Monday, March 28, 2016

Jake Moyer (1994-2016)

The MHS Class of 2012 lost one of their own last Thursday. Jake Moyer was tragically killed in an automobile accident not far from his home. He was 22 years old.

As classes go, Jake’s class, like others at MHS, is extremely close. It is always hard to understand why things like this happen, and I suppose this side of heaven we will never know. We do know, however, that Jake had surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, and last Thursday morning he went home to be with his Lord and Savior.

I thought the poem from his class read at his service today was poignant and reflects the love between him and all his classmates. It reminds us that our time is short no matter how much we have. It reminds us that we are to use our time to create a story worth reading. No, not everyone is going to write a book about their lives and sell it on bookshelves. But we all write a story through our lives that will be read by those around us. And through that, we have an opportunity to have an impact by touching just one other person. And that, by extension, will change the world. Jake’s story is complete in one sense, but in another, it will live on in our memories forever.


In Memory
From the Class of 2012

It broke our hearts to lose you,
but you did not go alone.
A part of us went with you,
the day God took you home.
If tears could build a stairway,
and heartaches make a lane,
we'd walk our way to heaven,
and bring you back again.
If life we loved you dearly,
in death, we love you still,
in our hearts you hold a place
no one could ever fill.

Rest in Peace Jake, and may God continue to comfort your family – the one you left behind at your home, and the one you leave behind at MHS.

 #NJASAF



Friday, March 4, 2016

Spring is in the Air



As we near the end of February, we all anxiously await warmer weather and the beginning of spring. Our fall and winter sports have finished up their seasons and have represented our school well. Our Varsity Boys basketball team and Coach Marc Dukes finished the year as State Champions in the Division II Class AAAA for the third year in a row!  The Varsity Girls Basketball team finished 4th in the Division II Class AAAA Tournament.


Our Boys Soccer team made history by advancing to the second round of the Division II Class AAAA playoff tournament losing a close game to Washington School the eventual state champion. These boys, along with their coaches Dusty Hughes and Will Morgan, have a lot to be proud of. They improved each week and by the end of the season were a formidable opponent.




As we turn our attention to spring activities, the calendars are full and we anticipate a great last term for our students. The 4th-grade students performed “The Great Chill” this week, complete with actors mimicking our own school staff. Fifth-grade students are busy working on stop animation videos with Mrs. Poe’s high school Projects class. Our high school STEM students will soon launch a weather balloon holding a GoPro camera. The Creative Writing students took a trip this week to the Rock and Soul Museum and Sun Studios in Memphis after studying the history of rock and roll.  Our students are provided opportunities every day to go beyond the classroom and enhance their learning experiences through hands-on opportunities.


Our annual Science Fair was also held this week. Students amaze me every year with their hard work and dedication to this important event. From finding new energy sources to new investment strategies, our students are making theirs and our futures brighter.



Soren Peterson and Pernille Grønbech wrote an article in 2012 called “Growing Up and Living in a Creative Economy” where they discussed the needs of our future generations and how they differ from generations in the past. They suggest that the paradigm of creative education as a subject has to change and move more in the direction of using it as "goal-directed play with the objective of creating and sharing meaning." It is necessary for our schools to change and recognize this process to better help our students in the future. “Developing creative individuals takes a society that values and promotes curious, proactive qualities, interdependence, responsibility, and accountability. The process of building these well-rounded citizens starts with kindergarten and continues throughout life…”

It is my goal that every student from 3K to high school will leave Magnolia Heights prepared for their future endeavors. As we begin registration for next school year, I am excited and anxious as to what the future holds for Magnolia Heights. #NJASAF (Not Just A School, A Family)