Forsyth Educator Partnership Board Members Honored

On Saturday, Karel Chandler and Brenda Kennedy were honored at a meeting of the Forsyth Educator Partnership board of trustees.

Chandler and Kennedy are long-time board members and supporters of the partnership. Their term on the board is ending, although both plan to continue supporting the partnership. Chandler, for instance, volunteers at the Educator Warehouse and works on the Poet Laureate Competition, two of the programs that the board supports.

At the meeting, held in the office of The Winston-Salem Foundation, Angie Vaughn, who is the president of the Forsyth Educator Partnership, said, “We want to thank you for all of your work.”

She then presented them with crystal apples.

2018 Secondary Science Fair

On Thursday, students from middle and high schools participated in the Secondary Science Fair.

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

Here are more pictures:

"Speedway to Healthy" Comes to Old Richmond Elementary

Students at Old Richmond have been exploring an exhibit created by The Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T State University.

You can read the story at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Here are more pictures:

District Elementary Science Fair

The Elementary Science Fair for the district was held on Friday.

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

Here are more pictures:

Academic Competition Week 6

Week 6 of the Academic Competition has come to a close.

Marilyn "Scottie" House

This week, Cheryl Wright, the Academic Competition Coordinator, would like to highlight the work that coaches do:

“Coaches are the key players in building academic teams at each school,” Wright said. “Most schools have at least four coaches, one for each content area and sometimes an additional coach for General Knowledge.”

Kevin Hamilton

“The coaches spend additional time outside of their school day to work with students. Their work includes reviewing and making sure the students involved understand the rules and process of Academic Competition as well as hours of practice is needed as students work through the process of learning content. A lot of hard work and effort on their part is to be commended.” 

Each week, two schools hold their match in the auditorium at the Education Building, and the match is shown on Cable 2. This week, it was Atkins vs. Reynolds. For that match, Melissa McGready, the Instructional Coach for High School Social Studies, served as the judge, and Rebecca McKnight, the Director of Social Studies, served as moderator.

Rebecca McKnight and Melissa McCready

“Each year, I look forward to participating in the Academic Competition,” McGready said. “Every week in the news, you can read about or watch news briefs regarding the schools in the county. But, almost all of those stories revolve around sports. This is one of the few activities that highlight academic learning.”

McKnight said, “I wanted to be a part of the Academic Competition because it is a celebration of our students’ academic abilities in a forum that is beyond the classroom. Students get the opportunity to ‘strut their academic stuff’ in the same way that other students get to show off their athletic or musical talents. It is great to see and I am glad to be a part of it.”

The final score was Atkins - 233 and Reynolds - 163.

The other matches scheduled for Week 6 were:

Carver vs. Reagan at Carver

East Forsyth vs. Parkland at East

Glenn vs. West Forsyth at Glenn

North Forsyth vs. Mount Tabor at North

Carver lost to Reagan, with Reagan having an overall score of 208.

West won the match against Glenn with a score of 193.

North lost to Mount Tabor.

Unfortunately, Parkland had to forfeit this week’s match because of a scheduling conflict. That gave East Forsyth an automatic win. Unless all matches are cancelled a match between two schools cannot be rescheduled.

Third-Grader Spelling Bee Champion at Easton Elementary

Juan Orbe Garcia is the spelling bee champion at Easton Elementary School.

More than 25 students in grade three through five competed.

Juan’s teacher is Christopher Miller. 

Miller, who is from Jamaica, is a participant in the Educational Partners International program, which sponsors teachers from other countries.

Juan with Principal Colin Tribby and Teacher Christopher Miller

Juan with His Parents

Academic Competition Season Is Underway

East Forsyth High English Team

Carver High 

We are going to begin posting the results of the Academic Competitions among the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high schools. With that in mind, here’s an introduction to the program from Cheryl Wright, the Academic Competition Coordinator:

Cheryl Wright

The Academic Competition Program of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools provides an opportunity for academically-oriented students at the high schools to take part in an extra-curricular, inter-school competition. 

The intent of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is to provide recognition for academic achievement similar to that provided for athletic achievement.

Matches are held each Wednesday from November to February leading up to a three-round district tournament to determine the district champion.

Each Academic Competition match includes a round in each of five areas – English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, General Knowledge. A round consists of four sets of questions (one toss-up and two directed questions per set) in the subject area.

School letters are awarded to those Academic Competition team members who participate in at least two matches, attend at least six matches during the season, and regularly attend practices. 

At the end of the inter-school competition, the English, mathematics, science, social studies and general knowledge teams with the best win/loss record during the regular season will receive awards. In addition, the two teams with the best regular-season records will receive trophies. Trophies will be awarded to the schools that finish in first and second places in the District Final match. 

Officials support each match. The moderator and judge are based in the school system’s Administrative Office. The time keeper and score keeper are provided by the home team school.

The moderator is responsible for reading the questions, recognizing the team who wins the chance to answer a toss-up, verifying that all answers given are correct or given the correct answers. The judge will also complete a written report at the end of each match which verifies that all competition rules were followed and the reported score is correct. 

Good sportsmanship is expected of all participants at all times.

Sara Harmon, the school system’s Healthful Living Program Manager has served as a moderator for several matches. She had this to say to Rodney Bass, the principal at East Forsyth High:

“Rodney, it has been very enjoyable and rewarding to work a couple of the academic competitions at East Forsyth this year. The coaches and all of the students are very mature and respectful, and it has been my pleasure to get to come to your school!” 

Willette Nash, the Instructional Specialist of Multicultural Education, had this to say to Carol Montague-Davis, principal at Carver High: 

“I was at last night's Academic Competition preparing for my match next week. Carver came out strong in the English round, and picked it up strong in Social Studies and Science. Fabulous job!!! All my friends who are alums were so proud of the students as I posted the victory on social media. Great job!!!! We are rooting for Carver!!!”

Reagan High had the highest overall score for week 5.

At this point in the season, Atkins and Reagan are tied for No. 1 in English, with Mount Tabor and Reynolds right behind them. As of the last match, Mount Tabor is in the lead in General Knowledge. 

Carver High

Carver High

Carver High 

East Forsyth High Math Team

East Forsyth High Social Studies Team