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CLASSACTS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND DISTRICT NEWS THAT SHAPE MARION COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
BY KEVIN CHRISTIAN
WATER JUGS FOR BETTER SCHOOLS Fortunately, Howard Middle students don’t have to carry their own water around campus. But that’s exactly what they did recently to better understand what fellow students in Africa must do due to a lack of fresh water. Howard students also studied various African countries for public presentations. Students raised over $2,743 for walking the school track while carrying gallon jugs of water. Proceeds support H2O for Life, a charitable project supplying potable water to underdeveloped countries.
FISH FARMING 101 BEST OF SHOW Lake Weir High captured “Best of Show” for high schools in the 13th annual Marion County Student Media Festival. Competition was tight between 23 schools submitting 292 videos for judging. LWHS’s Julia’s Story showcases the story of a local teenager fighting for her life because of Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C, a condition caused by the lack of a protein to battle cholesterol in the brain. Three other schools also took home BOS honors in their respective categories: Dunnellon (K-2), Sparr (3-5) and Dunnellon Middle (6-8).
Step into MR. ALLISON’S science lab at Dunnellon Middle and you’ll find dozens of students raising fish and hydroponically growing produce. The kids are fully responsible for feeding the fish, cleaning the tanks, planting the seedlings, minding the plants and all other chores to keep the reallife operation working. Students even partake of their own garden every once in a while to enjoy a fresh salad.
COMMANDING CHAMP Belleview High School’s MSGT. ROBERT MCCORMACK (left) is the
Teacher of the Year according to the Air Force Association’s Red Tail Memorial Chapter 136. McCormack is the Junior ROTC instructor and received the honor from Chapter 136 President MIKE EMIG.
FCAT FAREWELL, PART 2 FCAT FAREWELL, PART 1 To finish the testing season, students at Legacy Elementary put their hands all over all kinds of vehicles. The school’s first-ever “Vehicle Day” allowed kids to burn some excess energy and gave them the chance to explore future careers thanks to first responders, the dairy industry, local utility companies and others.
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These district administrators are just as happy as students to say goodbye to the FCAT, or Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The annual ritual is being replaced by new standards and new grading formulas. To cap off this year’s final FCAT experience, district volunteers individually counted 44,500 test documents, packed those documents and testing booklets into 820 boxes, then piled them high on 16 pallets to ship back to the Florida Department of Education.
MEANWHILE, FROM THE STATE SCIENCE FAIR… This distinguished group of scientists represented Marion County well this year at the State Science Fair in Lakeland. JAQUA BALLAS (left) and HOLLY DENTON (right) coordinate the program each year to honor students and inspire their inquiring minds! Among those bringing home awards and honors were (l-r): CASSANDRA MOSLEY, IAN PIEKUTOWSKI, JACOB MOSLEY, THELWELL LLOYD, VINCENT VAUGHNS, BRANDON WILLIAMS and CATHERINE DELKER.