JCS Reporter A weekly media tip sheet of story and photo ideas produced on behalf of the Johnston County Schools Week of March 5, 2007 For information about this document, please contact the Office of Public Relations and Information at (919) 934-6031, ext. 241 or 242 Corinth-Holders to Host Class of 2011 Event Eighth graders from Corinth-Holders will participate in Class of 2011 Day on Friday, March 8, at the school. Class of 2011 Day is an all day youth leadership conference where students participate in a variety of personal growth and development sessions. This year's guest speaker is Cynthia O'Neal, a former Corinth student who graduated from Duke University and is now a successful attorney in Raleigh. For more information, contact Betsy Huddleston or Paula Coates at 919.365.7560. Trooper Visits West View Trooper Brian Jones from the Wake County Highway Patrol visited all eight of the Kindergarten classes at West View Elementary on March 1 to talk about highway safety and the importance of obeying the rules and laws, both in school and on our highways. The kindergartners at West View have been studying a unit on community workers and helpers, so they invited Trooper Brian Jones so that they could meet an important community worker discuss the importance of active citizenship and responsibility. Trooper Jones helped the students understand the linkages between human decisions and consequences. For more information, please call Carleen Nichols, Assistant Principal Intern at 919.661.6184. "Heart-to-Heart Reading" First Grade Parent Involvement at West Clayton This Valentine's Day was more than candy and flowers for parents of first grade students at West Clayton Elementary School. It was a day for parents to express their love by participating in a workshop that will ultimately help their children to become better readers. This activity is part of West Clayton's Parent Involvement Program that includes specific goals within the 2006-2007 School Improvement Plan. Reading specialist, Sue Derstein, provided a reading workshop for parents at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, February 14. Following the workshop, the parents were given the opportunity to put the strategies they learned into practice by returning to the classrooms to work with small groups of students on reading activities. Parents worked in the classrooms from 10:00-10:45 a.m. First grade teachers, students, and parents enjoyed and learned from this worthwhile event. Their goal was to help their students reach their highest potential by creating a strong partnership between home and school. For more information, please call Dorlisa Johnson, Assistant Principal, at 919.553.7113. At Selma Middle School: Three Long Time Staff Members Say Goodbye On January 31, 2006 three of Selma Middle School's finest contributors to the overall function of the school - Mrs. Brenda Exum, Mr. Ben Bunch, and Mrs. Beatrice Barnes - officially retired from service. They received quite a send off from the staff as they were the honored guests at a special celebration after school that afternoon for them and their families. Mrs. Exum, eighth grade teacher, takes 31 years of experience in both high and middle school classrooms with her. She found joy in watching the students' reactions when a lesson was going well and devoted much time to ensuring that each day was like that. She was a mentor to several teachers and staff members throughout her years of service. "Ms. Exum always challenged her students to be responsible and work hard," said Jeff Sullivan, Assistant Principal. Mr. Ben Bunch leaves after 15 years of service to Selma Middle. Mr. Bunch was famous for his smile, his willingness to help others, and most of all his love for the children. He was an avid supporter of the school's Academy Attire dress code and could be seen on News Channel 14 the very first day it was implemented! Mrs. Beatrice Barnes contributed to Selma Middle in so many ways. Not only was she on the custodial staff but she also helped in the school store in the mornings where she had another opportunity to interact with the students. Additionally, she was the resident holiday pie baker. The staff would order her delicious hand-made apple, cherry, sweet potato, and various other selections of pies weeks in advance. Ms. Barnes would take some time off to bake the pies and deliver them just in time for the holidays! For more information, please call Lisa Sullivan, teacher, at 919.965.2555. Also at Selma Middle, Students Place in Regional Tournament The Selma Middle Science Olympiad team competed in the Raleigh Regional Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. Two competitors, Amanda Mitchell and Erica Vann, both in the eighth grade, placed 2nd in the event, Write It Do It. These students spent countless hours preparing for the Olympiad, including some time spent with their sponsors, Tomeisha Barnes and Heidi Adams, Head and Assistant Coaches respectively, after school. "I am very proud of all the students who participated in the competition this year, said Assistant Coach, Heidi Adams. "I am glad to witness their hard work pay off in the form of medals. The second place win gave great satisfaction to the winners who also competed in the same event last year." The coaches and their teams thank their sponsors this year, Dr. Dicky Parrish of Selma, Selma IGA, and McDonalds of Selma. Without their donations, the Selma Middle Science Olympiad team wouldn't have looked like a team or felt like one. The Science Olympiad is a national competition held throughout the United States. It consists of about 20 science events that cover all realms of the sciences. Students either study for tests in the required fields or make rockets, airplanes, aquifers, robotic cars, catapults, towers and many more things. The students practice from September until the regional competition in February. If they place first in the regional competition, they will compete in the State Finals. If they place in the state finals, they will then travel to the national competition held in late spring. For more information on the Science Olympiad, please contact Tomeisha Barnes (tomeishabarnes@johnston.k12.nc.us) or Heidi Adams (heidiadams@johnston.k12.nc.us). Selma Middle Meets Africa In celebration of Black History Month, the Djembe Fire! And The Village of Kindia performance group took the Selma Middle School stage for two performances on Monday, February 19. To begin the performance, students were welcomed with a drum call and a traditional African welcome. Selma Middle students really got a feel for the different customs of African villages. The performance included daily youth rituals and traditions in the African forest setting. They followed the villagers as they carried water, planted seeds, pounded grain, and gathered wood in the "forest". For more information, please call Lisa Sullivan, teacher, at 919.965.2555. Women's Club Art Winner at Riverwood Middle (photo) Eighth grade student Adaria Coulter represented the school in another art competition. She placed sixth in the State Fair, first place in the Lion's Club art competition in our district and has now second place in the Clayton Women's Club Art Competition painting division at the district level. Adaria has also exhibited her work at Johnston Memorial Hospital's West Wing and through out the school. Her work will be shown will be shown at the Showcase of the Stars this month. For more information, please call Magen Pike, Art Teacher, at 919.359.2769. Also at Riverwood Middle, The school's sixth annual spelling bee was held on February 27 in the Media Center. Each language arts teacher sent a representative from each language arts class. There were 36 students participating in the final round. On the seventh round, there was finally a winner! The winners are (with their language arts teachers) first place, Tyler Lindley (Mrs. Baker); second place, Daniel Moss (Mrs. Cruz); and third place, Stefan Garcia (Mrs. Jenkins). Tyler will represent Riverwood Middle at the Johnston County Spelling Bee on March 22 in Selma. For more information, please call Harriet Baker, Language Arts Teacher, at 919.359.2769. Princeton Hosting Annual Reverse Drawing Princeton School's 14th Annual Bulldog Reverse Drawing for a $5000 cash prize will be held on Saturday March 17 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. The event is sponsored by the PHS Athletic Department. A $50 donation will include a steak dinner; an extra meal ticket is $10. Door prizes will be distributed throughout the night. For more information, please call Ken Williams, Career Development Coordinator, 919.936.5011, extension 319. Cat in the Hat Visits Selma Elementary The Cat in the Hat visited Selma Elementary and read the book, The Cat in the Hat, on March 2. Each grade level also viewed an age-appropriate video related to a Dr. Seuss book for Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday and The Cat in the Hat turning 50 years old. For more information, please call Leta Woodall, Media Specialist, at 919.965.3361. River Dell Welcomes Germ City Crew On March 22 NC Agriculture Commissioner, Steve Troxler will visit River Dell Elementary with the "Germ City" crew to help educate our students in germ prevention. Commissioner Troxler will put on his "hat" and read to our students as they participate in this special learning activity at River Dell Elementary. For more informat
