Points of Pride: Midland Community School District

According to Dan Wendler, elementary principal, and Carol Reilley, secondary principal, "One of the points of pride in the Midland Community School District is the willingness of staff not just to put a toe in the water but their willingness to dive fully into the sea of change."  If you travel to the Midland Schools in Wyoming and Oxford Junction, Iowa, you will see in reality what this means.

District:  550 students
Free and Reduced lunch:  over 60%
Elementary enrollment:  250  (Located in Oxford Junction, IA)
MS/HS enrollment:  300  (Located in Wyoming, IA)
Staff:  40

The focus of the Midland District is instructional work.  After completing a root cause analysis, the result was a need to further develop consistent instructional practices and understand the "why" behind instruction.  They are committed to developing the foundational understanding as well as a deeper understanding of instruction.  With the help of Grant Wood AEA and consultants in literacy, math, and special education, standards-based instruction and grading are taking a foothold in both the elementary and MS/HS buildings.  In today's education world, collaboration is key, and Midland has partnered with Solon in the past two years to gain information on standards-based curriculum. In the Midland School District, every Wednesday they have a two hour early release.  During Professional Learning Community time, three sessions per month are dedicated to grade level meetings with one session per month dedicated to vertical professional learning in subject areas.  Midland also has a strong partnership with Jones Regional Academy located in Monticello and working in partnership with Kirkwood Community College.

Library at Midland School in OJ

Assessments in the elementary building include FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers) and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) as well as a focus on responsibility,
respect, and caring through their PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program.  In the elementary, monthly awards are given based on positive behaviors.  In the high school and middle school, the quarterly PBIS activity is the drawing of prizes based on the earning of tickets for positive behaviors.  Students have an end-of-year auction to look forward to in the spring.  Another initiative in the middle school/high school is the development of mentor-mentee relationships between the two levels.  These relationships emphasize team building, respect building, and positive relationships between upper classmen and younger students.

Parnership with the Community

FFA is strong in Midland

A point of pride in Wyoming is the Paul Petersen Fitness Center with the motto of - Building a Stronger Midland Community.  Paul Petersen was a Midland student who passed away and his family wanted to create a legacy for him within the school and the community.  Membership costs $35/month for a family.  Weightlifting is also offered in the building for PE classes.  The partnership between the fitness center, the school district, and the community is strong.

According to George Elliot, "Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together."  The Midland community can be proud of how its school district through collaboration of its leaders has taken steps towards providing enhanced
quality instruction to the youth of their area.