Ashley High School senior Lizzie Rhoades is in Greensboro this weekend to sound off against 32 other students across North Carolina in the state level of the national Poetry Out Loud competition.
The annual contest is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, and coordinated by the N.C. Arts Council.
“Poetry Out Loud utilizes the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater in high school classrooms,” Robin Clayton, Poetry Out Loud district coordinator for New Hanover County, said. “Through the program, students can master public speaking skills, increase reading comprehension scores, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.”
Students first participate at the school level then compete at the district level. Winners from district competitions have advanced to the state level this weekend. The winner of the state competition receives $200 and a free trip to Washington, D.C., for the national championship, which will be held April 29 and 30, when he or she will vie for a $20,000 college scholarship.
The state winner’s school also receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. The runner-up at the state level receives $100, with his or her school receiving a $200 stipend for books. All students participating in the semi-finals receive free memberships to the N.C. Writers’ Network and the N.C. Poetry Society.
Roland-Grise picked to ‘invite a scientist’
Kendra Harrison, a sixth-grade math and science teacher at Roland-Grise Middle School, will have help this school year when she introduces the rock cycle unit to her classes.
Understanding that the topic is not always a student favorite, Harrison is always looking for a way to shake things up. While attending a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) conference in the fall, she learned of the N.C. Science Festival’s “Invite a Scientist” program. The program recruits scientist and STEM professionals to share their knowledge and love of science with middle school students. The goal is to inspire students to consider science as a career and to educate them on how science impacts their lives.
After applying and being selected for the program, Dr. Todd LaMaskin from UNC-Wilmington will guest teach the rock cycle next week.
Pre-k informational meeting set
New Hanover County Schools holds an informational meeting for current N.C. pre-k sites in the district, as well as childcare facilities that are interested in adding N.C. pre-k classrooms at their sites, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the Smart Start of New Hanover County office located at 3534 South College Rd., Suite F.
The meeting will cover the state application process and the possibilities for site expansion for the 2014-15 school year. Sites interested in applying must attend the informational session in order to receive an application. Please RSVP to Krista Turner at (910) 815-3731 ext. 110 or email to [email protected]. For additional information on the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education, click here.
Local educator named top gifted and talented administrator
Sarah Gubitz, supervisor of the New Hanover County school district’s academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) program, has been selected as the 2014 N.C. Gifted Administrator of the Year by the N.C. Association of Gifted and Talented (NCAGT). She was recognized at the NCAGT State Awards Banquet during the annual NCAGT Annual Conference in Winston Salem last month.
Gubitz was nominated by Karma Maples, the 2014 New Hanover County Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted. Maples said she nominated Gubitz for her vision and tirelessness in moving the district’s gifted education program forward.
Gubitz is credited with revitalizing the New Hanover County Schools Gifted Advisory Council into a well organized committee that works closely with the staff members to meet the needs of AIG students and provide equitable programming across the county.
She has also implemented a monthly staff training system that allows all staff members to meet together and receive the most current information. Under her guidance, a new system of record keeping has been implemented that provides consistency across the school district with AIG identifications.
High school graduations announced
New Hanover County’s traditional high school graduations are scheduled for Saturday, June 14, at UNC-Wilmington’s Trask Coliseum, located at 601 S. College Rd.
The times are as follows:
- Laney High–9 a.m.
- Ashley High–12:30 p.m.
- Hoggard High–4 p.m.
- New Hanover High–7:30 p.m.
Early college high schools and Mosley Performance Learning Center graduations are scheduled as follows:
- Isaac Bear Early College–Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m., UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium
- Wilmington Early College–Saturday, May 31, 1 p.m., Windell Daniels Hall, Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station Building
- Mosley Performance Learning Center–Friday, June 13, 7 p.m., Snipes Elementary School auditorium
Brunswick County
Traditional calendar adopted
The Brunswick County Board of Education is pleased to announce the adoption of the 2014-15 traditional school calendar.
According to a press release from the district, next year’s calendar provides a compromise for individuals who did not feel students should be in school at sites used for polling places on Election Day, November 4, and for those who believed the 10-week instructional stretch after the winter break needed to be broken up with a teacher workday on March 13, 2015. The new calendar provides for both of these requests.
The school calendar is drafted for the board of education’s review by a committee of parents and staff representing all 19 Brunswick County schools. Click here to view the approved calendar.
