MHS Announcements

The Muscatine High School Attendance Office phone number is 563-263-6616. Please use this number when calling in for a student absence, early release, etc.

November 6, 2015

Go Muskies!

• Don’t Miss It – The MHS Drama Departments presents  A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie.  TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, Nov. 6 & 7 at 7 PM in the MHS Auditorium. Plan to join us for this suspenseful whodunnit.  Tickets are available at the door for $5 each; activity passes will be accepted.  Box office opens at 6:15 PM.  Cautions: the show includes gun shot sounds and a short period of total darkness. Select the MHS Drama link for more information. MHS Drama
• Blood Drive: Sign up to donate blood on Monday, November 9th in MHS Gym! Use the online form to register: http://goo.gl/forms/gXyznRi030.
• FCA: Our next meeting is on Monday, November 9th at 7:00am in the Commons. See you there!
• Today is the last day to turn in all cross country uniforms and sweats, otherwise you will be billed for replacement costs, and be assigned an after school detention.
  Coach Armstrong
• Iowa Assessment Testing – We will be giving the Iowa Assessments on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 10th and 11th in the morning from 8:22-10:15.
  These tests are for 9th-11th grade students ONLY.  Students should report to their 3rd hour class for testing.  After testing is completed at 10:15, the 2-Hour Late Start schedule will be followed.
  
  12th Grade students DO NOT need to report to school until the 10:22 start time on Nov. 10th & 11th.  
  
  Any 11th grade student who currently has an exemption 3rd period will be required to report to the Commons for testing at 8:22 on both days of testing.
• Boys’ Soccer Open Gym:  Sunday, Nov. 8th from 2-4 PM in the MHS gym. Please contact Coach Varela at muskiesoccer@yahoo.com with any questions.
• Countdown to the Holidays with delicious German chocolate!! $4 each.  In Germany many children have ‘Adventskalendar’ to help count down the days to the winter holidays. Starting December 1, they open one window on the calendar each day to reveal a tasty German chocolate until they’re all gone on December 24.  You can participate in this tradition too!  See a German Club member or stop by room 202 to buy one for $4.  Let your parents and grandparents know too – they make great gifts!
• The 2015 Muskie Football Banquet will be held on Sunday night, November 15th at 6pm in the MHS Auditorium. The banquet will be for Freshman, Sophomore, and Varsity Football players.
• The Volleyball Banquet will be Tuesday, Nov. 10th in the Commons starting at 6 PM.
• 2015 Muskie Winter Kickoff – Monday, Nov. 23 @ 7PM in the MHS Gym.  Please view the Winter Kickoff link for more information.  Winter Kickoff
• Seniors: The deadline to upload your senior picture to the  yearbook is November 13th. If you do not upload one, your school picture will be used. Attached are the instructions on how to upload your picture to the website.  Please contact Katie Brown at katie.brown@mcsdonline.org if you have any questions.  Sr. Photo Instructions
• John Deere Davenport Works will be offering an Engineering Exploring Program for high school students starting in December. The youth participating will attend meetings once a month at Deere Davenport Works (just North of Davenport) where, through hands-on experiences, they will learn about a wide variety of aspects involved with careers in engineering. Students will be involved in the conception, design, and manufacturing of a project.
  
  This is a big deal, folks! Between 10-15 John Deere engineers are on board and are leading this program. Because this is the first year, they are only accepting 15 students into the program. That’s a 1:1 ratio.
  
  To make this opportunity even more exciting, Deere is covering all costs, and the program is FREE for the accepted students.
  The first few meetings have been set, all are at John Deere Davenport Works from 4:30-6:30 PM: December 7, January 11, February 1, March 7, April 4
  
  If interested, please see your grade level counselor to see about getting signed up.  Students will also have to provide their own transportation. Acceptance is first come, first served, as long as the student has counselor approval.
  
  Kenneth Brooks, LEARNING FOR LIFE, a subsidiary of BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA – Illowa Council, 563.388.7233, Kenneth.Brooks@scouting.org
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Series Campaign raises millions of dollars to research and combat Leukemia and Lymphoma, and provide patients with financial assistance.  At LLS 78% of all money raised goes directly to patient services and research, and we need your help to fight blood cancer!
  
  Student Series’ Pennies for Patients program is meant to provide teachers a chance to incorporate the benefits of character education and service-learning into the curriculum by participating in our flexible campaign where students will gain the experience of learning, by doing.
  
  Students K-12 collect donations in honor of local patients through various means: online giving, collecting spare change, gathering donations from friends and family, and various activities around the school meant to encourage and reward participation. By working together, students help save lives and understand the benefits of living in a community that looks out for one another.
  
  The program itself runs for three weeks and we do our best to work around your schedule. You can run the program anytime from September until the end of April. LLS provides the materials and promotional items to make your program successful and meaningful: coordinator guide, classroom collection boxes, posters, videos and other resources and support through planning meetings and educational kick-off assemblies.
  
  If you are interested in leading this effort at Muscatine High School please contact Brent Lenny at 844-400-6715 or Brent.Lenny@LLS.org. Please let me know your start date, the number of students, and the number of classrooms. You can also visit our website to easily register online and learn more at http://studentseries.org/school-registration.

** Silver Cord Opportunities **

• Please check back later for Silver Cord Opportunities.

** Upcoming Events **

• MHS Drama Departments presents  A Murder Is Announced – Nov. 6 & 7 @ 7 PM in the MHS Auditorium
• Seniors – Nov 13th – Senior Pictures for yearbook due
• 2015 Muskie Winter Kickoff – Monday, Nov. 23 @ 7PM in the MHS Gym.  Winter Kickoff

** Scholarships **

National Scholarship Search Websites:

1. bigfuture.org
2. scholarships.com
3. fastweb.com
4. icansucceed.org

Seniors interested in the UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: The Hesburgh-Yuscko Scholars Program is a merit based opportunity for incoming students attending Notre Dame. This is a leadership development program that seeks to attract, encourage, and equip extraordinary students who will have a transformational effect on the Notre Dame community, the Church, and the world.  Benefits of the program include: $25,000 per year toward the cost of attendance at Notre Dame for 4 years (total of $100,000), 4 fully funded summer enrichment experiences, intellectual engagement, etc. Visit www.hesburgh-yuscko.nd.edu for more information and to apply. Deadline is November 15th, 2016.

The GE-Reagan Foundation: This scholarship is looking for students who display leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship.  Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, must show financial need, must be a US Citizen and be seniors intending to enroll in a four year college or university.  This scholarship is $10,000 and is renewable for a total of $40,000. Application is available at www.reaganfoundation.org/scholarships. Deadline is January 7th, 2016.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC): The organization offers 4 types of scholarships to apply for.  Students may only apply for ONE: Scholars, Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage, African-American or Black Caribbean Heritage, Hispanic/Latino Heritage. Seniors must plan to graduate from high school and enroll full time in a 2 year, 4 year, or technical school. Other requirements can be found at www.rmhc.org.  Application is at https://aim.applyists.net/RMHC. Deadline is January 20, 2016.

The Quad City Engineering and Science Council is accepting applications for its 2016 college scholarship awards from area high school seniors. Applications are due by January 22, 2016. The winners are selected based on a committee review of their application. This will be our 23rd year of encouraging students pursuing an engineering or science college degree.  Last year we awarded twelve scholarships with a total value of $20,500.
You can download a copy of the scholarship application from http://www.qcesc.org under the scholarship link.

The Quad City and Engineering Science Council Scholarship Program was established and is administered by the Council.  This program provides multiple one-time grants/scholarships between $1000 and $3000 each for high school seniors pursuing a STEM degree at a 4-year university. These are awarded on an objective basis without regard to race, sex, or religion.  Criteria include academics, civic/community service, extracurricular involvement, career goals, and an essay on why you want a STEM degree

This year we are pleased to also offer engineering scholarships from Iowa State University, University of Iowa, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Wisconsin, Platteville, Western Illinois University Quad Cities Campus, and St. Ambrose University.

The Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) is an umbrella organization representing 36 technical societies totaling about 5,000 members here in the Quad Cities. The QCESC proudly sponsors annual events such as the National Engineers Banquet and the Engineering and Scientist of The Year Awards. We also provide judges for the local technical activities including Invent Iowa and FIRST LEGO League among other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)-related activities.

Muscatine Chapter of the Iowa Engineering Society: Must plan to pursue a career in engineering. Must attend either University of Iowa or Iowa State University in the Fall of 2016. Must have a 3.0 GPA for 10th and 11th grades. Must have an ACT composite score of at least 24.   Two scholarships available; each worth $1000. The application is available in MHS Student Services. Application deadline: January 15, 2016

Horatio Alger Scholarship: Must demonstrate financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income is required). Must be involved in co-curricular activities and community service activities. Must display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity. Must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Must be a US Citizen.  Scholarships range from $7,000-$22,000.  The application is available at www.scholars.horatioalger.org   Application deadline: October 25, 2015.

Hagan Scholarship:  Must have 3.5 GPA or Higher.  Must have 23 on the ACT or higher. Other eligibility requirements are on the website.
The scholarship award ranges from $1,000-$40,000. The average disbursement is $24,000.  This scholarship is only available in 10 states, including Iowa.  The application and more information is available at www.hsfmo.org   Application deadline: November 15, 2015.

Jerry Woods/Iowa Ready Mixed Concrete Association (IRMCA) Scholarship: Must be enrolling in the first year at an Iowa community college or tech school building trades program including concrete technology and practice. Must be a resident of Iowa.  Scholarship is $2,500 per year for 2 years.
The application is available at www.iowareadymix.org or in MHS Student Services.
Application deadline: November 30, 2015.

Young Entrepreneur Foundation Awards: Must have demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and initiative. Must be a graduating senior that owns/operates his/her own small business. Must plan to attend a 2 year, 4 year or vocational school.  Scholarships/awards range from $2000-$15,000
The application is available at www.NFIB.com/YEA   Application deadline: December 18, 2016.

Iowa Newspaper Foundation: Must be preparing for a newspaper career.   A total of 9 scholarships, all available with ONE application.  Total awards will be approximately $6,700. The application is available at www.INAnews.com   Application deadline: February 12, 2016.

Pearl Hull Falk Scholarship: Must be of Protestant Faith, resident of Iowa, and will attend the University of Iowa full time in the Fall of 2016.  The scholarship award is $800.  The application is only available in MHS Student Services.  Application deadline: May 2, 2016.

Midwest Technical Institute Scholarship Program: Must plan to attend MTI in Fall of 2016.
The application is available in MHS Student Services or with an admissions representative at MTI www.midwesttech.edu   Application deadline: July 1, 2016.