The annual Marshalltown Community School District youth art show will kick off with an opening reception from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 24 at the Fisher Community Center. Work will be displayed there through March 28.

The annual Marshalltown Community School District youth art month show will be on display from February 24 to March 28 in the auditorium at the Fisher Community Center, 709 South Center Street.

The show features approximately 400 works of art from students from all grade levels in the district.

The show kicks off with an opening reception from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 24 at the Fisher Community Center. The reception features light refreshments and is free and open to the public.

The show will be open during normal business hours after the opening reception through March 28.

Ceramic piece by Miller Middle School seventh grader Giovy Mejia.

Registration for preschool and kindergarten students in the Marshalltown Community School District for the 2018-19 school year will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2018 during the Healthy Family Fair at the Marshalltown Mall (2500 S. Center Street).

Preschool registration is for children 4 years old on or before September 15, 2018. Kindergarten registration is for children 5 years old on or before September 15, 2018.

Preschool
For preschool there is no registration fee or monthly tuition. Bring a copy of the child’s proof of birth. Preschool is offered in the morning or afternoon five days a week at all Marshalltown elementary schools. Bus transportation is offered.

Kindergarten
For kindergarten registration there is a $45 book fee (cash or check only). Bring a copy of the child’s proof of birth and immunization records.

For more information on this registration, visit the Marshalltown Schools website at www.marshalltown.k12.ia.us or call 641-754-1000.

The three Marshalltown Community School District teacher librarians pictured have leadership roles within the Iowa Association of School Librarians. Pictured from left are Alicia Patten of Fisher Elementary School, Valerie Ehlers of Woodbury Elementary School and Erin Faas of Rogers Elementary School. 

Three Marshalltown Community School District teacher librarians are currently serving in leadership roles with the Iowa Association of School Librarians.

Valerie Ehlers, teacher librarian at Woodbury Elementary School, has been elected as the 2018 president of IASL. Erin Faas, teacher librarian at Rogers Elementary School, was recently elected vice president and will become president in 2019. Alicia Patten, teacher librarian at Fisher Elementary School, is the awards chair for IASL.

The Iowa Association of School Librarians advocates for strong school library programs in all Iowa schools and provides leadership, education and support for its Iowan members.  Ehlers recently represented Iowa at the American Association of School Librarians conference in Phoenix, Arizona, while learning about the new National School Library Standards.

“I feel like I have first hand knowledge (on the standards) so I can impact our students right away,” Ehlers said.

These Lenihan Intermediate School sixth grade students were first place winners in the gravity cruiser challenge on February 9. Pictured front row, from left, are Julian Gonzalez, Tate Riang, Taw Lay and Kate Jones. Back row, Gabriel Lopez, Dillon Walsh and Dale Greene.

Going the distance was the goal as self-propelled gravity cruisers rolled along the Lenihan Intermediate School gym floor on February 9.

Sixth grade students teamed up and competed in the cruiser challenge to see which cruiser they built would travel the farthest on its own power using a lever and weight system as part of a STEM project. Two teams, one from morning and one from afternoon science classes at Lenihan, took home first place finishes.

First place winners included the team of Julian Gonzalez, Tate Riang, Gabriel Lopez and Dillon Walsh and the team of Taw Lay, Kate Jones and Dale Greene.

Placewinners (1st – 7th place teams)

Marshalltown High School students Deonte Dean, left, and Kya Naughton display one of the floor mats being sold to raise funds for the show choir.

The Marshalltown High School show choir has started a Bobcat floor mat fundraiser to help with funds for the group. They are taking orders through February 16 with product delivery the week of March 5. The 2-foot by 3-foot indoor mats feature the “I am proud to be a Bobcat” logo and are $25 each.

To order, contact an MHS show choir member or MHS Vocal Music Director Amy Ose at aose@marshalltown.k12.ia.us.

“Like our ‘M’s’ around town, it would be great to see these spread throughout the community as well,” Ose said.

Money raised will help pay for transportation to show choir competitions this school year.

Hoglan Elementary School fourth grade students Grady Shipley, left, and Kailla Ryan are pictured with a new water bottle filling station at the school.

The benefits of drinking water are widely known, so any effort to encourage students to do so is applauded.

One way is by providing water bottle filling stations as part of drinking fountains in the schools. Three Marshalltown Community School District buildings including Hoglan Elementary School, Fisher Elementary School and Lenihan Intermediate School have received grants from Delta Dental of Iowa to install the stations and also provide students with water bottles. The grants are part of Delta Dental’s “Rethink Your Drink” campaign.

Hoglan Elementary School nurse Megan Bell said the bottle filling station gets plenty of use at the school.

“I think everybody’s been happy about it,” Bell said. “I think we’d like to have more.”

Aside from the water bottle filling station and bottles, the grant also provides for $500 for an educational campaign to promote more students to drink water during the school day.

A total of 54 Iowa schools received this grant.

“This investment provides opportunities for oral health education for more than 28,000 Iowa students,” said Jeff Russell, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa. “Through strong partnerships, the ‘Rethink Your Drink’ project helps students make the specific connection between oral health and overall health. In the long-term, students educated in better health and wellness practices could reduce health care costs for their families and communities.”

Two Lenihan Intermediate School fifth graders are pictured with their families. Pictured at center are students Victoria Corona and Isaac Benscoter, winners of the American flag essay contest from the American Legion. Also pictured is Lenihan teacher Vanessa Engel, far left, and Randy Kessler, back row center, of the American Legion. 

Two Lenihan Intermediate School fifth grade students were awarded and read their essays with the topic “What the American Flag Means to Me” on February 1 at the American Legion Post 46 in Marshalltown.

Victoria Corona won first place and Isaac Benscoter won second place. Both were awarded $25 and American flags for their home.

“Both of these students are extremely motivated and positive learners,” said Vanessa Engel, Extended Learning Program teacher at Lenihan. “I am very encouraged by how they not only researched about the flag, but they really tried to encompass what the flag means for themselves as well as millions of other Americans.”

Read their winning essays below:

AMERICA  By Victoria Corona

This is what the American Flag means to me. The colors represent a lot of it. Red for braveness and the blood of the people and soldiers who were making a difference for the American people. White for the purity and kindness. Blue for freedom and justice. I wish I could describe it better. Some people may think bad about the U.S flag but we will stand and defeat them and do whatever we can to stop them from crushing our land. Sometimes I sit down and ponder why people care so much about how others look, everyone’s the same but  everyone has their own talents,  personality and beliefs. I wish the world could be in peace where there is no  violence, terrorism, abuse, racism or anything like that! I think if the world was like that most people would be happy.  When I look at the U.S Flag I see history and all of the people who were taking a stand in history to make a difference so they would improve the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  AND that is what i see in the U.S Flag Justice, braveness, purity, freedom standing to improve doing the right thing to make it even a better place but some negative thoughts are still alive. I hope we can change that but all of us need to cooperate so we can make that happen and I think we can accomplish this if we try.  Did you know that the us flag had 15 stripes and in 1818 the congress declared that every time there was a new state they would add a star on the 4th of July. In conclusion the U.S Flag is a great place to live and it has a lot of superior benefits.

What the American Flag Means to Me

By Isaac Benscoter

The current flag of the United States of America has 50 stars to represent the 50 states, and 13 stripes for the original 13 colonies.  The first version of the flag had 13 stars, and 13 stripes to represent the first 13 colonies.  I think the stars and stripes is a good design, I think it shows that the country is united as one, it shows that we don’t need to be separate because all the states, and back then, the colonies, work together.

The flag reminds me of the National Anthem. I think that the National Anthem represents rights and fighting for freedom, so we can express our feelings. The National Anthem shows a lot of American history. It also represents freedom because anyone can worship freely and practice any religion.

There have been many different designs of the U.S. flag, I think the flag should always stay in its current style.  The U.S. flag is a very important symbol of the United States of America, I think it also symbolizes personal freedom.  I think this because in lots of other countries people can’t make their own decisions, the government is in control almost their whole life. We are very fortunate because we can be different and make our own individual choices.  I am happy because we get to celebrate our differences and that our flag shows these differences!

I think that the flag is a great symbol of the United States of America. In conclusion, I think that that the flag shows what kind of government we have and what kind of people are part of it. We are a free united country.

Norma Dorado-Robles is a youth program specialist with Iowa State University Extension. She is a 2009 Marshalltown High School graduate and is inspiring our youth in several ways.

MHS graduate pays it forward to youth

Norma Dorado-Robles is quick to thank Marshalltown High School staff and her fellow classmates at that time for helping her through school when she had limited English language skills.

Her best way to thank them now is by inspiring current students.

Dorado-Robles is a 2009 MHS graduate and went on to earn degrees from Marshalltown Community College and Buena Vista University. She now works as a 4-H youth program specialist with Iowa State University Extension for Marshall, Tama and Benton counties.

Arriving in Marshalltown with her family from Guadalajara, Mexico in 2005, Dorado-Robles was a 15-year-old freshman at MHS who would get frustrated that she couldn’t express herself the way she wanted with her limited English skills. She credits current MHS staff Deb Holsapple and Dan Terrones and former staff member April Bryant, who collectively didn’t let her settle for that as an excuse.

“They saw my potential and were always pushing me to challenge myself,” she said.

Holsapple, who is associate principal at MHS, said it was Norma’s dedication that led her to success.

“Norma was a fun, spirited young lady, who came to MHS without speaking English,” Holsapple said. “She knew that she was going to make Marshalltown her home which meant that for her to be successful, she had to learn English and to go on to college.  She was a strong self-directed learner who took responsibility for herself and set herself up for success in the future.”

Dorado-Robles now works in the schools in various ways through her job and volunteer efforts including the 4-H Club at MHS, STEM Club at Woodbury Elementary School and Junior Achievement. She also worked with the Al Exito group at MHS years ago.

The 4-H Club at MHS provides activities to students who are similar to her when she was in school.

“I think the underrepresented kids in the school need to be heard and need to be exposed to different opportunities,” Dorado-Robles said.

Knowing first hand the impact of mentoring, it’s important for her to give back now and to help guide youth in our community.

“If you have a mentor and know there are people that care about you, you will be successful,” Dorado-Robles said.

Norma’s main mentor years ago was former community member Joan Jaimes. When Dorado-Robles asked Jaimes how she could repay her for her help, Jaimes gave her some important advice.

“She said I could pay her back by going back to my community and doing the same thing she did for me,” Dorado-Robles said. “And that’s what I did.”

Click here to view a video from Norma Dorado-Robles with advice for English Language Learners.

Pictured are the state large group speech qualifiers from Marshalltown High School. From left, are Phoebe Osgood, Stella Roseburrough-Borras, Ryan Levis and Angel Hernandez.

Marshalltown High School competed in the Iowa High School Speech Association district large group competition on January 20 at Montezuma High School.

MHS qualified two entries and four total students for state including the group improvisation students Angel Hernandez, Ryan Levis and Stella Roseburrough-Borras; and the group mime duo of Phoebe Osgood and Stella Roseburrough-Borras.

Other participants from MHS at districts included: Osgood and Noah Mathis, who received a Division II rating in a new readers theater piece written by Osgood and MHS speech coach and teacher Jocelyn Frohwein; and Freddy Ross III and Sammuel Wilder who performed to a Division II rating in group improvisation.

Frohwein is head coach and Deshonna Garth serves as assistant.

The students who qualified for state will now look forward to that event on February 3 at Linn-Mar High School in Marion. Marshalltown High School will host the Southeast IHSSA individual speech contest on February 24.

The Marshalltown High School robotics team known as the Botcats is pictured after winning the Connect Award at the league tournament on January 27 in Nevada. Pictured, front row, from left, Luke Wymore and Morgan Johnson. Back row, Marcos Medina, Jose Palmerin-Andrade, Jordan May, Coach Yan Qiu, Marek Jablonski and Coach Mike Lazere.

The Marshalltown High School Robotics team, the Botcats, was one of eight teams to advance to the super qualifier meet after participating in its league tournament in Nevada on January 27 with 15 other central Iowa teams.

The Botcats qualified for the Feb. 3 super qualifier meet by winning the Connect Award from the judges at the league tournament. That award is given to the team that most connects with their local STEM community in promoting robotics.  The super qualifier at Johnston will determine the teams which advance to the state level tournament.

The team is coached by MHS teacher Mike Lazere and Emerson engineer  Yan Qiu.