GCS News Briefs

May 29, 2009

Budget Questions Answered

For the past several weeks, we have featured answers to your budget questions in this newsletter. If you have a comment about the budget please e-mail feedback@gcsnc.com .

Q. I’ve heard that the County Commissioners are proposing a cut to the GCS budget that is used for maintenance. What will that mean for our schools?

A. On June 18, the Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to finalize their budget for 2009-10. As it currently stands, they are considering a $3 million dollar cut in the capital outlay budget for Guilford County Schools, reducing this budget from $7 million to $4 million.  This is the budget we use to provide maintenance and needed facility upgrades for our schools and other buildings.

Click here for a list of facts about the state of our facilities and the major consequences that come with a cut this deep.

We need your help. Our county commissioners need to hear your voice in support of fully funding our capital outlay budget. Please send a short e-mail to the commissioners telling them that maintaining safe and learning-friendly schools is a priority you support.

Here is a link to the commissioner’s e-mail addresses.

GCS Continues to Address Concerns at Oak Ridge Elementary

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, GCS staff, along with Guilford County Department of Public Health officials, provided the Guilford County Board of Education with an update on what is being done to address concerns at Oak Ridge Elementary.

This weekend, facilities staff members will clean all carpets in the school with an antimicrobial solution. Normally, this type of cleaning would be done over the summer, but GCS is expediting the process given the multiple concerns at the school.

In addition, although the HVAC system has been found to be working properly, GCS will continue to look at the calculations in each room of the school to check for any issues.

Over the summer, the district will put down VCT tile in all areas that have carpeting, and all mechanical systems will be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. The district also will continue to work with health officials, consultants, engineers and other experts to develop a plan of action for the summer. Before school starts in August, facilities staff will perform extensive tests as deemed necessary throughout the school.

“We want to find a solution to these concerns,” said Leo Bobadilla, chief operations officer. “The health and safety of our students is always our number one priority.”

The health department is developing a survey to start collecting medical information. The survey is being designed to help health officials understand the cause of the allergic and respiratory illnesses reported by students and staff at the school.

In order to keep parents, employees and community members informed and up-to-date, GCS has created a Web site . The site contains background information, report findings and important links and resources.

2008 School Bond Projects Underway Across the District

When voters approved the 2008 School Bonds, they added more than 6,500 new student seats helping to relieve overcrowding. The prioritized list of 27 projects includes five new schools, upgrades outdated heating and air conditioning systems and adds new special education facilities. Click here for a list of the latest projects underway.

GCS Newcomers School Culture Night

The GCS Newcomers School hosts a Culture Night tonight at 7 p.m. in Western High’s auditorium to celebrate the 41 nationalities that are represented at the school. Students will share their heritage through performances, which include an original short play written entirely by high school students, cultural dances and songs, monologues by students sharing their stories of coming to the United States and original songs written and performed by Newcomers students about their experiences. For more information, please contact Principal Jake Henry at 316-5883.

Southeast High NJROTC Recognized as Most Improved

Southeast High’s NJROTC has been recognized as the 2008-09 Most Improved NJROTC unit for Area 6 (North and South Carolina). “These awards represent the collective efforts of outstanding and dedicated cadets, instructors and supportive school officials,” said First Sergeant Tom Hilliard. For more information, please contact Principal Ralph Kitley at 674-4300.

Northwest High Student Wins Second Place in National Creative Writing Contest

Emily Gering, a senior at Northwest, won second place and received the Magna Cum Laude award on the 2009 National Junior Classical League creative writing contest. This year’s theme was “Tell the Story of an Olympic Hero.” Emily’s entry was titled, “A Poisoned Dream.” For more information, please contact Principal Angelo Kidd at 605-3300.

Graduating Senior Earns Associate’s Degree

Graham Pritchard isn’t leaving The Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown with a degree; he’s leaving with two.

Graham, the son of Craig and Kathryn Pritchard, graduated last week with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from Guilford Technical Community College. The middle college is one of six GCS high schools located on a college or university campus. Students at these schools may earn college credits at no cost. Graham plans to attend North Carolina State University in the fall, where he will study engineering.

“Graham is gifted,” said math teacher Tonya Bodie. “He seeks out answers himself. He is self-motivated, respectful and inquisitive.”

Graham attended private schools from kindergarten through the eighth grade. He said he was attracted to The Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown because of the opportunity to start taking college classes in the ninth grade.

“I liked the fact that I was able to start college classes so much earlier,” he said, adding that he was also attracted to the middle college’s smaller classes. “Most of the teachers have been pretty good. The professors are easy to talk to.”

For more information about Graham and other outstanding GCS graduates, please contact Lekan Oguntoyinbo, district relations, at 370-8389.

New Administrative Assignments - Principals

• Greggory Slate will be the new principal at Eastern High effective July 1, 2009. He is currently the assistant principal at Grimsley High, and has served as former assistant principal at Dudley High, curriculum facilitator at Northwest High and Intervention Team Specialist at High Point Central High.
• Jill Hall will be the new principal at Montlieu Math and Science Academy effective July 1, 2009. She is currently the principal at Sternberger Elementary and a former assistant principal at Alamance Elementary.
• Lance Stokes will be the new principal at Jackson Middle School effective July 1, 2009. He is currently the principal at Sedalia Elementary. He was a former assistant principal at Hairston Middle and at The Downtown Middle School in Winston-Salem.
  

For more information, please contact Dr. Peggy Thompson, chief human resources officer, at 370-8340.

Principal of the Year Nominations

Nominations for the 2009 GCS Principal of the Year are currently being accepted. In order to meet the Department of Public Instruction’s qualifications, the nominee must have at least four years experience as an administrator (years may be a combination of assistant principal, principal and central office experience.) They should be active, not only in their schools, but also in the communities where they distinguish themselves as leaders. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to improve the achievement of students from various backgrounds and with differing capabilities. Anyone can make a nomination including staff, students, parents or community members. Click here to print a nomination form. Once you complete the form, send to Carla Alphin in the Human Resources Department, 712 N. Eugene St., Greensboro, NC 27401 or e-mail to alphinc@gcsnc.com. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on June 29. For more information, please contact Carla Alphin, program administrator for employee relations, at 378-8821.

2009 PowerGirls Summer Leadership Institute and Global Summit

The 2009 PowerGirls Summer Leadership Institute will take place July 11-23 on the campus of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro. This residential summer camp experience hosts a limited number of young women from around the world for intense leadership training. The application deadline is June 1.  

The 2009 PowerGirls Global Summit will be held July 24-26 at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro. This summit will provide a learning and collaboration for teen girls and is highlighted by the celebration of the extraordinary accomplishments of teen girls at The Most Powerful Girls in the World Awards Gala. The application deadline is June 10.

 The PowerGirls Network is a program of the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute and provides mentoring, character development, exposure to professional excellence, real world applications and an environment to identify, embrace and promote the vital characteristics of leadership. Currently Grimsley, Northwest, Page and Smith have PowerGirls groups resident at their schools.  Click here for application packets. For more information, please contact Mildred Wiggins in the Diversity Office at 370-3284.

GCSTV 2

Graduation Gallery
Highlights of GCS Graduations
Watch them here

GCSTV 2 Goes World-Wide LIVE
Now streaming on the GCS Web site:
Watch now:  GCSTV 2-LIVE Streaming

The Latest News from GCS - GCSTV 2 Newsbreak:
HPU Scholarships, Reading Rocks! at Gibsonville Elementary and Get Healthy Guilford AwardsGCSTV2 Newsbreak

GCS News Conference on Northern High athletics investigation
Watch it here: GCS News Conference-Northern High athletics investigation

Also on GCSTV 2:

GCSTV 2 Media Center
A Library of GCS News
GCS Newsbreaks-Media Center

Singing Success
Rising country music star Jason Michael Carroll stopped by Stokesdale Elementary recently to treat the students to a concert and to remind them that success is within their reach if they stay in school.  This segment runs daily at 6 p.m., 8:04 p.m. and midnight.         

Tdap Alert – Vaccinations Required to Attend School
GCSTV 2 NEWS ALERT-Tdap   These news alerts air at 10 a.m., 11:16 a.m. and 7 p.m.  

New Rules for Kindergarten
Kindergarten Kickoff Newsbreak Video

New Regional Superintendents
New Regional Superintendents Named

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

NASA 360

NASA explores new frontiers in science, helping to develop and inspire technological innovation.  This program airs daily at 3:35 a.m., 9:02 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

All County Chorus

The All County Chorus performed recently at Western High. See their performance daily Friday through Monday at 6:13 a.m., 5:05 p.m. and 10:05 p.m. 

Showcase Your Talent on GCSTV 2

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

GCSTV 2 and 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, please contact Leonard Simpson, broadcast production manager, at 370-8167.