On February 14, all eighth graders will attend the motivational assembly in the PAR.  According to Assistant Principal Mr. Craig Johnson the assembly is to inform eighth graders how to achieve good grades, how to act as a MacArthur scholar, and how to avoid losing privileges.

The assembly is to motivate and teach many students on knowing the right way to finish the last semester successfully and prepare for high school.  According to Johnson, this has been helpful to benefiting the previous students when the students took the lessons to heart and ended the year on a strong note.

When students decide to make bad choices and not follow the MacArthur rules, privileges are taken away such as the Knott’s Berry Farm trip, the Museum of Tolerance, the final eighth grade dance, eighth-grade slideshow and, in some cases, promotion, depending on the infraction.

Johnson estimated about 20 eighth-grade students lost their privileges for multiple reasons.  Some reasons are for having two or more F’s, behavior problems such as fighting, drugs, social media issues, bullying or many other problems.

Johnson said, “Do your best and be prepared for high school.”  According to Johnson, doing your best at MacArthur helps you be successful in high school.

Jessie Cuevas says, “I think the motivational assembly would help me be a more responsible student and would teach me to not get any of my privileges taken away. Starting from now on, I am going to take the advice that is given and try my best to finish off the year successfully.”