Shadowlawn Middle School

I have had two children graduate from Shadowlawn and one currently attending. Thus far I have seen three different principals and three different choir directors come through. I personally feel that the school has gotten worse. I don t think that some of the teachers are concerned or care about the fighting, bullying, bad language, etc that goes on here. These issues really need to be addressed, not just here at Shadowlawn- throughout Shelby County. Here at Shadowlawn, the principals and some of the teachers are quick to place children in ISS. Their needs to be some other type of discipline plan in place. when a child is taken from the classroom he/she is missing out on learning. With the way children are so disrespectful now, I personally think paddling needs to be brought back to schools.
--Submitted by a parent

my daughter has attended this school for two years now and I've noticed everyday back from school she would have a smile on her face.....unlike her other school when she was sad all the time. I don't know if its her friends here or what but I'm glad that whatever changed her life,changed and mine also......=)
--Submitted by a parent

My son attended for two years and we were pleased with the school. The advanced level courses they offer were really good for him, his test scores were well above average. No complaints here.
--Submitted by a parent

Hello I am a seventh grader at Shadowlawn Middle School. This school overall is better and getting better every moment. Ms. Garner and Mrs. Foster are one of the best teachers their, but every teacher their cares for their students. Shadowlawn is an awesome school.
--Submitted by a student

My daughter just completed sixth grade at SMS. Our family has been very pleased with SMS! Mr. McDonald is a wonderful, caring principal. He is present at every basketball game, even the away ones. I have not seen neighboring schools' principals do that. He also brings his family with him. I feel that shows his dedication to our school and my daughter. Officer Hamm is also a great asset to the school. Just watching him interact with the kids at the dances and games, it appears that he is well liked, which means a safer school. My daughter was on a team of 4 different teachers whom I was very pleased with. I have always felt I could discuss anything with them. I will say that I fought very hard to get a transfer for my daughter because of Shadowlawn's bad reputation. I am very glad that my request was denied.
--Submitted by a parent

I went to Shadowlawn as the class of 2007. The word I can use to describe it is 'change' every year I went, there was a different principal, and the first two didn't seem to keep a hold on things well. Mr. McDonald however, is great. Discipline is nopt handled well at Shadowlawn. Sometimes, ISS or OSS doesn't work. I saw a person with a switchblade get caught and only get 3 days of OSS. Terrible. One other example is the food fight. We were put on lockdown. Why punish us all for some thing started by one student.
--Submitted by a student

I am not please with my children's stay at this school. There are hardly any extracurricular activities. The staff does not seem to want the parents involved unless it for discipline problems. I need a school that has an open door policy. I don't want to interrupt instruction time, I just want to check on my child. I still want to be involved even more so, now that my children are in middle school. They don't really have a discipline program in place, except to put students in ISS or OSS. The teachers seem well educated and seem to do a good job educating my children, but what about the activities, discipline, and parental involvement. I feel like I just drop my child off and that is all I can do is wave bye.
--Submitted by a parent

I go to Shadowlawn Middle School... It is a great school to meet friends.The Cafeteria Luches are Great.However,some teachers are not fair and pick students to favor. Also, some teachers load students down with home and others give maybe 1 homework assignment for the whole year. The Teachers are great but some cannot handle the classrooms there and therefore students that want to learn cannot learn in a well environment because of the conduct of some students. The language at SMS is also not very pleasent. Since i've been to shadowlawn i have probobly learned more cuss words than my dad knows. Also, in the time i've attended this school i have been offered drugs at least 10 times. The cleaness of this school is not very well kept up. Bathroom stalls have writting everywhere, water fountains have mold on the sides, and in the cafeteria the trays sometimes have food-on-them-from-the-day-before.
--Submitted by a student

I love this school i think it is great place to meet freinds and have acedimic programs after school ! my child is a cheerleader for shadowlawn and it is great ! the teachers are wonderful especially mr.Webber ! although the pricipal is newer at the school she knows how to deal with kids great ! this is a great strict school for your kids to learn acedimic greatness !
--Submitted by a parent

I went to sms for sixth and seventh.i know this school like the palm of my hand just about,and i love it.its not that clean always,BCUZ OF THE STUDENTS!!but the teachers are always watching out for dress code violations,the students have minor behavior problems,and the teachers are strict and friendly!(they truly do care!)
--Submitted by Jazmin, a former student