A Personal Thank You From Maggie Ho on - "The Christmas Miracle"

I can't believe Upper Darby. People are missing out if they have even thought about leaving this gem. Today, the entire Upper Darby High School came together and helped raised $4,000 IN ONE DAY... for the family that lost their home to a fire. THAT'S INSANE. One of the coolest parts was when we were collecting during the change from 2nd block to 3rd block... we raised over $1,300 in that 5 minutes. The hearts of our students and staff cannot be compared to any other. It was truly, a Christmas miracle. God blessed Gerald,Eric, Melissa and I with the opportunity to have been able to present the mother the check... and we cried. We cried, Mr. Roth cried... everyone was just.. taken away by how amazing this whole day was. Seeing the hope restored back into the mother's eyes was all I need for Christmas. Thanks to everyone that donated, emptying backpacks as they're walking down the hall, throwing money at me, dealing with me... it was all a dream. Kids in everyone classroom sacrificing the change that they had, their lunch money, shopping money, money they just got from Christmas exchanges... all the money was dumped into a bucket and never looked at again. No one ever thought twice about donating to help this family. No one ever stopped to think "Hey... I kinda wanna go shopping later.. so maybe another day". NONE OF THAT! I HAVE NEVER SEE SO MANY SELFLESS PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. People were hunting me down all day, in every class, through the hallways, my email.. what ever it took to get the money where it needed to be. I had 20 dollar bills thrown at my face left and right all day, and seeing all of it going to save a family's holiday spirit this Christmas was just unbelievable. Thank you again and again and again. This is what Christmas is all about, its not about us, the gifts we receive, how much snow we'll see in the morning... but the feeling of giving to others who have nothing while you have everything. I am at lost for words now, I have cried so many tears of joy today...Just thank you. Amen and Amen.

- Maggie

"It's a Christmas miracle"

What a beautiful, truthful, and humanistic day it was for Upper Darby High School. The worries of one of our Upper Darby families, whose house was tragically lost in a fire, were hopefully dulled as true generosity was shown today. A donation request was put out to raise money for the family this morning. With students going from class to class with envelopes, to money drop offs at the student's centers, we as a school were able to donate a check for over $4,000 to the family in need. What a beautiful moment it was when the mother of the family was embraced by some of our students, letting her know that there will always be a support base for her no matter what the occurrence. A true moment of humanity was shown by our Royals today, and what an unforgettable moment it was. 

Thank you again to all who donated! 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ

Hey everyone, so recently... One of our fellow Upper Darby Students has been through basically hell and back. Her house caught on fire, her and her family lost everything. She only has the clothes that she wore that day and the jacket she had with her. Tomorrow before homeroom, and even during homeroom, I will be collecting any monetary donates anyone would be willing to give to her and her family. The choir has been asked to help her out, and my heart is breaking for the entire family. Please please please, if anyone has any extra change during this holiday season... please bring it in to room 107 before the 7:30 A.M bell, or room 101 during homeroom. You can also provide the money to Eric Guzy if you cannot find me in the morning. I'm praying that you'll also help contribute what ever you can to provide this family with a Christmas miracle. All the money collected will be given to a faculty member , to directly give to the family. Please help! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

- Maggie Ho

FBLA Brings Home A Huge Win!

This year, Upper Darby's FBLA chapter has been busy at work refining and sprucing up the members! Thanks to the leadership of Amanda Thai (President), Maggie Ho and Amie Wong (Co-VicePresidents), and other officers, Michael Goldstein, Elizabeth Hang, Alicia DiGiovanni... FBLA has never been so successful!

 On December 9th, Upper Darby bused 55 students over to Springfield High School for the FBLA District 12 conference. We are proud to announce that 20 of our students placed in the top 4 and 15 of these students advanced to the State Conference in Hershey!

 Congratulations to the following students that placed and are advancing to states:

Michael Goldstein - 1st Place for Accounting II

Alex Hines - 3rd Place for Agribusiness

Iftekhar Rahman - 2nd Place for Business Calculations

Zinab Hadjalli - 4th Place for Business Communications

Muhtady Syed - 4th Place for Computer Problem Solving 

Kawser Admed - 4th Place for Cyber Security 

Mohamad Noor-Chowdhury - 4th Place for Health Care Administrations

Amie Wong - 1st for Management

Jonathan Huynh - 4th for Management 

Tomas Reif - 4th Place for Introduction to Info Tech.

Baljit Singh - 4th Place for Securities and Investment

Casey Fitzpatrick - 1st Place for Word Processing

Kejsi Prifti - 2nd Place for Word Processing 

Encores At Longwood Gardens

Hey everyone! The Encore Singers will be performing at Longwood Gardens tomorrow night! Please come out to enjoy the beautiful sounds of our very talented Upper Darby students, but also treat yourselves to a nice night of scenery and wonder! It's a performance/night out you won't want to miss!

Wrestling Season Starts Off With A Bang!

The Upper Darby Wrestling Royals brought home a win against Ridley on December 10th, with a score of 51-18. Great job boys! Keep it up!

CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE SENIORS THAT HAVE ALREADY STARTED GETTING COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LETTERS! A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO MEHIDI HASAN FOR GETTING ACCEPTED INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA!  

BREAKING NEWS: VOICES OF UPPER DARBY BLOG NOW ON DELCO TIMES WEBSITE

BREAKING NEWS: VOICES OF UPPER DARBY BLOG NOW ON DELCO TIMES WEBSITE.

http://www.delcotimes.com/community-blogs

FBLA Clothing Drive: Another Success!

Three Upper Darby High School (UDHS) students, Kerianne McGee, Jenna Lira, and Kyle Johnson, are members of the school's club Future Business Leaders of America. Their mission was to plan and implement a community service project. They believed—with the cold winter ahead—a winter clothing drive was appropriate. They received countless numbers of coats, sweatshirts, pants, hats, blankets, and so on. All of their donations came from fellow students at UDHS as well as their family and friends. Additionally all donations were delivered to the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County, the community's homeless shelter.

Congratulations to Kerianne McGee, Jenna Lira and Kyle Johnson on an outstanding job!

Upcoming Concert Choir and Encore Singers Performances

On December 7th, the Encores will be performing at Armenian Martyrs at 11:00 A.M in the sanctuary. Both the Concert Choir and Encore Singers will also be performing with the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra at the Upper Darby

Performing Arts Center at 3 P.M on December 7th, 2014.

And the Unsung Hero Award goes to...

You're the man David Olsen!

The Upper Darby Board of School Directors Honored UDHS Head Custodian David Olsen with its annual School Board Leadership Award, better known as the Unsung Hero Award.  

In 2002, the Upper Darby School Board established its first ever School Board Leadership Award to go to an unsung hero within our school community.  All past recipients have served as role models for our students and community by providing exemplary, caring service in a loyal, dependable, friendly, and humble manner.  No one could fit that description more fittingly than our recipient tonight.

This gentleman gives his heart and soul to his school each and every day.   He approaches each day with unlimited energy and devotion.  His dedication to the Upper Darby School District has had a positive impact on students, parents and staff for many years, but never has he made such a difference for so many people as he has for the past year and a half as the high school’s head custodian.  This year’s unsung hero is none other than David Olsen.

Nobody knows Upper Darby High School better than Dave Olsen.  From his days here as a high school student (Class of ’78), to the 22 years he spent working in food services at the high school, to the 5 summers he spent working in the maintenance department, Dave has spent most of his life in the halls of UDHS.  The only time he wasn’t actually in the high school, “Mr. Dave” was transporting our students as a UD bus driver.  There isn’t much Dave hasn’t done or anything Dave wouldn’t do for this school district.

Dave became Head Custodian in July 2013, and his incredible work ethic and pleasant attitude has not gone unnoticed.  His job is to maintain the building – no small task considering the size of Upper Darby High School and the fact that it houses nearly 4000 students and staff members every day.  Dave has a crew of 11 maintenance workers to handle all of the electrical, plumbing, and general maintenance issues that arise each day.  According to Dave, “There is no such thing as a typical day!”  He views this as a positive thing.  From fixing broken lockers to dealing with plumbing issues to accepting deliveries, every day is different, and Dave never misses a beat handling whatever comes his way. Even after the never-ending winter of 2014, where Dave shoveled snow, and more snow, and more snow from the high school’s walkways and parking lot, Dave always answered a call with, “What do you need?” and always responded to a request with, “No problem!”

Dave often works well beyond his usual hours each week, but he never complains and does whatever is asked of him with a smile on his face.  According to Dave, “I’m just doing my job.”  And on the rare occasions where Dave does make it home right after his regular shift, it is not rare for his wife to hear him answer his phone, say, “I’ll be right there,” grab his keys, and head back to UDHS where he is needed.  His boundless energy, tireless efforts, and positive spirit are simply unmatched.

While the amount of work that Dave Olsen does is remarkable, it is not what makes him an Unsung Hero. He earns this title because his love for the students and staff at Upper Darby High School and the Upper Darby community leads his every decision. His selfless attitude and incredible work ethic serve as a model for children and adults alike. Somehow he is everywhere, fixing everything and making our lives better in every way. At home, his family refers to him as “the Mayor of Upper Darby High School,” and they are right on the money.  Dave makes it evident in his daily interactions with everyone just how special his family, friends, and co-workers are to him.  He shows us by keeping Upper Darby High School in top working order and conducive to teaching and learning.  For that, he is a hero who truly deserves the 2014 Board Leadership Award.

(Directly sourced from upperdarbysd.org)

Aren't They Just Perfect?

Congratulations to Asad Ansari and Mehidi Hasan for scoring a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SATs this fall!

Toys for Tots

Royal Revolution will be hosting a Toys for Tots event. There will be a collection box in each center from now until December 12th.

*The grade that donates the most toys will recieve a dress down day*

All donations MUST be:

Brand new and unwrapped

NO toy weapons, please

On Saturday, December 13th from 10am to 3pm we will have a drop off outside of the gymnasium where we will be collecting toys and monetary donations.

Family Coming Home

This past Wednesday, as students raced through their classes in readiness for the start of the holiday season... familiar faces walked through the halls of Upper Darby once again. Current students just can't wait to get a back from their demanding studies, but past students were edger to come back and experience high school all over again. Little by little, alumni walked through the front door, checked in at the security desk and started their visits. Some alumni even forgot how crowded the halls were during bells, but it did bring back good memories I'm sure. As students walked to class then seeing the familiar faces in the halls once again, you could see faces light up all the way down the hall! I was lucky enough to get a picture during choir! 51 alumni came back to visit Mrs.Benglian and the current 2014-2015 choir. Each student gave a little word of advice for the future but also expressed how dearly they missed being in our positions. At the end of the day, Upper Darby held its yearly Alumni Tea. It was a fantastic start to the holiday season! 

Also, YAY EAGLES FOR BEATING THE COWBOYS WOOO!!!!!!

District Chorus

Congratulations to the eleven members of the UDHS choral department who were placed on the District Chorus:  

Chris Biviens

Kathryn DiBona

Sharrell Donatien

Derron Harris

Jon Huynh

Johnny Ley

Sean McWilliams

Diane Portugal

Makoto Saitoh

Shawn Weaver

Jenn You

Homecoming 2014

This year's homecoming, "Music Royalty", was a huge success thanks to our participants at Upper Darby High School. Congratulations to our homecoming queen, Bridget Johnson, and king, Andrew Proctor!! As well as the winners of the homecoming dance competition, the class of 2015! We're so proud of our seniors as well as the other classes who presented an amazing show to our community last night! Thanks to all who came out to support our students, we hope to see you soon at future UD events!

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Please take a second out of your day to vote for none other than Upper Darby and its Varsity Football Team's game against Haverford to be the Game of the Week on Thanksgiving day! It should be a fantastic game, and we wouldn't want people to be missing it! Vote vote vote!!!!

 #UDPRIDE

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

"In the Heights"

Congratulations to those who have made the cast list for the Upper Darby musical, "In the Heights"! We can't wait to see you guys in the spotlight!

Tis the week of spirit!

Happy Spirit Week UD! As homecoming night quickly approaches, students are working hard in class before they leave for break as well as having some fun for spirit week! On Monday, the high school kicked off with a blast from the past! Students and staff dressed in different outfits from different decades! 

Today, fittingly enough, the school went twin crazy for Twin Tuesday! Even the staff had a little fun (: 

Districts! Intrumental Amazement

Upper Darby High School is proud to annouce that 3 of our wonderfully talented students placed at District Band and Orchestra for the 2014-2015 school year!

Congratulations to Christopher Stanczak for Tenor Saxophone, Ikechi Onyenaka for Clarinet and Abbey Liu for Violin! 

 We are so excited to see how far these students will go on their to States! 

 We are also proud to report that Immanuel Wilkins got accepted to play in the Grammy Band for a second year in a row!

Some love for Lucy Ashton

Taylor Swift, a sensation in the entertainment and music industry, has reached out to one of our very own students. Lucy Ashton is like any other child at Upper Darby; she is an honor roll student and participates in the performing arts here at the high school. But overnight, Lucy has become a mini sensation herself. Throughout all social media, Lucy has been recognized by the one and only Taylor Swift. Being the big T.Swift fanatic that she is, Taylor thought it was fitting to ship a package filled with lovely gifts to Lucy for the holidays. In simple words, Ms. Ashton was more than humbled to be able to receive something so touching from the person she idolizes the most. But it doesn't stop there. During the American Music Awards, Lucy was showcased in Taylor Swift's video that was showcased all over the nation. I would think it's fitting to say that Lucy Ashton and Taylor Swift are pretty much best friends.

UD DANCE-A-THON

UD DANCE-A-THON was a huge success! Thank you to all the students that came out and supported the event and also to everyone that sponsored a student to go! Students started rolling in through the doors on around 7 P.M, Friday night for some awesome fun! Given it was pretty chilly outside, it was rough signing people in by the door but it was totally worth it! Little by little, people started coming through the doors and before we knew it we had over 400 participants at Thon! Students were given the option to of course, dance or, participate in the raffle drawling, eat the tons of pizza we had, or even enjoy a nice movie in the movie room! The kids of FBLA and DECA would like to thank all the adults at the event to watch over it and keeping us safe, and definitely for cleaning up after us after 12 long hours.

Please enjoy some of the pictures taken at Upper Darby's first Dance-A-Thon!

Upper Darby does it the best. I promise.

This was only half of the pizza consumed during Thon xD

Here is a picture of some students being imaginative and playful with the decorations at Thon!

Who needs sleep when you can ball?! #4AMstatus

Don't be ashamed if you took a nap during Thon, because I know I had to xD

ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?

Enjoy a movie with us if you're a little tired!

Coffee, Gym Mats and Iron Man.. It was a good break from the dancing.

Representing the class of 2016, Thanks for coming out and supporting!

DECA Food Drive Huge Success

"Members of DECA volunteered to help package and deliver holiday baskets today at the Cardington Fire Company. As a school we collected over 400 items which was a HUGE success. We were so successful that we are able to use the collected food items for the Christmas food drive as well. Upper Darby Township families that are in need were filled with joy today when they received their basket."

- Upper Darby High School Senior,

  Bridget Johnson

Congratulations on making a difference Royals, keep it up!