District to Host Annual Technology Showcase Johnston County Schools students will showcase, along with their principals and teachers, software and electronic programs that are being used in the classroom as instructional tools at the annual Johnston County Schools Technology Showcase on October 25. The free event will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Johnston Community College lobby. Door prizes, refreshments, and fun activities are planned for both participants and attendees. For more information, please call E.D. Hall, Associate Superintendent Technology and Accountability Services, at (919) 934-4361. Middle College Students Produce Newspaper Students at the district's new Middle College, which opened in early August and is housed at Johnston Community College, have produced a school newspaper. Called The Red Tape, the front-and-back, one-page publication is packed full of information, including feature articles, commentary about current events, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, and a column called "Ask Aleea." Content will vary with each publication, which is produced by an editor-in-chief, managing editor, feature writers, graphics and layout designer, website designer, and photographer. For more information, please call Dr. Amelia McLeod, Principal, at (919) 989-6208. Johnston County Staff to Present Workshop, "You Don't Have to Go to Italy to Get Pasta!" Dr. Amelia McLeod, Principal of Middle College High School, Sarah Thompson, Parent Community Support Specialist, Jodi McLeod, Mayor and business owner from Clayton, and Laurene Madern, Professional Development trainer, will be the presenters of a workshop at the North Carolina Second Annual Elementary School conference next week. This workshop will focus on how the educational environment can apply what is available within one's community to enhance the learning experience, linking the educational and business community to the curriculum. It is hoped that participants will create their own insightful learning opportunities for students. Participants will leave with ideas on how to create collaboration between the businesses in their neighborhoods and their schools, using the curriculum as their common base. This presentation will include hands-on activities which will be presented in an interactive model. In addition, family, community and business professionals will discuss how their roles can affect learning opportunities. Using 'outside the box' thinking strategies, the NC curriculum will be used as a basis to present and explore the benefits of using diverse thinking strategies to enhance the current curriculum. For more information, please call Laurene Madern, (919) 934-4361, extension 374. Kids for Katrina Wildly Successful Benson Elementary School wishes to thank the community for a successful carnival on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The school raised $5,585.83 to give to the American Red Cross. It is estimated that more than 1,500 canned food goods were donated. Games, face painting, giant inflatables, a dunking booth, and hot dogs were the order of the day. Noah's Landing brought rare species of animals for hands-on petting zoo, and special entertainment was provided on stage throughout the evening. Benson Elementary students performed with songs and dance, and Alicia's School of Performing Arts also entertained. The newly crowned Miss Benson Lora Black danced and interacted with children. The children also traveled through a "Smoke House" to learn about fire safety. Benson firefighters brought fire trucks and a rescue squad. Police and deputy cars were on display. The school PTA distributed free popcorn and balloons. WPYB broadcasted live from the carnival and were instrumental in helping to raise money. Benson Elementary is proud that a large number of businesses, churches, and civic organizations participated with game booth sponsorships or cash donations. For more information, please call Rodney Peterson, Principal, at (919) 894-4233. Clayton Middle Creates Art Kits for Katrina Clayton Middle School is collecting items through October 21 for art kits that will be sent to the young victims of Katrina to be used at their temporary schools and homes. The kits are being developed for elementary students. The kits will include large pencils, large pencil sharpeners, boxes of crayons, coloring books, plain paper pads, stickers, small containers of play dough, blunt or small safety scissors, and a glue stick. For more information, please call Deborah Coates, Visual Arts Teacher, at (919) 553-5811. South Smithfield Names Streets of Character, Renovates Courtyard Administrators at South Smithfield Elementary School have named the hallways after character traits, creating street signs that read Integrity Lane, Honesty Boulevard, and Courage Avenue. The signs not only promote character education but also provide directions for students and visitors as they walk throughout the school from one area to another. Also at South Smithfield, the courtyard at the school has been renovated to create an outdoor classroom environment. For more information, please call Brian Vetrano, Principal, at (919) 934-8979. Meadow School and Lemonade for Sale Second grade students at Meadow School read Lemonade for Sale by Stuart J. Murphy this week. In the story, club members needed to raise money to make repairs to their clubhouse. The club decided to have a lemonade stand. The club's mascot, Petey the Parrot, squawked "Lemonade for sale, Lemonade for sale," which drew customers to the lemonade stand. The sales went down on Thursday because the new kid on the block, Jed, was juggling and attracting the customers. The kids decided to invite Jed to join their club; Jed juggled on Friday beside the lemonade stand and attracted more customers than ever. Mrs. Webster's class decided to have a lemonade stand to raise money for the Hurricane Relief Fund at Meadow. Despite the much needed rain shower, the class was determined to hold their lemonade sale on Friday, October 7. Mrs. Darene Honeycutt, parent involvement contact, and Mrs. Abigal Vierra, parent volunteer, set up the stand for the students. Mrs. Webster's class took shifts running the stand. Just like in the story, one student poured the lemonade, one put in the ice cubes, and one sold the lemonade. The fourth shift worker put on a puppet show with Petey the Parrot Puppet and squawked, "Lemonade for Sale, Lemonade for Sale." Fifth grade math teacher, Joseph Panzarella juggled lemons for the students. All K-2 students, faculty and staff attended the sale. Mr. Kent of Johnston County Schools was fueling up the buses when the lemonade stand opened and purchased the first cup of lemonade. The class sold the lemonade on a donation basis and raised $250. Mrs. Webster used the story to integrate reading, math, social studies and character education. The students added the number of cups printed on the packages, then subtracted the number of cups left over to determine the number of cups of lemonade sold. The students also counted the money and sorted the change for the school treasurer, Nell Johnson. The students also made 100% profit since their parents donated the supplies. The students learned about responsibility and working together in operating the lemonade stand. Meadow is very proud of the cooperative work these students did to support the American Red Cross. For more information, please call Darene Honeycutt , Parent Involvement Contact, at (919) 894-7064. Selma Elementary Students Observe Public Power Week In conjunction with Public Power Week, October 3-7, Donald Baker with the Town of Selma came to speak with the fourth grade students at Selma Elementary. The students watched a presentation on electrical safety including what to do in the event of a car accident, a hurricane, damaged power lines, and a power outage. The children saw a visual display of a make-believe town including the inhabitants Oscar and Meyer (hot dogs) showing what could happen to them if they came in contact with electricity in a variety of situations. For more information, please call Jeanette Parrish at (919) 965-3361.
