The School Connection

June 5, 2003

2003 Goal: By 2003, 95 percent of students tested will be at or above grade level as measured by NC End-of-Grade testing at grades 3 and 8.

DIPLOMAS AWARDED TO MORE THAN 5,800 WCPSS GRADUATES
The Wake County Public School System awarded diplomas to 5,800 students in 16 ceremonies.

At the Tuesday (June 3) meeting of the Board of Education, Superintendent Bill McNeal praised high school principals for the wonderful job they did with the graduation ceremonies and congratulated the students.

"These ceremonies are the culmination of the work we do," said McNeal. "From kindergarten through the 12th grade, we work for this moment."

The Class of 2003 earned more than $31.7 million in scholarships, had more than 2,200 North Carolina Scholars, and more than 1,000 National Honor Society graduates. Many of the students will continue their education in college, some will enlist in the military and others will join the workforce.

McNeal said about 48,000 people attended WCPSS graduation ceremonies.

BOARD OF EDUCATION CHAIR TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Kathryn Watson Quigg, chair of the Wake County Board of Education, is one of 40 education leaders chosen to participate in the seventh annual Oxford Round Table in England. Quigg is only one of nine people selected to make a formal presentation to the international group.

"It is truly an honor to be selected as one of the nine people to present at this year's Oxford Round Table," said Quigg. "I look forward to sharing Wake County's story of academic success."

The Round Table will be held Aug 3-8, at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, England. Quigg's participation in the prestigious event has been entirely underwritten by Golden Corral Family Restaurants.

Quigg plans to describe the Wake County Public School System's 'Road to Excellence.' She will discuss the success the school system has achieved by establishing a goal, aligning programs and resources and building community support to boost student achievement. During the past four years, student test scores have increased from 81 percent to almost 90 percent at or above grade level.

The Round Table is a unique forum for select, diverse leaders in education to discuss educational policy over a five-day period in a collegial, "think-tank" atmosphere. Lessons learned in these discussions provide participants with new and different ideas on how to design a successful, new delivery system for the learners in a global society.

WCPSS FINANCE TEAM HONORED
At the Tuesday (June 6) meeting of the Board of Education, Associate Superintendent Del Burns was presented with the State Treasurer's Award for Excellence in Accounting and Financial Management by Ren Wiles of the NC Department of State Treasurer and Ruth Bartholomew of the NC Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Burns and the school system's finance managers were recognized for their innovative approach to responsible fiscal management and improvements to operations. The finance team's implementation of a privatized alternative to the 12-month optional installment pay plan project involved 10-month employees making arrangements to deposit a portion of their monthly pay into a special individual account with the State Employees Credit Union or other financial institution.

"This is an innovative idea, which is efficient, effective and saves costs," wrote State Treasurer
Richard Moore.

Burns said the privatization idea grew from the finance management team's discussions, part of their continuous quality improvement effort.

"This is just one of the ideas Del Burns and his staff have implemented saving the school system millions of dollars," said Tom Oxholm Board of Education finance committee chair.

BOARD RECOGNIZES KENAN FELLOWS
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education recognized teachers who have been selected as Kenan Fellows.

The eight WCPSS teachers named Kenan Fellows in 2003 include Jason Bailey of West Lake Middle, Nancy Carty of Broughton High, Michael Clinkscales of Broughton High, Charles Cobb of Southeast Raleigh High, Susan Hirsch of East Wake High, Randolph Senzig of Fuquay-Varina High, Elizabeth Suber of Leesville Road Middle, and Brian Wood of Enloe High.

The Kenan Fellows Program is an innovative model to promote teacher leadership, address teacher retention and advance K-12 science, technology and mathematics education. Kenan fellows are public school teachers selected through a competitive process to participate in a prestigious two-year fellowship while remaining active in the classroom. During the two years, the Kenan Fellows work in partnership with distinguished scientists, university faculty and the NC Department of Public Instruction, developing curriculum and teaching resources that bring cutting-edge research into the hands of students.

BOARD NAMES NEW SCHOOLS IN HOLLY SPRINGS AND WEST CARY
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education named two new high schools in Holly Springs and West Cary. The schools were named Holly Springs High School and Panther Creek High School. The schools are to be included in the PLAN 2004 School Building Program.

BOARD FURTHER RESTRICTS TOBACCO USE
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education gave final approval to a tougher policy on tobacco. The new policy now:

APPOINTMENTS
At its Tuesday (June 6) meeting, the Board of Education named Barbara Burns principal for Brassfield Elementary. Burns has served as assistant principal at Heritage Elementary since 1996. She worked as WCPSS school teacher for seven years and eleven years as a consultant to a publishing company.

DURANT ROAD PLACES FIRST IN ODYSSEY OF MIND
A team of students from Durant Road Middle won first place in the Odyssey of the Mind Word Finals held at Iowa State University. The team included Kryssi Fischer, Jessie Ammons, Zoe Hansen, Jaime Cordes, Jackie Dilio, Michael Neese and Luis Zapata. The team's coaches included parents Ginger Cordes, Laurie Dilio and Pat Zapata. Durant finished first out of 43 teams competing in the 'Classics…Put a spin on it' problem.

The Odyssey of the Mind School Program fosters creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Students solve problems in a variety of areas, from building mechanical devices such as spring-driven vehicles, to giving their own interpretation of literary classics.

Joyner Elementary placed third out of 38 teams in the 'Odd Pod Structure' problem.

Durant Road Elementary placed fifth out of 36 teams in the 'Scene from above' problem.

You can read more about the Odyssey of the Mind Word Finals at http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/

BOARD APPROVES CONTRACTS FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education approved contracts with the Town of Cary and the City of Raleigh to provide school resource officers at high schools for 2003-2004.

The Town of Cary will provide school resource officers at Middle Creek High School, Cary High School, and Green Hope High School. The City of Raleigh will provide school resource officers at Athens Drive High School, Broughton High School, Enloe High School, Longview/Phillips High School, Millbrook High School, Sanderson High School, Southeast Raleigh High School, and Wakefield High School.

BOARD APPROVES SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR NEW SCHOOL
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education approved the design documents for the proposed Panther Creek High. The documents were prepared by Boney PLLC. This will be the first reuse of the Knightdale High prototype. Panther Creek High is to be included in the PLAN 2004 School Building Program.

BOARD NAMES DESIGNERS FOR PROJECTS
At its Tuesday (June 3) meeting, the Board of Education named Boney PLLC designer for the proposed Heritage High School. The school is in the proposed PLAN 2004 capital building program sent to the county manager. If Heritage High building construction funding for PLAN 2004 is approved, it is proposed that the building open as swing space for Wake Forest/Rolesville High during the 2007-2008 school year, and as a new high school in the 2008-2009 school year. The Knightdale High prototype design, designed by Boney PLLC Architects, will be used for Heritage High. The design consultant services will be funded from the available PLAN 2000 funds.

WCPSS BEGINS MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE TV SHOW
The June edition of the School Connection is the second Wake County Public School System's monthly television program that connects you to news, features and information about education in Wake County.

The 30-minute news magazine program focuses on WCPSS news, programs, employees, students, services and issues. Each month, the show takes a look at interesting programs or activities in our schools, features employees who make a difference in the lives of our students, offers insight into an educational issue, and provides answers to parents' questions. The program concludes with an artistic performance by a different student group each month.

The School Connection will air on Time Warner Cable channels 10 and 11 in Raleigh and on channel 11 in Cary. You can view the show online at http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv

INSIDE THE NEWS
U.S. Department of Education reports "America's Annual Progress Report on Education Reveals Higher Levels of Public Funding" and "New Lowest-Ever Loan Rates to Make College More Affordable, Reduce Debt Burden for Borrowers"

The National Center for Education Statistics reports "The Condition of Education 2003" (327 page Acrobat Reader file)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction reports "State Board of Education to Meet June 4-5"

The Beacon of LEARN NC reports on education

Time Warner News 14 reports School News

CNN reports on education

The National School Board Association reports the School Board News

CALENDAR
June 17 2 p.m. Committee of the Whole; 4 p.m. Board of Education
June 18 12 p.m. County Commissioners and Board of Education luncheon

You can find more information on school events at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars

School Connection is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public Schools. 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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