November 17

Student Spotlight

My students recently were challenged to write a post for their blog related to the topic of “School”.  What is school like at McDowell Middle School?

If you’d like to find out, I encourage you to visit my students’ blogs and see what they had to say.

Here are a few that you don’t want to miss:

Mark’s blog:  Mark wrote about a school sport at McDowell-Cross Country.

Grey’s Amazing Blog:  Grey discussed our “cornfield” school calendar.

Zoe’s Space Blog: Zoe gives an overview of a typical day and a little about the future of our school.

Is our school different than yours?  If so, leave us a comment to let us know!

Category: McDowell, Student Showcase | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 18

Let the Home Learning Begin! (aka School Closure)

On Friday, March 13, Logan Elm Schools began an extended school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  A “state of emergency” has been declared in our state (Ohio) and all schools have been ordered to close.  Since the closure of schools, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, gyms, and many others have been forced to close their doors in order to reduce the spreading of the coronavirus.

In less than a week’s time, our lives have completely changed.  Schools and teachers are preparing for an extended closure, preparing virtual learning lessons and also determining how to meet the many other needs of our students.

There are so many questions that we all have.  And there are no answers at this point, as things seem to be changing on a daily basis.  One thing that I DO know…we will get through this!  As a community, we will rally together to help each other.  We will be there for each other in any way we can.  How do I know this?  Because I know that #McDowellStudentsarethebest  and we are all part of #BraveNation.

I’ve been so encouraged by the work that my students are already doing on their own.  Now, more than ever, is a time for students to take charge of their learning beyond classroom walls.  I just miss their faces tremendously, so I’m extremely grateful for the technology that we have that allows us to stay connected through these unprecedented events.

Category: Braves, McDowell | 1 Comment on Let the Home Learning Begin! (aka School Closure)
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.

Category: misc. | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 26

Featured Student Blogs

We recently completed Week 7 of the Student Blogging Challenge and my students wrote about a favorite holiday or the holidays that they celebrate throughout the year.  These students did an exceptional job on their post:

Lindsay’s Lounge

Abigail’s Questionable Statements

Brett’s Breathtaking Blog

Ella’s Site

Maggie’ s Spectacular Site

I encourage you to check out their Week 7 posts and leave a comment for them.

Category: Braves, McDowell, stubc, Student Blogging Challenge, Student Showcase | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 15

Fun with Emojis-Week 6 Challenge

For this week’s challenge, I gave my students the choice of which task they would like to complete with Emojis.  They seemed to enjoy this week’s challenge quite a bit!  All did a great job, but here are a few I chose to feature:

Feel free to see what they created with Emojis this week!

Category: McDowell, stubc, Student Blogging Challenge, Student Showcase | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 25

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament!

Veterans Day is coming soon, and that means it’s time for McDowell students and staff to once again show our support to our local veterans in need. In the last few years, McDowell has been very successful in collecting canned food items to donate. This year, instead of collecting food, we would like to raise money to donate to the Military Veterans Resource Center.  We have set a goal to raise $800 to donate. The Military Veterans Resource Center will then use that money to purchase food for veterans.

In order to help with our fundraising efforts, McDowell Student Council will be hosting a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament for McDowell Students next Friday, Nov. 1.  To encourage participation from ALL students, the entry fee to join the tournament will be just $1! You may also pay an additional $1 to go to the Loser’s round of the tournament in order to stay in the tournament.  Students must preregister for the tournament during lunch on either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of next week.age

Image created with Canva.

Category: Braves, McDowell, stubc, Student Blogging Challenge | 1 Comment on Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament!
October 9

It’s beginning to look like… FALL!

It’s beginning to look, smell, sound, taste and feel like FALL in Ohio.  Also known as autumn, this season is a particular favorite in our area.  Inspired by Kasey Bell’s magnetic poetry idea, I asked my students  to create a poem about fall.  This was a quick activity that we were able to complete on a beautiful fall day and they will look great on display in our building!

Do you see a favorite poem? Drop a comment and let us know!

Category: Braves, McDowell, Student Showcase | LEAVE A COMMENT
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!

Category: Braves, McDowell, Student Showcase | LEAVE A COMMENT
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!

Category: Braves, McDowell, Student Blogging Challenge | LEAVE A COMMENT