Keeping Mustangs in Motion: McKinley teacher works to keep school exciting

The kids at McKinley Elementary spent the month of March buzzing about their brackets, but very few of them were talking about the NCAA basketball tournaments taking place.

Instead, they were talking about the March Madness Tournament of Books, a school-wide celebration of reading created by third grade teacher Christin Baxter and her Mustangs in Motion committee partners, April Hovious and Jaleese Munz. Students are now deciding between “Ada Twist the Scientist” by Andrea Beaty and “The Most Magnificient Thing” by Ashley Spires as the winner.

The Tournament of Books wasn’t their first idea to make learning fun, nor will it be their last.

Baxter said she entered her 15th year of teaching looking for a way she could continue making McKinley and the Ottawa Elementary School district a better place. She’s invested in the district as much as any of the parents, since she has two children attending and another who will be shortly.

With the COVID-19 pandemic stopping the school’s ability to have families at the school as often, Baxter said she and her other Mustangs in Motion teachers began using Facebook to show parents what school was like. From there, they came up with activities to make McKinley a more positive place where teachers, kids and families want to be, she said.

“We’re looking around all the time at what we can do to build some activities up to make good memories for these kids,” Baxter said. “You know, those little things that when you think back to elementary, events and special things you got to do that you think back on to this day. That’s our goal: To add positivity and make it a positive environment.”

Munz said they noticed everyone returning to school from the pandemic was just a little bit different from what they were used to, and the three of them came together to try and lift everybody’s spirits.

This has taken the form of activities such as the March Madness of Books, the upcoming Silly Sidewalks and the trimester celebrations. Munz said she hopes the trimester celebrations can start soon.

“We want students to feel proud of how that trimester went for them and get them excited for the next one,” Munz said. “We want to get them pumped up for their report cards and all the things that go along within beginning and ending trimesters.”

Hovious said the group’s focus is to find things that can bring the school together and get the kids excited.

Baxter said there are even more ideas that do more than just celebrate: They help students learn unconventional skills that aren’t necessarily the type that can be taught by-the-book, Baxter said.

“Pre-covid, we came up with the idea of a coffee cart,” Baxter said. “So, the third grade actually runs the coffee cart.”

Staff can order coffee, tea and snacks and the kids are put in charge of making and delivering the coffee. They collect payments and then the committee donates the money. She hopes that can start back up after Spring Break.

“It gives them money skills and social skills, and they learn how to take an order and work together on getting the orders correct,” Baxter said. “It also spreads a kind of happiness, because the teachers like getting their coffee and the kids like getting to talk and greet everyone.”

Baxter said the committee has tried to focus this year a lot on kindness, and teach the children empathy with things such as acts of kindness or even just writing notes to people to let them know they’re appreciated.

We’re looking around all the time at what we can do to build some activities up to make good memories for these kids. You know, those little things that when you think back to elementary, events and special things you got to do that you think back on to this day. That’s our goal: To add positivity and make it a positive environment.”

—  McKinley Elementary teacher Christin Baxter

Hovious and Munz agreed that Baxter has been the planner out of the three. She keeps everyone organized and on a schedule so they know what’s coming. It’s a skill they’ve picked up on themselves.

“Sometimes I sit in my room and really feel like I have it together,” Munz said. “That’s because Baxter taught me how to do this. I’m organized, I have it together and I know what to do. She’s always been like that, and that’s why we work well together.”

Munz has been teaching for 12 years, and started at McKinley Elementary. Hovious started six years ago.

Baxter said she couldn’t do any of this without the support from the rest of the staff and the administration, and she knew coming in how important support would be. She’s the daughter of two school teachers and her husband teaches at Shepherd Middle School.

Hovious said she views Baxter as a mentor.

“Her door is always open and you’ll see that everybody walks right through,” Hovious said. “She’s everyone’s go-to-person. She does so much for the school and I think that’s because she’s so invested.”