Good News

November 17, 2006

DAVIS DRIVE ELEMENTARY EARNS BLUE RIBBON
Congratulations to Davis Drive Elementary, selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2006 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. The Blue Ribbon program "honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement." This is the eleventh time a WCPSS school has been named a Blue Ribbon school -- counting Davis Drive Elementary's previous turn as a Blue Ribbon school in 2001.

Davis Drive staff selected Marian Larrea, ESL teacher, and Kathy Knezevic, assistant principal, to attend the ceremonies in Washington DC earlier this month. The efforts of these two women enabled many students to experience academic success through ESL program and a volunteer tutoring program that was instituted by Mrs. Knezevic.

THE SCHOOL CONNECTION

Click to view

 Christy Barnett of WCPSS School Connection TV visits Longview School: See how Longview School turned a herd of plastic goats into $6,000 for the school.

BRANCH AWARDED FRIDAY MEDAL
Ken Branch was presented the inaugural Friday Medal by University of North Carolina System President Emeritus William C. "Bill" Friday on Nov. 15 at the William and Ida Friday Institute on Centennial Campus.

Dr. Branch currently serves as the WCPSS Magnet Schools Senior Director, managing a program that provides a rich array of educational choices for students. WCPSS magnet schools have earned recognition as the best magnet schools in the country. The schools offer parents a choice of instructional programs such as Creative Arts and Sciences, Gifted and Talented, International Studies, Active Learning and Technology, International Baccalaureate, Community Model, Leadership, Montessori and Museums.

As the founding principal of Centennial Campus Middle School, Branch worked to bring to life the magnet school where students, teachers and parents frequently engage with faculty, students and the facilities of North Carolina State University's 10 colleges, as well as its corporate and governmental partners on Centennial Campus. Before the doors opened for class in July 2000, he managed every detail - from hiring teachers to selecting equipment. Branch created a true model middle school for Wake County and the state.

Branch was a key partner in working with NC State University's College of Education in developing the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. Branch talked about the educational and research advantages that would result from building the facility adjacent to the Centennial Campus Middle School. He championed the Friday Institute's themes of innovation, education and inspiration, drawing donors and partners through his enthusiasm and vision.

The Friday Medal was created to honor significant contributions to education for the people of North Carolina and beyond through advocating innovation, advancing education and imparting inspiration. Celebrating the achievements of Bill and Ida Friday, the medal will be given annually to those who best exemplify the vision, mission, ideals and goals of the Friday Institute. "We are grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of honoring distinguished service to public education. In a democracy there is no higher calling," says Bill Friday.

The Friday medal presentation to Branch was one of the events surrounding NC State's celebration of American Education Week.

WAKE TEACHERS NAMED 2006 KENAN FELLOWS
Five Wake County teachers are taking part in the 2006 Kenan Fellows program working with NC State University professors on projects and developing curriculum to be used in classrooms across the state.

The five WCPSS teachers include Carrie Jones of Middle Creek High, Chad Ogren of Enloe High, Jodi Riedel of Wakefield High, Katherine Smyre of West Cary Middle and Susan Taylor of Panther Creek High.

The teachers were selected for the honor by North Carolina State University's Kenan Fellows for Curriculum and Leadership Development Program. The teachers engage in a two-year fellowship in partnership with distinguished scientists and university faculty to develop innovative curricula for use in North Carolina classrooms.

Carrie Jones teaches earth science and chairs the science department at Middle Creek High. Jones is also currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Science Education at NC State University. Combining science and social studies, Jones's project, Analyzing North Carolina Water Quality Using GIS Technology in the Classroom: A Game for Earth and Environmental Science, will allow students to analyze water quality through the game and then use GIS resources to map their results. She is working with NC State University professor Dr. Hugh Devine.

Chad Ogren is a science teacher at Enloe High, where he chairs the science department. He was also the Envirothon Team Advisor of the year for 2003. Ogren's project, Entomology and the Environment - A Virtual Gaming Experience, will demonstrate to students the vital role insects play in an ecosystem. NC State University entomology professor Dr. John Meyer is Ogren's Mentor.

Jodi Riedel teaches agricultural education at Wakefield High. Serving as an advisor, she has helped both Wake County 4-H and Wakefield High earn first place at the North Carolina State Fair in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Riedel's project, Sustainable Forestry: Promising Silviculture for Centuries, will help students understand the importance of forestland and the impact of deforestation, especially for those students in urban areas where schools lack access to forests. Dr. Susan Moore, Director of the Forestry and Environmental Outreach Program at NC State University, is Riedel's Mentor.

Katherine Smyre teaches seventh grade science at West Cary Middle School. Through her project, A Day in the Park: Invasive Species and the Arts, Smyre will develop tools to help teachers take advantage of the North Carolina Museum of Art Nature Park and research the invasive plant species restoration that is occurring there. Students will learn about science as well as create art from their research. Dr. Rita Hagevik, NC A & T, and Joseph Covington, of the North Carolina Museum of Art, are Smyre's mentors.

Susan Taylor teaches civics and economics to tenth grade students at Panther Creek High School. Taylor was the 2004-2005 Teacher of the Year at Leesville Road High School and the 2005 BB&T/NCEE Economics Educator of the Year. Taylor also co-wrote the Wake County Public School System Curriculum Guide for civics and economics. Taylor will seek to provide students a better understanding of how the US economy functions, as well as the role North Carolina plays in the global economy, through her project North Carolina's Role within the Global Economy: A Resource for Economic Education. Taylor's mentor is Dr. Daniel Phaneuf, associate professor of economics at NC State University.

As part of the two-year fellowship, the teachers will collaborate with the NC Department of Public Instruction in the development and distribution of curricular resources statewide, work closely with distinguished university faculty or research scientists in developing their projects, participate in research to develop inquiry-guided instruction to be used in the classroom, talk with state leaders at events that encourage professional development, train to be teacher leaders and present findings at state and national conferences.

The Kenan Fellows for Curriculum and Leadership Development Program, established in 2000, grew out of a community effort to address teacher retention and recruitment. Community consensus supported an effort to elevate the classroom teacher and provide resources to support the findings of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future 1996 report, "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future."

You can read more about the Kenan Fellows at http://www.ncsu.edu/kenan/fellows/

WCPSS TEACHERS EARNS 2006 NCAAHPERD AWARDS
Four Wake County Public School System teachers earned top honors at the annual meeting held today in Greensboro of the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The WCPSS teachers earning recognition included Joanna Caves of Martin Middle School, Rebecca Clark of Enloe High School, Fernando Ortega of Lufkin Road Middle School and Betsy Beals of Northwoods Elementary School.

Martin Teacher Named State Middle School Dance Educator of the Year
Martin Middle School Dance Teacher Joanna Caves has been named the 2006 Middle School Dance Educator of the Year.

Caves has been a dance teacher at Martin for the past 10 years. As a young student, she credits her public school dance education experience for opening her eyes to many possibilities found in the "world of dance." Through her program at Martin, Joanna's students learn technique, dance history, technology, body awareness, healthy living, improvisation, composition and performance skills.

"It is not my goal to turn students into the best technicians possible. It is my goal to teach them about being the best possible people they can be, using dance as the vehicle," says Caves. "Most students find a passion for dance that stays with them long after they leave me."

Enloe Teacher Named State High School PE Teacher of the Year
Enloe High PE Teacher Rebecca Clark has been named the 2006 NC High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

Clark has been a physical education teacher at Enloe for 13 years. Known as an individual with a unique passion for teaching and a determined drive to help all students to be successful, she is a "master motivator" in helping her students to get the most out of the physical education program. She has been instrumental in using technology throughout the health and fitness program. Examples of this include the use of Polar Heart Rate Monitors, the TriFit System, Wellness Center equipment, and the HopSports Core Training System. Always looking for new ways to motivate her students, she helped develop a freshman "buddy program" and a student mentoring program to increase student achievement.

Lufkin Road Teacher Named State Middle School PE Teacher of the Year
Lufkin Road Middle PE Teacher Fernando Ortega has been named the 2006 NC Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

Fernando Ortega has been a physical education teacher for the past 14 years. He is currently on the Healthful Living Education staff at Lufkin Road Middle School in Wake County. With a love for the sport of soccer, Fernando also serves as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for North Carolina State University's Men's Soccer Team. His ability to instruct and motivate college level athletes and middle school youth is a testament to his love of teaching. Fernando's physical education lessons are designed to promote fitness and encourage skill development through "action-based" physical education where students are constantly active.

Northwoods Teacher Earns 2006 Service Award
Northwoods Elementary School PE Teacher Betsy Beals was named by North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NCAHPERD) as the winner of its 2006 Service Award.

Beals began her undergraduate studies at Elon University before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she finished her Bachelor's degree. A member of NCAAHPERD since college, Betsy held her first Alliance volunteer position as the Physical Education Association (PEA) Secretary. She has served as a PEA regional representative, delegate to the national Representative assembly, Physical Education Public Information (PEPI) Coordinator, Alliance Convention Exhibits Manager, and as the Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart Joint Projects Coordinator.

Betsy is a former North Carolina Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year and was also selected as the NASPE Southern District Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Beals earned the 2006 Service Award for her on-going contributions to NCAAHPERD and the field of education.

The North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NCAAHPERD) is one of North Carolina's oldest professional associations. The association is dedicated to the advancement of research and education within the fields of athletics, health, physical education, recreation, and dance. The association's mission is to provide advocacy, professional development, and unity for health, physical education, recreation, dance, and athletics professionals and students in order to enhance and promote the health of North Carolinians.

MIDDLE CREEK TEACHER NAMED TOP NC EARTH SCIENCE TEACHER
Middle Creek High School teacher Carrie Jones has earned the NC Outstanding Earth Science Teacher award from the NC Geological Survey. Jones was recognized at the NC Science Teachers Association state banquet. Jones has also been named NCSTA District 3 Director for 2006-08.

The Geological Survey presents the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher (OEST) awards for "exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences at the secondary level." Middle school and high-school teachers are eligible. The program has the following specific objectives:
· Identify excellence in teaching
· Appropriately recognize and reward excellence in teaching
· Stimulate higher levels of teaching performance
· Establish NAGT as a strong support organization for pre-college education, and
· Via active statewide and sectional programs, build a solid state, regional, and national liaison with administrators of pre-college earth science education.

FUQUAY-VARINA TEACHER NAMED TOP NC ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR
Fuquay-Varina High School teacher Randy Senzig has earned the 2006 Environmental Educator of the Year award from the Environmental Educators of North Carolina. Senzig competed against members such as Museum naturalists, Park Rangers and nature educators from the geographic regions in NC.

At the Annual EENC Conference this month at Fort Bragg, NC, Senzig presented a workshop entitled Birds in the Schoolyard: Reconnecting Students to Nature. Senzig uses birds and the outdoors to teach students important lessons about the science curriculum and about life. At the annual awards luncheon Senzig was recognized for his years as Envirothon Coach, Big Sweep zone Captain, writing the Wake County Environmental Science curriculum, helping students in building and maintaining a Transcontinental Bluebird Trail at the Fuquay-Varina and Lincoln Heights campuses, supervising students in planting over 200 trees on campus and cosponsoring campus beautification each year. He is the school's teacher liaison to the Energy Savers Program and Feed the Bin Recycling Project.

Senzig has been a NC Certified Environmental Educator since 1998, serves as Vice President for the NC Bluebird Society, as a member on the NC Environmental Education Certification Committee, as the Cornell University Lab of ornithology's North Carolina Ambassador, and on the Wake Audubon Board.

WCPSS STUDENTS SHINE IN "THE MUSIC MAN"
WCPSS students played a special part in the North Carolina Theatre's production of "The Music Man" Nov. 4-12. Everyone did a fantastic job!

Michael Perez, a second-grader at Penny Road Elementary, made his debut with the N.C. Theatre as the lovable Winthrop Paroo.

Five members of "The Music Man" kids chorus are WCPSS students as well: Hannah Goetz, sixth-grader at Ligon Middle; Bailey Griffin, sixth-grader at Ligon Middle; Daniel Marhelko, fifth-grader at Oak Grove Elementary; James Raney, seventh-grader at Carnage Middle; and Alex Tobey, eighth-grader at Ligon Middle.

At the end of the performance, the following musicians from West Millbrook Middle School's band, under the direction of Julie Oliver, marched through the theatre aisles playing the hit "Seventy-Six Trombones:" Jordan Baity, Sean Baker, Patrick Balogh, Sara Beebe, Christopher Befus, Frannie Burson, Jacob Coyne, Danny Gerowitz, Cammi Hodgson, Mariah Hopkins, Schayla Hopkins, Jimmy Lavoie, Ken Miller, Nick Machak, Mike Moret, John Cameron Murray, Robert Nelson, Chloe Oliver, Brandon Park, Micah Pilley, Rebecca Ratchford, Sarah Riley, Cody Schmitt, John Sledge, Rachel Smith, Amber Stover, Nina Thigpen, Jessica VanStaalduinen, Niki Washington, and Kelly Wheeler.

GREEN HOPE MENTORS EASE TRANSITION
At Green Hope High School, the Falcon Success Program pairs upperclassmen mentors with ninth-graders to ease the high school transition. Currently, 41 mentors are meeting with their mentees on a regular basis. The school plans to recognize a mentor each month with rewards that community businesses are donating.

NC ATTORNEY GENERAL MENTORS STUDENTS AT MOORE SQUARE
The Moore Square Middle School Business Alliance recently hosted a reception at the Attorney General's office. Twenty members of the Department of Justice, including Roy Cooper, signed up to be a part of the Mentoring/Tutoring Program at Moore Square. The volunteers have been assigned a mentee and will be visiting the school once a week to work with students.

MOORE SQUARE STUDENTS VISIT MUSEUMS
Students who attend Moore Square Middle School, the WCPSS museum magnet school, have teachers who find ways to tie instruction into events at area museums. During November, Moore Square students will visit some interesting places. Sixth-graders visited Can-struction at Exploris with their math classes. Seventh-graders will visit Exploris later this quarter. Eighth-graders visited The Carolina Mountains: Photography of Margaret Morley at the NC Museum of History with their social studies classes. Members of the school's dance, drama, and strings clubs attended a special performance of Chinese folk dance and Japanese drumming and visited the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Members of the Mountains to Sea travel club are visiting Biltmore Estate and Old Salem.

CARNAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS CHARLOTTE'S WEB
The Carnage Middle School Theatre Arts Department presents E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. Elementary schools matinee: 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 8, Middle and High School Matinee: 2:30 p.m., Dec. 6 and 7. Evening performance: 7 p.m., Dec. 8. Special group rate of 25 students or more, $1. Less than 25 students, $3. Evening performance $5. Carnage Middle Auditorium, 1425 Carnage Drive, Raleigh, 27610. Call 856-7600 for reservations and information.

WCPSS SUPPORTS WALK FOR THE CURE
According to preliminary reports, WCPSS employees had 970 walkers who raised $71,007.18 in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations 2006 Walk for the Cure.

Bobby Guthrie, WCPSS Senior Administrator for Athletics/Driver Education, was the WCPSS coordinator for participation in the 2006 Walk. Guthrie offered his thanks to all WCPSS employees who took part in the event.

WCPSS was one of the top five corporate supporters of the 2006 Walk, along with teams from Cisco, Nortel, BD and Smith Barney. Last year, WCPSS chaired the Walk and raised over $70,000. This year WCPSS topped its previous goal and more than 15 schools from around the area participated. The Top 5 School Teams were: Millbrook High ($12,114.13), Middle Creek High ($4,943.25), West Lake Elementary ($3,136.50), Douglas Elementary ($2,861.00) and Centennial Campus Middle ($2,643.74).

Community support helped the 2006 Walk to Cure Diabetes exceeded the $1 million stretch goal, with donations still coming in.

TEACHING FELLOWS HEAR IMPACT OF BRINGING BUSINESS TO THE CLASSROOM
Megan Kirkpatrick, WCPSS Business Alliance Coordinator spoke to approximately 160 students of the North Carolina State University Teaching Fellows Scholarship Program on Oct. 30. Kirkpatrick told the audience of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors about the use business partnerships in the classroom to enhance teaching.

Students said they liked the idea of bringing local businessmen into the classroom to help students understand instruction.

"When covering a specific concept in class, I can incorporate problems which involve real-world situations so students can see how that concept applies to instances other than those created within a textbook. Also, by having guests of various careers talk to my classroom about how specific subjects and concepts are necessary in order to do their job, students will see why it is important to build a conceptual understanding of certain material in order to become successful professionals," said one student.

"I wish we had had something like this at my high school because I could have seen what was out there and found out salaries, skills, and experiences of different people in those careers. I believe that this program will truly help students to start setting realistic career goals and learning earlier what careers are or are not for them," said another student.

Jeanette Doherty of NC State's College of Education Teaching Fellows program thanked Kirkpatrick for her visit. More information about Teaching Fellows can be found at http://www.ncsu.edu/teachingfellows/

SORORITY HONORS HUNTER ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
The Upsilon chapter of IOTA Phil Lambda Sorority, Inc. hosted a Teacher's Appreciation Day for Hunter Elementary School teachers to recognize their hard work and dedication. The sorority selected Hunter based on the school's record of continued student performance and success over the past two years. The Teacher's Appreciation Day recognized the school's entire teaching staff of 50 teachers and teacher's assistants. The staff received personalized "Thank You" cards courtesy of a joint community service work project with at-risk and court-involved youth; certificates of appreciation; sorority ink pens as well as breakfast items and refreshments.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY AWARENESS MONTH
The National Association of School Psychologists has designated November as School Psychology Awareness Month. The WCPSS School Psychology Section is one of several departments within the Counseling and Student Services Office. WCPSS is staffed by 72 school psychologists who serve all 147 schools.

School psychologists work collaboratively with both special education and regular education programs. They function as part of the school teams and are committed to providing comprehensive services to students and school staff. The school psychology program focuses on problem prevention, intervention and diagnostic assessment. The prevention services include planning and consulting with teachers and parents to develop strategies to assist students at risk for learning and behavior concerns. Intervention services involve collaborating with school staff and parents on strategies targeting academic, behavioral and social-emotional problems, assisting schools in providing crisis-intervention services and facilitating community referrals for student problems that fall outside the scope of educational services. Diagnostic assessment involves conducting psychological evaluations that address the academic and behavioral/emotional functioning of students and providing interpretive conferences of assessment results to parents and school staff.

The WCPSS School Psychology Section has several specialized teams composed of psychologists who have special training and expertise in various areas and focus on providing services to diverse populations of students. These include an Autism Team, Behaviorally/Emotionally Disabled Team, Crisis Intervention Team, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Team, Hearing Impaired Team and the Traumatic Brain Injured Team.

The school psychologists also serve on various departmental professional committees designed to address current issues in the field and to improve services to students and schools.

School psychologists are team members who listen to problems, help generate ideas for parents and staff and appreciate the wonder and diversity of each child's development and capacity for learning. We would like to recognize the hard work of all our school psychologists during School Psychology Awareness Month.

ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN
The Wake Regional Education Roundtable, sponsored by Wake Education Partnership and the Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon Chambers of Commerce, will focus on high school redesign from a local, state and national perspective. This meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 5, from noon-1:30 p.m. at Knightdale Recreation Center, adjoining Forestville Road Elementary School (101 Lawson Ridge Drive).

The Roundtable is open to the public -- business people, elected officials, parents and educators are all encouraged to attend. Speakers will discuss a variety of high school redesign efforts from new graduation requirements in Wake County to academically rigorous, focused and flexible redesigned high school structures across the country.

Wake Education Partnership works with the area Chambers of Commerce to hold monthly lunch discussions to focus on a relevant education topic and provide community members with the opportunity to listen to and talk with the experts about these issues.

Wake Education Partnership is an independent local education fund that mobilizes resources, leverages relationships and convenes the community to ensure that Wake County prepares our students for lifelong learning in a competitive global economy. Since 1983, we have worked together with the business and civic community to build public responsibility for world-class schools in Wake County. For more information, please visit www.WakeEdPartnership.org .

 

WCPSS Good News is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.

Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611

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