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Lenihan Intermediate School Principal Kyle Young asks questions to students Isabel Caracoza, right, and Aileen Angel. Students at Lenihan presented research projects on South American countries on Dec. 18.

Students at Lenihan Intermediate School were able to learn about South American countries and sharpen their public speaking skills during a special project held this month at the school.

The project was held in the classes taught by Tonya Gaffney and Lisa Niehouse.

As part of the project, students researched about a particular South American country, wrote up a book on their research and put together posters. The project spanned two months.

On Dec. 18, students presented their project to guests from the community and school staff.

“This is the first big research project most of the students have undertaken and they put a lot of effort into these projects,” Gaffney said.

Hoglan Elementary School collected 198 items of supplies to donate to the Animal Rescue League as part of this year’s Holiday Caring Project. Pictured getting ready to deliver the supplies on Dec. 18 are Hoglan students, from left, Brayden Mahoney, Natalie Whitmore, Lily Marquess, Sar Paw and Riley Thede.

Hoglan Elementary School collected 198 items of supplies to donate to the Animal Rescue League as part of this year’s Holiday Caring Project.

Over the course of two weeks, students and staff collected the supplies such as food, litter, and other items to help the ARL. A group of five students helped deliver the supplies to the ARL on Dec. 18.

ARL Director Shelly Deal visited Hoglan earlier this month to talk about the work of the agency.

Pictured are the students who took the top three places at the Marshalltown High School Poetry Out Loud contest on Dec. 18. First place was Michelle Ankrum (center), second place was Luke Pedersen (right) and third place was Hadley Wagner (left). 

Marshalltown High School held its annual Poetry Out Loud contest at the MHS/Community Auditorium on Dec. 18.

Taking first place and qualifying for the state Poetry Out Loud contest was junior Michelle Ankrum. Sophomore Luke Pedersen placed second in the contest while sophomore Hadley Wagner placed third.

In the contest, students recite two poems that test them on memorization and recitation. Ankrum recited “I Remember, I Remember” by Thomas Hood and “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Albert Guest.

Students are judged on the following criteria: physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of complexity of the poem they read, evidence of understanding, accuracy and overall performance.

The state contest will be Feb. 28 in Des Moines.

Miller Middle students hand music CDs to a veteran at the Iowa Veterans Home on Dec. 16. They also provided the veteran with a CD player as a gift. Pictured handing one of the presents to the veteran is student Avery Case. 

When one of their teachers gave a presentation last month encouraging students to thank veterans, a group of Miller Middle School students took the message to heart.

On Dec. 16, that group was able to do just that as they delivered several gifts to a veteran at the Iowa Veterans Home. The students, who are part of the Extended Learning Program led by Ann Jackson at Miller, delivered 5 brand new music CDs and a CD player as gifts to a surprised veteran at IVH.

“The students were very excited about this,” Jackson said.

They were inspired to deliver the gifts from a talk they received from Miller social studies teacher and veteran Brett Comegys.

“He likes to see fellow veterans get helped,” said Miller student Cheyenne Mull who led this effort. “He was the main inspiration.”

The Miller Middle School group which delivered gifts to a veteran on Dec. 16 at the Iowa Veterans Home include: Front row, from left, Dakota Curley and Maggie Stansberry. Second row, Ethan Benscoter, Avery Case, Mary Kate Gruening and Nic Price. Back row, teacher Ann Jackson, Andy Zheng, Jillian Lang, Cheyenne Mull and Victor Zavala Livengood.

Marshalltown High School senior Beau Ragland has been selected as a delegate for the United States Senate Youth Program. He will visit Washington, D.C. in March as part of the program.

Marshalltown High School senior Beau Ragland is one of only two current Iowa high school students to be selected to be a delegate for the United States Senate Youth Program.

Ragland will attend the program March 5-12, 2016 in Washington, D.C. and the trip is paid for by The Hearst Foundations. Ragland and other student delegates will meet with senators, policy makers and other leaders during their visit to the nation’s capital.

Ragland said he was very excited to be notified of this honor and has had an interest in learning more about government.

“I thought there was a very slim chance I’d be selected, so I was excited when I heard,” Ragland said.

To be eligible for the program, Ragland took a test on government and completed an application and an essay. As part of this delegate selection, Ragland will also receive a $5,000 college scholarship.

For more information on the program visit www.ussenateyouth.org.

The Marshalltown High School Roundhouse will be the site of a family-friendly movie event on Sunday, Dec. 20.

The animated holiday favorite “The Polar Express” will be shown at 4 p.m., sponsored by the MHS National Honor Society.

Suggested donation is $2 for preschool through fourth grade students and $3 for fifth grade through adults. Guests are asked to bring blankets, pillows and comfortable clothes. Baked goods, hot chocolate and 0ther concessions will be for sale.

The event raises money for the National Honor Society, said NHS sponsor Meri Edel, a counselor at the high school. She also sees this event as a way for the National Honor Society students to get involved in the community.

“My goal as NHS sponsor has always been to work with students to develop a heart for service and a volunteer spirit,” Edel said. “I would like to think that in their adult lives they will go on to serve the communities in which they live and work.”

The Marshalltown High School Treble Choir performs during the annual Holiday Concert at the MHS/Community Auditorium on Dec. 13.

Musical talent was evident throughout the nearly two hour show as Marshalltown High School hosted the annual Holiday Concert on Dec. 13.
The concert featured the Treble Choir, Concert Choir and MHS Holiday Singers under the direction of Amy Ose. Annie Grieshop served as accompanist for the Treble and Concert Choirs.

On the instrumental side, the Symphonic Band under the direction of Brett Umthun and the Wind Symphony under the direction of Bret Lee and student teacher Jennifer Keys performed.

Several holiday favorites were part of the musical lineup in the show titled “Sounds of the Season.” The event, held in the MHS/Community Auditorium, featured hundreds of students performing.

More than 200 people, including 60 families, attended the Families for Woodbury Elementary School annual craft night at the school on Dec. 10.

Students made ornaments and decorations and frosted and ate cookies while drinking hot chocolate together. It’s an annual holiday tradition at the school and always brings out smiles among the students and adults in attendance.

Emerson/Fisher professional Ed Peng talks to students at Lenihan Intermediate School on Dec. 8. Peng talked about his career and his life in China during a four-year assignment there.

Extended Learning students at Lenihan Intermediate School spent an hour after school on Dec. 8 learning about the career and life of local business professional Ed Peng.

Peng, who works in marketing and business development with Emerson/Fisher, was the guest speaker to the group. He is the first of several local professionals who will visit the group each month this school year as they learn more about different careers during what is called Career Chat.

Peng and his family returned this past year from his four-year assignment working for the company in China.

He stressed to the students that in order to be a success they have to put an emphasis on hard work and to keep learning and improving. Peng has a background in engineering with degrees from North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina.

He suggested students find a field that interests them and pursue it with vigor.
“You need to do what you like, but you also need to work hard,” Peng said.

These Career Chats are organized by Lenihan Extended Learning Program Teacher Vanessa Engel.

Fisher Elementary School students Damarys Ruano, left, and Laney Danielson take part in the Hour of Code recently at the school.

Elementary students all across the Marshalltown Community School District became computer programmers for an hour this week as part of the Hour of Code initiative. The Hour of Code is a worldwide effort to get more young people involved in learning about programming.

In many cases this week in Marshalltown Schools it was students teaching fellow students on how to work the programs.

“So many kids were so excited to help each other out,” said Fisher Elementary School teacher librarian Alicia Patten.

The Extended Learning Program teachers led this project throughout the district.

“It is very engaging for the students,” said ELP teacher Deb Christenson during a demonstration at Franklin Elementary School.

At Hoglan Elementary School, a group of parents watched students take part in the Hour of Code after school on Dec. 10.

“We wanted to have parent involvement and let the students show what they were learning,” said ELP teacher Nicole Holman.

Those who want to learn more about the Hour of Code can view the Hour of Code website at www.code.org.

Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Hour of Code student leaders, from left, Ryan Schmit, Stephanie Lizarde, Ava Lucas and Adrian Juarez.

Hoglan Elementary School

Hoglan Elementary School