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April 2007

Upcoming

Author Tom Birdseye Visits Three Local Elementary Schools
Nationally recognized children’s author Tom Birdseye will spend three days encouraging reading and writing at Alderman Elementary, Northwood Elementary and Joyner Elementary. Birdseye began his visits at Alderman on Tuesday, April 24. He visited Northwood on Wednesday, April 25, and will complete his tour on Thursday, April 26 at Joyner.

Birdseye has spent his time participating in various activities including: student assemblies, small group sessions, autographing sessions, luncheons with students and informative speeches about his books and the writing process. For more information, please contact Pam Misher, principal at Alderman, at 336-294-7320, Mary Hatcher, media specialist at Northwood, at 336-819-2920 or Linda Comerford, media specialist at Joyner, at 336-545-2020.

Sumner Elementary to Present “Animal ABCs”
ABCs and 123s are essential to educating kindergarten, first- and second-grade students. To demonstrate their knowledge of these building blocks, Sumner will present “Animal ABCs,” a musical program featuring singing, reading narration and musical instruments.

The musical will take place on Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Prior to the production, the school will host a book fair in the media center beginning at 5:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Sheri Summerell, music teacher, at 336-316-5888.

Aycock Middle Catches the Reading Wave
Summer is quickly approaching and the Aycock faculty hope that students and the community will catch the wave – the reading wave that is. The school will host a Catch the Reading Wave book fair sponsored by Scholastic on Friday, April 27 through Thursday, May 3 from 9 a.m. until
3 p.m. each day. Proceeds from the book fair will be used to enhance the library collections of the Spanish immersion and science and technology magnet programs.

The fair is open to students and the community and will include books for all age groups. In addition to personal purchases, participants will have the opportunity to help build classroom libraries by purchasing books for teachers through the Classroom Wish List program. For more information, please contact Tonya Monroe, media specialist, at 336-370-8110 ext. 103.

Guilford Primary to Host Spring Fling Carnival
On Friday, May 4, Guilford Primary will spring into celebration when they hold their annual Spring Fling Carnival. The carnival will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Western High practice field and will include: food, games, inflatables and activities for all ages. For more information, please contact Eunice Isley, principal, at 336-316-5844.

Social Studies Fair to Help GCS Teachers Connect with Local Resources
To help social studies teachers learn more about the resources available in GCS, the Social Studies Office of Curriculum will host a fair on Wednesday, April 18 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Carriage House at Blandwood Mansion.

The fair will include exhibits from local museums and social studies organizations, which will provide teachers with brochures, tour information, lesson plans and Web-based resources. The event will allow teachers to incorporate outside resources into the classroom in unique ways. In addition, teachers will have the opportunity to win door prizes and refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Jonathan McRae, social studies curriculum specialist, at
336-370-3273 ext. 1.

Gateway Education Center and St. Jude Hospital to Host Trike-A-Thon
Keeping children healthy and safe is just one of the goals that Gateway and St. Jude have in common. That is why they have teamed up to host Trike-A-Thon, a weeklong event that teaches children the importance of bike safety and also raises funds for the hospital. Preschoolers at Gateway will participate in a series of interactive stories, lessons and activities designed to teach riding-toy safety.

On Friday, May 11, students will bring a trike or riding-toy to school to practice the safety tips taught during the week. Parents will also turn in donations from community members who sponsored their child’s participation in the program. For more information, please contact Linda Lyon, principal, at 336-375-2575.

Archer Elementary to Celebrate Diversity
Two days of multicultural events will help one school with many cultures celebrate diversity. Beginning on Thursday, April 12 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., parents and students will enjoy a food tasting, international fashion show and salsa performance. On Friday, April 13 from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., the school will host country exhibits and an international story teller.

Finally, at 1 p.m. on Friday, performances from the Aycock Middle Drum Line and the Step Team of the Alpha Mu chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority from N.C. A& T University will conclude the multicultural events. For more information, please contact Patrice Brown, principal, at
336-294-7335.

Western High to Host “Parent Talk”
The teenage years can prove difficult for students and parents alike. To help teach parents new and positive methods of parenting teens, Western will hold “Parent Talk” on Tuesday, April 17 in the Media Center from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The event will help parents understand the ever-changing needs of teenage students. For more information, please contact Gwendolyn Atkinson, counselor, at 336-316-5802.

Highlights

Three Penn-Griffin School for the Arts Students Recognized by Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP)
The Duke Talent Search is not the typical star search. Instead of finding gifted musicians, dancers and singers, TIP looks for academically gifted fourth-, fifth- and seventh-grade students.

Penn-Grffin seventh-graders Jillian Loftis, David Taylor and Eric Weidenhoft will receive state recognition from TIP for outstanding results on the SAT standardized test. Participation in the talent search allowed these students to take the test early in their academic career, which will help prepare them for the future. To be recognized by the program, students must achieve a math score of 520 or better or a critical reading score of 510 or better. Students may also be recognized by achieving both a 510 in and a 500 in critical reading.

Loftis, Taylor and Weidenhoft will be recognized for their accomplishments during a ceremony that will take place at Wake Forest University on June 1. For more information, please contact Bobby Ann Hayes, principal, at 336-819-2870.

Frazier Elementary Celebrates Earth Day
Students at Frazier spent time celebrating the planet on Monday, April 23. The celebration included fun activities for students, which explained important concepts such as water run-off, the wetlands and the environment. For more information, please contact Laverne Bass, principal at 336-294-7340.

Two GCS Science Teachers Receive Orthogonal Medal from North Carolina State University (NCSU)
The Orthogonal Medal is presented each year by NCSU to an individual or individuals who make outstanding contributions to the advancement of graphic science. The award has been presented to engineers, professors and Pulitzer Prize winners. This year, it was awarded to Roy Kimmins, scientific visualization instructor at Weaver Academy and Phyllis Jones, scientific visualization teacher at Page.

These GCS teachers are two of only four high school teachers who have been awarded the medal since its conception in 1985. Kimmins and Jones received the award for their accomplishments in stating, writing and maintaining the SciVis program for North Carolina.
The teachers were honored during an award banquet at NCSU on Saturday, April 21.

SciVis, short for scientific and technical visualization, combines advanced graphic tools to illustrate concepts related to science, math and technology. The program has been recognized both nationally and internationally and is currently offered to students at high schools throughout the district. For more information, please contact Kimmins at 336-370-8282 or Jones at 336-370-8200 ext.4305.

Ferndale Middle Receives We the People Bookshelf Award
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) We the People Bookshelf Program, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), ensures that libraries across the nation contain books to enlighten and teach the nation’s heritage.

Ferndale is one of select schools from across the country to receive 15 books in English and three in Spanish dedicated to the theme, “Becoming American.” The school will also receive promotional materials such as bookmarks and posters, and plans to incorporate educational programs that promote classic books and engage young readers this fall. For more information, please contact Karen Lloyd, media specialist, at 336-819-2855.

Andrews High Competes at the 34th Annual NC SkillsUSA Leadership Conference and Skills Championship
For the first time in many years, Andrews returned to the NC SkillsUSA Leadership Conference. Three students competed in two events and Shannon Wellington and Javier Velasquez, both juniors at Andrews, placed first and second respectively in the Computer Maintenance Technology event.

Valesquez has earned his Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification and will be testing soon for his Network+ and A+ certifications from CompTIA. 

Wellington is MCP and Network+ certified and will be testing for A+ and another Microsoft certification this year. He is currently preparing to represent the state in the 42nd annual National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference and Skills Competition in Kansas City.

Andrews plans to participate in next year’s conference and hopes to compete in more events. For more information, please contact Chris Shore, SkillsUSA advisor, at 336-819-2800.

Alamance Elementary Students Stump Local News Crew
Two Alamance students recently asked the Fox 8 news crew, “Are You Smarter than a Fifth-Grader?” Catherine Braxton and Jake Cochran, fifth-grade students, participated in Fox 8’s local promotional program of the national television game show. The students, along with their teacher, Jenna Lay, tested the crew’s knowledge by asking questions that correspond to the fifth-grade curriculum. The students’ responses were 100 percent accurate; however, the news crew was not as successful. For more information, please contact Judy Flake, principal, at 336-697-3177.

Smith High Student Advances to National Speech and Debate Competition
Using his exceptional speaking skills and a little wit, Patrick Wright, a junior at Smith, earned a spot in the National Championship Speech and Debate Tournament. Wright took first place in the Humorous Interpretation event.

Two of his teammates, Rachel Nelson and Amina Simmons, also juniors, advanced to the championship round in their event, Duo Interpretation. Nelson and Simmons finished sixth overall and will be the fourth alternate team for the state.

Wright is the only GCS student to earn a spot in the National Championship Speech and Debate Tournament and will travel to Derby, Kansas in June for the competition. For more information, please contact Bill Franck, speech and debate team coach, at 336-294-7300.

Good News Current

About Guilford County Schools
Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 70,000 students at 116 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice.

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship. For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.