May 4-10, 2008 is Teacher Appreciation Week! May 6 is National Teacher Day May 7 is National School Nurse Day! JCS Academic Calendar Dates *May 22 - Johnston County Middle College High Graduation *May 26 - Student Vacation Day *June 10 - Last Day for Students/Early Student Dismissal *June 12 - High School Graduations School Nurse Day is May 7 National School Nurse Day will be observed on Wednesday, May 7 during National Nurses Week, ending on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing. On this day of celebration, please take the time to recognize the important work of the district's 14 school nurses. For more information, please call Jean Tripp, Coordinator of Nurses, at 919.934.9810, extension 287. Talent Show Held at Dixon Road Elementary Dixon Road Elementary hosted its first annual Talent Show Friday, April 25, 2008, raising about $480. Thirty-nine students participated, performing acts ranging from piano and violin solos to jump rope demonstrations. For more information, please call Kate Moynihan, Guidance Counselor at Dixon Road Elementary 919.894.7771. Kindergarten Class Learning Character Education Mrs. Bullock's Kindergarten class has been learning about character education and how to show compassion to others. When we heard the tragic news about Marcus Lassiter, our class decided to work with the rest of the Kindergarten classes to challenge our school to help raise donations to send to Marcus Lassiter's family. We believe that our county is a community and we wanted to show our support to his family. For more information, please call Ken Williams at 919.936.5011, Extension 319. Johnston Team Advances to National Envirothon Competition (New) (Photo) West Johnston’s High School Envirothon Team, the Sequoias, are making plans for Arizona this summer, as they will represent North Carolina in the North American Envirothon competition in Flagstaff, Arizona. There they will compete among the best teams from over 50 US States and 8 Canadian provinces in the Canon sponsored event. The Envirothon is North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. In North Carolina, the Envirothon begins at the regional level where 5-member middle and high school teams participate in classroom learning and outdoor field explorations. At the Area 4 Envirothon, where the Sequoias placed first, teams from 11 counties compete for the top seven scores that earn them the privilege to advance to the state level. The NC Envirothon determines the State Champion high school team that represents North Carolina. All three levels of Envirothon competition involve five written exams that challenge young people's knowledge of ecology, environmental issues and natural resources management. The Envirothon focuses on five subject areas and correlates directly to the NC Standard Course of Study for middle and high school students. The five subject areas include: Soils / Land Use - formation, morphology, characteristics, chemical and physical properties, classifications, erosion, soil surveys, site suitability, nutrient cycles, current issues, soil and water conservation, best management practices (BMP's) Aquatic Ecology - water cycle, chemical & physical properties of water, aquatic ecology, identification of aquatic plants and macroinvertebrates, aquifers, wetlands, current issues, watershed management, point/nonpoint source pollution, aquatic BMP’s Forestry - tree identification, forest types and communities, forest ecology, forest development and succession, forest measurements, pests and diseases, current issues, economic/social/ecological influences, silvicultural and forest management BMP’s Wildlife - identify common species and signs, survival needs, habitat components, adaptations, limiting factors, food chains, food webs, non-native species, current issues, threatened and endangered species, wildlife biology and management best management practices Current Environmental Issues - issue analysis, identify impacts and ecological, socio-economic and technological implications, recommend BMP’s and options to minimizes/prevent impact on natural resources and build consensus among key stakeholders The teams take a written 25-question test at each of the 5 subject stations and the team with the highest scores at all stations is the winner. West Johnston’s team only missed one question out of the 500 possible points making them the highest scorer in the 18-year history of the North Carolina Envirothon. "West Johnston’s Sequoias really set a precedent for the North Carolina Envirothon," says Bruce Miller, Chairman of the NC Envirothon. "We have never had a team come so close to a perfect score before." The other competing teams from Johnston County included West Johnston’s Killer Fog, who placed among the top ten scoring teams. At the middle school level, McGee’s Crossroads Middle School teams, the Southern Leopard Frogs and the Enviro-Men did well. The Southern Leopard Frogs made a perfect score in soils. As State Envirothon champions, the team received a cash prize of $200, a plaque, a trip to the National Competition and a $500 scholarship for each team member. The North American Envirothon will be held at Northern Arizona University in July. "Many students who participate in the Envirothon are inspired to pursue careers related to the topic areas they study," said Susan Woodard, of the Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District. "As State Winners this opens a lot of doors for these students at the both the college and professional level. The team has worked so hard and the advisors have provided wonderful training opportunities for the students,’ she added. Donna Tolar, parent of one of the team members, described some of the team’s extensive training. "We would take field trips to the coast, to the State Parks and museums and we even slept in sleeping bags beneath the shark tank at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. One of our best training sessions was at Waccamaw State Park. The kids have loved every minute of it." For Melody Lineberger, who began training the team in middle school, said "it has been a dream come true for the students," whose team name is ‘The Sequoias.’ "They wanted to go to the National Envirothon in Arizona and if they won the state, we told them we’d take them to California to see some ‘real’ sequoias. Now they’ll have that chance." The West Johnston High School Envirothon Team, the Sequoias, who won the North Carolina Envirothon this past weekend. They will advance to the North American Envirothon in Flagstaff, Arizona this summer. The Sequoias were just four points shy of making a perfect score. They only missed one question and had the highest score ever in the 18-year history of the North Carolina Envirothon competition. Pictured, from left to right, are: NCASWCD (North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts) President - Bobby Stanley; Team Advisors-Heather Earp and Melody Lineberger; Team members - Thomas Lineberger, Lewis Braswell, Erin Lineberger, Frankie Johnson, Stephanie Tolar, and NC Envirothon Chairman-Bruce Miller. For more information, please call Susan Watson Woodard, Information Education Specialist, Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District at 919.934.7156, Extension 3. North Johnston Middle School Band Takes 3rd Place in Their Division Eighth grade band students at North Johnston Middle School performed at Bruton High School in Williamsburg, Virginia as part of the Music in the Parks Festival on April 18-19. The ensemble performed "Liturgical Fanfare" and "Asian Folk Rhapsody" for two adjudicators. Students then stayed overnight in Williamsburg and went to Busch Gardens Theme Park on Saturday. At an award’s ceremony during the day, students received a rating of "Excellent" and came in 3rd place in their division. For more information, please call Melissa Sevigny, Band Director, at North Johnston Middle School 919.284.3374. Also at North Johnston Middle, Students Attended AVID Day at ECU (New) Seventh and eighth grade AVID students at North Johnston Middle attended an "AVID Day" at East Carolina University on Tuesday, April 22. The activities of the day included motivational speakers, question and answer sessions with college students and faculty, and workshops dealing with topics such as "Academic Preparation", "Choosing a Career" and "Which One? Where? How Much?" Other activities included a tour of the campus and eating in the Dining Hall. The Office of Development and Student Outreach along with College of Education, Office of Teacher Education coordinated this event. For more information, please call Lynn Prescott at North Johnston Middle School at 919.284.3374. Second Graders Took Trip to the First Federal Bank (New) Amber Parker’s second grade class at Benson Elementary School took a field trip on Tuesday, April 29 to the First Federal Bank in Benson. The trip included a tour of the branch, refreshments, and a book titled, Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. For more information, please call James Parrish, Assistant Principal at 919.894.4233. U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge Visited Cleveland Elementary (New) (Photo) On Monday, April 28, U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge visited Cleveland Elementary School as part of the "Keys to the Future Reading Program" a home reading challenge that he supports. Forty-five students were presented certificates by Representative Etheridge for reading 100 books through this program. For more information, please call 919.550.2700. Sixth Grade Family Night Riverwood Middle School hosted the 6th Annual Rising Sixth Grade Family Night on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Students and families from feeder elementary schools joined the Riverwood Middle staff in the cafeteria for an evening of information and fun. Students in the drama club performed a skit highlighting the top 10 ways to be a successful 6th grader. Volunteer 5th graders participated in related challenges such as races to open combination locks and organizing binders. Riverwood chorus students showcased their talents by performing two songs. The event ended with tours of the building and an opportunity for parents to speak with our PTSA leaders. For more information, please call Kimberlee J. Nappier at 919.359.2769. Poetry Day at Archer Lodge Middle Archer Lodge Middle School will be having a Poetry Day for all seventh graders. Students will be submersed in an all day poetry workshop and celebration on May 9. Professional teaching artists, Michael Beadle, Shirlette Ammons, and Howard Craft will conduct poetry workshops. Archer Lodge Middle School teacher and librarian, Megan Oteri and Becky Palgi will also conduct poetry workshops. This exciting day will culminate with an open mic from 1:15 - 2:15. Seventh grade parents are invited to attend. All three professional poets will perform a poem during the open mic, as well as, performing different poems during their workshops. Students will have the opportunity to read and perform their poetry at the open mic. Michael Beadle is from Canton, NC and has been performing poetry professionally for schools, festivals, church, and civic groups, elder hostels, and conferences since 1998. In 2004, he published a collection of poems, An Invented Hour. His poetry has been featured in Gatherings in the Raleigh News & Observer on the N.C. Poet Laureate’s web page as "Poet of the Week." He currently works as a contributing writer for the Smokey Mountain News. Howard Craft is a published poet and award winning playwright from Durham. He is the recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council Playwriting fellowship and a two time winner of North Carolina Central’s New Play Project. He has worked with United Arts, Artist’s in the School Program since 2000. Craft also teaches experimental poetry and screenwriting at Duke University’s Young Writer’s Camp and advanced poetry workshops for adults th5rough the North Carolina Writer’s Network. Shirlette Ammons is a poet, arts educator, and musician from Durham In the last four years she has received a John Hope Franklin Grant for Documentary Studies, won the Ebony-Harlem Award for Literary Talent, published Stumphole: Aunthology of Bakwoods Blood, a poetry collection issued by Big Drum Press, and released a five song CD, Stump: The Intoxication of Makedo Funk. Ammons has received accolades from well known poet Nikki Giovanni and writer Rebecca Walker. For more information, please call 919.553.0714.
