Central Campus has had a wonderful start to 2nd semester! Classrooms are abuzz with active learning from CNA students watching open-heart surgery to Culinary students competing in the ProStart Food & Management competition at the Hy-Vee Hall to the Aquarium Science/Marine Biology program being featured in a German video by Seafriendlyreef, and more, Central Campus students are participating in incredible learning experiences. It is our hope that these opportunities propel students forward as they prepare for postsecondary life.

Aside from learning, students new to Central Campus attended an orientation to help them navigate the ins and outs of our building's daily routines. And all Central Campus students heard the plan to increase our security efforts. Currently, all students show their Student ID when entering the front doors. Moving forward, students will have an AM or PM sticker placed on their school ID allowing us to better determine who should be in our building. Students were very open to our request as they too want to know safety is always at the forefront.

We hope this newsletter finds you well. We look forward to seeing you at our numerous spring events later this semester. And, please know that we are here to partner with families and the community as we work together to create the best learning environment possible for our Central Campus students.

Dr. Lisa Hill

Associate Principal

Central Campus

Des Moines Public Schools

1800 Grand Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50309

P: 515-242-7846 ext. 7846

lisa.hill@dmschools.org

February 8: Senior Session 1

February 12: No School, PD Day

February 13: No School, PD Day, Conference Day

February 19-23: Senior Session Mock Interview Week

School Hours: 8:45am – 3:05pm

School Doors Open: 8:15am / School Doors Lock: 3:15pm

School Office Hours: 7:45am – 3:30pm

Des Moines Central Campus MCJROTC

Our Mission

To develop honorable, courageous, character-driven young adults who possess the attributes of personal responsibility and accountability in order to become model citizens in service to the United States.

Intent: In close PARTNERSHIP with school administrators ensure that MCJROTC remains a renowned educational and co-curricular resource at Central Campus and the premier youth character and leadership development program in DoD.

Our Guiding Principles

• Integrity, loyalty and the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct.
• Equal opportunity for all.
• Promoting the dignity of the cadets and their families.
• Open and effective communication at all levels of command.
• Consistently maintaining excellence in leadership and management.
• Continually improving the quality of the program.
• Encouraging and embracing innovative change.
• Accomplishing our mission through teamwork.
• Ensuring the success of the unit and our 130 Cadets.

Our Teams

Our Drill Team has grown dramatically in the last year. They have competed in several drill competitions in the Midwest and competed in their first national drill competition in over thirty years. The Rifle Team continues to set the bar high. They will be heading to Salt Lake City Utah to compete in the Marine Corps JROTC nationals. They have the potential to be 1st in the nation out of over 2000 schools. Our Physical/Raider Team competed in their first ever raider challenge in which they came in third overall. We will be competing for a chance to go to National Physical Fitness at the end of February.

Central Campus students participated in the annual CTE Day @ the Capitol. The event included students sharing with state senators/legislators what they have learned in their specific area. The participating programs from Central Campus were Aviation, CADD and Culinary.

Clint Gadbury - Instructor in the Engineering Academy

Mr. Gadbury is in his 21st year as an Industrial Technology teacher, and 10th year at Central Campus. In the Engineering Academy at Central Campus, Mr. Gadbury teaches the courses Civil Engineering & Architecture, Digital Electronics, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Computer Aided Design Technology, and Intro to Electronics & Robotics. Over his career he has taught courses such as Woodworking, Metalworking, Electricity, Automotive Maintenance, Graphic Design, and Software Design & Gaming. He also has coached track, football, and rugby at the middle school and high school levels.

Mr. Gadbury grew up in the northwest central Iowa town of Rockwell City, where he graduated from Rockwell City/Lytton High School. Although he lived and went to school in Rockwell City, he calls the small town of Knierim (Kuh-near-um) home, which has less than 50 people! From there he went to Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska for a year, then transferred to the University of Northern Iowa where he graduated with this B.A in Industrial Technology Education. In 2009 he completed his Master of Education in Principalship, also from Northern Iowa.

Mr. Gadbury’s passion for construction came from his admiration of his grandfather, who was a jack-of-all-trades, and his uncle who is a general contractor. He originally was going to attend Iowa Central Community College in Construction Management but changed course due to an influential Industrial Technology teacher at his high school.

Mr. G has over 25 years of construction and design experience from various roles in industry. His experiences in the commercial construction industry include working on projects in the Fort Dodge area such as the Army Reserve Center and current Hy-Vee store. His residential construction experiences include new home building in Calhoun County, as well as all aspects of remodeling residential structures in various locations throughout Iowa. During a long career with Home Depot, Mr. Gadbury worked as a sales associate, specialty sales, and as management. He designed kitchens, baths, decks, garages, and performed take-offs from blueprints for contractors.

When Mr. G isn’t at school, he is at home with his family on the south side of Des Moines, where he has lived for 17 years. He spends a lot of time coaching his 10-year-old son’s sports teams, working out in his basement gym, playing rugby, fishing with his son, or working on different projects at home or helping friends, and taking in the occasional Hawkeye sports game.

The Marine Biology program at Central Campus is making waves again! During the Fall 2024 semester, students applied to a relatively new program to be National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors. This program provides students aged 13-18 with leadership and training opportunities to become effective, knowledgeable stewards of the National Marine Sanctuaries, and ocean in general.

Our Marine Biology team is excited to announce that nine of our students have been accepted into the 2024 program. Over the next year, the ocean guardians will attend monthly webinars, develop projects, interact with other ambassadors around the country, and develop skills to be active citizens in ocean conservation.

I was blown away when I heard that so many of our students were accepted into the program. I am hoping that they use this as an example of what is possible if you put yourself out there and try, even if it might be uncomfortable or even a little scary. I hope that they gain more leadership and teamwork skills and positively impact ambassadors from other states.

We are so excited to share this honor with them and look forward to following them along their journey!

Read comments from students sharing their excitement about the Opportunity.

With the nice temps gracing us with there presence recently, winter weather driving safety may seem like a distance memory. To be on the safe side, I wanted to offer some refreshers on preparing your vehicle for safe driving during inclement weather.

Pay close attention to your tire pressure, as this may change when temperatures drop.

Plan and stick, to the route for your chosen destination. Let others know your plan to travel.

Keep your car’s fuel, or battery ‘tank’ full, or close to full whenever possible during cold weather.

Make sure you, and your passengers are securely, and accurately, buckled in. Know what type of car seat is appropriate for young passengers. Check this website for further information: Car Seat Finder Tool: Find the Right Car Seat | NHTSA

Keep your vehicle stocked with essentials such as cell phone chargers, warning flashers or flares, jumper cables, blankets, flashlights, non-perishable food, water, necessary medicines, blankets, and shovels/brooms/scrapers as well as kitty litter to help provide traction if needed.

Keep in the know on any safety recalls that may affect your vehicle. You may find that information here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/node/2401

I do hope the Groundhog was accurate in their predictions and that winter as we know it will cease to exist, at least for this season, allowing us to continue enjoying our early Spring. My husband keeps teasing that we needs to mow, and as much as I do like to mow, not sure I am ready for that yet!

Nurse Jasmine

References

Winter Weather Driving Tips: Prepare Your Vehicle | NHTSA Car Seat Finder Tool: Find the Right Car Seat | NHTSA https://www.nhtsa.gov/node/2401

• Central Campus's annual senior sessions are happening this month! Seniors will practice interview skills with our postsecondary success coaches and participate in mock interviews with our business partners. Then, on Tuesday, March 5 we will host a hiring fair. Any senior who has employment in their Central Campus area of training will be honored in May at the Central Campus Workforce Ready Signing Event. More details to come!

  
  

• Summer work-based learning opportunities are beginning to take shape. Students interested in summer employment should visit with their Central Campus teacher or school counselor for more information.

  
  

• Experiencing classes in-person, within our hands-on setting, is integral to the magic of Central Campus. We believe this experience plays a vital role in equipping students with the skills and attributes they need for their future beyond high school. If your student needs to miss class, please contact the Central Campus attendance office.

• The Central Campus course request process for school year 24-25 will reopen in a few weeks.

Central Campus counselors recently drafted vision and mission statements for the CC school counseling program. We are sharing them here to make these better known. Please let us know if you have any constructive comments for possible changes.

Central Campus School Counseling Vision Statement: The vision of the Central Campus School Counseling Program is that all students develop the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities needed to access high quality careers, livable wages, competitive benefits, and upward mobility.

Central Campus School Counseling Mission Statement: All Central Campus students will engage in academic and career planning, as well as socioemotional learning, to craft personalized post-secondary plans that correspond with their talents and interests, paving the way for enrollment, enlistment, or employment.

John Hickling, School Counselor, Student Last Names A-L, John.Hickling@dmschools.org

Jennifer Scott, School Counselor, Student Last Names M-Z, Jennifer.Scott@dmschools.org

Mary Moua, Counseling Assistant, Mary.Moua@dmschools.org

Diana Lovan, Future Ready Coach, Diana.Lovan@dmschools.org

Calling all SENIORS!

The FAFSA Application is ready to go! You can now begin completing your FAFSA application. If you have created your FSA-ID, you can begin.

Go to: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa select Start New Form 2024-2025

If you have not created an FSA-ID, please do so before you start your application. You will need the FSA-ID to start.

Go to: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch Create account. Students, you will need your social security number to create an FSA-ID account.

* Please Note* If this is your first time completing an FSA-ID and no other sibling has completed one in the past, a parent will need to create an FSA-ID account as well.

Central Campus also has a Future Ready Coach and ICAN reps on hand to assist students.

The Infinite Campus Parent Portal now has the "Absence Request" tool to allow you to notify us in advance when your child is going to miss classes. It will take requests on the day your child is absent or future dates if you know ahead of time. To excuse past absences, you must still call or email us.

• PHONE: 515-242-7653

• EMAIL: Central.attendance@dmschools.org

The Absence Request tool is very user-friendly and takes only moments to complete. AND the best part is that your request is sent to all schools in which your child is enrolled, so you do not have to contact both your home school and Central. We all get the same information and process it for our respective schools with one easy parent entry!

Instructions:

In the Campus Portal app, select the three horizontal lines in the top left-hand corner, then select More. At the bottom select Absence Request. Select your child, the reason for the absence, and the absence type. You must also add a comment.

Example:

Student name: First Last
Excuse: SICK: Student is sick
Absence Type: Full Day Absence
Date: 12/1/2023
Comments: Student has a fever so they will stay home until they are fever free

Click Submit.

• WRITTEN DIRECTIONS: Parent Portal Absence Request 11.28.2023

• VIDEO: Portal Absence Request

You may delete a request that you have submitted if we haven't processed it yet. Once it has been processed by the attendance clerk, it can't be deleted through the Campus Parent Portal app and will require a call to our office (515-242-7653). Parents and Guardians will be able to view all absence requests that have been submitted from the Parent Portal for the student anytime during the school year.

John Hickling, School Counselor, Student Last Names A-L, John.Hickling@dmschools.org

Jennifer Scott, School Counselor, Student Last Names M-Z, Jennifer.Scott@dmschools.org

Mary Moua, Counseling Assistant, Mary.Moua@dmschools.org

Diana Lovan, Future Ready Coach, Diana.Lovan@dmschools.org

Breakfast and lunch are served at Central Campus. Any student who has a class at Central Campus periods 3 and/or 5, will eat at Central Campus. All other students will eat at their home high school. In addition:

• Students may leave the building during their lunch.
• Breakfast and/or Lunch may be cancelled if there is a change to the daily schedule because of weather or other unforeseen situations.

Discover Central Campus & discover your future. Eight advance career academies, 33 specialized programs offer multiple pathways to career readiness.

Email: centralcampus@dmschools.org
Website: https://centralcampus.dmschools.org/
Location: 1800 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: 515-242-7846
Facebook: facebook.com/CentralCampusDSM
Twitter: @CentralCampusDM