Classroom Connection
2008 School Counselors of the Year
WCPSS has selected the 2008 School Counselors of the Year. Kelli Kirk of Sycamore Creek Elementary; Brenda Joyner of Wakefield Middle School; and Karen Rowe of Wakefield High School were selected for the honor by their peers. Packets are being submitted for these school counselors to the NC School Counselor Association and the American School Counselor Association as the three will now be considered for the state and national award processes. We wish them the best of luck, and we know that they will represent Wake County well!
 |
| Casy Story, sophomore Garner High |
Garner High Sophomore Selected for National Youth Violence Prevention Board
Casey Story, a sophomore at Garner Magnet High School, was selected to serve a second term on the National Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Recognized as a leader in her school and community, Story will join nine other youth leaders to discuss school violence issues, develop action plans for both her SAVE chapter, and other SAVE chapters across the nation. The YAB will be developing their leadership skills through participation in training sessions, discussions of best practices to prevent school violence, and practice of educational activities for sharing with other SAVE students. They will create goals for the year and create a proactive action plan to combat violence through the implementation of the three essential elements of SAVE: crime prevention, conflict management, and service projects.
As a member of the YAB, Casey will be traveling to Raleigh in early October to attend a National Youth Leadership Institute. One of Casey’s major responsibilities is to help plan and organize activities for America’s Safe Schools Week (October 20-24), National SAVE Day (October 22), National Youth Violence Prevention Week (March 23-27) and prepare for SAVE’s 20th Anniversary. This year will be Casey's fifth year in SAVE and second year on the National Youth Advisory Board. She was awarded the National SAVE Middle School Student of the Year for 2006-2007 as well as the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.
 |
| Ashley Honeycutt pictured on the right with Senator Elizabeth Dole and fellow Girls Nation representative, Holly Holbrook. |
Millbrook High Senior Attended Girls Nation
Rising senior Ashley Honeycutt was one of 10 Millbrook students who attended Tarheel Girls State this summer. The students traveled to Catawba College where they worked with girls from all over North Carolina for a week to learn about and participate in various parts of government.
Each state selects two students from Girls State to attend Girls Nation, which is held in the capital. This year, Honeycutt was selected to represent North Carolina and traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend Girls Nation July 19 - 26. She met and worked with various legislators, visited the White House and met President Bush. After she returned home, a fellow Girls Nation honoree from New York visited Ashley here. Ashley will also serve as a leader for next summer's Girls State. This is the second year in a row that a Wake County student attended Girls Nation. Last year, Kelsey Kirchmann, a 2008 Sanderson High graduate, was also selected for this honor.
You can find more on Tarheel Girls State here.
Hunter Elementary Musicians Perform
When North Carolina music educators meet in Winston-Salem in November, they will find a group of WCPSS elementary students in the midst of the middle and high schoolers who people expect to see at the conference. The Hunter Elementary Wind Ensemble led by Matthew Pellas has been invited to take part in this year's North Carolina Music Educators Association In-Service Conference November 7-11. The Hunter students are scheduled to perform Sunday evening. Following the performance, the Wind Ensemble will be the demonstration band in a clinic for band directors focusing on teaching beginning band. The performance and clinic will be held at the Benton Convention Center South Main Hall. The invitation to perform at the annual event for the state's music educators is a tremendous honor for Hunter Elementary students and Mr. Pellas.
Wake County Students Participate in NC PTA Reflections
PTAs across Wake County are encouraging students to participate in the National PTA Reflections Contest. Reflections is a very popular and successful cultural arts program that provides students in preschool through grade 12 with an opportunity to express themselves creatively while receiving positive recognition on a school, community, state, and possibly national level. Students may submit artwork in the six different areas for the Reflections Program: Dance/Choreography, Film/Video Production, Literature, Musical Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. Winners at individual schools advance to the county level in November.
The PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts Reflections Program. To learn more about the Wake County PTA Council click here. Contact your school’s PTA Reflections Chair or your PTA President at your school for more information.
 |
Swift Creek Exchange Club members Marvin Pate, Phares Nye, Gary Stafford and Cliff Feather helped erect the Freedom Shrine. Feather has a granddaughter who attends Lufkin Middle. |
Lufkin Middle Displays Patriotism with Freedom Shrine
A collection of historic documents will now be on display at Lufkin Road Middle. On September 17, Lufkin Road Middle School will dedicate The Freedom Shrine. The Freedom Shrine is a wall of replicas of significant American documents, including the Preamble to the Constitution, Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech, John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, the account of Susan B. Anthony's trial, the Emancipation Proclamation and many others. The Freedom Shrine was donated and erected by the Swift Creek Exchange Club and is located on the second floor of the school.
Please share your feedback on WCPSS Classroom Connection!
Your opinion is valuable and will help to improve our content. Please email Ashley Smith, asmith9@wcpss.net or Christy Barnett, cbarnett@wcpss.net. Thank you for subscribing to the Classroom Connection!
Helpful Links
Stay current on other WCPSS news and events.
The New School Connection TV Show - September 2008
News and Information
WCPSS website
Parent Matters
Email Notification Service