GCS News Briefs

October 2, 2009

GCS Honors 16 Most Improved Schools at Celebrating Excellence in Education

Guilford County Schools recognized the 16 most improved schools during Monday’s Celebrating Excellence in Education, an annual event sponsored by Businesses for Excellence in Education.

The 16 schools received grants for more than $9,600 and a banner to hang at the school. Congratulations to the following schools: Kirkman Park Elementary, Bessemer Elementary, Cone Elementary, Triangle Lake Montessori, Guilford Elementary, Sumner Elementary, Nathanael Greene Elementary, Madison Elementary, Northern Elementary, Ferndale Middle, Northeast Middle, The Academy at Lincoln, Northeast High, Southwest High, Southeast High and The Academy at Smith.

To select the most improved schools, all schools are divided into three index groups based on a weighted percentage of students of color, students on free/reduced price lunch, students who are Limited English Proficient and students with disabilities. There are then three elementary schools, one middle school and high school selected from each index group. One middle college/high school academy also is selected; these schools are in a separate category. The schools are selected based on improvement on the ABCs Performance Composite from the previous year to the current year. The Performance Composite is a measure of the percentage of students at or above proficiency on all tested subjects for a school.

Principal and Teacher of the Year Named at Annual Celebration

For making a difference in students’ lives, Terri Roberts, an Advanced Learners teacher at Southwest Elementary, and Cheri Keels, principal at Triangle Lake Montessori, both received the district’s highest honors at the ninth annual Celebrating Excellence in Education event Monday.

Roberts, the GCS Teacher of the Year and Keels, the GCS Principal of the Year, both won a total of $1,500—$1,000 for winning the overall award and $500 for winning at the elementary grade level.

A non-traditional teacher, Roberts began her career as a reporter and then went on to work as a media specialist at a health department. She has been in the classroom for the last 17 years.

Deanna Wynn of Southern Middle was named the Middle School Teacher of the Year, while Darren Corbett of Grimsley High earned the High School Teacher of the Year. Both Deanna and Darren took home $500, while the remaining finalists, Jennifer Caligan of Nathanael Greene Elementary and Joan Kimmel of Weaver Academy each took home $300.

With 17 years of experience in education, Keels calls herself a leader of leaders. She began her career in the classroom as a sixth-grade teacher. Anna Brady of Grimsley High was named the Secondary Principal of the Year and took home $500. The remaining finalists won $300 each and included: Edwina Monroe from Falkener Elementary, Patrice Brown from Archer Elementary and Geraldine Russ-Cox from Rankin Elementary.

Guilford County Schools Holds 2009 College Night

GCS will hold its annual college night on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum Pavilion. Parking is free. Students and parents will be able to meet with admissions representatives from more than 120 post-secondary educational institutions to ask questions and learn more about college applications, scholarships, technical schools, career planning and military enlistment. This event draws about 4,000 participants annually.

A representative from the College Foundation of North Carolina will hold 45-minute mini-sessions on post-secondary financial aid opportunities at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.  The foundation also will have materials on career and academic planning, along with information on scholarships, grants, loan programs and tuition payment plans.
The Greensboro Kiwanis Club sponsors this event each year for students of Guilford County. For more information, please contact Gwen Willis, interim chief student services officer, at 370-8397 or Samara Johnson, supervisor of high school counseling, at 370-2332. 

Title I Office Holds Tutor Job Fair for Teachers

For the first time, GCS is holding a Tutor Job Fair for teachers who are interested in afterschool positions tutoring Title I students. The fair is Thursday, Oct. 15 from 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Jackson Middle School. GCS is contracted with 28 tutoring companies to provide free tutoring to qualifying students through Supplemental Educational Services (SES), so teachers from all schools are welcome to apply to serve as tutors.

Last year, the district contracted with 17 companies that hired 400 teacher-tutors. When GCS teachers participate in SES, students benefit from the added time and instruction they receive from teachers who are familiar with their classrooms and curriculum.

This year, the district’s approved program, GCS ALL*STARS, will be one of the providers offering afterschool jobs to teachers. For more information about GCS ALL*STARS, click here. For more information about the Tutor Job Fair, please contact Abbey Windsor or Lana Spence, Title I specialists, at 370-2368.

Sumner’s School Song Focuses on Character Education

Sumner Principal Brian Clarida and the school’s music director worked together to create a new school song about character. All kindergarten through fifth grade students will learn the new song, entitled “It’s About Respect,” which is complete with movements students can do along to the music. Students will sing the new song throughout the school year during assemblies and pep rallies. For more information, please contact Principal Clarida at 316-5888.

Schools Receive Gifts from Target

Target is providing books to some of the district’s schools through grants and makeover
programs. Alderman Elementary’s media center received a gift of 250 books through the First Book grant from Target. Students from all grade levels participated in a variety of enrichment activities that included story time with the Target volunteers and a correlating art project. Students now have access to the donated books through their classrooms, media center and for recreational reading in their own homes.

Oak View Elementary was awarded with a Target Library Makeover, which allowed media specialist Jennifer McCarthy the ability to purchase more than 100 books. Last week, six Target employees from the High Point store helped the school staff process the new books and read to students. The High Point Target employees will be partners with Oak View this year, assisting with beautification and reading to students. For more information about projects with Target, please contact Oak View Principal Heather Bare at 819-2935 or Alderman Principal Sadiyah Abdullah at 294-7320.

Adapted P.E. Specialist Wins Grant

Donna Carr, an adapted physical education specialist for GCS, won a grant called Let’s Play Ball from Donor’s Choose. The grant will fund equipment for visually impaired students so that all students can come together to play ball in an inclusive and accepting atmosphere. For more information, please contact Nanette Wood, adaptive physical education teacher, at 674-4250.

Lisa Streuli Named 2009 EC Teacher of Excellence

Lisa Streuli was named the department of Exceptional Children’s (EC) 2009 EC Teacher of Excellence. Lisa, an EC teacher with 13 years of experience with GCS, spent the last five years teaching a class for students with autism at Sternberger Elementary.

Lisa’s outstanding leadership abilities, creativeness, superior teaching ability and her dedication to students with disabilities are beyond reproach. Using evidenced-based methodologies that have proven effective for her students, she has exhibited particular expertise in the method of structured teaching. She will be recognized at the State Department of Public Instruction’s Exceptional Children Division’s 59th Conference on from Nov. 2-4 at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. For more information, please contact Betty Anne Chandler, executive director of exceptional children, at 370-2323 or chandlb@gcsnc.com.

Enrichment Region Hosts Meeting at Smith Homes

Lewis Ferebee, superintendent for the Enrichment Region, held a town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Smith Homes Community Building. Teachers, staff, parents, community members and students were in attendance. Ferebee introduced John Eldridge, Enrichment Region executive director and Charlos Banks, Enrichment Region student services administrator.

During the meeting, Ferebee shared information about Positive Behavior Support and discussed training and support the district is offering teachers to help them provide the best possible classroom instruction for students. Ferebee also answered questions participants had about the Enrichment Region. For more information, please contact Haley Miller, media relations manager, at 370-3200.

GCS Participates in Southeast Guilford Community Forum

School staff, parents and community members gathered at Southeast High on Tuesday to hear from Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green, Phyllis Martin, Southeastern Region superintendent, and Andy LaRowe, executive director of facilities and construction.  The community received an update from the superintendent, was able to meet its regional superintendent and learned more about the 2008 school bond projects that are underway. The forum was organized by the Southeast Guilford Community Association and the Guilford Education Alliance. Following introductory remarks from the district representatives, parents and community members asked questions about the construction projects, regionalization and school curriculum. For more information, please contact Laurie Hogan, program administrator-communications, at 370-8307.

Dudley Football Coach Recognized By NCHSAA

Steven Davis, head football coach at Dudley High, was recently recognized by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) as one of eight recipients of the “Coaches Who Make A Difference” award.

Each year, the NCHSAA recognizes one coach from each of the eight regions across the state to receive the award, which is presented annually at the regional meetings. Coach Davis was officially recognized at the NCHSAA Region 5 meeting held on Sept. 24th in Greensboro.

While Coach Davis’ teams have been successful on the field, he was selected for instilling qualities of character in his players that will help them be successful on and off the field. He demands the very best of all his players, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. To Coach Davis, emphasizing a genuine respect for others is just as important as preparing the offense or the defense for the next game. For more information, please contact Leigh Hebbard, director of athletics, at 370-8950.

Career Exploration Fair: Your Connection to the Future

Due to the success of last year’s first career exploration fair, the district is excited to offer the fair to middle and high school students. The fair will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Special Events Center at the Greensboro Coliseum from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Students will compete in a Career Fair contest by submitting a potential business idea or service that will enhance the lives and/or serve others. Those interested in sponsoring, participating or volunteering for the event, should contact Dr. Karen Meadows, supervisor of middle school counseling, at 370-2327.

The Latest News from GCSTV 2

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Staying Healthy During Flu Season
It is the number one flu threat this season.  Check out the latest information on precautions to prevent the spread of the flu virus and how to handle it if someone has the flu.

GCSTV 2
Now streaming live on the Internet

GCS Board of Education

Board of Education meetings are broadcast live and are available online. You also can watch encore presentations of board meetings the day following the meeting and the following Saturday at 1 p.m. The next scheduled regular meeting is Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. 

The meetings are now archived and available online anytime at gcsnc.com.  See them here.

Also on GCSTV 2:

GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Find out what else is showing on GCSTV 2 here: GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Showcase Your Talent on GCSTV 2

GCSTV 2 is accepting student-, faculty-, staff- or parent-produced programming. See the Details for submissions here or Watch the video.

GCSTV 2 & ABC-45

GCS continues its partnership with ABC-45 television to share current news and feature stories about our district. These Newsbreak segments are broadcast on ABC-45 (Cable Channel 7) during Good Morning America each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m.

For more information contact, please contact Leonard Simpson, broadcast production manager, at 370-8167.