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By Terry Howell
McKenzie High School Principal |
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With the beginning of the school year, McKenzie High
School offers students the opportunity to participate in
many clubs and organizations, extracurricular
activities, and sports.
Parents are sometimes leery
about having their child participate in some of these
activities because of the demand on students' time which
could detract from homework and study. Almost
invariably, research indicates that the more involved
and engaged students are in school and school-related
activities after school, the better grades that student
has.
The key is for students to learn time management
and to balance their time between study and the many
activities that we have. Many young people make their
best grades during the time of involvement because they
spend less time watching television or hanging out with
friends. If parents establish a clear set of
expectations of students in regard to grades and study
time, students generally meet those expectations.
I
strongly encourage students to get involved in all
aspects of school life and for parents to expect
students to do so. It is a great learning experience
whether it is sports, band, clubs and organizations, or
community service opportunities that the school offers.
The golf team began the 2004 season with home matches at
the Carroll Lake Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday
(results not available). Coach Larry Joe Smith returns
all his boys' players from last year (except one) that
posted a school-record 27 wins with only 6 losses.
Members of the boys' team include Craig Broadbent, Beau
Brown, Jake Brown, Mikey King, Justin Petering, Carson
Rider, Travis Russell, Marshall Smith, and Justin
Wilson. They completed the season as district runners-up
to state champion Lexington High School. The girls' team
has two members - Tish Brown and Krista Petering. Both
started last year and should show marked improvement.
Both teams will play at Camden's Magic Valley Golf
Course on Tuesday, August 17. McKenzie High School again
appreciates the assistance of Monte Cunningham and the
Carroll Lake Golf Course for allowing us to play our
home matches on their course.
Many students will request schedule changes within the
first week of school. It is our practice to create a
schedule with the anticipated load of students from our
spring registration. We do look at changes, but two
considerations will be at the forefront.
First, the
change must help the student satisfy his/her 6-year plan
and assist in meeting career goals. Second, the
projected change cannot adversely affect an existing
class by making the class size too large for maximum
instructional effectiveness. It is certainly our mission
to meet the needs of our students and to challenge them
to take four courses each semester either on campus or
at one of the vocational/technical schools.
The football team had its first scrimmage of the year at
Crockett County as they battled the home school, Haywood
County, and Lake County. Starting slowly, the Rebels
gained confidence in playing evenly or better than each
of the other participating teams. The Rebels have two
more pre-season scrimmages - at Lexington and at Jackson
Christian School. They will participate in the
Huntingdon Jamboree on Friday, August 20, in the first
quarter against Lexington. The regular season will begin
the following Friday with a road game against Obion
County at 7:30 P.M.
We are selling season passes at the high school for all
home varsity, B-team, and freshmen football games. The
price is $25.00 and is good for the regular high school
season. Also, on sale are tickets to the jamboree. These
tickets are $5.00. Proceeds from all advanced tickets
sold will remain in McKenzie. We will get an eighth
share for tickets sold at the gate. Please buy your
ticket locally to benefit our football program.
Last Monday, our homeroom teachers gave students an
application for school day insurance provided by
Scholastic Insurors. This insurance provides coverage
during the school day or for 24 hours depending on which
policy parents choose. All students participating in
athletics, band, cheerleading, or physical education
must have this coverage or provide evidence of private
coverage. Parents may call the coach, teacher, or office
for more information. With the rising cost of medical
charges, parents need to safeguard themselves with some
type of plan.
I close this week as I have in previous years with a
request that parents and the community assist us in
fulfilling our mission statement: McKenzie High School
will provide a safe, quality environment where students
can grow and develop skills to become productive members
in a changing society. This year many of our parents and
community members will be asked to participate in
developing our School Improvement Plan. If you are
asked, please accept the challenge. If you are
interested, feel free to call me ASAP so that I can
place you on our team.
I hope everyone has a great week.
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