Latin Rhythms at MCHS
Latin Rhythms at MCHS
By Ana Barros
The following video is a compilation of The Latin Rhythms Show the Madison County Spanish 3 and Spanish 4 classes attended in the Fall Semester of 2016. Students enjoyed listening to music and seeing dances, both traditional and contemporary, from all over the Spanish speaking countries of the world.
Students were mostly impressed with the costumes and their vivid colors. They talked about how exciting the show was as they had never seen anything like it. It was truly an enriching experience for our students who had never seen culture through this art form.
Jamar said he liked the Tango because of the straight forwards and backwards movements. Jerica commented how much she liked the clothing because it was so colorful. Gaines said it was a lot of fun to watch how fast some of the dances were and he had never seen a show like that before.
Annual Award Winners Announced
We have great teachers in Madison, and we are very pleased to share their names and schools with you. They represent the level of teaching, learning, and caring for our students that make us very proud!
Watching them walk up to the stage of the Madison High School auditorium to be recognized at the School Board Meeting on May 15, we were reminded of the impact one teacher can have on the life of a student. These women and men make a difference for our students. THANK YOU!
MCEF Awards 9 Scholarships to Graduating MCHS Seniors
MCEF Awards 9 Scholarships to Graduating MCHS Seniors
This year the Madison County Education Foundation awarded scholarships totaling $9500 to students who will pursue their dreams. They will continue to learn. Then they will teach, farm, compute, build, write, experiment, discover, and change their part of the world.
Award winners were Sarah Catherine Coates, David Lewis Dyer, Jr., Grace Katherine Fox, Mikayla Nicole Gardiner-Alger, Sarah Elizabeth Good, Jared Christian Ross, Isiah Diamonté Smith, De’Ondre Rashaud Twyman, and Jiani Zang. Awards were presented by MCEF Board members Rachel Graves, Jayne Penn-Hollar, and Barbara Kres Beach.
Community commitment to the education of our students is nowhere more evident than at Awards Night in the Madison High School Auditorium, which celebrates the achievements of graduating seniors.
At Awards Night, 42 community organizations and individuals came together to assist our students and their families ease the burden of the Big Move from high school to two-and-four year colleges and universities, trades education, career and technology institutions, and the military.
Congratulations to all the graduates of the Class of 2017. You define Madison Pride and you make all of us very proud.
The Board of the Madison County Education Foundation
Camp Unakite Builds Classroom Success!
MCEF/Schools Partnership–
CAMP UNAKITE BUILDS CLASSROOM SUCCESS
by Michael Rider
Camp Unakite is a grant-funded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) educational opportunity for rising third through eighth-grade students in Madison County and is co-sponsored by the Madison County Public Schools and the Madison County Education Foundation (MCEF).
Students explore their natural world through STEM activities during a summer camp held at Graves Mountain Lodge. These activities include animal studies, mineral understanding, soil investigations, water cleanliness and movement, volcanic eruptions, and others.
“Camp Unakite has made a significant difference in the lives of young people in Madison. MCEF has supported Unakite for over four years. In partnership with the Madison Schools and Graves Mountain Lodge, it has provided a learning and camping experience for students that has awakened new interest in learning and confidence in their own abilities,” said Barbara Kres Beach, MCEF president.
Quantitative data for the 2014-15 school year, developed by Superintendent Matt Eberhardt, were compared to the data for the 2015-2016 school year to assess the impact of Camp Unakite. The study group consisted of sixty-seven students in grades three through seven attending Camp Unakite in the summer of 2015. Nineteen students in grades seven through eight attended in the summer of 2016.
The assessment results which have translated into the classroom are impressive:
GRADES 3-6 Participants
47.6% improved in attendance
14.3% improved in behavior
13.6% improved in reading
31.8% improved in mathematics
65.2% of Unakite students earned a Reading letter grade of B or better in the third grade year
78.9% of Unakite students earned a Mathematics letter grade of B or better in the third grade year
GRADES 7-8 Participants
31.6% improved in attendance
42.1% improved in behavior
21.1% improved in reading
31.8% improved in mathematics
The Madison County Education Foundation (MCEF) has supported Camp Unakite since its inception. It has won a line item in the MCEF budget because we believe strongly that the goals and results of the program merit our commitment.
What pays the bills for this outstanding program? Approximately half of the costs are borne by the Madison County Public Schools. The other half comes from monies raised by the MCEF.
The MCEF funds supporting Unakite are raised at the annual March Madness fundraiser. Your attendance at March Madness helps tip the scales in favor of this learning-by-camping experience.
Join your friends and neighbors on March 18. Come to MARCH MADNESS at Graves Mountain Lodge’s picnic pavilion starting at 4pm. Tickets are available online at www.madisonedfoundation.org or by calling Carty Yowell, March Madness chairperson, at 757-615-0626. Your donation and participation in March Madness makes Camp Unakite possible for hundreds of school children. Because of citizen commitment, Unakite makes a difference!
