There are many ways students can show leadership and be involved at Ellis Middle School. While Ellis offers a variety of athletics or after school clubs such as chess or drama, there are two leadership opportunities that students must qualify or be elected to. National Junior Honor Society and Student Council are two student leadership teams that take great pride in their school and community. Let’s take some time to learn a little more about what they do.

NJHS

Ellis Middle School National Junior Honor Society is enthusiastically preparing for our next service event in which we will take a silent stand to bring attention to situations in which people do not have the opportunity to speak for themselves. “We Are Silent” took place on Thursday, March 9,  and students pledged their silence, ranging from eight to 24 hours, to bring attention to the cause of their choice.

Students researched topics ranging from poverty, women’s rights, education, homelessness, religion and the environment.  They then chose the cause that most resonated with them as their personal cause. Facts were shared on signs throughout the building and on the daily announcements to bring attention to these situations. Students also collected donations to benefit Free the Children’s We Villages. Money raised will go to provide sustainable opportunity and education for people in the country of Haiti.

This was an exciting challenge for the middle school students.

The project was sparked from the We Day Minnesota celebration  https://www.we.org/we-day/we-day-events/minnesota/, which NJHS members attended in September. At this event, students heard from inspiring figures such as Buzz Aldrin and Spencer West. The message called young people to never give up and to realize that everyone could make a difference in the world. We were honored that we were able to attend and be inspired by this event.

Student Council

The Ellis Student Council has had a busy year. We hosted Leadership Austin for lunch in October. “What Does Leadership Mean to Me” was the theme. We organized the Veteran’s Day Breakfast where the Ellis Chamber Orchestra, eighth grade band and choir provided patriotic music, and Norm Hecimovich spoke about what it means to be a veteran.

Paint the Town Pink events at Ellis were a big hit. Among the events were advisory classes that competed in a door decorating contest profiling a specific cancer. Hormel Institute scientists came to Ellis to judge the doors. Congratulations to Mrs. Mittag’s advisory for winning the contest.

The Fun Night basketball games and dance were held at the end of the PTTP week. Our very own Ms Blinn and Mr. Wayne were the DJ’s. Fun was had by all!

This spring the Student Council plans on giving tours of Ellis Middle School to incoming sixth graders, volunteering in various spring events, and holding elections for next year’s Student Council officers.  We will also hold ninth grade Student Council representative elections.

As you can see, Ellis Middle School students are active in their daily studies and enjoy volunteering to make our school and community proud. Please take some time to visit our school for a tour. You can contact our main office at 507-460-1500 to schedule a date and time.