JUNIOR JAGUAR NEWS
“Be Our Best, Do Our Best”
The Monthly Newsletter of North Pike Middle School – Created and Published by Coach Martin's A3 Block
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 – AUGUST 2013
A MESSAGE TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS OF NPMS
Welcome back for the 2013-2014 school year! We are looking forward to another amazing year at NPMS
and are striving to be the best. Being the best means working hard and preparing for the future. We want to
thank our parents and the community for being so supportive of our school and understanding the importance of
the entire school experience. We are proud of our students and expect them to excel in the classroom, on the
playing fields, and in their everyday lives through their show of character. IT'S GREAT TO BE A JAGUAR!
PARENT INFORMATION, REMINDERS, & IMPORTANT DATES

You should have your I-Now log-in information. If not, please notify your child's homeroom teacher.

New Attendance Law, MS Code 37-13-91 (House Bill No. 1530), requires each student to be in attendance
for 63% of the instructional day in order to be counted present for that day. We are requesting that you make
sure students arrive to school on time and are not checked out before 1:30 if at all possible. Also, as in past years,
no check-outs will be allowed after 2:10.

Students will only be allowed to charge up to $10.00 for lunch in the cafeteria. A student with an
outstanding balance of over $10.00 will be given an alternate meal until the balance is paid. The alternate meal
will include a sandwich of the school's choice, ½ cup vegetable, and water.

We're excited about implementing the 8 Keys of Excellence as our character education program. These
keys will help us to “Be Our Best and Do Our Best.” We will begin studying a key a month starting with Integrity
in September. Other keys we will learn about are: Failure Leads to Success, Speak With Good Purpose, This Is It!,
Commitment, Ownership, Flexibility, and Balance. Look for more on the keys each month.

Our school nurse, Mrs. Dana Rutland, RN, wants to remind everyone that all 6th graders will have to get
the Tdap vaccine and bring an updated 121 form to be able to register for 7th grade. Please do not wait until
summer to take care of this. If you have any questions, you can call Mrs. Rutland at the middle school office,
601-684-3283.

Progress Reports will go out August 26, 2013.

Girl's Night Out will be held August 29, 2013, at the NPHS Gym from 6:00-7:00. More information will be
sent out on this later.

Fall pictures will be taken September 5, 2013.

Our first PTO Meeting/Open House will be held September 19, 2013, from 5:00-6:30. Everyone will need
to report to the NPMS Gym first.

Please take a moment to look over the rest of the Junior Jaguar News to find out what's happening at
NPMS!
JUNIOR JAGUAR NEWS
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 – AUGUST 2013
Meet Our New Teachers!
Coach A.J. Freeman
Coach Freeman is a new teacher at
NPMS. He graduated from Belhaven
University. This is his first year teaching
7th grade science. His favorite hobbies
from USM
are sports, fishing, and writing. He also
coaches football and baseball.
(Interview by Trey Nobles & Trey Rogers)
Coach Will Gunnel
Coach Gunnell is a new teacher at NPM S.
He likes to teach to help educate the
youth of Pike County. He has been
teaching for 7 years. He chose to teach at NP
Mrs. Tressa Terrell
Mrs. Terrell is a 5thgrade teacher who is
trying to make an impact on students'
lives. She has been teaching for 15
years. Mrs. Terrell graduated
because he graduated from here and wanted
to give back. He graduated from SMCC,
Southeastern Louisiana University, Alcorn St.,
and he is now currently enrolled at Arkansas
St. University. His favorite hobbies are
hunting, fishing, and watching sports.
(Interview by Dallas Stephens & Mansi Kamboj)
and William Carey. She hopes that all her
students grow up to be productive
citizens. (Interview by Abbey Tullos
and Alexis Templeton)
Mrs. Leslie Lord
Mrs. Lord is a special education teacher
at NPMS. She came to North Pike because
of the community and parent involvement.
She taught at South Pike before she came here.
Mrs. Lord went to USM and William Carey. Her
hobbies are reading, running, and swimming.
She has a son who is 8 years old. She likes
working with kids and watching them grow
and learn.
(Interview by Jalena Lewis and Shamekia Redd)
Football Season is Here!
The 7th & 8th grade football teams are getting
ready for another season. The 8th grade looks
to continue their winning ways after a perfect
6-0 record last year, while the 7th graders are
primed to start their Jaguar careers. We asked
the coaches what they thought about this year's
teams...
Coach Watkins: “Every opponent is going to be a
challenge for us to prepare for.”
Mrs. Kim Sawyer
Mrs. Sawyer is an 8th grade math teacher. She is
originally from McComb and has been teaching 15
Years. She went to college at Millsaps and William
Carey. Mrs. Sawyer likes anything outdoors, and
she also likes to monogram and sew. She wants us all
to know that she is very blessed to be part of the NP
family, and she looks forward to a great year!
(Interview by Kayla Humphries & Jordan Griffin)
What the Junior Jags are Saying...
We asked a few of our fellow students what they thought about the
new block schedule and not having recess. Here's what they said:
Jacob Doggett (8th): “I like taking a break from work and hanging out
with my friends.”
Amber Hines (8th): “ I think we need to communicate and have a
break.”
Equashia Brown (7th): “I like the schedule fine, but I think we should
have break because we stay in class all day.”
Coach Brock: “Without Coach Martin we would be nothing.”
Coach Martin: “I'm excited to have the chance to move
up and coach the 8th grade this year.”
We also talked to a few of our newest Junior Jags about moving up to
5th Grade. Here are their thoughts:
Elshaketria London: “It's good. I like the middle school better.”
Coach Freeman: “We're going to work hard, have fun, and win!”
(Interviews by Miguel Tate & Jamall Williams)
2013 JH Football Schedule
(7th Grade games start @ 5:00, 8th Grade @ 6:00)
Date
9-9
9-16
9-23
9-30
10-7
10-14
10-21
Opponent
Franklin Co.
Brookhaven
Tylertown
Wesson
Lawrence Co.
South Pike
McComb
Site
H
A
A
A
H
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A
Along with the football teams, we also have many
students involved in our band program this year. Mr.
Bush told us there were about 80 band students in 6th
grade, 83 in 7th grade and 61 in 8th grade. The future is
bright for our North Pike Band!
(Interview by Justin Lee & Jaye Thomas)
Angel Kennedy: “It's good. I like the middle school better, too!”
(Interviews by Shameria Dillon, Taylor Johns, Dawson Wicker,
Seth Moak, Taylor Smith, Zach Stephens, Kayla Coon)
The Principal's Corner
Mrs. Samuels took some time from her busy schedule to talk to us.
We asked her about her career in education and how she thought the
new school year was going so far.
Mrs. Janice Samuels has been at North Pike for about 27 years.
She decided to become a principa because she likes the idea of
shaping students' lives. She really likes the new block schedule
because we get more time in class. She is also looking forward to
football season and starting our school newsletter. Mrs. Samuels said
that all the students are doing a wonderful job so far this year.
(Interview by Destiny Lezina & Korbin Jackson)