February 19

Middle School Girls Basketball

The 2019-2020 seventh grade girls basketball team was coached by Chad Savage. In the first picture above starting from top left, Coach Savage, Mckenna 23, Bailey 34, Maggie 13, Kinsley 24, and Macie 22. On the bottom, from left, Gracie 4, Ella 3, Mia 14, and Hannah 11.

The eighth grade girls basketball team was coached by Tom Congrove, former Logan Elm girls Varsity coach. From top left in the picture, Kaitlyn 20, Katarina 4, Enaja 11, Coach Congrove, Brooke 10, Jenna 1, Addison 5, Cadence 35, September 15, Cadence 52, Tia 50, Clara 12, and Jenna 40.

For the seventh grade girls basketball team Hamilton Middle School did not have a seventh grade team, so there was an odd number of teams. Since there is an odd number, the number one seed Liberty Union got a bye and we did not have a play-in game. On Saturday, February 1st, the seventh grade team played Bloom Carroll, the number two seed. The seventh grade girls basketball team ended their season with a loss to Bloom Carroll.

 

There was an even amount of teams for the eighth grade level so they got a play-in game against Hamilton’s team on Thursday, January 30th. It was an extremely close game, but Logan Elm pulled it off and won 29 to 28. After that the eighth grade girls team played Bloom Carroll on Saturday, February 1st. The eighth grade girls basketball team ended their season with a loss to Bloom Carroll.

Both seventh and eighth grade basketball teams improved throughout the season. Everyone had fun and got along great. The 2019-2020 middle school basketball team was a great learning experience for all.

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January 29

Clubs – Scotty

Here at McDowell middle school we have many clubs. Any student from McDowell has to join a club of their choice and participate in them every month. There is a large variety of clubs to choose from all fitting in different categories.

The list of the clubs we have and what they are is here:

  • Agriculture, a club dedicated towards farming and the science of farming.
  • Art, a club dedicated to drawing, painting, and sculpting, this may include information on said subjects.
  • Board games, a club for playing all types of board games and having a good time. Book club, a club aimed toward reading books and sharing your book with other members.
  • Community service, a club dedicated to helping the community they can have many tasks to complete and they all go to a good cause.
  • Creative writing, in this club you would write a series literative writings and share with each other. Dance/music/singing club, this is all about fun, whether that would be dancing, singing, or listening to music.
  • Debate cub, in this club you will research and learn about controversial topics then argue your point about them.
  • Design/engineering club, if you were in this club you would learn and create new ideas about engineering. Home ec, in this club you will learn about multiple household tasks such as sewing, knitting, and many other tasks.
  • Improv/drama, here you learn about and do plays this is a club where everyone will have a part. Intramural sports, to join this club you cannot be playing a current sport such as basketball, wrestling, etc. This club is about multiple sports that you will learn how to play with each other.
  • Junior naturalists, this club is focused mainly on nature and exploring and learning about local or faraway wildlife.
  • Kindness club, this club is all about being nice to others and helping each other out, this can be toward a large series of students that need to be helped.
  • Personal fitness, this club is all about keeping yourself in shape, here you will do many physical activities such as jogging.
  • Relaxation club, this club is the opposite of personal fitness club, here you can lie down, relax, and have a good time.
  • Spanish club, here you will learn about the Spanish language, this can help prepare you for future Spanish classes in highschool, and maybe college.
  • Technology club, in this club you will be learning about the wonders of technology, whether it would be learning code such as Javascript, C, or Python, you will be shown how modern day items work like TVs or PCs.
  • Last but not least, yearbook club, in this club you will collect information and achievements from students and staff at McDowell, and make this year’s yearbook.

Those were the many clubs of McDowell, us students here would be glad to infrom you more about our clubs so if you have a question about our clubs, ask one of our students! I hope you learned something about McDowell and have a great day!

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October 7

Who has the best students?

Just in case you haven’t heard, WE DO!

McDowell Exchange School received some very good news last Friday.  Ohio’s Growth Measure Reports were released for Ohio’s Spring 2019 AIR tests. There were 1079 schools in Ohio who gave 7th and 8th grade tests.

Guess what?  Out of those 1079 schools, our students had the 3rd highest Average Growth Index!  Our 7th and 8th grade students put forth 110% effort on those tests and these results are a direct reflection of those efforts.  Not bad for our small, rural school in the cornfield!

I am so incredibly proud of our students and staff for such an accomplishment.  I’m always saying #McDowellstudentsarethebest and once again, I have the proof to back that statement up.

I love these kids, my colleagues, and I love being a BRAVE!

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September 29

Has it really been 10 years?!

We’re taking part in the Student Blogging Challenge!

Has it really been 10 years since I first enrolled my class blog in the Student Blogging Challenge? Back then, I was teaching 5th grade Language Arts at Laurelville Elementary. I then taught two years of 5th grade Math at Laurelville before moving on to McDowell Middle School to teach 7th grade Language Arts. I am now in my ninth year of teaching at McDowell.

There has been a lot of personal change for me, as well, over those years. My husband and I are officially “empty nesters” since our daughters, Hannah and Molly, are now in college! Hannah is a senior at Miami University, majoring in Middle Childhood Education. Molly is a sophomore at Marietta College and is currently undecided on her major. We have grieved as our beloved dogs, Rambo, Hank, and Riley crossed the Rainbow Bridge and we now have two new dogs, Willy and Dodge.  And six years ago, the passing of my father rocked my world.

Although a lot has changed, some things have remained constant. I still love teaching, am proud to be a Brave, and I still am blessed with having the best students walk into my classroom each day. Connecting with my students and connecting with the world outside of my classroom is still a priority for me as a teacher. Because of this,  I am once again enrolling my class blog as well as my students’ blogs in the Blogging Challenge.

I hope you come back to see what we’ve been up to and as always, we welcome your comments!

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September 24

And…we are BACK!

A new school year.  A new group of students.  An opportunity to reflect on things of the past and prepare for the future.  I love this time of year!

In my classroom,  we spend the first few weeks of school getting to know each other and establishing expectations and routines that will carry us through the year.  It doesn’t take long for 7th graders to realize how much they like being a student at our school and we have a discussion comparing life as a 7th grader to life of a 6th grader.

What makes 7th grade at McDowell so great?  Read the Padlet below to see what my Advanced Language Arts class had to say.  They’ve done a nice job explaining their thoughts.

Made with Padlet

I will have to add that these are just SOME of the things that are great about McDowell Exchange School.  There are many more, and the best thing about our school, in MY opinion, is that we have the best students.  #McDowellstudentsarethebest

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March 12

Things That Are Making Me Smile….

star-smiley-face-downloadAs we approach our first Saturday school tomorrow :(, I thought I would try to focus my thoughts on things that have made me smile lately…   (in no particular order)

*The Braves are playing at the Convo again tonight.  GO BRAVES!
*The sun has been shining and all of the snow has melted.
*My missing eraser appeared (as a a result of the 2nd item on my list- I know there is a story there, but I just don’t know what it is!)
*Fifth graders have been doing very well on fractions-after I gave them a big speech on how this was going to be one of the hardest things they’ve done all year. Go figure.
*My fifth graders have answered over 75,000 math problems on IXL!
*Dylan Hedges needs to explain to his classmates how he nailed EVERY extended response on the 2nd quarter assessment!  WOW!
*I KNOW a visit to Tim Hortons is in my near future!  Probably a few…
*Mrs. Cartee makes wonderful chocolate chip cookies!
*We had some great Parent/Teacher Conferences last night.  Students are lucky when they have parents concerned about their success in their education.  Thank you to all parents who came on such a beautiful day!

What has been making you smile  lately?

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November 13

Good Luck, LE teams!

brave headWe’d like to wish the very best of luck to the Lady Braves volleyball team in their Division II State semi-final game tonight against Lake Catholic.  This is the first time in school history that our volleyball team has made a Final-4 appearance.  We are very proud of all of these girls.  Two teams members, Rebekha Lucas and Nikki Young  are former Laurelville Elementary students! 

The Logan Elm football team also continues in their tournament run this evening against Springfield Shawnee.  We wish them the best of luck, as well, and hope that their season continues!  Former Laurelville Elementary students that are on the football team:  Chris Eversole (senior); Nick Hart, Dustin Fox, and Kyle Eveland (juniors); Eli Dickson and Stephen White (sophomores); and Rod Lucas, Dominick Graham, Nick Sheumaker,  JJ Osborn, and Jesse Kerens (freshmen).

Win or lose tonight, we are so proud of all of them for their hard work and commitment to their team!

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March 27

What a Day!

  SmileyCentral.com            Well, I guess I have to say that the smiley pretty much shows every emotion that was felt today during the basketball game.  The Braves played a tremendous ball game today, but fell short of a win 🙁 .  The Braves lost to Dayton Thurgood Marshall in overtime 53-62.  I am still very proud of them, however.  They displayed the same hard work, teamwork, and good sportsmanship that the LE Nation has come to expect from them.  Coach Stiverson and his team are a class act.  Thanks for the great season and best of luck to the seniors on the team.  Timmy, Brandon, Chad, Vic and Corbin-you’ll be missed!

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March 26

GO BRAVES!

I’d like to wish our Logan Elms Braves basketball team the very best of luck in tomorrow’s game.  This group of young men have worked very hard to go this far in the tournament.  As most of you know, my family attends all of the basketball games and we have enjoyed watching them play throughout the season.  I can remember watching many of them play in 7th and 8th grade, as well as JV.  I am very proud of their efforts.  They have made their families, friends, and the entire community proud.

I’m keeping my schedule for Saturday open.  I PLAN to be in Columbus again watching the Braves bring home a State Championship!

Remember, the game will be broadcast on WKKJ 94.3 beginning at 10:30 AM.  If you can’t be at the Schott, then cheer the Braves on while listening to the radio!

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March 23

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Just thought I’d repeat the announcement that Logan Elm schools WILL BE CLOSED this Friday, March 27.  The decision was made this morning to close schools to allow staff and students to support the Braves at their Final Four basketball game.  GO BRAVES!

In Math class today, we played a game of probability called PIG.  We played it with dice and then the students were able to play it on the computer, as well.  The students also worked on practice problems on the IXL site.  I really like this site and am considering asking for funds to purchase a license so that we can continue using it.

We also enjoyed the matinee performance of the Spring Program.  Great job, 4-6 graders!

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