Notes From Mr. Snell's Office

German Band

I do not know of another school in the country that can make the claim of having a German Band.  The Dodgen German Band, under the direction of Mr. Jackson, performed a collection of authentic Bavarian Folk music for the Pope High School German Club Oktoberfest celebration on September 28th. The Pope German Club, joined by students taking other foreign languages at Pope High School, made for a great crowd! The Dodgen German Band, a group of 20 musicians pulled from the membership of the Dodgen 7th and 8th grade bands, will perform from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM on the main square in Alpine Helen, Georgia, on Saturday, October 21st  for their official Oktoberfest celebration. 

Dateline Letter

The following letter was written for the upcoming edition of the PTSA Dodgen Dateline newsletter:

The last letter that I wrote for the Dodgen Dateline included the names of eighteen staff members who are new to Dodgen this school year. I would like introduce four more individuals who have joined our faculty this past month. They are in alphabetical order Lisa Boardman, Clerk; Joan Eaton, 6^th Grade Science; Bobby Hurley, 6^th and 8^th Grade Math; and Terri Sullivan, 7^th Grade Science. The increase in our enrollment will also allow for the hiring of an additional Guidance Counselor. We are indeed fortunate to have these outstanding folks on the Dodgen team!

Our student enrollment has now leveled at 1,079. This is about 230 students above what we had last year. Most everyone who is reading this letter is aware that the extraordinary surge in population is a result of two factors; redistricting and school choice. Perhaps you do not know, however, that this is the third year that families have been able to choose to come to Dodgen if they live in an attendance area where a school is considered by the state to be in need of improvement. This, of course, stems from the law that is a part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). During the course of those three years, we have been fortunate to receive over 200 precious children.

I am happy to report that all of us seem to have adjusted quite well. The staff has perfected the process of welcoming students into our family. They do so without sacrificing any of the characteristics of rigor that have made Dodgen Middle School the best all-around school in the business. Can you tell I am proud?

East Cobber Parade

     The East Cobber Parade took place on Saturday.  Dodgen Middle School was well represented.  Our Teacher of the Year, Cheri Taubin-Ring, and our Classified Professional of the Year, MJ Perkins, were featured stars riding in a convertible.  Also walking in the parade were members of the Dodgen Drama Club.  A special thank you to Drama Club Director, Julie Allison, and teacher sponsors Debbie Tubbs and Fred Veeder for walking with the kids.  Mr. Veeder and Ms. Allison are pictured below wearing their parade attire.