Students are often called upon to read "chorally".
That is, they read together simultaneously
as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency - the speed, accuracy, and inflection of  oral reading.

Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read the chorus of a song? ​

11.  Gayle Hennessey:  As our current principal, Hennessey is looking forward to
      her upcoming retirement.  She gave me the gift of empowerment before that
      was a buzz word.  In the few years Hennessey has been with us, she has
      helped our school to unify and has encouraged me to become a leader once
      again.
12.  Chris Bozarth:  Bozarth will arrive in our school for the 2016/7 school year.  
      He has experience as a high school and middle school principal.  He works
      with a degree in Health and Physical Education.  Bozarth is a strong,
      churchgoing family man and is said to be "servant-minded".  We predict that
      he will be a shepherd - not a wrangler - for the Cecil Floyd staff.

There you have them:  12 principals in 26 years - and that doesn't count the numerous assistant principals and summer school principals.

Since Principal Hennessey's retirement begins when this school year is completed, a search was made for the best replacement for her position.  Once the interview process was finished, that replacement was selected, and we were presented with the new principal on Tuesday.

Upon the school board's acceptance, we will begin hearing the name of Chris Bozarth echoing through the halls of Cecil Floyd next year. Mr. Bozarth is a 1998 graduate of Welch (Oklahoma) High School, a 2002 graduate of Northeastern Oklahoma State University (with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education), and a 2012 graduation of Southwestern Oklahoma State University (with a Master's in Educational Administration).  He has worked in Jay (Oklahoma) Public Schools as a teacher and administrator in elementary, middle school, and high school.

Mr. Bozarth's wife, Katie and their two sons will make a terrific addition to the Cecil Floyd family. Though we have not met Mr. Bozarth yet, we are told he is a humble man, and we look forward to working with him in the coming years.

Our strings students graced the school with a demonstration of this year's growth.  As beginning students of the violin, viola, and cello, they are not as advanced, collectively, as their fifth grade and middle school counterparts, but it is nice to see how they improve through the years.

These pictures only show two of the Hoggatteers before the concert began, on Monday.  These two were on the front row, so it was easier to photograph them.  Ain't they sweet! 

Here's the first 2016/7 Mark Twain Award nominee I've read - Pennyroyal Academy.  Despite it breaking a couple of my rules for personal book selection (It's from my least favorite genre, fantasy, and it already has sequels.  Not only that, but it unoriginally takes characters from other sources.), I actually enjoyed reading it.  Author M. A. Larson put together some great word descriptions and didn't hold back on some difficult, or at least regional, vocabulary.  Larson definitely has a handle on the craft and the art of writing.

From the book's website: