Year Favorites from Ms. Pepin

As we approach the last day of the 2011-2012 school year, I'm wrapping up with asking my students what their favorite projects were, what they've taken away from this year, and what has "stuck" with them from 8th grade social studies.

As those answer filter in this week, I thought I'd start off with some of my favorites from this year...and can you think of a better way to do it than a TOP TEN list?!  I couldn't...so here it is!

10. Getting to hear Rev. Billy Kyles speak at MRH.  This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.  To hear a man speak who was so close to the most influential man in the Civil Rights movement?  This is something I don't know if I'll ever get to top.

9. The variety of digital projects we did this year, especially things like a one-class period video challenge, or a twitter challenge, I've loved the different projects that the kids have put out this year.  It really showcases in a whole new way the things their learning and the cool means they can show that off.

8. The immense amount of service this 8th grade group has done: from helping clean up Forest Park to tagging storm drains for MSD, these kids love to serve and give back.

7. Having my students' voices published in The Patch.  8th graders speaking out about things that are important to them and having their voices heard?!  Pure awesomeness.  I hope these girls never stop speaking their mind and motivate others to do the same, regardless of their age.

6. C-SPAN StudentCam Project...this was an awesome project that one of my classes got to participate in.  Even though none of them were "winners" by C-SPAN standards, they all were in my book.  All of their videos were incredibly researched and phenomenally put together.  Make sure you check them all out here if you haven't.

5. Being a Google Certified Teacher.  This was hands-down the coolest experience I've ever had the opportunity to be invited to participate in.  Even making my application video and having my students "ooooh" and "ahhhh" over it was awesome, but to be chosen and get to spend a week in London learning about all things Google?! Priceless.

4. The students are great, but having an amazing staff makes coming to work even more awesome each and every day.  I mean, how many schools do you know where the staff (& even some students!) devotes an entire day to celebrating the awesomeness of our former assistant principal TKA?!!

3. Bellefontaine Cemetery Expedition -- this was a great expedition and has really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities for mobile learning via mobile devices.  I LOOOOOVED this!

2. Dauphin Island Expedition was ah-mazing.  Re-read my previous post or watch some of their amazing reflection videos.

1. This 8th grade class is my favorite, and will always have a special place in my heart.  They're my first "loop"--having had the pleasure to teach them in both 7th and 8th grade--and they'll always stay ingrained within me as my starting kiddos at MRH.  I love this group so much...they've taught me a lot, and I hope I've done the same for them!  I'm sure going to miss them!  And, if any of my MRH kiddos are reading this, DO NOT BE A STRANGER!  Come visit me!...and often!!

October Classroom: MSD Sewer Tagging

In 8th grade our October Classroom Expedition is a science/water based one...however, for the social studies part, we referred back to what we learned in our 7th grade Geography unit about reading maps and locating various places on them so we were able to locate the sewer/storm drains in Maplewood and Richmond Heights.

Before we set out to find these storm drains, we first got a personalized presentation from Dona at St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District about what should go down the storm drains and what really does.  We then discussed the importance that ONLY rain water should go down these storm drains; that everything else that goes down there ends up going into the streams (and those then become our drinking water!), so it's really important that you don't dump things down the storm drains and that only rain water goes down them.

We then set out with our maps in hand to go tag and label the untagged storm drains throughout Maplewood and Richmond Heights.  Overall, in the two full days we spent "tagging" storm drains, we tagged almost 200 drains in the MRH area!  Wow!  Great work MRHMS 8th graders!!  MSD was super proud of all of your hard work!