Dear Marion County Schools Family and Supporters,
As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your dedication, commitment, and unwavering support for Marion County Schools. This season of thankfulness provides an opportunity to reflect on the many blessings we share, and among them, I count the people who make our district exceptional—you.
To our staff: Thank you for your tireless efforts in creating a nurturing and inspiring environment for our students. Whether you are teaching in the classroom, maintaining our facilities, transporting our students, preparing meals, or supporting our operations in countless ways, your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. You are the backbone of our schools, and your commitment shapes the lives of the children we serve.
To our community partners and supporters: Your generosity and involvement in our schools are vital to our success. Whether through your time, resources, or encouragement, you help us build strong partnerships that enhance the educational experience of every student. Your belief in our mission strengthens the foundation of Marion County Schools and makes our work even more impactful.
To our families: Thank you for entrusting us with your children and for being active participants in their education. Your support, whether at home or in our schools, makes all the difference in helping students reach their full potential in our high achieving and state-recognized school system.
As we continue our journey together, I am reminded that it is through our collective efforts that we create a brighter future for our students and our community. I am deeply thankful for all you do to make Marion County Schools a place where students can learn, grow, and thrive.
May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, love, and cherished moments with those who mean the most to you. I wish you and your families health, happiness, and peace this holiday season. May you have a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving with those you love.
With gratitude and warm wishes,
Dr. Donna Heston
Superintendent of Schools
Marion County Schools
Tune In! Champions Honored: The 2024 State Champions East Fairmont High School Girls Soccer Team and Coach Wright were honored by the City of Fairmont and Dr. Bolyard, Mayor.
Marion County Schools will have Climate Control Day #1 on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Staff, excluding 261-day, will report to work location 2 hours later than normal report time this day.
• Teachers are available via phone or Internet and can participate in professional learning and meetings.
• "Climate Control Days" are considered non-traditional instructional days and can be called for weather.
• Schools have provided instructional materials in advance of a Climate Control Days. Schools may utilize Google Classroom to make materials available.
• Students will have 2 days upon return to school to submit work.
• Students are offered a meal between the hours of 10:30 to 12:30 at each school.
Students will not report to Mannington Middle School tomorrow, November 22, 2024 due to a water line break and boil water advisory impacting the school.
Turn It Up! in student leadership. Students of Fairmont Senior High School Student Council, sponsored by Ms. Janes, met with Superintendent Dr. Heston today to present pilot, student-organized programs to support mental health and post-secondary application process awareness.
Turn It On! as families enjoy Friendsgiving at Watson 21st CCLC program. 🦃⭐️
Tune In! Mannington Middle School was at the Metropolitan Theater in Morgantown, WV to see the Young People's Concert Series Performed by West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Thank you WVSO for this opportunity! 🎶
"I am Batman." Tune In! as students at Monongah Elementary received a special visit and message of hope and empowerment from WV Batman today.
Turn It Up! All in the name of science!
Debbie Dennis, a physics teacher at East Fairmont High School, drops egg protection contraptions designed and constructed by her physics students.
Thanks to Valley VFD for helping with this project!
A priceless sea of gold represents that Pleasant Valley Elementary School, a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School, BEE-Lieves in celebrating greatness of students, staff and families. The school celebrated today as the national distinction plaque was brought home from Washington, DC.
Thank you to the YCF, which distributed 98 grants totaling over $150,000 this week! Grants ranged from $255 to $15,500 and support many community programs, schools, services, and initiatives across Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor Counties.
Marion County Recipients:
Barrackville Elementary/Middle School
Allyson Perry, Social Studies and Science Fair Materials
Bethany Sturm, Can't Hide Our Bison Pride
East Fairmont Middle School
Margie Suder, Plant Propagation and the FDA
Fairview Elementary School — Amanda Simons, Holidays Around the World
Marion County Technical Center — Kevin Morris, 3D Printing Technology
Monongah Elementary School
Connie Boggs, From School Garden to Table
Heather Suarez, Incorporating Social Studies through Literacy
Shawna Weikle, Learning about Nature
Monongah Middle School
Maureen Budka, New Drying Rack for Art Room
Jennifer Green, Fair Fun
Amie Marchesani, Preparing Future Innovators
Kristin Suplita, Let's Grow a Garden!
Pleasant Valley Elementary School — Kiersten McIntire, Readers Become Leaders
Watson Elementary School — Mickala Layman, Learning in Context- A Deep Dive Into Fiction and Non-Fiction Novel Studies
West Fairmont Middle School — Jessica Weaver, Cohesive Calculators
White Hall Elementary School
Gabrielle Jordan, All the Snuggles
Rachelle Bourne & Kara Busko-Oates, Exploring Engineering, Careers, and the Arts through STEM and Enrichment Projects
Turn It On! and give a shout out to Mannington Middle School's "Poppin Papaws," Jeff Smith and Dave Harvey, 🍿 Thank you for all your hard work!! 🐊💚
Tune In! In celebration of Thanksgiving, East Park made corn muffins, wrote recipes, painted sun catchers, and engineered a camouflage hide out for a turkey. The students baked 321 homemade muffins. They talked about fractions, arrays on muffin tins, and sequence of recipes.
Turn It Up! These 12 students from the Fairmont Junior Band Alliance (Rivesville & West Fairmont Middle Bands) participated in the North Central WV Middle School Honor Band, hosted at WV Wesleyan College. They make up 1/5 of the 60-student MS Honor Band. 60 Students from the 13 middle school band programs across WV, including the FJBA, participated in the event. These students were recommended by Mr. Schneider and Mr. Tharp. Congratulations to these amazing and talented students who represented Marion County Schools Fine Arts programs.
Turn It On! Virtual reality explorations was on the agenda at East Park today. Students took a virtual reality flight with a tour of the Wright Brothers monument and a hot air balloon ride in the STEAM Bus for the 1st grade. ✈️
"Every child deserves a Christmas" is the theme of the Marion County Toy Shop. Marion County Schools dropped books off to the toy drive today to put books in the hands of children.
Turn It Up! and celebrate nearly 20 Marion County Schools educators and their grant awards from Your Community Foundation (YCF) tonight.
Turn It On! and support numerous Marion County Schools retired educators, directed by Mr. Greg DeVito.
Turn It Up! as the Board of Education honored student leadership and those who cultivate it. WV Association of Student Council Awards: Mr. Green, Principal of the Year; Mrs. Janes, Advisor of the Year; Regan Hardway, WVASC Vice President; Shaila King, WVASC Secretary; Ryan Carpenter, WVASC Jr. High Rep.
Marion County Board of Education signed resolution to commit to enhance collaboration with military organizations and provide supports to military families as part of its process to renew its status as a Purple Star District. Members and US Veterans Saunders and Dragich pictured.
