Wise Men Still Seek Him

This time, of year our calendars are crammed and we scurry about taking care of details and such. At times, it's easy to forget the real reason for the season. The wise men did not, however. They were focused. No cell phones, no mall traffic, emails and the such, only one singular purpose – to find the King of Kings. And they did!

Yes, wise men still seek him, even today. Webster defines wise as “having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” In this day, at this special time of the year, may we all follow the wise men of old and still seek Him. In Him, we will find the “peace that passes all understanding.” In Him we find the “King of Kings.” And in Him, we find the ‘True reason for the season.”

Yes, “wise men do still seek Him,” May we continue to follow the wise men of old and be reminded of the true reason for the season.

From all of us at Magnolia Heights, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thankful!

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to reflect and count our blessings. I remember growing up and singing songs about “Thanksgiving Blessings and counting them one by one.” 

As we count our many blessings during this Thanksgiving season, I am reminded how thankful I am for families. I am especially thankful for my family and my school family. At MHS we are reminded daily by our students, faculty and parents the “family feeling” so characteristic of our school. The hashtag #NJASAF (Not Just A School A Family) was first coined during the tragic loss of one of our students. Over and over we heard, it’s not just a school, it’s a family as we leaned on each other. That’s what families do. We celebrate, we grieve, and we love. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for and at the top of my list is family. 

I hope that each of you have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving!

#NJASAF

Accreditation Team Visits MHS

What an incredible two days! The SAIS/AdvancEd and MAIS accreditation peer review team has been on our campus for the past two days as part of our re-accreditation process. The visiting team was led by Allen Broyles of the Howard School in Atlanta. The other committee members were Amy Moody of St. Agnes/St. Dominic in Memphis, Betty Fagan of Woodward Academy also in Atlanta, Ross Hailey of Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Madison, and Allen Smithers of Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg, MS. What a great team!

They were charged to look at our adherence to standards, the school improvement plan developed by the school, to offer commendations and recommendations, and most importantly a re-accreditation affirmation, as we go forward in the next five years.

Our school improvement plan centers around three goals: curriculum, technology, and a character education program we are calling "Heart of Character." Each of these areas were looked at and discussed with stakeholders of the school.

The visiting team was so impressed with our faculty, parents, and administration, but even more so with our students. They said over and over how "blown away" they were by their honesty, insight, and their hearts. It is not often that you hear from students, "how privileged they are to go to a school like MHS and how thankful they are that their parents sacrifice to send them to MHS." They commented over and over the sense of "family" and how many times the word was used. What a testament to our school and our people (parents, students, faculty, staff, and administration). Of course, we already knew this, but it is so gratifying to hear it validated by others.

I want to thank the accreditation team, the leadership team, the faculty and staff, parents and students. Allison Burris did a phenomenal job leading the accreditation team, and her effort and quality of work was commended many times throughout the visit. The hospitality efforts were lead by Sharon Hudson and others. Without exception, the committee commented on the preparation and planning by the school and left with a true sense of the exceptional education at Magnolia Heights School. We have already had one team member ask if she could send faculty members from her school to visit with our teachers. What a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff!

The team left with an affirmative recommendation for re-accreditation for another five years. They also left us recommendations in each of our goal areas that will truly enhance our journey over the next five years. I am confident that MHS is better for undergoing the process, as well as the assurance that we are indeed doing what we say - Educating tomorrow's leaders through educational excellence today."

Homecoming: A time to reminisce and celebrate.

We have been busy celebrating the much-anticipated Homecoming week here at MHS. Our Student Council, along with the student body, chose the theme of “Magnolia Heights Forever” based off of the TV series Friday Night Lights. We can all recall our own “Friday Night Lights” and the memorable moments of cheering on our high school teams with pep rallies and spirit days.  

Mr. Jim Cahill, Parade Grand Marshall, and wife Trish

Students and teachers have both enjoyed the hype of the week as well as participating in the spirit days. Some of these days have included “Western Day”, “MHS 365,” where students dressed as their favorite holiday, and “MHS Forever,” where students dressed in jerseys and cheer uniforms to show their true love for our wonderful school and its traditions.  

Several new additions to the week have included a parade around the Hill and tailgating before the pep rally and presentation of the maids. So much work and preparation have gone into this week, and it is wonderful to see so many students and faculty participate in the events.

We welcome back and honor the classes of 1975, 85, 95, 2005, and 2010 this week as we celebrate the 45^th anniversary of Magnolia Heights. We look forward to visiting with alumni and teachers who have helped build and grow our school to what is now. The Classes of 1985, 1995, and 2005 will be returning for their reunions this weekend as well.

During the planning and celebrating of Homecoming, we don't want to forget that the Lady Chiefs softball team has finished conference play and will open the Class AAAA  D-2 State Tournament on Saturday at noon.  The Lady Chiefs will face Oak Forest.  We wish them good luck and safe travels as they play in the tournament.

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” has been our tag line this week, taken from the tv series, as the team prepared for game days. As we round out the events of this week and anxiously await game time, I hope that you will also reminisce on your high school memories and celebrate the future of Magnolia Heights. I am blessed to be a part of this family. Please make plans to join us Friday night at 7:30 and watch our Chiefs take on the Lions of Harding Academy. Homecoming festivities will culminate at halftime with the crowning of the 2015 Homecoming Queen. #ChiefPride #NJASAF

Making History

As the students filled the hallways and teachers worked endlessly to get ready for their return, I found myself excited and anxious for another school year to begin. It’s great to see the faces of our returning students as well as meeting the new students that have joined the MHS family.

I began to reflect on years past at Magnolia Heights and where we are now as a school. We continue to grow and enhance the learning experience to reach every child’s needs. Through our advancements in technology, to our differentiated instruction, our students are being prepared academically, morally, physically, and spiritually for the road that lies ahead.

We are in the final phases of completing the implementation of our 1:1 program (iMHS) and students and faculty are eagerly embracing the technology. All students in grades 7-12 now have MacBooks and are utilizing tools such as CANVAS (LMS), online textbooks, and other great teaching apps. Students in Kindergarten through 4th grade now have access to an iPad cart. Through funds raised by our Parents’ Club and other generous donors, we were able to add four new iPad carts for the elementary grades.  The 5th and 6th grade classes are now utilizing MacBook carts, one for each grade. In an effort to better prepare our elementary students for the technology they will be using in the future, we are teaching typing in grades 1-3 (previously taught in the 7th and 8th grades) and transitioning the Chromebooks (previously located in the 5th and 6th grade classrooms) to the elementary computer lab. We are continually amazed at their ability and skills in using technology to further their education.

We have also been fortunate to make upgrades and improvements to our school campus during the last year. You will notice new LED lighting throughout the entire campus, new HVAC units to provide more energy efficient heating and air to our oldest classrooms, an upgraded security system, and infrastructure improvements and enhancements to keep our campus safe along with many other improvements. We have also begun our multi-year plan to repave the entire campus.

Through a generous grant from Entergy and donations from the Parents’ Club, we have been able to implement a STEM class for our secondary students and a robotics class for elementary grades. It is so exciting to see our students participating and learning to explore the areas of robotics, science, and engineering. 

We had a great night at Meet the Chiefs where we were introduced to our fall athletes and coaches. Girls soccer and softball are both underway and looking better than ever. Our football teams have been working hard in the August heat and are ready to “Defend the Hill,” while the cheerleaders keep everybody excited for the seasons ahead. We encourage everyone to come out and catch a few games this season to support our Chiefs!

 

As we settle into our new routines and find our calendars full again, I am excited to see what the year will hold. In the coming months, we will be preparing for our SACS/SAIS dual accreditation visit coming in October. I’ll share more details of our SACS/SAIS School Improvement Plan that will guide us over the next five years at a later date. With our wonderful students, parents, teachers, and administrators, I know we have the opportunity to “make history”.  After all, we are not just a school, but a family. #NJASAF