Classroom Connection - April 26, 2011
Four First-Year Teachers Win 2011 Diane Kent-Parker Awards
The Wake County Public School System announced the winners of the prestigious Diane Kent-Parker First-Year Teacher Awards for 2011. The award recognizes outstanding first-year elementary, middle, and high school teachers who are nominated by his or her principal and school and have shown significant professional success during his or her first year of teaching.
The award-winning teachers are:
Brian Regis, Cedar Fork Elementary School
Lindsay Wall, Brooks Elementary School
Jonathan Todd, Ligon Middle School
Julia Davis Weaver, Fuquay-Varina High School
The teachers will be honored at the Wake County Teacher of the Year banquet on May 12.
Eight WCPSS Teachers Named Kenan Fellows
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Eight WCPSS teachers will soon be embarking on a variety of new challenges, as they are among 47 teachers honored as the Class of 2012 for the Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development.
The eight WCPSS teachers are:
Geoff Belcher of Wake Forest – Rolesville High
Lessie Anderson of Knightdale High
Paul Cancellieri of Durant Road Middle
Dr. Stephen Colbert of Wake Early College of Health & Sciences
Austin James of Millbrook Magnet High
Marlin Jones of Panther Creek High
Jill Oliver of Enloe Magnet High
Dianna Stavros of Mills Park Elementary
Kenan Fellows spend five weeks in the summer with mentors from universities, innovative industries and professional educators and two weeks in a Summer Institute. Fellows work in labs, develop new research skills, engage in leadership workshops and build professional relationships with colleagues. As their research progresses, they use the summer experience to create lessons that are adapted to the subjects they teach. Kenan Fellows bring this new, relevant information into classrooms at a level that is appropriate for their students. They continue developing their projects in the fall and present their lessons at professional conferences throughout the next year to help improve teacher instruction and student learning in classrooms across N.C.
Enloe Teacher Selected for National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Panel
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has named Enloe Magnet High dance educator Courtney Greer to serve on a committee composed of a select group of educators from across the country to assure the National Board’s Physical Education Standards reflect the best practices and latest research in the field.
Greer is among 10 National Board Certified Teachers on the 13-member committee, chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants.
“The work the committee is producing will impact the physical education standards in schools by implementing a whole body wellness component in the standards,” said Greer. “This holistic approach will help teachers prepare students for 21st century challenges in the workplace by teaching them important concepts on how to manage their physical well being while balancing the demands and requirements of everyday existence. I am honored to be working with such a talented group of educators.”
As part of the National Board’s ongoing mission to provide high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, the Physical Education Committee is working to review and revise the current standards that are the basis for National Board Certification in this field.
Holly Springs Elementary School to Celebrate 15th Anniversary
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Holly Springs Elementary will hold an open house from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 to celebrate its 15th anniversary. The celebration will mark the opening of the school in the fall of 1996. Over the years, Holly Springs Elementary has grown from a school of 450 students to the current population of 1075.
Music, special presentations and exhibits will honor the day. Visitors can be sure to connect with friends, classmates, teachers, and principals from past years. The current students have been working hard on timelines, videos, interviews and a time capsule to help commemorate the day. The public is welcome to come, meet the students and staff, and have some fun on this special day.
Laurel Park Elementary Holds Fine Arts Gallery Night
Laurel Park Elementary will hold Penguin Fine Arts Gallery Nights at the school on April 28 and May 26. Students on Tracks 1 & 2 will have their Gallery Night on April 28 and students on Tracks 3 & 4 will have their Gallery Night on May 26.
During the event, families and school community members will come together to enjoy student art, music, and poetry. Each student will have his or her best visual art piece of the year on display during their track’s gallery night. In addition, student musicians will present musical performances throughout the building, and parents and students will enjoy reading and writing poetry together.
WCPSS Students Take Top Honors in State Math Competition
Seven Wake County students took home awards during the 33rd annual high school state mathematics competition (SMC). They were among 123 of the brightest mathematics students in the state who recently gathered at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) to participate the competition.
Students competing in the state mathematics contest are the top eight percent of those who participated in regional mathematics contests earlier this year.
“Since 1979, the State High School Mathematics Contest has tested and identified the best mathematics students that North Carolina has to offer,” said Philip Rash, co-chair of the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM)’s State Mathematics Contest Committee. “Many of these students have gone on to successfully compete at the national and international level, and we are very proud of their accomplishments.”
Calvin Deng of Cary, a sophomore at Enloe Magnet High School, took first place in the competition. He received $1,000 from EMC2 Corporation, a book award, plaque, certificate, and a $300 Art of Problem Solving Scholarship.
Other Wake County winners are:
Fourth place – Michael An of Cary, an eighth-grader at Davis Drive Middle School
Sixth place – Jeffrey An of Cary, a sophomore at Green Hope High School
11th place – Nicholas Tobey of Raleigh, a junior at NCSSM (Enloe Magnet High School)
12th place – Jason Liang of Raleigh, a sophomore at Enloe Magnet High School
18th place – Amitoj Singh of Cary, a senior at Enloe Magnet High School
19th place – Lisa Zheng of Morrisville, a junior at NCSSM (Enloe Magnet High School)
The top 15 winners will be invited to join the North Carolina American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) Team.
Each school with a minimum of two students competing in the SMC (comprehensive level) was eligible for a team award. First place went to Enloe High School.
Students use Ethical Hacking Skills in US Cyber Challenge
Three WCPSS high school teams and six students finished in the top 15 in the nation in the third round of the US Cyber Challenge. In the third round, Green Hope High’s team finished second in the nation, Enloe Magnet High’s team finished eighth and Panther Creek High’s team finished 12th. Athens Drive High was 20th and Middle Creek High was 22nd.
Six WCPSS students were among the top 15 third-round scorers nationally. Ivan Panarusky of Enloe finished second in the nation. His Enloe teammate Danny Cao finished third. Bryan Palmer of Panther Creek High was 10th. Brien Croft of Enloe was 11th. Chris Snyder of Panther Creek was 13th. Oscar Pacheco of Green Hope was 15th. Troy O’Neal of Athens Drive was 19th.
The top scoring WCPSS seniors were Chris Snyder with 6727 and Troy O’Neal with 6196. The top scoring WCPSS juniors were Ivan Panarusky with 7913, Danny Cao with 7766, Brien Croft with 6821 and Oscar Pacheco with 6487. The top scoring WCPSS sophomores were Bryan Palmer with 6942, Jeremy Jordan of Green Hope with 4839, Connor Youngquist of Middle Creek with 4758 and Bradley Korabik of Green Hope with 4745.
The US Cyber Challenge enables young Americans to demonstrate their skills, make them aware of educational opportunities, and help them develop those skills to contribute to a safe cyber environment. Cyber Challenge organizers are developing online community resources, including a cyber professional talent bank that will help pair promising candidates with exciting cybersecurity jobs.
Enloe Magnet High Students Earn Honors at State Science Competition
Four Enloe Magnet High students won some of the top honors at the NC Student Academy of Science State Competition held last month.
First place awards went to Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran and Arjun Bhattacharya for their presentation on The Involvement of MicroRNAs in the Repair Mechanisms of Mesenchymal Stem Cells after Heart Attack in the category of High School Biotechnology – Advanced I and Dannielle Tyson for her presentation on The Efficacy of HMGB1 and FLT-4 as Biomarkers for Canine Sepsis in the category of High School Biotechnology – Advanced II. Taylor Adair earned a second place award for the presentation Synthesis and Screening of 2-Aminoimidazole-Based Antibiotic and Antibiofilm Agents in the category of High School Chemistry – Advanced II.
The NC Student Academy of Science (NCSAS) is an organization for students in grades 6-12 in alliance with the NC Academy of Science (NCAS). The objectives of NCSAS are 1) promoting the study of science, technology, and mathematics, 2) assisting students to pursue careers in science and technology, and 3) encouraging students to use their talents for the improvement of themselves, their schools, and their communities. Each year, NCSAS holds district and state meetings at which students have the opportunity to share their research with an annual state competition at the NC School of Science and Math in Durham.
Congressman David Price Visits Rand Road Elementary
Congressman David Price made a stop by Rand Road Elementary on April 11 to speak with fifth-grade students. The timing of Price’s visit was perfect, given that the fifth-grade students are going to Washington, DC, for a field trip at the end of the month.
Congressman Price shared both personal information about himself and the professional experiences that he has had in and out of Washington, DC. Price spoke to students about the branches of government and their functions, and then he told students about the three important buildings in DC that they will most likely tour or see: the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court House. In addition, Price spoke to students about three memorials that they should plan to visit if time permits: the Lincoln, the Jefferson, and the FDR.
Price fielded questions from students and spoke very candidly with them about topics of their interest. He represents the Triangle area, including Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, and surrounding areas.
Broughton Soccer Coach Honored for Making a Difference
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association will honor Broughton High soccer coach Izzy Hernandez as one of eight "coaches who make a difference" by virtue of their exemplary sportsmanship at the NCHSAA Annual Meeting at the Smith Center on May 5.
Hernandez has been a fixture at Broughton High for years, and has won several women and men's soccer state championships.
Hernandez is the Region Three winner selected for the Homer Thompson Memorial Eight Who Make a Difference award. The award is named in honor of the late Homer Thompson, the long-time Winston-Salem Parkland coach and member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
A special committee chose a winner from each of the state’s eight regions based on nominations from the member schools. The coaches will receive a plaque as part of the association's student services program.
Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School Hosts Literacy Day
Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School held its first ever Literacy Day this month. Students participated in a Poetry Slam, listened to Principal Elaine Hanzer perform a dramatic reading of "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe, and a librarian from the Wake Forest public library branch visited classrooms giving book talks. The school found a number of ways to highlight literacy. Students and teachers competed in a "Reading Rocks!" door-decorating contest. Art students competed in a literacy poster contest. As part of their daily instruction, teachers focused on literacy in their curriculum area. The day reinforced to students that literacy is a thread in everything that they do.