King of the World at Ashley Elementary

By Theresa George

Technology Facilitator at Ashley Academy for Cultural & Global Studies

For students at Ashley the first day was met with excitement but it was also monumental to say the least. Staff and Community came together as one, pooling their resources and time for something that was well worth the smiles that adorned the small faces of students.

As students made their way to the entrance of the school they were met by encouraging words, handshakes, hugs and cheering. No better feeling in the world.

One student was asked "How did you feel arriving through the 100 Men Tunnel?"

The student replied, "I felt like King of the World.”

We hope that all of our students enjoyed the 100 Men Tunnel and we would like to thank everyone that participated in our event. Transformation 2016!

Vienna Elementary Chorus Sings National Anthem at Dash Baseball Game

On Sunday, students at Vienna Elementary – under the leadership of music teacher Shaun Howe – had the honor of singing the national anthem at a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game at BB&T Ballpark.

Here is what Howe had to say about the experience:

“Sunday was an incredible day filled with singing, excitement and school community for Vienna Elementary. This past Sunday, the Vienna Elementary School Chorus sang the National Anthem for The Winston-Salem Dash’s final home game of their season!

“The chorus was a finalist in the “Oh Say Can You Sing” competition, giving them this honor. With over 40 students in the chorus, you couldn’t imagine the excitement. The Chorus sang beautifully and we’re so proud of their performance.

“The festivities did not end there! The day was made even more memorable with the first pitch being thrown out by Vienna’s own Principal Andy Lester-Niles and the stands filled with over 500 Vienna families and staff.

“This was truly the perfect way to kick off the new school year!”

Once Again, Mount Tabor/Career Center Student Is Junior Olympic Champion in Sport Stacking

William Orrell, who is a senior at Mount Tabor High School and the Career Center student, recently competed in the 2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games.

He came home with the gold. He took first place Overall as the Junior Olympic Champion for Sport Stacking in 2016.  He did the same for 2014 and 2015.

William, who is on Team USA - Sport Stacking, is now a three time AAU Junior Olympic Champion. He also holds all of the Guinness World Records in the sport.

Orrell lives in Clemmons. The games were held in Houston. 2016 was the 50th Anniversary of the AAU Junior Olympics.

You can learn more about Orrell in a 2015 story.

Art by WS/FC Students in September 2016 Issue of Forsyth Family

By Abigail Williams

By Patrick Boppell

By Julie Laredo

In the September 2016 issue of Forsyth Family magazine, you will find art by three students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

Abigail Williams is a junior at East Forsyth High School. Her art teacher is Terri Hester.

Patrick Boppell is a senior at the Career Center. His art teacher is Shawn Beard.

Julie Laredo is in the eighth grade at Philo-Hill Magnet Academy. Her art teacher is Linda Rubin.

Celebrating the Employer-Intern Academies

Mount Tabor

Carver

On Aug. 26, county high schools and the businesses working with them were recognized at the Employer-Intern Academy Celebration.

The event, which was held at East Forsyth High, recognized employers who hosted academy students in an internship. Academy students are required to complete an internship between their junior and senior year for a minimum of 120 hours. Selected student interns spoke about the value of the internship experience and the personal and professional skills they gained in the real world setting.

Teachers participating in the academies are:

Scott Armstrong, Academy Coordinator, Mount Tabor

Dewayne Tillman, Academy Coordinator, Carver

Leslie Martin & Elizabeth Byrd, West Forsyth Academy of Finance

Jennifer Schurman, Academy Coordinator, East Forsyth High (Model Academy Recipient 2016)

Terry Howerton, Biotechnology Coordinator; Kevin Hamilton, Pre-Engineering Coordinator; Monika Vasili, SciVis Academic Coordinator, Atkins Academic & Technology High School.

Career academies provide students with an opportunity to focus their studies in career-technical education as well as the core academics of English and Social Studies. Career academies are two- to four-year programs held at the above schools as well as Walkertown High School, which offers Academy of Public Service (Fire Fighting Academy). Two additional academies are planned – one in Information Technology at Carver and one in Health Sciences at North Forsyth High.

High school students benefit from the partnership with businesses that also support the academies through providing guest speakers for classrooms, participating in mock interviews and providing worksite tours.  Some academies offer industry recognized credentials to students. National Academy Foundation students can also earn NAFTrack certification by completing post-assessments, internship evaluations and culminating projects. West Forsyth High School Academy of Finance had five seniors earn NAFTrack which gives them an advantage in the hiring process.

In July, several of the academies won awards at the National Academy Foundation conference.

The Mount Tabor High School Academy of Sports Marketing & Hospitality Management was recognized for its Year of Planning program.

Carver High School Academy of Hospitality and Tourism and East Forsyth High School Academy of Finance received Model Status.

East Forsyth High School Academy of Finance was second runner up in the country for the Sandy Weill Award. The award recognizes the National Academy Foundation (NAF) academy exhibiting the highest standards for public-private partnerships for the benefit of students.

Businesses interested in participating in the Employee-Intern program are invited to get in touch with Vicky Wheeler, the school system’s School-to-Career Coordinator. She may be reached at vpwheeler@wsfcs.k12.nc.us or (336) 727-2210 ext. 51523

It's the First Day of School

Today, students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools headed back to school.

To read the story about how the day started at Easton Elementary, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Here are more pictures:

Getting Ready for Kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary

At Jefferson Elementary, kindergarten students and their families came to Kinder Camp on Thursday to meet everyone and learn this and that so that everyone would be ready to go when school starts on Monday.

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

Here are more pictures:

Ready Freddy Greets Everyone at Core Values Event

At the Living Our Core Values event on Tuesday, Ready Freddy was on hand to greet people as they arrived at Joel Coliseum. On this particular day, Tash Lane of United Way of Forsyth County was portraying the mascot. Jib Chattrabhuti of Smart Start, who takes on that responsibility other days, was also there.

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

Here are some pictures of Ready Freddy with those attending:

Living Our Core Values!

On Tuesday, everyone gathered at Joel Coliseum for the Living Our Core Values event.

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

Here are more pictures: