What Others Have Done
Alabama
Saint James School
Montgomery, Alabama
Each year October is recognized as "Month of the Young Adolescent". We always try to do something very special during this month for our students in order to let them know that we respect them, support them, and care about them.
In 2002, these events included:
Art/Essay Contest
Any middle school student may submit an essay or piece of art that depicts or addresses one of the following topics:
- How did September 11, 2001, affect you in the last year?
- What do you think adults need to understand about adolescents?
- Why am I proud to be a Saint James student?
Essays had to be a minimum of one typed page. Artwork could be anything such as posters, collages, mobiles, etc.
Red Ribbon Week
The sixth grade A.W.A.R.E. class headed up Red Ribbon Week in order to promote drug awareness.
Speakers
- Eighth graders listened to alumni talk about how decisions they make as adolescents help them become the successful adults they are today.
- Seventh graders heard from Judge Lynn Bright about how certain choices have consequences that can affect you the rest of your life. She also shared examples of this from the courtroom.
- Sixth graders listened to a Montgomery policeman explain about drugs and the problems associated with the use of drugs.
A Walk in Their Shoes
October 17th was Middle Level Shadow Day. The headmaster, board members, city officials, media, and other strong community leaders visited our school for a day, hoping to open people's eyes to the important needs of a very misunderstood age, adolescence.
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Illinois
Martino Junior High
New Lenox, Illinois
During the entire month of October, Martino observed the Month of the Adolescent (MOYA). Each week, the staff focused on an activity that helps young adolescents develop into healthy, happy, and successful adults. The schedule of activities were as follows:
- Week of October 1st - Hobbies for the Young Adolescent
Students discussed their interests and hobbies with their classmates during Advisory period. They were permitted to bring hobbies or musical instruments to school and perform or present to their class.
- Week of October 6th - Commit to be Fit - Healthy Habits
A Health Fair was held focusing on healthy lifestyles. Nurses were at school taking blood pressure, height / weight and students were able to plot growth, body fat, etc. Students learned about good eating habits and an exercise activity was held school-wide. Students participating in the activities were able to participate in a drawing for gift certificates from a local sports store.
- Week of October 13th - Readers are Leaders
Each day during Advisory the entire population of Martino dropped everything to read their favorite book. Students who showed a library card from a public library were awarded school store coupons. Students participated in a "Can You Guess the Teacher's Favorite Book?" contest. Technology was integrated into the events as students designed magazine ads to promote their favorite books. Gift certificates to a local bookstore were awarded to winners of the various reading contests.
- Week of October 20th - Living A Drug-Free Lifestyle - Red Ribbon Week
The entire week was devoted to drug-free activities. Students decorated the school with red ribbons and each day was devoted to implementing an anti-drug message.
- Week of October 27 – Fulfilling Your Potential
Students who had turned in homework assignments on a regular basis and were in good academic standing were rewarded with a trip to the YMCA. They were taken by bus to the YMCA during the school day and were able to play basketball, swim, and take part in various fun activities.
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Iowa
Bettendorf Middle School
Davenport, Iowa
(Viewpoint Article in the Bettendorf News, written by Rick Herrig, co-principal at Bettendorf Middle School)
Schools and communities throughout the United States celebrated Month of the Young Adolescent in October to draw attention to the academic and developmental needs of 10- to 15- year-old students. Created in 1997 by the National Middle School Association, or NMSA, in collaboration with 31 other national educational, youth, and health organizations, this endeavor now enjoys the collaboration of 36 organizations and 56 NMSA affiliates including the Iowa Association for Middle level Education.
Never before has it been so important for communities to work together to assist young people as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood. "The period of adolescence has been called the second most important time in a person's development and the last best chance to shape a person's life," said Sue Swaim, NMSA executive director. "Educators, parents and others must strive to help them succeed academically while understanding new social needs."
Understanding young adolescents and their needs is essential in order to help them move successfully through this stage of their lives. Although they experience rapid growth physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally, they do not all grow at the same rate or at the same time. While the most visible changes is physical, let's understand that young adolescents come in all shapes and sizes. The rapid growth spurt causes hands and feet to enlarge often causing a loss of coordination. Voices change and acne appears, all at a time when young adolescents don't understand or accept their bodies. Concerns about their appearance cultivate a heightened interest in grooming, yet personal health practices are inadequate, particularly as it relates to dietary habits. Physical activity decreases about 50 percent, and sleep patterns become disrupted.
Less visible are changes that occur intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Cognitive growth is gradual. In the transition from focusing on a single idea, concrete learning gives way to increased capacity for conceptualization and abstract thinking. Systematic planning that engages students in creative thinking and problem solving assists intellectual development.
The search for personal identity often finds the young adolescent at odds with competing values. Social acceptance becomes an important influence in their lives. Peer pressure replaces adult influence with regard to decisions surrounding their lives; yet adult approval still is important to them. This is a period in which they seek greater independence and might begin testing parental or adult authority.
In 1989, the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development published a document entitled, "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century." Developed by a task force of educators and other American leaders, the document called upon our nation to "develop the talent of all our people in this nation to be economically competitive and socially cohesive in the different world of our next century." They focused their attention directly on young adolescents, saying "we must take advantage of the neglected opportunity provided by the fascinating period of early adolescence, ages 10 to 15. This is a time not only of inordinate vulnerability, but also of great responsiveness to environmental challenge. So it provides an exceptional chance for constructive interventions that can have lifelong influence." A decade later, America finds itself on the threshold of the new millennium and the challenge to schools and communities to meet the needs of the young adolescent is with us still.
Because young adolescents spend a significant portion of their lives in school, much of the responsibility falls on educators to provide an environment that meets their needs. Recent research findings identify effective programs and practices that help young adolescents reach their full potential. Schools that team teachers and students together throughout the day, allow for adequate planning time to discuss student needs and develop integrated learning experiences, provide an adult advocate for reach student, and encourage flexible scheduling demonstrate significant gains with regard to student achievement scores.
Additionally, schools that employ teachers who use these structural opportunities to engage students in an interactive classroom using varied instructional approaches enjoy even greater levels of success. in short, schools which embrace the elements of the middle school concept experience success in direct relation to the level of implementation employed.
But schools do not operate in a vacuum. Collaboration with parents, the business community, and community agencies is necessary to ensure young adolescents reach their full potential. Parents still remain the primary source of values and authority in the young adolescent's life despite the changes they encounter.
Schools that actively engage families in their child's education create an atmosphere of support that contributes to students success. Visit your child's school, get to know their teachers, get involved with parent organizations, attend your child's school activities and events, recognize their achievements and be understanding of their mistakes. Ask school officials how to get involved at school, ask to see your child's assignment notebook, offer to chaperone a dance—stay involved in your child's life.
The business community also can play a vital role in the development of young adolescents as they begin to explore career opportunities. Serve as a guest presenter in a local school classroom, allow students the opportunity to see firsthand how your business runs, encourage your employees to become mentors, become involved in business-education partnerships, and above all, create opportunities for your employees who are parents to attend parent-teacher conferences or other important school events.
Take a moment to become involved in their life — your future depends on it.
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Iowa
Parkview Middle SchoolAnkeny, IowaAs Parkview's 1100 students, their parents, and our staff and community celebrate the Month of the Young Adolescent, we invite you to visit our Web site at www.parkviewms.com to check us out. For a complete list of parent information, activities, and public information we are engaged in sharing, click on "Parents in the Loop". — Jeff Schumacher, principal, Parkview Middle School
We included team building activities, parental involvement, and community service activities. My advisory also performed the top ten ways to know that you are in the presence of a young adolescent from your web site for other advisories in the school. They made up little actions for each of the ten. Our principals also organized the shoe display from your web site. One new addition was a "Guess the Teacher" display. We displayed pictures of the teachers when they were in middle school (6-8th grade) along with a little bio about their school's structure and activities they were in at that time. These were displayed in the hall along with a guess the teacher grid where kids could write in their guesses. Each week clues were added to help with the harder ones. The kids really enjoyed seeing us at their age. — Robyn Depping, French/Spanish Teacher, Parkview Middle School
MOYA Parent Newsletter
Read the article "Parkview principal: Supporting youth will help city prosper," published by The DesMoines Register on September 25, 2007.
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Maryland
Perryville Middle School
Perryville, Maryland
(Front page article in the Rising Sun Herald, October 21, 2002, written by Lisa Tome)
Young adolescence is a turbulent time. Other than infancy, teenagers experience more changes than at any other time in their lives.
It's not something to mourn, it is something to celebrate. That's what students at Perryville Middle School spent October doing — celebrating this time with special events and activities. Early in the month, Perryville Mayor Steve Pearson kicked off the festivities, when he declared October as Month of the Young Adolescent. Board of Education officials signed a similar proclamation.
At the school, Assistant Principal Elyse Harris and other members of the administration, along with the faculty and staff, are marking the month with a variety of activities.
Last week, Thursday was set aside as Shadow Day. On that day, former PMS Principal and State Delegate Dr. David Rudolph and Pearson were invited to the school to see what it's like to be a student. On the same day, a guest speaker, Dr. Allan Waterfield, professor at the University of Delaware, was on hand to speak about the importance of perseverance and responsibility.
For Harris, Shadow Day was just one way to show off what happens at the school. "Parents are free to come in at anytime," said Harris.
Students also participated in the Perryville Appreciation Days Parade on October 12. A large number of students representing various clubs and organizations marched. The school received special recognition and won the Mayor's Award at the parade.
This week, students will also get a token of appreciation to take with them as the school receives a Reading is Fundamental (R.I.F.) book distribution.
Since this was a first-ever endeavor, plans are already in the works for expanding the month-long celebration next year. Shadow Day may be expanded next year with more invitations issued. There are also plans to host an Information Fair. Teachers will be asked to highlight Adolescents in Action. Adolescents in Action will recognize PHS students who perform community service or volunteer.
This year, the recognition is being done less formally with students' names being announced over the school PA system.
With about ten days left in the month, school officials felt participating has been worthwhile. "This is the first time we have celebrated this here. It takes special people to work with this age group. You truly have to love them, and we do. We are fortunate to be able to offer these additional activities," said PMS Principal Diana Rudolph.
And when October is over, there is something else to look forward to. "November is American Education Month. We don't plan on stopping here," said Harris.
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Massachusetts
Hopkinton Parent Teacher Association
Hopkinton, MA
(Excerpt from letter received from Lori McBride)
On October 17th (2002), I was invited to and attended the first middle school Shadow Day at the Hopkinton Middle School. This was a wonderful effort spearheaded by Beth Wittcoff, the principal of the school, and Julie Vincentsen, the faculty advisor to the Student Council in their endeavor to celebrate the Month of the Young Adolescent. As HPTA CO-VP for the Middle School, I was one of 22 local and state dignitaries who were invited to shadow a middle school student in order to experience school life from a student's perspective. It certainly was very different from what I can remember as my own middle school experience many years ago.
The invigorating experience stayed with me for many days to follow. I was so thrilled to experience and realize that the mission of the middle school is being realized - the belief "in a dynamic environment that champions the intellectual, creative, social, emotional and healthy development of students". I was honored to be a participant in this first Shadow Day (at Hopkinton Middle School) and encourage and hope that there will be more like this in the future. It truly was an awesome experience that strengthened my belief that we are indeed providing an environment that is conducive to our children learning the curriculum as well as the tools necessary to get through these sometimes difficult years.
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Michigan
Central Michigan University
MOYA
(sung to "YMCA" by The Village People)
Hey you, this month is for you
We said, yes you, we're here to celebrate you
We said, yes you, we think that you are the best
And we're glad to be here with you
The nation thinks you're a special breed
The nation thinks you're just what we need
The nation set this month up for you
And you're really cool in our view
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
Mrs. Grondin thinks you're pretty cool dudes
Miss Beadlescomb is aware of your moods
Mr. Webb thinks you're out of this world
Mrs. Smith thinks you are awesome
Mrs. Wilson thinks that all of you rock
Mr. Walden thinks you're smarter than Spock
Mrs. Heinze thinks that you are the bomb
Mr. Roth thinks you are all right
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
Hey you, this month is for you
We said, yes you, we're here to celebrate you
We said, yes you, we think that you are the best
And we're glad to be here with you
The nation thinks you're a special breed
The nation thinks you're just what we need
The nation set this month up for you
And you're really cool in our view
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
Everyone here has lots they can say
To tell you how neat you are
M-O-Y-A
It's time to celebrate M-O-Y-A
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Michigan
Fulton Middle SchoolMiddleton, Michigan
Terry Maier, principal of Fulton Middle School, reports:
"Mrs. Sue Heinze (7th grade teacher) continued a 6-year tradition of taking 6-8 FMS students to be a panel for answering questions about adolescence and middle school and related items. The folks asking the questions were students from CMU's future middle school teacher's group that is very active at the university."
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North Carolina
Appalachian State University
Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA)
Velma Burnley, the mayor of Boone, North Carolina, declared October as the Month of the Young Adolescent! Dr. Tracy W. Smith was invited to speak with the mayor on her local cable show, the Mayor's Report. We were very excited about this opportunity to share with those in our community the importance of young adolescents.
We also had the Watauga County Board of Commissioners adopt the proclamation declaring October the Month of the Young Adolescent for the whole county. We attended their October meeting to share with them information about the Month of the Young Adolescent and to read the proclamation. They unanimously voted to adopt the proclamation for Watauga County.
Allison Evans and Charlee Nall went on the MTN Network morning show to spread the word about the importance of the Month of the Young Adolescent and to share with our community the unique characteristics of young adolescents. We are so proud of them! They represented CMLA and Appalachian State very well.
The Appalachian State University newspaper, The Appalachian, also wrote an article about CMLA and the Month of the Young Adolescent.
We also had the Book Warehouse, Cornerstone Bookstore, and the Watauga County Public Library set up displays of books for young adolescents and about young adolescents.
We were so excited about all that we accomplished this year with the Month of the Young Adolescent. We look forward to building on this initiative for years to come so our community will become aware of this effort in order to make a difference in the lives of young adolescents in Watauga County and across the state. If you would like to donate your time, ideas, or rewards to this effort, please contact us and let us know. It will take all of us working together to make a real impact on the lives of young adolescents.
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North Carolina
Cedar Creek Middle School
Youngsville, North Carolina
NC Middle School Students Organize Laser Show and Dance-A-Thon to Benefit Charity
Cedar Creek Middle School, just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, recently held an all night Dance-A-Thon to raise money for Duke Children's Miracle Network and the United Way of Franklin County. The students were given 6 weeks to raise as much money as possible. By the end of the event, the kids raised a total of $6,686.71 for the two charities. Prizes for the top money raisers included a 2-night stay in an oceanfront room at the Nags Head Inn, a basketball signed by Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, an autographed Carolina Hurricanes hockey stick, passes to Virginia and North Carolina amusement parks, and gift certificates to favorite local restaurants. One lucky teacher won a trip to the Outer Banks for a weekend in the fall! Each chaperone received a chance to win the weekend get-away for every hour he or she chaperoned the event. Two weeks after the event, CCMS students were invited to Duke Children's Hospital to talk about the event on live television in the Raleigh/Durham area.
Cedar Creek School Counselor Michael Meyer suggested the idea to Principal Dale Byrns last fall and was given approval to organize the event with the assistance of interested students. Mr. Meyer formed the "Social-Organization Group," to put together this event. The 12-hour dance kicked off with a professional laser light show open to the entire community. Following this, the students who raised money stayed at the school all night for dancing and a variety of games. "Sights & Sounds", the laser show company, offered to keep the lasers and music going for the entire 12 hours! Students were also given a chance to get revenge on their toughest teachers at the teacher pie-toss. Other activities included basketball, a moonwalk, an Airborne Adventure parachute game, and movies in the school library. in order to pay for all these activities, Mr. Meyer's after-school group asked local businesses and politicians to contribute in exchange for some publicity in the area.
On the day before the big event, the student body also got a chance to hear touching stories from two children who had been patients at Duke. Given the success in its first year, Cedar Creek is hoping to have an even better Dance-A-Thon this school year!
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Ohio
Bridgeview Middle SchoolSidney, OhioMOYA was an unfamiliar word to me until July 2003 while at the NMSA Affiliate Summit meeting in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was there that I heard numerous examples of how to recognize our young and vital adolescent students in our communities. I went home charged with ideas, but still unsure of how to make MOYA effective during the crazy month of October. I discussed the idea with my co-worker, Jennifer VanMatre, along with my concerns of time and impact. We went to the NMSA website and found all of our needed articles, rationales, and sources (thank you NMSA).
During our open house, we asked several sets of parents if they would be interested in organizing the Shadow Day. We were ecstatic at the response.
(Photos from Sidney Daily News )
Seven parents volunteered to meet us in the middle of August at Bob Evans to brainstorm the names of community members that would share a day with our students at school. The parents not only came up with the names, but also contacted the people and arranged the times and details.
On October 16, seven parents, seven community members, and seven students participated in the Shadow Day. The day began with a breakfast and an opportunity to explain some educational strategies used in our building. The students then walked the guests around the building within the teams to see what a typical day at BMS is like for our students. One guest later wrote, "Xavier did a wonderful job making me feel at home there and showing what it's like to attend Bridgeview. His overall knowledge of the school's programs and activities were very impressive." Afterwards, a debriefing session took place with administrators, several teachers, and the guests. The guests appeared eager to ask questions about the positive things they had seen in the classrooms.
Our principal, Todd Rappold, then proudly offered a tour of the new middle school to the guests. The facilities will be opening in January. The visitors expressed excitement and a vision of the impact a new facility will have on the already in-place programs that have been established at BMS. They realized that our dreams and hard work will be limitless with the new building. One member commented that the building, along with our staff," … will become a crown jewel."
Following the Shadow Day, we asked Mayor Mariano to sign a proclamation that distinguished October as the Month of Young Adolescent. He presented the certificate to us at a staff meeting. In addition, the parent committee sent thank you cards to each of the community visitors. We received several letters from the guests expressing their new awareness of the importance of adolescent education.
Mike Leiber from the local YMCA wrote, "The teachers had the attention of their students and everyone was engaged in the learning process." Jeff Raible from the Sidney Chamber of Commerce stated, "The opportunity to view a day in the life of a Sidney middle school educator was most valuable. Of equal or even greater value was the opportunity to view what the future has in store for our educators and middle schoolers."
Our community has an impressive record of supporting education. We feel that MOYA has helped in the efforts to develop support for this age group. The reactions from the parents, guests, and other community members have been positive and rewarding. The time and effort has paid off!
Virginia McClain
Eighth Grade Math Teacher
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Pennsylvania
Boyce Middle SchoolUpper St. Clair, Pennsylvania Boyce Middle teacher Jim Smoyer reports:
Boyce Middle School student council representatives made a presentation at the Upper St. Clair School Board meeting Monday, October 27 for MOYA.
"They orally presented the Top 10 Ways You Know You Are In the Presence of a Young Adolescent. They then presented board members, superintendent and administrators with a box of note cards that PMSA had designed by Lena Escobar this year. On the top note card we printed the Top 10 List that the students had just presented. The kids did a fantastic job!"
Narrator: Good evening! My name is ________________________ and I am a student council representative at Boyce Middle School. Thank you for inviting me and my fellow representatives to your October school board meeting to celebrate MOYA...Month of the Young Adolescent! We know you are busy and have many important things to do tonight, so we will begin our celebration without further ado. Since October is the Month of the Young Adolescent, we have for you tonight...Boyce Middle School 's own...Top 10 List!
The Top 10 Ways You Know that You Are in the Presence of Young Adolescents
Number 10: There are body parts everywhere! ... Arms, legs, oversized, undersized, awkward, graceful, and always growing!
Number 9: Those body parts? We move them, wiggle them, and squirm with them... and then the very next minute, we are too exhausted to move so instead of walking to the trash to throw something away, we practice shooting foul shots from our seats! Narrator: (And we usually miss! Just ask our teachers!)
Number 8: Everyone runs everywhere...we want to be first in line for lunch, first on the bus so we can get a back seat, first everywhere...so we run...and we push and when we get where we are going, we bump into someone...by accident, of course!
Number 7: We are often confused by our "tweener" status....some things we are too old to do, others we are too young ...we always seem to be caught in the middle! Narrator: (Hey! Maybe that's why we go to middle school?)
Number 6: (Said in unison) We all try to be alike! We want to wear the same kind of clothes, listen to the same music, and eat the same food ... It's a little like fitting square pegs into round holes...and sometimes it's impossible and frustrating for us!
Number 5: Friends are in! Parents and adults are out...that doesn't mean we don't care about you, ... we just have important things to do with our friends!
Number 4: We're easily embarrassed by PDAs from our parents, but take pride in being the loudest, the smelliest, and the fastest!
Number 3: Young adolescent boys look up to young adolescent girls...literally!
Number 2: We are trying to decide who we are...we can be ugly and pretty, fat and thin, slow and fast, smart and dumb... all in one day...depending on how we see ourselves in the mirror that day. We test ourselves constantly and develop our self-concepts by watching those around us who we admire and respect.
and the Number 1 Way You Will Know You Are in the Presence of Young Adolescents: Nothing stays the same ... We are in a constant state of change!
Change ...
it is everywhere ...
it is inevitable ...
it is the Young Adolescent ...
it is Boyce Middle School!
Narrator: Well, there you have it ... The Top Ten Ways You Know You Are in the Presence of Young Adolescents ... our lives are like rollercoasters and we're enjoying the ride in Upper St Clair's middle schools! This is our month...thanks for helping us celebrate!
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Pennsylvania
Marshall Middle School
Wexford, Pennsylvania
John Schwoebel, principal of Marshall Middle School, sent us this note:
"At Marshall Middle School, North Allegheny School District, we offered students the opportunity to bring their parents to school. We were limited by space especially in the cafeteria, so we set a limit of nomore than three parents per homeroom. We had to use a drawing todetermine which three parents would attend of the many parents interested in four of our homerooms.
Parents reported that they were overwhelmed from their child first presenting them with an invitation, to spending a day with their child in the classroom, doing homework in preparation, to physical education, to the challenge of a 2003 math, social studies, science, English curriculum, to the parting after the last class for visitation and hearing their child say, "I wish you could stay". We had around thirty parents, moms and dads, participate. All feedback was positive.
This was a great activity."
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Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg Middle SchoolMechanicsburg, PennsylvaniaOctober is Month of the Young Adolescent, MOYA, sponsored by the National Middle School Association. During this month, all over the world, middle schools take this opportunity to invite distinguished guests to their schools to share middle school practices. This is to let decision makers know what is successful for adolescents, so that they can make informed decisions concerning their education.
Proclamations were sent on the local and state level. Elliott Fry, student council president, was interviewed on a local radio station where he shared who adolescents are and how middle schools prepare them for the future. Guests were invited to a breakfast and given the opportunity to shadow a student, teacher, or administrator. The student council president welcomed the guest. The guitar ensemble, an orchestral group, and an instrumental ensemble entertained.
The sixth grade focused on the idea of diversity and the school theme of creating relationships. Discussions were held to help students understand individual differences and needs. They discussed self-improvement in conjunction with math classes and writing procedures. The hallways were lined with a culminating activity of weaving various colors and styles of paper to show that "variety adds beauty to a community.
The seventh grade focused on individuality engaging in tie-dying t-shirts for a trip to the Renaissance Faire. Their creativity and personalization was their signature for each shirt. The time allowed students opportunities to engage in conversation and participate in an identity project that represented the team of students as its own community. A mummification was recreated for an authentic trip back in time. A Harvest Celebration during PASS was celebrated. Students contributed items that represented who they are.
The eighth grade engaged in creating their own personal "Graffiti." They had to find words that described who they are and express in writing why they chose those words. They included their various philosophies, how they think about themselves, and academics. Their focus was on their positive attributes. Some of the writing qualified for publication.
The Fine and Applied Arts team made personality quilts. Sports bags that were sewn by students were displayed in the library, and student musicians played for the breakfast. Computer classes created PowerPoint presentations to show their individuality. They also created a Web about themselves that included information about their volunteer activities, friends, hobbies, career goals, curricular activity, and families. All activities promoted that we may all be different, but we are all part of one school, one community, and one world.
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Vermont
Essex Middle School
Essex, Vermont
From Ned Kirsch, principal of Essex Middle School:
Ah, October! Brilliant leaves, crisp air, and some rejuvenating rain! And October has certainly been an enjoyable month inside Essex Middle School (EMS) with a string of celebrations that enhance our school, our students, and our teachers. October is officially dedicated to the young adolescent by the National Middle School Association (NMSA), an organization devoted to the social, cultural, and educational advancement of middle school students.
At EMS we decided to celebrate the month with a fun series of events that engaged the community, celebrated learning, and highlighted middle level education. Our celebration kicked off with each school advisory creating a poster to celebrate its members' similarities and differences. These wonderful posters now adorn the hallways of EMS. Come on in and see the "constellations" and individual "stars" that make up our stellar student community! The second and closing event of the week was our second parent open house of the school year, and the turnout was truly awesome. Thank you for that.
The second week of October generated some fun through student school spirit week. A resounding success. Students came to EMS each day costumed thematically: sport day to Hawaiian day. The week ended with the first Friday dance of the year.
The third week of the month was devoted to students' health and wellness. The highlight of the week was the first annual Fall Back Jamboree. Students and staff of EMS participated in a variety of outdoor and indoor activities that promoted healthy and active lifestyles.
The final week of October was also a busy one. The week started election speeches to the student body from student council candidates. The Student of the Month breakfast followed on Tuesday morning, and, finally, student council elections ended the week. But, wait, there's more! Let's talk about Shadow Day.
Just what is it like to be a student at EMS? Well, some of our "celebrity" community members found out just that at EMS Shadow Day, a slightly different variation on the traditional concept. Instead of students shadowing adults outside of schools, we had adult "celebrities" shadow students within EMS. Thank you to the following folks for partaking in this wonderful experience: Marty Waldron, Tim Shea, Molly Walsh, Jon Cohn, Ron Lawrence, Nicole Saiginor, Martha Heath, and Armando Villeseca. The adult shadows tasted life at EMS, experiencing the academic rigors of middle school and the fine teaching that occurs here each and every day.
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Vermont
Johnson State College
Johnson, Vermont
As a course project, students were assigned to work in teams of three to design a pamphlet describing the developmental characteristics of young adolescents. The students also designed a poster to publicize MOYA. The finished posters and multiple copies of the pamphlets were then displayed in public places in local communities with the intent of educating the general public about the unique traits of this age group.
This project provides a good way to model many excellent middle level concepts such as teamwork, authentic assessment, active learning, problem solving, and producing a product for a real audience. The students really enjoy the project as it gets them actively engaged in using the content they have learned for an authentic purpose.
Ken Brighton, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Johnson State College
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Virginia
From Clarke Scott, President of the Virginia Middle School Association:
Pittsylvania County Schools in rural Virginia dedicated four new middle schools in October 2003. This was the culmination of one of the largest capital improvement projects in the region. While being impacted by the decline in the textile, furniture, and tobacco industries, citizens of Pittsylvania County are proud to support young adolescents and middle level programs.
For photos and more information, www.pcs.k12.va.us/building/updates/ribbon-cutting.html
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Wisconsin
Waunakee Community Middle School, Waunakee, WI
Submitted by Shelley Joan Weiss, principal
2009 MOYA celebration
School Web site: http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/midlschl/mshome.htm
MOYA Web page: http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/midlschl/moya.htm
During October, MOYA messages appear on the daily announcements page: http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/teachweb/statzk/
MOYA Letter from State Superintendent Tony Evers
We are really celebrating in Waunakee this year as Rachel Rydzewski, one of our 7th grade teachers is the Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year. http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/middle/photos_main.cfm?albumid=2083#d47388 This has been a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to her and all of the great things happening here in Waunakee.
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Canada
Gladmar School
Radville, Saskatchewan, Canada
Newspaper Article from the Radville Star
Back To The Future
October is the Month of the Young Adolescent. It is a time for the middle years students (Grades 6 to 9) to feel special. As part of this celebration of sorts, October 17th is International Shadow Day—a day when someone from the community shadows a middle years student to see what has changed for these students over the past few years. Debra Melle, principal of Gladmar School is also the president of the Middle Years Association. She asked me, Linda Fiechter of the Radville Star newspaper, to shadow her Grades 7 and 8 classes for the morning of October 7th, to compare them with when I was in middle school (1984). It was an interesting experience to say the least. I felt like I was going "Back To the Future" in a sense.
There are a host of challenges met by middle year's teachers. Even when I was a student, I remember thinking ... whoa, those are some special people up there. I wasn't always a fan of course, but to deal with young kids on the brink of expressing their independence takes a little extra care. Sometimes it is hard to teach kids that think they already know everything!
My day began with English Language Arts. The ELA program is designed to address four different strands of learning: reading, writing, listening, and speaking and each day, there is an attempt to touch on all of these areas. It was much different than my English classes of the past. I found a lot more peer discussion was encouraged.
Literature Circles were especially fascinating to me. Each member of the circle was given a specific responsibility in relation to a poem read. Each student had to examine the poem from a different angle and I found it was a very interesting way to address the discussion—a little different from just doing the questions offered at the end of the poem (what we did a lot in school).
An Independent Journal Response was required of the students opening a dialogue of communication between students and the teacher. I think this is a great tool for understanding your students a little better—maybe connect with them a bit. The only time I remember doing something similar was in high school and I remember really enjoying this aspect of my class.
At the end of ELA, it was clear to see that each strand of reading, writing, listening and speaking had been addressed.
My second class was Arts Education with Mrs. Gibbs. The Arts Ed. Program also addresses four strands including dance, drama, music, and visual art in a combination all divided equally over the year. This was really different for me. When I was in school, we took dance in gym class, we signed up for drama if we wanted to do it after school, and music and art were classes we could choose to take. I took art class, and I loved it. We examined drawing, painting, colouring, sculpture—things I still enjoy today. Music students played in the school band and did not participate in art class. It seems unfortunate to me that students don't have the opportunity to really delve into the particular area that they like. But, that is what comes with budget cuts I guess.
The class began with 15 minutes of "thinking time" to get students into a creative mind set. During this time, students may draw or write on a chosen topic. Music is the focus for Mrs. Gibbs class right now and they are studying percussion. As an exercise, the class is split into groups that are creating their own version of "Stomp." The exercise encourages self-expression, creativity, group interaction and appreciation rather than focusing on skill.
I was put into a group. We worked with rhythms to create a dance/percussion routine. It was both fun and very creative. The group worked great together and I was really impressed with their use of time. At the end of the class, we got to watch what all the groups had come up with and it was really great.
At the end of class, we were required to do a self-evaluation to evaluate our group and ourselves. It is a great way for kids to look inside themselves and see what they are really contributing to the class and to their groups.
My final class was Social Studies with Mr. Longstaff. The students are doing a culture study right now in preparation for a mini-mosaic to be presented to the student body, staff, and the public on Thursday afternoon, October 24th. Each group of students is studying a different culture to make displays accordingly. Students have to really examine the rest of the world and get a sense of how someone else lives. It will be an interesting display and the students are learning a lot.
When I was in school, we also did a culture study and put on a mini-mosaic. It was so fun. We chose a country according to our heritage to develop a sense of pride about our ancestry.
All in all, I learned that students really haven't change that much since I was a kid. Classes were a bit more varied and definitely encourage more independent thought. Projects and process are more important than memorizing facts for tests. I noticed teachers marking kids books as they were working, giving them credit for the process, not only the final product. This is a bit fairer and a way that kids with all kinds of strengths can be recognized for their efforts. I found that kids spoke with their teachers much more, but that may just be a fact of small town versus city schools. My experience in Gladmar was very positive and I was glad to have the opportunity to relive a small bit of my youth.
- Linda Fiechter, Radville Star
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