A Cat, a Tiger and a Shark at Mineral Springs Elementary

All sorts of book-character celebrities have been reading to the students in the summer program at Mineral Springs Elementary School.

On July 12, Carol Montague-Davis, the school system’s assistant superintendent for secondary schools, dressed up as a cat. She read Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean and Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Kirby Lawson and Mary Nethery and illustrated by Jean Cassels.

On July 20, Sam Mills, the school system’s director of school administration, read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.

On July 21, Superintendent Beverly Emory visited the school. See the previous post for more details.

Today – July 25 – Colin Tribby, the assistant principal at Reynolds High School who is overseeing the summer program at Mineral Springs, dressed up as a shark. His book was Hark a Shark!

Melvin Aikens, who is the administrative assistant for Montague-Davis, did the makeup for everyone with help from Heather Surratt, the administrative assistant for Steve Oates, the assistant superintendent for elementary schools.

Dr. Emory Reads to Third-Graders in the Summer Program at Mineral Springs Elementary

On Thursday, Superintendent Beverly Emory headed to Mineral Springs Elementary School and read to all the third-graders in the summer program.

Emory read “A Bad Case of Stripes” by David Shannon. As you can see from the photos, she had dressed for the occasion.

Reagan and East Fosyth High Teachers Spend spend Week with Rep. Foxx

Two Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools teachers have been serving as interns with Rep. Virginia Foxx.

Kristen Crews teaches advanced placement U.S. History and American History at Reagan High School. Douglas Smith teaches at East Forsyth High School.

Crews and Smith are the two 10th annual “Teacher in Congress” internship winners sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx, (R­) 5th District.

“This program will provide Kristen and Douglas with a tangible way to give students a look inside the federal government,” Foxx said. “Their week in Washington will equip them to teach in new ways about our roles in a republic and hopefully inspire the next generation of North Carolina public servants with a vibrant civics education.”

They spent a week of “intensive learning, curriculum development activities and hands­-on experience in America’s federal government.”

“Most of the week we spent shadowing Congresswoman Foxx,” Crews said. "It was the last week before Congress' big recess so there were a lot of votes on different appropriations amendments among other things.

“We had the opportunity to watch her debate on the House floor from the gallery. We sat in on a Rules Committee meeting as well as an Oversight and Government Reform meeting. We went to a Bi-partisan Education round table meeting with five other Congressmen and their staff.

“It was refreshing to see Republicans and Democrats sit down and be respectful and work together towards a common goal. We do not see enough of those moments in the media. We also had the opportunity to have private tours of the Capital building and the Library of Congress with Rep. Foxx.

“She was so generous with her time and was constantly pausing with her busy schedule to answer our questions or show us interesting things. I was impressed with the Congresswoman's work ethic and dedication to her constituents. She is extremely respected by other members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats.

“She seemed to know the name of every Capitol Hill police officer when we went through the various security checks. I think that says a lot about her character, and those were the moments that I was the most proud to call her my Representative.

“The Teacher in Congress internship was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the legislative process works and I know I will use countless eye witness examples from my experience in my classroom for years to come." 

Crews also serves as the assistant volleyball coach and the sponsor of the school’s Debate Club and N.C. YMCA Youth and Government delegation. She is a graduate of Meredith College and earned a master’s degree from Salem College.

The “Teacher in Congress” internship was created to offer educators a glimpse of the workings of Congress and the federal government while experiencing the day-­to-­day life of a member of Congress. By supplying teachers with hands­-on opportunities, the internship will help local schools enhance their civics and history curriculum

Reynolds Senior Spending a Year in Indonesia; Will Be Blogging about His Experiences

Joe Faullin, who is a senior at Reynolds High School, is headed to Indonesia.

Faullin has been awarded a national YES (Youth Exchange and Study) Abroad scholarship for 2016-17. He will live with a host family and study in Bandung, Indonesia for the academic year and represent the United States as a student and youth ambassador.

Faullin is the son of Jeff and Elizabeth Faullin. Jeff Faullin is the principal of Brunson Elementary School.

Faullin is in the process of completing online the final two courses he needs to graduate here. While he is in Indonesia, he will be posting on a blog. You can read about his experiences at Joe Faullin 

Joe Faullin is one of only 65 competitively selected students from across the United States to receive a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program. The merit-based award covers the full cost of an academic year abroad, providing Faullin with a full cultural immersion through living with a host family in Indonesia, attending a local high school in Bandung, and helping him develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community. The YES Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

According to a release from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affair, through Faullin’s participation in the YES Abroad program, “he will be at the forefront of citizen diplomacy, serving as a ‘youth ambassador’ in his host country, promoting mutual understanding by building lasting relationships with his host family and friends, and through community engagement in volunteer service and leadership training.”  

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, as an effort to increase dialogue and mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of countries with significant Muslim populations. Initially created as a program for international high school students to live and study in the United States, the YES program was expanded in 2007 to include YES Abroad for American high school students. For the 2016-17 academic year, YES Abroad provides opportunities for Americans to study for one academic year in select countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, Thailand and Turkey.

YES Abroad is administered by a consortium of non-profit organizations, including American Councils for International Education, AFS-USA, AMIDEAST, and iEARN-USA. Exchanges taking place in Indonesia are administered by AFS-USA. AFS is a worldwide, nonprofit organization that has been a leader in international exchange for more than 60 years. Visit www.afsusa.org for more information on studying abroad, hosting an exchange student, or bringing intercultural learning into the classroom.

For more information about YES Abroad, go to YES Abroad 

The Balancing Nails Challenge

The “Amazing Summer Escape Challenge” continues.

On Tuesday July 16, students gathered at the Polo Park Recreation Center for the “Balancing Nails Challenge."

“Students and parents were asked to think outside the box to come up with a way to balance 11 nails on the head of one nail,” said Irma Niten, the parent involvement coordinator for Wiley Magnet Middle School. “Students and parents broke their brains trying to complete the task.”

Betty Jo Moore, who teaches science at Wiley, was on hand to show them how to use balance and gravity to accomplish the challenge.

“Everybody was able to balance the nails,” Niten said.

“The Amazing Summer Escape Challenge” is a school system program designed to encourage students to keep learning throughout the summer.

The next challenge will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday July 21 at Forest Park Elementary School. For more information, go to Summer Escape

Egg Babies and Cardboard Houses

At the latest "Amazing Summer Escape" adventure, students used eggs as crash test dummies and made houses out of cardboard.

For the story, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Here are more pictures:

Summer Learning Adventures

For the past few weeks, about 250 Winston-Salem/Forsyth County students have been participating in the annual Summer Enrichment program at Brunson Elementary.

For the story, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Here are some more pictures:

Local Students Capture 16 Medals at AAU National Club Track

Aiden Gaddy

Students from Cash, Gibson, Griffith, Mineral Springs, Old Richmond, Sedge Garden and Speas elementary schools and The Downtown Middle School did really well at a recent national track event.

Here is what Coach Buddy Hayes of the Next Level Track Club had to say about the experience:  

“With a heat index of over 100 degrees all week, the athletes of Next Level Track Club still managed to capture 16 medals!  The 20^th Annual AAU National Club Track was held once again in Orlando, Fla. Thousands of age-group athletes from throughout the United States, and U.S. Territories vied for Junior Olympic awards. The track meet was held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, on the grounds of Walt Disney World Resort. 

“Sixteen children from the Forsyth County based team competed.  Nine-year-old Aiden Gaddy led the contingent by winning two individual medals, and one as a part of the gold medal winning 4 x 400m Relay team for 9 -10 year old boys. He set a new meet record time in the 9-year-old 800m run, with a time of 2:28. His time beat the old record by almost 3 seconds. He teamed with Kevin Leveret, Jeremiah Hooker and Lewis Green Jr. to win the relay race.  Alphonso Abbott III teamed with Leveret, Hooker and Green to win bronze in the 4 x 100m Relay. 

Madison Minga-Perry

“From the 8-year-old-&-younger boys division, four outstanding youngsters won bronze medals.  Victor Davidson III, Joel Hayes, Xavier Johnson and Derrick Reid Jr. grouped together for an exciting run. Nine-year-old LaNiya Mills won third place in the High Jump. The Julian Gibson student cleared the 3’ 6” height with ease, and barely missed at 3’ 8”. Twelve-year-old Madison Minga-Perry completed the medal total by winning a bronze medal in the 400m run. Maddy surprised her coaches by running a personal best time of 1:00:58!  She nearly won a medal, but missed out by less than an inch in the Long Jump where she finished ninth.”

Maddy, who is a seventh-grader at The Downtown School, was honored recently at the annual Vic Johnson Junior Golf Clinic. There, she received the Samuel Puryear Sr. Award, given to a clinic participant who embodies such positive traits as obedience, dependability and enthusiastic participation.

In addition to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, some Next Level athletes go to Forsyth Academy and Quality Education Academy.  

You can find more information at under Club Nationals at AAU Sports

Big Fun at the 19th Annual Vic Johnson Junior Golf Clinic

On Thursday, The annual Vic Johnson Junior Golf Clinic wrapped up its 19th year of teaching young people to enjoy golf.

You will find the story at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Here are some more pictures: