Bobcats Making Headlines

By Sarah Johnston, MCSD Communications Dept.

Today is National Custodian Day! The Marshalltown CSD custodial team members are vital to our school community, and we want to recognize them and all of their hard work.

Dozens of dedicated custodial staff members, spread across the District’s 10 buildings, work to maintain hundreds of thousands of square feet of classrooms, hallways, restrooms, cafeterias, athletic- and activities spaces, all in service of about 5,000 Bobcat students. This includes daily efforts to keep the buildings sanitized and safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I take pride in this job, and I take pride in this building,” said Central Office and MLA custodian Jerri Hill, who added that much of the essential work done by custodians takes place behind the scenes. “I wasn’t made to leave things half done. I see a problem and I fix it.”

While Bobcat students are out enjoying their summer vacation, District custodians diligently clean every building from top to bottom. Leaving no desk unturned and no corner untouched, these amazing custodians make sure that the school buildings are ready, come August, for students to return and start their year fresh. 

Pride is felt among custodians across the entire District. Teddi Wagner is solely responsible for daytime custodial duties at Hoglan Elementary; she said “the people and the atmosphere” are her favorite parts of her work at Hoglan.

At Miller Middle School, Scott Kellogg, a custodian who has only worked for the District for a year, said that his favorite part of the job was “being a part of a team that works well together.” 

Thank you to the Bobcat custodial team for all of your hard work to make the Marshalltown Community School District a safe, clean, and welcome place for our young Bobcats to learn and grow. Happy National Custodian Day!

MHS senior Alivia Eaton has been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program as a 2022 Commendable Student.

Eaton earned the plaudit for being a student with exceptional academic promise, and she was recently presented with a Letter of Commendation by MHS and the National Merit Scholar Corporation.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for 2022. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020
Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Congratulations Alivia!

Information technology (IT) professionals are key to the success of businesses and organizations around the world, and the Marshalltown CSD celebrated our fantastic Technology Department team on Tuesday – National IT Professionals Day 2021. 

Director of Technology Amy Harmsen said the Tech team includes several specialists in the areas of technology support, network security, student and staff device coordination, and more.

“My favorite part of working here is working with these people. Our team is really awesome and you can see they care about people,” Harmsen said.

District Server Specialist Sebastian Ramirez said the most rewarding part of the work is finding ways to improve the lives of students and teachers through new technologies. Several technology support specialists said they enjoy the problem-solving inherent to their work, whether helping a teacher get the most out of an online lesson or helping students learn how to safely and effectively use their Chromebook.

Thank you to our great team of IT professionals! 

After the students of Marshalltown High School cast their votes for 2021 Homecoming Royalty this week, Homecoming King Dominick Garth and Queen Rochelle Avalos ascended the throne Thursday evening.

Lively displays of Bobcat Spirit have been seen throughout the week leading up to tonight’s Homecoming game against Fort Dodge. Thursday’s pep rally featured energetic cheer, band, and dance performances by students. The traditional Homecoming Parade down Main Street also made a triumphant return.

The Bobcats Football varsity game is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight at Leonard Cole Field. Tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 18, students will attend the Homecoming Dance. The dance begins at 8 p.m., with Homecoming pictures set to start at 7:30 p.m. See the Homecoming Schedule for more info.

Congratulations to Homecoming King Dominick Garth and Queen Rochelle Avalos, as well as Homecoming Royalty candidates Gannon Williams, Marco Herrera, Aaron Seberger, Austin Close, Emmanuel Gonzalez, Ziek Slocum, Kendall See, Jennifer Mendoza, Phoebe Hermanson, Rachel Smith, Bianca Andrade, and Lisbeth Avina!

Happy Homecoming, Bobcats! See more photos from Thursday’s Homecoming festivities below!

Homecoming celebrations kick off next week at Marshalltown High School, including the selection of the 2021 MHS Homecoming King and Queen. We are excited to present this year’s Homecoming Court:

The 2021 Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned on Thursday, Sept. 16 at Leonard Cole Field, immediately following the Bobcat pep rally at 7 p.m. Congratulations to all of this year’s great nominees!

For more info on next week’s MHS Homecoming festivities, click here.

The 2021-22 school year is well underway, and great organizations have donated thousands of school supplies as Bobcat students settle back into their classes. 

The House of Compassion partnered with the Fraternal Order of Police for this year’s Stuff the Bus effort, which provided hundreds of backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and more to the Marshalltown CSD. The supplies were stuffed into backpacks, and are available at all elementary schools, Lenihan Intermediate School, Miller Middle School, and Marshalltown High School. 

Another generous school supply donation was provided by O’Brien Family McDonald’s, which includes the Marshalltown McDonald’s location. The O’Brien Family donation included hundreds of backpacks, each stuffed with supplies like pencil bags, crayons, a notebook, and more.

Incredible efforts like Stuff the Bus and the donation by O’Brien Family McDonald’s help ensure that every Bobcat student has what they need to have a successful school year. We are deeply grateful for these school supply donations!

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

Some of the students celebrated Wednesday picked up their very first academic letter award. Students who had previously earned an academic letter were recognized with academic bars, signifying their repeated, consistent academic success.

“This evening is about striving for academic excellence. It is about being college and career ready,” said MHS Principal Jacque Wyant, adding many of the students are also involved in extracurricular activities, volunteering in the community, and dual-credit college classes. “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. Combined with workplace experiences, they are definitely Bobcat Ready.”

Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte said the letter-earners celebrated Wednesday evening serve as great role models within the Marshalltown Community. He encouraged senior students to continue pushing hard to prepare for post-secondary life; he also encouraged sophomores and juniors to take advantage of opportunities to expand their education within the school and community.

“Congratulations students, we look forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish this year,” Dr. Schutte said.

Both Wyant and Dr. Schutte gave special thanks to the students’ families, friends, and community members who have supported their growth and success.

Bobcat students returned to classes Tuesday morning, greeted by teachers and other school staff excited to reunite with their pupils after summer break.

The 2021-22 school year is off to a great start, with students attending classes in-person at all school buildings and virtually through the new Marshalltown Virtual Academy (MVA).

Regardless of learning mode, the students enjoyed fun, educational activities to help them settle in for the upcoming school year and get to know their fellow classmates.

As with the 2020-21 school year, ensuring a safe, enriching learning environment is the top priority of the Marshalltown CSD. 

Several important safety guidelines remain in place as the coronavirus pandemic continues, including highly recommended (not required) face coverings, social distancing where and when possible, frequent hand washing, easy-access hand sanitizer stations, enhanced cleaning throughout District facilities, school schedules which minimize student and staff crossover, and much more.

Check out the slideshow below featuring photos from the first day of the 2021-22 school year! We are excited to welcome all Bobcat students back to school!

Dozens of teachers were welcomed to the Marshalltown CSD during the annual teacher orientation kick-off Wednesday morning.

The kick-off included introductions with District leaders, a presentation on the great schools within the District, and community-building activities. Each of the incoming teachers also shared what they are most excited about for the upcoming school year.

The group featured several Bobcat alumni, many of whom said they are especially excited to return to their community to serve students.

Orientation activities will continue this week. The teachers will meet their colleagues, explore the great opportunities Marshalltown has to offer, familiarize themselves with their school buildings, and prepare their classrooms for the first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

We are so excited to welcome this new group of high-quality educators to Marshalltown Schools!

The Marshalltown High School Activities Department  is proud to introduce Bob Gilbertson as the new boys head coach for the Bobcat Track and Field program.

Gilbertson takes the baton from Doug Bacon, who recently retired from the school district after 26 years of service in teaching and coaching. He brings many years of coaching experience, knowledge of event logistics, and technology expertise that make him a perfect fit for the position. 

“We’re extremely excited about Coach Gilbertson taking over the helm of this successful Bobcat program. We are confident that he will keep the momentum going,” said MHS Activities Director Ryan Isgrig. “Last year, we had a lot of students participating in track and field, with several athletes competing at the state meet.”

Gilbertson has been employed by the Marshalltown Community School District for 25 years as an educator and coach. He is a technology specialist at Miller Middle School.

“I am not a stranger to the coaching staff and athletes,” Gilbertson said. “I have a long history of coaching track and field in Marshalltown as a middle school coach and an assistant girls coach. I know what it means to be a Bobcat athlete, and I know Bobcat track and field, both past and present.”

The track and field arena has always been Gilbertson’s passion.

“It is a sport where each effort is measured in time, height or distance,” he said. “Each athlete competes against the other participants, but, more importantly, they are competing against themselves. I love helping athletes find out just what they can accomplish when they combine their talent with hard work and preparation.”

Gilbertson earned his B.A. from Wartburg College in 1995 and his M.A. from Viterbo University in 2010. He and his wife, Christine, reside in Marshalltown with their two boys, Charlie and Kyan, and their daughter, Faye.