Faculty vs. Student Basketball game

A Celebration of Poets

42 students in Miss McFarland's 6th grade English class recently found out that their poetry was selected to be published int he anthology, A Celebration of Poets, put together by Creative Communications.

Less than 50% of the poems submitted are selected to be published. Our school stands out and will be recognized in the anthology as receiving a "Poetic Achievement Award." This honor is given to the top 10% of the schools who enter the contest. The schools are chosen based on the number and quality of the entries accepted.

Click here to read some of the poetry

Blackhawks soar at wordplay!

On Friday, February 13th Floyd T. Binns middle school held a state Scrabble tournament; the first in 25 years. Our 18 students were among the 22 students in fifth, sixth and seventh grades that teamed in pairs to compete in the tournament. Our students walked away with second and third places, where they received trophies along with department store gift cards. The second place team now gets to advance to the National School Scrabble Championship on April 24 and 25 in Providence, R.I. When talking with students they agreed that a lot of the game is really just luck of the draw, but there is skill involved. While playing they use strategic planning, mathematical skills, spelling, team work, collaboration, and creativity. You also have to factor in that they know lots, and lots of words. When the students were asked to use one word to describe their experience at the Scrabble tournament, here is what they said:

Preston: Stressful

Jordan: Frightening

Lakin: Callous

Katie: Remorseless

Michael: Energizing

All of the above students contributed to the writing of this post.

Overwhelming Response

The first posting was a big hit with the 8th grade art students, so much that others wanted to post their work. I have added a slideshow on the side showcasing more student art work. The slideshow was created using a gadget within Blogger. I uploaded the pictures to our Picasa school account and then I am able to add the slideshow gadget to our blog.

Be sure to check back soon, we will have some poetry coming and a student report on the Scrabble Tournament this Friday.

Breaking Down Inhibitions

A new semester for some feels like the first day of school all over again, even for 8th graders. Lisa Allen teaches Advanced 8th grade Art and finds that her students are very nervous about showing off their artistic ability at the beginning of the semester. The first exercise she uses with her advanced students is designed to break down these inhibitions. Using a mirror student’s sketch their facial features using a technique called gradation and it was done with graphite. After their faces were complete they let their creative juices flow and created a new body for emselves. Do you recognize any of your classmates?