Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a student at Oxford Middle School? Now’s your chance.
Each month, Oxford school principals and department chairs have been reporting to the school board about some aspect of their school.
Last week, four students at OMS, along with Principal Karen Sage, presented ‘A Day in the Life of a Middle School Student? to the board.
With a total of 950 students, 75 employees and 17 formal clubs, OMS is growing every day. Sage enlightened the audience on basic facts about the school. For instance, OMS serves 130 pizzas, 200 pounds of french fries, 1,800 cookies and 1,000 cartons of milk each week.
She also spoke of the outpouring of helpfulness OMS students have had since Hurricane Katrina hit.
‘Students collected 268 filled backpacks for students were were victims of Katrina in addition to $1,200’and we’re still collecting,? she said.
Four students, a sixth-grader, two seventh-graders and an eighth-grader, had the chance to tell everyone what it was really like to be a student at OMS.
‘The biggest change from elementary school into sixth grade is you have a lot more freedom,? said Jessica Brasington.
OMS’s extracurriculur activities, like yearbook and drama club, were also favorites on Brasington’s list as to why she likes OMS.
Seventh graders Dylan Hency and McKenzie Birchard agreed their biggest worry starting a new grade was if their friends would be in the same class.
‘As I found out, my best friends are in none of my classes and my teachers are kind of boring,? Hency said. ‘But I still get to see my friends at lunch and the boring teachers give us the assignments that aren’t so bad.?
Besides liking his bus because the driver keeps it clean and ‘smelling like lemons,? Hency did want to change something at OMS.
‘I would suggest a day of fun. A day of activities where kids can just hang out with their friends and actually be glad to be in school.?
Eighth-grader Parker Colling loved his time to speak before the school board because it was a ‘chance to actually have adults sit and listen to him.?
The subject of homework was a sore spot for Colling. ‘We get at least 15 minutes of homework a night and sometimes it can even take two hours,? he said.
As for changes at the school, he would allow students to use IPOD’s and dye their hair.
After a slideshow of pictures of daily student and teacher life, seventh-grader Daniel Sottile ended the presentation by wowing the school board playing The Pupil’s Concerto on his violin.