Good News

Goal 2008: WCPSS is committed to academic excellence. By 2008, 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 12 will be at or above grade level as measured by the State of North Carolina End-of-Grade or Course tests, and all student groups will demonstrate high growth.

April 26, 2006

WCPSS MAGNET SCHOOLS EARN TOP NATIONAL AWARDS
Wake County's magnet schools earned the top three awards at the Magnet Schools of America conference underway this week in Omaha, Nebraska.

Combs Elementary won the top award. Combs Principal Muriel Summers was there to pick up the Ronald P. Simpson Distinguished Merit Award and a $5,000 honorarium for the school.

Farmington Woods Elementary and Ligon Middle took the two other top awards. Farmington Woods principal Fran Venezia received the Donald L. Waldrip Distinguished Elementary Merit Award and $2500. Ligon Middle principal Scott Lyons received the American Education Solutions Distinguised Secondary Award and $2500.

Eleven Wake County magnet schools were honored at the conference. Combs Elementary, Brooks Elementary, Broughton High, Bugg Elementary, East Millbrook Middle, Farmington Woods Elementary, Ligon Middle, Powell Elementary and Washington Elementary were named Schools of Excellence. Centennial Middle and Lincoln Heights Elementary were named Schools of Distinction.

WCPSS NAMES 2006 TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
WCPSS has named 10 finalists for Wake County Public School System's 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year. WCPSS schools selected a Teacher of the Year and from those honored, the selection committee determined 10 finalists to be recognized for their dedication to children and quest for personal and professional excellence. The finalists include:

Melinda Fox, Leadmine Elementary
Anna Goodrum, Farmington Woods Elementary
Lisa Huffman, Garner High
Julaine Kammrath, Wake Forest Elementary
Gladys Madauss, Brentwood Elementary
Robert Matthews, Mt. Vernon Middle
Patrick McArdle, Holly Ridge Middle
Kevin Steidinger, Combs Elementary
Laurie Toreson, Knightdale High
Susan Wiedenman, Salem Elementary

The 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year will be named at the Teacher of the Year banquet on Thursday, May 11.

BOARD CONGRATULATES 2006 WCPSS VALEDICTORIANS
The valedictorians from Wake County's high schools were honored with a luncheon April 21. Board members, Superintendent Bill McNeal and school administrators talked with the students about their school careers. Twelve of the students plan to attend North Carolina universities with six bound for UNC-Chapel Hill and four to N.C. State University. One student is considering Duke University and another is looking at East Carolina University. Two are headed to out-of-state schools - Boston University and Northwestern University. Two have not finalized plans. The 2006 Valedictorians include:

Nicole Kroeger of Apex High
Weiting Cao of Athens Drive High
Sorana Acris of Broughton High
Choon Hye Kang of Cary High
Jackson Glasgow of East Wake High
Amrita Devalapalli of Enloe High
Kristin Danford of Fuquay Varina High
Cameron Stanton of Garner High
Brennan Eberle of Green Hope High
Jennifer Dawson of Leesville Road High
Rebecca Ann Groves of Middle Creek High
Jennifer Greenstein of Millbrook High
Natalie Kathleen Cooke of Sanderson High
Rushil Patel of Southeast Raleigh High
Thomas Francis Blair of Wake Forest Rolesville High
Meredith Horton of Wakefield High

Board of Education Chair Patti Head led a discussion with the students about their plans and congratulated them for their success.

COMBS NAMED FINALISTS FOR INTEL AND SCHOLASTIC SCHOOLS OF DISTINCTION AWARDS
Combs Elementary was one of 48 schools named as finalists for the Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards. The awards honor schools for implementing innovative and replicable programs that support positive educational outcomes. Combs and the other finalists were chosen from public and private schools that participated in the application and judging process, which was overseen by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning. Sixteen winners will be selected in each of eight categories - one each for elementary and secondary schools. Winning schools will also compete to be named "Best of the Best." Combs is one of six schools in the category of Leadership Excellence. The schools are being evaluated on vision, data, research, best practices and the use of assessment to boost student achievement. The schools will compete for $190,000 in grants from the Intel Foundation and additional prizes from sponsoring companies will be presented at an awards ceremony in October. The three-year-old awards program is sponsored by Intel, the world's leader in silicon innovation and long-time champion of educational improvement, and Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company. For more information about the Schools of Distinction Awards, visit www.schoolsofdistinction.com.

SOUTHEAST RALEIGH TEACHER RECEIVES 2006 PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR TEACHING
Sam Wheeler of Southeast Raleigh High is one of 100 exemplary math and science teachers from across the nation. He will be on-hand at the May 4, 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in Washington D.C. to receive this great honor. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) program was established in 1983 by The White House and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program identifies outstanding mathematics and science teachers to serve as models for their colleagues and to be leaders in the improvement of science and mathematics education. At the awards event; each teacher receives a Presidential Citation; meets with leaders in government and education; attends sessions to share ideas and teaching experiences; and attends receptions and banquets. Each Presidential Awardee will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation and gifts from donors.

LIGON TEACHER EARNS NATIONAL MATH AWARD
Jason Lee Wilson, seventh grade algebra teacher at Ligon Middle School, has been named a winner of the 2005 Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Junior High School Mathematics Teaching. Wilson is one of five teachers honored by the Mathematical Association of America in Region 2, which includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The award-winning teachers receive a certificate, a $100 cash prize, a one-year membership in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and a Sliffe award pin.

2006 N.C. OUTSTANDING APPRENTICESHIP TRAINER/EDUCATOR
The N.C. Department of Labor has named Beth Ann Williams, training specialist in Organizational Development, the 2006 North Carolina Outstanding Apprenticeship Trainer/Educator. She was honored at the 22 nd Annual 'Partner for Success' Apprenticeship and Training Awards Ceremony on April 20.

BROUGHTON TEACHER SELECTED FOR FULBRIGHT SEMINAR ABROAD
Carol Dukes, a Broughton High School English as a Second Language teacher, has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education's 2006 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program. The program provides opportunities for experiences in another culture. Seminars are designed to provide a broad and introductory cultural orientation to a particular country. Teachers from across the U.S. could apply to take part in one of the nine seminars being offered for 2006 with 16 positions per seminar. Seminars take place from late June to mid-August. Dukes will spend four weeks traveling throughout Mexico participating in the seminar entitled, "Challenges to Mexican Democracy: social justice, human rights and the rule of the law".

LINCOLN HEIGHTS TEACHER TRAVELS TO CHINA
Jennifer Walters, a second grade teacher at Lincoln Heights Elementary, recently traveled to China as part of the People to People Ambassador Program. Walters joined 27 other teachers from across the U.S. who visited with Chinese educators in Bejing, Xi'an and Kumming. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Great Wall of China. People to People Ambassador Programs provides foreign educational travel experiences for professionals. Through meetings, seminars and cultural activities, participants connect with people in similar professions overseas.

WCPSS EVALUATION AND RESEARCH STAFF EARNS RECOGNITION
WCPSS Evaluation And Research web developer Juliana Muli earned second place in the American Education Research Association Division H Outstanding Publication Competition in the department website category. Carol Speas of WCPSS Evaluation and Research earned second place in the competition for 'No Child Left Behind' Informational Materials for the publication of "Improving Teacher Quality: Progress in Meeting NCLB (Title II-A) Requirements, 2003-04."

ENLOE STUDENT NAMED A WINNER IN NATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST
Addie Honeycutt of Enloe High is one of 50 winners out of 50,000 entries from across the nation in the Oprah Winfrey National High School Essay Contest. As a result, Honeycutt won a trip to a special Oprah Show taping on April 23. The show will air in early May. The subject of her essay, "Why is Elie Wiesel's book, Night , relevant today?", was a class assignment in which students were asked to update their perspectives on a book they had read as sophomores.

OUTSTANDING AMERICAN HISTORY STUDENTS HONORED
Congratulations to the students who have been named the outstanding American History students at their schools: Andrew Magee at Apex High, Nicholas Brod at Athens Drive High, Amanda Kirkhart and Margaret Stoner at Broughton High, Lauren Bajorek at Cary High, Kevin Dean at East Wake High, Jordan Smith at Fuquay-Varina High, Amber Raynor at Garner High, Grady O'Brien at Green Hope High, Marisha McClean at Knightdale High, Kathryn Nelson at Leesville Road High, Hayden McNeill at Millbrook High, Richard Altman at Sanderson High, Jesse Newton at Southeast Raleigh High, David Zoppo at Wakefield High and David Tacy at Wake Forest/Rolesville High. These students were presented with engraved plaques, letters of congratulations and other items of note at the annual American History awards celebration of the Woodmen of the World Lodge on April 24 in New Hill.

CENTENNIAL STUDENT PLACES THIRD AT NC GEOGRAPHY BEE
Stephen Zevgolis from Centennial Campus Middle School was the Third Place Winner at the March 31 state Geography Bee competition, winning a $50 prize and a globe. Tahsin Zaman from Daniels Middle School made it to the final round. Other WCPSS students in the state competition were eighth graders Daniel Barden of Apex Middle, Monica Tabor of Reedy Creek Middle, Peter Alfredson of Martin Middle, Michael Mondou of Wakefield Middle and Samuel Carter of Durant Road Middle. WCPSS seventh graders included Mathew Koch of Salem Middle, William Laney of Davis Drive Middle, Tahsin Zaman of Daniels Middle, Shichao Wu of Carnage Middle as well as sixth grader Natan Holzman of Ligon Middle. The competition was held at the Exploris Museum in Raleigh. WCPSS Social Studies Administrator Diane Garland was a moderator for the event.

MILLBROOK STUDENTS WIN ECONOMICS COMPETITION
Millbrook High teacher Gene Kikolski and his team of Advanced Placement Economics students recently won Fed Challenge 2006 for the Carolinas at a competition in Charlotte and went on to take second place at the regional competition April 4 in Richmond, VA. The Millbrook students include Erin Gray, Amanda Warren, James David, Scott Daughtrey, and Devin Richardson. The Fed Challenge simulates a Federal Open Market Committee Meeting. The competition tests students' knowledge of the Federal Reserve System, current economic conditions, and their ability to analyze and predict economic trends. Student teams take part in a simulated FOMC meeting. Each team of five students takes 15 minutes to analyze the U.S. economy, presents a short-term forecast for the economy, and makes a monetary policy recommendation. The team must then defend its presentation before a panel of Fed economists in a 10-minute question-and-answer session. The second place finish at the regional competition earned the Millbrook High team a $2500 grant. Kikolski 's teams have won the Charlotte competition six out of eight years.

LEESVILLE STUDENTS TO PERFORM SHAKESPEARE
Eighth grade students on the Condors Team at Leesville Road Middle School will perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at 6:45 p.m., Tuesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 27 in the Leesville Elementary School's Multi-Purpose Room. After studying the play in the fall, students in Mrs. Vicki Hedgepeth's Language Arts classes decided to launch a full-scale production of this Shakespeare comedy. Participants have given the play a 1960's flair, using music from the Beatles and some vintage clothing to set the mood. The public is invited to join in the fun, as the actors and audience try to 'Get to the Bottom of Love.'

RENOWNED PERCUSSION ARTIST TO PERFORM AT OLDS ELEMENTARY
Nationally recognized percussion artist Beverly Botsford and the South American group Solazo will perform at Olds Elementary School in Raleigh at 6:30 pm. on Thursday, May 4. Botsford is Olds' third and last Artist-in-Residence for the school year, and this Family Night Gallery will conclude her five-day residency with kindergarten and third-graders using rhythms and percussion to explore ancient cultures of Central and South America. After the concert, students, family and visitors will be able to take part in family-oriented activity centers. The free event will be held in the multipurpose room and is open to the public.

AUTHOR EDUCATOR TO SPEAK AT LINCOLN HEIGHTS GRADUATION
Author Educator Ron Clark will serve as the graduation speaker for the fifth graders at Lincoln Heights Elementary School 11 a.m., June 9. Teacher Teri Lynn Bradshaw said the school's fifth grade vice president Trent Williams conducted a search for a speaker. Williams negotiated Clark's appearance at the school. Clark is known for his book, The Essential 55, and his work with disadvantaged students in rural North Carolina and in inner-city Harlem. Clark was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year in 2000 and has appeared twice on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Clark is now working to launch a school for fifth-eighth grade students in Atlanta, GA.

WCPSS HIGH SCHOOLS TAKE APRT IN 6TH ANNUAL XTREME BEGINNINGS
More than 500 high school students in grades 10-12 attended the 6th Annual Xtreme Beginnings April 21 at One Renaissance Centre in Raleigh. Xtreme Beginnings is a countywide career exploration event. Elected officials, local Chambers of Commerce, and other partners in education took part. The event consisted of: 1) invaluable practice job interviews and resume reviews by HR professionals; 2) workshops and roundtable discussions on a variety of career topics; and 3) a postsecondary education fair comprised of university, community college and trade school representatives promoting the "next steps" for education after graduation. The event was organized by the WCPSS School-to-Career and the Wake County business community.

WAKE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP AWARDED SKILLS FOR LIFE GRANT
Wake Education Partnership has been awarded a grant from the Public Education Network (PEN) to implement the Middle Schools Skills for Life Initiative with the Wake County Public School System, Communities in Schools of Wake County and other community-based organizations. The $500,000 grant, renewable for three years, provides for a public engagement initiative to increase the capacity of schools and communities to support middle school students in becoming healthy, productive adults. The Skills for Life initiative brings a specific, research-based curriculum - LifeSkills TM Training - into the classroom, and amplifies its impact across the school, family and community contexts through proven public engagement strategies.

In Wake County, the Skills for Life initiative will be accomplished through:

LifeSkills certification training began in January to prepare educators to implement the curriculum. Additional trainings will be held later this spring. The program is expected to reach 85 percent of middle school students in Wake County's public schools over the next three years.

Wake County is one of five sites invited to participate in this three-year initiative. The other communities are Orlando, Fla.; Detroit, Mich.; McKeesport, Pa.; and Austin, Texas. The LifeSkills curriculum has been developed and evaluated by Gilbert J. Botvin, Ph.D., and National Health Promotion Associates. The curriculum has been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, American Medical Association and National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others.

RAMP-UP IS A FAMILY AFFAIR
Family Math Nights are being held at some WCPSS schools that are taking part in RAMP-UP, a program at NC State University officially known as Recognizing Accelerated Math Potential in Underrepresented People.

RAMP-UP is a five-year, $2.5 million grant project funded by the National Science Foundation's GK-12 Program and the GE Foundation. The program partners NC State's colleges of Engineering and Education and Shaw's Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics with the WCPSS to increase the number and diversity of students who enroll and succeed in higher level math courses.

NC State and Shaw students are the cornerstone of the program. Approximately 40 graduates and undergraduates who are studying engineering, computer science, mathematics and education are placed in eight Wake County schools (five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school) to act as resources and to collaborate with teachers to create "hands-on" activities that foster enthusiasm for mathematics among K-12 students.

NC State's Dr. Laura Bottomley, the director of Women in Engineering and Outreach for the College of Engineering, and Dr. Karen Hollebrands, assistant professor of mathematics education in the College of Education, are the principal investigators for the project. Dr. James Nelson, professor of natural sciences and math, is the lead collaborator at Shaw University.

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WCPSS Good News is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.

Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611

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