Mason City Community School District |
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I am writing to update you on the Mason City High School construction project. Students, staff, and community members are excited to see the finished project. The pool, fieldhouse, and new atrium additions to Mason City High School are progressing. The pool's painting, tile work, and mechanicals are in the final stages of completion. The hope is that the pool will be operational and in use by early January. The glass work is nearing completion on the atrium and crews will install the plumbing fixtures and mechanicals in the atrium and fieldhouse in the next few months. If construction goes as planned, the intent is for all new facilities to be completed by mid-February. When the project is complete, Mason City Community Schools will host an open house for the public to view the facility. | |
Mason City Schools Two-Day Online Auction of Surplus Weight Equipment, Sports Jerseys & Mohawk Memorabilia
Click HERE for a list of available items!
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Public Preview - Sunday, November 20 - 12:00-2:00 p.m. (Items will be located in gym balcony. Access through the north door near the football stadium.)
Auction #1 Closing Date - Monday, November 21 at 6:00 p.m.
Auction #2 Closing Date - Tuesday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Auction Pickup - Wednesday, November 23 from 12:00-6:00 p.m.
& Monday, November 28 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. (Items should be picked up using the north door near the football stadium during the times indicated.)
https://foxauctioncompany.com/
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Harding Elementary 4th graders wanted to thank all our veterans for their service. Working together they created a collaborative poster that hung at the Mason City Arena for the Salute to Veterans hockey games last weekend. A few of the veterans even took their picture by the poster. Sgt. Matt Platts, pictured in the red jersey, is a member of the National Guard 1133rd who was deployed on Sunday.
THANK YOU TO ALL VETERANS FOR YOUR SERVICE!
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When the leaves fall and the days get cool, we know it is time to celebrate with fall parties. In Mrs. Eppens' fourth grade class, students had pumpkins races followed by some tasty treats. Second grade students in Mrs. Finn's class turned each other into mummies using toilet paper. While walking through the hallways, excitement was coming out of every classroom as they celebrated the fall season! | |
Every Friday before school begins, students at Jefferson Elementary partake in Fitness Friday. This entails the entire school walking the halls. This is an opportunity for students to use up a little energy and also to show leadership skills. Our older students are often seen talking to, holding hands, and helping out our youngers students. Our teachers love this because they get to see students they have had in previous years. It is a favorite activity for students each week and a great way to start off a FABULOUS Friday! | |
This fall, Ms. Hansen and Ms. Kingston had their 8th grade Art and Industrial Technology classes collaborate to engage students in a Problem Based Learning (PBL) cycle. PBL has seven steps beginning with identifying a challenging problem, and ending with a public product. Students were challenged to solve "What Matters" at John Adams Middle School. The topics students were able to choose from included positive communication, appreciation, community, gratitude and kindness. Working in small teams, students used their art and industrial technology skills and information to create displays and products that communicate "What Matters" to them at JAMS. The culminating activity included an open house in the IC where other students and adults could see the work they had completed. Many of the projects are currently on display throughout the school. The PBL project offered students the opportunity to work as a team, develop employability and social-emotional skills, that will enable them be successful in other areas of their lives. Ms. Hansen and Ms. Kingston added that while undertaking this project was a lot of work, what the students learned was well worth the added effort. | |
John Adams Middle School Student Council took part in the Iowa Association of Student Council's Annual Leadership Conference in Des Moines. They earned the Honors Council award with Meritorious Distinction. A total of 11 schools in the state won the award, which is the highest state award, and JAMS was the only middle school to receive it. JAMS Principal Jerry Siglin was awarded the 2022 IASC Middle School Administrator of the Year. | |
Lincoln Intermediate
Time never stops and the year seems to be flying by at Lincoln! We've recently completed our first round of parent-teacher conferences; we had an exceptional turnout of parents/guardians attending to learn about their kids' progress. We also had our first Town Hall meeting with the Lincoln Community, and it was a great success. Stakeholders did a wonderful job of asking questions, giving great feedback, and sharing their opinions. We look forward to our next Town Hall meeting in the second semester. Furthermore, the Lincoln Log has officially released its first edition! It was a great launch and the students have really enjoyed reading about things happening in their school. Our upcoming events include a band concert on November 15 and an orchestra concert on December 12. #LincolnTogether
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Little Riverhawk Preschool | |
Little Riverhawk Preschool took part in Agriculture Education Week at Harding. This group of preschool students participated in Hooray for Hamburgers! I like cheese, tomatoes, and ketchup on my hamburger. What plants or animals make those things possible? Where does the hamburger come from? We will use a giant, stuffed hamburger to find out. | |
Mason City Alternative High School
Students from the Mason City Alternative School attended a simulator day held at North Iowa Area Community College. Students were able to test out their semi/truck driving skills and welding and heavy equipment skills on simulators. This was a great opportunity for students to explore options for possible careers.
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Mason City High School
Members of the Mason City High School Student Senate took part in the Iowa Association of Student Council's Annual Leadership Conference in Des Moines. The two-day conference allowed students to participate in a variety of activities, sessions, and hear from keynote speaker Joe Fingerhut, who challenged the students to change their thinking from "I can't do that" to "How can I do that?" MCHS presented to other high school students at two of the sessions. Angelina Frank and Naomi Garrett presented on becoming an Honor Council and the portfolio process, while Ben Lorence and Advisor Laura Grommesh presented on the mascot change process. Following the breakout sessions, student councils from across the state were recognized for the various honors available to school leadership.
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MCHS earned the Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction award. This honor is based on a point rubric scoring the structure and activities of the council over the past year. MCHS was also one of five schools in the state to be awarded the National Gold Council of Excellence. This highest honor is awarded by the National Student Council Organization. Lastly, MCHS was awarded the Kelly Neiber Service Award. This award is given each year to one school who demonstrated phenomenal service to their school and community. MCHS Student Council was selected for their leadership, service, lessons learned, and growth as a group for their efforts related to the mascot change. It is unprecedented for one school to be recognized in each of these award categories. We are extremely proud of the leadership, work, and representation our student council has shown in our school and in our state. Go Riverhawks! | |
Mason City Virtual Academy | |
Mason City Virtual Academy teachers attended the Iowa Technology & Education Connection fall conference in Des Moines November 7-8, 2022. It was two intense days of learning new and different ways to implement educational technology in the virtual classroom. | |
Miss Birke's classroom did a writing project on what makes Pinecrest different from other schools. Students worked together to brainstorm what makes Pinecrest unique. Each student chose two topics to write about. They used their writings to create posters and added illustrations. | |
Roosevelt Elementary
Students have been working hard this year and have met many of their classroom goals for positive behavior. To earn these goals, students need to model the positive expectations at Roosevelt Elementary which include Do the Right Thing, Act Kindly, and Be Safe. Teachers keep track of these behaviors in a variety of ways, which leads to classroom celebrations. Some of the celebrations that have been earned are pajama day, virtual reality day, fort day, decorating pumpkins, game day, and many more! Roosevelt will be acknowledging all these positive behaviors with a school-wide PBIS celebration on November 22nd!
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Administrative Center
Deanna Nannenga joined Mason City Community School District just over a year ago. She does Purchasing and Accounts Payable. Deanna is a graduate of Klemme Community High School. She loves Mason City Schools because of how friendly and welcoming the entire staff have been. Each morning everyone says "hi" as she enters the building. It just makes the day start off so positive. Deanna enjoys spending every minute she can with her family. On the weekends, if she is not spending time with her family, she is running her own photography business!
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Harding Elementary
Jamie Heard is one of MCCSD's social workers. She works primarily with students in grades preschool through sixth, but is often helping with our older students too. She started with the district in 2009, making this her 14th year. She received her AA degree from NIACC before attending the University of Northern Iowa where she earned her Bachelor of Arts - Social Work degree. She went on to earn her Master's of Social Work from the University of North Dakota. The students are what make Jamie MC Proud! She states "We have some very courageous and resilient students who face unimaginable obstacles and adversity every single day, yet still show up and do their best to learn and grow!" A fun fact about Jamie is that she loves road trips and traveling with her family, especially to the Gulf Coast area in Florida and South Alabama. She has made the 16+ hour drive to that area more than she can remember and finds something enjoyable about the trip every time.
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Hoover Elementary
Madison Mariner began working at Mason City Community School District as a paraprofessional in 2016 at Harding Elementary, while attending Buena Vista University. Following graduation in 2018, she began her teaching career in 1st grade at Hoover Elementary. The thing she loves the most about teaching is her students! She loves interacting with them, learning with them, helping them understand, and the relationships she builds with them. A fun fact about Madison is that her favorite summer activity is wakeboarding.
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Jefferson Elementary
Hollie Schoneman is a 1st grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary. She graduated from BGM High School, Central College, and earned her master's degree from Morningside University. This is Hollie's 24th year in teaching, 19 of which have been in Mason City. Hollie loves Mason City Schools because of the teachers she works with. She loves teaching children to read, and watch a child's light bulb turn on when they have struggled to learn something and they finally get it. She loves working with her first graders because she knows that every day she is going to receive hugs, laugh plenty, and have the chance to help her students learn something new. A fun fact about Hollie is that she has 11 siblings and 47 nieces and nephews.
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John Adams Middle School
Kathleen Lommen is in her first year as the 8th grade counselor at John Adams Middle School. Kathleen spent much of her life in California where she graduated from high school, taught, and served as a school counselor, school administrator, and a director. She later earned her doctorate in Leadership from Creighton University. As a school counselor, Kathleen's day is full of meeting with students and looking for accommodations and supports to help them experience success and feel good about being at JAMS. Kathleen loves working with middle school aged students because of the opportunities it presents for adults; to influence and shape who they become. She says, while it sounds cliché, the students make her day. In her free time, Kathleen enjoys reading, walking, cooking, and visiting new places with her husband of 21 years, Vance. She also has a son, Joe, who has lived in Japan since 2012. A fun fact about Kathleen is that she considers herself a "school geek" as she loves learning new things.
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Lincoln Intermediate
Amy Rollene is one of Lincoln's 6th grade science and math teachers. She graduated from Ririe High School in Ririe, Idaho. Amy got married, started her family, moved to Iowa in 2010; where her husband was born. She worked in the banking industry and later got a job as a paraprofessional at her children's school; which started her journey to becoming a teacher. Amy enrolled at NIACC and then Buena Vista University. She graduated in 2021 after being a para for eight years and going through college the non-traditional, mostly online route. Her love for Mason City derives from it serving as the right size for her and her family. She loves helping students and fellow staff members in any way possible. One fun fact about Amy is that she remodeled many parts of a house/barn.....and her favorite tool in construction work is the skill saw.
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Mason City Alternative School
Marcia Boster began her teaching career with Mason City Community School District in 2008. She teaches Publications, English 10, Street Law, World Cultures, and Computers classes at Mason City Alternative School. She is a graduate of MCHS, NIACC, Buena Vista University, and Morningside. She loves Mason City Schools because it is her alma mater. A fun fact about Marcia is that her dream job is to wear a character costume at Disney World; Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, or even Goofy would be fun!
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Mason City High School
Emily Bruns teaches social studies and is the assistant girls soccer coach at MCHS. Originally from Waverly, she attended the University of Northern Iowa where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She has worked for MCCSD for eight years. What she enjoys most about working for Mason City Schools is connecting with students in the classroom and on the soccer field. A fun fact about Emily is that she worked at a veterinary clinic throughout high school and college, so she is now the unofficial on-call vet for her friends and family.
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Mason City Virtual Academy
Katrina Walthall is a special education teacher at Mason City High School and Mason City Virtual Academy. Katrina has been at MCHS for 25 years and this is her second year with MCVA. She graduated from High School in Sidney, NE before attending the University of Nebraska for her bachelor's and master's degrees. She loves Mason City Schools because it gave her three children a fabulous education. A fun fact about Katrina is that technology and her do NOT get along.
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Melodee Birke teaches 5th and 6th grade at Pinecrest Center. This is her third year with MCCSD, which have all been spent at Pinecrest Center. Previous to joining Mason City Schools, Melodee taught for three years at GHV Elementary. She is a MCHS graduate and attended the University of Northern Iowa. She is currently attending Morningside University for her Master's in Special Education. Melodee loves Mason City Schools because the teachers who inspired her to be a teacher work/worked for MCCSD. A fun fact about Melodee is that she has read 55 books so far this year....for fun! | |
Larry Collins is one of the special education teachers at Roosevelt Elementary. He has worked in the district for many years, and does a great job of building strong relationships with students. Mr. Collins is a graduate of Mason City Schools, and has children who attend here also. He loves Mason City Schools because he loves the students and staff, but he also loves how the school district works with the community and families to make sure all children can be successful. A fun fact about Mr. Collins is that he had a very small stint as a pro wrestler named the Real Deal! | |
MCCSD Virtual Backpack
Make sure to check out the Virtual Backpack website! Here you will find events, camps, and opportunities for students and their families from district and community organizations.
Click HERE to check it out!
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Athletics & Activities Announcements | |
Congratulations to our Riverhawk teams and team members on their great performances!
*Jess Cornick, Kevin Carney, and Olivia Schissel qualified for the Senior All-Star Cross Country Meet
*Football District Honors:
District Punter of the Year - Broderick Lee
1st Team Offense - Kale Hobart, Kaden Tyler
1st Team Defense - Logan Eide, Darian Davis
2nd Team Offense - Brayden Miller, Tavien Banks
2nd Team Defense - Max Dhabalt, Davion Maxwell
Honorable Mention - Gabe Ries, Ethan Berding, Tate Millsap, Alex Kenward, Cade Meyer, Ben Lorence
*Rosa Monarch qualified for State Diving
*The following Girls Swimmers qualified for the State meet: Jenna Braun, Aspen Cole, Kayla Eide, Lauryn Halverson, Taylor Halverson, Grace Hehr, Marie Manternach
Congrats to all!
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