Thermopolis Middle School celebrates PAWS state rankings

Thermopolis Middle School held a ceremony Friday to recognize students for their performance on the Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) tests taken in March of 2016. TMS ranked in the top ten for all Wyoming schools in the following:

Eighth grade math students - 1st in Wyoming

Sixth grade math students - 2nd in Wyoming

Eighth grade science students - 6th (tie) in Wyoming

Sixth grade reading students - 7th in Wyoming

Seventh grade math students - 10th in Wyoming

The current high school freshman, eighth graders from last year, visited TMS to participate in the ceremony. Principal Breez Daniels opened the ceremony by explaining that since the awards are for the previous school year the freshman earned the eighth grade awards, the current eighth graders earned the seventh grade awards and so on.

Daniels said the students compete academically against all 48 school districts in the state for their rankings in the PAWS tests.

Kristin Ryan spoke to students about last year's sixth graders ranking 7th in the state of Wyoming on the PAWS reading tests. She explained it is culmination of all the students hard work they have done not just last year but throughout all their years in school.

Catelyn Deromedi explained that she had never had a group of students get 100 percent growth on their math tests. She congratulated last year's sixth grade students for ranking second in the state in their PAWS tests. She reminded the students to not settle and to keep striving to earn first place.

Emmy Hergert presented the award to last year's seventh graders for earning tenth in the state on the PAWS math tests. She said their passion, drive and hard work had earned the students their awards.

Daniels reminded the students these awards were not about any one single student, they belonged to all the students for performing well.

Aimee Kay spoke to last year's eighth graders (current freshmen) about how they had tied for sixth in the state for their science PAWS tests. She referred to the group as being hungry for knowledge. She also reminded students and staff it was a team effort.

Stephanie Czarobski announced how incredibly proud she was of last year's eighth graders for asking questions and using all their resources at TMS. She congratulated them for earning first in the state on their math PAWS tests.

Daniels asked Czarobski to stay present. She explained last year there had been a traveling trophy given to different groups and grade levels for exceptional achievements. She then gave the 2015-16 traveling trophy to Czarobski to have a permanent place in her classroom.

Kevin Gerber then explained he was going to have a few of last year's freshmen discuss things they had wrote about their experience at TMS.

Sterling Gerber told students about how if he had the chance to do TMS over again he would not have been as shy. He said he wished he had talked more to his teachers and other students. He added he would have studied harder and gotten better grades earlier on in TMS.

Erica Meier said if she could come back to TMS she would have been more outgoing and would have ran for student council.

Eric Bleak talked about the fear of going from elementary school to middle school. He told the students not to be afraid to be in middle school as it will determine who they are when they are in high school.