*Spring Break will begin on Friday, April 14 for all Johnston County Schools students; classes will resume on Monday, April 24. Clayton Middle School students film Hurricanes Clayton Middle School eighth graders Sydney Solomon and Jessica Miller were honorary Canesvision Jumbotron crew members during the March 31st 'Canes vs. FL Panthers game. They met with the Jumbotron crew, production managers, emcees, Storm Squad cheerleaders, and even saw what Stormy, the mascot, looks like. Sydney, Jessica, Linda Dextre and Ms. Chris Stephenson toured the Canesvision control room to learn about the technology and teamwork behind the live video production. They even had a chance to roll up their sleeves and run the cameras up close to the action. They couldn't believe how hard it was to keep the puck on camera * it is fast. (Photos attached.) For more information, please call Linda Dextre, Media Coordinator, at 919.553.5811. Book bugs bite at Cooper Elementary School Cooper Elementary will host a Scholastic Book Fair from April 25 to May 5. The book fair will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. daily. Families, teachers, and the community are invited to attend the fair, which will feature a special camping theme: Camp Read a Book * Let the Book Bugs Bite! The Book Fair will offer specially priced books and educational products, including new releases, award-winning titles, children's classics, interactive software, adult books and current bestsellers from more than 150 publishers. Attendees can help the school build classroom libraries by purchasing books for teachers through the Classroom Wish List and One for Books activities. For more information, please call Heather Stuart, in the Cooper Media Center, at 919.553.0256. Bouncing Bobcats promote healthy heart habits The "Bouncing Bobcats" jump rope team from Micro-Pine Level Elementary is in the peak of their season promoting heart health at local elementary schools. Kris Parks, who formerly headed the River Dell Wranglers, is in her first year coordinating the team. The team consists of thirty fourth and fifth grade students from various ethnic groups and fitness levels. About a quarter of them are boys. With the support of a grant through the Johnston County Education Foundation, the team is able to travel and promote jumping rope as an excellent exercise to increase cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, athletic ability, and enhance self-esteem. Hundreds of students have been exposed to the positive presentation of this energetic show. The team is available for shows on a first come, first serve basis or upon request for special entertainment. (Photo attached.) For more information, please call Angie Jacobs, Principal, at 919.965.3323. Clayton Middle Schoolers participate in Project Birdwatch Tony Nicosia, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, on U.S. Hwy. 70, teamed up with Clayton Middle School 6th graders for "Backyard Birdwatch". Tony donated his time and many items needed to launch the project with Ms. Usha's class. Tony and the students worked to clear the area and set up feeders. Ms. Usha's students and Ms. Flowe from the media center, will maintain the area and observe the different species and numbers of birds inhabiting the garden. The data collected from this project will be entered into Cornell University's Project Bird Watch program. (Photos attached.) For more information, please call Linda Dextre, Media Coordinator, at 919.553.5811. Smithfield Middle student receives scholarship to summer academic program Smithfield Middle School 7th grader, Bella Irvine, has received a full merit scholarship to the Asheville School for their summer academic program for gifted students. Only four students across the nation were recipients of this award, which is based on merit, an essay and teacher recommendations For more information, please call Ann Carper, Principal, at 919.934.4696. Local educator attends World View Seminar on East Asia Carola Figueroa of Selma Elementary School attended the World View seminar on "East Asia: Tradition and Transformation," on March 22-23, 2006. Figueroa was among the 200 school and college educators who traveled to UNC-Chapel Hill for the day-and-a-half program and returned with a greater understanding of the region and its relevance for the classroom. The seminar's feature presentations covered topics such as the Chinese education system, East Asian religions and South Korea's rise in information technology. Participants also selected small group sessions on historical, regional and classroom application topics. Figueroa joins a growing number of World View program graduates who will now take on the responsibility of increasing global perspectives in the classroom. For more information, please call Carola Figueroa at 919.965.3361. Smithfield Middle School in need of proctors Proctors are needed for testing at Smithfield Middle School. If you can help, please call the school at 934-4696. Dates needed are as follows: Computer testing, April 11-13 and May 16-18; End-of-Grade testing, May 23-25 and June 1, 2 and 5; and Algebra, June 6. For more information, please call Ann Carper, Principal, at 919.934.4696. NJMS Raises over $2,200 for Hoops for Heart Twice a year students in Coach Edwards and Coach Shaffer's P.E. classes participate in Hoops for Heart. This is a fundraiser to raise money for The American Heart Association. On March 24th, students who collected at least a dollar in donations participated in Hoops for Heart by playing basketball. The sixth grade was the top fund raiser. They raised $655. Second place in fund raising was seventh grade. They raised $528. The eighth graders raised $107. Students in the fall P.E. classes participated in Hoops for Heart. The 7th grade was the grade level to raise the most money. They raised $468.00. The 6th grade was second with a total of $310.90. Eighth grade raised $223. North Johnston Middle School students raised a total of $2291.90 this year for Hoops for Heart For more information, please call Coaches Jody Edwards or Kevin Shaffer at 919.284.3374. Cooper's "Books and a Buck" project benefits Hurricane Katrina victims Cooper Elementary School's Green House spearheaded a Hearts for America project called "Books and a Buck". All students (K-5) were encouraged to participate by bringing in a book and a buck. All students that brought in a buck were given a green dollar to write their name on. All dollars were taped on the front window of the school. At least 289 gently used and new books were collected in addition to $160 to send to Hearts for America. This project was headed by Tamara Seelig, Green House Chair and Lead Kindergarten Teacher, and Susan Whittington, Teacher Assistant. It was done to help schools affected by Hurricane Katrina. Cooper was paired with an elementary school in Louisiana and everything collected locally was sent directly to that school. The students and staff in Louisiana were very appreciative of Cooper's effort to help them in their time of need. (Photo attached.) Pictured from left to right: Alex Leiner, Tamara Seelig (Kindergarten teacher), Valeisha Norman, Mackenzie Westmoreland, Samuel Whittington, and Susan Whittington (Teacher's Assistant) For more information, please call Tamara Seelig at 919.553.0256.
