Thursday, January 26, 2012

Center Cass District Spelling Bee





On Tuesday, January 24th, Principal Schultz and the specials team got together to conduct our annual district spelling bee. There were twelve contestants, two from each grade level from third grade through eighth grade. The Prairieview student body and staff made up the bulk of the audience. In addition, there were quite a few parents, grandparents, and other friends of the contestants.










It was one of the most exciting bees I have had the pleasure of running in my 24 years in the district. It took about an hour and fifteen rounds to determine the winner. Lakeview student Max Magnino was the champion, with Amy Wang as runner-up. All of the contestants were well prepared. While we were getting organized before the bee, I joked with the contestants about stopping for dinner during the bee, if necessary. I confess that there were a few moments when I thought that might come true.










The audience was exceptionally well behaved this year. We asked them to remain quiet and applaud only at the end of each round and they did a great job.










Many thanks to Mr. Mena and his crew for setting everything up. Also, many thanks to the specials team and Mrs. Schultz for all their judging and great support through the years. I believe it is a great thing to acknowledge the many talents our students have and spelling is one of them. Spelling is a valuable skill in many of the paths they will follow.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Math-A-Thon Results

Even in a tough economy, our students and thier families, friends, and neighbors came through. We had 48 children who participated in the Math-A-Thon. They did their math and collected $3,218.50 from their sponsors.

The prizes have arrived and I am distributing them during I.M.C. classes this week. Our participation in the program makes it possible for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee to treat patients regardless of a family's ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance.