Classroom Connection - June 9, 2009
Graduation Ceremonies Underway for the Class of 2009
The Wake County Public School System will award diplomas to 8,094 students in 21 ceremonies through Sunday, June 14. Most of the students will continue their education in college, while others will enlist in the military or join the workforce.
The class of 2009 earned $66,382,425 in scholarships, had 1,079 qualifying for the North Carolina Scholars program and more than 1,300 Honor Society graduates.
Southeast Raleigh High held the first graduation ceremony on May 28. You can read more details about the Class of 2009 here.
WCPSS Valedictorians Discuss Their Plans, Offer Advice
The Class of 2009 valedictorians were applauded by the Wake County Board of Education during their meeting on June 2. Eric Sparks, who directs Counseling and Student Services, introduced the students and described some of their accomplishments to the board. Board Chair Rosa Gill congratulated the students on their accomplishments and called on the board and crowd to applaud the students' success.You can read more about the Class of 2009 valedictorians here.
Click here to listen to WCPSS Valedictorians Discuss Their Plans, Offer Advice
J.Y. Joyner Magnet Odyssey of the Mind Team Places Sixth at the World Finals
The J.Y. Joyner Elementary Earth Trek Team placed sixth out of more than 50 teams from all over the world in the World Odyssey of the Mind Championships at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. This team represented North Carolina as State Champions in the Earth Trek problem.
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition involving students from kindergarten through college. Team members work together at length to solve a predefined problem (the Long Term problem); and present their solution to the problem at a competition. They must also generate spontaneous answers to a problem they have not seen before; this is called the spontaneous competition.
Earth Trek Team Members: Brienna Kane, Amelia Flick, Kendall Stephenson, Noah Giroux, Alexandra Lopez-Vazquez, and Ann Cannon Hoover. The team was coached by Lauren Rockwell and Myra Kane. This is the third top six finish of the decade for Joyner as they were World Champions in 2001 and took third place in 2003.
Athens Drive Teacher Named Harris Teeter Teacher of Excellence
Congratulations to Athens Drive Band Director Jerry Markoch for being named the Harris Teeter Teacher of Excellence for the month of May. Reuben Petway from Harris Teeter, Principal William Crockett and Band Booster Co-President JoEllen Mock presented the award to Markoch at the Percussion Ensemble and Wind Ensemble Spring Concert on May 28. The award includes a plaque and a $1,000 check for both Markoch and the school.Millbrook Freshman Completes Photonics Xplorers program
Millbrook High School freshman Jelani Bayyan completed the Photonics Xplorers program through the NC State University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Photonics Xplorers is a year-round science, math and technology program for rising ninth-grade students from across North Carolina.Photonics Xplorers’ curriculum supports and expands upon local, state, national and international science, technology, engineering and mathematics education standards. The curriculum consists of investigations of light and electricity that equip participants to behave and think like real scientists.
Students attend classes at NC State throughout the school year. They carry out investigations based upon the photonics concepts. The students receive mentoring, contact with ethnically diverse scientists, and career preparation skills. Students attend the program at The Science House on Centennial Campus at NC State. Upon successful completion of the one-year program, students can earn a $500 scholarship.
TEAF Scholarships Awarded to WCPSS Students
Five WCPSS students are receiving scholarships from the Triangle Educational Advancement Foundation (TEAF). The WCPSS students are Kae Ashleigh Eller of Apex High, Malik Fair of Millbrook High, Greg Jackson of Knightdale High, Dominique Jones of Southeast Raleigh High and Santiago Rubio of Wake Forest-Rolesville High. Each of the 2009 TEAF scholarship students will receive an award of $5,000.The TEAF is a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting academics, athletics and community service in the Triangle. The TEAF has staged the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament for over 35 years. TEAF's overriding goal is to provide scholarships and athletic opportunities for Triangle-area high school students.
Three WCPSS Students Earn State Honors for Sportsmanship
The NC High School Athletic Association has recognized three WCPSS athletes as “Heart of a Champion” winners for their outstanding sportsmanship. The three WCPSS students are Christina Alevizatos of Millbrook High, Nathaniel Touchberry of Millbrook High and Ashley Davis of Sanderson High. These students are among 27 student athletes recognized from across NC.Schools annually nominate one male student athlete and one female student athlete for the honor. The students must have participated in at least one varsity sport, including cheerleading, during the 2008-09 school year, have not been ejected from any contest, and must have demonstrated outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship during their high school careers. The students filled out an application questionnaire and then a school official, such as the principal or athletic director, also provided an evaluation.
The sportsmanship recognition is part of the program offered by the NCHSAA Student Services Division and is sponsored by the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. The students will be honored at a luncheon on Saturday, June 13, at the Radisson Governors' Inn in the Research Triangle Park.
Millbrook High Student Named AMVET Essay Winner
Millbrook High senior Ashley Honeycutt has been notified that she is the North Carolina 12th-grade winner of the AMVET Americanism Essay Contest. Honeycutt received a $1,000 cash prize at the AMVETS Department State Convention Awards Banquet in Greensboro on Saturday, June 6. Her award-winning essay follows:WHAT DOES AN AMERICAN VETERAN MEAN TO ME?
By Ashley Honeycutt
My grandfather is a veteran. My uncle is a veteran. My great uncle is a veteran. I have grown up surrounded by veterans, but it wasn't until this past summer and the first semester of senior year that I learned to really value and appreciate these exceptional men and women. It was then that I found out what veterans have meant to me my entire life--and what they have done for me recently has been life-changing.
When I reflect on the veterans who were always there for me growing up, I can recall that they were some of the strongest and most compassionate individuals I have ever encountered. They were men at my church who loved to give me a pat on the back for a job well done. They were the ones who cried when I sang our National Anthem at my brother's baseball games. My grandfather, a World War II veteran, taught me to cherish the land of my birth. These men have always exemplified integrity and righteousness to me. They are my role models.
Then, I went to high school and began to learn about what these men I had known my entire life had actually done for me and for my country. United States History gave me a vague appreciation for what the men and women who served actually did to protect my freedom. But, the class that really helped me understand what sacrifice stood for was Lessons of Vietnam taught by Ms. Lindy Poling. This was a course that explored the controversial war that left such a vicious scar on our nation. We learned the most through compassionate veterans who took the time to visit and share their experiences and insights with our class. It really made an impression on me that these amazing Americans like General George Price would take the time to drive all the way to Millbrook High School just to speak to high school students. These veterans not only taught me about the Vietnam War, but they also taught me compassion and understanding.
I cannot write a paper about what an American veteran means to me without sharing how my life was suddenly given direction and purpose this past summer, thanks to an organization of veterans and their families. I attended Tar Heel Girls State, and was then selected to be one of two girls from North Carolina to participate in Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. Before going to Girls State at Catawba College, I had no idea what path my life would take. The ladies from the American Legion Auxiliary who facilitated Girls State and Girls Nation changed that. They became my friends, my mentors, and I love them dearly. I had always wanted to help people, but this program showed me that the way I would do this would be through politics. Veterans organizations like the American Legion are helping my generation realize its potential everyday, and I am eternally grateful that these veterans helped me realize mine.
Student Photography Gallery Opens at Douglas
Students at Douglas Elementary School have taken their learning outside as a part of the school-wide In Nature's Eye grant project.As part of a weeklong residency at the Creative Arts and Science themed magnet school with writer Mimi Herman, fourth-graders took close-up, medium and long shots of things in nature, then added writing based on their subjects. Third-grade students worked with photographer, Charles Thomas of Charlotte's Light Factory, to explore properties of shadow and light through their photography. Fifth-graders worked with the laws of motion during a residency with dancer, Martha Connerton, and their photography demonstrated these laws. Even the kindergarten, first- and second-grade students used photography during this project to experience curricular objectives such as sorting by attributes, looking at communities and experiencing prepositional words and opposites. Throughout the project, Douglas students have created amazing nature imagery through their photography. The students' photography is currently on display in the new student photography gallery at Douglas that will permanently house a rotating display of student photography.
The funding for the grant project was generously provided by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and by the North Carolina Arts Council.
WCPSS School Social Worker of the Year
Matt Regan has been named the WCPSS School Social Worker of 2008-09. Regan joined WCPSS in 2003. He is a highly skilled social worker who provides exemplary services to students and families of Dillard Drive Middle, Dillard Drive Elementary, and Yates Mill Elementary. Regan’s fellow social workers and other student services personnel recognize his involvement in the lives of his students and his contributions to their educational success.Social workers are shared across multiple schools. They serve as liaisons between schools and families, serve on Student Support Teams, and work with other Student Support staff to provide intervention services. Social workers also play an important role with students who have attendance problems by helping parents be more accountable for their children's' school attendance.
WCPSS Student Energy Teams Win NEED Awards
Three WCPSS schools and the WCPSS Environmental Stewardship Program are award recipients for the 2009 NEED Project National Awards Program held in Washington, D.C., in June.Carroll Middle, Forestville Elementary, Fox Road Elementary and the WCPSS Environmental Stewardship Program coordinated through the Environmental Health and Safety Department were recognized as being the best in the state for environmental education by the National Energy Education Development (NEED).
Carroll Middle School was named NC Junior School of the Year; Forestville Road Elementary School was named NC Elementary School of the Year; Fox Road Elementary was a finalist for NC Elementary School of the year and received special recognition for its student conservation efforts. Additionally, the WCPSS Environmental Health and Safety’s Environmental Stewardship Program was named School District of the Year for North Carolina.
The NEED Project conducts the National Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement each year to acknowledge those who achieve excellence in energy education in their schools and communities. The students and teachers set goals and objectives, and keep a record of their activities during the school year. In April, the students combine their materials into scrapbooks, write summaries of their projects and then submit them to NEED for inclusion in the Annual Report.
Carroll Middle School – Junior School of the Year
Project Advisers: Meredith Creech, Tonia Montague, Emily Clement
Team Members – Sarah Leck, Kady Kuehn, Kailey Mullally, Christiny Ray, Ulaysia Brown, Shekinah Rawlings, Vicki Stavrova, Jackie Hoover, Sarah Powell, Fariss Hogue, Jackie Litz, LeeAnn Neal, Jessica Hayworth
Forestville Road Elementary School – Elementary School of the Year
Project Adviser: Renee Roddick
Student Adviser: Taryn Hicks
Team Members - Lindsey Boyette, Tori Debnam, Sophia Fiorentino, Raven Hartsfield, Dabria Hukins, Leiah Tomaki, Meghan Travers, Jayon Woodard,
Zohair Zia, Justyn Perry, Julianna Smith
Fox Road Elementary School – Finalist for Elementary School of the Year
Project Advisers: Amy Constant, Bill Lewis
Team Members - Walter Parham, Amy Ikejiaku, Cynthia Zhou, Robert Belonga
Michael Ihediwa, Chloe Villazor, Sarah Jackson, Alton Gayton, Emily Owens,
San Bae, Nnenna Asi, Chariti Jackson, Kiaja McRae, Huong Rcom, Kammi Wilson, Nataly Portillo
Middle Creek High Students to Participate in Oncology Program
Middle Creek 11th-grader William “Elliot” Jones and 10th-grader Bianca Harris have been selected to participate in the 2009 Summer on the Edge Program hosted by the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.This six-week internship gives students the opportunity to attend lectures and tour facilities, and it provides unique hands-on experiences in basic and clinical oncology research as well as exposure to various methods of patient care, treatment and the psychosocial aspects of cancer.
This internship is funded through a grant from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. This program recruits students from diverse social, economic and racial backgrounds and encourages them to explore and pursue careers in biomedical science and research.
Wake Seniors Win College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships
Ten Wake County Public School System seniors earned college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships. The students are among the finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They are chosen by the sponsor colleges that they plan to attend.These scholarships are worth up to $2,500 annually.
The 10 students and the sponsor colleges are:
Lilly Liu – Northwestern University
Michael Chen, Kristopher Kao, Rachel Mazzara, Gabriel Reynolds, Alexandra Snedeker, Laura Buff and Sarah Lineberry – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Margaret Pennisi – University of South Carolina
James Longley – Georgia Institute of Technology
Millbrook Senior Invited to Exhibit Artwork
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Millbrook Senior Zach Smithson has his artwork, entitled "Vietghanistan?" displayed at "Artists, Writers, Storytellers and War – Celebrating the power of the arts to challenge the myths of war" on May 31 in Massachusetts.
Zach was invited by Rob Wilson, Director of the Veterans Education Project in Amherst, MA, to exhibit his work in this art show, which explores the myths of war.
His artwork depicts a soldier of present-day looking into a cracked and broken mirror and seeing his reflection as a soldier from Vietnam. Smithson said he tried to show the grief on the face of the Vietnam era soldier to set an example for how a soldier feels today.
"Listening to World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans in my Lessons of Vietnam classroom helped me see some of the parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan," he said. "This picture was meant to show how we should learn the lessons from our past mistakes and not let Afghanistan turn into the next Vietnam War."
Leesville Road High Wins NCHSAA Women's 4-A Soccer Championship
Leesville Road High slipped past Ardrey Kell of Charlotte 1-0 in a battle of unbeaten teams in the 24th annual NC High School Athletic Association's women's 4-A soccer championship at Paul Derr Stadium at N.C. State.The defensive battle saw Leesville take 12 shots on goal to only three official shots for Ardrey Kell, and Kell had no corner kicks to four for Leesville. Ironically, Leesville keeper Erika Lenns was not credited with a save during the 110 minutes of action but made three huge ones in the penalty kicks to earn Most Valuable Player honors.
Leesville converted all three of its kicks in the session, with Nicole Jewell, Stephanie Bronson and Nitang Jones finding the back of the net. Kell, which went first in the kicks, missed its first two and then Nicole Steyl tallied. But when Lenns made the stop on Liska Dobberstein's attempt, the fourth for Ardrey Kell that preserved the win for Leesville and the celebration began.
Leesville, a young team with only two senior starters, posted a 22-0-3 mark. Kell, in only its third year of existence, finished the season 21-1-1. Neither team even allowed a goal in its five playoff games prior to the championship.
WCPSS Athletics Administrator Bobby Guthrie thanked coach Paul Dinkenor and his team for their hard work and dedication and for an exciting game to end the season.