On Monday, March 16th the Zeeland Board will recognize three Creekside 8th graders for their essay's in winning this year's Farm Bureau Insurance Essay Contest. This year's winners are:
The third place essay entitled, Risk Turned to Prosperity, was written by NATHAN LONG.
The second place essay entitled, My Grandma – My Michigan Hero, was written by JAMIE BAARMAN.
The first place essay entitled, Running With Courage, was written by DANIEL PUGH.
A special thank-you needs to go out to Mr. Nolan Kamer of Farm Bureau Insurance for sponsoring this great contest. Also thanks to Veldheer Tulip Gardens and Crazy Horse Steak House for donating gift certificates to the winning essayists.
Congratulations!
And the survey says....
This past week we had the 7th and 8th graders complete a survey to help us determine why they didn't purchase a ticket to the 7th and 8th grade Late Nighter. We had over 250 students give us their input. Here are a few quick takes that I came away with from the survey results:
- 50% of the students who did not buy a ticket said they didn't want to attend because: "My friends said they weren't going" OR " I just didn't care to go (didn't depend on activities)"
- 18% of the students who did not buy a ticket said they didn't want to attend because of the cost.
- 16% of the students who did not buy a ticket said they didn't want to attend because of a Date/Time Conflict.
- 16% of the students who did not buy a ticket said they didn't want to attend because they were not interested in the activities that were being offered.
- This is the percent of students answering "What activities would you like to have at an event? (check all that apply)":
73% - Other video games (X-Box, Wii, etc...)
72% - Limo Ride
72% - Open gym for basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, etc...
68% - Inflatables (obstacle course, jousting, etc...)
64% - Dance-Dance Revolution and/or Guitar Hero
61% - Movie
59% - Special Guest Comedian or Magician
57% - Airbrush Tattoo
55% - Ping pong and/or Foosball (possible tournament)
42% - Dress-Up Photos (you and friends dress up and have props for a fun photo)
39% - Karaoke
33% - Caricature Drawings
24% - Board or Card Games
24% - Crafts
Of course, we now ask ourselves, "now what?". At this time, we are going to work a three-prong approach to this problem. I am in the process of working with our Student Council to determine how to use this data to create a better activity night. Secondly, I will also be talking with the Creekside staff, and lastly, I would like to put together a meeting for any parents who might be interested in discussing this issue. We are working out dates and times for the parent meeting now, so look for that information in a future note! Thanks!
Upcoming Dates of Interest:
March 19 - 5th Graders Visit the Music Programs
March 19 - Creekside Science Challenge @ Muskegon College
March 20 – Green & Gold Day
March 20 - Popcorn Friday
March 23 – Spring Sports Practice / Tryout
April 3 – Spring Break Begins
