Mrs. Tomson, second to none
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By Olivia Wagoner
Gayle Tomson, a first-grade teacher at Kidder, recently received an award for being involved with the American Red Cross and the Pint Sized Heroes Program. Mrs. Tomson has been involved in this program for six years. The Pint Sized Heroes Program was created by the American Red Cross to show kids how to donate blood and what the process is.
When Mrs. Tomson runs the blood drive at Kidder she is responsible for scheduling the donors and helpers for the drive. The reason why Mrs. Tomson wanted to get involved in the blood drive was because she loves helping others and she thought it would be a good project for her Just Say No students. The American Red Cross was also looking for people to run a blood drive and over the years Mrs. Tomson has developed a friendship with the Red Cross. At this year’s Blood Drive, 66 people signed up and altogether gave 60 pints of blood. Over the past six years, 300 people have donated blood to Kidder school. Approximately 424 lives have been saved from the Walter Kidder annual blood drive.
When asked what she thought most people got from donating blood or their time to the American Red Cross Mrs. Thomson said it always feels good to help someone else and when they donate, they know the happiness of saving three peoples lives every time they give blood.
Maria Menillo a recruitment representative from the Medina Red Cross said that Mrs. Tomson has brought, “A youthful enthusiasm to the blood program that is inspiring and second to none. She is not only a sponsor but also a friend to the American Red Cross, the community, and our patients.”
This is Mrs. Tomson’s last year at Kidder and helping the American Red Cross. She has been teaching for 32 years, all of those years at Kidder. Mrs. Tomson has been a very important part of the Kidder family where she has headed up the Safety Patrol for 30 years and the Just Say No Club for 21 years. Mrs. Tomson is also an active member of the Optimist Club.
Mrs. Tomson has two children John Hottel and Julie Wilks and four grandchildren named Jacob, Jessica, Trevor, and Mallory.
Leadership Club teaches important lessons
By Arianna Dickson
Darla Velic, founder of the leadership club at Towslee Elementary School, has created a club for third through fifth graders to participate. The club is based on “7 Habits of a Happy Kid,”written by Sean Covey.
Ms. Velic teaches 38 students a lesson that involves good habits. These habits are, "Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win-Win, and Seek First to Understand Then to be understood, and synergize and sharpen the Saw."
The team has special red shirts that read, “Be the change you want to see in the world.’’ When they see someone in the school portraying one of the habits learned, they praise and give them a token for their lanyard or necklace they use for Towslee kids for special chains or charms.
The leadership club members also understand that they must display the habits that they are teaching at all times. They understand, "Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching." Teachers then use the habits as part of a disciplinary policy. They can ask the children if they were being proactive in a situation and the students know exactly what their teacher is talking about.
Ms. Velic believes that teaching her students these lessons at a young age that these skills can help them in real life situations and when they grow up to get a job.
Hickory Ridge pupils get math help
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Hickory Ridge fifth grade math teacher, Lori Thomason has started a math program where high school volunteers from Volunteer Opportunities For Teens come after school to help these them with math.
The program is for an hour after school, though the VOFT students come for holiday parties with the fifth graders as well. The club gives kids the chance to get extra math help or practice.
During the meetings, kids can enjoy a snack and drink while they work. They do fun activities to help the kids with math interactively. Miss Thomason started the program this year. ‘
I spoke to some of the kids and Brooke, a student involved in the program, said, “It’s fun!” When I was there, they were making a graph with information they recorded on the white board. The high school students helped the kids make their graphs and even made them themselves.
This program seems like a great way to get kids more interested in math and have fun while doing it. It’s wonderful that the kids as well as the high school volunteers enjoy it.
EXCEL is EXCELlent
By Cassandra Pasadyn
Did you know that Brunswick has a gifted program for elementary students? If they qualify, by teacher recommendation and testing, students in grades three through five can attend. If kids are eligible and choose to participate, transportation is provided by the Brunswick school district to Huntington Elementary. This school has offered the EXCEL program for many years.
EXCEL broadens and challenges of the gifted learners. This allows students, along with their peers, to maximize their strengths and academic interests. Currently, there are two classrooms at Huntington for the students. Ms. Kristen Luckas teaches the combined third and fourth grade and Ms. Carissa Crytzer teaches the fifth grade. They encourage independent learning by assigning various classroom and home projects throughout the year.
To learn more about this program, contact Mrs. Sherry King, Brunswick Schools Gifted Coordinator, at sking@bcsoh.org.
Leadership Club teaches important lessons
Darla Velic, founder of the leadership club at Towslee Elementary School, has created a club for third through fifth graders to participate. The club is based on “7 Habits of a Happy Kid,”written by Sean Covey.
Ms. Velic teaches 38 students a lesson that involves good habits. These habits are, "Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win-Win, and Seek First to Understand Then to be understood, and synergize and sharpen the Saw."
The team has special red shirts that read, “Be the change you want to see in the world.’’ When they see someone in the school portraying one of the habits learned, they praise and give them a token for their lanyard or necklace they use for Towslee kids for special chains or charms.
The leadership club members also understand that they must display the habits that they are teaching at all times. They understand, "Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching." Teachers then use the habits as part of a disciplinary policy. They can ask the children if they were being proactive in a situation and the students know exactly what their teacher is talking about.
Ms. Velic believes that teaching her students these lessons at a young age that these skills can help them in real life situations and when they grow up to get a job.
Dance team is great
By Jenna Svoboda
Willetts Middle School started its first ever dance team where 20 student show off their dancing skills all over Brunswick.
They perform at basketball games, Willetts pep rallies, and danced at some Christmas parties at the Rec Center. This year only three sixth graders made it to the team but work just as hard as everyone else.
They start their practice by stretching and reviewing their dance. They are also required to practice at their house. They do a mix of jumps, leaps, turns, and more. Julie Grabowski, the instructor, organizes the dance numbers and shows them what to do.
Olivia Ujlaki, one of the team members said, "I Love her and think she is a wonderful teacher." Olivia and the other dancers do well by keeping all their focus, energy, and concentration on the dancing and remembers to have a great time performing. After all that work they end up having a great performance and a happy face.
I think they are truly amazing.
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