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SCHOOL NEWS FOR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2002
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Elementary School News |
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By Mary Nethaway and Max
Batchelor |
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MES was buzzing with activity last week. Mrs. Charlotte
Verner's third graders did a research project on
endangered animals. The students gathered information on
the Internet, filled out a report, wrote a story, typed
it, and illustrated it on KidPix. They really enjoyed
using the computer to do their projects.
Friday was the last day for our UTM student teacher in
P.E. Ms. Wendy Bell had been with us for the last six
weeks and we really appreciate her. On Friday, Mrs.
Alsup presented her with a flower arrangement as a token
of our appreciation.
The highlight of last week was the annual "Read Across
America" celebration on Friday. MES students joined with
school children across the nation to celebrate Dr.
Seuss's birthday. Our day at MES began with the PTO
sponsored Muffins with Mom - Doughnuts with Dad. Thanks
to the hundreds of parents and students who helped to
kick off the day by visiting our school.
Throughout the day classes welcomed various parents,
community members, and former MES students to read to
them. Robyn Winkler chose to read The Cat in the Hat by
Dr. Seuss to Mrs. Betsy Campbell's fourth grade class.
Third and fourth grade classes finished their
celebration day with a special treat. Tennessee State
Senator Roy Herron, his son Rick, and wife Nancy visited
MES. Senator Herron read three dog stories from the
book, Tennessee Political Humor: Some of these Jokes You
Voted For, which he co-authored with famous Tennessee
humorist, L. H. "Cotton" Ivy. Students were encouraged
to supply canine sound effects. Following these highly
entertaining adventures in reading, Rick Herron, Dresden
fifth grader, read a selection from his father's book
Things Held Dear: Soul Stories for My Sons. We
appreciate the Herron family joining our celebration.
The announcer for last week was Andrew Mayhew from Mrs.
Patty Witty's class. Thanks for a great job with the
morning Pledge of Allegiance and Citizenship pledge,
Andrew.
Finally, mark your calendars. Spring Break is March 11 -
15.
Until next time . . .
Compiled by Max Batchelor
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Middle School News |
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Our third nine weeks grading period comes to an end on
March 8. Nine weeks tests will be given on March 6-8.
Language Arts and reading will be given on Wednesday,
March 8; science and math on Thursday and social
studies, music, computer and physical education tests
will be given Friday. The end of our third grading
period will be followed by spring break. Students will
not attend school March 11-March 15. To celebrate
Black History Month, Mrs. Archer's fifth grade social
studies classes did research papers on famous Black
Americans. Each student chose a person to research in
the MMS library. Mrs. Davis, our school librarian,
pointed out different types of reference sources they
could use. The students learned about such people as
Harriet Tubman, Thourgood Marshall, W. C. Handy, Sugar
Ray Leonard, Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther
King, Jr., Walter Payton, George Washington Carver, and
others. The students researched their early lives,
education and contributions.
Mrs. Roxie Walker's fifth grade math class is putting
in some extra hours after school. Those students who
choose to stay are accompanied by their parents to drill
and practice sessions. Students get the opportunity for
extra practice to prepare for the Terra Nova testing.
These informal sessions are involving parents in their
child's education. Mrs. Walker firmly believes that a
child receives the best education when parents and
teachers work together as a team.
The two sessions have included about 30 students with
parents and a cooperating teacher from Bethel. The
students are gaining confidence and are eager to "show
off" their skills. All parents are invited to attend any
Tuesday or Thursday at 3:00 p.m. The sessions will
continue until TCAP testing April 1.
Coach Kee's seventh grade science class is studying
the different types of rocks. Three different kinds of
rocks are: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock.
These rocks all have different characteristics and
classifications. Each person in Coach Kee's science
class was responsible for finding a rock and using their
imagination to make something out of it by dressing it,
coloring or painting it, and making up facts about it.
They each had an escort and a runway to go down. After
all the rocks were shown the judges (other students)
chose which were in the top five. After the top five
were picked, they picked a first place winner, who
received a prize. Some of those rocks are pictured. |
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Notes from the High School |
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By McKenzie High School Principal, Terry Howell |
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Last Monday, several members of our Wildlife Club along
with sponsor Paula Doster went to the Little Eagle Creek
in Henry County to participate in an activity for
Project E.C.H.O. Those students along with some students
from Henry County High School planted cypress trees,
built fish stake beds, and erected wood duck boxes.
Project E.C.H.O. is done in collaboration with the
T.W.R.A. and several other governmental agencies. Its
intent is to promote an appreciation of and involvement
in wildlife and the outdoors. McKenzie High School has
its own cove in the Paris Landing area where our
students will use the site as a real-life laboratory and
work station. Lance Rider with T.W.R.A. and McKenzie
High School math teacher Paula Doster have worked
diligently to make this project a reality. Currently, we
are building a permanent greenhouse and supply house on
campus funded through Project E.C.H.O. Students have
done some of the sweat labor to create this learning
center on campus. The various stages of progress of
Project E.C.H.O. will be televised by P.B.S. within the
next several weeks as a broadcast called, "Tennessee's
Wild Side." Members of the Wildlife Club who attended
the work day last Monday include Jason Arnold, Angie
Birdwell, Mark Boaz, Mitchell Hall, Taylor Holland, Matt
Hutchison, Brandon Trull, Kristin Wiggins, and Nathan
Young. These students found cold temperatures with wind
chills of 2° Fahrenheit, but worked to complete this
stage of Project E.C.H.O. This program provides
excellent hands-on, real world experience. We appreciate
Ms. Doster and Mr. Rider for coordinating our students
in this meaningful activity.
I direct you again to our school website at http://www.mckenziehighschool.org.
Our website has a great deal of good information for
parents and for friends of McKenzie High School. At this
website, internet surfers can find a wide range of
topics about our school including overall school
information, staff information, cafeteria menus, club
and organizations available for students, sports along
with spring sports schedules, a link to the Red and Gray
Weekly, and links to the middle school, elementary
school, and Board of Education. A special feature of the
website is our monthly calendar. This calendar is an
excellent way for parents and supporters of our school
to stay informed about future events a month in advance.
Ms. Dianne Anderson, our media specialist, does a great
job in keeping our site updated. For those with internet
capabilities, this site is an excellent way to keep
abreast about school events.
I remind parents again that we will have our nine week
tests -- essentially semester tests -- this Thursday and
Friday. On Thursday, we will have the First and Third
Block tests. On Friday, we will have the Second and
Fourth Block tests. These tests count 25% of the overall
nine week grade for a student. It is crucial that
students make the necessary preparation and not wait
until the night before to study. I am firmly convinced
that the development of good study habits at the high
school level is of paramount importance whether a
student goes to the military, a technical school, or an
academic school after graduation. Students and parents
need to realize that post-secondary education or
training is important for success in life and that good
study skills make post-secondary education much easier.
Last fall Jostens, our yearbook representative, had
students sign a non-binding contract if they had an
intent to purchase a yearbook. For the past four months,
Jostens has sent letters to parents informing them of
the opportunity to buy a yearbook. To date, we have 105
students who committed to purchasing a yearbook, but
have made no payment whatsoever. The price of a yearbook
is $35.00 as a base cost. Many students add all the
bells and whistles which escalate the price to $50-55.
In looking at the students who had not paid for the
yearbook, I noted that several of them are seniors. It
would be sad to not get a yearbook because of an
oversight. If parents would like to check on the
progress of their payment for yearbook, they may call me
at the school for that information.
Last Friday, two student groups participated in Read
Across America at the elementary school. Several
students in Dianne Anderson's library skills class and
Library Club read, and our Spanish III students in Ms.
Brewster's class also read to the elementary age
students. Studies have shown that students of all ages
benefit from being read to. I think that this event is
important for our students as well as they provide a
community service and they witness first hand the power
of the spoken word. In an age where the printed word is
sometimes minimized, I applaud Ms. Alsup and the
elementary school teachers for continuing to sponsor
this activity and for allowing us to participate.
Twenty of our students will attend the State DECA
Conference and Competition in Nashville on March 7 and
8. DECA -- the Distributive Education Clubs of America
-- has as its mission to educate young people about
business and industry, marketing and sales, and those
skills necessary to do well in the job market after high
school. These 20 students are competing for the
opportunity to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the
national conference and competition. Students compete in
general written examinations, role play and interviews,
and written papers with questions from a panel of
judges. The whole affair takes place at the Music City
Sheraton and is highlighted by a formal dance and
banquet. We wish these students well as they represent
our school.
On Thursday of last week, approximately 35 seniors chose
to participate in the job shadowing program. These
students shadowed a variety of people in different
occupations to get an understanding about what the job
is. Most of the students commented that the experience
was constructive and that they had a better grasp of the
profession that they had tentatively planned as their
future line of work. These students arranged their job
shadowing placement with the help of Ms. Herrin, our
guidance counselor. The remaining 55 seniors chose not
to engage in this activity.
Play practice for the spring production for the
musical/comedy Tumbleweeds has begun. This play is
loosely based on the comic strip by the same name and
casts an off-center look at the world. Play director and
McKenzie High School art teacher Glynda Corbin has a
cast of 35 members. The play is set for Saturday, April
20, and Sunday, April 21. We will have much more
information about the play as the production date nears.
The Band Boosters sponsored a trip to Jackson to bowl on
Friday, March 1. About 40 students went with chaperones
to Jackson to enjoy a night of bowling, games, and food.
The Band Boosters plan a day trip to Six Flags in St.
Louis on Saturday, April 27. Other band activities
include the annual beauty pageant -- Friday, March 22
for the elementary age students and Saturday, March 23,
for the middle school and high school students. The Band
Boosters will also sponsor a Tiny Tots Review on
Saturday, April 6. These pageants will all be held at
the high school.
School will not be in session during the week of March
11-15. We will have our spring break at this time.
Report cards will be issued on Wednesday, March 20. |
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or
Fax (731) 352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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