Elementary Battle of the Books held at Public Library

Posted on April 24, 2013 by marshalltownschools
Olivia Adams Zmolek, Nayeli Becerra Hernandez, Denice Vega, Lilianna Victor, Abbey Welden, Teacher Librarian Sue Cahill.

Battle of the Books Champions: Olivia Adams Zmolek, Nayeli Becerra Hernandez, Denice Vega, Lilianna Victor, Abbey Welden, Teacher Librarian Sue Cahill.

Woodbury Elementary came out on top of the annual Elementary Battle of the Books held Tuesday, April 23, at Marshalltown Public Library.

More than 100 students participated in the battle, with students squaring off in three rounds. In the end, only a few points separated the teams.

Students participate in improv comedy between Battle of the Books rounds.

Students participate in improv comedy between Battle of the Books rounds.

Tom LaVille and Brenda Morris conducted improvisational comedy between rounds. Improv teaches students to think quickly and creatively by creating new situations and responding to suggestions from the crowd and their teammates.

Teams were coached by the teacher librarians in each building: Beth Steffa, Anson; Alicia Patten, Fisher; John Fritz, Franklin; Jeni Sloan, Hoglan; Ellen Youds, Rogers; Sue Cahill, Woodbury.

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Public invited to MHS Promenade April 27

Posted on April 21, 2013 by marshalltownschools

Family and friends are invited to the Marshalltown High School Promenade Saturday, April 27, 8-9:15pm in the Babe Harder Gym at Marshalltown Community College.

Prom attendees should park in the west end of the parking lot by Dejardin Hall and proceed down the hallways to the gym for Promenade. Attendees will be announced and then walk back to Dejardin Hall for the Dance.

Family and friends should park in the east most section of the parking lot and enter through the southeast door of the gym.

NEW THIS YEAR: KDAO-TV will stream the live video of Promenade on the Internet on Saturday night at http://www.kdao.com and provide the video of the Promenade On-Demand from their web site after the event.

Promenade will also be recorded by KDAO-TV and will air on Saturday, May 4, at 10pm and 7pm and Sunday, May 5, at 7pm on Mediacom Cable Channel 12, UHF Channel 45 and Heart of Iowa Co-op Channel 6.

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Readers all around the Roundhouse: Event draws hundreds of kids to MHS

Posted on April 19, 2013 by marshalltownschools

Throughout its long history, the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse has hosted its share of events that have gone down in the history books.

Thursday’s event was one for the books as well.

Read the full story in today’s Marshalltown Times-Republican.

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Bobcat Baseball team continues reading program at Hoglan

Posted on April 18, 2013 by marshalltownschools
Bobcat baseball player Matt Battles reads with a student in Mrs. Friday’s class at Hoglan Elementary.
Bobcat baseball player Hunter Hillygus reads with a student in Mrs. Friday’s class at Hoglan Elementary.

“Baseball Players Read Books,” the popular program pairing Bobcat Baseball players with Hoglan Elementary classrooms, will wrap up its second year at the end of this month.

Every Thursday members of the baseball team spend time reading one-on-one or with small groups in Hoglan classrooms. The project began in 2011-2012 when then senior centerfielder Alex Thompson approached coach Steve Hanson with the idea. (Read more about the program beginnings here.)

After a successful first year, the program started up again in fall 2012 and will conclude for the school year at the end of this month, shortly before the start of baseball season.

“Our guys have a good time interacting with the youngsters at Hoglan,” Hanson said.

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MHS Band students earn 34 Division I ratings at state solo/ensemble contest

Posted on April 18, 2013 by marshalltownschools

Marshalltown High School band students earned 34 Division I ratings at the Iowa High School Music Association State Solo and Small Ensemble Contest Saturday, April 13, at Fort Dodge. 

The band students also earned 10 Division II ratings and four Division II ratings. Students were judged on tone quality, technique, style, articulation, dynamics and presentation and were given a rating of  Division I, which is a performance perfect in nearly every detail, Division II, which is a performance with some minor errors, Division III, which is a performance with more consistent errors, Division IV, which is a performance with major errors, and a Division V, which is a performance lacking preparation. Woodwind solos and ensembles were judged by Alpha Mendelsohn, Brass solos and ensembles were judged by Steve Lawson and Percussion solos and ensembles were judged by Peter Jacobus, all three are Iowa band directors.

Earning perfect scores were Sam Johnson for his percussion solo and Mikayla Wymore for her trumpet solo. Wymore earned the outstanding performer award in her performance center and the sax quartet of Aaron Schwandt, Nicole Lacina, Matt Hannam and Analisa Iole earned the outstanding performer award for their performance center.

The MHS band department will hold their Spring Concert on Sunday, April 28, at 3pm in the MHS/Community Auditorium. Featured will be the symphonic band under the direction of Brett Umthun and the Wind Symphony under the direction of Bret Lee. There is an admission charge and activity passes will be honored.

Ensemble Scores

Solo Scores

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Marshalltown students earn awards at regional National History Day, advance to state

Posted on April 18, 2013 by marshalltownschools
Front (L to R): David Wahl, Aidan Burnside, Olivia Stone, Sam Estrada, Brianna Dean, Phoebe Osgood. Back: Chandler Fisher, Emily Miller, Eve Nettesheim, Carissa King, Jacqueline Wahl, Emily Barske, Therese Kuhlman. Not pictured: Jacob Sears and Darrian Aguilar.

Front (L to R): David Wahl, Aidan Burnside, Olivia Stone, Sam Estrada, Brianna Dean, Phoebe Osgood. Back: Chandler Fisher, Emily Miller, Eve Nettesheim, Carissa King, Jacqueline Wahl, Emily Barske, Therese Kuhlman. Not pictured: Jacob Sears and Darrian Aguilar.

Fifteen Marshalltown students participated in the regional National History Day competition April 6 at Grand View University in Des Moines. Four students came home with Awards of Distinction and two projects qualified for the state contest.

Individuals and groups of students selected topics that relate to this year’s national theme:  Turning Points in History—People, Ideas, Event.  Although topics may cover any aspect of local, regional, national, or world history, the project must relate clearly to the annual theme. After conducting extensive research and analysis of their topics, students created projects to showcase their work.

Students were judged on the historical quality of their project, the extent to which the topic relates to the theme, and on the clarity of their presentation and interview with the judges.

Marshalltown’s participants were:

  • Emily Miller, Eve Nettesheim, Carissa King – Lenihan, Group Exhibit: “Technology and the 1st Computer”
  • Phoebe Osgood, Brianna Dean, Sam Estrada – Lenihan, Group Performance: “Polio”
  • Aidan Burnside, Olivia Stone, David Wahl – Lenihan, Group Exhibit: “The Great Depression”
  • Jacqueline Wahl – Miller, Individual Exhibit: “Nancy Drew: A Turning Point in Girls’ Literature and Lives”
  • Chandler Fisher – MHS, Individual Performance:  “Watergate: The Investigative Impulse That Toppled The President”
  • Emily Barske, Therese Kuhlman – MHS, Group Website: “Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin: A Literary Turning Point”
  • Jacob Sears, Darrian Aguilar – MHS, Group Website: “The Tet Offensive: Turning the Course of the Vietnam War”

Several students received Awards of Distinction in recognition of outstanding working in a particular aspect of their project.  These include:

  • Emily Barske and Therese Kuhlman – Superior Knowledge of Topic
  • Chandler Fisher  – Outstanding Use of Props and Resources
  • Jacqueline Wahl – Outstanding Presentation

Two projects qualified for the state competition, which will be held at the State Historical Society of Iowa on May 6:

  • “Technology and the 1st Computer” by Carissa King, Emily Miller, and Eve Nettesheim
  • “Nancy Drew: A Turning Point in Girls’ Literature and Lives” by Jacqueline Wahl
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Student musicians rehearse, perform with Dallas Brass

Posted on April 17, 2013 by marshalltownschools

Nearly 90 band students from Marshalltown Schools took the stage with the Dallas Brass Saturday, April 13, during their performance in the MHS/Community Auditorium.

Many of the students had spent the morning at small group/ensemble contest, but hurried back to Marshalltown to perform with the world-renowned brass ensemble.

“We’ve had some incredible clinics in the past with guest artists with the Community Concert Series and for the kids to interact with professionals that are performers and some of them educators is just a great opportunity for our kids to experience right here in our own school,” said Bret Lee, director of bands for MHS.

Music education and student outreach is important to the Dallas Brass and they regularly hold clinics for high school and middle school students.

“One of their driving passions is getting kids involved with performances,” said Bill Fitzgerald with Live On Stage Marshalltown, formerly the Community Concert Association.

The group performed in the MHS/Community Auditorium in 2010 during the auditorium’s 25 anniversary celebration. That show also featured Simon Estes and the Iowa State University Wind Ensemble. During that performance MHS students also joined the group on stage for a special performance.

“It was good to hear from professionals teaching us to play more musically and what to do in a more professional setting,” said MHS tenor saxophone player Dylan Hutzel.

Several middle school students also had a chance to participate. Also one student from BCLUW middle school.

“When Mr. Lee came to me and asked if we could use a few middle school students in the performance I jumped on that chance as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said middle school band director Sarah Baldus. “It’s always a good thing to have different directors in front of the students just so they are exposed to different styles of teaching.”

The students played a 10-minute medley to a near full house and received two of the evening’s seven standing ovations.

“It was a huge hit,” Fitzgerald said. “They did a fantastic job.”

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MHS team wins state Envirothon title

Posted on April 17, 2013 by marshalltownschools
State Champions (L to R): Ilene Finn, Emma Runquist, Joe Metzger, Abby Snyder, Adam Willman.

State Champions (L to R): Ilene Finn, Emma Runquist, Joe Metzger, Abby Snyder, Adam Willman.

Marshalltown High School is once again the state Envirothon champion.

MHS Team 1, comprised of juniors Abby Snyder, Adam Willman and Ilene Finn and seniors Joe Metzger and Emma Runquist placed first at the state contest Monday, April 15, at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie Center. The team placed first in Wildlife and Oral Presentation categories, placing overall ahead of Des Moines FFA by 3.75 points.

The title earns them a trip to the North American championship this summer in Bozeman, Montana.

Also doing an outstanding job was MHS’s Team 2 (juniors Madison Sogge and Wynn Tan, sophomores Chandler Fisher and Rachel Heatwole, freshman Hannah Lindgren) who placed first on the soils and aquatics tests. This team had a cumulative score that placed them 8th overall.

Sixteen teams competed at the state competition, and about 60 teams competed at statewide regional competitions. The contest consisted of four outdoor stations covering forestry, wildlife, soils, and aquatics as well as a 15-minute oral presentation on this year’s current issue of range-land management.

State Participants (L to R): Rachel Heatwole, Chandler Fisher, Madison Sogge, Hannah Lindgren, Wynn Tan.

State Participants (L to R): Rachel Heatwole, Chandler Fisher, Madison Sogge, Hannah Lindgren, Wynn Tan.

This is Marshalltown High School’s seventh state victory in 14 years of competition.  Last year’s championship team (which included this year’s team members Abby Snyder, Adam Willman, and Joe Metzger) placed 16th at the Envirothon North American Championship in Selinsgrove, Penn., last summer.

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MHS hosts, competes in Iowa High School Battle of the Books

Posted on April 17, 2013 by marshalltownschools
Front: Tim Potter. Back (L to R): Jon Ortega, Nick Lanes, James Drummer, Dayanna Carrera, Matthew Dickey.

Marshalltown High School’s Battle of the Books Team: The Flamin’ Mustaches. Front: Tim Potter. Back (L to R): Jon Ortega, Nick Lanes, James Drummer, Dayanna Carrera, Matthew Dickey.

The Marshalltown High School Library hosted the Iowa High School Battle of the Books state finals Tuesday, April 16, with a team from MHS competing for the state title.

The MHS team, named the “Flamin’ Mustaches”, placed eighth out of 16 teams from across the state. The team includes Dayana Carrera, Matt Dickey, James Drummer, Nick Lanes, Jonathan Ortega and Tim Potter.

Central Team 1 from Davenport Central High School was the IHSBOB state champion. Second place went to Humboldt High School and third place went to Panorama High School.

The top four teams each received copies of books from the 2014 IHSBOB reading list. All participants received a book to take home.

IHSBOB was founded by MHS librarian Sue Inhelder and MHS Extended Learning Program teacher Susan Fritzell. Its mission is to “introduce Iowa students to award-winning literature.”

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ISU’s Program for Women in Science and Engineering visits Rogers Elementary

Posted on April 16, 2013 by marshalltownschools

Students from Iowa State University’s Program for Women in Science and Engineering (PWSE) visited Rogers Elementary April 11, leading 47 Rogers students and their families in several fun science experiments.

PWSE is dedicated to increasing the role of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The program includes K-12 outreach and opportunities for prospective and current students to connect with Iowa State.

Activities during Thursday’s Family Learning Center focused on lessons about surface tension, including making bubbles and “Catch a Rainbow”, where students used milk, food coloring and liquid soap to explore why the colors moved with the surface.

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