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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.

Macon East Academy 6th grade student, Marissa Robledo was recently recognized as an outstanding member of the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club.  At age 11, Marissa was named 1st runner up for the Alabama Outstanding Youth Ham Award at the American Radio League’s event in Huntsville.  During the past year she has given satellite demonstrations to various clubs and organizations and is considered to be an excellent ambassador for amateur radio.  Marissa is one of 3 local student members of the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club who received awards for outstanding amateur radio skills during recent local and national competitions.

The Macon East Academy PTO hosted a fun-filled Back to School Bash on August 12.  Macon East families and the community gathered to enjoy fun filled activities for all ages.  Lower school students bounced between the inflatables, carnival games, face painting, balloon creations and the popular touch-a-truck area.  The upper school students lined up at the dunk tank for a chance to soak one of their coaches.  Everyone satisfied their hunger with delicious selections from area food trucks while listening to the tunes played by DJ, Van Wadsworth.  The Back to School Bash included a silent auction with a huge variety of items available for bidding.  This year’s PTO Back to School Bash was a huge success, and the PTO is already making plans for next year’s Bash.

Macon East Academy junior, Jon Maddox represented Macon East at the 81st annual American Legion Alabama Boys State.  Held at the University of Alabama in June, Alabama Boys State is one of the highest honors granted to Alabama students. Students from across the state are chosen based on their demonstration of leadership, hard work, strong morals, and motivation in school and community activities.  At Boys State, student delegates will find the opportunity to build new friendships, participate in a mock government, and hear from and meet a diverse array of Alabama leaders such as Congressmen, state elected officials, business leaders, civic leaders, and others. Delegates will have the opportunity to join interest groups that focus on their individual areas of interest.  Jon was involved in the Engineering and Computer Science interest group where he gained knowledge about current and future technology and the opportunities available in these fields.  The American Legion Boys State provides delegates with an understanding and working knowledge of our democratic society.  Jon said he enjoyed participating as a member of his city and learning more about the city, state, and federal government through the hands-on activities and elections.  Boys State has a long-standing and distinguished history of raising up young mean to be leaders within our state and nation.