Classroom Connection - February 9, 2010
Wall One of Eight Principals Honored As Regional Wachovia Principals of the Year
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John Wall, Principal of North Garner Middle and WCPSS’s 2009 Principal of the Year, is one of eight outstanding principals selected as regional Wachovia Principals of the Year and will now compete for the title of 2010 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year. The winner will succeed the 2009 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year, Vann Pennell, principal of South Brunswick High School of Brunswick County Schools.
Wall has been in education for 22 years and has been principal at North Garner Middle for four years. Prior to that, he was principal and assistant principal at Zebulon Middle and a teacher at Carnage Middle. Earlier he taught in New York.Wall was a finalist for Wake County Principal of the Year in 2004; Mentor of the Year by the Helping Hands Program; and served as president of the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals.
A state selection committee will review the portfolios of the eight regional winners and visit each candidate's school campus. Results of these site visits, portfolio assessments and personal interviews will be used to determine the 2010 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year.
The recipient will be announced on April 1 in Raleigh at a state luncheon sponsored by Wachovia to honor the regional winners. The Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year will receive a $3,000 check for personal use and/or professional development and a $3,000 check for his or her school to purchase materials or other equipment. The winner also will serve a one-year term as advisor to the State Board of Education. The eight regional winners each will receive $1,000 for personal use and $1,000 for their schools.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
Forty Wake County high school students will attend the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” on February 18.
The program is for high school girls interested in engineering and provides students with the opportunity to participate in hands-on transportation related engineering activities and also participate in a question and answer session with some of the department’s female engineers from various disciplines.
NCDOT engineers will also share daily duties and skills necessary for their jobs while encouraging young women to maintain their math and science skills, which are necessary to enter programs in college. The event is part of National Engineers Week (February 14-20) which is celebrated throughout the United States to increase awareness and appreciation of engineers and their work. With only 10 percent of engineers in the United States being women, the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” strives to promote engineering as a desirable option to young adults.
Job Shadow Day at Millbrook High
Millbrook High School is holding its spring Job Shadow Day on February 25. Juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to shadow individuals in a career of their choice for a half or full day. These students will gain first-hand knowledge about careers, more specifically the training and education required, what it takes to be successful in a career.
Job shadowing is an important high school experience that gives students exposure to various careers and individuals in the work force. It is key in helping students in a very significant way connect to the real world of work while still in high school. That connection helps them to see the relevance of high school course work. The activity results in students walking away with tangible options that they can begin to focus on as they transition from high school to the work force or postsecondary education. Some student career interests include architect, chef, teacher, sports anchor, physical therapist, financial advisor, paramedic, nurse and automotive service technician.
National Signing Day
National Signing Day took place on the first Wednesday in February. It was the first day our high school seniors could sign a binding national letter of intent for college sports. By signing a national letter, a player agrees to attend a specific school in exchange for scholarship assistance.
The following WCPSS athletes have signed national letters of intent:
Josh Abshire, Wakefield, UNC-Wilmington baseball
Rachel Collins, Athens Drive, South Carolina-Upstate soccer
Robert Crisp, Athens Drive, N.C. State football
Michael Fogg, Apex, Fayetteville State football
Matt Frongello, Middle Creek, Wofford soccer
Gabe Henderson, Southeast Raleigh, Liberty football
Matt James, Sanderson, Wake Forest football
Trea Jones, Wake Forest-Rolesville, Colorado football
Jocelyn Keen, Fuquay-Varina, Western Carolina track
Graham Love, Panther Creek, Winston-Salem State football
Taurean Lynch, Enloe, Campbell football
Ryan Metts, Wakefield, Wake Forest soccer
Kendall Moore, Southeast Raleigh, Notre Dame football
Kerri Owens, Sanderson, N.C. State soccer
J.P. Rafferty, Sanderson, South Carolina soccer
Glenn Scott, Sanderson, Elon soccer
Pete Singer, Athens Drive, N.C. State football
Colin Summers, Broughton, Wake Forest football
Jay Williams, Wakefield, West Virginia soccer
Kendall Moore and Gabe Henderson were featured on our monthly television show, The School Connection, in December talking about the recruiting process. http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv/12-2009/index.html
Cary High to Name Gym in Honor of Adams
Cary High School will name its basketball gymnasium in honor of Charlie Adams this fall. The Board of Education approved the school's request to name the facility in honor of Adams, a former player, teacher and coach at the school. Adams served as the executive director of the N.C. High School Athletic Association for 25 years and worked in the NCHSAA for 42 years before retiring on February 1, 2010. He also was president for one year of the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Northwoods Elementary Starts BBB Club
Northwoods Elementary has begun a new program designed for fourth- and fifth-grade students who love basketball and are in need of some extra help in math and reading. The club called BBB, or Basketball + Brains + Becoming, mixes academics with athletics in an effort to help students become more well-rounded. The fourth-grade participants were chosen by an application process to be in the weekly club. Five fifth-graders were chosen by their classroom teachers to participate as coaches and tutors.During the weekly meetings, students will be led in mini lessons by different teachers that will last no longer than 15 minutes. They will then have some time to work on homework and ask for help before moving into basketball practice and play.Students in the club will get the opportunity to learn more about basketball, improve their academics, and to learn what it means to be part of a team.
East Garner Magnet Middle Selected to Participate in START
Microsoft Corp. and the Corporation for National and Community Service recently announced six schools — from California, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia — that have been selected to participate in the Service & Technology Academic Resource Team (START). The initiative recognizes the leadership shown by students and teachers in schools across America who are working together in meaningful ways to revitalize learning, schools and communities through the use of technology.
Students serving on the Students Working to Advance Technology (SWAT) team at East Garner Magnet Middle Schoolteach fellow classmates about technology in computer labs, take part in community service projects including teaching library patrons to use Microsoft Office, design Web sites for teachers, assist teachers with Internet research, and videotape news broadcasts. Through the program, students are gaining technology training and leadership skills and valuable community service experience.
START redefines the role of the student in the classroom and creates a new kind of collaboration between students and teachers through technology-focused service-learning. The goal is to utilize the technology skills of students to partner with teachers and determine where technology best fits into the learning environment. The selected schools will receive grants and serve as national laboratory sites and as examples of how schools can integrate service-learning and technology into the classroom. The schools will present their scalable best practices today for Karen Cator, director of Education Technology for the U.S. Department of Education.
Wake County Magnet Schools Receive National Honor
Fourteen Wake County Magnet Schools have been notified by the Magnet Schools of America of their selection as Magnet Schools of Excellence or Magnet Schools of Distinction.
2010 National Magnet Schools of Excellence
- Bugg Creative Arts and Science Magnet Elementary
- Conn Active Learning and Technology Magnet Elementary
- Joyner Center for Spanish Language / International Baccalaureate PYP Magnet Elementary
- Millbrook International Baccalaureate PYP Magnet Elementary
- Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary
- Ligon Gifted and Talented Magnet Middle School
- Garner International Baccalaureate MYP/DP Magnet High
2010 National Magnet Schools of Distinction
- Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary
- Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary
- Douglas Creative Arts and Science Magnet Elementary
- Hunter Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary
- Washington Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary
- Centennial Campus University Connections & Leadership Magnet Middle
- East Garner International Baccalaureate MYP Magnet Middle
Magnet Schools in WCPSS will accept applications online from February 8 - 28, 2010. If you have questions, please call 501-7900 or explore our website .