Monday, April 30, 2007

Wellness at Town Hall Meetings

PASS is sponsoring two Town Hall Meetings on the subject of Wellness. On Monday, April 30, information and time for input will be given on the school’s Wellness Policy. The Town Hall Meeting will be in the Educational Room at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center at 7:00 PM.

The second Town Hall Meeting will feature a panel of health professionals to discuss childhood obesity and nutrition in our schools. It will be held, May 15, at 7:00 PM. Once again, it will be held in the Educational Center at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

PASS stands for Plymouth Achieving Stronger Schools. For more information on PASS, contact Tim Peters at tmapeters@comcast.net.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Blog Bits

Some have expressed concerns about computer usage at Riverside Intermediate. Mrs. Burroughs sent the following letter to all parents:

Dear Parent,

A couple of weeks ago we dealt with an incident of students accessing inappropriate web sites at school on classroom computers. A television station interviewed me at the time about this subject. As a parent, you may have questions about the procedures in place at school to ensure Internet safety for your child. That is the reason for this letter.

All Plymouth Community Schools, including Riverside Intermediate School, follow safety guidelines and have systems in place to safeguard our children. We all have a “Computer Use” policy/agreement that is signed by each student and parent at registration each year. We have security filters and firewalls on all of our computers and servers that are constantly monitored to try and keep out inappropriate sites. Students are only to use computers under supervision of an adult. In short, we are taking all known precautions.

On the other hand, we have some very technically knowledgeable students in our classrooms of today. Some of them have found a way to access other servers from our computers. Some of them have found ways to dismantle some of our filters. We deal with these students as these problems are encountered.

I hope this answers the questions you may have at this time. If not, please contact me at school.

Sincerely,
Donna Burroughs, Principal

Our technology department is updating the filter system continuously. We are also reviewing computer use procedures throughout the district.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

KUDOS ABOUND

BAND
The Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands performed at Logansport High School recently and both groups received gold ratings. The Wind Ensemble was in Group I which requires the most difficult literature for high school students. The bands have now completed the year with gold ratings in every ISSMA event area, earning them the prestigious banner of excellence for the 2006-07 school year.

JANE WILLIAMS
Jane Williams was recently named the Regional Food Service Worker of the Year by the Richard Lugar Foundation. Jane has brought many changes and excitement to the high school cafeteria.

KATHY RICHTER
Kathy Richter, high school English teacher, was awarded the Most Valuable Member of the four-year Online Writing Project by the Indiana Writing Project. The high school English Department also presented their four-year writing curriculum which received praise from English teachers throughout the state.

SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM
Jon Tyree and Camden Robertson became the first freshmen from Plymouth to qualify for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Cameron Capper also qualified in Congress making the 12th member of the PHS Speech and Debate Team to qualify for this summer’s national tournament.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Blog Bits

Just a reminder

The last school day for all Plymouth Community School students will be May 30, 2007.
The last day for teachers will be May 31, 2007.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Blog Bits

Academic Superbowl Winners

Congratulations to Plymouth High School’s Academic Superbowl Teams for a strong showing at our final area competition. The students put in large amounts of their own time studying and spent many hours competing and should be recognized for their hard work and commitment.

Results were as follows:

Social Studies- 2nd
English- 3rd
Math- 2nd
Fine Arts- 1st- Kayla Hassett, Nikki Chalk, Nathan Dubinin, and Kaylee Kopetski
Science- 1st - Brian Kunze, Robbie McClellan, Kailyn Dodson, and Scott See
Interdisciplinary - 4th

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Blog Bits

Choir Concert
The high school choir and Crimson Connection performed Sunday afternoon in the auditorium. The selections were a combination of traditional and up-beat songs. The concert was enjoyed by all in attendance.

Thank you to Mrs. Glaub and the students for the hours spent in preparation.

Congratulations
Congratulations Mr. McKenzie! The National Forensic League is proud to announce that David McKenzie has earned a fourth diamond. Mr. McKenzie attained a total of 11,661 points on April 7, 2007. Under Mr. McKenzie’s instructions, his students have earned over 116,610 credit points. In June, Mr. McKenzie will receive special recognition at the Lincoln Financial Group, NFL National Tournament for his dedication and training effective leadership skill. This year’s tournament will be held in Derby Wichita, Kansas, June 17-22. Over 2,700 students and 1,500 coaches will be in attendance. The National Speech Tournament has been held continuously since 1931.

Thank you Mr. McKenzie.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Blog Bits

Kindergarten Round-up

This year’s new Kindergarten Round-up was a success as 157 eager children and their parents attended the new format Wednesday evening. Using this number as a predictor, we can look for approximately 314 students in kindergarten next year. As for all-day kindergarten, we won’t know anything until the legislative session ends.

If you missed the roundup here is what you can do:

Jefferson: Please bring your child in. Someone will help you with the necessary forms while your child is being screened. (574) 936-2443

Menominee: Call or come in during the school day. Mr. Dunn will go through the forms with you and your child will be screened. (574) 936-2001

Washington: Contact the school to make an appointment for the parent and child. You will be helped with your forms while your child is screened. (574) 936-4072

Webster: We welcome you and your child any time during the school day. You will be helped with the forms while your child is being screened. (574) 936-2520

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Blog Bits

Some have questioned why we allow people to comment on the blog under the anonymous label. The purpose of our blog is to share information about the district and create discussions among community members regarding the events and issues in our district. When viewing newspapers and other organizations we see that the use of anonymity in blogging and communication has created a wider variety of discourse. Unfortunately, there are those who tear people down and use inappropriate language while hiding behind the anonymity. It is very difficult to give credence to those comments and on occasion, we have removed those from the blog. By the same token, there are those who express their opinions, even though they disagree, and attach their name to their comments. We respect those individuals for their courage.

Pep Band
There have been several comments on the blog about our High School pep band. We want to improve in every aspect of the district. If you have constructive ideas on how to improve the pep band, please feel free to forward those to Mrs. Wagoner at cwagoner@plymouth.k12.in.us or share your constructive comments on the blog.

Speech & Basketball Team
We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of both organizations. Students and staff members involved in both organizations work many hours throughout the year improving their skills and preparing themselves for the tasks at hand. Students involved in both organizations have demonstrated what can be done by today’s students when provided structure and direction. Congratulations again to the team members, staff members, parents, and all those who supported our speech and basketball teams throughout the year.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Blog Bits

PHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame

Nominations are now being accepted at Plymouth High School and until April 15, 2007, for the PHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Award which will be presented at the 2007 Alumni Association Banquet on June 15, 2007.

After all nominations are received, the committee will review the nominations and select a PHS alumnus who has made a significant contribution in his/her field or has been of exceptional service to his/her profession either locally, statewide, and/or nationally.

A nomination form may be obtained at PHS, Marshall County Historical Society, WTCA, Plymouth Library, Chamber of Commerce, Marshall County Convention and Tourism Bureau or from any committee member. A form also appears in THE PILOT-NEWS.

The Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame committee members are Richard Tobias, PHS Principal; Larry Pinkerton, retired PHS principal who originated the award in 1984; Jack Greenlee, Class of 1947; Sally Johnson Greenlee, Class of 1966; Larry Holloway, Class of 1962; Beverly Kelso Brummett, Class of 1965; Mary Lee Williams Rudd, Class of 1951; Karen MacLain Liedtky, Class of 1977; and Jane Faulstich Nelson, Class of 1985 and Laura Jeffirs Kruyer, Class of 1988, PHS teachers and co-chairpersons.

Previous winners of the award are Major General Larry N. Tibbetts, Class of 1952; James L. Parsons, Class of 1933; Dr. Foster and Louise Link Montgomery, Class of 1930; Commodore Schuyler F. Heim, Class of 1902; Mearl D. Strombeck, Class of 1918; Walter A. Glaub, Class of 1932; Charles O. Glaub, Class of 1935; Noble E. Kizer, Class of 1919; Lt. Col Lewis L. Hawkins, Class of 1948; Donald R. Minix, Class of 1940; Florence Hoham, Class of 1922; George F. Stevens, Class of 1920; Dr. Edith Boyer Schuman Tackitt, Class of 1923; Dr. Ruth Mangun Holland, Class of 1942; C. Arthur Thomas, Class of 1926; Dr. M. Sue Pifer, Class of 1957; Marshall F. Kizer, Class of 1925; Dr. James Harley Kellar, Class of 1939; Frederick C. Morrow, Class of 1941; Robert L. Hileman, Class of 1940; Scott Skiles, Class of 1982; Lester D. Read, Class of 1943; Francis Wilson Johnson, Class of 1933; Clifford Linedecker, Class of 1950, and Don Aker, Class of 1949.

A display of Hall of Fame winners is visible in the north lobby at Plymouth High School.

There are many PHS graduates who qualify for the award. Please consider someone and submit the nomination. Nominations not selected are kept permanently to be reviewed for the following years.

For further information, call:
Jane Nelson or Laura Kruyer, PHS, 936-2178

Monday, April 02, 2007

Blog Bits

Plymouth High School L.E.A.D. (leaders eliminating alcohol and drugs) held their Annual Senior Citizen’s Prom on March 21, 2007 in the high school cafeteria. Residents from the Shady Rest Home, Pilgrim Manor, Miller's Merry Manor, Maria Center and Catherine Casper Home were in attendance.

Attached is a picture of the King (Johnny Morlock) and Queen (Barbara Borskie).