WRITTEN BY MILLER MIDDLE SCHOOL CO-PRINCIPAL DAVE GLENN
Milestones are most often marked in time. In 1925, the building that is now Miller Middle School was opened in Marshalltown. At the newly opened Marshalltown High School (Miller), Adoph Rupp (who led the University of Kentucky’s basketball program to nearly 900 wins) began his coaching career, leading Marshalltown to a state title…in wrestling! Marshalltown was a booming industrial town. Lennox and Fisher controls were well established and the population of Marshalltown was growing. At the same time, in 1925, education in the United States was shifting from a classical approach to a broader liberal arts focus. That same year, the Scopes Trial in Tennessee drew national attention as the debate over teaching evolution in public schools brought politics, theology, and education into sharp focus.
A lot has changed since this building opened, both in Marshalltown and nationwide. In 1925, students sat in rows and listened to lectures from their teachers. Occasionally, a student or two would be called on for a “spot check” to see if they were following along with the lecture. The lessons were planned out to the day and then were followed by a test to see if the students had learned what their teacher intended. The test was set for a given day, and everyone took it on that day. If they learned, great! If they did not, it was time to move on and it was up to the student to find the time to catch up on their own. Another way to describe this is to say that time was the constant (the timeline for the lessons and tests), and learning was the variable (some learned it, some didn’t—the genesis of the bell curve).
Education today looks very different. At Miller, we believe that all students can learn at high levels and when given enough time, support, and opportunities to collaborate, they can do just that. In essence, in today’s educational environment, learning has become the constant (all students will learn the essential standards for a given course) and time has become the variable. Some students will learn right away, some will need some extra time and/or support, and some will even come to class having already learned the material. We need to be prepared to support all of these students. Students need to collaborate with each other. They need to work through sticky questions and come to their own conclusions. Every student carries a world of information both in their pockets and within their Chromebooks. The teacher is no longer the sole proprietor of knowledge. If a student is facing challenges (even if those challenges originate outside of school), educators are there to support them. We have learned a lot over the past 100 years about how students learn, what might make learning more challenging, and how to push learning far beyond the expected outcomes.
Beginning in the summer of 2026, Miller Middle School will undergo a 36-month renovation. The project will enlarge and standardize classrooms, and create dedicated spaces that support collaboration among students and teachers. Classrooms will be grouped into team houses so students will have a more personalized learning experience where they feel seen, heard, and known by their teachers. We will have dedicated spaces to support the whole child with new nursing, counseling, conference spaces, and as a hub for community resources. Opportunities to explore potential careers, opportunities to experience project-based learning to connect students to both their community and those who live in it, and top tier facilities to grow and stay connected through the arts, athletics, and academics. We will honor the history of the original building, restore the grandeur, and leap into the 21st century. The reimagined Miller will position itself with pride to lead the way in education for the next 100 years.