Ryan students study the Holocaust

Congratulations to the Students of the Month for April/May. They are as follows: kindergarten, Lillie West; first grade, Allie West; second grade, Holly Blackwood; third grade, Candice Cluxton; fourth grade, Chasity Wells; fifth grade, Korbin Estes; sixth Grade, Tyler Barkley; seventh grade, Christian Chandler; and eighth grade, Meagan Knapp.

Students of the Month for Ryan School are Allie West and Tyler Barkley – – submitted by Mandy Ransom.
A very big thank you to Savannah Leeth, Rosa Legg, Carl Sieweke, Karen Leeth, Colby Leeth, Mr. and Mrs. Estes, Mr. Everett, Ashton and Harley Whisenant and Skylar Ray for their hard work on the playground and outdoor classroom area.
The area is looking so nice and plans are to have another day for continuing the task of grooming the area.
On behalf of all the teachers, staff and students at Ryan School, thank you.
You are cordially invited to attend Kindergarten graduation and Awards Day activities on May 25 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Please come out and show your support for our students.
Congratulations to Dylan Palmer, in Sandra Sasso’s fifth grade class, and Amberly Smith, in John Puckett’s Science class, for winning third place in their respective divisions of the Green Team Poster Competition for Morgan County.
Amber and Dylan’s posters are among the 16 winning projects that will be on display until May 23 at the Beltline Mall in Decatur from the Green Team announcement.
The volleyball tourn-ament last Friday provided a greatly deserved diversion for staff and students and was just plain, old fun. Middle school grades competed against each other and a staff team in the afternoon event. I’m not sure who ended up “winning” the championship title but it was evident that everyone was having a great time.
Happy birthday wishes to Jake Boening.
Ryan School teachers would like to thank Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Hulaco, Connie Whitley and Mr. and Mrs. Estes for bringing “goodies” for Teacher Appreciation Day.
Thank you for organizing the Recycling Poster/Sculpture contest at your school. We have 100 items on display here at the Central Office.
Congratulations to Ryan School Poster Winners Dylan Palmer in Sandra Sasso’s fifth grade class and Amberly Smith in John Puckett’s sixth grade science class.
Happy birthday wishes to David Warren, Billy Maze, and Hannah Ray.
The first annual Morgan County Schools Recycling Poster/Sculpture Contest was held recently at Ryan School.
All students in Morgan County Schools were eligible to participate. This contest was held to coincide with Earth Day and promoting the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Our goal was to promote recycling in our schools and community and work toward making every day Earth Day.
Winners from Mr. Puckett’s Science Classes were: first place, Amber Smith; second place, Timothy Petty and Shala Gianzero; third place, Macy Wilson and Megan Knapp; winners from Mrs. Sasso’s class were first place, Raven Chandler; second place, Hannah Petty and Victoria Thomas; third place, Dylan Palmer.
Each student that participated will receive a certificate of recognition to acknowledge their effort.
The first, second, and third place winners will receive a ribbon and move to the next level of competition, the county. The winners at the county level will receive gift cards from local restaurants and the honor of having their artwork displayed at the Decatur Mall, May 14-23.
Thank you to all the students that participated in the contest.
Ryan School would like to thank the Hartselle Branch of Redstone Federal Credit Union for donating pencils, erasers, and rulers to our students. ….Sandra Estes Typed by Austin Thompson
You may still register your child for Kindergarten and First Grade. A child must be five- years-old on or before Sept. 2 to be eligible to enroll. You will need to bring the child’s Blue Slip for immunizations, social security card and birth certificate. You must also bring two proofs of residence such as driver’s license, utility bill, etc. If you have questions call 586-3785 for further details. ….Allison Rhodes, Secretary
I hope everyone has a good and safe week.
Happy birthday wishes to Sarah Woodward, Mason Kimbrell and Jose Pesina.
Things are really looking good at Ryan School! We were finally able to have our cleanup day in the outdoor classroom area having to reschedule due to bad weather.
Thank you to all those who helped out with that project. Some of our classrooms have also gotten a facelift recently. Colorful paint and new tile have added a fresh look to our Junior High classrooms and given everyone a boost to get through the end of the year.
On May 20, our eighth grade class was treated to an “Ice Cream Celebration.” We wanted to congratulate these students for reaching this milestone in their education and wish them the best of luck in high school.
On May 21, grades 5-8 enjoyed an afternoon of fun and competition in the gym. They were divided into teams and completed in a basketball tournament. Congratulations to all the winners!
As an end of the year project, Jamie Weathersby’s junior high English students at Ryan School showed an interest in learning more about the Holocaust and World War II. To integrate history with English, students began background research information through the use of the computer lab. After their research and class discussions, students then read novels in English class that were from the historical fiction genre based on the Holocaust. Through the use of the internet research, knowledge through DVDs, classroom discussions, and the novels read, students became quite involved in their study of this time in the history of our world.
One of the projects involved receiving a picture of a Jewish child from a European country who had lived during the time of the Holocaust. Students went to a website called graceproducts.com and researched what had happened to their child during WWII. Students discovered where the children were from, the ages they were during the war, learned about their families and their lives, and their fate in the end. After the research, students took the pictures of the children with the factual information and made plates to design a “Memorial Wall” in honor of those Jewish children who lived during the time that the atrocities of the Holocaust were committed.
Other parts of the project included learning about Anne Frank and Oscar Schindler. Students also designed, colored, and labeled maps of Europe as those countries borders existed during WWII. They also learned about the history of the Danish Resistance and how they were able to rescue almost their entire Jewish population in Denmark by secretly carrying the Jews on fishermen’s boats to safety in unoccupied Sweden. The project was a great success, and everyone has been proud of the “Memorial Wall” that is on display in the hallway.
We end the article on a positive note with one of Anne Frank’s most famous quotes….one we would all like to hold faith in: “ In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” ….Jamie Weathersby