Students in Pam Anderson's and Virginia Hopkins' eighth grade language arts classes have been busy working on PowerPoint projects. Students were given the scenario of persuading philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates to finance their play about a novel read in class. The books students chose from are Night, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Farewell to Manzanar. The presentations must contain at least 20 slides and students were allowed to work in groups of no more than three. Jonathan Wood, a student of Mrs. Anderson, said, "This project has helped us expand our knowledge of World War II or the Great Depression."

Eighth graders Ramona Lott and Ivy Safrit will be running with the high school track team to prepare for next year. They will be going out every day until May to practice many of the field events and run miles each day. This experience will help improve their times and give them a feel for what is in store for next year.

Congratulations to the winners of the Optimist Club Speech Contest on February 26. Winners of the girls competition were Divesia Lee for first place, Tia Acree for second, Ryan Jones for third, and Shania Spence for fourth place. In the boys competition, Jonathan Wood placed first. All week the students worked hard writing, revising, and rewriting their speeches for this event. The first place winners received a $200 savings bond and will go to the district contest on March 7 at the Augusta Library.

Color guard tryouts were February 26. All students going to grades 9-12 next year were eligible. Two representatives from the eighth grade made the team: Shaina Spence and Macie Smith. The girls have been working hard with routines and fundamentals and W-WMS congratulates them!

Everyone is encouraged to eat at Pizza Hut on Tuesday evenings in March. If you present a middle school voucher, 20 percent of the total purchases will be donated to our school. We greatly appreciate Pizza Hut and our community for their support.