Middle School Minutes

Welcome to another edition of Middle School Minutes! We are excited to share the great things happening at North Clay Middle School.

On September 21st, 2023, in North Clay Middle School, the Illusionist, Tom Coverly, came in to do a magic trick and talk about bullying in middle schools. He told a story about a kid who was bullied. Mr. Coverly invited said kid to eat with him; the people he was eating with had happened to be his bullies. Coverly, not knowing this, notices something is off and tells the bullies to keep the kid safe and always stand up for him, and they do. He turned out happy in the end and got most people in the school emotional. All grades walked away with a positive message!

North Clay offers many extracurricular activities for stu- dents. Last week, students could apply to join the Robotics Team. So many students applied, the team was narrowed

down based on grades, attendance, and discipline. The head of the Robotics team is Mr. Pell, the Seventh Grade Science Teacher.

“We are trying to organize our competitions for next semester. We are collaborating with Clay City for our com- petition.”

More Information will be available before the first com- petition.

At the end of every school year, schools make adjustments where needed for student success, and this year started with a change in the daily schedule: Passing periods increased from four minutes to five minutes. Principal Mrs. Jones felt it was a necessary change.

“After doing this, we saw a decrease in tardies to class, so I believe it helped.”

This schedule change has impacted students in a big way. Some students must go from one side of the school to the other, meaning they must run to class or be late. Also, as stat- ed by Mr. Anderson, Dean of Discipline, “With the change of five-minute passing periods, the number of tardy referrals has decreased so far this school year....”

This shows that the increased passing periods have helped.

Although middle school students’ plans are usually not set in stone, preparing for the future is always a great idea.

College-Go-Week helps students learn what their options are for college. As Mr. Burns ( Seventh Grade Counselor) says, “College-Go-Week is a week event in September pro- moted by Learn More Indiana to build interest in all grade levels concerning colleges, scholarships such as the 21st Century Scholarship that 7th and 8th graders may apply for, financial aid, college terminology, and other career oppor- tunities.” This week has helped many students figure out a

plan or strategy for when they’re older. Banners were made in Mrs. Brown’s Careers Class for this specific event. On Tuesday and Thursday, students read interactive magazines. Staff and students were encouraged to wear college spirit gear to finish the week.

North Clay saw a familiar face but with a change in posi- tion.

At the end of the 2023 school year, the 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Grounds, moved to 7th Grade Social Studies.

When asked about the move, “I switched to social studies because it was always a content area I loved as a student. I love to learn about history and different cultures from around the world. For the most part, my teaching career is the same.”

He is happy in his new position right down the hallway. He says, “I still ensure that students keep up with good grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills!” North Clay is excited to see Mr. Grounds in his new role!