Classroom Connection - November 10, 2009
Milk Rocks! Concert Tour Visits Wake Schools
PET Dairy has partnered with Milk Rocks! to bring concerts, featuring artist Britney Christian and the group Ready Set Go!, to local schools on Nov. 12. During their tour, the groups will visit East Millbrook Middle School at 8 a.m. and Centennial Campus Middle School at 1 p.m.
Milk Rocks! promotes the benefits of milk as a healthy alternative to sugar-based drinks. The campaign stresses the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and promotes drinking milk in paperboard packaging.
This 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.
Britney Christian is the spokesperson for Milk Rocks!. Her songs have been featured on shows such as Laguna Beach, Ghost Whisperer, CSI, Guiding Light and Radio Disney. She appears in the recent DreamWorks film, Hotel for Dogs,and was also seen on Disney’s High School Musical – Get in the Picture. Ready Set Go! is a rock band that consists of three brothers who play the drums, bass and guitar, and their sister who is the lead singer.
In addition, premier guitar and banjo manufacturer Epiphone is a sponsorship partner in the campaign. The company provides custom Milk Rocks! guitars, which are presented to each school on the tour, and a Gibson tour bus for the Milk Rocks! concert tours.
Martin Middle Presents “A Thousand Cranes”
On Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20, the Martin Theatre Department will present the one-act production of "A Thousand Cranes" as their fall play. The play tells the story of Sadako, a middle school-aged girl in Japan, who suffered from the effects of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The play, which features a huge "tsuru" rod puppet made by Maggie Bennett's sculpture class, live Japanese music, a thousand paper cranes made by students at Martin Middle School, and many cultural details, supports the seventh-grade social studies curriculum on Asian history. The show is directed by Judy Dove with technical direction by Kirt Landry. Both shows begin at 7 p.m. in the Martin Auditorium. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door the night of the show.
Wiley Elementary Teacher Honored
Sarah Palmer, the AG teacher at Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary, was named the North Carolina Environmental Educator of the Year on Nov. 7.
Palmer is the driving force behind the school’s Natural Learning Garden and a planned rain garden on the school’s playground. She has worked with various organizations to develop curriculum for teachers to use the Natural Learning Garden in their classrooms. She has also partnered with other schools across the state, NC State University, and other organizations to bring students out into nature and bring nature into the classroom.
US Navy Reserves Unit to Volunteer at Northwoods Elementary
Starting Nov. 5, members of the Raleigh Navy Operations Unit began volunteering once a week in Northwoods Elementary’s cafeteria to allow staff members, who normally have lunch duty, to remain with their students. Members of the Navy Reserves asked for the opportunity to volunteer after visiting the school for last year's Hero Day. Offering their service in the cafeteria allows the school’s teacher assistants and a few specialists who cover the lunch duty to return to the classroom to work students. This will help to improve instruction for the school’s students.
After being trained in the lunch room process by school staff, the Navy volunteers will come in uniform for the duration of the school year once a week on Thursdays. The benefit to the students is not only the extra teaching time in the classroom but also the opportunity to interact with adults in the community who serve with dignity, to ask questions about their jobs and to see how people in uniform can impact the school in a positive way. Over the course of the school year, the students will come to know several adults who show respect, responsibility and courage on a daily basis in their chosen careers.
Sanderson, Green Hope Take 4-A Cross Country Team Titles
Sanderson was able 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 Nov. 7. Sanderson scored 89 points and nipped Broughton by just three points, 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. 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.
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 Nov. 7.
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.
The Caps finished the season at 19-0 in dual matches while Myers Park wound up 18-1.
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 Nov. 7.
Cheer Ltd., Inc., one of the NCHSAA corporate partners that assist 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 entire 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.
Athens Drive Wins Team Women’s Golf Title
Senior Katherine Perry of Athens Drive High fired a two-under par 71 on Oct. 27 to come from behind and take medalist honors while leading her team to the team title in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A women's golf championships at the West Course at Foxfire Golf and Country Club.
Perry, a senior, recorded rounds of 73 and 71 for a 144 total, good for a four-shot margin over first-day leader and defending individual champion Allison Emrey of Ardrey Kell High of Charlotte. Freshman Sarah Bae of Athens Drive High also had a 71 in the final round to tie Emrey for second.
The course played at par 73 and a 5,630-yard layout for the championship. Perry and Bae led the way for Athens Drive High to come from eight shots back to catch Ardrey Kell High and successfully defend its team championship. Athens Drive recorded a 458 to win by nine shots over Kell, with Jamestown Ragsdale finishing third at 505. The best three scores of a team counted toward the team totals, and a total of 79 golfers and 13 teams competed in the two-day, 36-hole event.
Athens Drive High finished first with a first day total of 234, second day total of 224 and combined total of 458. Wakefield High finished sixth with a first day total of 254, second day total of 265 and combined total of 519. Green Hope High finished seventh with a first day total of 256, second day total of 269 and combined total of 525.
Katherine Perry, Athens Drive senior, finished 1st with a two day total of 144. Sarah Bae, Athens Drive freshman, finished tied for 2nd with a two day total of 148. Michelle Pilo, Apex senior, finished 7th with a two day total of 154. Dana Watkins, Knightdale senior, finished tenth with a two day total of 158.
Bobby Guthrie, WCPSS Senior Administrator for Athletics, offered his congratulations to coach Tony Alcon and the Athens Drive Women's Golf Team. This was the second year in a row Athens Drive won the state championship.
Three WCPSS School Counselors Earn State Honors
School counselors from the Wake County Public School System swept the awards at the NC School Counselor Association Annual Conference in Greensboro. The association recognizes counselors at each grade level annually. This year, WCPSS Counselors of the Year won at the elementary, middle and high school levels for the state.
Rebecca Atkins of Millbrook Elementary School was named the 2009 NC Elementary School Counselor of the Year. Jean Carter of Heritage Middle School was named the 2009 NC Middle School Counselor of the Year. Tammy Rhye-Butler of Middle Creek High School was named the 2009 NC High School Counselor of the Year.
DENR Visits Penny Road Elementary
As part of the outdoor environmental education workshop for its Office of Environmental Education (OEE), the North Carolina Department of Environmental & Natural Resources (DENR) selected Penny Road Elementary as one of the primary field trips for DENR's OEE workshop held on Oct. 24.
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Penny Road Elementary Principal Mark Barbar welcomed the workshop attendees, while PTA Buildings and Grounds Co-Chairs John and Ann Sykes provided an overview of the school's environmental education program.
The group learned about the solar-powered, wireless webcam birdhouse, wireless weather station, US Map Garden, rain barrel usage throughout the campus, NC Native Plant Garden, the school's pond and amphitheater, fishing program, and the Leon Harkins 1.1 mile Educational Walking Trail. In addition, discussion was held on Penny Road Elementary science programs: container planting, composting, planting gardens, weather, and birding/nesting cycles. The participants were truly impressed with Penny Road Elementary's environmental education efforts and commended the school on its work.
Penny Road Elementary was excited to be one of the selected sites for this event as it recognizes the school’s environmental education program.
National PTA Honors Wake County for Family Involvement
The Wake County PTA Council and Wake County Public School System earned an Award of Merit in the National PTA's Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Awards. The award celebrates PTAs that are working to achieve the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.
Sarah Martin, President of the Wake County PTA Council, and Ann Rollins who leads the WCPSS Parent Liaisons talked with the board at its Nov. 2 meeting about earning the honor.
Joyner Magnet Elementary Adopts School in Belize
Third-grade students at J.Y. Joyner Center for Spanish Language/IB Magnet Elementary have adopted a sister school in Belize, and the students have brainstormed ideas for ways to help.
From Nov.2 – Nov. 13, Joyner's third-grade students will be collecting new and gently used children's books, school supplies, first aid supplies, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, playground balls, jump ropes, ball pumps, mesh bags and monetary donations to purchase mountable fans, math manipulative kits, and to pay to ship these items to Belize. Over spring break, Joyner's third-grade teachers will fly to Belize and install the fans, help set up classroom libraries, and provide staff development on using the math manipulative kits to the teachers in Belize.
Visit Principal Chris Knott's blog where you can follow a voicethread about Belize and another about a Water Buffalo Joyner bought through Heifer International. If you would like to contribute, contact Joyner Elementary at (919) 856-7650.
Two WCPSS Schools named Progress Energy SunSense Schools Finalists
Two Wake County Public School System schools are finalists in the Progress Energy SunSense schools program.
Holly Springs High and Daniels Middle are among 12 schools across the Carolinas selected as finalists. Five of the finalists will receive solar photovoltaic installations in the coming months, as part of a partnership between Progress Energy Carolinas and the Carolina Hurricanes Kids 'N Community Foundation.
This hands-on educational program for middle school and high school students supports innovative ways to use and conserve energy and encourages students to develop innovative energy solutions. Finalists were chosen from nearly 30 applicants.
Finalist schools will participate in a professional solar site evaluation and will be required to complete an energy project to be judged in regional competitions in December. Students from five winning schools will receive a permanent 2-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) demonstration system, valued at more than $20,000, to be installed at their school. The systems will be installed by Argand Solar, a North Carolina-based renewable energy company.
The Progress Energy Foundation will select winning schools by Dec. 16. Funding for the program was provided through grants from the Progress Energy Foundation and the Carolina Hurricanes Kids 'N Community Foundation, which is affiliated with the National Hockey League team.