Smithton Middle School
| Type | Middle School |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1996 |
| Principal | Craig Martin |
| Address | 3600 W. Worley Street |
| Phone Number | 573-214-3260 |
| Website | N/A |
| Student Capacity | 930 |
| Students Enrolled | 908 |
| Number of Teachers | N/A |
| Number of Trailers | N/A |
| Enrolled in Lunch Program | 215 |
| White Population | 669 |
| Black Population | 148 |
| Hispanic Population | 37 |
| Asian Population | 76 |
| American Indian Population | 0 |
| MAP Score Math | N/A |
| MAP Score Communication Arts | N/A |
By ALEX BRAUN
news@columbiamissourian.com
Smithton Middle School doesn’t want to make students’ pre-adolescent years any more turbulent than they have to be.
To maintain a sense of normalcy during a period of both academic and social transition, Smithton sixth-graders become part of a “team” — a block of peers that move from classroom to classroom together, sharing the same teachers for each subject. Teachers stick with their teams, so each incoming sixth-grader will have the same instructors for both years of middle school.
“We truly believe in developing the whole child and exposing them to many different opportunities to get involved,” said Craig Martin, Smithton’s principal. In addition to the school’s recent academic achievements — a team from Smithton won the Missouri Stock Market Game in each of the past three years — Martin also emphasized the quality of the school’s band and orchestra programs.
Recently, Smithton has been able to acquire one new wireless computer lab to complement its seven SMART Boards, which are used by its language arts teachers. Smart Boards are six-foot touch-sensitive computer displays that can be written on with a stylus rather than a mouse, a sort of “digital chalkboard” of the 21st century. Using laptops from the new lab, students can wirelessly send or receive text, pictures and video from their teacher’s display in an instant.
“They’re neat little tools,” Martin said. “The kids can be doing a writing assignment on their desk and the teacher can download that to the Smart Board to use as an example for the class.”
