Kinawa Middle School

Kinawa Middle School (KMS) is a public middle school for students, 6th to 8th grade. It is located in Okemos, Michigan, United States.

Music
There is a 100+ student choir, a division 1 band, and a division 1 orchestra. There are 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands and orchestras, and there is a 6th grade band and a varsity orchestra. This year, both the 8th grade band and orchestra achieved the high distinction of getting all 1's at the regional MSBOA festivals. A 1 is the highest score you can get and by getting all 1's, they are elligable to compete at the state level at state festival. Many students have also been accepted into the highly selective All-State Middle School Band and All-State Middle School Orchestra. The choir also preforms the annual "Extravanganza", where students have the opportunity to pick a song of their choice and preform it. Students can sing in groups, as well as sing alone, and in addition to a concert preformance at night, the students preform in front of the school in an assembly.

Athletics
Kinawa also has many sports teams, with 8th grade and 7th grade basketball and volleyball teams. The rivalry games in these sports against its rival school, Chippewa Middle School, are always highly attended, with students from both schools supporting their team, with bragging rights and school pride on the line. There are also many sports teams sponsored by Okemos Community Education, which include students from both schools. There are 4th-8th grade Football teams, water polo, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, track, and countless other sports teams.

Academics
Kinawa is very strong academically. The students score very high on standardized tests, such as the MEAP and the ACT Explore. Some have even taken the SAT and the regular ACT, and scored well enough to attend the HATS Off breakfast, a special breakfast to honor the top 200 middle school student scorers on the SAT and ACT in Michigan. Students participate in the school geography bee, and the Reader's Digest Word Power Challenge every year. Kinawa also provides French and Spanish language classes to 8th graders as electives.

Extracurricular Activities
Some students also participate in Knowledge Master Open, a academic competition. There is also a student council, which organizes numerous fundraising events for various charities and organizations. Kinawa also has an annual musical. The musical preformed changes every year, and previous ones have included "Clue the Musical", "Honk", and "When in Rome". All students are allowed to participate, and audition for the lead parts. There is also a school newspaper and a weekly newscast, which shows on the Okemos Channel, which reports the upcoming school events, and they are written and produced by students.

High School
Students attending Kinawa Middle School will go to Okemos High School along with Chippewa Middle School Students.

Citations
*Kinawa Middle School
* Great Schools.com School Review and Test Score Data

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