Past Episodes of The School Connection
April 2008: Apex Middle Band Director, parent liasions vs. the achievement gap, the importance of media coordinators, how modern technology enhances the classroom, and the changing demographics of Wake County Schools.
March 2008: Elementary students produce an opera, Latino parents get involved, WCPSS employees stay ahead of the curve through professional development, students learn heart-healthy behaviors, Sanderson High artists reflect on water conservation, and mentors and students come together.
February 2008: A generous donation, a state regional teacher of the year, a novel approach to tracking student performance, entering teaching from another profession, and helping some middle schoolers get back on track -- all this on The New School Connection.
January 2008: College! How to choose? How to pay for it? What do the real experts -- parents and students -- suggest? This is a special themed episode of The New School Connection.
December 2007: Visit the Great Xplorations career fair, where more than 140 businesses came to teaach young high school students about options for the future. Also, see how Heritage Middle students showed their support for the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, learn about magnet schools, and more!
November 2007: Vandora Springs Elementary takes on an art project to fight hunger, and we meet our Principal and Assistant Principal of the year. PLUS: Digital media classes, recruiting new teachers, and a look at inspiring teachers.
October 2007: The quest for academic excellence takes center stage with discussions of eliminating the achievement gap and reviewing the curriculum management audit. We also look at high school athletics, applying for college, and connecting to the wider world.
September 2007: Les Miserables -- with students from all over Wake County! Plus: the International Baccaulaureate Programme, environmentally sound schools, a year's reflection from our chief business officer, and Wakefield High's ninth-grade center.
August 2007: The New School Connection debuts with stories about elementary literacy, school volunteers, freshman camp, and virtual public school. We also preview the curriculum management audit with a view from the classroom.
July 2007: Looking back again: Stopping hunger at Brier Creek, getting excited about physical education at Lufkin Road, and partnering with Peace College.
June 2007: Looking back at the year, we laud our board certified teachers, look at the East Wake High redesign, and revisit the Blue Diamond.
May 2007: This special episode focuses on finances, with a detailed look at school funding and the Plan for Student Success.
April 2007: Career and Technical Education, graduation rates, the AVID program for middle schools, emergency management, and the Hunter Elementary Band are featured this month.
March 2007: The Science Olympiad, the Regional Principal of the Year, Internet safety, and WCPSS's first independent curriculum management audit take the stage.
February 2007: WCPSS has more nationally board certified teachers than any other district in the U.S. Learn more about their impact, about Dr. Burns's first midterm report to the school board, and lifelong learning in our schools.
January 2007: Find out more about the process of applying to magnet and calendar-option schools, visit two-time Blue Ribbon school Davis Drive Elementary, and see how students can review their math curriculm with the Success Series.
December 2006: Hodge Road Elementary's Jamee Lynch is Principal of the Year. Apex High's Academy of Information Technology shows its stuff. Peace College partners with WCPSS to prepare college students for licensure as elementary and special needs teachers. All this, and the Answer Man, too!
November 2006: Visit the new East Wake School of Integrated Technology, learn more about the transition to year-round calendars for some of our schools, and see how Longview School turned a herd of plastic goats into $6,000 for the school.
October 2006: Find out more about the year-round calendar, the WCPSS Magnet Fair, and a technology grant that gets students walking.
September 2006: We look at our back-to-school experiences, with kindergarten orientation and transportation in focus. Also, meet the new Chief Business Officer, David Neter, and learn about the 2006 capital improvement plan.
August 2006: The opening of seven new schools, new graduation requirements, and our superintendent's focus on teaching and learning were the subjects of our back-to-school episode.
July 2006: Say hello to Superintendent Del Burns, say farewell to Superintendent Bill McNeal, and see how Turner Creek Elementary teachers use the outdoors to get students excited about learning.
June 2006: We're reviewing an eventful year in the life of the Wake County Public School System.
May 2006: Take an in-depth look at the 2006-07 Plan for Student Success in this special episode.
April 2006: How do we use technology in our schools? How do our students connect with students half a globe away? How did WCPSS, Wake Tech, and WakeMed get together for a new kind of high school? Find out in the April School Connection.
March 2006: Why and how do we renovate older schools? How are substitute teachers the "unsung heroes" of the Wake County Public School System? Find the answers, and see a ballfield become a "field of dreams" for disabled children, on the March School Connection.
February 2006: Growth is more than a hot topic -- it's the most pressing issue facing Wake County's schools today. In a special episode of The School Connection, see growth's impact and learn about the ways WCPSS is responding to, and planning for, the 72,000 students projected to arrive by 2015.
January 2006: It's a brand new year, so we thought now would be a good time to take a look back at some of our favorite segments from this past year.
December 2005: It's Poe Elementary's 50th anniversary, Morrisville Elementary's turn in the spotlight as a national Blue Ribbon School, Creech Road principal James Overman's turn as Wake County Principal of the Year, and time for a Rennaissance Festival at Apex Middle. Plus a dance performance from Powell GT Magnet Elementary!
November 2005: Learn about the results from the Wake Kids for Katrina campaign, see how a German Shepherd is helping Lacy Elementary students improve their reading skills, and enjoy a performance by the Cary High orchestra. Plus: follow a group of visitors from China as they tour East Wake High.
October 2005: Students and staff mobilize on behalf of hurricane victims, a new program offers adults important mentoring opportunities, and Forest Pines Drive Elementary opens two years early. Plus: the Answer Man explains new elementary report cards and the Durant Road Middle jazz band gets down.
September 2005: The opening of a new school year brings new principals, new challenges, and new expectations. Join us for a look at what goes into preparing for the first day!
July 2005: Even during the summer, WCPSS buzzes with activity. See our year-round schools at work, learn about summer professional development for teachers, see the preparation for the opening of a new school, and enjoy the Lufkin Road Middle School chorus.
June 2005: The heartbeat of the school system -- teachers -- are the focus of this month's episode, with 2005 Teacher of the Year Bill Ferriter, an exploration of how teachers are recruited and supported, and a look at the Wake Education Partnership's programs to support teachers. Green Elementary's ballet ensemble closes the show with a patriotic performance.
May 2005: The focus is on high schools! Learn about some reform efforts underway, visit Middle Creek High's first full graduating class and Hugh Morson High's last (Class of 1955), see what's involved in graduating students from 17 high schools in five days, and hear a musical performance from Millbrook High students.
April 2005: Broughton High forms a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a planetarium is built inside Willow Springs Elementary's media center, and the Superintendent's Plan for Student Success is unveiled. Also, hear Middle Creek High's octet, Eight is Enough.
March 2005: See how Olive Chapel fourth and fifth graders are helping autistic children learn to better communicate, meet the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council, and watch Hilburn Elementary students perform a number from Cats.
February 2005: Visit an elementary school where "multilingual" means "teaching our students five languages" and another school where 15 teachers earned the coveted certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The arts are in the spotlight with a look at the annual Pieces of Gold extravaganza and a spirited percussion performance from Green Hope High.
January 2005: Meet the 2004 Principal of the Year, Joyner Elementary's Steve Mares, and see East Garner Magnet Middle students take a stand for a family fighting cancer. Also, see the impact of volunteer tutor-mentors and the role of the recent Matisse/Picasso exhibit in the curriculum of Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary.
December 2004: Flat Stanley stops by for a visit, courtesy of Lynn Road Elementary. Also, the Answer Man explains school closings, Salem Middle students make quilts for the homeless, and Reedy Creek Middle students get hands-on experience with animal science.
November 2004: We focus on fitness and health, including a look at Walk to School Day, nutrition in our cafeterias, and Briarcliff Elementary's Jump Rope Team.
October 2004: The School Connection returns with a brand new look! Learn more about WCPSS's rapid student population growth, the 50th anniversary of historic Ligon GT Middle School, meet our 2004 Teacher of the Year, and watch students at Carnage Middle perform their own crime scene investigation....
July 2004: The previous year's best stories are highlighted in this special compilation.
June 2004: Bugg Elementary is named the nation's best magnet school, Leesville Road Middle students build solar cars, Hunter Elementary's Fancy Steppers show off their clogging skills, and top Wake County bus drivers show off their skills in the state's annual "Roadeo."
May 2004: This month, learn how No Child Left Behind will affect our schools in the coming school year, meet the national dance educator of the year, see how Carver Elementary students celebrated Earth Day, and hear the East Wake High School Chorale.
April 2004: A special episode focusing on the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. See how this first step toward school desegregation continues to have an effect in Wake County, and view student performances and artwork celebrating diversity.
March 2004: This month's show features a look at how technology is being used in exciting ways at Fuller Elementary and Apex High, an update on the student assignment process, a profile of an unsung hero at Aversboro Elementary, and music from the West Cary Middle Jazz Band.
February 2004: See the Spanish immersion program at Joyner Elementary in action, meet Wake County's Teacher of the Year, and visit the award-winning Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle.
January 2004: A new year begins with the state's Elementary PE Teacher of the Year, the unique approach of Partnership Elementary, and stuffed bears that make science come alive. Also: Southeast Raleigh High's chorus performs "The Battle of Jericho."
December 2003: This month's show features the adoption of Goal 2008, a look inside an English as a Second Language classroom, the partnership between Apex Elementary and Meredith College, and a performance by Ligon Middle's Tappers in Tapestry.
November 2003: A Millbrook High teacher opens a window on the Vietnam War; Combs Elementary is named a National School of Character; Lincoln Heights Elementary puts its Healthy Living Initiative in place, and the Women's Concert Choir of Green Hope High sings.
October 2003: Learn about the WCPSS magnet program, see Zebulon Middle School students make a difference in their community, find out how the new elementary school report cards work, and discover why WCPSS is a national leader in teachers meeting professional teaching standards.
September 2003: Safety precautions for student athletes in hot weather, a father-son team of WCPSS professionals, and the keys to making science fun for elementary students are revealed. Also, West Lake Middle's jazz band shows that, yes, they do "have that swing."
August 2003: A new school year begins, and The School Connection takes you behind the scenes as schools scurry to prepare. Get tips on how students can comply with the WCPSS dress code, hear West Lake Elementary students perform "America, I Hear You Singing," and learn how to make parent-teacher conferences more effective.
July 2003: How do we respond to Wake County's rapid growth? Also, high schools move to block scheduling, Lufkin Road Year-Round Middle band students play the Motown hits, and our community partners show how students get extra help outside the classroom walls.
June 2003: The spotlight shone on teacher recruitment, bus transportation, Project Achieve and a performance of "Allegiance Rap" by Smith Elementary students.
May 2003: Our first episode included a look at No Child Left Behind, a performance by Wendell Elementary students, a report on obesity and fitness, and more.