Monday, January 31, 2011

January 31, 2011

In my first blog, I told you that one of the goals of my Blog was to promote what’s going on at MHS. Our teachers are always on the lookout for ways to help reinforce the principles taught in the regular classroom.
Last week Barry Coleman, senior high history and economics teacher at Magnolia Heights, was invited to attend the International Economics Summit hosted by Mississippi College in Clinton. The two day workshop focused on an upcoming state-wide economics competition involving public and private schools across the state. According to Coach Coleman there will be more than 50 teams participating in this event.
To prepare for the summit, the teams will be learning about fundamentals of free enterprise, global resources, trade barriers, tariffs, geography, and many other topics as they relate to international economics. Each school will have three teams which in turn will represent three countries – one wealthy, one poor, and one developing. The students will formulate economic policy for each country and then compete on a global stage with other schools across the state. The heart of the summit is trading among nations. Each nation will seek trade partners, form alliances, work through trade barriers, and help poor and developing nations as they develop their economies.
The project began as a university project at Boise State University (http://www.econsummit.org) and is currently in many states nationwide.
In addition, Coach Coleman is currently working on developing a curriculum on principles of personal finance that may be incorporated into the MHS curriculum in the very near future. There continues to be a great need for education in this area particularly as it relates to developing a budget, living within your means, giving and saving. We are preparing our students for the rigors of college life and beyond, but curricula in all schools seems to be lacking with regard to personal finance. In this day and time it’s almost a matter of national security that we get our personal finances in order so that we can get our nation’s finances back on track as well.
Our students will soon be adult citizens of a global economy. It is our hope that programs such as the International Summit and studying principles of personal finance will give them an advantage as they take the mantle of leadership in our community, state and nation.
Congratulations and thank you, Coach Coleman, on a job well done!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

January 27, 2011

Most of us have gone kicking and screaming into this technological age. However, many do embrace technology and the instant communication it provides. Our students are much more comfortable with it than we are. It’s been said that when it comes to technology, most of us are like immigrants in a foreign land, digital immigrants, while our students are digital natives easily navigating the technology landscape. What about Google? 1.2 billon searches each day. If we need to know – we Google it!
To that end, I am creating a “Headmaster’s Blog.” This will allow me to update you with what’s going on at the school. We have so many things to be proud of and have many programs that are truly on the cutting edge of education. For example, many of you know that we have made a conscious effort over the past two years to be more intentional about our ACT test preparation. I’m sure you have heard that we have 14 students who have made 29 or above on their ACT - qualifying them as State of Mississippi Eminent Scholars. You might even have heard about our two National Merit Semi-Finalists, Colby Ruth Holden and Margaret Ellen Ruhl. But what you haven’t heard is the remarkable number of other students who have seen their ACT scores increase an average of 2-3 points, which in turn will garner even more scholarship dollars for them upon their graduation.
We also have many student-led clubs that are participating in service and leadership projects. Interact and SADD have been and are currently involved in community service projects ranging from contributing money to worthwhile projects like the “Heifer Project” to donating blood for the Senatobia Rotary Club Blood Drive to name just two of many.
There are so many exciting things going on at MHS and rather than wait for a newsletter, this Blog will let me communicate to you in a timely manner. Some of the blogs may be shorter than others, some longer, but each one will give you informative up-to-date news about the school and its programs. Be sure to click on the follow link so you’ll be the first to know when a new blog has been posted.
I am looking forward to this opportunity to keep you up-to-date with our news and dip ever so gingerly into the technology ocean.