Standing left to right: Adam Weimer, Marquetta Frost, Thaddeus Machnik, Shayne Patterson, Vivian Davis, Soren Patterson, Tanalynn Jordan, Maurice Barry, seated Harry Bonner, Sr.
Marshall Opportunity High School hosted their annual holiday celebration Wednesday, Dec. 18. Students and guests were treated to a soulful holiday meal prepared by MOHS staff.
The cafeteria was decorated by members of the MOHS student council who also helped to serve the food for their classmates and guests. The meal included collard greens, cornbread, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, potato salad, roasted turkey, rolls, cranberry sauce, cakes, pies and assorted cookies provided by Jeremy Yettaw, Marshall Public Schools food service director, along with fried chicken donated by Family Fare of Albion.
Invited guests included Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Becky Jones; Director of Non-Traditional Programs Ben Wallace; Education Coordinator Merrilyn McMiller; MOHS Parent to Parent Committee; Vivian Davis, City Council board member; Mary Slater, event coordinator; Albion Family Fare Deli Director John Byer; Sue Ott, Jolly Green Junction; Edmentum, Serena Alderson; Mecca McGhee, MOHS student resource officer; Harry Bonner, Sr., CAMP program director; Marquetta Frost, CAMP program supervisor; and Maurice Barry, Teen Intervene.
The awards and presentations included recognition of the MOHS Student council, under the supervision of Marylee Morton, and introduction of the MOHS parent to parent committee.
Frost introduced the students who are currently going through training for the Cross-Age Mentoring Program. CAMP is a comprehensive, highly structured developmental mentoring program that pairs high school aged mentors with elementary and middle school aged students under the supervision of trained program staff. These students will complete their training early next year and begin to share what they have learned with the students they will mentor.
Morton, who is the intervention specialist at MOHS, thanked Principal Ben Wallace, Assistant Principal Merrilynn McMiller and Secretary Barb Gary for their support. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to serve the students in this capacity, which is to intervene, change and improve the lives of the students,” she said, “and also my husband, Joseph Morton, who is a special education teacher at MOHS and my biggest supporter!”
Morton also acknowledged Albion Family Fare and Jolly Green Junction for their ongoing support of programs at MOHS. “Jolly Green Junction donated 100 pumpkins for Halloween, and Family Fare provided candy at Halloween and prepared the fried chicken for today’s meal,” she said.
After the program students decorated cookies.
