Achievement

Courage

Caring

Excellence

Perseverance

Teamwork

Pilot -- Mr. Smith (Principal)

Co-Pilot -- Mr. Latino (Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction)

Bombardier/Radio Operator -- Mrs. Wermers (Assistant Principal of Discipline)

Navigator -- Ms. Blackwell (Principal Secretary)

Air Marshal -- Ms. Cockrell (Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction)

Gunner -- Mr. Blanc (Interim Athletic Director)

Control Tower Operator -- Miss VazquezDiaz (Discipline Secretary)

We have a new look!! Students returned to school after Winter Break to find a remodeled cafeteria. Our cafeteria has new tables and chairs that reflect our school colors with the new addition of window seating. Café Counter Seating can be found in the north hallway along with our new Mitchell logos on the walls. All MHS students can eat together in a modern/contemporary space that represents Mitchell pride everyday. See the pictures below.

Senior Class Accomplishments and Opportunities

71% of seniors have completed their ICAP (Individual Career and Academic Plan)

47 seniors have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)- THIS IS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. All seniors and their families will be contacted individually to schedule times to complete this task. Students cannot receive their cap and gown and check out if this is not complete.

We will host another FAFSA night along with Pikes Peak State College on February 7th from 5PM-7PM in the Mitchell cafeteria. Bring your laptop and 2021 tax information to complete the FAFSA.

Seniors have you heard about Mitchell Promise? This is a scholarship for TWO FREE YEARS at Pikes Peak State College. To qualify, students must graduate from Mitchell with a 2.5 GPA minimum, and a 90% attendance rate for 11th and 12th grade years.

WIDA ACCESS Testing

Each year, students in English learner programs take the ACCESS for multi-lingual learners language proficiency test. The test measures academic English language proficiency for students learning English in our school and throughout our state. This assessment monitors students’ academic language acquisition in four domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The window for this assessment is open from 1/9 to 2/10. As with any state assessment, our participation goal is for 95% of eligible students to complete all four domains of testing. If you are the parent of a student who is learning English, please partner with us by ensuring that they have strong attendance during this window. You are welcome to reach out to our school assessment coordinator, assistant principal Renée Cockrell, at renee.cockrell@d11.org with any questions.

To be on-track for graduation at Mitchell High School, students must...

• not receive more than one course failure each semester
• receive 12 academic credits each school year

Students who are on-track are three times more likely to graduate from Mitchell High School.

Perseverance in Education

Perseverance refers to the ability to pursue one's goals to completion, even in the face of obstacles. It draws on the positive characteristics that support well-being.

Perseverance relates to students' intellectual engagement and is closely connected to optimism, academic self-concept and academic buoyancy. Combined, these measures provide information about students’ self-perceptions of positive emotions and their ability to navigate everyday school life. Even if students don't achieve or master something right away, they can keep persevering towards their goal. For many students, perseverance can be challenging.

Perseverance is important because it strongly correlates with academic achievement and school performance. It is also an important characteristic for ongoing wellbeing throughout life and has been linked to high levels of academic attainment and sustained employment.

For a better understanding of academic buoyancy and perseverance log on to https://education.nsw.gov.au

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. ~ Charles Spurgeon

Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education. Recent research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities may increase students' sense of engagement or attachment to their school, and thereby decrease the likelihood of school failure and dropping out. All January student involvement will be celebrated in this issue.

D11 hosted our Bilingual FAFSA Night at Mitchell High School, and it was an extremely beneficial evening for students and families, particularly those with Spanish as their home language, to hear information in an accessible way!

We heard a Financial Aid bilingual presentation, from Lee Saunders, CSU-Pueblo Executive Director of Admissions, that highlighted what financial aid does for students, and the importance of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) to understand what your options and opportunities are after high school! We also heard from bilingual representatives at additional partner colleges – Janae Knipp from Pikes Peak State College and Jose Reynoza-Ayala from University of Northern Colorado – who answered family’s questions about financial aid, the process of paying for college, what was unique about their school’s financial aid packages, and more!

Families were able to then receive one-on-one guidance as they completed their FAFSA or CASFA –four families were able to submit their application, resulting in the exciting news that they will be eligible to receive a full Pell Grant Award – up to $6895 for tuition and fees per year!

One student who attended the event plans to pursue a Radiology Technician degree at Pikes Peak State College and completing the FAFSA allowed her to learn that her financial aid awards will more than cover the tuition and fees for her degree! This is a huge relief for families, and a great motivator to continue pursuing postsecondary goals!

A huge shout out to our Mitchell High School Counselor, Christine Braun, who coordinated the logistics of bringing families from all D11 to their building and ensuring that the students had the resources and space they needed to have a successful FAFSA experience!

“Circuits and Reaction Times” - The new robotics class has been hard a work building projects. For their first project they learned about open and closed circuits. When a circuit is closed it sends a single to the computer that students can program responses for. For their first project students had to build 3 separate circuits each with a different programed response their Micro:bit had to show…..

“Paper Tower Challenge” - I always love starting a new semester off with the Paper Tower Challenge. It’s a great way to assess how students learn, problem-solve, and work with others. The Challenge is for students to build the tallest tower using only paper. Students have to come up with a plan, try it, and reflect to improve their plan…..

“Bird Houses and Jenga” - First semester was the first time in 2 years Mitchell had a construction class available. During the first semester students learned the safety requirements for a work site. They started using large power tools, many for the first time. However, the best part they built projects applying their newfound skills to make something they had never done before…..

Current 8th graders from our feeder and surrounding schools joined us on January 17, 2023 at 6:00pm to learn about what Mitchell High School has to offer by way table tours in the MHS Hangar (Gymnasium). Teachers and students were enthusiastic about sharing our wide variety of academic programs such as AFJROTC, Career and Technical Education, and Advanced Placement courses. 8th graders and their families also had the opportunity to meet and greet school administrators while learning about the different athletics and activities we offer our students at MHS.

The Mitchell Marauders are serious about being college ready! 74 students visited CSU Pueblo this month. Students from all grade levels attended. We went on a campus tour, heard from a student panel, and had lunch in the dining hall. CSU was extremely impressed with our students and shared that they asked some of the best questions they have heard from high schoolers. We have had several seniors already apply to and be accepted to CSU-P! This college is a great option for Mitchell students, and they offer several scholarships to help make college affordable!

The MHS Special Education Department had several students participate in the District 11 Unified Bowling Program this Semester. The Unified Bowling experience has been nothing short of heartwarming and rewarding experiences. From the start, we had so many students and staff who were eager to participate and support us! Leading up to each event, students couldn't contain their excitement; many class periods were spent anticipating these events! When we finally made it to the bowling alley, the Unified Athletes and their Peer Partners made all the preparations worth it! The entire bowling alley was filled with smiles, laughter, and lots of strikes! Not one participant stopped bowling or talking to one another the entire time. Every single student was cheering on one another; and even supporting the other schools! That was the best part of this event. We had so many students and adults supporting one another, regardless if they knew each other or not. We are excited to expand our Unified Sports teams and see our Mitchell athletes grow!

Thank you Miss Drieling for putting together the Mitchell High School Unified Bowling Team!

January has many observations here are few that MHS would like recognize:

• National Mentoring Month
• Mahayana Hew Year (Buddhist) Jan. 7th
• Chinese New Year
• Makar Sankranti (Hindu)
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 16th
• No Name-Calling Week Jan. 16th -20th
• Un Holocaust Memorial Day Jan. 27th

ACCEPT Scholar Ceremony - 10th Grade

Wednesday February 1, 2023

9:20 AM - 11:00 AM

Auditorium

ACCEPT Scholar Ceremony - 11/12th Grade

Friday February 3, 2023

9:20 AM - 11:00 AM

Auditorium

Afterschool tutoring available for all students Monday -- Thursday from 3:15 pm to 4:45 pm. in our Media Center. Transportation is available Tuesday and Thursday only. Please contact Ms. Jordan 719-328-6608 to add your name to the transportation list. Snacks provided- come and join us.

Help create everlasting memories!

Join Yearbook Club .Come to Ms. LaCroix’s Room 112 every Thursday after School and help create memories that will last a lifetime! Questions? See Ms. LaCroix or Mrs. Hull for more details.

Did you know that Mitchell has a Science Club? Our Science Club meets every Thursday after school until 4:30pm in Room 202. Come see how Mr. Torres is able to spark a lot more interest in academic achievement in Science!!!

Students, staff, parents/guardians, and community members play a significant role as active participants in school governance through the School Accountability Committee (SAC) and other subcommittees. Join us on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Food and drinks provided. RSVP here (https://bit.ly/3dFMvpg)

As we prepare for landing riding on our wings this month is Mr. Jacobs and our Sped Department. Thank you for creating a welcoming culture at Mitchell High School.