Auxiliary Adviser"Providing Services That Power Education" |
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| Volume 4, Issue 8 |
March
2004
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In This Issue:
McNeal Named 2004 National Superintendent
of the Year
Lighthall Named NCEFP President
National Nutrition Month
Maintenance Excellence
Update
Mark Your Calendar
Training
Schedule
McNeal Named 2004 National Superintendent
of the Year
Bill Poston, Communications Specialist
February 20, 2004 -- Superintendent Bill McNeal has been named the 2004 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.
McNeal has been superintendent of the Wake County Public School System since 2000. He has a career of service to Wake County that dates back to 1974 when he arrived to teach middle school social studies. He rose through the ranks to serve as an assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and associate superintendent.
The association named McNeal the nation's top school superintendent as part of their Annual Conference and Exposition in San Francisco. McNeal was one of the four finalists for the honor. Other finalists were from Connecticut, Maryland and Nevada.
A blue ribbon panel of educators, businesspeople and government
officials interviewed the finalists last month in Washington,
DC. The panel selects the National Superintendent of the Year
based on:
· Leadership for learning - Candidates must demonstrate creativity
in successfully meeting the needs of students in their educational
systems.
· Communications skills - Candidates must demonstrate strength
in both personal and organizational communications.
· Professionalism - Candidates must demonstrate a commitment
to growth through consistently upgrading their administrative
knowledge and skills, providing professional development opportunities
for other members of their education teams, and motivating
others to succeed.
· Community involvement - Candidates must demonstrate knowledge
about and active involvement in local community activities,
as well as exhibit understanding of regional, national and
international issues.
The association recognized McNeal with a gold medallion, a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond, a jacket emblazoned with the National Superintendent of the Year emblem, and a National Superintendent of the Year plaque. In addition, McNeal will be honored with a $10,000 scholarship to be awarded in his name to a high school student.
The National Superintendent of the Year awards program is sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators and ARAMARK ServiceMaster Facility Services. Now in its 17th year, the program recognizes school leaders for their outstanding leadership in the nation's public schools.
Lighthall Named President of NCEFP
Christina Lighthall, senior director of Facilities Planning and Construction, was named president of the North Carolina Council of Educational Facility Planners (NCEFP) for 2004.
Lighthall's primary responsibility entails coordinating the annual NCEFP two-day conference in Raleigh this January. More than 200 people from across the state are expected to participate in the event, which includes school visits, round table sessions, panelist discussions, architectural exhibits, and a keynote speaker.
As president, Lighthall will also promote membership within the organization, conduct the state meeting at the regional conference in April, solicit and - with board's approval - award scholarships, and appoint the NC Planner of the Year.
"I am honored to receive this endorsement from my fellow colleagues," said Lighthall. "But the council is really recognizing the experience and hard work of the school system's Facilities Planning and Construction Department and the support of our community. Addressing growth and the modernization of our aging schools is a team effort."
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in interior design, Lighthall spent the next six years performing design work for companies in Raleigh and Charlotte. Next, she held various engineering and managerial positions with Nortel, Inc. in Research Triangle Park. Lighthall began as director of WCPSS Facility Planning almost 15 years ago, and was promoted to executive planning specialist before her current position.
The southeastern region of CEFP named Lighthall the Thomas Morgan Planner of the Year in 2001.
As part of National Nutrition Month, Child Nutrition Services is celebrating a different theme each week of March.
March 1-5: Nuts Over Peanut Butter
This week WCPSS will celebrate the birthday of peanut butter.
A doctor originally invented peanut butter as a vegetarian
source of protein in 1890; since then, it has become a staple
of our diet.
March 8-12: National School Breakfast Week
This year's theme is Navigate Your Day with School Breakfast.
The School Breakfast Program provides nutritious, affordable
breakfast to up to 8.1 million children each day. A good breakfast
can improve test scores (especially in math), boost attendance
and on-time arrival, and reduce disruption in class.
March 15-19: "Go Green" with Fruits and Vegetables
Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day has been shown
to decrease your risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer and
diabetes as you get older. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent
source of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and fiber.
March 22-26: Take A New Look at Milk
This week WCPSS will highlight the benefits of milk and other
dairy products. Calcium is a nutrient that helps make bones
and teeth healthy and strong. It also protects us against
bone fractures and osteoporosis, a condition where bones become
fragile and break easily.
Visit www.wcpss.net/child-nutrition/ for more information.
Maintenance Excellence
Update
Jeri Preddy, Energy & Physical Plant Project Manager
Focus team leaders and directors will begin meeting this month. They will share information regarding their progress, address issues of shared responsibility, and review and approve/disapprove recommendations from the focus teams. After meeting for a year, the focus teams are excited about putting all of their hard work into action.
To resolve several issues, some focus teams set up subcommittees. The subcommittees, made up of people that are not currently on teams, allow more Maintenance and Operations employees to provide input.
Although all of the teams are developing goals to keep their focus, the following groups already have defined goals:
Customer Service: Identify ways to use existing resources and identify new resources required to provide excellent customer service.
Material Management: Determine how to effectively manage and maintain inventory to ensure availability of parts in such a manner to minimize costs and establish accountability.
Standard Operating Procedures: Review the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for accuracy, whether or not it is user friendly, and determine if the procedures flow properly. Dissect each section of the SOP and develop a plan on how it will be implemented. Recommend updates, changes or modifications.
Custodial Services Subcommittee: Review the custodian and head custodian job descriptions and pay grades to align them with M&O reorganization. Review differences in job duties and responsibilities between the three levels of schools. Develop new job descriptions and recommend new pay structure.
March is National Nutrition Month
National School Breakfast Week
March 8-12
St. Patrick's Day
March 17
School Building Week
April 19-23
Stay Informed
The Auxiliary Adviser is e-mailed to subscribers in the school system; and posted on the intranet, Internet and Auxiliary Services Tao bulletin board. A hard copy of the Adviser is also posted on bulletin boards in the Maintenance and Facilities Buildings, placed in each maintenance shop's box, and one is sent to the head custodian and child nutrition staff at each school.
To have the newsletter e-mailed to you directly, simply send an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line, to kwood@wcpss.net.
Auxiliary Services Division
Vision
Providing Services That Power Education
Mission Statement
Provide quality facilities and support services to ensure
safe, healthy, inviting and optimal learning environments.
Goals
1) Recruit, develop and retain a qualified and high quality
workforce.
2) Provide and maintain quality facilities and support services
that result in a safe and healthy learning environment.
3) Effectively communicate successes, challenges and needs.