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Macon East Academy held their annual National Honor Society induction ceremony on October 30.  Eighteen new members were inducted into the organization which focuses on high school student achievements in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character.  This year’s chapter is led by President – Madisyn Kennedy, Vice President – Dawn Johnson, Secretary, Rachel Sargent, Treasurer – Trent Watson, and Chaplain – Bailey Nyberg.  The following students in 10th-12th grade were inducted for the 2018-2019 year: Kayle Bell, Georgia Blaze, Jackson Ceman, Caroline Capps, Colby Cox, Will Desmarais, Lane Goree, Jordan Hicks, Briana Johnson, Jonathan Mathis, Grace McIntosh, Tanner Moore, Tucker Neven, Emily Nickles, Aiden Steyer, Sara Stuckey, Kandence Ward, and Mary Hunter Wright.  We congratulate these students on their outstanding achievement.

The lower school students enjoyed a day at the park as reward for meeting or exceeding their Accelerated Reader goals for the first 9 weeks. Macon East students continue to excel with reading scores above grade level.  Leigh Desmarais, school librarian, hosts quarterly events for students who meet their reading goals.  Accelerated Reader tracks reading comprehension through online quizzes, guides students to read books on their skill level, and sets reading goals that encourage progress.

Homecoming week is always an exciting time at Macon East Academy, and this year was no exception.  With a week full of themed dress-up days including country vs. country club, favorite celebrity or character day, battle of the classes, and spirit day, the elementary through high school students enjoyed a week of fun.  Other activities throughout the week were a boys’ volleyball tournament, glow pep rally, and the annual Homecoming parade and tailgate.  The Knights easily defeated Success Unlimited Academy in the Homecoming football game with a large crowd of fans and alumni in attendance.

Macon East’s homecoming court was presented on the field at halftime with Miss Bailey Nyberg named as this year’s queen.  Baily currently serves as the SGA President, plays varsity volleyball, and represented Macon East this summer at Alabama’s Girls State.  Other members of this year’s Homecoming Court were Sydney Weverink, Ellie Kate Wilkerson, Anne Auston Wright (seniors), Kayla Boroff, Spencer Lindemood, Jules Thames (juniors), Sara Stuckey, Mary Hunter Wright (sophomores), Ali Churchwell (freshman), Madison May (8th grade), and Pressley Graham (7th grade).

Ms. Lawrence’s kindergarten students enjoyed celebrating Johnny Appleseed’s birthday with a tasting party of foods made from apples. Students sampled apple pie, applesauce, apple bread, apple straws, and apple juice. Earlier in the week, the students tasted and compared red, green, and yellow apples using adjectives to describe each kind of apple. Everyone voted on their favorite apple and created a graph to record the data. Green apples were the overall favorite! The class had lots of fun learning about apples and Johnny Appleseed while being introduced to numerous math and reading skills.  Macon East’s kindergarten classes always love celebrating Johnny Appleseed, and Ms. Lawrence sure knows how to make learning fun.

Mrs. Loomis’ 2nd grade class recently completed their  unit on “Families“. Students learned how traditions, relatives, ancestors, and keepsakes are all part of a family’s history. They made their own family tree, interviewed one of their relatives, and shared a keepsake that is special to their family.  The 2nd graders enjoyed learning more about their own families as well as their friends’ family history.

Macon East first grade teacher, Ashley Powell first introduced the Tomatosphere Program to our 1st-6th grade students at the Environmental Fair last spring.  In April, each student planted two experimental tomato seeds.  Of the seeds planted, 80 of the control Group J seeds germinated, while 102 of the  roup K seeds germinated.  Group K seeds had spent 6 weeks on the International Space Station before being sent to Macon East and planted for our experiment.  In early May the young plants were moved outdoors where the students continued to tend them and monitor growth.  At the end of the school year, 121 students got to take a tomato plant home and care for it over the summer break.  One of our teachers took 10 plants (5 from each test group) home for the summer.  Throughout the break, students and Mrs. Powell shared pictures and reports on how the tomato plants were progressing.  Experiment results showed that both Group J and Group K plants thrived and produced a healthy crop of tomatoes.  Macon East students are proud to have received recognition for their participation in the Canadian Space Program’s experiment.  The study of space farming is critical to the study of life support systems needed to send humans to other planets.  We thank Mrs. Powell for bringing this fun and exciting program to Macon East and our outdoor classroom.

Two Macon East high school artists Lauren Grace McIntosh and Haley Wren, recently participated in an exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. The ARTWORKS Corridor theme was “Do Good, Make Art.”  The exhibit connected with the Views of the South: Photographs From The Do Good Fund which was inspired by the Empty Bowls Movement. In an effort to raise awareness of hunger in our area, local students were asked to create their interpretation of hunger and the importance of community service. There were many entries, and after the jurying process by museum curators, educators, and artists, 49 works of art were chosen from homeschool, private instruction, and 15 private schools. These included two students from Mrs. Tiffany Ala’s class at Macon East Academy. Lauren Grace McIntosh’s mixed media, The Language of Hope, boasts an array of watercolor along with inked words of hunger in different languages from around the world. Haley Wren’s piece, Save Us, is an acrylic depicting a man in front of a wall holding a sign.

This year’s Peggy Lanier Memoria Run included a 5K, a 1 mile run, as well as a Biscuit Dash to the John Hall Store.  With 46 total participants, everyone enjoyed the morning run followed by a delicious pancake breakfast.  Macon East parent, Abhinav Yadav, was the overall 1st place winner of the 5K.  Vic Lanier, a Macon East alum and son of the late Peggy Lanier, finished in 2nd, followed by Chris Turner.  In the women’s division, the top runners were Emma Sherwood, Melvania Redding, and Larissa Southey.  Two Macon East students took top honors in the 1 mile race – Wyatt Streetman (Kindergarten) and Gracie Strickland (4th grade).  Many thanks to Anne Alan Jemison and Michelle Lott for coordinating another successful event which raised $1,270 for the school.