Want to know how to submit your school's Good News? Click here to find out how.

October 30

Penn-Griffin School for the Arts Ties Presidential Election to Alice in Wonderland

Who would Alice vote for? Penn-Griffin theatre students will put their personal spin on the presidential election by letting Alice decide her vote. Penn-Griffin will perform their rendition of Alice in Wonderland at the school on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets at the door are $5. For more information, please contact Shelley Nixon-Green, principal, at 336-819-2870.  

Welborn Academy Hosts NXE’s Mobile Cinema Park Presentation

Welborn Academy will be the first school in the United States to host NXE’s Mobile Cinema Park Experience on Friday, Oct. 31 from noon until 2 p.m. This remarkable new educational tool provides educators with a fun way to enrich curriculum. The presentation will utilize 3D projection, smart lighting and interactive wireless remotes for students. Welborn’s auditorium will be transformed into an edutainment theater. For more information, please contact Tavy Field, magnet coordinator/science electives instructor, at 336-819-2880.

Hairston Middle Hosts a Coat Drive                

Hairston Middle will host a Give a Kid a Coat drive through Friday, Nov. 28. Hairston staff asks for any gently used and unworn coats to be donated. Hairston will hold a PTA Meeting on Monday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. to give away the coats collected to their students in need. For more information, please contact Tiara Matthews, parent liaison coordinator, at 336-378-8280.

Northwest High Partnered to Host Unity Day

The National Conference for Community and Justice of the Piedmont Triad (NCCJ) partnered with Northwest High to hold the second annual Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Leadership teams of juniors and seniors led human relations programs in ninth grade classes. Unity Day helped students understand and respect diversity, as well as overcome stereotyping. For more information, please contact Angelo Kidd, principal, at 336-605-3300.

Pearce Elementary Hosts First Talent Show

Pearce Elementary hosted their first annual Talent Show on Thursday, Oct. 23. Students in all grades, as well as some staff members, showed a variety of talent that made for a memorable evening. For more information, please contact Pam Misher, principal, at 336-605-5480.

Southern High Biology Students Visit Piedmont Environmental Center

Southern High biology students traveled to the Piedmont Environmental Center on Thursday, Oct. 23 and Friday, Oct. 24 to conduct field studies, comparing segments of land that had been burned with land that had not been touched by fire. 

Working with naturalists from the environmental center, students measured ground and air temperature while gathering data about plant life in the two distinct environments. Students compared data, synthesized the information and formulated biological reasons for the similarities and differences. Students learned the value of land management through fire and examined the diversity of plant and animal life that fire ecology creates. This experience helped bring the biology curriculum to life for Southern students.

The trip was made possible by a partnership with The Bryan Foundation. For more information, please contact Cheryl Beeson Treadway, curriculum facilitator, at 336-674-4250.

Southeast Middle Teaches Parents about Internet Threats

Southeast Middle hosted their first Parent Empowerment Program on Tuesday Oct. 21.The first topic was “ Internet Mania - How can parents keep up in the age of cyberspace ?" This program provided parents with information on social gathering Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook, text and instant messaging and Internet safety at home and at school. Parent Empowerment Program sessions are every third Tuesday of the month. For more information, please contact Tavy Field, magnet coordinator/science electives instructor, at 336-819-2880.

Sumner Elementary Fundraises for Civil Rights Museum

The students at Sumner Elementary know first-hand the importance of giving back to the community. Students value the volunteers that work at Sumner and would like to do their part in the community. Students will start collecting loose change on Nov. 3 until Dec. 18. The winning class gets a pizza party donated by a business partner. For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Clarida, principal, at 336-316-5888.

October 22

The Academy at Central Visits the Goulash Festival

The Spanish II class and the multicultural club of The Academy at Central will visit the Goulash Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Goulash Festival is sponsored by the Greensboro Youth Council and is held in downtown Greensboro. The goal of this project is to acquaint students with the Latin culture by using their senses. Students will have a chance to experience first- hand what the Day of the Dead is like for the Mexican people by sharing something about someone in their own life who has passed away. Additionally, participation in the Goulash Festival will foster a sense of community outreach to young people and raise money for the multicultural club.  For more information, please contact Garriot Rose, principal, at 336-885-7905.

District-Wide Red Ribbon Week Celebrations

Guilford County Schools celebrates Red Ribbon Week during the week of October 27-31. Red Ribbon Week observes the death of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a drug enforcement agent who was killed in 1985 while working undercover to gather information on local drug traffickers in Mexico.

This year, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program will conduct two separate activities. First, elementary students will receive a red ribbon to wear stating “Better things to do than drugs.” Secondly, each middle and high school S.M.A.R.T. team will receive red tulips bulbs to “Plant the Promise” to remain drug free. The students will plant the bulbs during Red Ribbon Week that will bloom into vibrant red tulips during National Alcohol Awareness Month in April. For more information, please contact Vernice Thomas, supervisor, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Program at 336-621-4026.

Oak View Hosts Food Drive

Oak View Elementary hosts a food drive starting on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and ending on Thursday, Oct. 30. Students are encouraged to bring in cans or boxes of food to share with High Point residents who are having financial difficulty. The donee for the food drive is the Salvation Army. 

Oak View is kicking off this drive by having a box decorating contest that increases student involvement with this effort. Each class has decorated a box to be used by that room for collecting donations, and judging will take place on Thursday Oct. 23. Small prizes will be given to the rooms which collect the most boxes and cans.

On Monday, Nov. 3, the Salvation Army will collect Oak View’s donation boxes. For more information, please contact Janice Gerber, teacher, at 336-819-2935.

Hampton Leadership Academy Hosts “Bring your Dad to School Day”

Calling all dads! Hampton Leadership Academy will host its second annual “Bring your Dad to School Day” all day on Wednesday, Oct. 29. All fathers of Hampton will be honored along with a special guest, Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. In addition to being honored, fathers will eat lunch and spend quality time with their children. For more information, please contact Jill Huddle, curriculum facilitator, at 336-370-8220.   

Sumner Elementary Hosts a Blood Drive

Sumner Elementary will host its third annual American Red Cross Blood Drive on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. Dr. Brian Clarida, principal at Sumner, believes in the importance of reaching out to the community and focusing on building strong families and good health. Each project serves to benefit the students and families at the school. Appointments or walk-ins are welcomed. For more information, please contact Deb Paul, curriculum facilitator, at 336-316-5888.

Brightwood Elementary Book Fair: Huge Success

Brightwood Elementary School had their Scholastic Book Fair the week of October 13 – 17. The book fair was a huge success. Total sales reached $5,208.22, which gave the school a profit of $1,433.67. Brightwood is hoping to use the money made to have an author visit the school in the spring.

October 15

Guilford County Commissioners Name Nov. 6 “Dorothy Kendall Kearns Day”

The Guilford County Commissioners have named Nov. 6 as “Dorothy Kendall Kearns Day” in Guilford County. Kearns, who has held public office for 34 of the past 36 years, has a distinguished record of service in the community. This year, Kearns received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. In addition, Kearns received the 2008 Jack and Marsha Slane Child Advocate of the Year from the United Way of Greater High Point’s Children’s Initiatives Committee. For more information, please contact Lekan Oguntoyinbo, district relations officer, at 336-370-8386.

General Greene Elementary’s “State Fair”

General Greene will host a “State Fair” from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Oct. 17 at the school. The event features exhibits by a beekeeper, the Guilford County Fire Department, a blacksmith, a drag car racer and more. For more information, please contact Cathy Scott, science specialist, at 336-545-2015.

Joyner Elementary Celebrates the Season with Fall Jamboree

The community can enjoy the onset of autumn at Joyner’s Fall Jamboree from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the school. The celebration features activities, games, food and fun. Wristbands for the event are $12 before Oct. 16 and $15 after that date. For more information, please contact Linda Comerford, media specialist, at 336-545-2020.

Two Guilford County Schools Employees Recognized as “Art Stars”

Samantha Parcells, teacher at Jamestown Middle and Ralph Kitley, principal at Southeast High, can now add the title of “Art Star” to their resumes They will receive this award, which recognizes exemplary art educators and art advocates, at a luncheon hosted by the Board of the North Carolina Art Education Association (NCAEA) on Friday, Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, N.C. For more information, please contact Parcells, teacher, at 336-819-2100 or Kitley at 336-674-4300.

Providing Positive Male Role Models for Students without Fathers

Sumner Elementary’s male mentoring program is underway, pairing male students who do not have a father figure in their home with male role models. The role models will eat breakfast or lunch with their student, read, visit, e-mail and check on their student’s progress. For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Clarida, principal, at 336-316-5888.

Bow Wow at HMS: Voter Registration and Voter Regis“TREAT”ion

On Oct. 3, Hairston Middle students participated in a voter registration process as part of the daily advisor-advisee program. Teachers and students discussed individual rights and the privilege and responsibility of voting. Upon completion of voter registration, each student received and proudly donned “registered voter” badges to demonstrate their citizenship and understanding of the process. 

Hairston students received a special voter regis“TREAT”ion Oct. 2 when famous hip-hop rap artist and actor, Bow-Wow, made a surprise appearance at the school. Bow-Wow’s appearance was a part of his “Walk across America.” This event was coordinated in conjunction with WNAA. For more information, please contact Dr. Teresa J. Daye, principal, at 336-370-8250.  

October 8

Calling All Sumner Parents for Math Night

Sumner Elementary will host a Math Night on Oct. 16 for all students. Parents will have a chance to enjoy a meal at 5:30 p.m. and then go to their child’s classroom at 6 p.m. Parents will have an opportunity to work directly with their child to create fun math learning games, as well as strategies to take home with them. For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Clarida, principal, at 336-316-5888.

Parents Become a Sumner Superstar Student for the Day

Sumner Elementary invites all parents to come shadow their child for the day on Oct.17. Parents can come from 7:45 a.m. until 2:20 p.m. This is a great opportunity for parents to build relationships with their child’s teacher and friends while gaining a better understanding of what their child is learning. For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Clarida, principal, at 336-316-5888.

Author Robert Little Visits Guilford Elementary

Author Robert Little will visit Guilford Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 30. Programs will be held in the multipurpose room. Daytime programs for third – fifth-graders are from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., and 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. for kindergarten – second-graders. The Parent Night program begins at 6 p.m., followed by a complimentary pizza dinner. For more information, please contact Eunice Isley, principal, at 336-316-5844.

Vandalia Elementary Teams Up to Celebrate Parties with a Purpose Week

Thanks to a $500 grant from Kids Care Clubs, the Cougars Care Club at Vandalia Elementary will team up with Youth Focus, a United Way Agency, to bring joy to foster care children in the Greensboro area. Club members, leaders and school counselor Kelly Ingram will be hand-designing 25 party bags to celebrate "Parties with a Purpose" Week, Oct. 20-24.These gift bags will be filled with all of the necessary items for each foster care child to throw themselves a one-of-a-kind birthday party. For more information, please contact Kelly Ingram, school counselor, at 336-370-8275. 

Oak Ridge Elementary Raises Money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

Oak Ridge Elementary has planned three community projects. First, third-graders are asking classrooms to collect “ Coins from Colts” in support of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Students will count the coins that their class collects and chart the progress of the entire school. The third-graders also will make announcements, flyers and posters to let the community know about the project.

Next, Oak Ridge will host the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s baseball team on Oct. 23. The team will autograph items that children can purchase in the gym. There will be a small entrance fee, raffled items and pizza and drinks, all at a low cost. All proceeds will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Lastly, on Oct. 25, Oak Ridge will host an auction. Rich Brenner will be the auctioneer and Chase Jones, a brain tumor survivor, will be a guest speaker. For more information, please contact Judith Jones, teacher, at 336-643-8410.

Northwest High Viking Band Receives Awards

MetamorphaSEUSS, a visual and musical performance by the Northwest Viking Marching Band, has been receiving standing ovations by audiences and competitors alike at recent area band competitions.

After sweeping the first place awards at the Scotland High School Highlands Competition in Laurinburg on Sept. 20, the Viking Band traveled to Albemarle on Sept. 27. Northwest High School Marching Vikings swept the awards at the Albemarle competition, receiving first place in every category and came home the Sweepstakes Champion.

MetamorphaSEUSS engages the audience through a journey of the band’s metamorphosis as they travel into a magical land inspired from stories written by Dr. Seuss. It is a lively, entertaining musical performance that thrills the spectators while displaying an extremely high level of musical and athletic performance. For more information, please contact Brian McMath, band director, at 336-605-3300.

October 1

Grimsley High Participating in Naturalization Ceremony
The Grimsley High Army Junior ROTC Color Guard will present the colors for the 2008 Naturalization Ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum on Oct. 3 at noon. At the event, more than 1,000 participants will receive their U.S. citizenship. For more information, please contact Principal Anna Brady at 336-370-8180.

Brightwood Elementary Hosts Curriculum Night
Brightwood Elementary is hosting Curriculum Night Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Parents are invited to come and enjoy an evening full of hands-on educational activities and games that will teach them how to assist in their child’s learning at home. In addition, parents will receive important tips and suggestions of expectations as the school year continues. For more information, please contact Principal Melinda Mayhew at 336-375-2565.

Archer Elementary Students to be Important Guests at Levolor’s Fall Fest
On Friday, Oct. 3 at 11:30 a.m., administrators and six students from Archer Elementary will attend the Levolor Fall Fest, an event that will raise money for the school. The six students were selected to attend because they earned the Student of the Month honor.

Levolor, a Newell Rubbermaid company, is Archer’s business partner and supports the school in various ways throughout the year. The Fall Fest will take place at Levolor in High Point. For more information, please contact Principal Patrice Brown at 336-294-7335.

Falkener Elementary Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Falkener Elementary hosted its first Hispanic Heritage Day on Thursday, Sept. 25. The purpose of the event was to recognize and to celebrate the rich history and heritage of the diverse communities that make up the Falkener school community. The event featured the national anthem, flag, traditional dress, songs, dance and important facts about each country. For more information, please contact Beatriz Bravo or Gloria Sciabbarrasi, Spanish teachers, at 336-370-8150.

Current Good News

About Guilford County Schools
Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 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.