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Welcome

ACT Team

ACT Team (Academic Center for the Talented)

The ACT Team is a Specialty Program for high achieving students in grades 4th - 8th.  Formerly a magnet program, the ACT Team Program academically challenges students in all subjects through project-based instruction.  In grades 4th - 6th, students are grouped by grade level and rotate 3 times during the school day.  Students receive ELA and Social Studies in one class, an advanced Science program in their second class, and Mathematics in their last class.  In the Middle School program, students rotate through classes, receiving advanced ELA instruction, AVID, Pre-Algebra or Algebra, Science, Social Studies, and PE.

Students who have completed the entire ACT Team program have successfully gone on to Specialty high schools such as SECA, the IB Program at Franklin HS, Health Careers Academy, and Edison HS-STEM Academy.  Since its inception, many former ACT Team students have gone on to the top universities in the U.S., including UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, UC Davis, USC, and others.

In addition to the academic benefits of enrollment in the ACT Team, students in the ACT Team participate in the following clubs and activities:  Chess Club, Science Olympiad, Salmon in the Classroom Program, Science Camp, the Washington D.C. Tour, and the Ballet Folklorico de Hazelton, to name a few.

ACT Team Hosts "Science Museum"

Science teacher Mr. Balderston is hosting his annual Science Museum in Room C5.  Hazelton classes are invited to view the many science displays as ACT Team students explain to visiting students what they have learned during the school year. See photos below.

Students gather around a table in a classroom, examining items.

Students gather in a classroom, examining displays and projects.

Science Olympiad

Lead by Science teacher Mr. Balderston, Hazelton tradionally participates in the San Joaquin County Regional Science Olympiad competition.

A group of children and an adult gather around a table, possibly at an event.

A large crowd gathers in a high school gymnasium for an event.

A group of students pose together, some kneeling and some standing.

A decorated cake with 'Happy Birthday Mr. B' in blue frosting.

Chess Tournaments

Lead by Science teacher Mr. Balderston, 20 ACT Team students participated in the regional Chess Tournament held at St. Luke's School on Friday, November 17th. Many Hazelton students won 1st and 2nd place trophies!  Hazelton students comprised 1/4 of all the participants at the Chess Tournament!  See event pictures below.

Children and an adult play chess at a tournament, with spectators in the background.

Children and adults play chess at tables in a school gymnasium.

Children and teens play chess at tables in a brightly lit room.

Children and adults play chess at tables in a brightly lit room.

A young boy proudly holds a trophy, smiling in a room with chess boards.

Children and adults concentrate while playing chess at tables in a large room.

People gather in a gymnasium, some looking at an object being held.

A man in a red shirt speaks near a table with trophies.

Snappy the Turtle

Snappy the turtle is still alive and kicking in the ACT Team, even after 25 years, thanks primarily to Science teacher Mr. Balderston.  According to Mr. Balderston, although Snappy is legendary, he still doesn't know know how to drive!  Mr. B, as he is known to his current and former students, says that any former student who doesn't believe that Snappy is alive and well is welcome to come visit and see for themselves, because seeing is believing!

A turtle rests on a rock in a glass aquarium, partially submerged in water.

Solar Eclipse - August 21, 2017

ACT Team students observed, recorded, and wrote about the famous Solar Eclipse in August 2017. Below are some of the pictures of students engaged in scientific learning.

A group of students wearing eclipse glasses look up at the sky.

Bright sun shines above a building's corner against a clear blue sky.

A group of children wearing eclipse glasses look up at the sky.

A person looks through a cereal box held up to a chain-link fence.

Super Moon Viewing - December 5, 2017

ACT Team students observed the Super Moon, which first occurred on December 3rd. "Supermoons happen when a full moon approximately coincides with the moon's perigee, or a point in its orbit at which it is closest to Earth." Space.com

Students gather around a telescope outdoors, observing something in the sky.

A group of students and an adult look at a telescope outdoors.

A group of students and adults gather around a telescope outdoors.

A group of students and an adult look at a telescope outdoors.

The moon is visible in a clear, blue sky.

A bright, circular object with a lighter, crescent-shaped section against a black background.

Boa Constrictors - January 2018

ACT Team students are observing and learning about the habitat and behavior of the two Boa Constrictors that Mr. Balderston has brought into the science classroom. Although there are 10 different subspecies of boas, they are generally found throughout North, Central, and South America. The boa constrictors that are in the ACT Team classroom are about 3 feet long. They tend to be very dormant during the day. To learn more about Boa Constrictors, CLICK HERE

A ball python is held gently in a person's hand, its patterned scales visible.

A person holds a patterned snake on their arm, near a wooden desk.