Mercer County Schools

🌟 The first day of The Orange Frog Happiness Advantage kicked off today at the Seminar Center with our Central Office team! A big thank you to presenters Dr. Kristal Filipek, Emily Huddle, and Amber Riffe for leading the way. This program reminds us that happiness isn’t just a result of success—it’s a driver of it. 💡🐸✨ We’re excited to spread positivity and create a ripple effect of happiness across Mercer County Schools! 💙 #MercerCountySchools #OrangeFrog #HappinessAdvantage #DynamicDistrict

👏 Thanks to Scott Hill at Pipestem State Park for hosting the Mercer County Schools Steering Committee! By working with local business leaders, we’re building bridges from education to workforce and preparing students for college & career success. 🎓💼

📲 Rooms Update
Parents & Guardians, please make sure you have the newest version of the Mercer County Schools app installed on your phone. Some families may not be receiving teacher messages because an old version of the app is running.

✅ Check the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android) to see if an update is available.
💡 Need help logging into Rooms? Email your name, your child(ren)’s names, and your cell phone number to mercerroomstechhelp@groups.k12.wv.us
— we’ll get you fixed up quickly!

#MercerCountySchools #RoomsUpdate #DynamicDistrict #LoveMyWVSchool

💻✨ Happy IT Professionals Day to our incredible Mercer County Schools Technology Department! From fixing glitches to keeping our systems secure, you’re the real-life superheroes behind every login and every “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” moment. Thank you for keeping us connected, powered up, and ready to learn! #MercerCountySchools #TechHeroes

🌟 Big news! Starting tomorrow, our Orange Frog trainers — Director of Special Education Emily Hiddle, HR Director Dr. Kristal Filipek, and Elementary Supervisor Amber Riffe — will be sharing what they’ve learned with Central Office staff. The Orange Frog / Happiness Advantage program teaches us that happiness isn’t a reward for success — it leads to success. 🧡🐸 By spreading joy, optimism, and positive energy, we can all become “Orange Frogs” together! #MercerCountySchools #OrangeFrog #DynamicDistrict #LoveMyWVSchool

Yesterday, Superintendent Ed Toman and Assistant Superintendents Dr. Ernie Adkins and Rosemary Mitchell met with President Daniel Hodges and Vice President Danielle Lee, members of Education WV (formerly MCEA).
We are grateful for these monthly meetings, which keep an open line of communication between the teachers’ organization and district administration. They provide an opportunity to share updates, listen to teachers’ concerns, and work together for the success of our students and staff.
#MercerCountySchools #Collaboration #DynamicDistrict #LoveMyWVSchool

🌟 Our Pre-K students across Mercer County are diving into their brand-new Frog Street Pre-K curriculum! 🐸📚 From exploring shapes and patterns, to practicing measurement and hands-on discovery, our little learners are already engaged in meaningful activities that spark curiosity and joy in learning. 💡✨ We are so proud to see their smiles, teamwork, and creativity shining through as they begin this important journey. Here’s to a great year of growth, learning, and fun with Frog Street! 💚🍎 #MercerCountySchools #PreK #FrogStreet #EarlyLearning #DynamicDistrict #LoveMyWVSchool

🎓✨ GEAR UP SWV hosted a Career, College, and Scholarship Fair at MCTEC Monday evening! Nearly 200 students and parents explored college opportunities, gathered scholarship information, and even tested out careers through virtual reality glasses. What an exciting night of planning for the future!

Attention Seniors and their families! Don't forget about Scholarship Night tonight! It's being held at the MCTEC Seminar Center from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Attend to get some good info and tips on scholarships, talk to colleges, and more!

Science got colorful on Friday! 🧪 Students in Ms. Ramsey's class at PSHS used red cabbage juice to test the pH of everyday items like vinegar, soda, and baking soda. The liquids changed colors right before their eyes, showing whether each substance was an acid or a base. Hands-on science = the best kind of learning!

Superintendent Ed Toman was proud to cheer on the Princeton Tigers tonight as they took on Oak Hill! Nothing beats Friday night lights and supporting our student-athletes. Go Tigers!

Our Child Nutrition Director, Krista Kessinger, spoke with some students at PSHS today about school lunches. Their input is invaluable!

Mercer County Schools nurses and social workers were proud to represent our district at the 4th Annual Responding to Child Abuse Symposium at Pipestem State Park. 🌿 This event focused on strengthening partnerships, sharing strategies, and ensuring the safety and well-being of children. We are grateful for their dedication to supporting students and families every day.#LoveMyWVSchool

Statement from Superintendent Edward Toman

🌟 Did you know happiness is contagious? Our Central Office team is diving into the Orange Frog program—a fun, research-based way to spread positivity and energy throughout Mercer County Schools. 🐸🍊 A little happiness goes a long way!

🐾 You never know who might stop by to visit Superintendent Toman and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ernie Adkins! Today, Oakvale School’s therapy dog, Oakley, dropped in to talk about student achievement—and to negotiate how many treats he should get each day. 🐶✨

The University of Charleston is offering a Nursing Boot Camp for High School students interested in pursuing a nursing career. This program provides hands-on experience in the university's simulation labs, allowing students to participate in real-world nursing scenarios and meet with nursing faculty and current students.

Program Details:
Date: October 4th at the UC Beckley campus.
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Eligibility: Open to rising 8th-12th graders.

Contact: Kennita Thomas (kennitalthomas@ucwv.edu) to register.

Today, GEAR UP Coordinator Gail Webb, Secondary Supervisor Angela Groseclose, and Career Connections Facilitator Jennifer Collis attended a GEAR UP SWV training at New River Community & Technical College. The team explored new virtual reality goggles that allow students to “step into” careers—like inserting an IV as a nurse or riding up in a bucket truck to repair a transformer! These tools will be used in classrooms alongside career interest inventories so students can discover their passions, virtually experience careers, and even begin mapping out a career pathway in a database. Exciting opportunities ahead for our students to see their futures come to life!

Technology Integration Specialists Dr. Heather Farley and Kaila Hardin are leading the way in showing educators how AI tools can transform the classroom. With over 90 teachers in attendance, today’s session highlights how AI is advantageous for teachers—saving time on everyday tasks, sparking creativity, and giving them more time to focus on what matters most: students.

Parents and Families: Instructions on how to receive notifications when your child's teacher sends you a message on Rooms:

Rooms allows you to customize notification you receive via Email and SMS. To find these settings on the app click your name in the top right corner of the screen. The following options are available to turn on in varying combinations: ***You do not have to add a phone number if you're already signed into the app.***

Choose One:
Instant Delivery: Get notified instantly when you receive an unread message.

Hourly Digest: Receive a text message hourly with a collection of all unread messages.

Daily Digest: Get a text with a collection of all unread messages, delivered at your scheduled time.


Enabled in combination:
Hourly digest email for messages: Receive hourly emails about any unread messages in you have, weekdays from 8 AM to 7 PM, based on your time zone.

SMS notifications for announcements: Get text notifications for unread announcements in your rooms.

Daily digest email for announcements: Receive a daily summary of all class announcements in Rooms, delivered between 6 PM and 8 PM.