SMS Learning and Progress

SMS

SUNNYVALE MIDDLE SCHOOL

The

Frozen Fishies team is composed of 8th graders Albert John,

Levi Benzy, Jacob Lawrance, Krish Patel, and David Segundo along with 7th grader Jonathan Mathew.

Show Choir at SMS

The chorus of Elton John’s

“I’m Still Standing” pumps through the choir room as a group of middle school students sing and dance along in perfect choreography. Director Cara Craggett offers suggestions and praise on their performance.

The SMS Show Choir, Platinum — already winning awards in its inaugural year — provides students who have an interest in singing and dancing with a place to shine at SMS. “I have wanted to start a show choir in Sunnyvale since I first joined SISD,” Cragget said. “I saw the talent of these kids and knew they would be great. But more than that, I saw the need. We don’t have a dance team here and show choir is such a fun version of that.”

Platinum helps students learn how to dance and perform while singing clearly, which is not easy, according to Craggett. “We have objectives we are meeting of performing, stage presence, presentation, vocal strength, movement, and so many others,” Cragget said.

Destination Imagination Team Places 11th At Global Competition A first in school district history, the SMS “Frozen Fishies” team competed at the Destination Imagination Global Competition in Kansas City, MO. The team, advised by teacher Carolyn Baker, competed in the “Roll With It!” event, in which students solve an engineering challenge. According to the Destination Imagination website, the challenge was to: • Design and build a structure that can roll down a ramp and collide with the structure tester. • Test the structure by placing weights on it. • Create and present a story about how a character becomes a legend. • Design and build a rotating object. • Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents. The team took 11th place and loaded 845 pounds on their structure! This was an over 300 pound increase from their firstplace winning total at the state competition!

WELL DONE, FROZEN FISHIES!

“Creating is such a healthy thing for a child to do, it accesses parts of their brain that are important for development.”

Cragget said the team has provided a sense of belonging for her students, creating a culture that is safe and supportive.

“My favorite part about show choir is that you get to express yourself through singing and dancing and it’s really fun to learn all these new and cool dances,” sixth grader Brooklyn Bomkamp.

Heading into next fall, Platinum already has an award under their belts. In February, they competed for the first time at a show choir competition.

“The girls put in so much work to be ready for this competition,” Cragget said. We were so excited and shocked to walk away with 2nd place overall, beating out 7th and 8th grade auditioned groups. The girls worked hard for that and we are so ready for our competition season next year!”

PLATINUM PERFORMANCE