Bobcats Making Headlines

Marshalltown High School sophomores visited the new police and fire building as part of careers tours held by the students the week of October 14 to 18.

Marshalltown High School sophomores participated in the annual career tours the week of October 14 to 18 throughout the community.

Students were surveyed and narrowed down into different career fields of interest and visited businesses that have careers that match their interests.

“We are thankful for the partnership between the local businesses and the school for allowing these experiences for our students,” said MHS counselor Rebecca Whalen who works with the Class of 2022.

Whalen said it was important for the students to make face-to-face connections with people working in a variety of jobs in the area.

“At each tour it was beneficial for students to hear the range of requirements for different positions,” she said. “Our hope with these experiences is that students make the connection to what they are doing now and what they want to do in the future by making intentional choices in picking the high school or dual credit courses that fit their interests.”

These tours also align with the Bobcat Ready effort in the school that encourages college and career readiness.

“We are encouraging students to work towards being Bobcat Ready by meeting career and college readiness indicators so they are prepared for whichever route they pursue after high school,” Whalen said.

The tours were organized by the Student Partnership Committee of the Marshalltown Business Education Alliance and MHS staff.

MHS sophomore Nolan Bartlett goes on the air with KIX 101.1 radio personality Doris Day.

Marshalltown High School seniors Caleb Jones, left, and Aida Almanza have been named student leaders for the Class of 2020 through AmeriCorps and will help their peers with college and career readiness.

Two Marshalltown High School seniors have been selected as student leaders to help their peers with college and career readiness this school year through the AmeriCorps program.

Aida Almanza and Caleb Jones have been selected as leaders and will work a total of 300 hours as part of the program, which pays them a stipend and scholarship funds for college through AmeriCorps.

The students will help senior classmates with college and financial aid applications, family nights and other duties to help the senior class staff at MHS.

“This is a great opportunity for them to get some experience in leadership,” said Connie Gardalen, Gear Up coordinator. “They will help with college and career readiness in any way we need them as peer leaders.”

Almanza wants to one day become a surgeon and plans to attend Iowa State University and major in kinesiology.

“I want to help everyone achieve their goals just like I want to achieve mine,” Almanza said.

Jones has a goal to work in law enforcement and plans to major in criminal justice. He is undecided on a college as of yet.

“I enjoy being a leader and I enjoy helping others,” Jones said.

Miller Middle School seventh grader Emma Bradbury talks to John Christen of Marshalltown Company about the building construction module at the Modular Technology lab open house held on October 16 at Miller.

Local representatives from business sponsors and members of the public toured the new Modular Technology lab at Miller Middle School during an open house held on October 16.

Modular Technology is a career based simulation class that allows students the opportunity to explore different avenues in many different career fields.  Local businesses and companies sponsored each of the modules in the class in the new lab.

View more photos from the open house at the MCSD Facebook page.

Read more about the mod tech lab here.

Miller seventh grader Adam Boone works on the flight simulator in the flight transportation module as Stephen Valbracht of Marshalltown Aviation looks on.

Miller Middle School seventh graders Matthew Scharpenter, left, and Paloma Castro work in the graphic design module in the school’s Modular Technology lab recently.

A new school year brought a new lab and class to Miller Middle School which has students learning about careers in a hands-on way. The new Modular Technology (Mod Tech) Lab is up and running at the school.

Modular Technology is a career based simulation class that allows students the opportunity to explore different avenues in many different career fields.

“We have 17 different modular stations, most of which are sponsored by local businesses,” said teacher Siera Schwartz. “Having the local Marshalltown business community involved allows for the students to see what they may be interested in and where they are able to find jobs in that particular career field.”

Every seventh grade student will have the freedom to explore at least three to four different career clusters as they spend a quarter in Modular Technology. Each module gives the students 10 days of learning and understanding what each career may entail.

“It allows them to see a small glimpse into the education that goes into each career as well,” Schwartz said. “With experience in many different careers at the middle school level, we are hoping to help the students become more interested in each career cluster as they learn and grow.”

The lab will be open to the public for a special open house from 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16.

The 17 modules are:
Building and Construction
Career and Community
Computer Animation
Culinary Arts
Digital Audio Production
Digital Photography
Engineering structures
Finance
Flight Transportation
Graphic Design
Home Maintenance
Horticulture
Hospitality and Tourism
Nutrition and Wellness
Precision Measure
Veterinary Sciences
Web Page Design

Business sponsors for the project include:
Marshalltown Company, Mechdyne, JBS, Trending Media (KFJB/KIX101.1), Stalzer Photography, Clapsaddle-Garber Associates, Structural Engineers, P.C., Great Western Bank, Marshalltown Aviation, LRI Graphics, Alliant Energy, Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, UnityPoint Health Foundation, Emerson and Dr. Dennis and Heidi Drager.

Student Diego Ramirez works in the building and construction module.

Franklin Elementary School students Leo Perez, left, and Aaron Lopez walk down the new sensory path hallway at Franklin Elementary School. Watching is path creator Gina Eberline.

Franklin Elementary School has created a sensory path in a hallway at the school.

It is the idea of paraeducator Gina Eberline, who saw it on social media and noticed these are a growing trend in schools. It is part of a program to help all students at the school self-regulate their emotions and behaviors.

Eberline developed the plan and created the path, which has students follow several different stations.

See a video of this new hallway path below.