Farm Bureau Provides Funds for Landform Kits for Fifth Grade

North Carolina Standard Course of Study requires fifth grade students to make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of landforms. In order for students to conduct these investigations, materials must be available. Purchasing these materials from science supply companies is very expensive; therefore, teachers and administrators try to provide these materials at the local level. Without the support of the local community, some of these materials would not be available to students. The Yancey County Farm Bureau recently funded a request by Yancey County Schools to provide the funds to assemble landform kits for fifth grade teachers. These kits will allow students to conduct investigations which will them to analyze forces that cause change in landforms including movement of water, deposition, slope of land and erosion, as well as human impact on the land. Through these investigations, students will understand the importance of being good stewards of the land in Yancey County or elsewhere. Nine landform kits were assembled and distributed to:

Tamara Presnell - Bald Creek
Julie Rice - Bald Creek
Mike Renfro - Burnsville
Kim Rathburn - Burnsville
Sharon Randolph - Burnsville
Amy Autrey - Clearmont
Rachel Murphy - Micaville
Nora Lusk - Micaville
Lila Hughes - South Toe

Bee Log teachers already had the kits from a previous grant. Yancey County Schools are extremely grateful for Yancey County 's Farm Bureau for their generous contribution to education.

 

Yancey County Farm Bureau President, Johnny Hensley and Farm Bureau member Jim Evans present the landform kit to Clearmont fifth grade students and teacher, Amy Autrey. Funds for the kits were provided by Yancey County Farm Bureau.

Yancey County Board of Education Meeting Announcements

The Yancey County Board of Education will hold their next regular meeting on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Board of Education office, 100 School Circle, Burnsville.

No Child Left Behind Federal Program and Private Schools

A meeting has been scheduled for May 15 for Yancey County 's private schools to meet with public schools to discuss possible participation in federally funded projects planned for the 2008-09 school year. Federal Program representatives from Yancey County will be at the meeting.

An overview of the No Child Left Behind federal programs will be presented followed by comments and questions from 10 a.m. to11 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Board of Education office in the Board room. Following this meeting, private school representatives and parents from private schools-home schools, interested in IDEA and exceptional children services will meet from 11 a.m. to 12 noon in the same location. The Exceptional Children's Director for Yancey County will be there to answer your questions. Federal projects to be reviewed include:

- Title I, Part A - Basic Title I Program: Supplements elementary school remedial reading programs.

- Title II, Part A - Improving Teacher and Principal Quality: Staff development for teachers and principals. Also funds to hire additional certified teachers to reduce class size.

- Title II, Part D - Enhancing Education Through Technology

- Title III - Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students: English as a Second Language programs.

- Title IV - Safe and Drug Free Schools

- Title V, Part A - Innovative Program Grants: True Block Grants used for beginning teachers' training and staff development

- IDEA - Title VI Part B Public Law 105.17

For more information, call Yancey County Schools Federal Programs Director-Dr. Cheri Boone at (828)682-6101, extension 301; Director of Exceptional Children Services-Pete Peterson at (828)682-6101, extension 311; or Title I Director Dr. Tom Little at (828) 682-6101, extension 317.

Middle School Transition Night

For students in Yancey County , the end of the 2007-2008 school year is rapidly approaching. Cane River Middle School and East Yancey Middle School realize that the 2008-2009 school year is just around the corner. This holds special meaning for students who will be coming to middle school for the first time. The transition from elementary school to middle school can be exciting and challenging for some students. For other students, this transition can be stressful, full of misconceptions, fears, and questions. Quite often, students have mixed emotions about coming to middle school. As parents of preadolescents, your feelings are also equally important to us. To address these feelings and to prepare your family of the rigors of middle school life, we invite you to attend a very important meeting.

The fifth grade parent and student orientation night has been scheduled for Thursday, May 22, 2008, at 5:45 p.m. at East Yancey Middle and Cane River Middle School . You and your child are invited to visit the school that he/she plans to attend for the 2008-2009 school year. We strongly urge you to visit with us to learn more about our middle schools. On this evening, the principal, assistant principal, student support staff and all the sixth grade teachers from the middle schools will be available to answer any questions you may have concerning your child's entry into the middle school. Each middle school will follow the same transition agenda. In addition, Yancey County Schools will be providing supper, entertainment, a school tour, and an internet safety speaker for parents.

Due to the busy nature of the end of the school year, we will not be able to provide a tour during the regular school day at this time. Our middle school team eagerly awaits your child becoming a member of our Cane River Middle School or East Yancey Middle School communities! We look forward to meeting you and to welcoming you on Thursday, May 22, 2008, at 5:45 p.m. Please contact Teresa Stiles at Cane River Middle School (682-2202) or Amanda DeSua at East Yancey Middle School (682-4018) if you have any questions.

 

Mountain Heritage High School Graduation Rate High

Yancey County is in the top ten percent of the state in the 2006-4 year cohort graduation rate report. Yancey County 's graduation rate of 74.6% is the highest of all surrounding counties and is in the top ten percent of the state. Mountain Heritage High School is the only high school in the Yancey County LEA.

Mountain Heritage High School Principal Alton Robinson linked the high graduation rate to the excellent faculty and staff of Mountain Heritage High School . A variety of academic teaching strategies and programs, personal interest in students, extracurricular activities, outstanding coaches and counselors, and a faculty willingness to assist students in every possible way are also contributing factors.

The Yancey Evening School has also assisted many Mountain Heritage High School students in graduating. "Learning is a lifelong process", says Robinson. "There are always new skills and programs to be acquired and new insights to be gained. Mountain Heritage High School strives to meet the needs of all students and is continually seeking new academic classes, programs, clubs, and activities to interest all students."

WordMasters Challenge Results

A team of students representing Yancey County Schools recently won highest honors in the WordMasters Challenge-a national language arts competition entered by over 230, 000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the very difficult Gold Division of the Challenge, the county's 8 th graders tied for ninth place in the nation in the year's second meet, held in March, among 171 school teams participating at this grade level and in this division.

Two of the county's students won highest honors for individual achievement as well: Sixth grader Emilee Crowder and eighth grader Athena Theodorides both earned perfect scores in the meets for their grade levels, where nationwide only 122 sixth graders and only 11 eighth graders did so.

Other students who achieved outstanding results included sixth graders Madison Morgan, Halle Randolph, Danielle Hughes, Julianne Yuziuk, Jennifer Riehm, Tessa Biggerstaff, Courtney Miller and Sarah Presnell: and seventh graders Luke DeHart, Kassi Brewer, and Chris Bobbe: and eighth graders Zak Denny, Sarah Feldman, Zeb Gouge, Lexi Banks, Alexa Butner, Penny Lane Buckner and Maria Kardulis.

The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of relationships. Working to solve the Challenge analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically. Though most vocabulary-boosting and analogy-solving activities have been created for high school students, the WordMasters materials have been specifically designed for younger students, in grades three through eight. They are particularly well suited for able and interested children, who rise to the challenge of learning new words and enjoy the logical puzzles posed by analogies.

The WordMasters Challenge has been administered for the past 21 years by a company based in Allendale , New Jersey , which is dedicated to inspiring high achievement in American schools. The students will participate in one more WordMasters meets during the coming months, and medals and certificates will be awarded at the end of school to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.

Yancey County Board of Education Meeting Announcement

The Yancey County Board of Education will hold their next regular meeting on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Board of Education office, 100 School Circle, Burnsville.

YCS Second Annual Kindergarten Kick-Off a Success

The Second Annual Kindergarten Registration Kick-Off Event at the Town Center was a success!  This event was sponsored by Yancey County Safe and Drug Free Schools and the Burnsville Police Department. This event brought out 45 upcoming kindergarteners and their families.  The kindergarteners enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon with singing, dancing, face painting, art, fingerprinting, and fun activities with Yancey County Schools' physical education staff. The kids also got to meet Buster the Bus and Betty Tumey, the public health dental hygienist. Information about Yancey County Schools' "B.U.S.Y. B.E.E.S." preschool bus was shared with the kindergarteners and their families. Kristin Buchanan, Yancey County Schools' Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator, extends a special thank you to the Town of Burnsville, Burnsville Police Department, McDonalds, Burger King, Ingles, Bi-Lo, GO Grocery, The Partnership for Children, Ruth Banks, George Nero, and Yancey County Schools for all their help and support with this event.

Officer Anthony Renfro makes fingerprinting fun for kindergarten registrant Mason A.

MHHS Students Selected for Governor's School of NC

Three Mountain Heritage High School students were recently selected to attend Governor's School of NC . These students were Abraham McKay (Instrumental Music), Jessica Greer (Social Science), both selected for Governor's School East, and John Mauney (Natural Science), selected for Governor's School West.

The Governor's School of North Carolina is a six-week summer residential program for intellectually gifted high school students and is open only to high school seniors, with exceptions made for rising juniors in selected performing/visual arts areas. This program integrates academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on each of two campuses, East (Meredith College in Raleigh, NC) and West (Salem College in Winston Salem, NC). The curriculum does not involve credit, tests or grades, and focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline. Funded by the General Assembly of NC, the program is entirely free of charge to all students. The faculty and staff include bright, dedicated teachers and professionals from across the country, from public and private schools, colleges and universities, and independent artists and scholars.

Three other students who were nominated, but not selected, were Sadie Perrin, Shane Rathburn, and Shana Hensley. These students should be highly commended for their nomination to Governor's School of NC.

Yancey County Schools would like to recognize each of these students for being nominated for this honor, and would like to congratulate those students who were selected. Yancey County takes great pride in your efforts.

CLEARMONT FACULTY VISITS RON CLARK ACADEMY   

On March 14, Clearmont teachers Amy Autrey, Jill Hensley, Sue Pittman, and Dawn Robinson traveled to Atlanta , Georgia , accompanied by Principal Angie Anglin. They could hardly contain their excitement as they entered The Ron Clark Academy for a full day of observation and seminars.

The faculty at Clearmont participated in a two month long book study using Ron Clark's Excellent Eleven . The book covered the eleven things that he felt were imperative to making sure students were successful. They were: Enthusiasm, Adventure, Creativity, Reflection, Balance, Compassion, Confidence, Humor, Common Sense, Appreciation, and Resilience. Ron Clark said, "These are the qualities found in teachers and parents who know how to bring out the joy of learning in any child."

Ron Clark has been called "America 's Educator." In 2000, he was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year. He is a New York Times bestselling author whose book, The Essential 55 , has sold over one million copies and has been published in 25 different countries. He has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and Oprah, and Ms. Winfrey even named him as her first "Phenomenal Man. " His classes have been honored at the White House on three separate occasions. Ron's teaching experiences in New York City are the subject of the uplifting film, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry, better known as Chandler from Friends. Ron is from North Carolina, where he began his career as an elementary teacher.

"I had the opportunity to hear Ron Clark speak at the 2004 Summer Administrators' Conference in Asheville. He had so much passion, and had voluntarily gone from his small hometown in North Carolina to Harlem, NY, just to try to make a difference. And what a difference he made. He had a class that had been written off, that no one else wanted. Through his passion and determination, he turned the lives around of these children and their families. By the time he finished, I was so energized and inspired by him and the words of his students that I really wanted to see him teach. Then, this year, he opened The Ron Clark Academy, and we applied for a visit. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to see a true Master Teacher," said Ms. Anglin.

On March 18, the faculty members that attended the Academy Visit shared what they had experienced with the rest of the Clearmont faculty and staff. "Respect was key in Mr. Clark's class, mutual respect between student and teacher. Ron said that his primary goal was to lift up his students and community. Students lifted each other up by clapping for each other when they got an answer correct," said Ms. Hensley. "He brings learning to life! That is what all the students we talked to said that made Mr. Clark's classes so much fun. He would jump up and teach from on top of his desk! He would also walk all around the class-on top of students desks!" said Ms. Autrey. Clearmont teachers are developing some of the strategies that Mr. Clark used in his class, like putting information to be learned to music, and learning it as a song. Also, to be rolled out next year, a new program that will be based on the Ron Clark Model, Clearmont Elementary: Making Real-World Connections through Instruction and Field Experiences.

Pictured left to right: Angie Anglin, Jill Hensley, Ron Clark, Amy Autrey, Sue Pittman, Dawn Robinson.

"RED WHITE AND WHO" DAY AT CLEARMONT 

On Friday, March 7, students transformed Clearmont Elementary into a "Whoville" that would have made Dr. Seuss proud. To celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, every grade participated in activities developed around his books. Students came dressed in red and white stripes like the Cat in the Hat, and like many other characters in the Dr. Seuss series. What the students really had fun with was their "Who Hair".

Friday was an all-day culmination of the activities that students had been doing all week. Some of those activities are as follows: Ms. Bailey's kindergarten class did an outstanding job with their Dr. Seuss unit of study. They began each day writing a Dr. Seuss morning message. Then every day they read a book followed by a hands-on activity. Some of the activities they did daily were to read Happy Birthday to You and make checker board birthday cakes, read Green Eggs and Ham and made Green Eggs and Ham picture frames with the students pictures in them, invented different animals using combinations of two animals (example dog and goat make a doat-students then wrote what this animal would do and drew its picture) after reading Horton Hatches the Egg , they had a writing activity focused around letter sounds such as Big "R", little "r" what begins with Rr?, after reading Dr Seuss A, B, C . (Example of a book written by a student: Riley Really Rocks ). Math activities included graphing colored fish after reading the story One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish , connecting the dots from 1 to 100 to create Horton the elephant and using the Smart Board to do an on-line matching activity with Horton Hears a Who after reading the book. Students also chose their favorite book to draw a picture and write about. The Dr. Seuss unit of study will be complete this Friday with a trip to the Yancey Theatre to see Horton Hears A Who .

Dawn Robinson's first graders read Bartholomew and theOobleck , then made their own oobleck from food coloring, water, and corn starch. They used math skills to measure ingredients and sciences skills to determine if the oobleck was a solid or liquid. After reading several other stories, they made cat in hat word families. Hollie Hensley's second graders read various stories as well as the biography of Dr. Seuss. Following this, they made their own construction paper Cat in the Hat hats. Jill Hensley's third graders worked on a character education activity about being different and accepting people who are different after watching the video E. Marlow Bryne and the Scrodes . Sue Pittman's fourth grade class read The Places You May Go , then drew pictures and discussed where they would like to go and what they would like to do when they got there. Amy Autrey's fifth grade worked with Media Coordinator Kay Ball on their lesson. She read The Sneeches to them and they responded to the following: "Write a response after you have listened to The Sneetches.  Do you think everyone should be treated the same?  Why or why not?  How can you make a new student feel welcome if he/she were to enroll in your class as a new student?" She also read Diffendoofer Day to second grade students and The Birthday Book to kindergarten.  Kay is planning to follow up this week with students' making power-point books.

"One of the most effective ways to teach is to develop interdisciplinary units, as evidenced by all of our classes using the Dr. Seuss books as a springboard for activities in most of the other areas of the curriculum. When students cover many subject areas that all focus on a central theme, their comprehension is higher in all these areas, compared to each subject being taught in isolation. During this unit, students participated not only in reading, but writing, art, math, science, technology, and character education, all focused on the Dr. Seuss literature," said Principal Angie Anglin.

Clearmont wrapped up the unit of study with "Red White and Who" day. Ms. Anglin had promised students that the class with the highest percentage of participation would get a surprise, which was to watch the animated version of Horton Hears a Who in the Media Center. Since there was 100% participation, all students were able to watch the movie. After lunch, the PTO brought Dr. Seuss cupcakes and juice for all students to enjoy. Then at 1:00, middle school drama teacher, Jenny Martin, brought her Cane River drama students to perform plays based on the works of Dr. Seuss. They performed The Lorax, The Sneeches , and Green Eggs and Ham . The students really enjoyed the plays as they had read the stories and were able to make more of a connection with the plays. It was the perfect ending to a great day!

 

YCS Kindergarten Kick-Off Event

Yancey County Schools, along with the Burnsville Police Department, will host the 2nd Annual Kindergarten Kick-Off Event at the Burnsville Town Center on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, from 1-6 p.m.  This event is free of charge to all families with upcoming kindergarteners.  After registering your child for kindergarten, come join us for a fun filled afternoon at the Burnsville Town Center .

A free Fingerprint Kit for each child will be made available to parents. Forms for your child's personal information, medical information, fingerprints, and DNA will be enclosed in this kit. Police Department personnel will be completing the Fingerprint Kit information. Also included in the kits will be information that will make parents more conscious of dangerous situations as well as information that will help parents be more proactive in avoiding and/or responding to those dangerous situations. A false sense of security is worse than no security. You cannot underestimate the impact that considering the safety of your child can have on you and your family. You may not be able to prevent injury or danger, but acknowledging that dangers and injury could happen and taking steps to prepare yourself and your family with these products will put you in a better mind set to handle any event that should occur.

Fun activities will include the following:
* School Bus Safety activities with a school bus to tour
* Face painting
* Clowns/balloons
* Fun games and activities
* Police Car

Yancey County Board of Education Meeting Announcement

The Yancey County Board of Education will hold their next regular meeting on Monday, March 3, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Board of Education office, 100 School Circle, Burnsville.

Cane River Career Fair

Cane River Middle School will be hosting a Career/Job Fair on Thursday, March 6, 2008. The purpose of having the Career Fair, at the middle school level, is to broaden the students' knowledge and understanding of the careers and degrees available in our area. Students will also learn job requirements (i.e. education, skills, and training) needed for their career of interest. The Career Fair will be held in our media center for Cane River students from noon until 3:15pm. The Job Fair will be open to the community from 3:30 until 5:00pm . You may want to attend the Job Fair in order to seek employment or just familiarize yourself with the careers and education opportunities available in our area.

WCU Shares Christa McAuliffe Award With YCS

Yancey County Schools received a replica of the Christa McAuliffe Award at its February 4, 2008, regular Board meeting for its partnership in the School-University Teacher Education Partnership (SUTEP) program with Western Carolina University (WCU). The award was recently presented to WCU in recognition of the success of this teacher education program that has exhibited outstanding collaboration with local school systems, including Yancey County Schools. Through the partnership, educators from local systems, such as Yancey County Schools, help provide a "real-world classroom" perspective to students in the university's teacher education program. Teachers serve as clinical faculty, co-teaching selected courses with WCU instructors in an effort to blend theory and practice, and as cooperating teachers working with faculty members on education research projects. Local school systems, including Yancey County Schools, also provide traditional pre-service field experience for WCU's student teachers.

The Christa McAuliffe Award recognizes outstanding programs in teacher education at American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) member institutions. AASCU institutions prepare more than 50 percent of all new teachers in the United States each year. The award highlights the major role that state colleges and universities play in the preparation of teachers.

Western Carolina University is advancing the field of teacher education by identifying promising practices for measuring the impact of programs on teacher candidate knowledge, particularly on pupil learning from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

SUTEP is part of WCU's effort to improve the academic achievement of students in all grade levels by providing assistance to educators at each step in their development – as student teachers, as they first enter the teaching profession, and as they reach the middle of their careers and seek additional professional development.

 

Kindergarten Registration Information 

Registration for all children who will be entering kindergarten during the 2008 – 2009 school year and first grade children who did not attend kindergarten during the 2007 – 2008 school year will be held in each Yancey County elementary school on Tuesday, March 18 from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Please follow these links for more information:

Required documents for registration - English
Required documents for registration - Spanish

Yancey County Schools Cracks Down on Attendance 

In accordance with Article 26, G.S. 115C-378, Yancey County Schools will be enforcing the Compulsory Attendance Law. Violations of this attendance law will now be directed to the district attorney and charges will be brought against the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) of the student.

Education is the primary purpose of Yancey County Schools. It is very important that Yancey County students attend school every day to receive the benefits of this education. In addition, it is the responsibility of their parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) to make every effort to ensure these students are in school as required by law.

Yancey County students are to attend school (including all classes) each day of the school year and are to report to school and to classes on time. Any student of compulsory school age who does not attend school is in violation of the law and the student and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s) are subject to its penalties. A student tardy to school or classes will be treated in the same manner as a truant. Three (3) tardies or three (3) early leaves will result in one (1) absence. Efforts will be made to communicate with the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) of absent and truant students in the manner set forth by Policy #4400 Student Attendance, by Administrative Procedures #2 – Procedures to Implement Policy #4400 Student Attendance, and by the Student Code of Conduct – Attendance Violations as set forth in the Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

After a student has three (3) unexcused absences, the student's parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) will be contacted by the student's classroom teacher or homeroom teacher. A letter of concern will be sent by the school counselor.

After six (6) unexcused absences, a letter will be mailed from the principal to notify the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) that he/she may be in violation of Compulsory Attendance Law and may be prosecuted if the absences cannot be justified under the established attendance policies of the State of North Carolina and the Yancey County Board of Education. The letter will request a meeting with the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) to discuss the attendance problem and explore the possible solutions.

After ten (10) unexcused absences, the principal may make a referral to the attendance officer. Following the receipt of the referral, a meeting will be held with the attendance officer, the school administrator, the student and his parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s), if possible, to determine if the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) has/have received notification pursuant to this section and made a good faith effort to comply with the law. If the principal determines that the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) has not/have not made a good faith effort to comply, he/she will notify the district attorney and charges will be brought against the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) for not having their child in regular attendance in school. If he/she determines that the parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) has/have made a good faith effort to comply, he/she may file a complaint with the juvenile intake counselor.

Prosecution may seem extreme in this case; however, the law requires that every school age child must attend school. Yancey County Schools will not tolerate attendance violators. In its efforts to ensure that each child receives a quality education from our schools, Yancey County Schools will strictly enforce the Compulsory Attendance Law.

Local Educator Recognized for her Outstanding Support of Education

Gabrielle Riesner, a teacher in the Science Department at Mountain Heritage High School, has been awarded Outstanding Biodiversity Educator of the Year by Discover Life in America, the non-profit coordinating the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The ATBI is an effort between scientists, educators and volunteers to identify all forms of life within Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Since 1999, 5,207 species new to the park and an additional 874 species new to science have been added to the overall park list. Each year, the educators working with the ATBI nominate and select a scientist and a teacher participating in the ATBI who has exemplified strong support for educational efforts.

Ms. Riesner, even given her distance from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has participated in the process of an ATBI by involving her students in projects using education techniques acquired when she attended the Smoky Mountain Science Teacher Institute, a week-long intensive training taught by ATBI and other researchers each summer in the Smokies. Ms. Riesner also inspired her students to attend a field day in the Smokies to work on ATBI projects during a school holiday. Her enthusiasm and dedication to science education and the process of scientific discovery are recognized as unique by the ATBI education committee.

To learn more about the ATBI, visit the website for Discover Life in America at http://www.dlia.org. The ATBI is supported by funding from Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association. To learn more about the Smoky Mountain Science Teacher Institute, which is funded by a grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, you can visit the following website: http://www.gsmit.org/programs/adult/science_teacher.html.

 

Yancey County Students Compete in WordMasters Challenges

A team of students representing Yancey County Schools recently won highest honors in the WordMasters Challenge, a national language arts competition entered by over 230,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the very difficult Gold Division of the Challenge, Yancey County 8 th graders tied for third place in the nation in the year's first meet, held in December, among 171 school teams participating at this grade level and in this division.

Several of Yancey County's students won highest honors for individual achievement as well: Sixth graders Julianne Yuziuk and Jennifer Riehm, seventh graders Jesse Young, Luke DeHart, Drew Brown, and Chris Bobbe, and eighth graders Maria Kardulis, Zeb Gouge, and Brian Brewer all earned perfect scores in the meets for their grade levels, where nationwide only 172 sixth graders, only 65 seventh graders, and only 21 eighth graders did so.

Other students who achieved outstanding results in the meet included sixth graders Sarah Presnell, Madison Morgan, Chrissie Glenn, Cassidy Barnes, Rebecca Jones, Isaac Galton, and Grant Buckner; seventh graders Lacey Webb, Jena Shade, and Kassi Brewer; and eighth graders Abel Wilson, Mikayla Thomason, Athena Theodorides, Sarah Feldman, Alexa Butner, Penny Buckner, Katherine Rothe-Skinner, Marine McKee, Kirstin McCurry, Tyler Edwards, Zak Denny, and Whitney Bowers.

The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of relationships. Working to solve the Challenge analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically. Though most vocabulary-boosting and analogy-solving activities have been created for high school students, the WordMasters materials have been specifically designed for younger students, in grades three through eight. They are particularly well suited for able and interested children, who rise to the challenge of learning new words and enjoy the logical puzzles posed by analogies.

The WordMasters Challenge has been administered for the past 21 years by a company based in Allendale , New Jersey , which is dedicated to inspiring high achievement in American schools. The students will participate in two more WordMasters meets during the coming months, and medals and certificates will be awarded at the end of school to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.

Yancey County Schools Announces Super Saturday Opportunities at UNC-Asheville  

The University of North Carolina-Asheville is gearing up for the Spring 2008 session of Super Saturday. SUPER SATURDAY is an enrichment program targeting academically gifted, creative and highly motivated students in Grades 3-8. The program typically attracts approximately 500 young students, who attend classes on the UNC-A campus from 9 am to 12 noon on six consecutive Saturdays during the Spring and Fall semesters. The SPRING PROGRAM runs from March 1 through April 5 [Snow date: April 12] with a registration deadline of February 22, 2008.

A limited number on need-based scholarships (one course per student) are available; the scholarship deadline is February 15. Call 828-251-6558 for scholarship information. The program offers over 30 hands-on, experimental classes in the arts and sciences. Topics include drama, French, physics, math, pottery, computer technology, dance, model rocketry, wildlife, creative writing, chess, and much more! Brochures will be available in each school in Yancey County.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Penni Robinson or Sharryl Hagerman at Clearmont School (682-2337) or East Yancey Middle School (682-2281). For further information, please contact the Super Saturday Program at UNC-Asheville, (828) 251-6558. The Super Saturday brochure is also available on the UNC-Asheville website, www.unca.edu/supersaturday.

Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG)2008

For more than 20 years, SIG has been offering the highest quality summer programs for academically advanced students at some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the nation. The 2008, residential sessions for students in grades 4 through 11 will be held at Amherst College, Bryn Mawr College, Emory University, UC Berkely, UCLA, University of Michigan, and Vassar College. A new session at the University of Texas at Austin will focus on math and sciences, and a program for the 7th through 11th grades is offered at Princeton University.

SIG is proud of the benefits offered:

To learn more about these programs, please contact Barbara Swicord toll-free at (866) 303-4744. If you have any further questions, or would like a brochure, call Sharryl Hagerman or Penni Robinson at 682-2337.

Bee Log Elementary School Receives Grant From Toshiba America Foundation 

Bee Log Elementary School received a Science and Math Improvement Grant from the Toshiba America Foundation in New York City in the amount of $1,000 for a project entitled "Fun Family Fraction Quilts." The project was created by Mr. Jamie Pate, a teacher at Bee Log Elementary School .

Grant funds will enable fourth and fifth grade students to learn about fractions through quilting projects. A community quilting expert will teach students about the importance of quilting throughout American history. Students will then make their own family quilt blocks using fractions of geometric shapes to create designs that depict family stories or traditions.

The mission of the Toshiba America Foundation is to contribute to the quality of science and mathematics education in US communities by investing in projects designed by classroom teachers to improve instruction for students in grades K-12.

Toshiba America Foundation is a non-profit grant making organization that has been supporting improvements in science and math education through its grants program since 1990. The Foundation was created by Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba America, Inc. and the Toshiba America Group companies. Toshiba Corporation is a world leader in high technology products. For more information visit: www.taf.toshiba.com or call 212-596-0667.

 

National Board Certification Recipients

During the regular meeting of the Yancey County Schools Board of Education on Monday, January 7, 2008, teachers receiving National Board Certification were recognized for their outstanding achievement.

Pictured from left to right are Board members Randy Banks, Jeremy Chandler, Elaine Boone, and Iva Nell Buckner and National Board Certification recipients Sharon Randolph of Burnsville Elementary School, Amanda DeSua of East Yancey Middle School, Nora Lusk of Micaville Elementary School, and Jamie Pate of Bee Log Elementary School.

Yancey County Board of Education Meeting Announcements

The Yancey County Board of Education will hold their next regular meeting on Monday, January 7, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Board of Education office, 100 School Circle, Burnsville.