Holmes Junior High School: An Impressive Junior HIgh Where Education is Valued and Achieved

Substitute teaching definitely has its ups and downs. One of the advantages of being a sub is seeing the school through fresh eyes. When I stepped into Holmes Junior High I didn't quite know what to expect. Other Junior Highs I have visited in the Cedar Valley were absolutely awful. The students were rude and obnoxious and entirely disrespectful.

Holmes Junior High, however, left a very different taste in my mouth. The students were extremely respectful. They greeted me and their other teachers. They were helpful and no one threw a thing! I spoke with the other teachers and had to ask if the students had been bribed in any way! They hadn't, she informed me they were just a great group. The facilities of the school are also highly impressive. Computers in the room are up to date and offer valuable assistance and computer programs to aspiring students.

I was also impressed by all that this particular teacher had taught in the early stages of the school year. The students had studied a variety of topics and had certainly kept busy. It was obvious that the standard of learning was high and effective.

As far as ITBS scores, Holmes is impressive compared to other schools in the Cedar Valley. Of the two Junior High Schools in Cedar Falls, Holmes came in second, however, when compared to other schools in the Cedar Valley, such as Central and Logan, Holmes was at the top of the charts. The average Math score on the ITBS for Holmes was 80, while Peet Junior High soars with an average score of 91. However, many of the Junior Highs in the Waterloo area had an average math score in the upper sixties and seventy percentile. Logan Middle School in Waterloo had the lowest math composite with a score of 44. Concerning reading, Holmes also had a high composite of 74%, which is also high for that area. The faculty to student ratio is 11 to 1, which is exceptional for Junior High Schools. (The state average is 14 to 1)