Your 8th grade student will be bringing home their Course Request after a meeting with the High School Counselors. There will be a meeting March 10th at 6pm in the High School Auditorium. Course Requests are due to the Middle School by March 13th.
Recently, a group of our outstanding 8th grade students had the incredible opportunity to attend the inaugural 2026 Oklahoma High School Aviation State Championship — a first-of-its-kind flight simulation competition featuring 60+ teams from across the state! There were only 4 teams of middle schoolers, and we were so proud of our guys for going! Competing against high school teams, our crew rose to the challenge and represented our school with determination and pride. While this year was all about gaining valuable experience, the skills, teamwork, and confidence they built will set them up for even greater success in the future. We are so proud of their hard work and willingness to step outside their comfort zones.
Ms. Steffens has some essay winners to celebrate and here's what she has to say:
I am thrilled to announce that two of my students have won the VFW DISTRICT Essay Contest! Responding to the prompt, 'How are you showing patriotism and support for our country?', both students produced outstanding five-paragraph essays that truly impressed the judges. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication. Please join me in congratulating them on this well-deserved achievement!" The 2 winners are now invited from the VFW to attend a field trip in May.
♥️🤍💙
2nd PLACE =7th Grader Marlee Uber
3rd PLACE = 6th Grader Avery Cook
🎉 6th Grade Results:
🥈 Sawyer Hancock – 2nd Place
🥉 Dominick Fortino – 3rd Place
🏅 Coralena Voss – 4th Place
🎉 7th Grade Results:
🏅 Ryker Drake – 5th Place
Way to go, Bulldogs!
⭐ All A’s and B’s in every class
⭐ 3 or fewer absences
⭐ 1 or fewer tardies
⭐ ZERO discipline issues
Come and enjoy FOOD, FUN, and PRIZES !
🥈Kenzie Church battled her way to an impressive 2nd place finish
🏅Iris Cisneros fought hard and earned 6th place in the state
Way to represent our school and show what hard work looks like!
🐾 Service Dog Spotlight 🐾
Wrapping up our School Counseling week with everyone's girl- MILLIE!
School Counselor Spotlight
Mrs. Karen Branscum - with 20 years at our school and 29 years in education, our counselor has seen it all—and loves every minute of working with middle schoolers! Some of her favorite parts of the job are witnessing student growth (that aha! moment when social-emotional skills click) and building strong relationships so students always have a trusted adult in their corner.
When she’s not supporting students, you’ll probably find her spending time with her family, sipping on root beer, enjoying a 3 Musketeers, or making a stop at Dutch Bros (her absolute favorite!)
💥Fun fact: she’s married to her high school sweetheart—how sweet is that?!
Her advice to students is simple but powerful:
✨ Always be kind—you never know what someone else is going through.
✨ Be yourself and choose friends who appreciate you for who you are.
Students should know that the counseling office is a judgment-free zone—a place to talk about everything from friendship drama and social media stress to electives and future goals.
If students had to describe her in one word? Approachable
Her go-to advice for students: Advocate for yourself, and always be kind—even when it’s hard.
She wants students to know that the counselor’s office is a safe place—big or small, we’re here to help with it all.
One word she hopes students would use to describe her? Kind
School Counselor Spotlight
Mrs. Cara Paulk -with 26 years in education, she has a heart for helping middle schoolers navigate this important stage of life. She says her favorite part of the job is all of her students—they keep things fun, and helping them grow is a true blessing. When she’s not at school, you might find her spending time with family or coaching cheer and tumbling, probably with popcorn and an unsweet tea close by. One fun fact? She’s a former NMS student and has worked at NMS ever since graduating college—talk about school pride!
Her go-to advice for students: Advocate for yourself, and always be kind—even when it’s hard.
She wants students to know that the counselor’s office is a safe place—big or small, we’re here to help with it all.
One word she hopes students would use to describe her? Kind
