This is your regular source for a look at the people, places, and behind-the-scenes workings of the Wake County Public School System.

FY 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

The FY 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is now available for download.

Posted by Paul Cory at 1:40 PM on November 20, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Superintendent's Journal: Planning for Budget Reductions for 2010-11

In today's Superintendent's Journal, Dr. Burns makes an important announcement about planning for budget reductions in Central Services operations in response to an anticipated revenue shortfall for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

A transcript is also available, as well as a news article.

(Downloadable in QuickTime)

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 2:00 PM on November 19, 2009 | Leave Feedback

New Graduation Rate Report Released

The WCPSS Evaluation and Research Department has released a new report of high school graduation rates for 2008-09.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all public high schools to report the percentage of students graduating in four years. For the last school year, that means tracking the students who entered ninth grade for the first time in 2005-06, and seeing how many of them earned their diploma by the spring of 2009.

The new report compares the rates for WCPSS as a whole as well as various student subgroups. It, and more reports of our students' progress, can be found at the department's online reports archive.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 5:46 PM on November 18, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Board Names Principals

At its November 17 meeting, the Board of Education named principals for four new schools due to open next year.

The board named as principal Mark Savage at Heritage High, Ken Proulx at Holly Grove Middle, Bob Smith at Mills Park Middle and Fran Venezia at Alston Ridge Elementary.

Savage has served as principal of Wakefield High since 2006. Prior to that, he was principal and assistant principal at Wakefield Middle. Earlier he was a teacher at Leesville Road High.

Proulx has served as a senior director in WCPSS Organizational Development and Support since 2008. Prior to that, he was principal of Holly Ridge Middle. Earlier he had worked as a principal, assistant principal and teacher at schools in Beaver Falls and Carthage, New York.

Smith has served as principal of Durant Road Middle since 2005. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal at Apex High. Earlier he was a teacher in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Venezia has served as principal of Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary since 1996. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal and teacher in Dallas, Texas.

The board named as principals Lisa Spalding at Turner Creek Elementary and Nancy Allen of East Wake Middle

Spalding has served as principal of Green Hope Elementary since 2005. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal and teacher at Green Hope Elementary. Earlier, she taught at Morrisville Elementary and Baucom Elementary.

Allen has served as a Curriculum Specialist with the Carteret County Public Schools since 2008. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal and teacher at East Wake Middle. Earlier, she taught at the NC School of Science and Math.

The board named Cheryl Munn an assistant principal at Southeast Raleigh High.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:12 AM on November 18, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Four Board Members Honored for Service

Four members of the Wake County Board of Education were honored during the Nov. 17 meeting of the school board as they completed serving their terms in office.

The four board members were honored by parents and educators.

Click here to listen to Four Board Members Honored for Service

This is a 7.5 minute mp3 file.

Continue reading "Four Board Members Honored for Service "

Posted by Bill Poston at 7:13 PM on November 17, 2009 | Leave Feedback

ParentVision: Staying Active As Winter Approaches

Mild weather in the spring and fall gives children more opportunities for exercise and play. Find out what our physical education teachers do during the colder winter months, and find some ideas for healthy indoor activity, in today's ParentVision podcast.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 6:20 PM on November 17, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Dr. Burns Reports: November 17, 2009

In speaking to the Board of Education, Superintendent Burns congratulated Sanford Creek Elementary teacher Libby Newton and Wiley Magnet Elementary teacher Sarah Palmer for honors they earned recently.

Click here to listen to Dr. Burns Reports

This is a 5 minute MP3 file.

Posted by Bill Poston at 6:00 PM on November 17, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Students perform in North Carolina All-State Honors Orchestra

Twelve WCPSS students performed as members of the North Carolina All-State Honors Orchestra on Nov. 8 in the Stevens Center for the Performing Arts in Winston-Salem as part of the NC Music Educators Association conference.

The 12 students include:

Ho Yoon Chung of Broughton High on Violin I
Chung-hyun Ma of Enloe Magnet High on Violin I
Wesley Shang of Enloe Magnet High on Violin I
Ben Hu of Enloe Magnet High on Violin II
Hadriane :Preston of Enloe Magnet High on Violin II
Angela Ning of Enloe Magnet High on Viola
Brandon Cheng of Enloe Magnet High on Cello
Samantha Song of Enloe Magnet High on Cell
Jason Chin of Leesville Road High on Bass
Bryan Hansen of Cary High on Bass
Chelsea Fuller of Enloe Magnet High on Trumpet
Kyle May of Green Hope High on Percussion

The students performed a program that included the Star Spangled Banner by John Stafford Smith, Overture to La Forza del Destino by Giuseppe Verdi, Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from Spartacus Ballet Suite No. 2 by Aram Khachaturian, Menuet Antique by Maurice Ravel and Commando March for Orchestra by Samuel Barber. Dr. James Allen Anderson, director of Orchestral Activities and Music Director of the Appalachian Symphony and Chamber Orchestras served as conductor.

Participating WCPSS schools and orchestra directors include Greg Logan of Broughton High, Marta Patridge of Cary High, Beth McCollum of Enloe Magnet High, David Wilson of Green Hope High and Mark Stiles of Leesville Road High.

Posted by Bill Poston at 8:25 AM on November 17, 2009 | Leave Feedback

WCPSS Celebrates American Education Week

WCPSS joins educators across the nation in recognizing American Education Week this November 15-21. It's an opportunity to honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education from kindergarten through college. American Education Week is sponsored by the National Education Association. For more information, visit their website.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:12 PM on November 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Lufkin Road Middle students strutt mutts to benefit animal center

Lufkin Road Middle School students and staff held their seventh annual Bolts of Kindness and Mutt Strutt, efforts to improve the lives of the pets, especially dogs, in the Wake County Animal Center.

"Typically, the shelter houses over 300 animals at any given time," said Nancy Clemmons, a shelter employee. "Dogs and cats are the most common, but occasionally also goats, sheep, and birds may find their way into the facility."

Bolts of Kindness got its name from the Lufkin mascot - a lightning bolt. Led by the National Junior Honor Society, this school-wide campaign promotes donations of pet food, supplies and cash to the Wake County Animal Center.

The school's Mutt Strutt dog walk took place in the Historic Oak View Park on Nov. 7. Twenty members of the Lufkin National Junior Honor Society donated their time running a fundraiser and selling dog treats to benefit the shelter. Some dog treats were home-made by students; others were donated by the Wag Pet Boutique in the Creedmoor Road Stonehenge Market. To help sell the treats, eighth grader Katie Lee brought her adorable Pomeranian Ginger, whom she dressed in a pink gown bearing the name Princess on its back. There was fundraising help from NJHS advisor Lisa Kelly-Rouse and parent Renee Bischoff.

This year's Mutt Strutt was an educational experience with mutts of different hues, shapes, and sizes. Meanwhile, dog owners had a chance to check out the stands advertising various dog agencies and services in the Triangle.

Most impressive size-wise this year were two huge black Newfoundlanders (weighing 130 -165 pounds), noble-looking great Dane puppy Duchess, and German shepherd Rex, trained to never leave his master's side and to fulfill his every command.

For more information on how you can help the Wake County Animal Center, call 212- PETS or visit the center's website.

Thanks to: Mirka Christesen, Lufkin Road Middle AG Resource Teacher, for sharing this information.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:33 PM on November 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Enloe High Chorus Sings with King's Singers

The Enloe Magnet High Chamber Choir was the one NC choir invited to perform with the world reknown King's Singers at the NC Music Educator's Association State Conference.

Enloe Chorus teacher Ann Huff said it went fabulously well! "The kids represented us beautifully," said Huff. "I was so proud of them.

The King's Singers are a celebrated, long-lived, Grammy Award-winning British a cappella vocal ensemble. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. Today the ensemble remains one of the world's most popular and sought-after vocal groups.

One of the King's Men, Christopher Gabbitas described in the group's blog their visit to the Carolinas, performing as guests of the NCMEA Conference in Winston-Salem.

"It's always wonderful to teach and sing with talented children but in this instance it was a double pleasure as we were joined on-stage during our concert by the Enloe High School Choir, who did a great job of performing Eric Whitacre's "Seal Lullabye" - a piece Eric was considering arranging for us when I last spoke to him, but one which suited the piano/voice arrangement perfectly," wrote Gabbitas.

Another of the King's Men, Timothy Wayne-Wright writes that they hosted a masterclass at the Benton Convention Centre and heard the Enloe High School Choir.

"Here was a group of very talented youngsters, eager to learn and under the superb direction of Ann Huff, the sound they made was simply fantastic. We gave them a couple of points each to try and fine tune their sound and ensemble singing and immediately they took them on board and improved. In the evening's concert the same choir sang Eric Whitacre's magical piece Seal Lullaby - a great start to the second half. After this, we had the honour to perform Bob Chilcott's A Thanksgiving with them. It went extremely well and we were all happy to see the children having such a good time on stage," wrote Wayne-Wright.

During the conference, Huff was voted by the NC membership to serve for the next two years as one of four executive officers on the association's state board.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:27 PM on November 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Assistance League to Deliver New Clothes to Needy Children

More than 70 volunteer members of theAssistance League in the Triangle area will assemble individual bags of new clothing and shoes for children at 10 elementary schools in the Triangle.

Barbara Townson, current chapter President of the Assistance League says the new clothing and shoes are truly a necessity for some of the neediest. Townson says they believe schools will see increased self esteem and improved attendance resulting in better academic performance by the children they help.

This is the eleventh year the organization has provided the project they call Operation School Bell. 850 children will benefit from the program.

Townson says she only wished they had more funding to help more children. A local school counselor recently told her about a child who was repeatedly absent because the child had no shoes to wear to school. "This should not be happening in our backyard," said Townson.

Assistance League Triangle Area is an all volunteer, nonprofit organization that raises funds for philanthropic projects through direct contributions and grants, as well as donations and sales at their North Raleigh resale shop. The organization is dedicated to meeting the needs of the Triangle community through service, resources and financial support.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:24 PM on November 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Milk Rocks Middle School Students

Students at East Millbrook Magnet Middle School and Centennial Magnet Middle School heard Britney Christian and the rock band Ready Set Go! sing the praises of milk in concerts at the schools Thursday.

At East Millbrook Middle students earned their way into attending the concert with passing grades and good behavior. As a school using the Positive Behavior Support program, administrators determined this would be a great way of rewarding students who met these expectations.

"Our kids had a great time," said principal Andrew Livengood. "We are very grateful to the folks in Child Nutrition Services for making this happen for our students."

Each school received an Epiphone guitar from the Gibson Guitar Company, one of the events sponsors, for agreeing to host the events.

The musical milk messages were helping students to think about nutrition and the benefits of drinking milk. Milk is available to students in all Wake County Public School System cafeterias. Milk is a healthy alternative to soft drinks which have been removed from all WCPSS middle schools and limited in high schools.

The concerts were brought to the schools by PET Dairy and Milk Rocks!, a multifaceted school campaign that promotes the benefits of milk as a healthy alternative to sugar-based drinks. Milk Rocks! is a student-focused marketing initiative developed by New York-based MilkMedia, a pioneer in communicating with elementary, middle and high school students, and Evergreen Packaging, the nation's largest producer of school milk cartons. The campaign stresses the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and promotes drinking milk in paperboard packaging.

This high-profile effort to promote a healthy lifestyle among school-age children comes at a time when obesity in teens is at an all-time high. Currently, sugar-based drinks are being replaced with healthier beverages in schools across the country. Research has shown that schools can increase milk consumption by providing colorful and interactive milk cartons, offering a variety of flavors, and incorporating some simple marketing.

Christian serves as the spokesperson for Milk Rocks! She is a 19-year-old Ventura, California native whose songs have been featured on television and radio. The band consists of three brothers who play the drums, bass and guitar, and their sister who is the lead singer.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:20 PM on November 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Combs Holds Leading and Learning in the 21st Century Expo

More than 150 people from around the world will be at Combs Magnet Elementary School on November 19 and 20 for the school's Leading and Learning in the 21st Century Expo.

The visitors will get a chance to understand the school's leadership magnet theme and to see how the school is infusing a 21st century skill set into the day to day business of learning and teaching at Combs

Principal Muriel Summers says the visitors will see project based learning activities showcased over the two days.

Click here to listen to Combs Holds Leading and Learning in the 21st Century Expo

This is a 8.25 minute mp3 file.

Posted by Bill Poston at 4:22 PM on November 13, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Superintendent's Journal: The Fundamentals of Doing Business

Continuous improvement is the focus of WCPSS's third strategic directive: "Develop and implement systems and organizational structures to support schools, ensure accountability, and engage our community."

A transcript is also available.

(Downloadable in QuickTime)

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:41 PM on November 13, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Millbrook teacher remembers WWII Vet

In the Fall 2009 issue of the BRIDGES Newsletter produced by Millbrook High Lessons of Vietnam students, teacher Lindy Poling remembers World War II veteran James Sarayiotes who frequently visited the school and spoke to students over the years and served on the class's advisory board. Sarayiotes died in September. The newsletter also includes students articles such as "An Evening Aboard the LOV Train," and "President Obama's Report Card." You can read the newsletter here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:45 AM on November 12, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Broughton High's Colin Summers Named Carolina Panthers Community Captain

Broughton High senior Colin Summers has been selected by the Carolina Panthers as a 2009 Carolina Panthers Community Captain.

The Carolina Panthers Community Captain program recognizes high school football student-athletes in North and South Carolina who excel in the classroom, in the community and on the field. The program is designed to recognize outstanding young leaders and to encourage their future development as role models while they continue their personal growth in college and in their professional careers.

"Leadership is a choice not a position" is a lesson Summers has learned both on and off the field and a mantra by which he lives. Through Summers' willingness and natural ability to lead, he serves as a role model to his teammates and peers.

"Habits of hard work, determination, motivation, commitment, initiative, discipline, mental toughness, good character and a passion for excellence continue to guide me on the field and in the classroom," said Summers.

Summers has received multiple team awards during his Capital athletic career that reflect his personal philosophy for achievement. He has received the Sportsmanship award four times, the Most Improved Player twice, Most Valuable Player six times and has served as captain of the Broughton football team for the past three years. Summers was also selected to participate in East Carolina University's Leadership Institute and the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Institute.

Summers considers the work he does in the classroom just as important as the work he does on the field. By recognizing the value of his education, Summers has pushed himself to always do well academically.

He has been recognized several times by faculty members through the CAPS On a Roll program, which is an honor given by a teacher to one student each quarter to recognize their hard work and academic achievements in the classroom.

"Colin exemplifies the true meaning of a student-athlete. He was offered many scholarships but he chose Wake Forest University. He chose a university that will make him excel both in the classroom and on the field," said Head Football Coach, Christopher Martin.

"When much is given, much should be given back. Leaders serve others," said Summers, who also values serving others. Summers was taught the importance of community service at an early age and still considers it a top priority. Excelling beyond the required number of community services hours mandated by Broughton High, Summers volunteers through community initiatives including Helping Hands Ministry, Appalachian Service Project and the North Carolina Food Bank. "I have always walked away from those experiences feeling that those individuals gave me much more that I ever gave them," said Summers.

Summers will attend Wake Forest University in the fall of 2010.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:01 AM on November 12, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Apex Middle School Remembers Veterans Day

Apex Middle School recognized students whose parents are currently serving in the military or who are veterans, and staff members who are veterans, in a moving flag-raising ceremony on Nov. 10. The band played the National Anthem as Marine Kevin Burge, a graduate of Green Hope High School who has served two tours of duty in Iraq, raised the flag. Fifty students whose parents are currently serving in the military stood in front of the flag, at half-mast due to the Fort Hood event, then veterans on staff and in the Apex Middle School community joined them as the large crowd recognized their sacrifices for our country. The chorus sang God Bless America to close the ceremony.

Thanks to Principal Camille Hedrick sharing this information with GotNews.

Posted by Bill Poston at 8:16 AM on November 12, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Checking Out Southeast Raleigh Magnet High at the Magnet Fair

Entering the great hall and making your way through the crowd at the 2009 WCPSS Magnet Fair, you can hear the music of the Southeast Raleigh High marching band.

At the Southeast Raleigh High booth, students, teachers and parents were answering questions and providing information about the school's Center for Leadership and Technology magnet theme. Parent Hubert Barkley says the theme attracted his family to the school.

Click here to listen to Checking out Southeast Raleigh Magnet High at the magnet fair

This is a 3.5 minute mp3 file.

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Magnet Fair.

For information about the Magnet Resource Center or directions, call 501-7900 or e-mail the Resource Center at MagnetCenter@wcpss.net.

Continue reading "Checking Out Southeast Raleigh Magnet High at the Magnet Fair"

Posted by Bill Poston at 4:42 PM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Checking Out IB at the Magnet Fair

The parking lot at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High was filled on November 7 as families visited the WCPSS Magnet Fair.

Parents were able to find information about all magnet schools and magnet themes, including the International Baccalaureate program. WCPSS offers IB for elementary, middle and high school students.

Click here to listen to Checking out IB at the magnet fair

This is a 5.5 minute mp3 file.

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Magnet Fair.

For information about the Magnet Resource Center or directions, call 501-7900 or e-mail the Resource Center at MagnetCenter@wcpss.net.

Posted by Bill Poston at 4:18 PM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Magnet School Open Houses

WCPSS magnet elementary schools are hosting open houses this Thursday, November 12. Each magnet elementary school will offer information sessions and tours at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Wake County magnet middle schools are hosting open houses on Tuesday, November 17. Each magnet middle school will offer information sessions and tours at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Wake County magnet high schools are offering the following open houses in November:

• Enloe Gifted & Talented / IB Magnet HS is hosting an Arts Open House on November 16th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.


• Wake Early College for Health & Science Magnet HS is offering an open house on November 16th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm


• Southeast Raleigh Leadership & Technology Magnet HS is offering a drop-in tour time on November 17th at 8:00 am and 11:00 am


• Garner International Baccalaureate Magnet HS is offering an open house on November 17th at 9:00 am and 12:00 pm


• Millbrook Magnet High School is offering an open house about the International Baccalaureate Programme on November 18th at 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.

Visit the magnet home page for more information about these programs.

UPDATED: Southeast Raleigh Magnet High times updated.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:10 PM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

39 WCPSS Schools Honored for Positive Behavior Support

Congratulations to 39 Wake County Positive Behavior Support (PBS) schools for being recognized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) for implementing PBS with a high degree of fidelity. The Positive Behavior Support Department of the NCDPI began recognizing schools during the 2008-09 school year and recognizes eligible schools at its annual Conference on Exceptional Children. The NCDPI has three levels of recognition:

The Green Ribbon School recognition means that implementation is going well with initial systems in place; completion of Module 1 training; a completed Implementation Inventory Level 1; office referral data; attendance data; suspension data; achievement data and a completed School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) with a minimum score of 80%. Schools receiving this level of recognition include:

• Combs Magnet Elementary
• Barwell Elementary
• Brentwood Magnet Elementary
• Dillard Drive Elementary
• Durant Road Elementary
• East Cary Middle
• East Garner Magnet Middle
• East Garner Elementary
• Fuller Magnet Elementary
• Holly Grove Elementary
• Holly Ridge Elementary
• Holly Springs Elementary
• Holly Springs High
• Jones Dairy Elementary
• Lynn Road Elementary
• Middle Creek Elementary
• North Forest Pines Elementary
• North Garner Middle
• Poe Magnet Elementary
• Reedy Creek Elementary
• Reedy Creek middle
• Smith Magnet Elementary
• Vance Elementary
• Wiley Magnet Elementary
• York elementary
• Zebulon Magnet Middle

The Model School recognition means that in addition to the Green Ribbon requirements, schools must have completed Module 2 training; the same data requirements as above; a minimum SET score of 90% and a Implementation Inventory Level 2. Schools receiving this level of recognition include:

• Carver Elementary
• Green Hope Elementary
• Heritage Elementary
• River Oaks Middle
• Riverbend Elementary
• Underwood Magnet Elementary

The Exemplar School recognition means that in addition to the requirements of the Green Ribbon and Model School requirements, schools must have completed Module 3 training; the same data requirements as above; a minimum SET score of 95%; Implementation Inventory Level 3 or 4. The school must also provide data that shows improvement in both behavioral and achievement indicators. Schools at this level must also have data on one of the following areas that shows steady improvement (staff retention, climate surveys, special education referral information, attendance or individual student data). Schools receiving this recognition include.

• Apex Elementary
• Centennial Campus Magnet Middle
• Heritage Middle
• Kingswood Elementary
• Mt. Vernon Middle
• Swift Creek Elementary
• Wildwood Forest Elementary

Hats off to these 39 schools for their hard work and dedication to ensuring that students and staff are encouraged and challenged to be highly successful both academically and socially, and for making sure that the entire school community is actively in engaged in developing systems and procedures for this success to occur.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:22 PM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Checking Out Middle Schools at the Magnet Fair

Parents filled the halls of Southeast Raleigh Magnet High on November 7 as they visited the WCPSS Magnet Fair checking out the school system's magnet options.

Parents were able to visit information booths for each school and ask questions, talking with students and administrators.

Click here to listen to Checking out middle schools at the magnet fair

This is an 11 minute mp3 file.

You can find more information on magnet middle schools here.

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Magnet Fair.

For information about the Magnet Resource Center or directions, call 501-7900 or e-mail the Resource Center at MagnetCenter@wcpss.net.

Posted by Bill Poston at 1:07 PM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Enloe Students Earn Math Honors

Enloe Magnet High's team of six seniors took 1st place, at the Todd Fuller Math Competition at NC State University. Seniors who participated were Shreyas Tikare, Jennifer Li, Rachel Harris, Julie Ma, Allison Parks and Brian Chen. The overall team performance was very strong.

Enloe sent 3 teams to the Duke Math Meet. Enloe Gold took 7th place overall, Enloe Green took 19th place and Enloe White took 41st place out of 52 teams at the competition.

The school has a team of students heading to Princeton in two weeks for its first big team competition against some heavyweight East Coast schools.

Thanks to principal Beth Cochran and teacher Celia Rowland for sharing this information.

Posted by Bill Poston at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Northwoods Elementary Enlists US Navy Reserves Unit

Members of the US Navy Reserves have signed on as weekly volunteers at Northwoods Elementary School. Members of the Raleigh Navy Operations Unit started volunteering Nov. 5 once a week in the school cafeteria. After being trained in the lunch room process by school staff, the Navy volunteers will come in uniform once a week on Thursdays for the duration of the school year.

After taking part in the school's Hero Day, the volunteers looked for ways to become more involved with the school. The school's Hero Day brings adults into the school who serve in the military, law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services and more to sit down and talk with students about courage, responsibility and what it takes to be a hero.

As weekly volunteers at the school, the reservists will free educators to work with students and focus on instruction. The students will also see that people in uniform care about them and volunteer time to be with them demonstrating the traits of respect, responsibility and courage that they hear about on Hero Day.

Thanks to school counselor Beverly Mitchell for sharing this information with GotNews.

Posted by Bill Poston at 9:31 AM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Wiley Teacher Named top NC Environmental Educator

Wiley Magnet Elementary teacher Sarah Palmer was named the North Carolina Environmental Educator of the Year at the annual conference of the Environmental Educators of NC. Palmer, the academically gifted teacher at Wiley, is the driving force behind the school's Natural Learning Garden and a planned rain garden on the K-2 playground. She has worked with various organizations to develop curriculum for teachers to use the Natural Learning Garden in their classrooms. She has partnered with other schools across the state, NC State University, and other organizations to bring students to nature and bring nature into the classroom.

Thanks to Principal Erin Kershner for sharing this information with GotNews.

Posted by Bill Poston at 9:30 AM on November 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Sanderson, Green Hope Take 4-A Cross Country Team Titles

Sanderson's balance enabled the Spartans to slip past two-time defending champion Broughton to win the men's team title in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A cross country championships at Tanglewood Park on Saturday.

Sanderson scored 89 points and nipped Broughton by just three, placing runners in scoring positions between eighth and 15th.

Green Hope finished sixth in the state with 159 points. Apex finished 11th with 268 points.
Bryan Spreitzer of Green Hope finished second by five-seconds in a time of 15:52.14. Mitch Mallory of Wakefield was 4th; Mohamed Abushouk was 5th. Reidy Jones of Broughton was 7th. Pierre Malherbe of Broughton was 9th. Bryan Noreen of Apex was 12th. Matt Schick of Sanderson was 13th. Philip Hathaway was 17th. Matt Geisz of Sanderson was 19th. Mitchell Feldman of Sanderson was 20th.

Green Hope won the women's 4-A title with 47 points. Cary was 7th with 198 points. Millbrook was 12th with 271 points.

Samantha George of Millbrook finished third with a time of 18:48.36. 6 Olivia Enright of Green Hope was 6th. Erica Amatori was 8th. Kersie Jhabvala of Apex was 11th. Maura McDonnell of Green Hope was 12th. Jessica Rossabi of Green Hope was 13th. Michelle Bailey of Garner was 15th. Lauren Colberg of Green Hope was 17th. Deanna Foshee of Cary was 20th.

Posted by Bill Poston at 2:50 PM on November 9, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Broughton Named NCHSAA Women's Dual Team Tennis Champs

Broughton outlasted Myers Park High of Charlotte 5-2 in a battle of undefeated teams for the 4-A championship in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association women's dual team tennis championships at the Burlington Tennis Center on Saturday.

Broughton earned its ninth dual team title in 13 previous appearances in the final and beat the defending state champs. Broughton won four of the six singles and then got a victory in the number-two doubles from Katie Kane and Asha Iyengar, who won the state 4-A doubles final in the individual tournament last weekend.

The Caps finished the season at 19-0 in dual matches while Myers Park wound up 18-1.

Posted by Bill Poston at 2:48 PM on November 9, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Millbrook Wins NCHSAA Invitational Cheerleading Competition

Millbrook captured the top honor, the Carolina Cup, in the seventh annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state invitational cheerleading championships at the Raleigh Convention Center on Saturday night.

Cheer Ltd., Inc., one of the NCHSAA corporate partners that assists with the invitational championship, established the Carolina Cup to recognize annually the top high school varsity cheerleading team in the state. Millbrook won the Cup for earning the highest cumulative score in the whole competition among varsity teams, regardless of the division in which they compete, with 278.4 points en route to winning the super large varsity division.

Broughton High finished first among super varsity teams with 271 points. Leesville Road High finished first among medium varsity teams with 264.8 points.

Holly Springs finished third with 255.5 points and Sanderson finished fourth with 242.5 points among large varsity teams. Athens Drive finished third among small varsity teams with 234.5 points.

Posted by Bill Poston at 2:28 PM on November 9, 2009 | Leave Feedback

Superintendent's Journal: Strengthening the Team

Dr. Burns provides a current update on the retention and recruitment fronts before focusing on efforts "helping our employees not only keep their edge, but grow into leaders."

A transcript is also available.

(Downloadable in QuickTime)

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:00 PM on November 6, 2009 | Leave Feedback

About WCPSS

Contact

Privacy

Copyright © 2009 Wake County Public School System