Bobcats Making Headlines

Miller Middle School Extended Learning Program (XLP) teacher Ann Jackson was one of 84 teachers nationwide recently selected to join the Society for Science Advocate Program.

“I wanted to increase my skills and be a better advocate for all students, and especially those who are underrepresented,” Jackson said, adding that she was selected to support underrepresented students who are interested in Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering (STEM) subjects.

Jackson is participating in special professional development opportunities as part of the Advocate Program. She joined fellow middle school science teachers in Washington, D.C. this summer for training, and continues to meet with a cohort of teachers virtually each month.

The Advocate Program will provide additional resources and support for Jackson as she works to grow students’ engagement in STEM-related learning and activities.

Among Jackson’s goals for the coming years is getting more students interested in Science and Technology Fair competitions. She said she looks forward to supporting Miller students’ STEM success.

The Marshalltown School Board approved an increase in substitute teacher pay at the Monday, Sept. 6 board meeting. 

As a result, the daily pay for substitutes will increase from $130 to $140. Additionally, substitute teachers will be able to earn an even higher pay rate – $160 per day – for substituting for 50 or more days in any one school year. 

Substitute teachers have the opportunity to develop healthy, positive, and educational relationships with Bobcat students. They can build their skills in important areas like instruction, public speaking, teamwork, community engagement, and more.

In addition to the increased in substitute pay, the Marshalltown CSD offers these exciting employment incentives:

• A $2,500 relocation incentive for newly-hired teachers who choose to move to the District.
• A  sign-on bonus of up to $5,000 for newly-hired K-12 special education teachers.
• For certified teachers, our 10-year cap on pay for years of experience has been temporarily lifted, meaning you will receive credit on the salary schedule for each year of experience.

No matter what kind of school career you’re interested in, MCSD has excellent opportunities for you to do what you love while making a difference for children in the Marshalltown community. Search and apply for a position at https://iowa.schoolspring.com/ (enter Marshalltown’s zip code, 50158,  into the “City, State, or Zip” search bar at the top left of the page).

Marshalltown High School students who maintained a 3.5 or higher GPA last school year were celebrated at the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center Auditorium on Wednesday. 

Some of the students were recognized with an academic letter for the very first time, while previous letter-earners were recognized with academic bars to signify their consistent success in the classroom.

“This evening is about striving for academic excellence,” said MHS Principal Jacque Wyant. “These students demonstrate their readiness for college in their academic rigor and achievement. They demonstrate their career readiness in their volunteerism, positive attendance, extracurricular involvement, Seal of Biliteracy, and dual credit … they are definitely Bobcat Ready.”

Wyant added that many of the students are also involved in extracurricular activities, volunteering in the community, and taking dual-credit college classes. She added that the Class of 2023 may well break the record number of dual-graduates set by the Class of 2022.

Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte also commended the academic letter-earners on Wednesday evening. He urged Class of 2023 seniors to maintain focus on preparing for post-secondary life, and encouraged sophomores and juniors to take advantage of opportunities to expand upon their education within the school and community.

“You have already proven you’re on a great path” Dr. Schutte said. “I’m super excited for what the future holds for you.”

More photos from Wednesday’s celebration can be found below, along with a list of students who earned an academic letter during the 2021-22 school year (for academic bars, * indicates one bar earned, and ** indicates a second bar earned): 

All Marshalltown High School and Miller Middle School students will continue to receive free meals this school year as part of the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, effective Thursday, Aug. 25.

MHS and Miller join the Marshalltown CSD’s remaining eight school buildings in the CEP program. That means all Bobcat students in grades K-12 will continue to receive free, nutritious meals this school year.

Because Miller and MHS student accounts will not be charged for eating school breakfast or lunch, their families are set to see significant savings. 

Estimated savings for the family of an MHS or Miller student who eats school lunch every day will total $500 this school year. For a student who eats both breakfast and lunch each school day, savings will be more than $850.

MCSD Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte said Thursday’s news is bittersweet. 

“On the one hand, we now have enough families who qualify for free and reduced meals that it warrants all families receiving free school meals from the federal government. On the other hand, with the challenges all of our families face with the country’s current economic condition and inflation, there couldn’t be a better time for this potential financial burden to be lifted,” he said. “It is comforting to know that all of our students are guaranteed two meals a day during the time school is in session.”

For those parents who would have preferred to pay for their children’s school meals, Dr. Schutte suggested they consider donating to their child’s school parent organization, booster club or another worthy cause within the Marshalltown community.

MCSD Food Service Director Lynn Large said MHS and Miller student lunch accounts charged prior to Thursday’s announcement (Wednesday, Aug. 24 and Tuesday, Aug. 23) will be refunded. That refund will go back into the student’s lunch account – to request a cash refund, please email jguevara@marshalltown.k12.ia.us or call 641-754-1185.

For many years, RACOM has been a vital partner in the Marshalltown CSD’s Bobcat Ready efforts, and the company was recognized with an MCSD Career Readiness Partner Award earlier this week!

“RACOM has been a long-standing partner in providing human capital and volunteer service, as well as financial support, for many of the different STEM and CTE initiatives that we have going on in the District,” said Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte.

Recent examples of RACOM’s incredible partnership include sponsoring the exciting new Marshalltown High School E-Sports program, as well as hosting dozens of educators during this summer’s Teacher Externship Academy. The company has supported many other projects and programs, including ST Math and Miller Middle School’s Modular Technology Lab.

RACOM Human Resources Manager Carrie Loney accepted the Career Readiness Partner Award on the company’s behalf during the Monday, Aug. 1 Marshalltown School Board meeting.

Thank you to RACOM for being an excellent partner in ensuring students are Bobcat Ready!

The Marshalltown High School Activities Department is proud to announce another record-breaking year for the Bobcat Golf Fundraiser. The $34,000 raised to support Bobcat Activities this year topped the 2021 record of $25,000, as well as the $13,000 raised in 2019.

More than 280 golfers participated in the 2022 Bobcat Golf Fundraiser, held annually at the American Legion Golf Course. During the morning session, the team of Lance Cowell, Dave Mattox, Larry Jackson, and Harry Hillier took top honors, scoring -20 par.

The afternoon session winners included a tie between Nathan Minkel, Cole Jansen, Brett Holland, Peter Collison and the team of Justin Humke, Andy George, Nicole George and Marty Smith. They tallied scores of -18 par. 

Other accolades included Harry Hillier (Longest Drive), Trevor Schiebel (Closest to the Pin), and Dakota Gibson (Longest Putt). 

MHS Activities Director Ryan Isgrig expressed his appreciation for the great turnout.

“The community and alumni support for this event has been fantastic and we are already looking forward to next year. We had a full house of golfers and it was a great summer day,” he said. “I am extremely thankful to the American Legion and its employees, our Bobcat sponsors and donors, golfers, and the MHS staff and volunteers who made this fundraiser possible.” 

Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte thanked the community members, Bobcat alumni, and all those who made the event possible.

“It was wonderful to see such an outpouring of support for Marshalltown Athletics relative to nearly filling out the entire golf course in the morning and afternoon sessions with participants,” Dr. Schutte said. “Congratulations to Activities Director Ryan Isgrig and his team for rebuilding this annual fundraising event and seeking to continually improve it each year.”

For more photos from this year’s Bobcat Golf Fundraiser, go to the Anne Vance Photography webpage (password to view gallery is: gocats).

A group of Miller Middle School students learned about business and budgeting, along with other other lifelong skills, at this year’s Junior Achievement of Central Iowa JA BizTown Summer Camp in Des Moines.

The four-day camp provided students with the opportunity to learn about how various businesses operate through in-class and simulated experiences. During in-class sessions, students learned how to earn and spend money within a budget, practiced job-hunting skills, and pitched ideas in “Shark Tank” fashion. 

During the JA BizTown simulation, students took on the adult role of making financial decisions in a simulated community as the various businesses interacted with each other for the benefit of the community. The 2022 JA Summer Camp emphasized the power of partnership and allowed students to develop and practice lifelong business and financial skills.  

Junior Achievement is one of the Marshalltown Community School District’s initiatives, and its mission is to empower Central Iowa youth with an entrepreneurial mindset, financial capability and foundation for career success so students can create a bright and fulfilling future.

Another exciting piece of public art has found a home in Marshalltown!

Help us celebrate the arrival of “Scherzo” with a Reveal Celebration on Thursday, June 30 from 5-7 p.m. at the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center (east side of Marshalltown High School, 1602 S. 2nd Ave.)

The evening will kick off with a Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, followed by live performances by MHS students and the Marshalltown Municipal Band. Bring your lawn chairs!

“Scherzo” creator Stephen T. Johnson said the piece features colorful abstract forms based on musical notations such as the bass clef, the forte f and musical notes, plus three kinetic mouth-shaped forms at the top that celebrate the rhythms, sounds and ideas generated within this outstanding performing arts venue.

Come celebrate this excellent work of public art with us on Thursday, June 30! For more information and background on “Scherzo,” click here.

The Marshalltown Community School District was among the Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Pilot Program grant awardees announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday.

The grant program will provide opportunities for current high school students and adults to earn a paraeducator certificate and associate’s degree, and for paraeducators to earn their bachelor’s degree, all while learning and working in the classroom. The program will begin this fall during the 2022-2023 school year. To learn more about the pilot program, visit here.

As one of 19 applicant school districts/consortiums included in the program, MCSD was awarded a grant in the amount of $1,236,870 in partnership with the Grinnell, BCLUW, Eldora-New Providence, West Marshall, East Marshall, Iowa Falls, Montezuma, and GMG school districts. Additionally, MCSD was among the 30 partnering Rural School Advocates of Iowa (RSAI) included in a $6,376,113 grant award via the Cherokee CSD.

In total, the Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Pilot Program is awarding $45.6 million to 134 school districts statewide; the funding is made available through the American Rescue Plan Act. 

“Growing our teacher and paraeducator talent pipeline helps ensure Iowa students have access to a world-class education today and into the future,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo in Thursday’s announcement. “I commend these school districts and postsecondary partners for their innovative plans to start registered apprenticeships that will inspire and support the next generation of educators in Iowa communities.”

We look forward to further strengthening key career pathways through the Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Pilot Program!

Three exemplary Marshalltown CSD staff members were named Employees of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of the 2021-22 school year.

Miller Middle School long-term substitute teacher Patty Herrera, Anson Elementary School nurse Brenda Villa, and District Transportation bus monitor Sandy Wallen were nominated by peers for going above and beyond in their respective roles.

“If you know Patty, you know she radiates positivity and energy. She makes Miller a better place,” said Miller teacher Morgan Hurst, who nominated Patty Herrera. “She goes above and beyond her technical role of a substitute. She has taken on the responsibility of her students and her classroom.”

Anson paraeducator Michelle Lawthers said she nominated Brenda Villa for her reliability and positive attitude when interacting with students and fellow staff members.

“Brenda is such a blessing at Anson. Her gentle ways make students, staff, and parents feel more at ease when there might be something wrong,” Lawthers said.

Sandy Wallen is beloved by the Bobcat preschoolers who ride her bus each school day. Transportation Director Rex Kozak said Wallen enjoys interacting with her students while ensuring they have a safe, happy ride to and from school each day.

“Sandy is very dependable, and every day she brings a positive attitude and a desire to make a difference for each student while they are on the bus,” Kozak said.

Congrats to these three incredible Employees of the Quarter!