News Blog - Marion Community Schools

Highlights

News

Upcoming Events for Marion Community Schools

News for Marion Community Schools

MCS superintendent featured at educational leadership summit

Posted: Oct 31, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Community Schools Superintendent Brad Lindsay was among the featured speakers Monday at an educational leadership summit at Grace College in Winona Lake.

The Educators' Leadership Learning Summit (TELL) brought together high school administrators, principals, athletic directors, and coaches from across Indiana, providing a platform to inspire educators as they work with student athletes. The summit, which featured several top state educators and motivational speakers, was designed to spark new learning ideas, stimulate deep discussion and provide networking opportunities among attendees.

“This is a great opportunity for educators who work with high school athletics to network and to gain new ideas and initiatives from each other,” Grace College Director of Athletics Chad Briscoe said. “Athletics plays an important role in developing students, and we all need to be encouraged and challenged to grow as leaders.”

During the event, which is designed to be an annual feature at the college, 14 elite speakers presented in a “TED Talk”-inspired format. Sessions ranged from character and leadership training to school traditions and parent involvement.

“The TELL Summit stands as a wonderful opportunity for educators to hear from industry leaders on a variety of topics that will illustrate best practices in the field,” IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox said. Cox was one of the presenters at TELL.

Lindsay shared on the topic of "Purpose-Driven Performance" and he took along several Marion coaches, administrators, and other leaders

"We need all of our students to be engaged in extended-day and extended-year activities," Lindsay said. "Engagement in these activities leads to greater engagement in school, and more opportunities after high school. Coaches have a unique opportunity to reach students in a life-changing way. The TELL Summit was a GIANT opportunity for our coaches and leaders to be inspired and learn from others involved in reaching and teaching students through athletics and more. I'm grateful and humbled to have been included in the inaugural program's list of outstanding speakers."

Speakers also included: Jamy Bechler (John Maxwell coach and former Marion High School athletic director), Seth Maust (Five Star Life president), David Hoffert (Warsaw superinendent) Rob Haworth (Elkhart superintendent), Nicole Chisley (Fort Wayne Snider principal), Terry Turner (Daleville baseball coach), Deb Brown (Saint Joseph athletic director), Lenny Krebs (Warsaw girls’ basketball coach), Sandy Searcy (NFHS director), Jim Self (Hamilton Southeastern athletic director), Jeff Hester (Columbus North athletic director) and Matt Moore (Fishers boys’ basketball coach).

MHS student earns perfect score on ACT test

Posted: Oct 18, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

A member of Marion High School’s Class of 2018 can claim an achievement few others can: a perfect score on the ACT test.

Elizabeth Wuertley, MHS senior, learned of her achievement last month. According to the ACT organization, on average only 0.1 percent of test takers earn a perfect score. (That means out of every 10,000 test takers, only 10 would be expected to earn a perfect score, based on ACT's historical data.)

The ACT, a curriculum-based achievement exam, consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1 to 36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. Elizabeth earned a composite score of 36, the highest possible, signaling a mastery of those skills.

In a letter recognizing this exceptional achievement, ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda called the achievement “significant and rare.”

Marion High School congratulates Elizabeth on this outstanding achievement!

8 MHS musicians selected for IBA All-District Honor Band

Posted: Oct 12, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Eight Marion High School band students have been selected to perform in the Indiana Bandmasters Association All-District Honor Band.

“This is the first time in a number of years we’ve had any students selected to perform with this band, and to have eight students selected is quite an honor,” said MHS Director of Bands Josh Huff.

The musicians selected:

Jaelin Lindsay, sophomore, clarinet
Jerimiah Planck, senior, euphonium
Carynna Aguila, freshman, flute
Lauren Morrow, junior, flute/piccolo
Ty Metzger, freshman, tenor sax
Victor Lee, junior, trombone
Saralena Bergsma, sophomore, trumpet
Geordaun Shaw, junior, trumpet

Each of these students was recommended by their band director, Mr. Huff, and submitted applications to be considered for the Honor Band earlier this year. Applications from students across the state were evaluated to select members of this talented group. Selected musicians were notified earlier this month, and were tasked with practicing the musical selections in preparation for the upcoming performance.

On Nov. 18, Honor Band members from around the state will gather to rehearse together for the first time. Then, on Sunday, Nov. 19, they will perform together at 4 p.m. at Dekalb High School in Waterloo. This performance is open to the public.

Congratulations to these talented, hard-working students on this great accomplishment! The All-District Honor Band is a great opportunity, and will give them a chance to learn and grow as musicians.

Arts integration boosts literacy skills at Frances Slocum

Posted: Oct 10, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Students at Frances Slocum Elementary are learning language skills in a whole new way: through arts integration fueled by the Honeywell Foundation.

Arts integration is an approach to teaching and learning that provides multiple ways for students to make sense of what they learn. It goes beyond the initial step of helping students learn and recall information, and it challenges students to take the information and facts they have learned and do something with them to build deeper understanding.

The Honeywell Foundation’s Educational Outreach program is bringing artists to Frances Slocum to provide experiences in the classroom built around specific Indiana language arts standards. These experiences will help students develop specific skills and close gaps in literacy and numeracy, the foundational skills that they will build on for the rest of their lives.

Frances Slocum’s administration and staff are excited for the opportunity to be a part of the Honeywell Foundation’s Educational Outreach program for 2017-18. Arts integration experiences will continue throughout the next two weeks in grades one through four.

Marion cadets win JROTC Raider State Championship

Posted: Sep 25, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion High School JROTC Raiders battled 13 other teams, the oppressive heat, and eight grueling competitive events last Saturday at Camp Atterbury to win the Indiana State JROTC Raider Championship.

MHS JROTC cadets compete in the JROTC Raider State Championship on Sept. 23 at Camp Atterbury.

The competition, hosted by the Indiana Army National Guard, pitted the best Raider teams from across the state in a series of physically demanding events designed to test the strength, stamina and teamwork abilities of the competing cadets. At the end of the competition, Marion’s varsity team dominated all other teams by placing first in six of the events and third in the remaining two events.

“This competition demonstrated to everyone that the Marion Giants are without question the best Raider team in the state,” said retired Lt. Col. David Farlow, the Giants’ coach. “Not only did our cadets win, but they won decisively, with no other team even coming close to their level of performance.”

Each 10-person Raider team representing JROTC programs from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps from across the state competed in the following events:

• 1-mile cross country run
• 1-mile run with 25-pound backpacks
• ½-mile litter carry (weighing 100 pounds) with weighted backpacks and ammo cans
• Buddy carry for 10 minutes
• Fitness test (90 seconds of pushups and 90 seconds of sit-ups)
• Military obstacle course
• 1-rope bridge construction and crossing
• Terrible tires (moving 25 car tires, five truck tires and two tractor tires 150 yards for time)

MHS JROTC cadets compete in the obstacle course at the Raider State Championship on Sept. 23 at Camp Atterbury.

“It was a very rewarding experience to win the first Raider Championship,” said Thomas Schenck, Marion High School senior and Marion’s Raider team captain. “My team has been training intensely since the beginning of the season. So to go on and crush the other teams all day long was very rewarding for our team and me. I hope we can continue this level of performance for the rest of the season.”

As the competition continued throughout the day and temperatures rose, fatigue set in on many of the teams. After nearly two straight hours of competitive events, Marion’s varsity team rotated to the fitness test, where the Giants proved they were the strongest team. The eight cadets achieved a score of nearly 300 more repetitions than their closest competitors.

Marion seniors Joseph O’Donnell and Adriana Aleman cranked out the highest number of repetitions for the males and females respectively. Teammate Audrey Dickerson, an MHS junior, earned the second highest female score by finishing only one point behind Aleman.

“It was really great to see that all our hard work as a team paid off,” Aleman said. “It was also great to see my personal hard work validated by winning the top female fitness score.”

Adriana Aleman competes in the fitness challenge at the JROTC Raider State Championship on Sept. 23 at Camp Atterbury. She earned first place in the female category.

But Marion’s domination at the competition did not end with their varisty team. Marion’s JV team finished in third place overall, defeating most of the varsity teams present at the competition.

“It feels amazing that we can go out and beat the varisy team from 12 other schools,” said Kaleb Starr, MHS sophomore and member of the Marion JV team. “It shows the strength of our Raider program.”

The Giants have several upcoming regional competitions yet this fall. Their season will culminate the first weekend in November when they compete against the best teams from across the country at the JROTC Raider National Championship in Molena, Ga. Last year the Giants placed eighth in the nation at this competition.

Other members of Marion’s state championship team were Eric Asher, Tayler Garriott, Tyron Rice, Gavin Collins, Troy Smith, and Haley O’Neil.

Individuals and organizations interested in helping to sponsor the Raider Team’s trip to the National Championship should contact the Marion High School JROTC at 765-664-9051 x. 2455.