The First Lady and Kimberley Park Girls

Rhanaja Foy, Laniya Barchue, Monica Noyola-Mendez, Jordyn Reid

 

In her new book, First Lady Michelle Obama writes about a garden at Kimberley Park Elementary School that fourth-grade girls and their mothers planted in 2010.

Obama’s book American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America went on sale on May 29. The section called “Gardens of Service, Winston-Salem, North Carolina,” mentions several gardens in Winston-Salem. Here’s what it says about the one at Kimberley Park:

“Here six fourth-grade girls and their mothers began working in two small plots to grow tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, beans and okra. During those hours of planting, weeding, and watering, they talked, listened, and laughed, sharing stories and advice and reminding us that gardens don’t just connect us to our land and our food, but to each other.”

Amber Baker, the principal at Kimberley Park, said that being included in the book is wonderful for the school and for the girls in particular.

“It’s just huge,” she said. “They will go through their middle school and life with a huge morale booster. As a principal, I am certainly proud that she chose to focus on the work we are doing at the school.”

Obama is an advocate for eating healthy foods and exercising, and American Grown includes advice for parents, schools, cities and states on how to combat obesity by starting gardens, getting children to enjoy eating healthy foods and finding more ways for exercise. She also writes about the garden initiative she began in 2009 that included planting a fruit and vegetable garden on the White House lawn, the first such garden planted at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden.

Girls and mothers at Kimberley Park continue to tend a garden at the school, and produce from the garden has been distributed in the neighborhood around the school and donated to the Samaritan Soup Kitchen.

The garden was planted as part of the Mothers and Daughters: 2gether we CAN! Project established by the Maya Angelou Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education at Winston-Salem State University to help strengthen the bonds between mothers and daughters. A grant from the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem provided the necessary money.

The project also included other approaches to good health dear to Obama, including the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Although funding for the project has ended, Baker has kept the garden going, and she is working to find additional grant money. She would like to expand the program to include sons and fathers.  

  

Big Fun at Triad Park for Glenn Seniors

On Friday, May 25, the seniors at Glenn High School headed to Triad Park for Senior Field Day 2012.

As you can see, Principal Brad Craddock didn't have to worry about staying cool.

Parkland Senior Is Gates Millennium Scholar

Treyaun Fulton, a senior at Parkland High School, is one 1,000 students nationwide chosen as Gates Millennium Scholars for the Class of 2012. Fulton is going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he plans to double major in pharmacy and business.

“I plan to become a pharmacist and eventually own my own pharmaceutical company. I hope to better regulate pharmaceuticals so as to reduce the fatalities from prescription drugs,” Fulton said. “This scholarship was the answer to my prayers as well as my family's. Since the age of 10, I have always wanted to attend Carolina and now I'm so happy to be going there as well as never having to worry about financial aid again!”

The good-through-graduation Gates Millennium scholarships can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipients’ choice. Gates scholars may also request continued funding for a graduate-degree program in computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.

Fulton received other scholarships as well, including the Dean Prim Scholarship, which is worth $1,500 a year for four years and includes a trip to China, and the Crumley Roberts Chairman's Scholarship, which came with $1,000 and an iPad.

For the Gates Millennium scholarship, Fulton was chosen from more than 24,000 students who applied. Established in 1999 by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the program is designed to help develop the leaders of the future. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential.

“Education continues to be the best pathway to opportunity, and we believe that college costs should not be an obstacle along that path,” said Jim Larimore the deputy director for student success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “That’s why scholarships like the Gates Millennium Scholars Program and others are so important. Scholarships provide students who have the will to get a post-secondary education with a way to get one, thereby securing a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.”

The members of the 2012 group come from 47 states as well as the District of Columbia, the Marshall Islands and four U.S. territories: Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and will be attending 348 colleges and universities. Current Gates Scholars attend a total of 723 colleges and universities across the country.

For more information about GMS and a list of the Class of 2012 Gates Millennium Scholars, visit www.gmsp.org.

Hurray! More Books for Mineral Springs Elementary

Media Coordinator Julia Bitting Reads One of the New Books

 

Thanks to a student at Wake Forest University, students at Mineral Springs Elementary School have another 183 books to choose among in the media center.

The books were provided by Students Helping Students, a nonprofit organization founded by Wake Forest junior Bill Zandi that distributes gently used furnishings and supplies to schools. The organization has helped about 50 schools in Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

“I think he’s got a great idea,” said Mike Nuckolls, the school counselor at Mineral Springs. “He seems very committed to it.”

The donation to Mineral Springs includes both fiction and nonfiction about such subjects as animals and what people around the world eat. 

“It’s a pretty wide variety," Nuckolls said. "This gives them a lot of access to more subjects.”

Radio station WFDD-FM plans to air a story about the donation on Tuesday, May 29.

 Mineral Springs heard about Students Helping Students from its school partner First Church of God in Christ. 

Zandi founded the organization in the fall of 2005, during his freshman year in high school, after seeing the effects on Hurricane Katrina on schools in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward.

Go Green Go-Kart Competition at Career Center

The Alternative Fuels - Environmental Club at the Career Center sponsored its annual Go Green Go-Kart Competition today. Contestants used such alternative fuels as electricity, ethanol, biodiesel and waste vegetable oil, or WVO to those in the know.

The go-karts were designed by 24 teams from seven high schools - Atkins, the Career Center, East Forsyth, Glenn, Mount Tabor, North Forsyth and Parkland.

Featured events this year were the four-driver relay and the fuel-efficiency test. The winners were:

4-Driver Relay

• Biodiesel
  • Green Machine - Career Center Alternative Energies - 103.75 sec
• Alcohol
  • Mean Machine - North Forsyth - 100.77 sec
• Electric
  • Blazing Donuts I - Career Center Automotive Technology - 113.86 sec

Fuel Efficiency

• Alcohol
  • Nailers - Career Center Carpentry
• Biodiesel
  • Devil Dogs - Career Center Collision Repair

Best Asthetics - Career Center Collision Repair

Most Creative Design - Career Center Carpentry

Best Overall Build - Glenn HS Green Racers

Most Resourceful - East Forsyth

Most Innovative Safety Feature - Career Center Automotive Technology

Best Team Spirit - North Forsyth

Donny Lambeth to Retire from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Donny Lambeth, who has been chairman of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education since 1994, said in a story in today's Winston-Salem Journal  that he plans to retire from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where he has worked for 40 years, at the end of June.

Lambeth will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Education.

For the full story by Journal reporter Richard Craver, go to: http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/may/22/1/lambeth-ar-2301221/

Real World Experiences

Carol Taylor

On May 5, Carol Taylor, Marty Creech, Allison George and Martha Tedrow were recognized in Raleigh for their work as 2012 Kenan Fellows.

The Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development is a competitive fellowship offered to public school teachers. The program’s mission is “to enhance curriculum relevance for the benefit of all students; engage teachers, business, and universities through unique professional collaboration; and promote growth opportunities for teachers and the teaching profession."

  

Taylor, who teaches math at Hanes Magnet School, worked with N.C. A&T State University on an aviation safety project paid for by NASA. She helped develop materials, tools, models and technologies that support the safe operation of aerospace vehicles. One of Taylor’s goals was to find ways to integrate engineering concepts into classroom lessons in math and science.

 “My experience working on a project funded by NASA was fantastic!” said Taylor. “I was able to work in the Composite Materials Resource Center in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at A&T State University. I developed hands-on activities for my math classroom based on this experience.”

Creech is a district instructional technologist with the school system’s Department of Instructional Technology. He explored innovations in healthcare while working with a radiologist in the Laboratory of Complex Brain Networks at Wake Forest Baptist Health.

“After teaching for eight years, this experience opened my eyes to see what we as teachers were preparing our students for,” Creech said. “The advancements that are being made in the biomedical fields are astounding. Knowing that our students need to be ready for these careers in their future forced me to reflect on my own practices and education practices in general. It reinforced the ideas that there is a need for real world experiences in our classrooms….I am excited that in my current position that I get to share the things I learned through the Kenan fellowship with teachers across our district.”

Allison George

George, who teaches math at Reynolds High School, worked with Guilford Technical Community College, on a NASA Flight Fellowship designed to build a workforce in aerospace and aviation. Geroge saw first-hand the kinds of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) skills necessary to succeed in this field and worked on developing relevant, engaging lessons that encourage high school students to consider aerospace training programs.

"Through my externship, I experienced first-hand the math skills that students needed to be successful in the aviation field," George said. "As a teacher, the Kenan Fellows program challenged me to explore my teaching methods and reflect on my practices. It was an amazing, transformative experience."

Martha Tedrow

Tedrow, who teaches at Jefferson Middle School, worked with the N. C. Department of Public Instruction on teacher training programs associated with the new Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English/Language Arts, and Essential Standards for Science and Social Studies that have been adopted in North Carolina. They will be put into place in classrooms across the state this coming school year, and Tedrow will help schools make the transition.

For more information about Kenan Fellows go to www.kenanfellows.org

Teachers Helping Fellow Teachers and Students

Greg Fisher works with Mount Tabor students

 

In the May 17 issue of the Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Travis Fain writes about Greg Fisher, who teaches at Mount Tabor High School, and Wendy Bartlett, who teaches at Parkland Magnet High School. They each received a Career Award for Science and Mathematics Teachers from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund that is worth $175,000 over five years. 

The fund established the awards to honor outstanding teachers and to give them the resources not only to develop individually but also to help their schools, districts and communities.Fisher and Bartlett are using their grants to support the teaching of math and science in the school system by buying technology for classrooms and by providing training for fellow teachers.

Journal photographers David Rolfe and Andrew Dye took the pictures. For the complete story, go to http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/may/16/1/local-teachers-win-big-grants-commit-to-classroom--ar-2285628/

Kimberley Park Singing Eagles Are "Superior"

When the Kimberley Park Singing Eagle Girls Chorus performed at the 2012 Carowinds Festival of Music in Charlotte on Saturday, May 12, it received the highest possible ranking

The Singing Eagle Girls performed “Two Poems of Emily Dickinson” by Neil Ginsberg and “Who Has Heard the Music?” by Julie Myers and received an overall Superior rating based on such categories as tone, technique, stage presence and choral discipline.    

Music teacher Renee Matthews-Phifer directs the chorus. “When I saw that Superior plaque, I lost it!” Phifer said. “I was completely overwhelmed with emotion because we had worked very hard to be musically prepared for this event, even Saturday rehearsals. I’m so very proud of my girls and grateful to Dr. Baker and the Kimberley Park family.”

Principal Amber Baker and everyone else at Kimberley Park supported the group by volunteering time, donating items and participating in fundraisers, Phifer said. During the winter, the group sold hot chocolate, apple cider and popcorn at the Winston-Salem Jaycees Downtown Holiday Parade. For Valentine’s Day and Easter, the group sold singing telegrams and candy grams. The girls also sold ice cream, lemonade, popcorn and candy during evening events at Kimberley Park.

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Founded in 2009, the group has performed for such district and community events as the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Council of PTAs’ annual dinner, the WS/FC Schools holiday luncheon for principals and the Winston-Salem State University Choir’s holiday concert.

Phifer graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in Choral/Vocal Studies. While at Winston-Salem State, she served as the Assistant Director of the Winston-Salem State University Choir. Phifer also teaches music at Morgan Elementary.

First Graduating Class at Early College

 In today's Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Travis Fain wrote about the first graduating class at Early College of Forsyth, a school system partnership with Forsyth Technical Community College.

Journal photographer David Rolfe took the pictures. For the complete story go to:

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/may/10/1/non-traditional-early-college-graduates-first-high-ar-2266194/

Fox8 television also did a piece about Early College. You can find it at:

http://myfox8.com/2012/05/11/local-student-graduates-from-high-school-and-college-on-same-day/ 

Hanes Student Releases CD of Original Songs

In today's Winston-Salem Journal, Kathy Norcross Watts writes about Tiffany Bramblett, an eighth-grader at Hanes Magnet School, who has recorded a CD of original songs and is having a release party on Saturday at The Garage.  

Journal photographer Andrew Dye took the pictures.

For the full story go to http://www2.relishnow.com/entertainment/2012/may/10/wsrel10-tiffanys-song-local-14-year-old-to-release-ar-2261367/

Northwest Middle Energy Ambassadors Going to Washington

Teacher Iris Mudd with (left to right) Emily Williams, Isabel Loggins, Sara Harrison, Sarah Moore, Alina Galindo-Martinez, Ashley Evans, Kaylyn Reese (not pictured, Hayleigh Cass)

With the Energy Ambassadors Club at Northwest Middle School being named N.C. Junior School of the Year, eight girls will be heading to the nationals in Washington in June.

At the national level, the team is a Junior Rookie Finalist.

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project encourages and rewards student leadership and innovation by sponsoring a Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement. Schools participating in NEED projects are invited to submit portfolios of their energy activities. Exceptional teachers and students are recognized for their efforts at the state and national level and are invited to attend the NEED National Recognition Ceremonies being held June 22-25.

At Northwest, the projects that students did included:

• School-wide home survey of energy conservation, posters made and displayed throughout the school.
• Bookmarks they made and put in school libraries and the Rural Hall Library.
• Calculations of phantom loads with school electronic devices and devices at home.
• Calculations of kilowatt hours used by electrical devices.
• Presentation to the Rural Hall Boy Scouts.
• Calculations of energy efficiency of double-pane vs. single-pane windows.
• Weekly energy conservation messages to the Northwest students and faculty over our public-address system and on the TV monitors.  

More than 30 years ago, the NEED Project began as a one-day celebration of energy education when National Energy Education Day was recognized by a Joint Congressional Resolution. In the same year, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation stressing the need for comprehensive energy education in our school, a reduction of our dependence of fossil fuels and increasing use of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency. Today, the NEED Project works to continue with the goal of reaching every appropriate classroom in the United States.

Members of the Northwest team are Emily Williams, Kaylyn Reese, Isabel Loggins, Sara Harrison, Ashley Evans, Alina Galindo-Martinez, Sarah Moore and Hayleigh Cass. The club sponsor is Iris Mudd, an eighth-grade science teacher at Northwest and the school system’s 2011-12 Teacher of the year. The N.C. A & T University sponsors were Elizabeth Keele and Ray Tesiero.

It's National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

At noon today, about 50 people who work at the school system’s Administration Building launched balloons to bring attention to National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

People across the country did the same. Local groups participating in the balloon release included the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County and CenterPoint Human Services.

The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health celebrates the week each year during the first full week in May. “The week is dedicated to increasing public awareness about the triumphs and challenges in children’s mental health and emphasizing the importance of family and youth involvement in the children’s mental health movement,” according to the federation.

Points the federation wants to make include:

• Mental health is essential to overall health and well-being.
• Serious emotional and mental-health disorders in children and young people are real and treatable.
• Children and young people with mental-health challenges and their families deserve access to services and supports that are family-driven, youth-guided and culturally appropriate.
• Values of acceptance, dignity and social inclusion should be promoted throughout all communities for children, young people and families.
• Family and youth voice is a valued asset in determining appropriate services and

 

More information about the federation is available at http://ffcmh.org/

Allegacy Helps Students Learn About Personal Finances

 

Allegacy Federal Credit Union is helping local high school students with developmental disabilities learn about personal finance.

On May 16, the Center for Smart Financial Choices (CFSFC) will have its first class for 26 students with developmental disabilities. As part of the class, the students will open checking/savings accounts.

Allegacy recently established the Center, a nonprofit organization, to provide educational courses designed to give people basic financial knowledge and to encourage good financial habits. The Center will offer a variety of classes for the public on such topics as financing a college education, palling for retirement and understanding insurance.

“The ultimate goal of CFSFC is to assist people with making smart financial choices by encouraging financial responsibility and helping establish healthy personal finance habits,” said Ike Keener, Allegacy’s President and CEO. “While it’s important to accumulate a sufficient nest egg, it’s necessary to learn how to protect and grow it for financial security in the future. We also want to focus our attention on the younger generation by teaching financial literacy and the basics of money management early in life.”

The center is located in the Allegacy headquarters at 1691 Westbrook Plaza Drive.

Three Teachers Heading to National Math/Science Academy This Summer

Brittney Bray, a fifth-grade teacher at Walkertown Elementary School, Betty Jo Moore, a fourth-grade teacher at Brunson Elementary School, and Kathleen Crook, a fifth-grade teacher at Morgan Elementary, have been selected to attend the 2012 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J.

Kathleen Crook

The goal of the Academy is to help teachers engage students in math and science at an early age in hopes of  retaining their interest in these subjects through college and into their careers.

“I can honestly say that I am very excited to have been selected and am honored to be representing our school system and school at the academy,” Moore said.

"I am so excited and honored to attend this academy," Bray said. "I am always looking for new ways to incorporate math and science into my classroom in a hands-on and exciting way for my students, and I know I am going to get some great ideas from the Academy to come back and not only use in my own classroom, but to share with the other teachers at my school!"  

Bray, Moore and Crook are three of 200 third- through fifth-grade teachers from around the country selected to attend the one-week, all-expenses-paid program this summer. A panel of educators from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) selected Bray, Moore, and Crook from the more than 1,000 teachers nationwide who applied. The panel based its decisions on the teachers’ qualifications, dedication to inspiring students at an early age and overall commitment to enhancing the teaching profession.

Brittney Bray

During the Academy, which is scheduled for July 22-27, the teachers will discover new ways to excite students using experiments that demonstrate various math and science concepts including force, gravity and probability. The Academy curriculum works to deepen teachers’ understanding of these principles by conducting hands-on experiments that they can share with their students in the classroom.

Betty Jo Moore

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy was founded in 2005. A partnership with PGA golfer Phil Mickelson, his wife, Amy, and ExxonMobil, it was developed with support from the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions.

This year, more than 600 teachers will attend one of the three Academies scheduled in New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas. To date, more than 3,000 teachers have attended the Academy, impacting more than 175,000 students from across the country with the lessons and skills they learned.

To nominate local teachers for the 2013 Academy, please visit www.sendmyteacher.com

Philo Magnet Gets "Energized"

On Friday, the Energized Guyz from the National Theatre for Children visited Philo Magnet Academy. The Energized Guyz use fun experiences to teach the importance of energy conservation and efficiency.

Their visit was sponsored by Duke Energy. Its promo states, "Duke Energy seeks to promote a greener world by educating communities on how to become more energy efficient." The performance was interactive, giving Philo students a chance to participate in the fun. The performers went through a student workbook on being more green. 

“The two performers were wonderful,” said Julie Puckett, the Single School Culture Learning Team Facilitator at Philo. “Both students and staff learned and enjoyed the performance.”

The visit came with some satisfying potential fringe benefits. Every student, family and staff member associated with Philo can go on-line and obtain a free energy kit! The school in North Carolina with the highest percentage of people ordering the kits will win $1,000. Families ordering the kits are also eligible to win $5,000!

Information provided by Julie Puckett.

Clemmons Elementary Student Always "Finds a Way"

In the Saturday Winston-Salem Journal, reporter John Dell told the story of Amelia Baskin, a first-grader at Clemmons Elementary. Although Amelia was born without a right arm, she hasn't let that stop her from doing whatever she wants to do.

"She's never been afraid to try anything, and no matter the situation she's put in, she finds a way," her mother, Jeanine Baskin, told Dell..

Amelia plays the piano and studies karate. She is also an accomplished swimmer and plays Winston-Salem Optimist League soccer.

"I really like soccer because it's a fun way to fun around," Amelia said.


Journal photographer Bruce Chapman took the photos of Amelia in action. For the full story go to http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/may/05/4/7-year-old-with-one-arm-ignores-obstacles-masters--ar-2245681/  

Special Olympics Spring Games

 

Special Olympics Forsyth County held its annual Local Spring Games on the campus of Wake Forest University from April 24 through April 26.  The first day kicked off with the ceremonial Parade of Athletes and the Opening Ceremonies. Katie Nordeen, an anchor FOX 8 news, served as the emcee for the Opening Ceremonies.

More than 785 athletes registered to compete in Spring Games. These athletes came from all over Forsyth County and have been training for the Spring Games all year long.  Athletes participated and competed in track events, field events, relays, Motor Activities, and Young Athletes activities.  All athletes received ribbons for "Being Brave in the Attempt".

It took more than 500 volunteers to make sure the Games were a success. These volunteers represented schools, corporations, law enforcement agencies, civic organizations, and individuals throughout the community.  These volunteers gave of their time and talents to make sure the competition ran smoothly, while giving plenty of smiles, encouragements, and hugs.

Special Olympics Forsyth County would like to thank the following sponsors for their efforts in making Spring Games a huge success:  Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Winston-Salem Recreation & Parks Department, Wake Forest University, Flow Motors, Chick-fil-A, and Winston-Salem Federal Credit Union.

Special Olympics is a year-round sports training and competition program for youth people and adults with intellectual disabilities.  In Forsyth County, more than 1,500 athletes train and compete in 15 different sports.  For more information about Special Olympics, please contact Lisa Kiser at lisak@cityofws.org.

Field Day for Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Blind/Visually Impaired Students

On April 19, the school system held was the 21^st Annual Field Day for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and its second annual Field Day for Visually Impaired students. This year the event was held at BB&T Football Field, which made for a very exciting day for all involved. We had a record number of counties and students attending – a total of 17 counties, 210 hearing-impaired students and 24 visually-impaired students.

Our three speakers – LaShaunda Robinson of Reynolds High School, Heather Auman of West Forsyth High School, and Erica Stewart of East Forsyth High School are all graduating seniors who gave words of encouragement and told their personal stories and future plans.

Participating school systems included: Rowan-Salisbury, Union, Bumcombe, Thomasville, Guilford, Rockingham, Wake, Stokes, Yadkin, Asheboro, Alleghany, Mount Airy, Surry, Elkin City, Davie, Randolph, Asheville City, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.

The hearing-impaired students were divided into five age groups and competed in a variety of races and relays. The visually impaired students competed in various activities that included beep balls and rope relay races. This was the first year to include blind/visually impaired preschool students. The water balloon toss was a crowd favorite for all. We had a special visit from the Demon Deacon who posed for many photos. We had many volunteers and sponsors who helped make Field Day a great success. Special thanks to Reynolds Key Club, Reynolds Sign Language Club, Industries for the Blind (who provided the awesome t-shirts), Kitty Hunt and the Adaptive PE staff, Pepsi, and Wake Forest University.

Information provided by Lisa A. Farrimond

Carter Students & the Special Olympics Summer Games

Come Friday June 1, nine students at Carter High School and three members of the staff will head to Raleigh to participate in the Special Olympics Summer Games.

That night, students will get a taste of the college experience by staying in dorms at N.C. State University, eating in the cafeteria and going to a dance. On Saturday morning June 2, they will head over to Ravenscroft School to compete in the 50- and 100-meter runs and the softball throw.

Each year, heading to the state games is a thoroughly satisfying experience for the students, said Pat Jolin, the teacher who oversees the trip. “They just absolutely love it.”

Student Patrick Shields agreed. “You have fun.”

Shields said he is looking forward to going back for seconds at the cafeteria on Friday and participating in the games with his fellow students on Saturday. “It’s about teamwork,” he said. “I like them to work for the gold medals.”

Does he predict that they will be coming home with lots of medals? “Yep!” he said.

Cynthia Wright, an interpreter at Carter, and Ernest Hough, a teacher assistant at Carter, will join Jolin and the students on the trip.

The nine students planning to go are:

Patrick Shields

Shirita Tart

Kenyon Starling

Jharamee Pratt

Dezhaun Brown

Cierra “C.C.” King

Robert Gray

Stefon Lynch

Seth Pennington

Praises for the Crosby Scholars Program

John Gates, a former editorial page editor for the Winston-Salem Journal, wrote a guest column for the Journal that sings the praises of the Crosby Scholars program.

You can find it at http://www2.journalnow.com/news/opinion/2012/may/02/wsopin02-john-gates-guest-columnist-crosby-scholar-ar-2230853/

Wiley Students and Their Animal Friends

At Wiley Middle School, students in the Kennel Club raise money for the Forsyth Humane Society and visit animals at the society's shelter. Art teacher Tammy Cables oversees the club.

Recently, Travis Fain, a reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, talked with students about their experiences with the club, and Journal photographer Lauren Carroll took photos of the students visiting with their animal buddies.

You can read the story, see the pictures and watch a video at http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/apr/30/2/wiley-middle-club-grows-a-love-for-animals-ar-2225900/