JMS: Title I Distinguished School

for Fourth Consecutive Year

By

Keith Petty

     Exhibiting educational excellence, Jasper Middle School has once again been named a Georgia Title I Distinguished School.  The designation was made by the Georgia Board of Education at its October meeting and marks the fourth year in a row that Jasper Middle School has earned this prestigious distinction. 

     To be designated a Title I Distinguished School, a school must make annual yearly progress (AYP) for three years in a row and must not have been on the Unsafe School Choice Option (USCO) list during the past two years.  After receiving a first designation, a school may receive the designation in each successive year.  “These schools and school districts are rising to the challenge,” said State Superintendent of Schools John Barge. “They are doing a great job getting more students to meet academic goals.”

     Jasper Middle School has achieved annual yearly progress for the past six years and was first designated a Title I Distinguished School in 2007.  Principal Neil Howell states, "We are once again honored to have this distinction among other deserving schools in Georgia.  I am proud of our students, faculty, staff, and families for their role in earning this outstanding achievement."

A Pickens County student currently had her art on exhibit at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega.  Ali Lawson, a sixth grade student at Jasper Middle School had her painting chosen in the Art From Georgia Schools Annual Juried Exhibition. Ali’s art work was on display through March 20, 2008.   The show was predominantly high school students and their teachers.  Only two middle school students were accepted.

          This was not the first time Ali’s artwork had been chosen for exhibit.  From kindergarten on, Ali has displayed her artwork at the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, the State of Georgia Superintendent of Schools’ office in Atlanta, the Federal Reserve in Atlanta, Sharptop Arts Center in Jasper and in the InSights Art Exhibit in Louisville, Kentucky.  Her painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, titled San Francisco Bridge at Day and Night, was chosen as the third place work in the InSights exhibit out of over 800 entries.  This particular painting was also the artwork chosen for the month of September in the American Printing House for the Blind 2008 national calendar.   This painting is currently on display at Lawson Chevrolet, in Ali’s dad’s office.  Ali also received recognition for this painting at a recent Pickens County Board of Education meeting.

 Ali is the daughter of Al and Terri Lawson and sister to Clay and Will Lawson.  Her grandparents are Dub and Jeanette Lawson, Katie Enis and Don and Gertrude Enis.

JMS FFA and Jr. Optimist Club raise $800.00 to support The Joy House with "A Night in the Cold"

Remembering that not everyone has a place to call home, the Jasper Middle School FFA and the Junior Optimist Club joined forces for a “Night in the Cold.” Students and sponsors spent the evening of February 16, 2008 outside in cardboard boxes. This idea was to acknowledge the homeless situation in America. Locally, homelessness is not the problem it is in many other areas; however, there are some children, for reasons beyond their control, who are not able to live at home. With this thought in mind, the club members collected money to support The Joy House. The Joy House is a Christian-based school and home where displaced teen live until they are able to rejoin their families. The FFA members collected more than $300 and the JOC members collected more than $500. Together, they were able to contribute a gift of love to the support of The Joy House. This act of kindness was such a success that club members and sponsors are already contemplating another Night in the Cold for next year.

JMS 8th Grade Boys Basketball Team Wins Region!

The JMS Dragons finished with a record of 12-0 in the region. Wesley Easterwood was named Tournament MVP, and Sam Crawford was named to the All Tournament Team.
Congratulations to the JMS Dragons and their coaches for their outstanding effort.

Front Row (L-R): Adam Phares, Aries Johnson, Morgan Kephart, J.T. Weyman, Brannon McCoy

Back Row (L-R): Jason Walker, Ben Duncan, Tyler Stargel, Wesley Easterwood, Sam Crawford, Jake Ledbetter, Spencer Jones

Berry Hosts Spring 6^th-Grade Mathematics Competition  - JMS Places Second Overall! 

Berry College hosted its spring 2008 sixth-grade math competition on February 19, 20008.  The event promotes and encourages mathematical excellence in area students.

The top teams, in order, were Ringgold Middle School, Jasper Middle School, and Heritage Middle School.  Heritage earned the third-place trophy after a tie-breaker with Coosa Middle School and St. Mary’s School.

The top individuals were Jordan Wileman from Heritage Middle School, J. J. Lee from Jasper Middle School, and Josh Contreras from Ringgold Middle School.

Other participating schools included Pickens County Middle School, LaFayette Academy, Clear Creek Middle School, Gilmer Middle School, Summerville Middle School, and Elm Street Elementary.

Berry sophomore communication major Chad Rowell served as the announcer for the event.  He is the son of Danny and Martha Rowell of Trenton, Ga.

Sophomore middle grades mathematics education major Emily Rose Orton, daughter of Jennifer and Larry Orton of Grayson, Ga, was the student coordinator for the competition.  Dr. Carla Moldavan, professor of mathematics, is the faculty coordinator for the event.

        Jasper Middle School’s math team placed 3^rd in the Lanier Region of MathCounts held at the University of Georgia in Athens on Feb. 22, 2008.  MATHCOUNTS® is a national math enrichment, coaching & competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state & territory. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MATHCOUNTS is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors & students.

        The team traveled to Athens on Thursday, Feb. 21^st so that they could tour the UGA campus and then be well rested for the early morning competition on Friday, Feb. 22^nd.  The competition consisted of three events:  Sprint Round in which each competitor completes a 30 question test; Target Round in which each competitor completes four sets of two questions, each set in a six minute time frame; and Team Round in which each team of four competitors works together to answer 10 problems in twenty minutes.

        In addition to the JMS team placing 3^rd, three of the team members placed in the top 15 individual rankings and will compete at the state competition at Zoo Atlanta on March 15, 2008.  Those students going to state are:  JT Weyman, Erin Hancock, and Tyler Stargel.  Jordan Hill was the fourth member of the competing 3^rd place team.

JMS Students to Compete in Regional Science Fair at Reinhardt College.

            Jasper Middle School held their first Science Fair on January 30th-Feb.1^st.  Students from grades six through eight completed projects which they had been working on since early November.  Winning projects from each grade level were then judged to decide the winners from the school.  Makayla Angel and Taylor Boggus teamed up to produce the winning entry.  Erin Hancock and Jordan Hill’s project came in second, while Brennan Ray had the third place entry.  Trey Crenshaw and William Young II both received honorable mention ribbons.  All these students and their projects will travel to Reinhardt College on March 1, 2008 to compete in the junior division of the regional science fair.

            Jasper Middle School continued it’s tradition of doing well at area math competitions when the 7^th/8^th grade team brought home the 3^rd place trophy from the spring Berry College Math Competition, held in Rome, GA on February 26, 2008.

            The team has worked hard all year, practicing every Wednesday morning before school at 7:15.  Team members meet to practice solving word problems involving both algebra and geometry skills.  The competing members must be able to work problems quickly as all events are timed.  Students work both individually and as a team during the competitions.  The team is coached by Linda Weyman and Lynn Burns.