Dwyer Middle School

Dwyer Middle School
Address
1502 Palm Avenue Huntington Beach, California, United States
Coordinates	33°40′10″N 118°0′16″W / 33.66944°N 118.00444°W / 33.66944; -118.00444Coordinates: 33°40′10″N 118°0′16″W / 33.66944°N 118.00444°W / 33.66944; -118.00444
Information
Established	1936
School district	Huntington Beach City School District
Superintendent	Kathy Kessler
Principal	Morgan Smith
Grades	6,7,8
Enrollment	1182
Slogan	House of Scholars and Champions
Team name	Oilers
Newspaper	Oil Spill
Website	School web site

Dwyer Middle School is located in Huntington Beach, California. There are 1,180 students from 6th to 8th grade that attend the school during the 2009-2010 school year.

Dwyer is a three time California Distinguished School, earning that distinction in 1998, 2003, and in 2009. It is one of only 261 schools in the entire state to be so honored in 2009. Dwyer is known as "The House of Scholars and Champions." A Title 1 school placed on Program Improvement status in 2006, Dwyer's faculty and staff moved quickly to realign its programs to meet the needs of all of its students. Dwyer students earned an Academic Performance Index (API) of 865, growing 25 points in the 2008-09 school year. All four of its Significant Subgroups'of students met Federal No Child Left Behind performance measures the last 3 years, leading to the California Distinguished Schools recognition last year.

Academics

The goal of the instructional program at Dwyer Middle School is to ensure access to high-quality curriculum and instruction for all students in order to meet or exceed the California State Standards for each course. The goals outlined in the Single School Plan for Student Achievement are designed to ensure Universal Access for all students, including high performing learners, English Language Learners, students from low-income families, students with identified disabilities, and all other under-performing/at-risk students.

The Dwyer staff routinely examines instructional practices, instructional materials, assessment tools, and curriculum alignment to better address the needs of all students. Effective assessment and diagnosis of students needs drive instructional decisions and practice. The Dwyer staff continues to develop effective and meaningful assessment tools to diagnose the skill levels of each learner and to plan instruction in accordance with individual needs. Grouping practices for intervention classes have been implemented and refined. The Dwyer staff focuses on five critical questions: What are all students expected to know and be able to do? How do we know that students are learning? What kind of experiences do we create to guide students to learn the standards? What do we do when students do not learn; what do we do when students do learn?

Examples of Dwyer's continuous improvement are many. Just 4 years ago only 7% of all 'English Learners' scored 'Proficient' on the California Standards Test (CST) in Mathematics. In 2009 almost 53% of all English Learners were 'Proficient' on the Math CST. In 2007 only 20% of all 8th graders took Algebra 1, the state standard math class for 8th graders, and only 1 student took Geometry. This year's 6th grade class has 15% of its students on course for Geometry in 8th grade, and 70% on course for Algebra 1 as 8th graders.

Dwyer offers a full spectrum of classes from classes for newly arrived non-English speakers to GATE and Honors classes for students who demonstrate well above grade level skills and every student in between. Almost one third of all students take GATE Cluster classes in Language Arts and Social Studies. Almost fifteen percent of all students take math courses above their grade level.

Athletics

Dwyer offers a wide range of sports for all students. The school's sports teams compete in the Coastal Athletic League. Each sport is divided into two teams for boys and two teams for girls. They include a combined 6th/7th grade team, and an 8th grade team. Sports teams offered at Dwyer include basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track and field. Cross-Country was added in 2009. The Dwyer Surf team is created from the Dwyer Surf Club at the end of the academic year to compete at state and national surf championships sponsored by the National Scholastic Surfing Association. As of December 12, 2009, Dwyer's 2 Girl's Basketball teams and 2 Boy's Volleyball teams were undefeated in League play. In 2008-09, of the 20 League and Tournament Championships offered in the Coastal Athletic League, the school won 11 championships and numerous runner-up trophies. The Dwyer Surf Team won 4th place at both the state and national championship meets this summer.

During Summer 2009 a collection of current and future Dwyer students were national and world champions in the Futbolito Girl's Arena Soccer League, defeating a team from Chicago for the National Championship, and a team from Mexico in the World Championship on separate weekends in Dallas, Texas.

Electives

There are a variety of elective classes from which to choose. They include year-long electives such as High School Spanish 1 which earns foreign language high school credit, Concert Band, Choir, Leadership, Advanced Art, Computer Graphic Arts, Advanced Drama, Yearbook, and ACME Animation. There are also semester-long electives such as Industrial Technology, Introduction to Spanish, Technology Express, Art 1, Art 2, Cadet Band, Beginning Band, Beginning Drama, 6th Grade Performing Arts, and Office, Teacher, or Media Arts aide.

Student honors

Students gain recognition is numerous ways for their excellence. A Student of the Month is chosen by a teacher each month, and a Student of the Month Reception is held every second Thursday of the month.

Each quarter students earn Honor Roll in either the Distinguished Honor Roll (3.8 GPA and up), the Honor Roll (3.4 GPA to 3.79 GPA), and On a Roll for student who show marked improvement from one quarter to the next.

The Judy Roy/Connie Alvarez chapter for the National Junior Honor Society has been established at Dwyer. Students who maintain a 3.7 cumulative GPA by the end of 7th grade may be invited to join by faculty recommendation for scholarship, character, leadership, service, and citizenship. Each year the most exemplary National Junior Honor Society members are elected to represent this organization in an executive council. The current members in office are Varsha Midha (president), Madison Hokans-Csurilla (vice president), and Jett Wooten (secretary).

The end-of-the-year Honors Picnic recognizes students who during the first three quarters of the school year, earn no U marks in citizenship or work habits, no more than one N mark per quarter, and earn a GPA each of those quarters of 3.40 or higher. The picnic, sponsored by PTSA, is held during both lunch periods on a date in May at Lake Park.

Positive Referrals go out from teachers, staff members, and administrators to students on a regular basis. Positive referrals are given to students when “we catch them doing something right!”. Once a student has 3 positive referrals, he/she can turn these into the front office for an exchange raffle ticket. On the last day of the quarter, multiple names are called for students who have entered their raffle tickets for a prize

At the end-of-the-year 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, special recognition will be given to eighth grade students who have achieved the following outstanding honors. The Trustees Award: The members of the Board of Trustees of the Huntington Beach City School District recognize the most outstanding student based on total grade point average, standardized achievement test scores, citizenship, and work habits during the three years as a student at Dwyer Middle School. The Presidents Education Award: Any student who, during his/her years at middle school, has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) through the first semester of eighth grade and has achieved in the 85th percentile or higher in math or reading on a standardized achievement test, will receive the President’s Education Award. Perfect Attendance: Students earn this award only if they have attended every class all three years and have no tardies. Top Boy and Girl: One boy and one girl is recognized for overall academic excellence, outstanding citizenship, and leadership at the school. Top Boy and Girl Athlete: One boy and one girl is recognized for overall superior athletic ability and sportsmanship. Top Student in Math (the Lisa Lim Award), Top Students in Science, 4.0 Students: Recognition for an extremely rare feat - perfect 4.0 cumulative Grade Point Average for all 3 years at Dwyer, and the National Junior Honor Society: Recognition is given to 8th graders who are members of NJHS.

Student life

Students can participate in a variety of experiences while at Dwyer. Active clubs include Journalism, Surf, WEB, Pennies for Peace, Ladies and Gents, Brazilian Jiu-Jistu, and Heblamos Club.

Students enjoy attending 6 dances per year. The Leadership class sponsors numerous activities during lunch including 'Spitballs of Fury', 'Crazy Sock Day', 'Crazy Hair Day', 'Twin Day', volleyball, flag football, and basketball tournaments, music days, and many others.

Students can choose to attend two teacher-sponsored trips, one to Washington, D.C. during Spring Break, and one to Costa Rica right after the end of the school year.

PTSA

PTSA volunteers run a number of activities at Dwyer. They include running registration, sponsoring dances, running The Dwyer Dash for Technology, providing PE Clothes for every student, publishing the PTSA Newsletter, running Open House, Family Dinner Night, the Student Store, the end-of-the-year Honors Picnic, Student of the Month, The 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Teacher Hospitality Events, Open House, the Student Directory, Student Discount Cards, Dwyer Dads, PTSA Reflections Contest, and more.

KUDOS

Students, staff, and community members are recognized in a variety of ways. Many are noted in the KUDOS section of the website.

Ghost of Ethel Dwyer

Teachers and students have reported what they considered to be the ghost of Ethel Dwyer, former assistant principal and namesake of the school, causing mischief such as opening drawers and removing school supplies.^[1]

References

1. ^ Brooks, Dave (August 2, 2006). "Haunted Huntington". Huntington Beach Independent. http://www.hbindependent.com/articles/2005/10/27/news/hbi-halloween27.txt. Retrieved December 18, 2009. 

External links

• School Loop