Miller Middle School students Chesni Uhde, left, and Ella Grife made their own clothing line known as Alaia Wardrobe as part of a personalized learning class at the school.

Miller Middle School students displayed the culmination of weeks worth of work in their personalized learning class on May 3. Students welcomed their fellow students and Miller staff during the school day to talk about their projects.

Teacher Matt Nevins said the students were able to use a portion of their class time on a project of their own desire.

Projects displayed included a clothing line, short stories, a cutting board, a vending machine made out of cardboard, websites and more.

Adrian Cervantes displays a vending machine he made from cardboard.

From left, Brady Grife, Joel Hueso and Luke Hageman display a cutting board they made.

Diana Ambriz and Jasmin Cabrera display children’s books they wrote.

Carter Hunt improved his guitar playing skills.

Miller Middle School students Taylor Jones, left, and Emma Kuhlers are national qualifiers for the National History Day contest for their documentary video on Iowa high school girls basketball.

Marshalltown Schools Extended Learning Program students had a terrific showing at the State National History Day competition held on April 30 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Our participants included students from Lenihan Intermediate School, Miller Middle School and Marshalltown High School.

Students from around the state brought projects relating to this year’s theme: “Conflict & Compromise in History.”

Miller
Miller Middle School students Taylor Jones and Emma Kuhlers presented their junior group documentary, “Iowa Girls Basketball: Changing the Game for Equality through Conflict and Compromise.”

Emma and Taylor were selected as qualifiers for the national competition that will be held June 10-14 at the University of Maryland. Click here for a link to their winning documentary.

MHS

MHS student Klaudia Hernandez, above, competed in the senior individual exhibit category with her entry, “Mendez v. Westminster: The Forgotten Conflict that Triggered Desegregation in Schools.” Klaudia was awarded the Social History Award for her entry.

MHS student Mary Kate Gruening, above, presented her exhibit “Carrie Chapman Catt: Achieving Women’s Suffrage First, Fighting for World Peace Second. ” Mary Kate earned third place in the senior individual exhibit category and was selected as an alternate for the national competition.

Lenihan

Lenihan students Layla Buschbom, left, and Desy Sung ​ presented their junior group exhibit titled, “The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall.”​​

Marshalltown’s National History Day competitors are coached by Extended Learning Program teachers Vanessa Engel (Lenihan), Ann Jackson (Miller Middle School) and Susan Fritzell (MHS).

Pictured are members of the Marshalltown High School math team who competed in the state contest. From left, are Jane Ragland, Trevor Ketcham, Jacob Eberle, Jordan Anderson and Zach Swartz.

The Marshalltown High School math team competed in the state competition of the Greater Plains Math League on April 21 in Iowa City.

The MHS team included Jane Ragland, Trevor Ketcham, Jacob Eberle, Jordan Anderson and Zach Swartz.

Swartz qualified as an individual for the upcoming regional contest in Kansas City. Ketcham achieved the fifth highest sprint round score among sophomores.

Marshalltown Schools communications director Andrew Potter, center, received the Communicator of the Year award from the Iowa School Public Relations Association on April 19 in West Des Moines. Also pictured are ISPRA board members, from left, Nicole Lawrence of Waukee, Laura Sprague of Johnston, Beth Strike of Central Rivers AEA, Tammy Votava of the Iowa Association of School Boards, Mike Cyze of Dubuque, Jamie Evans of West Des Moines and Janelle Darst of Cedar Falls.  

Andrew Potter, communications director for Marshalltown Community School District, was named the Iowa School Public Relations Association’s (ISPRA) Communicator of the Year at the Annual ISPRA Communications Contest Awards Banquet on April 19, 2018.

Andrew has successfully served as director of communications for Marshalltown Community School District for the past 3.5 years. Andrew has been successfully leading the charge to change the perception of their district through his communication and marketing efforts, highlighting the district’s strengths in videos like Proud to Be a Bobcat and Proud to be Diverse.

“The value and contributions made to the Marshalltown Community School District and the students, staff, parents and community members by Mr. Andrew Potter are too numerous to mention. The body of his work speaks for itself and our school community is very fortunate to have someone with his knowledge, skills, talent and attributes working for our district,” said Marshalltown Community School District superintendent, Dr. Theron J. Schutte.

The ISPRA Communicator of the Year Award recognizes the exemplary leadership of Iowa’s outstanding communications professionals for demonstrated commitment to the enhancement of communication and relationships between their school systems and the families of the communities they serve. The award honors those who recognize that communication is a critical component of leadership.

“I am humbled to win this award from an association that includes so many great school communications professionals. I am thankful to our Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte for nominating me for the award and I accept it on behalf of so many dedicated and hard-working employees in Marshalltown Schools that I’m fortunate enough to call my colleagues and friends,” Potter said.

This group of Marshalltown High School students captured second place out of more than 30 teams in the cyber defense competition held at the IT-Olympics at Iowa State University April 20 and 21. Pictured from left are Keaten Collinson, Aaron Walker, Joshua Arment and Marek Jablonski.

The Marshalltown High School cyber defense team placed second out of more than 30 teams at the IT-Olympics held April 20 and 21 at Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University.

Team members include Keaten Collinson, Aaron Walker, Joshua Arment and Marek Jablonski. The cyber defense competition is a way for students to get hands-on experience in securing and maintaining networked computer systems in a simulated real-world environment.

The team is coached by volunteers Adam Kithcart of General Dynamics and Mark Krukow and Josh Wesley of the Marshalltown Schools technology department.  

MHS also had a robotics team of ninth graders compete in the Hungry Bots competition, where students both programed a robot to do tasks, then had to create a robot on the spot.

The MHS Hyperstream teams are advised by MHS Extended Learning Program teacher Susan Fritzell.

The MHS Hungry Bots team included, from left, Marek Jablonski, Wesley Kodis and Isaac Lopez.

Pictured are several students featured in the Miller Middle School spring play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 in the Miller auditorium. Pictured, from left, are Garrett McKibbin, Mason Cowan, Daniel Schafer, Ellie Seberger, Lauren Wall and Mia Bradley.

Miller Middle School will present its spring play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 at the Miller auditorium.

Admission is free. The play is directed by Miller teacher Katie Sawer, with Miller teacher Shawna Hutchison serving as assistant director.

“The Lion,  the Witch and The Wardrobe” tells the story of Lucy and her siblings Peter, Susan and Edmund as they travel to Narnia. Narnia has been placed in eternal winter because of an Evil Witch. They await the King of the Land, Aslan, to save them from her clutches.

Cast

Mason Cowan, left, and Jesse DeMeyer

Lauren Wall and Sindy Guadiana

Garrett McKibbin, Jake Dunham and Liz Lang

Sian Sian, left, and Vanessa Medel Chavarria are pictured at their water facts display during Miller Middle School’s Personalized Learning display night on April 23 at the school.

Miller Middle School hosted a display night for student projects as part of their Personalized Learning classes on April 23. Students shared a wide array of projects at the event.

“Our students were enthusiastic about sharing their projects,” said Sammi Jo Luse, instructional coach at Miller. “We had a wide variety of displays: financial projects, cookbooks, home decor, carnival games, science projects, cookies for St. Jude Hospital, a robotic arm, creative hats with a history, flooding/erosion study, water filtering, roller coaster/energy study and more. Students shared with those who came with confidence and Bobcat pride.”

To view a video from the night, click here.

Miller student Brayden Sinn displays the robotic arm he created from cardboard, tubing and plastic syringes.

Karina Hernandez from Mid-Iowa Community Action, accepts a check for $3,430 from Marshalltown High School students in the Students Teaching and Empowering Philanthropy (STEP) program during a grant awards ceremony on April 18 in the MHS Roundhouse team room.

Students Teaching and Empowering Philanthropy (STEP) held a grant awards ceremony at the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse team room on April 18. STEP includes students from MHS and is led by Heidi Dalal of the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation.

STEP utilizes grant funds from the METF and the Community Foundation of Marshall County, then hands out grants to agencies after students consider their applications.

Dalal credited the hard work of the students who have been active participants in STEP.

“This year has been an incredible year,” Dalal said.

STEP students handed out $10,001 in grant funds at the event which included:

– $3,430 to Mid-Iowa Community Action for its Pre-kindergarten camps
– $3,205 to Child Abuse Prevention Services for its crisis childcare
– $1,000 the Marshalltown Youth Foundation to help with athletic fees for families
– $1,000 to Youth and Shelter Services for its Achieving Maximum Potential program
– $908 to Big Brothers Big Sisters for match enhancement
– $458 to the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA for manikins for CPR education.

Nikki Hartwig accepts a $3,205 grant on behalf of Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Dylan Does, Carrie Barr and Kevin Hitchins accept a $1,000 grant on behalf of the Marshalltown Youth Foundation.

David Hicks of Youth and Shelter Services accepts a $1,000 grant.

Janet Stegmann of Big Brothers Big Sisters accepts a $908 grant.

Kim Jass-Ramirez and Carol Hibbs of the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA accept a $458 grant.

The newest inductees into the National Honor Society were honored on April 18 at Marshalltown High School. 

Marshalltown High School inducted the newest group of students into the National Honor Society during a ceremony held at the MHS/Community Auditorium on April 18.

Students are selected for the National Honor Society by displaying character, leadership and service qualities and also achieving at least a 3.5 grade point average.

Community Foundation of Marshall County Director Dylan Does gave the keynote address, where he told the students the importance of having strong character. He also said the future was bright from what he has seen from the young leaders he met in the National Honor Society.

Inducted into the National Honor Society at the ceremony were MHS students:  Maria Aguilera, Emily Albarran, Aida Almanza, Jordan Anderson, Katherine Avalos Sanchez, Sophie Blubaugh, Olivia Brintnall, Wade Canaday, Mayah Carson, Lisbeth Cervantes Reynosa,           Leydi Chavarria, Madison Finch, Grace Fisher, Kaylee Foth, Kierra Gardner, Caroline Gassman, Jack Gruening, Dane Hansen, Joseph Harris, Amanda Hoffman, Hay Hman Htu, Itzel Hueso, Emily Jacobs, Erica Johnson, Trevor Ketcham, Jillian Lang, Casey Linsenmeyer, Lizbett Lomeli Nunez, Luke McKibben, Nasteho Mohammed, Taylor Naughton, Hay Hman Oo, Emma Pfantz, Mung Piang, Leslie Rebelo, Abbileni Rodriguez, Diana Sanchez, Mackenzy Scales, Austin Shomo, Molly Sickles, Avygail Smith, Luke Smith, Samantha Snyder, Jade Tejada, Hel Ter, Kaci Uhde, Hanai Vega, Sloan Vry, David Wahl, Chloe Whitehead and Amy Yepez Gomez.

For more photos from the event, visit the MCSD Facebook page.

Pictured is the Class of 2017 during commencement at the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse.

Marshalltown High School saw its student graduation rate increase by 4 percent in the past year, according to recent numbers released by the Iowa Department of Education.

The rate increased from 84 percent in 2016 to 88 percent in 2017. The rate reflects the group of students who started in the 9th grade at MHS in 2013.

The district also saw a decrease in the dropout rate, which is also positive news.  From 2016 to 2017 the dropout rate decreased from 4.4 percent to 3.6 percent. The dropout rate is determined from the number of all students in grades 7-12 who leave high school before graduation.

“Many teachers, administrators, support staff, and community members have collaborated to ensure that all MCSD students are supported in personalized ways to ensure that they receive their high school diploma, which is the first step in preparation for their college and career plans,” said Marshalltown Schools Director of Instruction Dr. Lisa Stevenson. “We are proud of these students and these results.”