WELLS PRESS

Building on lessons learned: Math teacher Kristin Applegate takes her attentive second-period eighth graders on to the next step in their constantly expanding math education -- and one of any number of concepts that could appear on the eighth grade state math test later this month.

[photo by Atreyu Ferrell]

by Zian Rogers and Hayden Love-Raleigh

State testing starts Tuesday, April 28 and the last day of it will be May 5 with reading and math for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, and science and writing for the eighth graders. Wells teachers are preparing their kids for state testing by reviewing.

“Covering the curriculum and then doing some review will best prepare (students) for the test,” said eighth grade math teacher Kristin Applegate. “How I feel about the state test, to be honest, I don’t really know. I wish kids would just take it more seriously.”

“The state test allows the government the most effective way to see (knowledge) levels of students, but I don't think is the most reliable," said sixth grade English language arts teacher Jamie Phillips. "I have seen kids who take it very seriously. But I have also seen kids rush through it because the reading passages were boring or because they kept hearing other kids finishing, so they think they have to rush."

Ms. Phillips pointed to the measures of academic progress, through the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), that Catoosa Public Schools uses three times a year to observe students' growth in reading and math. "I think the NWEA gives a more accurate level because you get to test three times a year, and kids can see the results. So it makes them try harder because they get to see that graph go up," she said.

"On the state test it takes too long to get your results," Ms. Phillips said. "And I don't get to see the results until later on, so I can't go back and re-teach. There are many flaws with the state test."

“My expectations for the state test are that we see the success that we have been seeing on the (NWEA) test this year carry over to the state test," said Wells Principal Rex Langley. "We have seen a lot of growth in math and English, and we use that (NWEA) test as a thermometer to check the temperature for how the learning is going at the school."

Mr. Langley also addressed criticism of the state test from teachers and students about the reliability of its results. "It feels like it is very fair criticism," he said. "I think one of the biggest problems with the state test is that students are tested all year long, so we know they're trained in their classes' content," which the NWEA's measures of academic progress demonstrate. "But with the state test, I feel like it doesn’t really reflect what I know the kids can do, and there are a lot of different reasons for that."

Getting warmer: Wells Principal Rex Langley and Assistant Principal Sandy Gilstrap proudly show off their thermometer graphs in the front hall that track attendance for all three grade levels.

[photo by Mina Miller]

by Yanely Olvera Stephenson and Mina Miller

For Wells Middle School to earn favorable grades from Oklahoma’s state education department, the school must have good attendance. So the school’s administrators are measuring attendance and working to keep students in school.

“Attendance is important because it's instructional time," said Wells Assistant Principal Sandy Gilstrap, "time to come in one-on-one interactions with your teachers, to interact with your peers and other people around the school. But the most important is that we need you here because this is time to help you keep up with everything. So when you go to class and your teachers take attendance, we track it using Power School.”

An attendance chart on the wall near the front office measures progress toward a goal of 95 percent attendance for the school year. If the school reaches its goal, "We will have extra recess during advisory, and you get to go stay outside, so try to be here every day, all day," Ms. Gilstrap said.

Attendance has different measurements, such as "absence excused" -- like having doctors notes to explain the absence, or "absence truant" -- like if the school doesn't get a call from a parent or an explanation of why a student is absent.

For students who are absent more than 10 percent of the semester to date, they receive truancy notes from the school. "We try to keep on top of it, and we will send out notifications to parents if you're missing after four days of being truant or not explaining absences," Ms. Gilstrap said.

"So if you are going to be gone, make sure your parents call in," she said, "or if you go to the doctor or dentist, please bring us a note so we know where you were so it won't count against you."

In May the school will have an assembly to hand out certificates for kids with the best attendance.

During mornings, some people stand up during the Pledge of Allegiance. Some don’t -- due to religious reasons or beliefs.

I don’t stand up personally because during the Pledge of Allegiance it says “liberty and justice for all,” and it doesn’t feel fair to me since the whole year my race has been hunted down day by day by ICE agents -- deporting millions of "aliens.” My sister almost got deported on her way to drop off my nephews to daycare.

Other family members and friends also think this; they dealt with it a few times. Some lost their children to ICE, and one of them got deported by ICE.

It never seems fair to me that it would be "justice for all" when my people don’t get that. My family follows all the rules in the country, does everything to be good citizens, but is unwanted here. Latin American and Asian people are taken out of their homes, shot at, children are taken away from them, but for what? For being different? For having a different race? For speaking a different language?

ICE's actions aren't justified. Immigrants were meant to be here -- to give themselves or their children a better life.

Standing up to the flag and saying "justice for all" just doesn’t seem right for me and my family. So that’s why I don’t stand up.

Everybody helps everybody ... March Students of the Month honored by teachers for outstanding achievement in cooperativeness: L-R: Isaac Florez, Max Phorn, Bailee Stephens, Coleman Potter, Abygail Clark, Chloe Acosta

by Mia Rodriguez and Ariana Cozart

Catoosa's theater class will host the opening night for its spring play Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the brand new auditorium at Wells Middle School. A matinee performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16 also will be presented.

This theatre version of Jekyll and Hyde is a spin off of the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella about a doctor who takes a potion to make his evilness come out.

Catoosa Theatre Director Shari Rehak said she has high expectations for the cast. “They are all wonderful kids, and they are fun, and I want them to bring their excitement, their energy and to become new people on the stage,” she said.

She also said she has great expectations for the crew. ”I have a three-person crew, and they're working really hard. I want them to be able to move the props on and off the stage when needed.”

Ms. Rehak said preparations for the first performance in the newly renovated auditorium have gone well. "We practice twice a week after school, and we are hoping to start working on the stage next week,” she said.

Stoppage time ... Catoosa defender Joseph Soto gets a breather during a pause in the action at a March 12 jr. high home match vs. Verdigris. The Indians won 2-1. [photo by Gavin Jester]

by Samuel Esquivel and Mason Porterfield

The jr. high soccer season has been full of memorable moments, challenges, and growth for many players on the Catoosa team. From building friendships to overcoming obstacles, each player had a unique experience that helped shape their season.

“My favorite moment of the season is how many new friends I made and how much fun I’ve had,” said midfielder Landon Yang. “Charles Pruett is the funniest on the team because he is a goofball.”

For eighth grader Miles Tucker, the season came with challenges. “My biggest challenge is my injured knees. But how I overcame it is by becoming the photographer.”

“I feel like we did pretty good in the tournament because we only lost one game 1-0," said midfielder Damian Duarte. Reflecting on the team's 6-3 record through April 1, Duarte said, "I think we could have done better by trying harder.”

“I think that we could have done better defense and better offense, and we could have passed the ball more,” added defender Jovany Camacho. “I think that I could have done better by passing and having more shots on target and trying harder on defense.”

The Indians wrap up the jr. high soccer season with a home match April 13 vs. Wagoner.

by Brooklyn Ledbetter and Yuliana Baez

The Wells Middle School Band program serves as a vital foundation for the district's proud musical heritage and the renowned "Tribe" marching band. This is part of why Catoosa band musicians both in middle school and high school attend competitions.

The Catoosa Public Schools website says of the district's band program, "Operating as an essential bridge between elementary music and high school performance, the Wells Middle School Band offers students an immersive environment to develop their instrumental skills, learn music theory, and experience the joy of collaborative performance."

A band competition in February for middle school allowed Wells musicians the opportunity to receive feedback about their individual performances from expert music judges.

“We rehearse every day and go through different fundamental exercises the same way an athlete would go through when training,” said Assistant Band Director Caleb Jones. “We have done different rounds of drills, and we started applying the direct concepts to the music that we're learning for competitions or concerts.”

“To prepare (for a performance), I calm myself down and I stay very positive,” said Wells band student Athena Trigueros.

Well Press staff: Yuliana Baez, Emmaline Coffey, Bryce Cook, Ariana Cozart, Samuel Esquivel, Atreyu Ferrell, Alondra Gallegos, Sadie Goins, Brooklyn Ledbetter, Hayden Love-Raleigh, Mina Miller, Yanely Olvera-Stephenson, Sadie Pierce, Mason Porterfield, Charles Pruett, Mia Rodriguez,

Zian Rogers, Hailey Spears.

Send inquiries to kmcanany@catoosa.k12.ok.us.