Pancake Tent at the County Fair earns record sum for Washington D.C. trip

Kara and Kirsten Hall in front of the Pancake Tent

Mar Lee middle school students planning their annual 7th grade trip to Washington D.C. can look back with pride on their fundraising effort this summer at the Calhoun County Fair.  With help from parents, Mar Lee faculty and staff, the Mar Lee Pancake Tent grossed over $11,000, the largest amount yet. Mar Lee teacher Chris Henke notes that several local sponsors helped out as well. For example, Crystal Flash donated propane for the entire week.

The next fundraiser for the trip is a carwash at Autozone Marshall on Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mar Lee Band To Broadcast Live

This year the Mar Lee Band will be broadcasting their spring concert live via the web!  Beginning at 6:50 p.m. on May 30th, viewers may tune in to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mar-lee-band-concerts to view the 5th-8th grade students perform. 

Band director Dustin Stoner said he is excited to be able to share the concert this year with family and friends of students that could not make it to the school. Bailey Hoffman, 6th grade tuba player, is happy because more of her family can see her play. “My family from Detroit can now watch my concert via the Internet.” Other students have family farther afield who will be tuning in. Case Miller, 6th grade saxophonist said, “I have family in Florida that will be able to see me play for the first time.”

Guitar bonanza transforms Mar Lee music classroom

A guitar for every student. That’s the vision that Dustin Stoner, music teacher at Mar Lee School has now made possible through a generous grant from the Calhoun County Arts Council.

“Most people will never be a lifelong trombonist,” said Stoner, referring to a traditional band instrument, “but if you learn to play a guitar you will be able to enjoy music making throughout your life.” Stoner says he noticed several years ago how excited students were about guitar playing when he began his after-school “school of rock” program. He wanted a way to bring this excitement to the regular classroom.

Now twenty four new guitars make it possible for each student in a large class to have an instrument. “It’s fantastic,” said student Autumn Hazel. “I like learning to play an instrument that can be applied to so many songs.”  So far, the class has only mastered a few chords, said student Rebecca Filmore, but they seem eager to learn more. “Switching chords is hard,” said student Matthew Dunn, “but I really like playing.”

Their teacher is equally excited. “After 5th grade, you don’t get music unless you’re in band,” Stoner says. The new guitars are a way to extend the enjoyment of music beyond the usual group of students. Stoner is proud of how much he was able to accomplish with the grant. The guitars themselves have a suprisingly beautiful sound for inexpensive teaching instruments, and at the end of the day they inhabit a rack, handmade by Stoner for a total cost of $25.

Mar Lee students become digital animators

Five iPods have temporarily transformed the Mar Lee art classroom into an animation studio. Working in teams, 7th-grade students assemble hand-drawn sets populated by old toys, cutouts, and other found objects. Their digital magic turns these humble materials into amusing stop frame animated commercials.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Calhoun County Arts Council, art teacher Michele MacInnes was able to purchase the iPods and animation software in late January. “I’m always trying to find new ways to improve the art program,” said MacInnes. “iPods are a tool that kids are familiar with and find fun to use, and animation teaches many neglected aspects of art such as sound, motion, and lighting.”

Students have enjoyed the project. “The most fun part was being able to make the set,” said student Erika Martinez. Her group’s drama is about the adventures of “Ducc Tape,” a colorful bird made of scraps of duct tape.

Another commerical is about a construction worker and a hobo named “Little Bill.” “His old home gets destroyed, and then a new one appears,” said student Colten Persons. The hardest part? “Keeping everything you don’t want out of the frame,” said Persons.

Students have also learned how difficult the animator’s job is. “It’s tedious work,” said student Maria Ruedisueli. “I don’t know if I could take it all day!”

MacInnes looks forward to using animation more frequently. “Projects like this connect with so many important language skills,” she said. “Students are reading, writing while thinking about a story line, characters, narrative, and dialog. It’s an amazing and complex creative event.”

Here is one of the commercials the students created.

Chemistry students put Mar Lee School on the world map

Students in Chiquita Hamilton’s and Tina Rocco’s third-grade class put Mar Lee School on the world map – the Global Water Experiment Map.  

As part of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC), so designated by the United Nations, Hamilton’s and Rocco’s students measured acidity of the Kalamazoo River and posted the data to the IYC global water map with assistance from Albion College faculty Lisa Lewis and Craig Bieler and Albion College chemistry student, Preston Arquette. Organizers, including the American Chemical Society (ACS), hope this will become the world’s biggest chemistry experiment ever, as students, scouts, and community groups from many nations study their local water sources and post the data to the interactive, global map.

“This was a wonderful experience for these students,” said Lewis. “They really enjoyed applying chemistry to a real world situation and learning about the importance of clean water for people throughout the world.”  Along the way, Mar Lee students learned about acids and bases. “The best part was figuring out that vinegar is an acid,” said Daniel Walkinhood, Mar Lee student. Third-grade teacher Chiquita Hamilton agreed. “The students really got engaged in asking questions about acidity in food and having hands-on experiences with test tubes.” 

MarLee School will soon receive a certificate from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization for its participation in the Global Experiment and commitment to the goals of the International Year of Chemistry.  The IYC is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind, which includes providing safe drinking water to a thirsty world.

NOTE TO READERS: to view the data, click on the map link above, then choose Experiment 1, and hover over Michigan until Marshall appears. Click there and you will see the name of MarLee School, Lisa Lewis, and their pH measurements of the Kalamazoo River.

Eat Breakfast at Mar Lee!

Mornings can be really crazy…the alarm doesn’t go off…the kids don’t want to get up…there’s no time to eat breakfast before the bus comes…or they’re just not ready to eat. Or maybe your teenager grabs a can of soda and a candy bar on the way to school. If this sounds like your house, we have good news for you. Breakfast is served at school! School breakfast will give your child a healthy start to the day. A nutritious breakfast helps students be more alert so they can learn more in class. Breakfast has vitamins and nutrients for a strong and healthy body. Breakfast at school is affordable, too. If you qualify for free and reduced price meals, you also qualify for the breakfast program, with no additional paperwork. You can’t find a healthy breakfast at such a low cost anywhere else. Help your child start the day right with school breakfast!

Mar Lee float captures award for third consecutive year in Marshall holiday parade

Mar Lee upheld its reputation for creativity and parent involvement this year as the school float, sponsored by the PTO, captured a first place in the non-commercial category for the third consecutive year in Marshall's holiday parade on Monday. This year's theme was "It's a Wonderful Life." Mar Lee's float featured a representation of the Bailey household from the movie, surrounded by clouds bearing the words "When an angel gets its wings."