May 16, 2008
In this edition: Public Forum on MNPS Special Education Services
MNPS Students Present at Tennessee Junior Academy of Science
MLK Places 1st in State Science Olympiad
Overton Students Honored
Hurray for Hollywood at Whites Creek
H.G. Hill Students Study Nanoscience at Fisk
MLK Band Headed to China
Encore Students Participate in Fly Day
Middle College High Wins 2nd in Video Competition
MNPS Teachers Presenting at National Conference on SLC
Pearl-Cohn Principal Named Educator of the Year
Hillsboro Students Art on Display at the Frist
Hundreds of MNPS Students Get Dual Credit
Tour de Nash
Hunters Lane Hosts Physical Science Activity Week
Una Elementary Wins “My Favorite Thing About Nashville” Contest
MNPS Teacher Selected as an O Ambassador
Tennessee, My Home
Public Forum on MNPS Special Education Services
Tuesday, May 27, Mayor Karl Dean’s Advisory Council will hold the first of three public forums on special education. The purpose of the forums is to gather the perspectives of interested families and community members. The forum will be held in the Arts & Crafts Room at Hadley Park Community Center, 1037 28th Avenue North (enter from the front door, and the Arts and Crafts room will be the last door on the right). Two other forums will be held. The second is June 9, at the East Park Community Center, 700 Woodland Street, in the Arts & Crafts Room. The last forum will be held June 23, at the Woodbine Community Center, 222 Oriel Avenue, in the downstairs classroom.
MNPS Students Present at Tennessee Junior Academy of Science
Three MNPS senior students who attend the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt presented research papers, April 18, at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science 18. The papers represented the research these students had conducted in Vanderbilt faculty labs as part of the school curriculum.
In all, 22 papers were presented at the meeting by students from across the state. Judges evaluated the presentations for research design and creativity, oral presentation, knowledge of the subject, and quality of the written paper. Awards were made for the top papers. In addition to two top prizes of $500, five $200 prizes were awarded. School for Science and Math students Natalie Christian, Runbin Dong, and Natalie Darar each received one of the $200 awards for their work. Their papers will be published in the Handbook and Transactions of the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science. Congratulations to these students.
MLK Places 1st in State Science Olympiad
The Science Olympiad Team from Martin Luther King Magnet High School recently placed first in the state Science Olympiad competition. The group will now go on to represent the state at the national competition in Washington, D.C. at the end of May. This will be the first time a public school from Nashville has represented Tennessee at the national competition. However, the students need the community’s help. They must raise $12,000 for the trip. If you or someone you know is interested in helping these students and coaches make the trip, contact Kathy Lee, Science Olympiad coach.
For those not familiar with Science Olympiad, these competitions are rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that consist of a series of team events, for which students prepare during the year. One of the goals of the Science Olympiad is to elevate science education and learning to a level of enthusiasm and support that is normally reserved only for varsity sports programs. These challenging and motivational events are well balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. There is also a balance between events requiring knowledge of science concepts, process skills and science applications.
Overton Students Honored
Overton senior, Yan “Kelly” Chen, has been chosen as a Gates Millennium Scholar. All Gates Millennium Scholars receive Gates Millennium Scholarships, which cover all expenses (tuition, books, fees, room, and board) to the college of their choice for a bachelor’s degree program, then continues through graduate school for certain fields. Kelly has been accepted and will go to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall, making the value of her scholarship in excess of $180,000.
The Gates Scholarship is sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Students are nominated by their schools and then go through an intensive selection process. More than 13,000 students nationwide are nominated, and only 1,000 are chosen for this prestigious award.
Also from Overton, senior Catherine Chokuba will be featured on Ebony Magazine’s website, www.ebonyjet.com, as an outstanding African American senior. Catherine was nominated by her teachers at Overton for her outstanding contributions both in and outside the classroom.
Hurray for Hollywood at Whites Creek
Friday, May 9, high school students who receive Life Skills services in MNPS gathered at White’s Creek High School for the sixth annual Spring Dance, “Hurray for Hollywood.” Peggy Meyer and the White’s Creek special education staff sponsored the event. The gymnasium was transformed into a movie premier atmosphere, complete with movie posters and delicious refreshments. Students dressed as their favorite celebrity and entered by walking down the red carpet. DJ Eddie Bell was in charge of musical entertainment as the students danced and enjoyed the afternoon. This was a culminating activity for social skills development and a wonderful opportunity for students from many clusters to see old friends and make new ones.
H.G. Hill Students Study Nanoscience at Fisk
Twenty-five 8th grade H.G. Hill Middle School students from Dr. Elvis Cherry’s physical science class made a rare visit to Fisk University to learn about nanoscience. The students were greeted by Fisk college students and began their “Nano-Day” with a welcome from professor Sheila Peters, associate provost, and professor W.E. Collins, division director.
Professor Weijie Lu, Department of Physics at Fisk, gave an introductory lecture on nanoscience and shared about the NCLT nanoscience activities currently being integrated throughout the local school districts. The “Nano-Day” continued with visits to three different instrumentation labs where students had hands-on opportunities to use a scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer and molecular spectrometers. These middle school students were able to interact with the Fisk college students at lunch and throughout the tours on campus.
The “Nano-Day” at Fisk was a huge success in engaging the students and providing opportunities for them to learn more about nanoscience. Several students commented on how this was their first experience on a college campus. They were inspired by the high-tech science equipment they were able to use and learn more about.
MLK Band Headed to China
The Martin Luther King Academic Magnet High School Band has been asked to perform in China next summer. They will be performing music composed by Frank Ticheli and will include performances at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and at the Great Wall of China. This award winning band was the only band chosen from the state of Tennessee. Not only is this an incredible honor for the band, but also Metro Schools and the State of Tennessee. Congratulations to all of the participating students and band instructors.
Encore Students Participate in Fly Day
The 5th and 6th grade Encore students from several MNPS middle schools will have the opportunity to participate in a fly day or "flug tag" on TSU campus this Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Students will be able to try their hands at various lab experiments and building projects, build their own flying machines and test out the flight simulators at TSU.
Middle College High Wins 2nd in Video Competition
The theater arts class at Middle College High created a video for the Fox 17 Ford Safe Driving contest held earlier this spring. The video was selected as one of the four finalists, and viewers from the mid-state voted for the best video. Middle College’s video won 2nd place, and the school received a $2,500 award. Congratulations to the teacher, Linda Derrick, and to her students Zach Boetcher, Harrison Deakin, Jullan Mire, and Gray Hemphill for creating and acting in the video.
MNPS Teachers Presenting at National Conference on Small Learning Communities
This summer, a team of teachers and administrators from McGavock High School and a team of teachers and administrators from Hillwood High will be key presenters at a national conference, From Structure to Instruction, on Small Learning Communities. The conference, held in Las Vegas, will provide teachers, administrators and district staff with tools and strategies to strengthen their SLC practice. Topics will include ways to personalize instruction, inspire teacher leadership, increasing rigor, and ways to help students graduate on track. In addition to the presenting teams from MNPS, a team of teachers and administrators from Antioch High will also be in attendance at the conference.
Pearl-Cohn Principal Named Educator of the Year
Congratulations to Marva Woods, executive principal at Pearl-Cohn, has been named 2008 Educator of the Year by the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., Alpha Beta Chapter. Each year, the chapter honors an outstanding educator at the Founders Day Scholarship Luncheon. This year, Mrs. Woods will be honored for her “commitment to the youth at Pearl-Cohn and the tenacity she reveals in improving the educational goals of our future leaders,” Jimmie White Hill, chapter president.
The luncheon will be held at the Marriott Nashville Airport Hotel, Saturday, May 24, at noon.
Hillsboro Students Art on Display at the Frist
Hillsboro High School students Trevor Foster, Liz Fuller and Ryan Johnson will have their artwork displayed at the Frist Center's Statewide AP exhibit. After careful review and deliberation, a selection committee identified 33 works out of more than 750 submissions. These works will be shown in an exhibit at the Frist in the fall.
Trevor Foster is in IB Visual Arts HL, Liz Fuller is in IB visual Arts HL and Ryan Johnson is in AP Studio. Congratulations to all of these students.
Hundreds of MNPS Students Get Dual Credit
This semester, more than 600 MNPS students will receive dual credit from Tennessee Technological Center at Nashville. Through the dual credit program, students are able to earn high school course credit as well as college course credit. The program was designed to encourage students to graduate from high school. Students who take this opportunity will earn clock hours toward a certificate in the program area and will be automatically accepted and enrolled into TTC upon graduation. Dual credit is currently offered in the following courses: Automotives, Cosmetology, Early Childcare, Machining, Construction and HVAC.
MNPS is currently working to develop a similar program through Nashville State Community College. Through this agreement, students will be able to earn dual credit in Automotives, Business, Agriculture, Culinary, Early Childcare, Engineering and Technology.
Through Volunteer State Community College, MNPS students are currently eligible for dual credit in Business and Hospitality.
If you would like more information about the dual credit program, call the MNPS Customer Service Center at 259-INFO (4636).
Tour de Nash
The 5th Annual Tour de Nash will be held Saturday, May 17, starting at 8 a.m. This event, presented by Music City Moves, Metro Health, Metro Parks, Metro Public Works, Metro Planning, and the Mayor's Office, features opportunities for residents to get active on new bikeways, greenways and sidewalks throughout Nashville. Participants can enjoy a free 2- and 4-mile walking tour of downtown highlighting healthy living design elements, a free 6-mile or 12-mile family bicycle ride for cyclists of all abilities (will use bike lanes in Downtown and East Nashville), and a 27-, 50- or 67-mile cycling grand tour for more experienced cyclists that stretches from East Nashville down to Percy Warner Park and back to downtown Nashville. A registration fee does apply to the latter. All events start at LP Field at 8 a.m. For more information about Tour de Nash, call 1-877-474-TOUR, or visit www.musiccitymoves.org.
Hunters Lane Hosts Physical Science Activity Week
During the week of May 12, three Freshman Academy Physical Science teachers at Hunters Lane Comprehensive High School organized a Fun in the Sun week for their students. This two day competition between all the 9th grade Physical Science students was designed to help the students prepare for their final exams. The teams of students competed in events to test their knowledge and skills addressing Physical Science learning targets, as well as testing their physical abilities. Special thanks are in order for Ms. Monisha Waters, Ms. Tamara Coleman and Ms. Jacquelyn Wojcik for helping organize and conduct the event.
Una Elementary Wins “My Favorite Thing About Nashville” Contest
Congratulations to Una Elementary for winning four 1st place prizes in the Nashville.gov sponsored "My Favorite Thing about Nashville Contest." More than 16 schools (371 entries) submitted artwork. The winning works will be published in Metro's 2007 Performance Report. In addition, the winning students receive $50 and class parties.
Una also won $300 for first place artwork in the Nashville Academy of Medicine Alliance (NAMA) contest. The winning artist is third grader, Liya Hizkias.
MNPS Teacher Selected as an O Ambassador
Congratulations to Audrey Woodward, leadership educator at Antioch High, whose application was selected to participate in the O Ambassadors program through Oprah’s Angel Network. For more information about the program, visit www.oambassadors.org.
Tennessee, My Home
The 4th graders of Goodlettsville Elementary School will be presenting Tennessee, My Home, an original musical, Tuesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. The musical will be followed by their year-end awards ceremony.