6th and 8th Graders have practiced all year on their On-Demand Writing skills to get ready for the KPREP Test. Students that received a score of 2.75 or above (4 is the highest) on the last practice prompt were rewarded with a hotdog lunch and free time in the gym. Students that had good attendance during last week's testing were also rewarded with permission to bring their electronic devices. Some students' names were drawn at the end of lunch to choose from a variety of prizes available.
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Brenda Martin, President of United Communities to Advance our Neighborhoods (UCAN), Inc., presented Russell Middle School with The Emancipation and Its Legacies exhibition board. This exhibition was developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and was curated by David W. Blight, Class of 1954 Professor of History at Yale University, and Susan F. Saidenberg, the Gilder Lehrman Institute. To learn more about these organizations, please visit: Mrs. Martin and daughter, 8th Grader Jocelyn, with the exhibit. RMS Principal, Mr. Moore, Jocelyn and Mrs. Martin pose in front of the exhibit.
National History Bee is an academic competition for elementary and middle school students that tests knowledge of various historical topics. In October, students participated in a school level on-line qualifying exam. High scoring students advanced to regional competition held Tuesday, April 12 at Shanahan Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. Students scoring the minimum score from regional competition advance to national competition in Chicago, Illinois in June. Sixth Grader Duncan McGinnis was the overall elementary History Bee champion at the Columbus Regional Competition. He advances to Nationals and has also qualified to compete in the National Geography Olympiad. Eighth Grade student Will Scott qualified for National Geography Olympiad as well as National History Bee. Seventh grade students Will Prater, Cole Murray and Jackson Raich all placed in the top 8 at Regionals and competed in the Championship round. These students, who are also members of the Russell Middle School Social Studies Academic Team, also qualify to compete at the National History Bee. Missy Murray is the History Bee coach at Russell Middle School. After a year full of many successes, our Russell Middle School Academic Team finished strong at the State Finals! This year, 363 middle schools started out at District Governor's Cup, and RMS was 6th overall. Naturally, I would like to see us place higher, especially since we haven't finished first since 2003, but our students, coaches, and school should be proud of their final ranking. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve such success, and I firmly believe our students will take these experiences with them through high school, college, and to bright futures beyond. At the State Finals, the top ten students in each written assessment event, composition, and FPS, along with the top eight quick recall teams, earn points for their team. Tiebreakers can make a huge difference (look at Math). I am very pleased that 7 of 15 RMS tests taken were scored 40 or above! Results are as follows: Arts & Humanities (top score 43; 10th place 38): Meredyth Wilson 34 Izzy McCloud 32 Sarah Baird 28 Language Arts (top score 47; 10th place 41): Anushka Valsan 40 Sara Abul-Khoudoud 36 Jocelyn Martin 31 Mathematics (top score 50, 10th place 48): Brayden Pack 41 Nick Mineer 40 Barrett Blevins 34 Science (top score 48; 10th place 45): Brayden Pack 47 (3rd place) Ayog Prasad 45 (9th, tie) Grant Darnell 38 Social Studies (top score 45; 10th place 42): Josh Griffith 41 Joe Ewing 40 Jackson Raich 35 Quick Recall: Top 24 Future Problem Solving (Audrey Abbott, Charles Bechtel, Barrett Blevins, Anna Gomez): 2nd Complete results can be found here: http://my.kaac.com/ASAP/Results/MiddleGrades/State John W. Vanhoose RMS Mathematics Teacher Academic Team Head Coach MATHCOUNTS Coach Betsy Caines, Russell Middle School and Down syndrome mom of a 6th Grader, visited Mrs. Missy Murray's class on National Down Syndrome Awareness Day to educate RMS students about Down syndrome. Mrs. Caines had students participate in various activities to help them understand what it might feel like to have Down syndrome, and ended her time with students by opening the floor to any questions the students had. These students listened with great respect and asked quality questions that covered the whole spectrum - from 'what causes it' to 'what were Mrs. Caines fears as a mother'.
"It is my privilege to talk with students about this, especially those that interact with my son on a daily basis. The more they know, the less scary his differences are." - Betsy Caines Thank you, Mrs. Caines for taking the time to educate all of us and remind us that it's our differences that make us special! For more information about Down syndrome, visit here. Mrs. Conley (RMS) brought a class to RPS to read with Mrs. J's 1st Graders. All students got an opportunity to show off their reading skills with a book of their choice.
Russell Middle School participated in KUNA (Kentucky United Nations Assembly) with the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association. RMS was awarded delegation of excellence and best overall country representation! Josh Griffith (8th Grade) was recognized as outstanding security council member and Barrett Blevins (8th Grade) won an excellent ambassador award!
KUNA is a 3-day program that offers students an opportunity to participate directly in simulated international diplomacy, experience the richness of cultures from around the world, and hone their critical thinking skills while engaging with a wide variety of perspectives and global issues. For more information about the program, visit the KUNA website. Catlettsburg Diversity Team and the Catlettsburg Refinery Management Team sponsored a career fair and exposed 8th grade students from the surrounding tri-state area to the kinds of jobs available at the refinery.
Over the course of two-hours, the students visit various interactive "career" stations and talk with Marathon employees who perform each job task to learn what they do on a daily basis, see what tools the employee uses on the job, and get information on what type of education or background is necessary to prepare for that job. Mr. Smith's 8th Grade STEM Class wrote & illustrated children's books and read them to Ms. Haynes' 1st Grade Class at RPS during 'Read Across America Week'.
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