Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Middle Magnet School

Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Middle Magnet School is a school of choice in USD 259. Students are selected by lottery from applications received each year from students all across our school district. In other words, students are not assigned to our school by boundaries, but choose to apply to be part of our program and its immersion into the study of cultures and the arts.

Mayberry is an early start school with hours from 7:15 am to 2:25 pm.

Mayberry is a wonderful cross-section of our community! Our students and staff come from a variety of backgrounds, which truly enriches our learning opportunities as we explore cultures from around our city, state, nation and world!

The enrollment at Mayberry usually falls between 610-630 students, with around 210 students at each grade level. Grade level Learning Communities are comprised of the CORE teachers (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, and Special Education). These teachers work together with students and parents to ensure that all students are successful in academic and social endeavors.We seek to provide a well-rounded middle school curriculum to all of our students. Teams of teachers work together to best serve the needs of families who choose to have their students attend Mayberry. A number of outstanding after school activities (recreation, tutoring, etc.) are provided as well to extend the learning of our students outside the normal school day.

Exit west Kellogg at West St. Go north on West St. to Maple. Go east on Maple to Sheridan. Mayberry is on the corner of Sheridan and Maple. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Middle Magnet School, as a diverse community of learners and staff, strives to provide a learning environment in which students are challenged to excellence in academics and the arts. Our mission is to work together with students, parents and community to provide all students the opportunities to maximize their learning potential. In order to fulfill our mission, we must continue to learn as an organization and to function as a professional learning community.  We envision a school in which staff members:

• Collaborate to accomplish school goals
• Focus on the successes of individual students
• Implement research-based best practices
• Continue to grow and learn professionally

• All students will improve performance levels in reading comprehension skills.
• All students will improve performance levels and demonstrate effective writing skills across the curriculum. 
• All students will improve performance levels in computation and problem solving. 
• The achievement gap will be decreased.

Each school has a site council, which is a group of parents, community members, business representatives, teachers and other school staff. Site councils identify, consider and discuss educational problems and issues at the school. Councils provide advice and counsel for evaluating state, school district and school site performance goals and objectives. Councils may also recommend methods that may be employed at the school site to meet these goals and objectives.

Membership is open to all parents, staff and the Mayberry community. For date and time information, call 973-5800.

Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Middle Magnet School features a strong, structured academic program with excellent opportunities to explore cultures and the arts. Teachers integrate this theme throughout their instruction, making connections between subject-area content and the arts.

Outstanding performing arts programs are offered for all students. Mayberry’s music program features excellent instrumental and vocal music classes. Our drama program combines in-class performance opportunities with an after-school drama troupe that is open to all students. Computer studies classes provide a strong foundation for all students, and technology is integrated throughout our school program. Our exploratory offerings are rounded out with great classes in the visual arts, physical education, and family and consumer science.

Mayberry students study a number of cultures, their languages and customs, and either French or Spanish is a required course in 7th and 8th grade. If students are experiencing difficulty in language arts or math, they may be placed in an intervention class (instead of foreign language) to assist them in their academic advancement.

Mayberry provides students with multiple opportunities to get involved in outside school activities. As with all middle schools, Mayberry offers organized sports programs to all 7th and 8th grade students. Fall sports include boys and girls cross country and girls volleyball. Winter sports consist of boys and girls basketball and in the spring, boys and girls can participate in track. During this winter, any student can compete in the (NAL) National Academic League.

Students may also get involved in the after-school-program that includes tutoring, drama and field trips to the YMCA, the Zoo and Exploration Place. Students continue to have the chance to be on various committees and councils as well. Overall, every student has the opportunity to participate in one or more activities at Mayberry.

Mayberry School opened September 6, 1955 with an enrollment of 750 students and a staff of 35 teachers. The new structure was built at a cost of $1,259,300 by the Clarence Vollmer Construction Company. Hibbs, Robinson and Pettit were the architects. The school was named in honor of L.W. Mayberry, who had been superintendent of the Wichita Public Schools from 1912 to 1943. Dedication ceremonies were held November 6, 1955.

On opening day students and staff entered an incomplete building, but one with which they were already familiar. Under the encouragement of Mayberry's first principal, Mr. Alden Salser, community parents, prospective students and staff members had made several trips to the structure and had been involved in meetings aimed at making the first day of school in the new building as smooth as possible.

Another of the organizational meetings was attended by a group of selected students from the four contributing junior high schools. The students toured the building and prepared to serve as tour guides for other students on the opening day of school. This was the beginning of an introduction procedure which was continued in subsequent years.

Soon after the beginning of school, the Student Council was organized using a system of representation from each home room. The first president was Keith Mitchell.

Feeder elementary schools for Mayberry included Lawrence, Eureka, Field, Meridian, Dodge, Payne and Martin. The enrollment reached a peak of approximately 1,000 from 1969 to 1971, and since that time there has been a gradual decrease to about 700.

In the fall of 1988, all ninth graders were moved to high schools leaving seventh and eighth graders. In the fall of 1989, all junior high schools became middle schools (6-8). During the 1991-92 school year, Mayberry and Brooks became global education magnet middle schools with different emphasis on curriculum.

from A History of Wichita Public School Buildings, c 1997