January 2017

Plainfield Community Middle School

PCMS NEWS

January has flown by! The students came back from Christmas break ready to take on a new semester. Many exciting things happened this month! The 7th Grade boys basketball team fought for and won the title of Mid-Conference Champs, decade old swimming records were beat, and our wrestling team were the Paul Hadley Invitational Champions.

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PCMS Earns "A" Designation

The Indiana Department of Education has released school accountability grades for 2016, by school district, and once again, Plainfield Community School Corporation earned an "A" rating.

While many districts throughout the state saw their ratings drop from 2015, Plainfield repeated its "A" status and for 2016, falls in the top 8% of all Indiana school districts.

"We share the feelings of many educators, teachers, parents and students throughout Indiana: our students are tested too much, and as as result, we've taken much of the joy out of learning," said Scott Olinger, Superintendent of Plainfield schools. "Having said that, we are incredibly proud of the entire Plainfield school family, for their passion and dedication to preparing students to become smart, caring, inquisitive adults."

Olinger added, "We have a long history of providing an outstanding education. Regardless of how the state moves forward with standardized testing, we are confident that our students will be well prepared for the next steps in their journey.

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December Value of the Month Winner

Nathan Nichols

When I say that the Plainfield Community School Corporation has never had a student as kind hearted and caring as Nathan Nichols, I say it without embellishment or exaggeration. This is a young man that has a calm demeanor on the outside but a burning desire to lift people up on the inside. He is the type of young person that sacrifices their own comfort if it means someone else will benefit. He doesn't know a person he "doesn't like" because he lives by the motto, "everyone deserves a chance." He is the type to regularly step out of his comfort zone just to ensure that others have the advantage. This could mean including a difficult person into his group, taking a new student under his wing so they have at least one friend, or simply telling someone "good job" when they've done their best! He doesn't limit his good nature and uplifting attitude to students and/or friends either. He is the type of student that I can count on, every day, to ask me, "do you need any help with anything Mr. Apollos?", or "Have a great day Mr. Apollos." One of my personal favorites is when he walks in my room and says, "Good morning EVERYBODY!" (especially when I KNOW he hates mornings)

It doesn't matter how things are going with him personally (lack of sleep, stressed because of a project, whatever issues he might have at home), he will ALWAYS go out of his way to ensure that others are as positive as he can help make them. No matter how messed up a situation is, you can count on him to be the "silver lining" that brightens it up for everyone. He is the living definition of kindness and an inspiration to all of us. And even though I'm twice his age, he's taught me a thing or two about patience, attitude, and compassion as well. I could not be more proud to know an individual such as Nathan and I pray that he keeps this way of living. The world will be a brighter, more positive, and overall better place with more people like him.

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PCMS Swimmers break three decade old records

MS The future of Plainfield swimming appears to be bright, as last night's first PCMS meet of the year resulted in not one, not two, but three broken records.

In the 200 Girls Medley Relay, 7th graders Meg Parker and Grace Brackney teamed with 8th graders Julia Muskat and Sam Meier to finish in 2:02.8, beating the 1995 record established by Lindsey Coyle, Jesse Helgason, Rose Stafford and Stephanie Thompson. That record was 2:03.62, meaning this year's squad shaved .82 seconds off the record!

In the Girls 100M Breaststroke, Grace recorded her second school record of the night, besting Thompson's 1995 time of 1:15.02 with 1:12.00, a full 3.02 seconds faster.

In the Boys 100M Breaststroke, 7th grader Brian Beasley improved on Kyle Ellis's 1997 record when he swam it in 1:09.2, beating Ellis's mark by .28 seconds.

The PCMS Swimming & Diving team returns to competition tomorrow evening, February 2, with a home meet (at PHS). Best of luck to all our Quaker swimmers and divers!

Pictured above, left to right: Meg Parker, Grace Brackney, Brian Beasley, Julia Muskat, Sam Meier.