MCMS student council had a fund raiser for UNICEF. UNICEF is an organization that provides kids in countries that have large amounts of poverty with food, clean water, and health care. For the fund raiser we had a class competition by putting little orange boxes in each class room. The students put their donations in the boxes. The second place winner was Mr. Brook’s class with $181.90, and in first Mrs. Rahn’s class with $220.25. The overall total raised was $650.26.
Beta Club News by Shelby Garman and Kait Wilbur
Recently, Beta Club has sponsored “Operation Santa,” an organization that gives gifts to soldiers overseas around the holidays. Operation Santa is one of several projects of Citizen Support for America’s Military. Citizen SAM provides various forms of troop support throughout the year. Operation Santa started in 2005 and has been going steadily throughout the years. The middle school had a contest of which homeroom can gather the most travel-sized items and non-melting small foods to send overseas. The class that raised the most was Miss Pillman’s first hour class. They won a pizza party that was held November 19, 2010. The middle school brought in nine boxes full of items. The winning class itself brought in four boxes full of items. Beta Club will be giving these items to Operation Santa just in time for Christmas.
At one of Beta Club’s most recent meetings, they decided that a canned food drive will be held on November 29 through December 3. Beta Club will be giving these cans to Green Valley food pantry. Also at this meeting, they decided that they will have a movie night on December 16. This will be when they invite sixth graders to be in Beta Club. The eighth graders in Beta Club are planning a trip to Six Flags. Before they plan the date, they will have to plan a fundraiser, so keep an eye out for this.
Band/Chorus News by Brijana Spraggs
There is a band and chorus concert coming up on December 10 at 7:00 P.M. in the middle school gymnasium in Green Valley. Band and chorus students are working hard with Mr. VanDelinder on their Christmas music. Some of the concert songs for the band are “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Echoes De Noel.” Two of the chorus songs are “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” They would love to see you there applauding them. We hope to see you there!
Library News by Elias Kibby
The Middle School librarian Mrs. Hall has been encouraging students to read Rebecca Caudill Book Awards nominees. She is doing this by offering students in all three grades a pizza party if they read four nominees. (Please refer to the end of this article for the list) One student that has already read four books is Jill Berg. Each time a student reads one of these books they are entered in a drawing for a new book with five other students. Some students that have won new books are Cassie Mundekis, Jill Berg, Joe Hohenshell, and Eryn Jacobs. Good job to all the students mentioned and a big thanks to Mrs. Hall for organizing a good way to get students reading.
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award 2011 Master List / Illinois Children Choice Award
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor Diamond Willow by Helen Frost Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong Scat by Carl Hiaasen Schooled by Gordon Korman Savvy by Ingrid Law 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack Fablehaven by Brandon Mull All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall, Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy Trouble by Gary Schmidt The Alchemyst by Michael Scott The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Sports by Brady Askins, Jill Berg, and Julia Jacob
The Lady Raiders Basketball team has had nineteen games so far this year! The seventh grade record is ten wins and nine losses. The Lady Raiders had their last regular season game Thursday, November 18. It was held at Peoria Christian at 4:30. The seventh grade won with the final score of twenty eight to thirty one! The high scorers were Jenna Fisher with thirteen points, and Jill Berg and Julia Jacob with seven points each. Also scoring was Alison Trettin with four points. The seventh grade team had their first regional game Tuesday, November 23. It was against Havana; Havana held the regional tournament. The Lady Raiders lost in a good game against the Ducks. Jenna Fisher was the high scorer with 12 points. The seventh grade team had a great season and would like to thank Coach Chris Fisher and Coach Rhonda Fisher for their support. The eighth grade record is also ten wins and nine losses. The eighth grade game against Peoria Christian was very exciting! Our Lady Raiders won with a score of thirty- two to thirty! Cassie Mundekis had fourteen points for the lead! Lexi Parrott chipped in with ten points. Congratulations to both teams.
The Midwest Central Middle School boy’s basketball team has played nine games so far this season. They have played six home games and three away games. The Raiders played Farmington November 23. The seventh grade record is five wins and four losses. The seventh grade won against Canton; the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Dillion Williams with fifteen points. They also played Havana, and the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Brady Askins with twelve points. When they played Parkview, the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Dillion Williams with fifteen points. Brady Askins was the lead scorer against Lewistown with eight points. Against Hartem the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Austin Nuelinger with fourteen points. They have lost against Olympia, Illini Bluffs, Lincoln and Washington. The eighth grade record is five wins and three losses. The eighth grade boys have beat Olympia with the leading scorers being Jarrett Dean and Garrett Graff. They both had fourteen points. Against Lewistown, Jeremy Gathman was the lead scorer for Midwest Central with ten points. When the Raiders played Havana, Garrett Graff led the Raiders with seventeen points. They played Parkview, and Jarrett Dean had seventeen points for the Raiders. They have lost to Lincoln, Canton and Illini Bluffs. The boy’s next game is at home against Georgetown on December 6 at 6:00. Good luck Raiders!
Miss Pillman's Eighth Grade Reading Class Project by Michelle Szczepaniak and Elric Gaddy
Miss Pillman’s reading classes did a project with PowerPoint on a book that they read. Her class had to read a two hundred twenty-five page book and explain what the genre, title, and other details about the book were. An extended response and summary were also required. All the students had to do the project on their own. They started the project on October 28, and it was due November 23. They were reading for almost the whole time. They spent about two weeks to do the PowerPoint. Eighth grader Krissy White told us the project was fun, and she enjoyed it.
Words of the Holiday by Kendall Graff and John Wilcox
Turducken: A turducken is a chicken stuffed inside a duck and then the duck is stuffed inside a turkey with fillings such as sausage, cornbread, or oyster. A Louisiana chef made this and it caught on.
Cherpumple Pie Cake: A Cherpumple pie cake is a three layered cake wrapped into one dessert. It includes cherry pie, cake, and pumpkin pie. It originated from down south.
Student Council News by Joe Hohenshell
MCMS student council had a fund raiser for UNICEF. UNICEF is an organization that provides kids in countries that have large amounts of poverty with food, clean water, and health care. For the fund raiser we had a class competition by putting little orange boxes in each class room. The students put their donations in the boxes. The second place winner was Mr. Brook’s class with $181.90, and in first Mrs. Rahn’s class with $220.25. The overall total raised was $650.26.Beta Club News by Shelby Garman and Kait Wilbur
Recently, Beta Club has sponsored “Operation Santa,” an organization that gives gifts to soldiers overseas around the holidays. Operation Santa is one of several projects of Citizen Support for America’s Military. Citizen SAM provides various forms of troop support throughout the year. Operation Santa started in 2005 and has been going steadily throughout the years. The middle school had a contest of which homeroom can gather the most travel-sized items and non-melting small foods to send overseas. The class that raised the most was Miss Pillman’s first hour class. They won a pizza party that was held November 19, 2010. The middle school brought in nine boxes full of items. The winning class itself brought in four boxes full of items. Beta Club will be giving these items to Operation Santa just in time for Christmas.At one of Beta Club’s most recent meetings, they decided that a canned food drive will be held on November 29 through December 3. Beta Club will be giving these cans to Green Valley food pantry. Also at this meeting, they decided that they will have a movie night on December 16. This will be when they invite sixth graders to be in Beta Club. The eighth graders in Beta Club are planning a trip to Six Flags. Before they plan the date, they will have to plan a fundraiser, so keep an eye out for this.
Band/Chorus News by Brijana Spraggs
There is a band and chorus concert coming up on December 10 at 7:00 P.M. in the middle school gymnasium in Green Valley. Band and chorus students are working hard with Mr. VanDelinder on their Christmas music. Some of the concert songs for the band are “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Echoes De Noel.” Two of the chorus songs are “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” They would love to see you there applauding them. We hope to see you there!Library News by Elias Kibby
The Middle School librarian Mrs. Hall has been encouraging students to read Rebecca Caudill Book Awards nominees. She is doing this by offering students in all three grades a pizza party if they read four nominees. (Please refer to the end of this article for the list) One student that has already read four books is Jill Berg. Each time a student reads one of these books they are entered in a drawing for a new book with five other students. Some students that have won new books are Cassie Mundekis, Jill Berg, Joe Hohenshell, and Eryn Jacobs. Good job to all the students mentioned and a big thanks to Mrs. Hall for organizing a good way to get students reading.Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award 2011 Master List / Illinois Children Choice Award
Chains by Laurie Halse AndersonThe Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Savvy by Ingrid Law
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall,
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Trouble by Gary Schmidt
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer
Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Sports by Brady Askins, Jill Berg, and Julia Jacob
The Lady Raiders Basketball team has had nineteen games so far this year! The seventh grade record is ten wins and nine losses. The Lady Raiders had their last regular season game Thursday, November 18. It was held at Peoria Christian at 4:30. The seventh grade won with the final score of twenty eight to thirty one! The high scorers were Jenna Fisher with thirteen points, and Jill Berg and Julia Jacob with seven points each. Also scoring was Alison Trettin with four points. The seventh grade team had their first regional game Tuesday, November 23. It was against Havana; Havana held the regional tournament. The Lady Raiders lost in a good game against the Ducks. Jenna Fisher was the high scorer with 12 points. The seventh grade team had a great season and would like to thank Coach Chris Fisher and Coach Rhonda Fisher for their support. The eighth grade record is also ten wins and nine losses. The eighth grade game against Peoria Christian was very exciting! Our Lady Raiders won with a score of thirty- two to thirty! Cassie Mundekis had fourteen points for the lead! Lexi Parrott chipped in with ten points. Congratulations to both teams.The Midwest Central Middle School boy’s basketball team has played nine games so far this season. They have played six home games and three away games. The Raiders played Farmington November 23. The seventh grade record is five wins and four losses. The seventh grade won against Canton; the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Dillion Williams with fifteen points. They also played Havana, and the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Brady Askins with twelve points. When they played Parkview, the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Dillion Williams with fifteen points. Brady Askins was the lead scorer against Lewistown with eight points. Against Hartem the leading scorer for Midwest Central was Austin Nuelinger with fourteen points. They have lost against Olympia, Illini Bluffs, Lincoln and Washington. The eighth grade record is five wins and three losses. The eighth grade boys have beat Olympia with the leading scorers being Jarrett Dean and Garrett Graff. They both had fourteen points. Against Lewistown, Jeremy Gathman was the lead scorer for Midwest Central with ten points. When the Raiders played Havana, Garrett Graff led the Raiders with seventeen points. They played Parkview, and Jarrett Dean had seventeen points for the Raiders. They have lost to Lincoln, Canton and Illini Bluffs. The boy’s next game is at home against Georgetown on December 6 at 6:00. Good luck Raiders!
Miss Pillman's Eighth Grade Reading Class Project by Michelle Szczepaniak and Elric Gaddy
Miss Pillman’s reading classes did a project with PowerPoint on a book that they read. Her class had to read a two hundred twenty-five page book and explain what the genre, title, and other details about the book were. An extended response and summary were also required. All the students had to do the project on their own. They started the project on October 28, and it was due November 23. They were reading for almost the whole time. They spent about two weeks to do the PowerPoint. Eighth grader Krissy White told us the project was fun, and she enjoyed it.Words of the Holiday by Kendall Graff and John Wilcox
Turducken: A turducken is a chicken stuffed inside a duck and then the duck is stuffed inside a turkey with fillings such as sausage, cornbread, or oyster. A Louisiana chef made this and it caught on.Cherpumple Pie Cake: A Cherpumple pie cake is a three layered cake wrapped into one dessert. It includes cherry pie, cake, and pumpkin pie. It originated from down south.