Lewisville Elementary Art Teacher Receives Scholarship to Study at Penland School of Crafts

Katherine Hartman with students

Thanks to a scholarship honoring Tony Swider, Katherine Hartman, who teaches art at Lewisville Elementary School, will be studying at the Penland School of Crafts this summer.

“It’s an honor and I’m excited,” Hartman said.

Hartman’s students appreciate what she does for them.

“She is always really encouraging,” said fifth-grader Kahlin Cossey, “and she always helps everybody out.”

“She always pushes us to do our best art work and she is really great,” said fifth-grader Lillie Gifford.

During his 40 years with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Swider served as both an art teacher and as an arts administrator. Arts supporters and educators established The Tony Swider Art Education Scholarship Fund to promote artistic growth.

Hartman with Penny Freeland and Brad Oliver

On Thursday, Brad Oliver, the school system’s Director of Arts Education & Summer Enrichment Programs, and Penny Freeland, the school system’s lead teacher for visual arts, dropped by Lewisville to recognize Hartman.

“She is an outstanding art teacher,” Oliver said. “She is also an extremely helpful person – very positive.”

Hartman with Angie Choplin and Jannie Stewart

Principal Angie Choplin said: “She cares about each child. She is always positive, patient…Every child leaves this classroom feeling like an artist.”

When she can, Choplin said, she enjoys dropping in on one of Hartman’s classes and making art with the students.

“She is exceptional,” said Jannie Stewart, the assistant principal at Lewisville. “She truly cares for the children.” 

  

Hartman has taught at Lewisville for 27 years and taught at East Forsyth High School for 9 years before that.

The Tony Swider scholarship is overseen by the Winston-Salem Foundation. Each year, the foundation notifies the school system’s arts educator of the amount available. Each scholarship is generally worth $3,000 to $5,000. Those wanting to receive the scholarship apply, and a committee of arts professionals and educators recommend a recipient to the foundation.

Mount Tabor Teacher Going to Poland for Conference about the Holocaust

Laurie Schaefer

Laurie Schaefer, who is the chair of the English department at Mount Tabor High School, is one of 25 teachers from around the world who have been chosen to go to Poland later this month to participate in a four-day workshop about the Holocaust.

Educators from 11 countries on four continents will attend the workshop designed to deepen their understanding of the historical landscape of Poland before, during and after the Holocaust and to increase their knowledge of such concentration camps as Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“I am very excited and honored to be able to participate,” Schaefer said.

While there, teachers will meet with Holocaust survivors. In May, one of those survivors will come here.

“I will be holding a one-day workshop for teachers at the end of May to teach about what I learned,” Schaefer, “and I will also have a Holocaust survivor there from Auschwitz to talk to the teachers.”

To be considered for the honor, Schaefer said, “I had to make a short video detailing why I wanted to participate and how it would benefit me, my students, and my peers. Then, I had to answer five short essay questions and fill out the rest of the online application. They said that they were going to take no more than 200 applications and they chose 15 American teachers from that pool of applicants, as well as 10 other teachers from different countries around the world.”

Auschwitz: The Past is Present is an education program being held in conjunction with the observance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27. The program is sponsored by the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education and by Discovery Education. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the International Auschwitz Council are the organizers of the official commemoration event.

“Survivors shared their stories because they understood how vital it was that future generations never forget what happened at places like Auschwitz,” said Kori Street, the USC Shoah Foundation Director of Education. “By bringing teachers to a place where so many atrocities occurred is a way to show survivors that we take seriously our responsibility of keeping their voices strong forever.”

Find Out More About Wiley Magnet Middle School and Other Magnet Schools at Annual Magnet Fair

Wiley Principal Sean Gaillard

On Saturday Jan. 10, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will hold its annual Magnet Fair. In the Friday Jan. 9 issue of the Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Arika Herron writes about Wiley Magnet Middle School, one of the magnet schools that will be represented at the fair.

Photographer Andrew Dye took the photos. Here is an excerpt from Herron's story.

This time last year, Wiley Magnet Middle School didn’t exist.

On the eve of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ annual magnet school fair, it’s poised to become one of the district’s most popular magnet programs.

Wiley Middle School – one of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools oldest and most historic schools – was struggling. The school had low test scores, high poverty and a plenty of open seats and school officials knew something needed to change.

“For years, we were not a consideration,” said Sean Gaillard, Wiley’s principal. “In a school system of choice, we were the non-choice.”

For the most part, middle-school assignment in the district works like this: students are placed in a “residential zone” that includes three middle schools from which they may choose. Students are guaranteed placement in one of those three schools, and often are granted their first or second choice. Wiley is part of the Midwest Zone with Jefferson Middle School and Paisley IB Magnet School.

Gaillard said that when given those three choices, Wiley was often the last choice.

That is starting to change, though. Wiley began piloting a new theme for the school’s sixth-graders two years ago. It uses a curriculum, known as STEAM, which integrates science, technology, engineering, art and math across subjects.

In November 2013, Wiley appealed to the district’s Board of Education to become its 19th magnet school.

The board granted the request, allowing Wiley to take its STEAM theme school-wide.

What the magnet also allowed Wiley to do – other than change its name – was to open enrollment to students across the county. Wiley accepts students from outside of its competitive residential zone.

“I thought, we’d get maybe 10 kids,” Gaillard said.

Wiley accepted 80 magnet students. Dozens more were put on a waiting list.

The effect was two-fold. Not only did Wiley attract those out-of-zone students, its new theme also helped it attract more students from inside its zone.

For the complete story, go to Winston-Salem Journal 

Student Art in January 2015 Issue of Forsyth Family

By Sarah Payne

By Sarah Campbell

By Emily Salinas-Hernandez

By Jaqouria Watlingson

In the January 2015 issue of Forsyth Family magazine, you will find art by four students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

Rachel Payne is in the second grade at Jefferson Elementary School. Her art teacher is Katharine Bunnell.

Sarah Campbell is in the third grade at Konnoak Elementary School. Her art teacher is Diahann Tabor.

Emily Salinas-Hernandez is a seventh-grader at Philo-Hill Magnet Academy. Her art teacher is Linda Rubin.

Jaqouria Watlington is a senior at Atkins Academic & Technology High School. His art teacher is Janet Blakely.