Artist Guillermo Cuellar presented to Marshalltown High School pottery students throughout the day on Feb. 5.

World-renowned artist Guillermo Cuellar visited Marshalltown High School and presented to pottery students throughout the day on Feb. 5.

Cuellar, a native of Venezuela who attended Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, shared his knowledge of ceramics with the group. He was also impressed with the work of the MHS students.

“It was an amazing experience to have Guillermo Cuellar here on Friday,” said MHS art teacher Kirk Niehouse. “Mr. Cuellar’s philosophy on making ceramics reinforced what we believe and teach to our students.”

Students were very attentive to Cuellar’s work as he produced several ceramic pieces in minutes right before their eyes. Cuellar was in Marshalltown for a workshop on Feb. 6 at the high school sponsored by the Central Iowa Art Association.

Art teacher Maggie Parks looks at the work in progress art piece by fourth grader Dellainey Potter at Fisher Elementary School. Parks will receive a national excellence award from the United States Society for Education through Art next month.

Marshalltown Community School District elementary art teacher Maggie Parks has been selected to receive the 2016 “Excellence in PK-12 Art Education Award” from the United States Society for Education through Art.

Parks teaches at Fisher Elementary School and Woodbury Elementary School and has worked for the district for 18 years.

“I am thrilled to be getting this,” Parks said. “I was honored just to be nominated.”

In the notification, the USSEA said it is recognizing Parks for her leadership in, and commitment to, multicultural and cross-cultural strategies in her schools and community and her effort to build respect for human dignity and diversity through art.
“I implement that in my teaching,” Parks said.

Parks was nominated for the award by Dr. Barbara Caldwell, Associate Professor at the College of Art and Design at Iowa State University.

“A generous and caring spirit, Margaret shares her passion for meaningful art education and deep respect for human and artistic diversity with the many students, professional organizations and communities she serves,” Caldwell wrote as part of the nomination letter.

Parks said the notice of her work planning a statewide art conference helped her land this award. Parks will receive the award on March 18 during the National Art Education Association Convention in Chicago.

Parks received the Art Teacher of the Year award from the Art Educators of Iowa in 2010 and has received several other awards and accolades during her 25-year teaching career.

Marshalltown High School staff member Tonya Hernandez, left, and Associate Principal Deb Holsapple look over information at a booth set up at JBS to provide information to parents. MHS staff visit JBS monthly to connect with parents.

A partnership between Marshalltown High School and the area’s biggest employer is helping build connections among parents and school staff for the betterment of students.

Marshalltown High School staff members visit the JBS processing plant for several hours during the last Wednesday of each month, setting up a table near the lunchrooms to connect with parents of students. The idea came about after MHS Principal Jacque Wyant contacted JBS Human Resources earlier this school year.

Due to their work schedules and other barriers, many of the parents don’t have an opportunity to visit the schools. MHS staff members show parents how they can access the parent portal Infinite Campus to have access to student information and also provide information on the school calendar, registration dates and other information.

“This is very important to reach parents,” said Justin Boliver, Dean of Students at MHS, who is part of this effort. “We are there to try and mainly get parents connected with Infinite Campus, however, several times I have found myself answering questions about the high school and talking to parents about all kinds of issues.”

MHS staff member Tonya Hernandez provides assistance in communicating with the Spanish-speaking parents. JBS also provides interpreters to help with those parents from Burma.

“MHS administration would really like to thank JBS for allowing us to come and visit with parents on their lunch breaks,” Boliver said. “JBS has really been accommodating.”

Positive feedback

Boliver said the feedback they have received from this outreach leads them to believe it is successful.

“We’ve had several parents tell us how much they appreciate the high school coming to see them at work,” Boliver said. “Many are impressed we would make an effort to come to their place of business to meet with them. They feel welcome now to come to the school and understand it really is a good thing to have conversations with staff of their child’s school. It is important that parents and schools work together to ensure the success of our students.”

Boliver said they would also like to set something up similar with other businesses in Marshalltown.

“I believe it provides an excellent service to our busy parents,” he said.

Staff at Lenihan Intermediate School and Miller Middle School in Marshalltown are planning upcoming awards nights for students. Both events are free and open to the public.

Lenihan Intermediate School
Lenihan will hold a “Hats Off to Our Scholars” night at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9 in the Marshalltown High School/Community Auditorium. Lenihan will recognize fifth and sixth grade students in the Gold Honor Roll (students receiving all A’s) and the Silver Honor Roll (students receiving all A’s and B’s).

Miller Middle School
Miller Middle School will hold an academic awards night at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11 at the Miller Auditorium. Miller will be recognizing seventh and eighth grade students who have earned a B average or higher for the first semester. Students who had perfect attendance during the first semester will also be recognized. Students who attained honor roll status and/or perfect attendance status and their family members are encouraged to attend to celebrate this important achievement.

The Marshalltown High School Jazz band traveled to Denison High School on Jan. 28 for the Iowa High School Music Association State Jazz Contest.

The band earned a Division 1 rating from all three judges with scores of 49, 49 and 47 out of a possible 50 points.

The band performed three selections: “Dark Side of the Blues” by Drake University Jazz Professor Andy Classen, “It’s a Lonesome Old Town” by jazz great Woody Herman and “I’m Free” by Rick Hirsch, a mambo tune adapted from the tune of the same name from the rock musical “Tommy.”

Soloists from MHS were Victoria Johnson, Matthew Dickey, Frank Iole, David Braga, Tim Potter, Collin Krukow, Nate Harris and Devin Carlon.

The judges were retired band directors Pete Jacobus from Glenwood, Rod Shedenhelm from Sioux Rapids and college director Paul Bloomquist from Iowa Central in Fort Dodge.

The band will travel to Cedar Falls on Feb. 19 for the Tallcorn Jazz Festival held at the University of Northern Iowa. The Tallcorn Jazz Festival is the longest held high school jazz festival in the country.

Music students take in Army band

The 34^th Army Scrap Metal Band provided a lively performance to MHS music students the morning of Feb. 1 in the MHS/Community Auditorium.

The band is based in Fairfield, Iowa and travels to schools throughout the state regularly.

34th Army Scrap Metal Band performs for MHS students on Feb. 1.

Marshalltown Learning Academy students Brandon Howell, left, and Noel Diggins, display awards they received at the regional Academic Decathlon on Jan. 27 in Grundy Center.

Two students from Marshalltown Learning Academy received several ribbons and awards during the regional Academic Decathlon on Jan. 27 in Grundy Center.

Brandon Howell and Noel Diggins represented MLA at the event and were among 200 students taking part in the contest.

It featured a wide range of subjects and events that included tests, speeches, a quiz bowl and interviews.

“They did very well,” said David Ackerman, MLA teacher and coach for this event. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

Howell and Diggins wrote speeches ahead of time and did several hours of preparatory studying in advance of the event. One of the focuses of the contest was the country of India. Diggins also won a medal for second place overall in the large school varsity category.

Jocelyn Frohwein

Jocelyn Frohwein, English teacher from Marshalltown High School, is joining more than 200 of her peers from across the country in San Francisco at the National Education Association Minority and Women’s Leadership Training Conference January 29-31.

At the conference, she will sharpen her leadership skills and share strategies focused on how to advocate for student-centered policies.

“In my classroom, I work day-to-day with students creating strategies to ensure their success,” Frohwein said. “I collaborate with my teaching team, but I am really looking forward to taking a step back and thinking about how some of the issues impact not just students, but schools and communities. Connecting with educators who face similar challenges from across the country will offer an opportunity to learn how to develop and advocate for thoughtful student-centered strategies to address these issues.”

Leadership training conference sessions will be tackling issues that have an impact on students and educators in Marshalltown High School and the Marshalltown community, like creating a leadership vision for tomorrow and minority relationships in educational settings.

“I talk to my students all the time about how learning is a lifelong endeavor,” Frohwein said. “I am looking forward to this opportunity to continue my education. It is really important to me and to my students that I continue to develop as a leader and a professional. The more effective I am as an advocate in and out of the classroom, the better I can serve my students and the community.”

The NEA Minority and Women’s Leadership Training Conference takes place twice each year. The NEA is funding the trip for Frohwein.

The Marshalltown High School Color Guard won several awards at the Marching Auxiliary Regional Dance Competition Jan. 23 at Southeast Polk High School. Pictured are team members, front row, from left, Monica Gomez, Erin Duffy and Maggie Grimm. Back row, Haley Bell, Juan Andrade, Whitney Canaday and Dhalia Jara Tapia.

The Marshalltown High School Color Guard competed in the Marching Auxiliary Regional Dance Competition on Jan. 23 at Southeast Polk High School.

The team took home a first place trophy with a superior 1 rating in team auxiliary and a plaque for best choreography.

MHS junior Whitney Canaday competed in the solo division where she choreographed and performed her own routine and took a first runner-up trophy.

The MHS Color Guard is led by Megan Assenmacher-Umthun, who also competed and took two first place trophies in the open auxiliary division.

MHS Color Guard members include Whitney Canaday, Juan Andrade, Erin Duffy, Haley Bell, Maggie Grimm, Monica Gomez and Dhalia Jara Tapia. Absent was Angel Cuellar and Amber Bullock.

The Marshalltown High School Quiz Bowl team placed third out of 40 teams in the Iowa Science Bowl on Jan. 23 at Iowa State University. Pictured are team members, from left, Stefan Peng, Jon Ortega, Collin Krukow and Ryan McDaniel.

The Marshalltown High School Quiz Bowl team placed third out of 40 teams at the Iowa Science Bowl on Jan. 23.

Students competed in several different rounds on the way to the third place finish in the event held at Iowa State University’s Hoover Hall.

They won matches against eight schools and lost two. The team from MHS consisted of seniors Collin Krukow, Ryan McDaniel, Jon Ortega and Stefan Peng.

The team was coached by MHS Extended Learning Program teacher Susan Fritzell. The competition was sponsored by the Ames Lab and ISU.

Marshalltown Schools will have an early dismissal at 1:00 p.m. throughout the district on Tuesday, January 26.

This is due to the timing of presidential campaign speeches and the time needed by campaign staff to prepare school facilities for the arrival of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The campaign staff of Donald Trump requested the use of the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse for a 5:00 p.m. speech on Jan. 26, with doors opening at 3:00 p.m.

Due to the number of people expected to attend the speech, limited parking, and the need for students to be able to leave the school safely, the 1:00 p.m. early dismissal was deemed necessary. The early dismissal is effective district-wide because Marshalltown High School is part of a larger transportation network that requires all schools to follow a comparable schedule.

Later on Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton will speak at Miller Middle School with doors opening at 7:00 p.m. and a speech at 8:30 p.m.

The visit by both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton provide an opportunity for us to showcase Marshalltown Schools. It also provides a great chance for students and their families to interact with candidates prior to the February 1 Iowa Caucuses.

Other schedule reminders:
There remains a one-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, January 27 as scheduled and No School on Friday, January 29 due to staff in-service as scheduled.

Las escuelas de Marshalltown saldrán a la 1pm el Martes 26 de Enero

Las escuelas de Marshalltown tendrán salida temprana a la 1pm en todo el distrito el martes 26 de enero.

Esto esta debido al tiempo de los discursos de las campañas presidenciales que han sido programadas en las escuelas.

Instalaciones en las escuelas son instalaciones públicas que pueden ser usadas por cualquier que haga una petición. La campana de Donald Trump hizo una petición para usar Marshalltown High School Roundhouse (Gimnasio) con las puertas abriendo a las 3pm para el discurso a las 5pm el 26 de Enero. Debido al número de estudiantes dejando la escuela y el número de personas que son esperadas de asistir el discurso, es necesaria la salida temprana, como prioridad de seguridad para todos los que serán involucrados. La situación de estacionamiento en la high school también es una preocupación. La salida temprana será imperativo en todas las escuelas ya que transportación corre junto en todo el distrito.

A más tardar el martes en la noche, Hillary Clinton hablara en Miller Middle School con las puertas abriendo a las 7pm para el discurso a las 8:30pm.

Esta es una buena oportunidad para mostrar a Marshalltown y para que estudiantes y la comunidad interactúe con los candidatos previos al Caucus de Iowa.

Otros recordatorios:

Todavía hay una salida temprana de una hora el miércoles 27 de Enero como programado y No habrá escuela el viernes 29 de Enero debido a servicio para el personal.