NATCHEZ &045; In Sheryl Williams’ third-grade classroom, students are counting clover, studying the probability of finding the four-leaf variety.

In Sandra Washington’s class, students are learning to follow directions to make washcloth bunnies.

And in Dale Smith’s classroom, students are coloring pictures to go with their explanation of the beginning, middle and end of a story they’ve just read.

Morgantown Elementary School, where students are &uot;the best around,&uot; according to the welcome mat, teachers are finding creative ways to impart daily lessons.

And on Tuesday, they welcomed parents and other guests to the school for an open house, one in a series of open houses sponsored by the Natchez-Adams School District.

&uot;Today is another opportunity for parents and the community to be involved,&uot; Principal Carla Evers said.

Parental involvement, Evers said, &uot;makes everyone’s job easier&uot; as the school works to meet its goal of making every child a success.

Throughout the day, parents stopped by classrooms to sit quietly during lessons or chatted with students during the lunch period.

Renee Dawson sat with her daughter, Meghin, as the second-grader drew pictures to illustrate the plot of &uot;Thunder Cake.&uot;

&uot;My daughter is a very outgoing young lady,&uot; Dawson said. &uot;She’s an honors student here. I like being here for her.&uot;

Later, Dawson promised the class she would make them their own &uot;thunder cake&uot; as a treat for today.

For Paula Green, sitting in the same classroom with son Shedrick, the open house was a chance to spend some precious time with her child. Green has been busy getting settled in Texas before her son joins her permanently this summer.

&uot;It gives you a chance to see what the children are doing,&uot; Green said of the open house. &uot;(The children) look forward to it.&uot;

Robert and Christina Twaddle’s son Caleb is in his first year at Morgantown. When the family moved back to Natchez last year, they took time to learn about different schools in the area before settling on Morgantown. Christina attended school there as a child.

The Twaddles have been pleased with what they found at Morgantown. The faculty and administration are open to their questions and concerns, they said. And Caleb is learning about more about different people than he would at another school, Christina said. Taking a cue from current events, she compared the school to a successful military unit. &uot;As long as you have strong leadership, you’ll always have a strong squad,&uot; she said.

For Evers, the success is in the students’ attitudes toward their education.

&uot;We have a smiley face on the building,&uot; she said. &uot;That’s how we want our students to feel. Š They know they are loved and cared for and well educated.&uot;