Wow! This school year is flying by so fast. We have had a great first semester at Auburn School with so many exciting things happening on a daily basis. Our school motto for this year is “A Happy School. A Bright Future.” When you walk down the hallways of Auburn School, that is exactly what you see.
To start, the spirit of the holiday season swept through our school building. Since we were virtual last year during this time and did not have Christmas in person, our staff decided to go big for Christmas this year! Staff and students decorated classrooms and hallway Christmas trees, and we had a special tree lighting event. We want to send a big thank you to our Auburn PTO for donating the hallway Christmas trees. Auburn School also received a donation of Christmas lights, so every hallway was decorated with beautiful lights.
Mrs. Hope Strode, Auburn FRYSC Director, purchased festive Christmas inflatables. These inflatables could be seen in front of the school and in the hallways. Walking the hallways at Auburn is quite magical, but the true magic is seeing all of the smiles on our students’ faces. We want our students to have experiences that bring joy and happiness to their lives. Our Christmas decorations were quite an experience our students will remember!
We also are excited to announce our Auburn Jr. Rotary Club. We have partnered with the Russellville Rotary Club to get this program off the ground. This program will focus on student leadership. Students will be in charge of this program and will take part in community service projects. We know that our students will represent Auburn School well in taking on new leadership roles in the school and community.
Additionally, we have revamped our Tiger Heroes student recognition program by connecting it to the Logan County Profile of Success. For each month, we are celebrating a specific a characteristic of the Profile. The month of December was Collaborator. Each student is chosen by his or her homeroom teacher for their achievements and success in being an effective Collaborator.
For the months of November and December our Tiger Heroes have been Elena Christmas, Scarlett Preski, Caroline Powell, Maggie Adkins, Aurora Froemling, Addison Hunn, Damacio Thompson, Kaelyn Freudenthal, Graci Harper, Kyler Hightower, DJ Warren, Jacob Montgomery, Jude Averitt, Cooper Burgess, Aaliyah Carter, Aubrey Hendricks, Owen Adkins, Shandon Sullivan, Charlotte Fritz, Gabriel Lugo, Stella Dye, Sloane Costello, Jaelynn Bean, Olivia Lyons, Alex Froemling, Brandon Judd, Solomn Weiss, John Ryan Cassetty, Kinsley Moore, Ryan Scherber, Claire Hill, Conner Jordan, Tinley Rigsby, Landon Bilyeu, Katelyn Haas, and Colt White. These students are recognized over the intercom and are treated to a walk to the Minit Mart for a treat of their choice.
“Tiger Paw on the Back” is a new staff recognition at Auburn School. Teachers and staff members nominate each other and give a reason for why the staff member has gone above and beyond for our students and families of Auburn School. Every Friday, all the nominations are randomly selected by Mrs. Rice, Auburn School Principal. The teacher is recognized over the intercom and receives a reward of their choice, such as a free coffee from the Country Breeze, administration covering a class, extra lunch, and several other rewards. We know our staff works hard for our students, and we want to thank them for their dedication to the students at Auburn School.
Our Auburn FRYSC is always looking for positive experiences to provide for our students. Our 8th grade class had the opportunity to tour the Career and Technical Center on Friday, December 3rd. During this tour, students visited different classrooms and talked with teachers and students about the variety of class options and career paths they can choose from in high school. Our 8th graders loved this experience, and are so excited to sign up for high school classes soon.
In more great news, Mrs. Mandy Beasley, Auburn’s band teacher, announced that five of Auburn’s 7th and 8th grade Band members auditioned for the KMEA Third District All District Band, and they ALL were selected for the band. Those students were Lilly Dayton -3rd chair French Horn, Drew McLellan - 1st chair French Horn, Connor Thomas - 1st chair Tuba, Anna Stanley - 6th chair Trumpet, Solomon Weiss - 1st chair Alto Saxophone. Congratulations to these students and to our band program on their continued success. Auburn’s band program has a tradition of excellence that continues to make us proud.
Auburn’s outdoor classroom is complete! The concrete has been poured and the outdoor building is up. This was all made possible from the GEER 2 grant received by Mrs. Strode, our FRYSC Director. Teachers and students have utilized the outdoor classroom on a daily basis. Auburn 1st grade teachers and students held a Friendsgiving the week of Thanksgiving. They invited guests and served them food and drinks while learning about America’s first Thanksgiving meal.
Mrs. Kystral Bradford’s classroom hosted their annual Thanksgiving meal inviting Specials teachers, administrators, and other service providers to enjoy a meal. Students cooked the entire meal at school and even prepared place settings for attendees. They practiced life skills, such as planning, preparing, and cleaning up the meal. They also practiced table manners, social skills, and communication skills. Their social skill focus was “try new foods,” so they practiced trying new foods to be prepared to attend family gatherings.
We also want to recognize our Auburn middle school students who led the Veteran’s Day program for 5th-8th grade. Our 7th and 8th grade band students performed for the program, and the LCHS JROTC presented. Chris Bean and Amy Scruggs, two veterans who are on the Auburn team, were also recognized.
Many students took part in the 2021 Jim Claypool Conservation Poster Contest. The winners were 3rd grade: Konner Howard, Emma Breakfield, Isaac Hendricks, Ronan Costello, Kent Ross, Ella Ranes, 4th grade: J.J. Mosier, Hailie Short, Mariam Lutonde, Shirley Perez-Cinto, Peyton Allen, Phoebe Sanders, 5th grade: Abbie Rippy, Emma Bellar, Gavin Brogan, Iliana Gunn, Aurora Fromeling, and Case White. The top three winners from Auburn School for the Conservation Poster Contest were J.J. Mosier, Aurora Froemling, Mariam Lutonde. These students will compete at the District level.
Auburn School has so many exciting things happening, and this article is a small sample of what happens day in and day out at our amazing school. As you can see, we are focused on providing our students with experiences that matter and bring joy to our students’ lives. We are so thankful for the students, families, and staff that make Auburn a great place for all students.