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Cheers to tests
Photo
William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School second-graders Markeysha Dozier, 8, front, and from left, Jaci Vittorio, 8; Myah Diana, 8; and Ranya Scott, 8, demonstrate a cheer they performed Thursday during lunch to encourage older students to do well on the Ohio Achievement Assessment tests next month.
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
“The OAA, it may be hard, but you can achieve and be a star.”
That’s one of the cheers belted out Thursday by second-graders at William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School, urging their third- through fifth-grade schoolmates to prepare and do well on the Ohio Achievement Assessment tests April 23-25.
Laycee Lenoir, 8, came up with the cheer with help from Danielle Walsh, 8.
It took about 30 minutes, Laycee said.
The girls in Becky Butcher’s class shook red and white pompoms from Youngstown State University; the boys did a cheer of their own.
Louis Allen, 8, said it wasn’t hard to master the cheer, and other boys in his class memorized and performed it, using basketballs.
First-graders in Regina Rovnyak’s class sang two songs for the older students: “We Will Rock It,” sung to the tune of the Queen classic, “We Will Rock You,” and “Gotta Get Pumped.”
The children slapped their thighs and clapped their hands while singing “We Will Rock It.” Raymond Vasquez, 7, clapped his hands so hard he was shaking them at the end of the song.
Alaina Moody, 6, and Hunter Dorworth, 7, said the songs were to encourage other students taking the OAA.
“It’s a big test that third-, fourth- and fifth-graders take,” Alaina explained.
Raymond, Hunter, Alaina, Darrius Gardi, 7, and Abigail Greathouse, 7, all listed “We Will Rock It” as their favorite.
Rovnyak and Butcher said this marks the first year students have performed to encourage other students on the standardized tests.
“It’s citywide, but each school did something different,” Butcher said.
Their classes adopted classrooms of older students, decorated their doors and sent cards of encouragement, Rovnyak said.
Principal Rachael Smith said activities kicked off earlier this month to prepare students for the test.
Each week concluded with a special theme on Friday, including Crazy Hat Day for hats off to the OAA, and Crazy Sock Day for crazy about passing the OAA.
Today is Best Dress Clothes Day.
Smith said students are encouraged to dress up as a successful person they want to be when the grow up.
A pep rally April 20 wraps up the activities.
Because this is the first year for such events, it’s too soon to know if they’ll make a difference, but students are excited, the principal said.
“It’s really been fun,” Smith said. “We’ll have to see if it has an impact on the tests.”