Students created two interactive books, The Game of Bros and Alien Invasion. The premise behind the idea was for each class to create their own interactive fiction novel in which the reader chooses the plot and the outcome of the story. The students brainstormed as a class and created a large web that explained the different parts of the adventure and assigned a student to write each section.
Clinton Alternative School Principal Kelly Heath is the 2018-19 Administrator of the Year
In her 28 years as a teacher, Renee Smith has continually looked for ways to keep her classes engaging and interesting.
Clinton High School junior Isaac Martinolich achieved a perfect 36 on the American College Test.
Immense growth in the program allowed the band to expand its spring concert efforts to include wind ensemble, symphonic band, concert band and freshman band. Traditionally the band has only had three competitive ensembles in the spring season.
When parents come to Clinton Junior High School to check their children out of school, Frances Coles is the smiling face they see behind the counter.
“This is a testament to the high quality of the pre-schools in our community,” said Dr. Tim Martin, superintendent of schools. “When students come to us with the basic skills they’ll need for kindergarten, they are prepared to succeed academically from that point on.”
America's top show choir is holding its annual Fall Revue Dec. 5-8 in the Clinton High School Auditorium. Performances begin each evening at 7:30 p.m.
Bus drivers in the Clinton Public School District see daily occurrences of people violating the law by passing stopped buses. The practice puts children’s lives at risk, and drivers are concerned that if it doesn’t stop it will have dire consequences.
She received the award in October during the Mississippi Association of School Administrators conference and awards luncheon. The award is given through the Mississippi Counseling Association.
What started as a way for English language learners to practice speaking English turned into something much bigger. “It turned into a way for them to make friends and become more comfortable in their school home,” said Clinton High School sociology teacher Sherri Ottis. “It also gave them a chance to share their culture with the students in their new school, many of whom had never tasted some of the foreign foods.”
Ruffin is the recipient of the Clinton Public School District’s Dedication of Our Valued Employees, or DOVE, customer service award for the month of October. She will be recognized at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at Central Office.
“It was so cool!” said a group of 5th graders at Eastside Elementary after finishing their time at the Computer Science Fair put on by the school's Computer Science Club.
Sumner Hill Junior High students will be participating in the 2018 Commitment to Graduate Ceremony at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Sumner Hill Junior High School auditorium
According to ratings released this week by the Mississippi Department of Education, the Clinton Public School District is an A-Rated district, the highest possible academic rating a Mississippi school district can attain. With its overall score of 711, CPSD is the fifth-highest achieving district statewide.
“We began this award to recognize students who demonstrate integrity and good character,” said Dr. Tim Martin, superintendent of schools. “They help others in need, both at school and in their community. They are kind to others. They do the right thing without being asked, only because it’s the right thing to do. The Rising Arrow award is a way to say thank you for being good people, and not just good students.”
Getting kids up and active is the heart behind the brand-new running club, called the Arrow Runners, at Lovett Elementary School.
The coveted Blue Ribbon award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.
Clinton High School junior Kevin Zhang did the happy dance when he found out he scored perfect on the ACT. “I just started jumping around,” he said. His parents “were really surprised. They didn’t think I would make perfect.”
“We were recently rated the No. 1 school district in the Jackson metro area, as well as the safest district and best place to teach,” said Dr. Tim Martin, superintendent of schools. “We are a great option for families who are serious about their children’s education, and we’re glad to see our enrollment at this level.”
Beginning with the 2018-19 freshman class, students will be able to customize their high school experience by choosing from four different degree options. Available diploma tracks include Traditional Diploma, Career and Technical Education Endorsement, Academic Endorsement, or Distinguished Academic Diploma. Each option sets up the students for success after graduation whether they go on to college, the work force, a career and technical program or the military.
Creel is the recipient of the Clinton Public School District’s Dedication of Our Valued Employees, or DOVE, customer service award for the month of September. He will be recognized at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Central Office. “He looks out for all the children and always is in a good mood and has a smile and tells the kids to have a good day,” said parent Paula Arrington, in nominating Creel for the award. “He goes out of his way to be polite to parents and children.”
He scored perfect on the ACT, twice. Now, Clinton High School senior Clark Hensley has been named a National Merit Semifinalist. This designation comes from high scores on the PSAT as a junior, and Clark is now eligible to become a National Merit Finalist in the spring.
At its September meeting, the Clinton School Board honored students who have achieved proficiency in the English language.
Clinton High School’s automotive technology program is one of several statewide highlighted by the Mississippi Department of Education.
On behalf of the Clinton Public School District Board of Trustees, students, faculty and staff, I would like to thank voters for your overwhelming support of the $25 million 2018 school bond referendum on Sept. 11.
Of 2,369 votes cast, 2,133 voted in favor of the bond issue and 107 voted against, a 95 percent approval rate. “With the passing of this bond issue, it shows that Clinton is looking toward the future and is willing, as a community, to improve the facilities where we are shaping our children for their futures,” said Dr. Tim Martin, superintendent of schools. “It is wonderful to see our community coming out to support the district so strongly.”
Ten students in Bradley Pope’s Personal Finance class at Sumner Hill Junior High School are jumping into the virtual business world. These ten students will be competing in CapsimCore, a business simulation that puts them in charge of running their own company.
The parade will feature the Clinton High School band, Clinton cheerleaders, class floats from junior high through high school, and our homecoming maids and escorts.
At Sumner Hill Junior High, dads are coming together for All Pro Dad’s Day, a monthly meeting that encourages and teaches dads, or the main guardian in a student’s life, to embolden, connect with, and feel confident that they are loving their child well.
Beginning this week, general admission tickets for Clinton Arrow football games will be available for purchase through the GoFan Tickets app available in all app stores, or by visiting https://gofan.co/clintonarrows.
Back to school season is in full swing for students, families, teachers, and drivers. The roadways around Clinton are busier due to school traffic and motorists are once again seeing buses in their neighborhoods and on the streets.
The six workshops will be held from 5:45 – 7 p.m. at Clinton Park Elementary School on Arrow Drive, and are free to attend. The program is offered through a grant from the Barksdale Reading Institute.
Lann is the recipient of the Dedication of Our Valued Employees, or DOVE, customer service award for the month of August. She will be formally honored at the September School Board meeting, held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13 at Central Office.
There is a new look and feel to the Clinton Public School District announcements and publications. “We launched the ‘We Are Arrow Nation’ campaign this summer as a unifying theme for our community,” said Public Information Officer Sandi Beason.
After nearly a decade of annual increases in enrollment, the Clinton Public School District’s facilities are at capacity. The Clinton School Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to seek voter approval for a $25 million bond issue for facility upgrades throughout the district. The bond issue should not require a tax increase, based on economic projections with Continental Tire manufacturing plant and citywide growth.
Clinton Public School District scores show staggering increases in fourth-grade English Language Arts, growing from 48.8 percent proficiency last year to 78.2 percent this year. Fourth-graders also jumped from 67.9 percent proficiency in math last year to 83 percent this year. Another significant number is student growth, which measures whether students show a year’s worth of learning for a year’s worth of teaching. In fourth grade, students showed 107 percent growth overall in math, with the bottom 25 percent of students showing 89 percent.
Donny Gray makes safety a priority when it comes to school buses. “Safety is a choice, not a chance,” he said. “We do our best to be safe at all times.” Gray is the Clinton Public School District’s new director of transportation, replacing Terry Harris who recently retired. Prior to this role, he worked at UPS for 37 years and more recently was Transportation Director at the Mississippi Department of Education.
Like in years past, parents have access to grade information and online registration through the PowerSchool parent portal
The Clinton Public School District is going paperless with the annual Teacher Incentive Package program. For the tenth year, CPSD is partnering with area businesses and community organizations in an effort to recruit and retain great teachers. Through the Teacher Incentive Package, businesses are asked to offer across-the-board discounts or one-time offers for Clinton educators.
Nearly all of Clinton’s third-graders passed the recent reading state test and will move to fourth grade this fall. The Clinton Public School District enrolls 449 third graders, and only one did not meet the requirements for promotion. Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires that all third-graders must pass this test before they can pass to fourth grade, with some exceptions for learning disabilities.
Six members received scholarship offers for band to Hinds Community College, and nine members received offers to Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, Delta State University, Mississippi College, Jackson State University, University of Southern Mississippi, and University of Memphis.
There are hundreds of children in Clinton’s public schools who are not on honor roll, not the star of their sports team, or not the top of their class. But they come to school every day and do their work, they are courteous to teachers and staff, they help other students and they excel in ways that may not be quantified. The new Rising Arrow award honors students who are quietly working to make the world a better place.
Members of the class of 2018 are leaving Clinton High School with more than $6 million in scholarships to colleges and universities across the country.
“We had several student clubs sponsor this event, including National Art Honor Society, Cultural Awareness Society, Poetry Club and Thespian Troupe 7314 of the National Thespian Society,” said event co-organizer and CHS student Regina Hunsinger. Her classmate Sahil Patel also organized the event.
Clinton High School algebra teacher Heather McKinion is one of 10 teachers nationwide to receive a $3,000 classroom technology grant from Turning Technologies. McKinion said she’s looking for solutions to close the mathematics achievement gap at Clinton High School.
Four schools in the Clinton Public School District will hold summer school from June 4 - July 13, with July 4 as a school holiday. Clinton High School, Sumner Hill Junior High, Clinton Junior High, and Lovett Elementary all received approval from the school board to conduct summer sessions. All of the classes will be held at CHS.
A new award in Clinton’s public schools recognizes students for helping others around them in their school and community. The Rising Arrow Award is given to one student per school per nine-weeks period, based on recommendations from school counselors and teachers. Students are recognized at school board meetings and receive gifts from Wal-Mart and Chick-fil-A.
Larence Curtis Johnson was a student at Sumner Hill High School in the 1960s, and a football player. “Between helping on the farm and going to school, I knew I had to make a living for me and my mother,” he said. “I knew the farm wasn’t it. … My charge was to go into service to make things better for my family.”
Students enrolling in Clinton's public schools this fall can begin the online registration in the spring.
Six seniors at Clinton High School scored 35 or 36 on the American College Test and have been designated STAR Students for 2018. STAR Students are selected on the basis of academic excellence. Both ACT scores and scholastic averages are compared to determine the school’s STAR Students, said Vickie Powell of Jackson, senior vice president of foundations for the Mississippi Economic Council.
All sports in Clinton’s public schools had a composite grade point average of at least 2.8. Eighteen of Clinton High School’s varsity teams have earned “scholar team” designation from the Mississippi High School Activities Association with a composite GPA of 3.0 or higher.
When a group of Clinton Park Elementary School first-graders recently visited Second Harvest food pantry, they learned that the organization was running low on toothpaste. “They wanted to do something to help, so they decided to hold a toothpaste drive,” said their teacher Myra Kinchen.
Clinton High School junior Joshua Wright has spent the past two summers working as an intern at the Mississippi Youth Media Project. As part of this internship, he and other project members created the media package, “From Woolworth’s Sit Ins to #BlackLivesMatter: Protesting for Life, Freedom and Dignity.” The film will be featured at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 12 at Malco Grandview Cinema in Madison as part of the 2018 Crossroads Film Festival.
A kindergarten pre-registration day will be held at Clinton Park Elementary School, the Clinton Public School District’s kindergarten and first-grade school, from 4-7 p.m. April 17.
Ninth-grader Bethany Young said being on the Peer Guidance Committee carries a lot of weight at Sumner Hill Junior High. “It helps us understand that the way we act can impact everyone around us,” said her classmate, 14-year-old Cailyn Donaldson.
To encourage more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available for school breakfast, CPSD K-6 schools will celebrate National School Breakfast Week during March 5-9, 2018.
The Mississippi Association of Partners in Education will present the first Education Heroes Award to public education champion Dr. Virgil Belue during the 16th annual Governor’s Awards luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Jackson Hilton.
