Back-to-School Celebrations at Marshall Schools: Cheers, High-Fives, and Exciting New Initiatives

As the new school year dawned, students at Southview Elementary and Marshall Middle School were greeted with a warm and enthusiastic welcome on their first day back. SMSU student-athletes lined the entrances to cheer them on, setting the tone for a year filled with community engagement and a renewed focus on student success.

Ushering in a New Era of Academic Excellence and Engagement

Southview Elementary: Fostering Connections and Celebrating Milestones

At Southview Elementary, the start of the school year was marked by a vibrant display of community support. SMSU student-athletes enthusiastically welcomed the returning students, high-fiving and cheering them on as they made their way into the building. This longstanding tradition has become a cherished part of the school's culture, as Southview Principal Peter Thor explained, "It's just gotten to be kind of a neat, new relationship where they (SMSU students) just come in. Sometimes they'll come in and read to our kids, so our kids just enjoy seeing that part of it."The school's focus on fostering connections extends beyond the first-day festivities. Throughout the year, third and fourth-grade students take on the role of welcoming and mentoring their younger peers, helping to ease the transition for second-graders. As Thor noted, "When our fourth graders come back, they're almost ready for middle school … One of our things we like to do is have that transition where third and fourth graders welcome in our second graders."Southview's commitment to creating a supportive environment for students also includes the implementation of the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) framework. This comprehensive approach, which has been in place at the high school level for the past five years, is now being expanded to the middle school and Southview. As Thor explained, "It's (BARR) a framework that we've implemented at the high school. We've been using it there for about five years, and now we're adding it at the middle school and Southview. It's a framework to help organize MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) things. So, it's how we determine students' attendance and their needs, or their behavioral needs, their academic needs, and who's touching base with that kid and making sure they have some individual attention to whatever their individual needs are."

Marshall Middle School: Fostering Growth and Empowering Students

At Marshall Middle School, the start of the new school year also heralds the arrival of a new principal, Peggy Reynolds. Reynolds, who previously served as the assistant principal for the past two years, is eager to build upon the school's recent successes.One key initiative Reynolds is excited to continue is the school's updated handbook and discipline policy, which were implemented last year. The results have been impressive, with a 40% reduction in behavior referrals compared to the previous year. "We had updated our handbook last year for our students, as well as our discipline policy, and we really communicated that well to our students — our expectations," Reynolds said. "At the end of the year, we saw a 40% reduction in behavior referrals from the previous year. That's a huge success, just a huge success. So, we're going to continue with that."The middle school is also poised to benefit from the completion of its newly renovated theater, which has been undergoing construction throughout the summer. Reynolds expressed her enthusiasm for the new space, stating, "The theater is close to completion. There's a few things that need to be pushed up, but the majority of the theater is done. Really excited about that. It's a beautiful space. We're hoping that we'll be able to utilize it more as a school district, and then as well as the community."Another exciting initiative at Marshall Middle School is the implementation of the BARR framework, which will complement the school's existing efforts to support student success. Reynolds explained the approach, "A math teacher, a language arts teacher and a social teacher will see the same groups of students all year long … Each team will have approximately 80 to 90 students. It'll enable those teachers to really focus on the strengths of each student, get to know each student, as well as (knowing) what their student needs and how can we best meet the needs of those students."The middle school has also expanded its family and consumer science curriculum, introducing these life skills-focused classes to sixth and seventh-grade students. Additionally, the school has added enrichment teachers throughout the grades to further ensure students are exceeding grade-level expectations.

Fostering a Collaborative and Supportive Environment

Across both Southview Elementary and Marshall Middle School, the focus on fostering strong relationships and addressing the individual needs of students is a shared priority. The BARR framework, with its emphasis on building assets and reducing risks, is seen as a powerful tool to support this goal.As Superintendent Jeremy Williams explained, "It's (BARR) a framework to help organize MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) things. So, it's how we determine students' attendance and their needs, or their behavioral needs, their academic needs, and who's touching base with that kid and making sure they have some individual attention to whatever their individual needs are."This collaborative approach, combined with the warm welcome from SMSU student-athletes and the unique mentorship opportunities at Southview, sets the stage for a school year filled with academic growth, community engagement, and a renewed sense of excitement for students and staff alike.