Is your first period being too noisy during announcements? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Keeping up with the lions announces all the important dates you need to know every Friday!

This upcoming week is theme week! It starts on Monday with Candy Cane Day or red and white day, Tuesday is Santa Hat Day, Winter White Wednesday and Tacky Holiday Sweater Thursday. Lion loot will be provided for participating!

Due to the bookfair, overdue notices will be sent out by the library on Tuesday, Dec, 12.

There will be a PBS movie on Dec, 21. You can go vote to pick the movie you want to watch on Livewire!

Students attending the Star Wars movie on Friday will be called to the cafeteria at 8:15. They will be returning between 12:30 and 1:00.

Group pictures for the yearbook will be taken in Dec, 14 in the auditorium. If you are in any extracurricular activity you should see your advisor for the time your photo will be taken.

Adviser Wes Rogers started the winter tournament in chess club. Over 22 students competed over the past two weeks in qualifying matches. The six students from with the best records from these matched will compete after the break in finals.

The kids in Fred Larson’s information processing class are getting ready for the holidays by learning the basics of Microsoft Office pictures and tools. They created Christmas themed cards and posters.

The winter track meet will be held on Dec. 16 at Dickinson College.

Brandy Juart’s Foods classes are now competing in the “Food Truck Face Off.” This project was funded by the AASD Foundation using a venture grant. The students planned a theme for their trucks and then made a menu. The class voted on which food they would like each food truck to make, and each group is now in the process of making the food that was requested.

Ninth grade student council collected and donated toys to Emma Rose Carothers’ senior project for Toys for Tots for the Ronald McDonald house in Pittsburgh. Student Council hosted a Tacky Sweater Holiday Party for all the members in our cafeteria. They participated in team building activities and enjoyed snacks. They also prepared for the upcoming holiday spirit week.

The faculty, staff, and students from Altoona Area Junior High School presented a check with a total of $650 to the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home to purchase Christmas gifts for all the residents. The AAJHS Sharing for the Holidays committee and the ninth grade committee organized the coin collection where the money was raised.