Around the Zone!

     I love it that our entire school is an Innovation Zone!  When we wrote the grant, we researched and found that there are 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention.  These strategies work best when they are done together; it's not very effective to try just one or two.  This research only confirmed what our teachers had already brainstormed and what both teachers and students had said in an Edline survey we posted.  Therefore, we designed an ambitious, multifaceted project.  Three large areas we are focusing on this year are:  innovative, engaging lessons; embedded use of technology; and building community and connections.  Here are some of the dedicated and creative ways that our principals, teachers, staff, and students are working to bring about true educational reform at North Marion:
(Did I forget YOU?  Just tell me what's going on because I'd love to report about it!) 

Innovative, Engaging Lessons

• Mrs. Poling and Mr. Stalnaker are working to develop a journalism class in conjunction with the technical center marketing classes.
• Dr. Baxter is going into the ninth grade English/Social Studies class to teach them about the citizenship test.  Dr. Baxter is a primary source for this information since she is originally from Peru.  Dr. Baxter is also using Project Based Learning in her Spanish classroom. 
• Mr. Graser, Ms. Richards, Ms. Merrifield, Mr. Gerard, Mr. Myers, Mrs. Stanton, and Mr. Milanese are beginning a roller coaster PBL!  This will integrate physical science and math.  Students need to utilize the equations for distance, speed, momentum, velocity, and kinetic energy as well as use proportions and conversions of units as they design, build, and test their roller coasters.
• Mrs. Gaines and Mrs. Moore substituted in the ninth grade integrated class to get a look at what they might want to do next year as teachers of tenth graders!
• Mrs. Duckworth and Mrs. Schneider are using blogs instead of notebooks in their collaborative Earth Science classes.
• Mrs. Barner had students make biology collages to fill a bulletin board in the hall.  She also starred in a video "entry event" for a freshman PBL. (Mr. Graser dougied on a lab table for it, too!)
• Mrs. Stanton is using a time tested biology lab in which students burn peanuts and marshmallows to determine the calorie differences in food.
• Ms. Plachta began an oral communications class for ninth graders to help support the increased number of presentations that they will be required to do in their PBLs.
• Mr. Brown is inviting local emergency services personnel to his classroom to teach CPR with the dummies!  (Do not laugh about this--I know what you are thinking!)
• Mr. Barker and Mrs. Rakocky are developing a PBL on quilting and geometry.

Technology

• Mrs. Shackleford has stepped up to the challenge of handling all our technology needs from the library, and done a nice job of it.  Her son donated an entire day of installing software on the new laptops.  Both Mrs. Shackleford and Mr. Gerard provide tons of tech support without any additional time in their schedules apart from their normal job duties. 
• Mrs. DeVito has learned how to use WVEIS to set up the merged time frames for the integrated classes and then how to set up the schedules and grade books to go with that.
• Ms. Gilpin, Mrs. Mullenax, Mrs. Gouzd, and Ms. DeVaul learned to use Edline to set up students' assignments and daily agendas.  This will help students become more self-directed learners.  They are also designing an Edline training for parents.
• Ms. Carpenter and Ms. Elmer have started Globaloria at North Marion, a class in video game design.
• Mr. Milanese researched and purchased laptops and led a team of teachers who installed software on them two days after school.
• Mr. Beavan put together four lockable storage carts for the laptops.
• Ms. Carpenter oversees this blog in the evenings.

Building Community and Connectedness

• Mrs. Powell has revamped the peer tutoring program along with help from Mrs. Doshier.  Twenty peer tutors will receive FOCUS training in connecting with freshmen through GEAR UP funding.  Mrs. Neptune's WVU intern helped design the tutor forms and prompts used in the program, and has pledged some of his contract hours next semester to help with it.  Mrs. High, who implemented the first peer tutor program at North, will be volunteering here.
• Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Furbee, Mrs. Straight, Mr. Butcher, Mrs. Duckworth, and several other teachers are hosts of peer tutors and helping implement the new program.
• Mrs. Gouzd and Mrs. C. White have started a club called "Husky Mentors" that pairs freshmen with  upper classmen mentors who will be friendly to them in the hallway, send them notes, and eat lunch with them.  Several teachers have started new clubs so that students have a place to feel connected.
• Mrs. Neptune and Mrs. Powell continue to expand the C.A.P.S. program at our school, which stands for Community Awareness and Partnerships for our School.  Some volunteers from C.A.P.S. have already asked to sponsor a LEO club, and have signed up for e-mentoring through a program we are piloting.
• North Marion Alumni attended a panel discussion hosted by the freshmen and their teachers to provide the background of North Marion's history for the first freshman PBL.

Our students are benefiting from the hundreds of extra hours our teachers as professionals are giving of their own time to make North Marion a better place.

And thank you for being kind when I've forgotten to write about you today.  Many of you are holding down the fort and making these things possible.  Many of you are awaiting your opportunity to contribute, perhaps later this year or maybe next year, and I want to remember you in the next post.  Thank you Husky Family for your positive and supportive attitudes.  But then, what else would we expect from Huskies?

Husky Mentor Update

Debbie, Carol, and I met today to make plans for the Husky Mentors as the beginning of the school year is rapidly approaching. We drew up a contract for the mentors, and we have 2 trainings scheduled for the mentors (Aug 1st and 15th). At those trainings we will be reinforcing the vision of the program, and brainstorming with them what they will need to communicate with their freshmen (for ex., get contact info, ask questions about schedule, etc...) and how they can communicate with them (text, notes on/in lockers, meet in morning, etc...).
After these trainings, the mentors will meet with their freshmen at orientation, make introductions, ask and answer specific questions (that they come up with at training), and do some icebreakers.
We still have a lot of questions- a major one being: when is freshmen orientation?
We hope that, with administrative approval, the mentor program will become a club meeting throughout the school year. We see it being a bigger deal with more time involved at the beginning of the year, tapering off throughout the year. However, we do feel that the mentors can be helpful talking to their freshmen throughout the year, and a debriefing session at the end of the year would benefit the program as a whole.
We are really excited about this program, and if you would like more info about it or would like to get involved, we invite you to attend either of the training sessions (Aug 1st 6:00, Aug 15th 1:00)!