What’s Right With Our Schools, Valley Point STEM Night

DALTON, GA (WDEF) -Families at Valley Point Middle School recently came together to solve a mystery. Students used the skills they learn each day to track down their missing mascot. It’s a wonderful example of “What’s Right With Our Schools.”

“Well, we have a very special event planned for our students this evening. We have a CSI themed family night. So, we’re going to be doing science and math with our kids and we’re going to be solving the mystery of the missing Joe Wave, which is our school mascot,” Jennifer Leaderer, Valley Point Middle School Assistant Principal said.

“It builds community. Um, this night’s going to give a problem for our families to solve together,” Leaderer said.

“What are you looking for?” David Moore, Chief Photographer at News 12 asked.

Student: I don’t know.

“It brings them together in a new way with their teachers. um sees they’re for them to see their teachers in a new light. It allows parents to um learn how to help their kids with the different activities that are here,” Andrea Brewer, parent said.

Leaderer says, “By working together, it creates memories. It creates a good sense of just well-being for our school and our school culture. So, we like to offer those opportunities for our family to engage and learn together.”

CSI NIGHT: I was stuck. It was a dead end. There was no way to figure out where Joe was or who was responsible for him disappearing. But thankfully, CSI night at Valley Point helped me solve all the problems.

“Joe Wave is our wonderful mascot. We are the Green Waves. And so, he is one of our surfers or he is a surfer um that we have created to epitomize a green wave. So, a Green-wave has pride in their school. They have a great work ethic. They have creativity and enthusiasm. And that’s what Joe Wave embodies to Valley Point Middle School. Joe A is missing. Yes. So, he disappeared. And we have to figure out where he went,” Leaderer said.

She continues, “So, the STEM part is science and math activities. Each one of our activities tonight deals with science or math. We have kids looking through microscopes trying to identify smaller um bits of evidence, like hair. Um we have students figuring out the area of the footprints that were left behind to see if they can eliminate one of the suspects. All of the activities are going to be centered on figuring out what happened to Joe Wave. So, the mystery. So,l each station that the kids will go to and the families will go to, they’ll have a clue and they’ll have to figure out the station and they’ll have to eliminate a suspect. I hope they get really great memories. Um, I hope they have a wonderful time solving a challenge together and I hope it makes them think back upon our school and be very excited about the experiences that they’ve had here.”