Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School Board gets lesson in math from students

It was math class for the Prescott School Board, Tuesday, Feb. 15, as students from McRae Middle School showed what they've been learning.

As time approaches for the Benchmark and Iowa Basic Skills tests, the students have been working hard to be ready for them. To show their progress, some of the students went before the Board with demonstrations.

Cathy Smith, fifth grade teacher at MMS, had Makayla Malone and Zayne Dougan do a tasty percentage problem. Their question was to figure out the percentage of each color candy in a bag of M&Ms.

Each member of the Board was given 20 pieces of candy and told to separate and count them by color. Next, Malone, using large sheets of paper, figured out what the percentages were. Dougan followed by making a pie chart using a geometry template.

Once the example was done the Board members were told they could eat their candies.

Tammy Davis was next with Devonna Fricks showing how to work a pre-algebra problem. Davis said her students are working hard and the target group is focused on trying to score proficient on the Benchmark test this year.

Fricks also used big paper for her example. This was done, Davis said, for multi-process thinking and benefits students by showing them how each works the problems.

MMS Principal Jamie Barnes said the Valentine's Day dance was well attended.

Students who were in grades six and eight last year and scored proficient and above on the Benchmark test were taken to a Texarkana Bandit hockey game recently. Those who scored in the 50th percentile or above on the Iowa test and had no detention hall during the first semester had a sock hop.

Will Wingfield and Shelby Cottingham, she said, have been named state winners in the DAR Essay competition.

Willie Wilson, Dean of Students, gave the high school activity and progress report.

The Curley Cubs won the district basketball tourney, while the Wolves won their first game in the district tourney at Nashville. The Wolverettes, though, were eliminated in the first round.

Wilson said the coaches of all sports are to be commended for the standard of conduct their players have shown throughout the year.

Turning to the topic of the Garland school in Hope, where at-risk and problem students are sent, Wilson said Prescott students are doing well there. Some of them will return to Prescott and rejoin the mainstream classes next semester.

In addition, he said, two Prescott students currently at Garland have worked hard enough and are now on schedule to graduate on time. This is because Garland is on the block schedule and Prescott is not. The block scheduling allowed the students to catch up on some math classes they were behind in.

There have been rumors at PHS concerning alcohol on campus. Wilson said he and PHS Principal Carroll Purtle have done everything possible to track down these rumors and found no alcohol. "We aren't taking this lightly."

Students have been given sobriety tests and lockers have been searched because of the rumors.

With end of course exams coming up Wilson said the main concern is with African-American students. Currently, he told the board, this group isn't performing at the level they did last year.

The action plan includes a newly-established tutoring program focusing heavily on writing and getting parents involved.

The student council sponsored a talent show to help raise money for the Tsunami relief effort. The show, Wilson said, was diverse with talent, including a bagpipe, and the effort raised $550, which is being sent to a relief organization in the name of Prescott High School.