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Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
B. S. in Education with certification to teach French and EnglishB. A. in French
Miss Debbie Orendorf
ANNOUNCEMENTS and THANK YOUS!
Educational Background
I am a graduate of the Meyersdale Area School District. I have been part of the BBSD faculty since the fall of 1983. She has a B. S. Degree in Education with certification to teach French and English. I also hold a B. A. Degree in French and received both degrees from Clarion State College; however, I have also taken post-graduate courses through the University of Pittsburgh and Frostburg State University. While in college, I created an elementary French program for a prototype elementary school located on the campus. College professors enrolled their children in this school; I taught those elementary students French. Other Clarion students majoring in education also taught a mix of other subjects giving those children a jumpstart into their education. I has also attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for Foreign Language where I was enrolled in a total French immersion program for two summers.
Experience
Before being hired full-time, I began teaching at BBSD as a substitute teacher for various teachers before being hired on a long-term basis. When I began teaching here, I taught French levels I, II, III, and IV, and filled in to teach English as needed, but English ran differently then. The English department offered English mini-courses; the mini-courses locked students into two required courses and also allowed students to choose two additional mini-English courses as electives. Each mini-course ran a nine-weeks; students had to pass each mini-course in order to earn 1/4 credit for that particular English class, but students met with a different English Department teacher each nine weeks. The English Department offered approximately 60 mini-courses for selection; I have taught all of those mini-courses.
Extra-curricular and Advisory Groups
In addition to teaching, I have advised numerous activities, organizations, and clubs,. As an advisor, I have coached junior high, varsity, and junior varsity cheerleaders in football, basketball, and wrestling. Working with the cheerleaders, I organized all Homecoming half-time activities and the Homecoming parade.
I have also advised the school newspaper, The Mountaineer, and taught journalism. Other media activities that I have coached include the Daily American program County Highlights.
I love the theatre and have directed Junior Class Plays (held in the spring), Senior Class Plays (held in the fall), and school district musicals. Two English mini-courses previously taught here included "Shakespeare" and "Play Production." Usually, former teacher, Tom Sprowls taught the Shakespeare mini-course. One of my most memorable experiences at BBHS was working with Tom Sprowls and helping direct a senior class Shakespeare production of Othello. One of his Shakespeare classes wanted to perform a Shakespeare play, and he directed the class for the production. I enjoyed being able to work with him. I has also taught a Theatre Arts class teaching students acting, set design, directing skills, and production etc., and have also directed productions that students in the class performed throughout the school year.
I have also advised the French Club taking the French students on many field trips including several to New York City to tour the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations, and to see a Broadway production; club members have also seen French movies such as Cyrano de Bergerac at a movie theatre in Altoona and have traveled to Washington, D. C. to see a performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Harlequin Dinner Theatre and to tour the major D. C. sites, including Mount Vernon which houses the key that locked the Bastille prison in Paris; following the French Revolution, the French gave the key to George Washington at Mount Vernon where it remains today. I have also taken them to Canada with the Ski Club; while Ski Club members skied the Canadian slopes, the French Club students toured Québec, tobogganed and ice-skated along the St. Lawrence River, attended a Winter Ice Festival, and heard storytellers tell historical Québec tales. They have eaten in various French restaurants in Maryland, Pittsburgh, and New York City and have taken foreign language Clipper trips aboard the fleet. French class students performed "Alouette" and various puppet skits for the elementary students setting up a make-shift stage in classroom doorways. Students sampled a wide variety of French desserts and other French foods in class. At Christmas, French Class/Club sang Christmas carols in French for the elementary students and have also carolled for the high school students. Yearly, students took a trip on a Gateway Clipper French Cruise; they ate Poulet Cordon Bleu for the main entrée and also a wide variety of French desserts. They participated in a scavenger hunt searching for a list of items written in French such as une chaussette (sock), une photo de leur (their) professeur, l'année de la Révoluton Française. In the past, the French Class Team won first place in a scavenger hunt; they translated clues on board the fleet ship and then found photos that matched the answers to the clues. The Berlin team placed first defeating other school teams from the Pittsburgh area and one school from this county. An entertainer similar to street performers found at the Pompidou Center in Paris performed for the group. A half hour before docking, the Clipper ship transformed to a dance floor, and the group danced onboard the ship before docking at Station Square.
In 1994, I took a group of students in my French classes to France and continued to take students to Europe every other year following 1994. i have made numerous trips to Europe some with students, some with adults, and some with a mix of adults and students. Since 1994, students in my French classes have seen England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, parts of Italy, Wales, Ireland, and a section of Germany. Before leaving for their trip, I held Passport Parties for the students and adults to apply for their passports and eat regional dishes from the countries in which they would travel. Wishing to remain anonymous, a community member paid for the group's transportation to and from the Pittsburgh airport. Students kept journals/diaries and other items and organized a scrapbook of their trip. After returning home, they held Pool Parties to share photos, souvenirs, and humorous stories of their travels. To further their cultural understanding, I have placed a group of 21 French high school students with Berlin host families for a three-week summer stay. During their stay, the French teens experienced American culture and saw part of the United States. They also visited Canada.
One year, club members saw "The Three Musketeers" at Carnegie Mellon University. They also traveled to Altoona to see movies in French with English subtitles such as Cyrano de Bergerac.
I have also advised the National Honor Society and worked with the gifted student program.
My love of theatre and the arts has pulled me into the Forensics world. I coach the Forensics team. Forensics is an academic extra-curricular program that involves public speaking, interpretation. I am currently the vice-president of the school's local league, the Laurel Highlands High School Speech League and the Act 48 Chairperson and PDE Liaison for the Pennsylvania Speech and Debate Association. In PSDA, I am the contact with PDE for the organization and have compiled data and other research to help PSDA earn the ability to award ACT 48 hours for Continued Professional Education (CPE). I record all ACT 48 hours for PSDA members across the state. I am also a member of the National Speech and Debate Association and have received the Donus D. Roberts from the national association. The Forensics team holds membership in the Laurel Highlands High School Speech League (LHHSSL), Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL), the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) formerly known as the National Forensic League (NFL), the Pennsylvania Speech and Debate Association (PSDA), the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL), and the National Association of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Philosophy of Education
Education has changed a lot over the years, but one thing remains constant; all children can learn, thrive, and become productive adults given the tools that they need whether those tools are physical or emotional, concrete or abstract, cognitive or kinesthetic. My philosophy of education is simply to be a facilitator in students' education, to provide what they need, to motivate them, and to inspire them.
Interests and hobbies
Walking
Doctor Who
British television including Doctor Who, Are You Being Served?, Keeping up Appearances, The Three Musketeers, Sherlock Holmes, and The Avengers (saddened to hear of the death of Patrick MacNee who played John Steed on The Avengers)
Harry Potter series
James Bond movie fan
Die Hard movie fan (for some unknown reason) - some weeks the first movie in this series is shown so frequently that I watch it three times on three different channels!
jazz
Herb Alpert
Chuck Mangione
Phil Collins - saw him on tour at 4 different venues when last on tour
Genesis (when Phil Collins was a member of the group)
Still listens to Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, the Who and even Glen Campbell songs and Boy George - what a mix of music tastes!
Elton John - attended his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour recently at State College and will travel to see him again at PPG in Pittsburgh in November 2019. She saw the same tour all three dates in Pittsburgh with the most recent at PNC Park (his first and sadly also his last performance at the park; also, this last venue was his last performance in Pennsylvania. All totalled, I have seen his last farewell tour 7 times.
Dean Martin
Dislikes
Cantelope
Red apples
Green apples
Favorites
McDonald's iced tea!!!!!!!!!!
Watermelon
Sunkist Navel Oranges
Peaches
Bananas
Golden Delicious Apples
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Black raspberries
Elderberries
Pears
Huckleberries
Green beans
Carrots
Red beets
Cooked cabbage
Asparagus
Lime Jello
Adores her nephew Tony
Likes to read mystery novels and British literature
Harry Potter series - read numerous times
AND I am a cancer survivor.
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Thanks for putting the doghouses together, Tony!
To the Faves - Madi, Avy, and Callie -
Thanks for the snowman craft1 The decoration is festive, and the snowman is cute.
Camry,
Thanks for the dry-erase board magnet! I use a lot of magnets, and this one adds to all of those at the board; it fits perfectly with the others. You are a #1 student!
Piper,
Thanks for the fuzzy caterpillar1 It sits on my desk! The caterpillar also reminds me of fall. Some people believe the caterpillar's colors predict how rough the winter will be here in Somerset County.
Logan,
Thanks for the pumpkin! It sits on my desk as a nice reminder of fall and pumpkin pie!
Logan,
Thanks for the McDonald's Iced Tea and watermelon water bottles! McDonald's makes the best iced tea, and I love watermelon...this is a good way to start the school year!
Mersadez,
Thanks for the turtle! Now, I have a papa turtle and a mama turtle! I like bobblehead things! The turtle is beautiful.
Gena,
Thanks for the handmade bracelet! The colors are beautiful! You do really well with crafts.
Vesper,
Thanks for the baby turtle! Now, I have a baby turtle, a mama turtle, and a papa one also.
Congratulations to Bryn Prosser, Kyleigh Bailey, Joshua Brinton, Lydia Broadwater, Franklin Cooper, Isaac Dowdy, Ila Ebersole, Jack Engle, Kaleb Gibbner, Micah Gilmore, Abigail Gindlesperger, Riley Henry, McKenna Kalaha, Kaitlyn Miller, Vesper Ogburn, Katie Snyder, Chloa Stern, Alyvia Walker, Samantha Walker, and Tayler Westley! The American Library of Poetry has accepted their poems for publication in the 2023 Student Poetry Contest!
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Hi, I am Miss Orendorf, but most students call me Miss O. Currently, I teach grade 7 ELA, but prior to teaching ELA middle school, I taught English and French in the high school.
I am certified to teach French (grades K - 12) and English (grades 7-12). I have a Bachelor of Science Degree with certification to teach French grades K - 12, English grades 7 - 12, and Developmental Reading for grade 7. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French.
I graduated from Meyersdale Area High School and lived in Berlin until my father's death; I moved back to Meyersdale almost 12 years ago. I graduated from Clarion State College and have taken additional courses at the University of Pittsburgh and Frostburg State College.
Extra-curricular and Advisory Groups
In addition to teaching, I have advised and currently advise numerous activities, organizations, and clubs,. As an advisor, I have coached junior high, varsity, and junior varsity cheerleaders in football, basketball, and wrestling. Working with the cheerleaders, I organized all Homecoming half-time activities and the Homecoming parade. I have also advised the school newspaper, The Mountaineer, and taught journalism. Other media activities that I have coached/advised include the Daily American program County Highlights. I was involved in this program since it began missing only a handful of years as advisor when another faculty member advised the group. In Highlights, high school student representatives from all Somerset County schools showcased their writing skills and spoke for teens weekly in the Daily American. I advised the Berlin representative students. These students wrote for the Daily American weekly featuring their personal views on numerous current events, writing editorials, reviewing movies, novels, etc., and writing news articles and Crossfire commentaries as debates on various issues affecting teens today.
I love the theatre, and I have directed Junior Class Plays (held in the spring), Senior Class Plays (held in the fall), and school district musicals.
Two English mini-courses previously taught here included "Shakespeare" and "Play Production." Usually, former teacher, Tom Sprowls taught the Shakespeare mini-course. One of my most memorable experiences at BBHS was working with Tom Sprowls and helping direct a senior class Shakespeare production of Othello. One of his Shakespeare classes wanted to perform a Shakespeare play, and he directed the class for the production. I enjoyed being able to work with him. I have also taught a Theatre Arts class teaching students acting, set design, directing skills, and production etc., and have also directed productions that students in the class performed throughout the school year and a Play Production mini-course in the high school through the English Department.
I have also advised the French Club and have taken the French students on many field trips including several to New York City to tour the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations, and to see a Broadway production and to Washington, D. C. to see a performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Harlequin Dinner Theatre. Students also toured the major D. C. sites as well as Mount Vernon which houses the key that locked the Bastille prison in Paris; following the French Revolution, the French gave the key to George Washington at Mount Vernon where it remains today. I have also taken students to Canada with the Ski Club; while Ski Club members skied the Canadian slopes, the French Club students toured Québec, tobogganed and ice-skated along the St. Lawrence River, attended a Winter Ice Festival, and heard storytellers tell historical Québec tales. Students have eaten in various French restaurants in Maryland, Pittsburgh, and New York City and have taken foreign language Clipper trips aboard the fleet. In 1994, I took a group of students in my French classes to France and continued to take students to Europe every other year following 1994. I have made numerous trips to Europe, some with students, some with adults, and some with a mix of adults and students. Since 1994, students in my French classes have seen England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, parts of Italy, Wales, Ireland, and a section of Germany. Before leaving for their trip, I held Passport Parties for the students and adults to apply for their passports and to eat regional dishes from the countries where they would travel. Wishing to remain anonymous, a community member paid for the group's transportation to and from the Pittsburgh airport. Students kept journals/diaries and other items and organized a scrapbook of their trip. After returning home, we held Pool Parties to share photos, souvenirs, and humorous stories of our travels. To further their cultural understanding, I placed a group of 21 French high school students with Berlin host families for a three-week summer stay. During their stay, the French teens experienced American culture, saw part of the United States, and ventured into Canada for a two-day excursion.
i have also advised the National Honor Society..
My love of theatre and the arts has pulled me into the Forensics world. I coach the Forensics team, an academic extra-curricular program that involves public speaking, interpretation, and debate. I coach both the Forensics team and the Student Congress Team, another form of debate within the Forensics program. I am the vice-president of the school's local league, the Laurel Highlands High School Speech League and the Act 48 Chairperson for the Pennsylvania Speech and Debate Association. I am also a member of the National Speech and Debate Association and have received the Donus D. Roberts Award from this national association; I am currently working toward my next degree and am roughly 2,000 points away from the next degree. I have been re-elected to the National Speech and Debate Association Leadership Committee. My term began in July. In the NSDA, the school league participates in the Pennsylvania District.
Some of my duties include:
planning and running the district tournament
recruiting new schools and increasing engagement
managing financial resources
determining local award winners
I completed online training to learn my duties, and the national office will serve as my mentor for my current two-year term. The Forensics team holds membership in the Laurel Highlands High School Speech League (LHHSSL), Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL), the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), the Pennsylvania Speech and Debate Association (PSDA), and the National Association of State High School Associations (NFHS). I have been re-elected vice-president of the LHHSSL for the 2022-2023 school year.Personally Speaking
I have a lot of interests that range from music to reading to walking. I love reading the Harry Potter series, and I have seen each movie in the series at least 100 times. I have probably read each novel at least 100 times also.
Every time a Die Hard movie is shown on television, I watch it. I do not know exactly why nor what it is about the movie series that captivates me, but I just have to watch them. I am not a Bruce Willis fan, but there is something about those movies that intrigues me. Some weeks, I watch the movies three times on three different channels.
I have a wide range of music tastes. My favorite performers are Phil Collins, Genesis, Elton John, Herb Alpert, and Chuck Mangione just to name a few. I love going to concerts and have seen Phil Collins at least 20 times, the same for Elton John (I saw his Farewell tour seven times). I have also seen Genesis, Rod Stewart, Cher, James Taylor, Hootie and the Blowfish, N Sync, and The Backstreet Boys all in concert. I have seen other performers as well. I listen to a lot of music types - yes, Heavy Metal and Shock Rock included. I also love Jazz.
Further, I love the theatre and have seen many, many, many performances at the Benedum Theatre or Heinz Hall and even on Broadway and at the London Threatre District.
I also love my nephew, Tony. Although he is an adult now, I still see him as a baby, toddler, child, and teen-ager. We have grown up together and have fought like brother and sister instead of as aunt and nephew. I am extremely proud of him, and now, we talk as adults and respect each other.
I have one sister still living today. I lost an older sister to cancer years ago. My parents are deceased.
I am a cancer survivor.