's AP Statistics class participated in the AP Stat Grand Prix Challenge. Using their knowledge of regression, each team determined the best statistical model for their data in order to predict how far to pullback their toy car to reach the finish line at an exact distance of 5m.

The AP Physics 1 classes used the force plate sensor to observe the forces that act on a person while riding an elevator during a lab experiment. The increase and decrease in normal force due to the direction of the acceleration explains why we experience temporary effects while riding an elevator.

Mr. Sheenan's Chemistry classes are studying emission spectroscopy and the girls were excited to see the colors given off by burning various metal salts in alcohol. Just like people can be distinguished by their DNA, elements can be identified by their emission spectrum, which is a set of colored lines produced when their electrons get excited by heat or electricity and then give off various forms of light when they fall back to lower energy states. Red fireworks? They probably contain lithium salts! 

Mrs. Wisniewski's Honors 3/4 class explored the character traits of the major characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" by creating symbolic letters on quilt squares. Additionally, the students looked introspectively and designed a symbolic letter that represents their own dynamic personalities. Pictured are several senior members of the class with the finished quilt.

Students in Mrs. Leaper's Forensic Science class took advantage of the beautiful weather and completed a blood spatter activity. They used simulated blood to establish relationships between dropping height and blood drop diameter, and developed an understanding of common patterns found at crime scenes. 

AP Biology learned about osmosis and diffusion. They then found the sugar concentration of mystery solutions! Students even found the sugar concentration of carrots. 

Villa Cross Country celebrated their six seniors last week after practice. Dinner was provided by the team on the school's back patio—those handmade blankets came in handy on this chilly day! Congrats to our Jems!

Villa Field Hockey celebrated senior night after their game against Sacred Heart with a delicious dinner at Giuseppe's Restaurant. What a great night!

Villa Rowing closed out the fall season racing Radnor High School on our home course at Core Creek Park. The Varsity 8 finished 2nd to Radnor by 6 seconds. The Varsity 8 then broke into Varsity 4s and finished 2nd and 4th in a tight race. The second Varsity 8 won their race by 40 seconds over Radnor. The Freshman 8 raced with the second 8s and had a great first race, finishing 3rd. The second 8 then broke into two 4s, finishing 1st and 2nd. The 3rd 4 finished 5th in the 2nd 4 race. Overall, Villa Rowing had a good showing and a very competitive day.

Villa Soccer finished their 2020 season 2nd in the state behind the #1 ranked team in the country. The team fought the good fight in a rematch of last year's title game, losing 2-0 to Mars Area High School at Hershey Park Stadium. We are so proud of our Jems who persevered in a year that has been anything but normal. Way to go, ladies! The soccer seniors were celebrated with an outdoor dinner with string lights and an amazing "tent city" created by the juniors and their families.

Congratulations to Coach Rich Finneyfrock for being named the 2019-2020 NFHS Pennsylvania Girls' Soccer Coach of the Year! It is because of your leadership that our athletes continue to play to their highest potential each season. 

To end their season, the Villa Tennis team's seniors were honored after practice with a delicious meal, festive lights, and thoughtful gifts! 

Villa Volleyball had a truncated schedule. We won two matches and senior Gabrielle Lyons eclipsed 1000 digs for her career, making her the first Villa player to eclipse 1000 digs in program history. After their game against St. Basil Academy, the seniors were treated to an outdoor dinner with lanterns and stringed lights. It was a beautiful event for our wonderful Jems!

The Coding & Engineering Club held its first full meeting. Each club member was given materials to make her own miniature trebuchet at her desk. This task challenged students to think creatively about how best to construct this so that their beads could be launched! Our engineering expert, Katelyn Burke, was on hand to provide students with helpful advice and pointers!

Thanks to the Community Service Corps for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Social Studies Department Chair, Ms. Maggie May, accepted her award for "Outstanding American History Teacher of the Year for 2020" from the Daughters of the American Revolution (Washington Crossing chapter) at their monthly chapter meeting via Zoom on Saturday, November 14. The process involved submitting student and colleague testimonials along with a personal statement. She was honored to be nominated by a former Villa student, Allison Kephart '17, and grateful to have been recognized for making history meaningful for students. She is pictured here with a certificate from the DAR.

The Villa Drama Department was thrilled put on six in-person sold out performances of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" -- with limited 20% capacity in the PAC, in compliance with PA's current guidelines. Across the six nights, close to 750 tickets were sold. We're unbelievably proud of the entire cast and crew for their perseverance in making this show happen and their willingness to follow all precautions throughout rehearsals.

At the end of October,our senior class gathered together for their Senior Class Retreat. Together, they reflected on their relationship with God, self, and others, always remembering to "Love with Urgency and Not with Haste."

Save the Date for this year's Annual Spring Auction on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Visit www.vjmhs.org/auction to find out more about our event, view our Auction wish lists, or donate directly for the girls.