Serving Those Who ServedMountain View’s National Junior Honor Society hosted a Veterans Day breakfast and assembly on Friday, November 9, 2018.

Members were honored to serve breakfast to thirty-three veterans who were present for this special event.

After breakfast, the veterans along with the entire school assembled in the gymnasium for the program.

Marissa Jarrell opened the program with the Pledge of Allegiance, Luke Jackson presented the introductory

remarks and was followed by the 2nd and 3rd grade music class singing the Star Spangled Banner, This Land is Your Land, and God Bless America.

Cont. on the next page

Thankful1

November 2018 Newsletter

November 2018 Newsletter

Monroe County SchoolsMonroe County Schools

Continued from Page 1 Luke Fraley, Gabe Wilcox, Emily Bailey and Dylan McDade had the honor of introducing each of the special guests and their family members to those in attendance.

Kaydence Weikle and Onyza

Persinger read “How the Poppy Became the Symbol of Sacrifice” and “In Flanders Fields”. Fourth grade students Abbygail Riley, Mya Dunlap, Keirsten Nelson and Lydia Jackson shared the poem “Veterans Day”.

In closing, Adora Dowdy

presented the oldest veteran in attendance a lap quilt that 8th Grade Intramurals had made, and Peyton Miller asked for a moment of silence as a tribute to America’s living veterans and to pay respect to those who gave their lives for their country.

Congratulations!Congratulations to

Breea Bostic, winner of the Peterstown PTO

Pumpkin Basket!

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Every PES student signed the Anti-Bullying board, and Ms. Lively and Ms. Cardinal’s classes created foot prints of how they would stop bullying behaviors. The Pledge says “We make a commitment to take a stand against bullying. We will treat others with Respect and Kindness. We will have the Compassion to not be a bully and the Courage to not be a bystander. It is our responsibility to help others being bullied and to report bullying.”

Pirates Anti-Bullying Pledge

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On Thursday, November 1, PES held an awards assembly to honor those students who were chosen as the October Leaders of the Month. The following students were chosen: Pre-K – Bryson Vipperman (Kees), Cooper Thomas (King), Triton Taylor (Mason), Addison Morgan (Gilbert); Kindergarten – Chloe Carden (Meadows), Jase Cahoon (Canterbury), Ellee Johnson (Law-Bottorf); 1st Grade – Remington Goddard (Ludwig), Mia Jackson (McGlothlin), Breea Bostic (Morris), Emma Allen (Baker); 2nd Grade – Kaitlyn Woody (Spangler), Emily McDonald (Crosier), Bentley McCroskey (Fox), Trevor Cook (Long); 3rd Grade – Havannah Kast (Cardinal), Marshal White (Walsh), Trinity Church (Lively), Shyla Walkup (Pitzer); and 4th Grade – Alyssa Grimmett (Copenhaver), Landon Cain (Hill), Autumn Hoke (Riffe). Congratulations to our leaders for the month of October!

October Leaders of the Month

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Drone Workshop Held at ConcordATHENS, W.Va. – Approximately 75 high school students from around West Virginia were on the campus of Concord University on Saturday, Nov. 10 for a drone workshop hosted by the Geography Program.

The drones are tied into geographic information science, computer mapping, criminology and the broadcast me-teorology program. The students also had a geocaching experience using GPS units and mapping. There was a take home geography bowl assignment for the students.

Their teachers, in the meantime, participated in presentations on transnational migration and climate change.

Dr. Joe Manzo, Concord Professor of Geography, hosted the event. Geography faculty Professor Tom Saladyga, Professor Shimantini Shome, and Professor Megan Click presented to the students and faculty. They were joined by Professor Linwood Clayton from Recreation and Tourism Management.

Schools participating include: The Boone Career and Technical Center, James Monroe High School, Lincoln County High School, Huntington High School, Webster County High School, Winfield High School, Mount View High School, Shady Spring High School, Montcalm High School, and Princeton Senior High School.

Colten Waldron, Mariah Kegley (JMHS graduate), Kaitlin Meadows and Alexis Jackson

David Broyles, Kaleb Burnside, and Kaleb Harper

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Bus SafetyAngie Mann, Monroe County Board of Education Director of Transportation & Safety and Personnel Director spoke with James Monroe High School

seniors and juniors on Monday, November 5th, 2018 to address school bus safety in Monroe County. The two part presentation educated students concerning school bus safety law, the ramifications of school bus law violations, and the importance of staying focused and attentive while driving. Students then learned through an outside demonstration about bus lights, what they mean, and how to ensure other students’ safety while entering and exiting the bus. As student drivers, James Monroe students meet buses daily on rural roads. It is important to stay alert and stop

when meeting a bus that has their caution lights on. For more information about school bus safety you may read the West Virginia Law at: http://

www.wvlegislature.gov/WVCode/ChapterEntire.cfm?chap=17c&art=12&section=7 , or speak with Mrs. Mann at 304.772.3094.

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The Eighth Grade teachers at Mountain View are very thankful for their students. To show appreciation, the teachers decorated the cafeteria to provide a formal dining room for the Thanksgiving Lunch. The students were surprised!

Thanksgiving Lunch During the months of September and October, Ms. Cardinal’s 3rd grade class completed several projects. In September, they created an animal book, in which they had to choose an animal, research characteristics about that animal, and draw their animal. In October, the students had to research haunted places in West Virginia and tell what city and county the place was located, as well as why it’s considered to be haunted. They also had to draw a picture of the location. Finally, on Halloween, students completed a STEM project, in which they had to construct a free-standing structure out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Pictured below are Trinity Hill and Alexis Copeland constructing their marshmallow structures.

Fall Projects

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Pre-K Learns About Fire SafetySince October was fire prevention month, the Peterstown Fire Department and Ballard Fire Department came to PES to talk to students about what to do in case of a fire and how to prevent fires. They demonstrated the different types of equipment that they use, and what they wear to protect themselves when putting out a fire. The students also got to go outside and look at the fire truck. They also received special treats from the firefighters. Pictured to the right is Ms. Becky Gilbert’s Pre-K class with the fire dog. We would like to say thank you to the Peterstown Fire Department and Ballard Fire Department for taking the time to come to our school and talk with the students about fire safety.

Backpacks SentMrs. Hill’s 4th grade class at Peterstown Elementary sent out 12 backpacks for kids with cancer and also sent a special backpack to their friend Keyan Dunn. Thank you to all the 3rd and 4th graders who sent in donations for this project.

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On Friday, October 12, in Ms. Jhanna’s 3rd grade classroom, we did STEM. It stands for SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, and MATH. We were challenged to build a vehicle that would be used with our Sphero robot. The vehicle needed to be able to pop a balloon. We were given materials to build the vehicle. The materials were a cup, straws, tape, modeling clay, and a push pin. We had to use simple block coding to guide our robot. We calculated time, distance, and speed on the iPad and with a tape measure on the floor. Three people were able to get their vehicle to pop the balloon. It was Trinity, Kadence, and Brandon. STEM is fun and we love our Sphero robot. Article by Trinity, Kadence, and Brandon.

Pirate Pop STEM Challenge

Senator Baldwin Speaks About CharacterOn Thursday, November 1, 2018, Senator Steven Baldwin came to Mountain View to talk with our students about character. Senator Baldwin gave a message of respect and responsibility. Through stories and examples, our students learned what it means to be productive members of society. The students were able to see how words and actions cannot be taken back once they are said to another. Senator Baldwin did a toothpaste activity with the students demonstrating this very notion. The students enjoyed meeting a WV Senator and we thank him for coming to our school.

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Employee RecognitionEmployee Recognitionsee Mrs. Malory McPherson, seventh grade math teacher and November’s teacher of the month for some additional assistance. Some attributes used to describe Malory include positive, hardworking and picking up the slack for others. Mrs. McPherson goes above and beyond to integrate technology into her classroom and helps students see the value of each lesson to their lives. We appreciate all you do to assist the staff and to educate our students here at PMS. Mrs. McPherson, it is difficult to measure up to you!

James MonroeJames Monroe would like to recognize guidance counselor Mrs. Jones for November. She is a graduate of James Monroe and was on the 2001 and 2002 state championship basketball team. Maverick Express journalist Channing Carr interviewed Mrs. Jones:What college did you attend? Concord University, and I graduated in 2006.What degree did you receive from there? Bachelor’s of Science in Education.What was your favorite part of college? The independence and meeting new people. Did you have any other jobs before you were here? Math teacher at Narrows for five years.When did you take this job? Spring of 2012.What is it like working at your alma mater? I had never actually wanted to work here, but now that I am here I can say I really like it. What are some changes you have seen in your time here as faculty vs

Peterstown Elementary.Thank you to Mrs. Smith for organiz-ing our participation in a Guinness World Record in Speed Stacking! On November 8th, PES participated with over 40,000 schools world wide, at-tempting to break a record for speed stacking participants of 625,000. Other countries included were Hun-gary, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Colombia, and Taiwan. The news media covered our participation, and we had guests whom participated and observed. Some of these guests were: Joetta Basile, Keith Wickline, Danny Lively, Linda Lively, and Rhonda Per-due. Thank you everyone!

A special thank you to our Foster Grandmothers who assist our 1st grade teachers! The following Ladies do an incredible job of assisting stu-dents with their academic and social development. They are beloved by our students, faculty, and staff. Thank you Ms. Linda Kanode, Ms. Arna Neel, and Ms. Carol McMahon for all you do for our children! MCTCPat Boone is the November Teacher of the Month at Monroe County Tech-nical Center. Boone, who has been a teacher since January 2004, currently teaches Math at the career and tech-nical center. He began his career at JMHS where he taught until 2017. Since joining the MCTC staff in 2017, Boone has co-taught Math in the Carpentry department, enabling students who successfully complete the four required carpentry courses to earn an embedded math credit. His real-world, no-nonsense approach to

problem solving, and ability to align math with common life situations are assets that help him connect students to math concepts; strengthening their understanding and application of math skills.

Besides co-teaching, Boone also as-sists with math instruction in alterna-tive school, tutors Options students to ensure their success on the TASC test, and assists other instructors with teaching math concepts within their curriculum areas. He is also the NOCTI coordinator for the MCTC and is co-advisor for National Techni-cal Honor Society.

Mr. Boone describes his educational philosophy as; “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” However, his success in teaching strug-gling math students begs the question if maybe the proverbial horse can, in-deed, be convinced to imbibe.

Ever-humble, Boone describes himself as “just a common country boy” who enjoys reading and football. Staff and students at MCTC are thankful that the “common country boy” with a definite knack for teaching math is part of their team!

Peterstown Middle We are counting up and multiplying the successes and positive attributes of Peterstown Middle School’s November teacher of the month. It would be difficult to be her equal or equivalent. There is a high probability that you have figured out that the teacher of the month is a math teacher. If not, you may want to

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your time as a student? It is mostly the same, different teachers but same community feeling it had 20 years ago. Do you have any hobbies or favorite past times? I like doing stuff outdoors, such as hiking. Someone you look up to in this career? John Mustain, because Coach Mustain understood the true meaning of being an educator: he would help develop character and work ethic in addition to academics. Your favorite Christmas Gift ever? The Christmas ornaments from my mother. We thank Mrs Jones for all she does for the students here at James Monroe. From filing applications to fixing schedules, and signing kids up for online classes to getting gets into college, she really is a meaningful piece to the puzzle on James Monroe’s faculty. We appreciate all she does for our future. Additionally, the James Monroe High School Teacher of the Month for November is Joshua Hitt. He teaches Advanced Placement Biology along with Earth Science for freshman. Mr. Hitt has been at James Monroe High School for the past twelve years in the science department, teaching various classes from botany to biology and earth science to physical science. Maverick Express journalist Channing Carr interviewed him to find out about his past and interests.Where did you go to college? Concord University What degree did you get? Bachelor’s of Science in biology, minor in Chemistry, Bachelor’s of Science in education with a concentration in Biology, General Science 5-adult Did you change your major any? Yes, from pre-med bio. What high School did you go to? Any

activities? Pikeview High School: I was in band and played saxophone. How many years have you been teaching? I have been teaching 12 years, all at James Monroe, I subbed two years before that. Favorite Christmas gift ever? My first gun, a .22 rifle as a kid. What has been your favorite class you have taught? AP Bio, specifically my class second semester 2017 Why did you become a teacher? I was going to school to be a doctor but realized the amount of time it took. I wanted more free time to do things I like and spend with family. What advice would you give to students? Work hard, try hard, but do not forget to enjoy life too. What is your favorite pastime? FishingYou are known around here for your beard, How long have you had it? 6 years We thank Mr. Hitt for taking time out of his day to do this interview and for being a fine teacher and helping his students.

Mountain ViewFrank Houck is one of Mountain View’s employees of the month for November. He attended Concord University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Sociology/Social Work. After working in social work and school recruiting in Beckley for a while, he decided that he wanted to be a school guidance counselor to help and intervene earlier in students’ lives rather than waiting until they need social work as adults. He decided to attend the American Public University System to attain a Master’s degree in education. Frank enjoys his work with the students as is evident in his daily demeanor. He sees hope even in the most trying students and thinks that proper guidance can help them understand themselves. His

overall goal is to help the students to like to come to school.

At home, Frank likes to play with his four children, three dogs, three cats, and bunch of chickens. He also loves his farm guest-Fred the donkey. Frank likes to help manage a growing hobby, farming and complete honey-do projects that his wife provides. He loves to grill, drive his truck on family trips, tinker in the basement with various projects, and go to the movies.

Mrs. Kay Diem is the MVS professional employee of the month for November. She graduated from Sissonville High School in 1984. She graduated from Bluefield State College in 2013. She is in her 6th year of teaching and her 18th year in education.

Mrs. Diem’s hobbies are bike riding, sewing, knitting, and family time. Her favorite TV show is Law & Order and NCIS (Mark Harmon is her Hollywood heart throb). Her favorite food is chicken and her favorite color is purple. Her favorite season is summer because it is easy on allergies and winter because she loves snow.

Kay enjoys working with children because they are entertaining, unpredictable and she loves being around them. Children are her blessings! Mrs. Diem wants to make a positive difference in the life of as many children as she possibly can.

Mrs. Diem’s best memory of teaching is having a kindergarten student enter kindergarten not knowing the alphabet and leave her class reading complete sentences. She even had one student tell her that he was “elegated” and “convulsing with math links wrapped around him”.