In Your Schools - May 4, 2009

ACHIEVEMENTS

Appomattox

-  The following Appomattox County High School teachers were recently recognized by the Appomattox County School Board for their contributions to the success of the ACHS Agriculture Department: Alison Harrington, Edward McCann and Jeffrey Smith. The Agriculture Department was recently included in the Virginia School Boards Association Publication, “2009 Showcases for Success” and was selected for the National Chapter Competition. Only 10 percent of FFA Chapters in the state were selected for this competition.

Bedford

-  Kindergarten teacher Brandi Brown was recently named Thaxton Elementary School Teacher of the Year.

-  Forest Elementary School student Amber Li was named a National Student Winner for the Euclidean Division, grade 3, in the Continental Mathematics League. Li participated in three meets during the school year and answered every question correctly. She will receive a medal during the FES Awards Assembly in June.

-  Big Island Elementary School raised $114.85 during its American Heart Assocation ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ fundraiser. The school also raised $1,544 for St. Jude’s Medical Center through its Math-A-Thon fundraiser.

-  Big Island Elementary School art teacher Karen Nuzzo recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. The grant includes a set of 40 posters, entiled “Picturing America.” The posters depict different eras of American history. Nuzzo also received a $800 grant from Target to pay for a fifth- and sixth-grade field trip to the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.

-  Big Island Elementary School teachers Lisa Wilson and Olivia Witt recently received a $1,000 grant from the Bedford Educational Foundation to purchase books for their kindergarten classrooms.

-  Big Island Elementary School received the Virginia Board of Education’s Excellence Award for achieving the Commonwealth’s accreditation standards and the minimum requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act for two consecutive years.

-  Fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Stinnette was recently named Big Island Elementary School Teacher of the Year.

-  The following Big Island Elementary School students were named Bedford County Council PTA Reflections winners: Agnes Molnar-Suhajda, second, Intermediate Literature (virtual online student) and Jordan Harris, third, Middle School Literature.

-  The following Big Island Elementary School students advanced to the regional level of the Piedmont Area Young Authors Contest: Mary LePere, and Nakia Spinner, kindergarten dictated fiction; Thomas Allen, fourth-grade fiction; Gabriel Saunders, sixth-grade fiction; Morgan Wood, second-grade poetry; and Autumn Farmer, sixth-grade poetry.

-  Moneta Elementary School collected more than 600 items for the Bedford Humane Society through the school’s Cutest Pet Contest, sponsored by the Student Council Association. Mrs. Haywood’s kindergarten class won an ice cream party for donating the most items (126).  The following students brought in the most items and received a prize: Samantha Falls(58), Ashlynn Falls and Arlene Monsees (both 55), Morgan Collins (52), Dylan Scoggins-Nelson (32), Taylor Wiseman (26) and Chandler Warren and Tyler Wiseman (both 25). Benjamin Craft’s dog, Oscar, was named ‘Cutest Pet.’

Campbell

-  The following Campbell County students were named first-place winners in the Campbell County Art Contest and represented the county in the Virginia School Boards Association Regional Forum Art Contest held on April 22: Rachel Ji and Spencer Murray, both of Brookville High School, and Grace Deal of Tomahawk Elementary School.  The following students were also named winners of the Campbell County Art Contest: Jamael Smith of Yellow Branch Elementary School, Kassidy Nester of Rustburg Middle School and Ame Davis of William Campbell Combined School, second place; Stella Kim of Tomahawk Elementary,  and Bria Barnwell and Kara Thurman, both of Altavista Combined School, third place; and Sydney Gunter of Leesville Road Elementary School, Jessi Lynn and Ashton Collins, both of Concord Elementary School, Thomas Dorsey, Katrina Younger and Samantha Maxey, all of William Campbell Combined School, Courtney Moore of Rustburg Middle School, Kristen Arthur, Amanda Blair and Justin Moss, all of Rustburg High School, Nicholette Jahnke of Altavista Combined School, and Holly Middaugh of Brookville High School, honorable mention. Art work will be displayed at Campbell County libraries May 11-22.

Lynchburg

- E.C. Glass High School student Daron McDaniel served as a delegate to the 2009 All-Virginia Chorus held in April at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg. McDaniel was the only Lynchburg-area student selected to participate in this event.

-  Thomas C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation students Rhyan Reynolds and Da’Ahn Jones will have their art works featured in the 2009-2010 Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia Calendar. More than 900 entries from across the state were submitted to the 2009 ‘Use a Helmet, Prevent Epilepsy’ contest. Only 12 were selected for the calendar.

- E.C. Glass High School Foreign Language students recently delivered 14 baskets of decorated eggs to residents of Valley View, the Slagel Home, Guggenheimer, Carriage Hill and Avante. Also, during Foreign Language Week,  the following Spanish students read stories in Spanish to first-graders at Dearington Elementary School for Innovation: Jeremy Burke, Kate Garbarini, Lindsay Hitchcock, Jenni Knight, , Johnny Koes, Charlie Owen and Hannah Smith.

Private Schools

-  The following New Vistas School students were named to the All-A Honor Roll for the six weeks grading period: Devon Ackerson, Cort Mays, Luke Turner and Ellie Shaughnessy.

-  The following New Vistas School students were named Science Fair winners: Drew Dickerson, first place, and Sean Brown, second, Middle School, and Jordan Clark, first, and Ellie Shaugnessy, second, High School.

-  The following Liberty Christian Academy Upper School students were named to the All-A Honor Roll for the third nine weeks: Lindsay Barber, Morgan Burggraf, Holly Clay, William Collie, Cassidy Cropco, Carrington Crossland, Nicholas Cumby, Emily Drewry, Jessica Falwell, Rachel Falwell, Andrew Guercia, Christopher Johnson, Samuel Kappler, Megan Miller, Emory Moore, Bennett Prillaman, Quinn Radka, Jennifer Rice, Jessica Roach, Jacob Robertson, Deanna Rossman and Mandi Walton, sixth grade;  Joshua Barrick, Joshua Campo, Kirk Carson, Lindsey Clair, Zachary Clinton, Jansen Collins, John Davenport, Brett Ehrman, Jonathan Falwell, Cassie Gagon, Allyson Gilbert, Rachel Haldren, Amelia Harrington, Rachel Harvey, Griffin Hughes, Kristin Kelly, Brady Leffew, Lyndon Lewis, Lyndsey Lingenfelter, Nicole Lommers, Glenna Manns, Elizabeth Martin, Felicity Martin, Evan Meinke, Christopher Moore, Rachel Morris, Timothy Murphy, Jessica Overstreet, Candace Padgett, Quentin Palmer, Dana Paulson, Morgan Powell, Caroline Roberts, Ted Simopoulos, Samuel Tatum and Dillon Wright, seventh grade;  Daphne Allen, Landon Anderson, Steven Atkinson, Kathleen Barber, Amanda Barrick, Whitney Burnette, Madison Clarke, Katherine DeSantis, Ashley Eubank, Logan Ford, Jennifer Garrett, Caleb Good, Nicole Hawkins, Morgan Horne, Jessica Jarvis, Michael Johnson, Elizabeth Kappler, Dakota Kelly, Kristin Kingery, Kristin Miller, Blake Papet, Abigail Quigg, Soh Hyun Son, Amber Taylor, Claire Thompson, Brittany Tyree and Julia Whitt, eighth grade; Isaac Abedzadeh, Kristina Cheatham, Kathleen Dewitt, Mary Grace Falls, Casey Ferguson, Trey Fisher, Kellie Glynn, Elizabeth Green, Lora Lieb, Evan McDouall, Bethany McGann, Casey MsGuire, Micayla Mckisic, Jin-Young Noh, Courtney Powell, Joy Quarmout, Rebecca Roberts, Alyssa Saffin, Emily Smith, Amy Verburg and Sara Warrender, ninth grade;  Da Sol Ahn, Kelsey Brooks, Lindsay Collins, Cassie Foster, Rachel Freyre, Casey Graybill, Anne-Marie Hancock, Shannon Jamerson, Leata Laidlow, Brandon Leffew, Jennifer Lieb, Frank Manns, Michael Maynard, Elly Meinke, Sarah Quigg, Lyndsie Ramsdell, Amy Rocco, Charles Scruggs, Trey Tomlin, Joy Trost and Jenee Whitt, 10th grade;  Joshua Cromwell, Michael Dixon, Thomas Grabaskas, Andrew Haldren, Seongji Kim, Merrianne McLeod, Samantha Peeples, Erik Radka, Michael Rocco, Sarida Smitthimedhin and Myung Son, 11th grade;  and Rebecca Brungard, Meghan Burggraf, Kaitlyn Evans, Amanda Falwell, Viktor Jankov, Abigail Kappler, Vrajesh Makhijani, Benjamin Manns, Sara Maynard, Brenda Ofori, Jennifer Pantoja, Daniel Quarmout, Kaelynn Queen, Zachary Quigg, Julia Saavedra, Rayna Toews, Jeremy Trost and Carissa Willmington, 12th grade.

-  Virginia Episcopal School senior Connor Bell was one of two Virginia youth volunteers selected as a 2009 winner of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. Bell was honored for organizing the John H. Bell LiveStrong Jamboree, a community event featuring a 20K bike ride, a 5K run and a children’s tricycle parade. The event, held in honor of Bell’s father who was killed in a biking accident in 2007, raised more than $8,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Bell received an engraved silver medallion and $1,000.

-  The following James River Day School students scored above the national average score on the National Latin Exam: Philip Head and Sarah Hour, gold medal, summa cum laude, Amy Britton and Sydney Moon, silver medal, maxima cum laude, Paige Riley, magna cum laude, and Andrew Bolling, cum laude.

-  James River Day School student Noell Cosby scored a bronze medal on the National Spanish Exam. Will Wojcikowski, Lauren Miller and James Scott earned honorable mention.

SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

Amherst County

- May 3-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

Amherst Elementary School

- May 7: SIT, 6 p.m.

Elon Elementary School

- May 5: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4 to 6 p.m.

Pleasant View Elementary School

- Today: Choral Concert, 7 p.m.

Temperance Elementary School

- May 5: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5:30 p.m.

Amherst Middle School

- May 6: Spring Sports Awards, 6:30 p.m.

Amherst County High School

- May 5: Show Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m.

- May 6: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Appomattox County

- May 6: Curriculum Review and Action Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m. in the School Administration Building

-  May 7: Gifted Advisory Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m. in the School Administration Building

Bedford County

Big Island Elementary School

- May 8: Sixth-grade field trip to Washington, D.C.

Forest Elementary School

- Today through May 8: Teacher Appreciation Week

- May 5: Interim Reports issued

- May 7: Orff Concert, 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

- May 8: Kindergarten Mother’s Day Tea

- May 9: Girls on the Run 5K

- May 11-23: SOL Testing for grades 3-5

- May 11-15: National Children’s Book Week

Huddleston Elementary School

- May 5: Interim Reports issued

- May 7: Science SOL for third grade

- May 12: Reading SOLs for grades 3-5

- May 13: Reading SOLs for third and fifth grades

Moneta Elementary School

- Today through May 8: Poem in Your Pocket

- Today: Yearbook sales begin

- May 5: PTA Advisory, 6 p.m.

- May 12: Musical featuring pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade students, 7 p.m.

New London Academy

- Today through May 8: Teacher Appreciation Week

- May 5: Class Pictures

- May 11: LaCaretta Night, 5 to 9 p.m. at Timberlake location

Otter River Elementary School

- Today: Fifth-grade Graduation Pictures; Cafeteria Appreciation Day

- May 5: Nurse Appreciation Day; rising sixth-graders to BES

- May 6: Para-professional Appreciation Day; Interim Reports issued

- May 7: Custodian Appreciation Day

- May 8: Bus Driver Appreciation Day; third-grade field trip to Jamestown; ORES T-shirt Day; Music/Art Friday

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School

- May 13: Kindergarten Orientation, 9 to 10 a.m.

Lynchburg

Dearington Elementary School for Innovation

- Today: Field Day

- Today through May 6: ACE IT Tutorial

- May 5: Third-grade field trip to Kum-Ba-Yah for nature study

- May 6: DESI Science Fair, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Perrymont Elementary School

- Today through May 8: Staff Appreciation Week

- May 5: National Teacher Appreciation Day

- May 5 and 7: Leaping Into Literacy for selected students in grades 3-5, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

- May 6: School Nurse Day; third-grade field trip to the Danville Science Museum, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

- May 7: Enrichment field trip to the Virginia Science Museum, 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

- May 8: Recycling Fun Day; Spirit Day (Wear PES attire or school colors) kindergarten field trip to Virginia Safari Park, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Awards Assemblies, 10 a.m. (grades 3-5) and 2 p.m. (pre-K through second); Honor Roll Party, 2:45 p.m.; Report Cards issued

Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation

- Mondays: Sign Language Club, 3 to 4:30 p.m.; DMS Show Choir, 3 to 4:15 p.m. in room C108

- Fridays: Bible Club, 3 to 4 p.m. in room M101

E.C. Glass High School

- E.C. Glass’s Mercy Care Council is collecting books for the used book sale to be held the week of May 18. Proceeds will support the library and reading programs at the Mercy Care Centre School in Kenya. Books can be dropped off in the Main Office at E.C. Glass.The Mercy Care Council is also planning a yard sale from 8 a.m. to noon on May 23 at E.C. Glass. Donations of clothes, books, jewelry, toys and household goods are being accepted through May 18 and can be dropped off in the ECG main office or bookstore. Contributions must be clean and in good repair.

Heritage High School

- May 12: Central Virginia Regional Science Challenge hosted by the Central Virginia Governor’s School, 4 to 7:15 p.m.

Private Schools

Appomattox Christian Academy

-  May 5: Field trip to the dairy farm (egg day). Students should wear clothes in which they can do farm chores. Homeschool parents and students who want to come must call the school to reserve a spot on the bus, 352-7373.

-  May 8: Mystery Dinner Theatre, 7 p.m. Event includes spaghetti dinner and entertainment. Tickets are $7 each or two for $12.

-  May 13: Performance by Acoustic Eidelon, 12:45 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Chapel. Homeschool families are encouraged to attend the performance or join the student body for lunch prior to the performance. To reserve a spot, call the school office, 352-7373.

Blue Ridge Sudbury School

-  May 12: Parent Information Session and Discussion, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Forest Public Library. Event is for parents interested in the Sudbury model of education. Children are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Trudy Phillips, administrator, 426-1866.

Holy Cross Regional Catholic School

-  May 6: Early dismissal at 1:35 p.m.; Faculty Meeting, 2 p.m.

-  May 7: Kindergarten Mother’s Day Tea, 2 p.m.

-  May 8: Second-grade Muffins for Mom, 2 p.m.; eighth-grade field trip to Baltimore

-  May 9: PTO Yard Sale, 7 a.m. to noon

James River Day School

-  May 5: Kindergarten Play

- May 8: Middle School field trips

Liberty Christian Academy

-  Today: Tickets sales begin for the ‘Tropical Paradise Gala Auction’ to be held May 19 at Boonsboro Country Club. Tickets are $40 a person or $75 a couple and may be purchased in the Office of Academy Relations. Tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. All proceeds support the new playground project. For more information, call the Office of Academy Relations, 832-2000.

-  Today through May 8: Teacher Appreciation Week; Scholastic Spring Book Fair, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

- May 7: Golf Tournament at Poplar Grove. Registration forms available at http://www.lcabulldogs.com or in the school lobby. Proceeds benefit the playground project.

- May 7-8: Seventh-grade field trip

- Wednesdays: Moms in Prayer, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the LCA Cafeteria Annex. For more information, contact Mary Hensley at

- The Used Uniform Store is open on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and on Thursdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the LCA Cafeteria Annex.

New Covenant Schools

-  May 5: Cinco de Mayo;  Mexico mission trip presentations and festivities, 11:05 a.m.

-  May 6: Progress Reports issued

Timberlake Christian Schools

-  May 5: Fourth-grade field trip to Avoca Museum Student Event Day; Kindergarten Open House, 3 to 7 p.m.

-  May 6: Band Festival, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

-  May 7: Kindergarten field trip to Camp Bethel; NHS Induction Ceremony, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

-  May 8: Third-grade field trip to Lynchburg Museum and Point of Honor