News

06/16/09
Pick Up June 17 and 18
06/16/09
Wednesday, Aug. 19
06/05/09

Medieval Castles and Viking Ships

06/05/09
Annual Competition Comes Down to the Wire
06/02/09
Just $5 Each
06/02/09
Hi-Times Staff Honored
05/28/09
Maggie Bomze Among Elite Group
05/27/09
Top Graduates Named
05/27/09
Science Bee is Latest MMS Event
05/21/09
Brinker, Slutz, Preusser Selected
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06/16/09

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DREAM Making a Difference

06/16/09

The DREAM is making a difference. 

Two years after its beginnings, the project – Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon – shows evidence of fulfilling its intended goal – encouraging more Washington High students to further their education and prepare them for 21st century careers.  

Traditionally, WHS students who ranked below 75th in their graduating class rarely pursued secondary education. The Walsh Center for College Readiness component of the DREAM project targets those middle-of-the-pack students, showing them they can make the postsecondary grade.

After DREAM’s first year, 24 of the 25 seniors in the program pursued higher education or joined the military. All of this year’s seniors say they intended to enroll in postsecondary education or military service either this fall or next. 

The Massillon City Schools, the Paul & Carol David Foundation, Walsh University, Aultman Hospital and Stark State College have partnered in the DREAM project, which also offers dual credit opportunities and hands-on experience in health care careers.
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Please click here for the DREAM report from the Walsh Center for College Readiness at Massillon.

Goodbye Sugar, Hello Nutrition for Learning

06/11/09

Juicy-ripe strawberries … crispy-tender green beans … a sweet and succulent red pepper … beginning this fall, Franklin students will be tasting the healthy life.

School officials hope they’ll take a taste for fresh produce home with them, Thanks to a federal grant, written by teacher Pam Piero as part of her administrative internship, Franklin students will be served up fresh fruits and vegetables as daily snacks. Even just a bite of broccoli or pinch of pineapple will expose them to an awareness of healthy living, Piero said.
“They have a lot on their academic plate,” she said, “but feeding the body right goes with educating the mind.”

Citing other health initiatives at the school such as an Aultman health fair and the weekend food backpacks provided by the Stark County Hunger Taskforce, Piero said the grant is designed to help the Franklin community in both the short term and long run. The snacks will be an added nutrition boost now, and hopefully a life lesson about how good fresh, healthy food can taste.


“We’re hoping to present new foods in a way that makes them want to try it; make it fun as much as nutritious,” Piero said. “I’m no Rachel Ray, but we’ll do the best we can with presentation.”

 

The grant is very specific in the kinds of foods that can be offered to children: No fruit leathers, juice, dried fruits, trail mix or smoothies, and dips allowed only for vegetables, preferably yogurt-based.

 

Although the grant money can be used only to purchase the fruits and vegetables, nutrition education is the key. “The intent of the program is to encourage children to consume fresh fruits and vegetables away from school as well as while in school,” the grant states. Piero hopes to recruit participation by community members, including parents, dieticians, exercise physiologists and other healthcare professionals.

 

A survey during the first week of school will pinpoint which fruits and vegetables already are part of students’ diets, and a packet for parents will encourage produce consumption at home.

 

“The obesity rate in Ohio’s children has tripled,” Piero said, “and the answer starts with education.”

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Ohio is the 17th-heaviest state in the country and experts believe if current trends continue, today's youth will live shorter lives than their parents. Ohio Department of Health officials cite these statistics:
+ Type 2 diabetes – once known as adult-onset diabetes – is now often diagnosed in children.
+ Nearly 17 percent of Ohio third graders are obese and another 18 percent are overweight.
+ Sixty percent of overweight children have at least one cardiovascular risk factor such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
+ Based on current overweight and obesity trends, one-third of children today will develop diabetes over their lifetime.

SMART Technology is Today's #2 Pencil

06/11/09

Massillon educators are getting SMART about technology in the classroom.

Both administrators and teachers received an end-of-year lesson on how best to use interactive SMART boards for 21st century students. Technology, said Bret Gensburg, of Eagle Technology Integrations, who presented the technology overview, serves as “a vessel of moving information from us to the students. Schools are trying to fit yesterday’s education, curriculum and concepts into today’s students, and it’s time to change the standard delivery mechanism.”

 

SMART boards are more than glorified chalkboards, Gensburg said. They also allow teachers to save lessons and are adept at publishing, graphics, recordings, videos, links, sound and second- and third-party software.

 

The boards, which have been around for two dozen years, are being integrated in classrooms across the country. Massillon City Schools has 20 installed in classrooms throughout the district. The key to true integration, Gensberg said, is professional development. “Teachers are restricted (in using technology) only by their knowledge of the computer and by themselves.”

 

SMART boards are just the first step in cutting-edge classroom technology, and technology “should never be separated any more from education goals,” Gensberg said, Paraphrasing MIT professor Seymour Papert, he pointed out that “the time has come to use technology the way pencils were used – as a tool that students could not learn without.”

 

The Massillon City Schools’ mission, he said, should be that every class has a SMART board in front of it – and a teacher who is comfortable using it.

Project MORE Rewards Students and Mentors

06/08/09

They were lauded and applauded, showered with food and gift baskets, but Project More volunteers at Gorrell Elementary say they’re the ones who are grateful. It was a gift, the core of dedicated volunteers said, to see some of the neediest students improve their reading skills by leaps and bounds.
Project MORE (Mentoring in Ohio for Reading Excellence) provides encouragement and opportunities for improvement to elementary students who experience the most difficulty with their reading skills. The program, funded by grants, targets up to 15 students at each school. MORE is scientifically-based and has shown significant reading results since its inception a decade ago.

 

Massillon volunteers and teachers have seen the proof. At Gorrell, for instance, at least one formerly struggling reader has picked up a daily newspaper habit. “He’s been growing tremendously in his ability to read,” said teacher Jenny Gotshall. She pointed out that after being introduced to the daily newspaper, he now picks up an extra copy of The Independent to read at home. “He now has a love reading that will last the rest of his life,” she said, adding that other students now are following his example.

 

Joni Gates, a former teacher who describes herself as “rewired not retired,” mentored three Franklin students this year. “I have absolutely loved it,” she said. Not only did she see tremendous growth in at least one student, she found Franklin’s school atmosphere exemplary in structure, discipline and accountability.

Project MORE volunteers went the extra mile even beyond the gift of their time, Jenny… said, as they shared their lives with Massillon students, establishing relationships with kids who may not receive much one-on-one reading time with the adults in their lives.

 

In return, the volunteers found the systematic program easy to implement and flexible with their schedules – not to mention rewarding. “I thought it was the most wonderful program ever,” one volunteer enthused. “I really enjoyed it,” another said. “Thanks for asking me to do it, and I’ll be back next year.”

 

“One on one may seem so simple,” Gorrell Principal Kathy Harper said, “but I really believe even though you may never see the fruits, what you’re doing will impact every facet of these children’s lives as they go into adulthood with better reading skills. There’s nothing better than giving that gift to a child and what you give them will last a lifetime and beyond.”

Your time could be the most valuable gift a Massillon child will ever receive. It takes as little as one hour a week to make a difference to a child for a lifetime. By volunteering for Project MORE, you can help Massillon students become proficient readers –  and reading is the key to academic success. Training is provided for all volunteers.

Volunteers are needed for the next school year. For more information, please contact Marva Kay Jones at
mjones@massillon.sparcc.org or at 330-830-3900. To see a Project MORE brochure, visit www.ohioprojectmore.org.

Page-Flipping, Fast and Furious

06/05/09

Here’s an easy one: How many justices make up the U.S. Supreme Court?Now it gets a little tougher: Name the Roman ruler who became emperor in 54 A.D. following the reign of Claudius I.O.K., time to really strain your brain: Name the world leader who was assassinated on Oct. 31, 1984 and his or her country.

Massillon Middle School seventh graders have learned how to ferret out all kinds of information, thanks to the 2009 Almanac Challenge, the culmination of a six-week unit on developing research skills. Students learned how to look for key words, main topics and subtopics. They had to locate resources from an index to a drop-down menu and know how to decipher maps, charts, graphs, articles, lists and labels.

Not only does the Almanac Challenge go a long way toward helping students meet state standards, “they love competition,” said librarian Sue Woutat.

The Almanac Challenge grand champions were the team of Taylor Wicks, Garret Dean, Mackenzie Brenner and Brian Harris, who each received a McDonald’s gift card. All 52 semi-finalists won a pizza and pop party.

Almanac Challenge

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Smith 'Graduates' Leave With Musical Salute

06/05/09

It was "One, Two, Three O'Clock", time for summer vacation at Smith Thursday as fourth graders "graduated" from elementary school.

The class of 2017 left with a musical salute to their school, "On the Radio" directed by Nancy Hannon. Students covered the musical bases with tunes from the 40s to the 80s, with a special focus on the 50s by the poodle-skirted and t-shirted performers.

Students also received awards for service, attendance citizenship, and achievement, with the L.J. Smith Award going to Quentin Heck. A cake and punch reception for friends and relatives followed the event.

Smith End-of-year

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Students Edge Teachers at MMS

06/04/09

In the case of MMS sixth graders versus a team of their teachers, the two groups mixing it up on the basketball court:

Final score leaving the hardwood Wednesday -  52-50 in favor of the youngsters.

Final score heading into summer and into the seventh grade - everyone wins with a spirit of friendly competition and cooperation.
   

    

School's Out, Learning's Not

06/04/09

School stops for the summer, learning should never end. That’s the philosophy behind the donation of 350 summer activity books for Massillon City Schools kindergarteners by the AT&T Telecom Pioneers. Members of the nonprofit volunteer organization, made up of active employees and retirees of the telephone company, hope to help the youngest students retain the materials they’ve learned during their first year of school and be ready to hit the ground running in first grade. The books provide one page a day of fun activities in reading, writing, math and language skills. Parents are included, too, by checking the work and encouraging the ongoing learning process. The AT&T Telecom Pioneers will be back in the fall, they said, for feedback – literally. They’ll check with students and teachers on how the summer work went and provide pizza or ice cream for the hard-working students.

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From left: Sandy Howell, AT&T Telecom Pioneers Summer Reads chairperson; MCS Assistant Superintendent Marva Kay Jones; Wade Main, Pioneers treasurer; Shirley Bush, Pioneers president.

65 ABLE Students Earn GED

06/03/09

A mother and her daughter who set the same goal … two brothers who shared a loss … a native of Zimbabwe who adopted a new country. The roads traveled by the 65 GED graduates of Massillon City School’s Adult Basic & Literacy Education program vary in length and direction, but they came together at the intersection of accomplishment.

 

Netsai Wesley arrived in Massillon from Zimbabwe a year and a half ago and decided to pursue her dream of attending college. Supported by her husband, Gerald Wesley, and his family, she went back to the books 20 years after her last formal education ended. “I had to start somewhere,” she said of her decision to attend classes at ABLE.

 

It was the helping hands of the ABLE staff and volunteers who gave her the boost to accomplish the first step toward her goal of becoming a midwife, she said. “You must have hard work, determination, willingness,” she said, “and appreciate the efforts of others. You don’t’ make it alone.” Help, she said, is there, if you simply reach for it.

 

“Never stop trying, never stop learning,” she said, “even if you fail, you have to try some more. You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” Fellow classmate and speaker Brenda Smith Wilson concurred. You, a family member, a friend – go back to school, she advised.

 

Stark County is one of the few areas in Ohio with an increasing number of residents without a high school diploma, ABLE Director Vickie Whiting said. ABLE students and graduates are resisting that trend, with the majority of GED earners planning to use their diploma as the first step toward post-secondary education. Partnering with Stark State College and the University of Akron’s Wayne College, ABLE is offering college readiness courses and a master student class, including a college readiness developmental science course to ensure college success.

Beginning this fall, the superior-rated MCS ABLE program will be located at the Massillon City Schools Educational Complex at 207 Oak Ave. S.E. For more information, call 330-830-1836 or visit the ABLE Web page (at left, click on “schools” and then “ABLE”).

FACT: The average kindergarten student has seen more than 5,000 hours of television, having spent more time in front of the TV than it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree.
FACT: Adult reading scores improve approximately one grade level with 35-45 hours of tutoring.
FACT: On average, a functionally illiterate adult earns 42% less than a high school graduate.

FACT: More than 40% of American adults do not read one book in the course of a year.

ABLE 5.09

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Congratulations, WHS Class of 2009!

06/02/09


Under a picture-perfect blue sky Sunday, the Washington High Class of 2009 turned their tassels and headed out from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium into the world.
Congratulations and best wishes, new WHS alumni, from your Massillon City Schools family. You've made us proud!




2009 graduation

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MMS Helps Comfort Area Disaster Victims

05/29/09

When everything else is gone, a little toothpaste goes a long way toward making life seem at least a little bit normal.

 

Seventh graders in the enrichment flex time at Massillon Middle School reached out to Stark County residents in crisis by collecting donations for Red Cross comfort kits.

After representatives from the disaster relief organization explained their role in the community, the students spread the word, sending out letters and broadcasts to parents, making pleas to students via classroom visits, fliers and hallway displays.


After the donations came in, the seventh graders assembled the kits that contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, a wash cloth, a comb, pocket tissues, lotion, deodorant, a razor and shaving cream.




Recycling is Profitable at Bowers

05/28/09

Talk about getting an idea off the ground. One of the entrepreneurial efforts at Bowers Elementary involved a plastic bag, some string, and an action figure. Instructions: Toss high in the air and enjoy.

 

The emphasis was on economics in Mary Beth Liossis’ gifted fourth grade class, but recycling came in a close second, whether to save the earth or save some cash.


“We saw a picture in a magazine and thought, hey, we could start a business together,” Jalen Fogle said. With an investment of $2.30 in pipe cleaners and action figures, he and classmate Drake Stenger were hawking their parachute toys for 50 cents a pop. “We want to give the money we make to the needy,” Jalen said. The parachute part of production (recycled plastic grocery bags), they pointed out, were free.

 

So were the plastic fast food cup “seconds” Asheton Paul, Garrett Fox and Brandan Broome rounded up to create their “finger springs” – tiny trampolines that they discovered could also be used as snapping music makers or microphones. With $3 in rubber bands and balloons, the trio was charging 75 cents for their multi-talented product. Their goal: Sell 10 finger springs to produce enough profit for a pizza.

 

Recycled paper became a sweet ride for the E-raser Facers being sold in hopes of raising cash for a swim. Plain, they sold for 25 cents; with personality like eyes, mouth and hair, buyers were asked to cough up 50 cents. Add another quarter if you want your E-raser Facer to be transported in style in a paper car.

Bowers Businesses

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The Four-Year Dash: 2009-2013

05/28/09

That line between the date of our birth and date of our death has been referred to as “the dash.” Massillon eighth graders, however, are being asked to think about more of a parenthesis in their lives – the time between 2008 and 2013, the years in their lives between now and their high school graduation.

 

Each student is compiling a sort of time capsule documenting what life is like as he or she leaves middle school and prepares for the transition to Washington High, while envisioning the possibilities of the next four years.

 

They’re recording the "now" – current local government, school officials, media favorites, personal preferences, photos, collages, even the last text message they received – and also asking questions about the "later." Like, how will WHS remember you? Aspirations abound: valedictorian, star of the school play, homecoming queen, Ohio State-bound, captain of the football team, senior class president.

 

While creative and engaging, the exercise also incorporates Ohio academic content standards:

- Writing a letter to their future selves

- Creating a timeline of their own past and predicted future life events

- Goal-setting, academic and personal

- Adding up all the elements with personal touches.

“We want them to think about what they’re going to make of their life between now and high school graduation,” said eighth grade principal Renee Parr, who adapted “the dash” concept. Parr will be able to keep tabs on her students’ progress over the next four years – she’ll be making the transition along with them, taking a spot as an assistant principal at Washington High.


Fire Safety is Hot Topic at Bowers

05/27/09

 Eighty pounds worth of big, bulky gear … a face-obscuring mask … a voice-changing oxygen tank … it’s enough to scare anyone in an already-scary situation. Thanks to a visit from the Massillon Fire Department, however, Bowers students now know that a suited-up firefighter is the go-to guy or girl when there are smoke and flames.

“Don’t be scared if you see me come in wearing this or sounding like this,” Jim Swain told the group as he donned the protective gear. Swain and Chuck Floyd reminded the students of fire safety basics- stay low to get out of the house, arrange a safe meeting place for family members and once outside, don’t go back in. “That’s our job,” Swain said.

 

The duo fielded questions about the $300,000 pump truck they brought with them, explaining gauges and levers and knobs and demonstrating equipment and gear like axes and extinguishers and chainsaws.

 

For those who want to grow up to become firefighters, they said, a word of advice: Graduate. Then, be ready for more education to keep the job.

    

MCS Names Most Improved Students 2009

05/26/09




Only eight of Massillon’s 4,218 students get to wear these Tiger tees. These shirts are so special, they can’t be bought – only earned.

This year’s Most Improved Students in the district received the t-shirts, a certificate and their name engraved on a special plaque in their school, all evidence of the exemplary effort they put forth to go from there to here, to be better than they were.

That might mean, Assistant Superintendent Marva Jones told the gathered family and friends at the recent ceremony, pulling their grades up, moving their reading skills up a grade level or two or setting a new standard for citizenship.  

Brianna Howard, for instance, “shone with improvement” this year, her teacher said, because “she’s not the type to give up on anything she does, even if it’s difficult for her.” Nicholas Hammond became a classroom role model. Kyshad Tate’s efforts to better himself moved his teacher, Erin Sykora, to tears.

At Whittier, Nathan Ledsome became the “go-to” person in his classroom, while at Massillon Middle School Jerid Rice regularly extended a helping hand to a student with cerebral palsy and Andrew Smith went from unmotivated to earning some of the highest test scores in the school and becoming a leader in the classroom and labs.

 

The Most Improved awards have been presented for the past 14 years by the Massillon Academic Booster Club, with t-shirts presented by SportsStuf and the school plaques sponsored by Judge and Mrs. Eddie Elum.

Most Improved Students for 2009  

Bowers
Nicholas Hammond, grade three; nominated by teacher Andrea Moore.

Emerson
Brianna Howard, grade three; nominated by teacher Sue Bettilyon

Franklin
Kyshad Tate, grade two; nominated by teacher Erin Sykora
Gorrell
McKenzie Gore, grade two; nominated by teacher Marie Stoner
Smith
Joselyn Iraheta-Flores, grade kindergarten; nominated by teacher Kristy Elliott
Whittier
Nathan Ledome, grade one; nominated by teacher Malia Gerber
Massillon Middle School
Jarid Rice, grade six; nominated by teacher Martha Grigg
Massillon Middle School
Andrew Smith, grade eight; nominated by teacher Cali Turley

MMS Artists Learn from the Ancients

05/26/09

Time and distance are no problem for sixth grade artists at Massillon Middle School. Their work has taken them from Egyptian tombs to Japanese gardens and places in between.

The students in Sara Hobe’s classes created life-size sarcophagus lids (a stone coffin used by the Egyptians, bearing sculpture, inscriptions and other decoration) along with glazed clay Egyptian cartouches, an oval or oblong figure on ancient Egyptian monuments that enclosed characters representing the name of a sovereign.

They’re  working now on Japanese scrolls, which feature nature, architecture and everyday life in watercolors.

Seventh graders recently created and designed a clay mask that boasted powers while fifth graders incorporated circular weaving into paintings. Eighth graders tried their hand at monochromatic painting, which uses one color, allowed only white to tint and black to shade.

MMS Art

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Seniors Give Back to Massillon

05/22/09

Before they donned caps and gowns, WHS seniors rolled up their sleeves and slipped into work gloves.
The Class of 2009 fanned out over their community Friday to give back in appreciation of the support they've received. Work crews could be spotted at South Sippo Park, Springhill Historic Home, downtown Massillon and the city police and tax departments.
After hours spent working up some sweat equity for Tigertown, the group returned to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for lunch and activities that included whiffleball, an obstacle course, a pedestal joust and a rock climbing wall. 

Sr Community Service 5.09

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MMS-Gorrell Partners in Reading

05/21/09

It was only a 15-minute walk to Gorrell Elementary from Massillon Middle School, but Monica Shrader’s seventh grade enrichment students felt like they’d walked into a world from long ago.

“These ceilings are a lot lower than I remember,” one shooting-up seventh grader said. “That’s the cafeteria?” another asked. “Those tables are so tiny.”

The MMS students became the leaders during a partnership this week between the two schools. Each of three groups chose a book to read to Gorrell kindergarteners, then created an art project – including rounding up the necessary supplies – for their young charges that tied in to the literature.

 

“Hey, I like those yellow hands,” the middle school “teacher” pointed out as the Gorrell students colored pictures of the story’s “Huggy the Frog” and glued on wild yarn hair. “You’re doing a good job.”

Another class, creating their own “wild thing” after hearing “Where the Wild Things Are,” selected from a rainbow of feathers and beads and pompoms and doodads. Modeling the fact that reading is fun, the MMS mentors offered guidance and encouragement: “Yours is great!”

MMS-Gorrell Readers

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Tiger Swing Band Plays the West Coast

05/18/09

Fifty-three years ago the Massillon Tiger Swing Band strutted down the boulevards in the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, Calif., and this spring the descendants of those musicians were back in black and orange in the Golden State. MTSB members recently performed at Disneyland and Universal Studios, reminding Californians and their visitors of “Tiger Rag” done right.





 







 

CLICK IN THE NEWS COLUMN AT RIGHT FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THE MASSILLON TIGER SWING BAND IN CALIFORNIA  

Lights! Camera! Read!

05/15/09

Their teachers adorned in feathery, floaty boas, their principal spiffed up in a tuxedo, Franklin students strutted and sashayed down the red carpet this week, soaking up the spotlight as celebrity readers.

With the Right to Read Week theme Lights! Camera! Read! the school “set their sights on reading” by sporting star-worthy sunglasses. By Tuesday they had the paparazzi in their pockets, ready for any adult to ask them the title of their favorite book.  
A cadre of winners was able to “catch a rising star” by correctly identifying a daily passage from a popular book. The prize: a bountiful selection of  beautiful books.
Midweek the glamorous gang dressed as their favorite book character and on Thursday they donned their finest and took a runway stroll reserved for “red carpet readers.” Students who surpassed the daily 15-minute reading goal were awarded a reading Oscar, good for a coveted extra recess. 

The week’s finale involved – what else – popcorn and a movie.

Franklin Right to Read Week

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Franklin Farmers Get Green and Growing

05/14/09

A little love and attention can grow great things. 

That’s the lesson Marie Glossen’s preschool class is learning from their new class garden just outside their room at Franklin Elementary. Thanks to donations of muscle and mulch, plants and pavers from Renaissance Landscaping and Design, students are learning about the tender loving care plants (and people) need to grow.

 

The outdoor garden, full of Russian sage, Siberian iris, Shasta daisies, columbine, morning glories, sunflowers and wildflowers neatly divided by paver paths, receives attention throughout the day. “Students can choose to work in the garden even during recess,” said classroom aide Karen DelRio. The garden’s plants are all hummingbird and butterfly attractors, she pointed out, adding that she plans to donate her time over the summer to keep the garden growing.

 

Meanwhile, things are green and growing inside the classroom, too. After healthy snacks of grapes, watermelon, kiwi cucumber, snow peas, apples, oranges and more all-natural treats, students planted the leftover seeds to see which varieties would grow in their Dixie cup, windowsill test plot. The class tested several hypotheses on the seeds and seedlings, Glossen said, including varying the amount of water, sunlight and air.

 

In fact, one corner of the classroom is gradually becoming a science center, where students track the weather and chart their plants’ progress. One of the most important accessories during inclement weather: A pair of binoculars to get an up-close and personal look at that blossoming outdoor garden.

Island Utopias Founded at Massillon Middle

05/13/09

Looking for the ideal retirement spot? You might try Hossenville.

Just east of Egypt, the country offers a steady temperature of 78 mostly sunny degrees and its residents sing a national anthem that boasts “O say can’t you see, my country is the best overseas.” Still not convinced? Try some of their delicious toffee bar crunch pie.
 

That newly-created country, along with the likes of Murutesaplios and Laaseopolis, were among the idyllic spots dreamed up by Monica Shrader’s seventh graders at Massillon Middle School. At Tuesday evening's presentation, students touted their civilizations located on imaginary, uninhabited islands. Parents and friends helped set up before taking the tour.

Some nations were named for their founders: Taylor Wicks’ Taylortopia with the unique unipenueet as its national bird, or Austinopia where the national flag explodes. Others were dubbed in honor of favorites: Gummyville where Gummyvillelans are “caring and sweet and everything in between” or Baswimball, always popular for its emphasis on swimming and basketball, dinosaurs, and national role models Michael Phelps and Lebron James.
 

Enrichment students were charged with computerizing their presentations, while some students illustrated the allure of their country with models – rhinos, giraffes and alligators congregating near water, sheep scaling mountains, wind turbines generating power, soldiers and fighter jets protecting borders. 

Students were required to develop a country name, flag, national bird, flower and anthem. Their research helped them formulate political, economic, military, social and religious aspects of their country.  

In Dukington, for instance, equality reigns supreme. Under the flag of Freedom, the capital city, the rules are simple: No stealing, no killing another person, no racism, no lying, worship one God, no hunting without a permit and drive safely. According to the law, “if you commit a crime against another person, you have to make it right with that person.”  

Although there are some restrictions – wear the clothes given to you and no sagging those jeans; everyone worships the same God for four hours one day a week and reads the Bible for one hour daily – each person works the same amount of hours, gets the same month-long vacation and receives the same pay.

Dukington is “about being equal and not having more than someone else,” its founder explains. “Everyone is treated the same no matter what color or sex you are and everyone has the same values and rights to live happily and safely.”

MMS Creates Countries

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Massillon Athletes Excel at Exceptional Olympics

05/08/09

A gray drizzle did little to dampen 100-watt smiles Friday at the annual Exceptional Olympics.

Massillon students from Bowers, Massillon Middle School and Washington High did the Tiger tradition proud, competing courageously, showing good sportsmanship and accepting awards with pride. Students from Washington High volunteered as personal assistants for the athletes throughout the day. A dozen other area schools were represented at the event, hosted by Perry High.

The 2009 slate of events included: 50-yard dash, bean bag toss, bowling, basketball, field goal shooting, softball batting, soccer ball kick, base running, obstacle course, Frisbee toss and football pass.

Sporting the orange-and-black for Massillon were:

Bowers

Bobbie Baxter, Cory Budd, Jordan Burkhart, Chancelor Burns, Elizabeth Gray, Jack Jacobs, Caleb Mangus, Austin Mills, Zeth Riehl, Blake Stackhouse, Collin Wadian, Ronda Weekly

Massillon Middle

Grayson Combs, Kristine McCord, Travis Moore, Brittany Russell, Brianna Seefong, Kaci Smith

Washington High

Kyle Ball, Jason Ballas, LeeAnna Bonk, Lorenzo Echols, Ashley May, Travis Rucker, Nikki Spencer , Christy Talkington

 

Massillon teachers are Sandy Rees, Sandy Warehime and Kathleen Hennessy.

Exceptional Olympics 2009

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