Middle School Minutes

Welcome to another edition of Middle School Minutes! November continues to be a busy month at North Clay.

On Friday, November 10th, North Clay Middle School had their annual Veterans Day assembly. The day started by welcoming the veterans with breakfast with their students.The American Legion presented the Flags during the assembly. The North Clay show choir sang the national anthem. North Clay welcomed Major General Kip Clark as a guest speaker. He spoke on fighter pilots, words that describe vets, the 1% of the population, and how Veterans Day is really about U.S. citizens. Clark put his pilot helmet on a student to show how it works, that was his “show and tell”, as he said. Eight students chose a word that they feel describes veterans, these included: hope, freedom, brave, etc.. He chose eight people to represent how that is 1% of the students at North Clay; this shows that only 1% of the U.S. is currently serving. The North Clay band played the military anthems for the vets to stand up when their anthem was played. North Clay also recognized the North Clay staff members who were in the armed forces. This included: Mr. Archer, Mr. Rubin, Mrs. Wise, and Mrs. Madison. Lastly, North Clay ended the assembly with a poem by Susan R Smith, titled “ We Honor You”. North Clay thanks all veterans and all active duty members.

Eighth graders had an opportunity to learn about the future Indiana State University holds for them. This was due to Clay Community Schools receiving a grant for career exploration. “This grant provides opportunities for ISU students to come into the school and speak with our students about career opportunities, life after high school, and expectations for college and beyond!” stated Mrs. Jones, North Clay’s principal. Five students from ISU came to North Clay to talk about students’ futures; they discussed occupational therapy, education, and nursing. Students were able to play bingo and enter raffles for Sycamore gear.

North Clay just completed the PBIS Annual School-Wide Fundraiser. This fundraiser is where students sent out requests for donations through a secure website, and people were able to make donations through that website. North Clay does the fundraiser to help raise money to support things for students including: Claymart, PBIS, dilly bars, end of the year parties, and prizes. When the administration’s set goal is accomplished, one student from each grade will get the opportunity to pie Mrs. Jones, North Clay’s principal, in the face at a pep session at the end of the year. Students that have five or more donations will get to go on a bowling field trip. If the goal is exceeded, then the administration will do something for all students. During the fundraiser this year, North Clay proudly surpassed their goal! Mr. Anderson said, “We,as the school, are so appreciative of the students' hard work, sending out info as well as, the family, friends, and community members, so graciously, that donated to the school. This enables us to provide things for our students.”

North Clay has a new permanent nurse: Lindsay Morgan. Before coming to North Clay, Lindsay was a nurse at Adult Intensive Care, Riley NICU Intensive Care, and Africa Mercy Ships. She is currently also employed as a Hospice nurse. This is her first time being a school nurse. She said, “I wanted to make a difference in adolescents' lives.” She likes being a nurse because, “I get to be involved in all aspects in people's lives,” she continued on to say, “when people are born, die, come out of surgery….” Lindsay has her Bachelor's degree in the science of nursing (BSN). She said one of her favorite parts of the day is in the morning when students come in and take their meds. North Clay is excited to welcome her to the staff!

This week’s teacher focus is on Mr. John Pell, one of the seventh grade science teachers. Mr. Pell has been teaching for over twenty-one years; he spent the past eight years at North Clay, and he was at Ben Davis High School for thirteen years. He also teaches online classes through Achieve Virtual Academy. Mr. Pell enjoys teaching science because he believes it encompasses all of the other subjects the school has to offer. Mr. Pell decided to give middle school a try after teaching high school for so many years; once he tried it, he loved it and never went back. Mr. Pell’s favorite part of North Clay is, “The people from top to bottom, from the administrators to the students!”.