Education briefs
Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 30, 2015
Three Catawba students have poems published
Three Catawba College students have had poems published in “The Lyricist,” Campbell University’s annual literary magazine.
“The Lyricist” accepted the following poems by Sara Sellers, a writing and literature major from Salisbury: “On the Porch” and “After the Writer’s Life, Hell Should Be Easy.”
Eric English, a theater arts major from Horseshoe, had three poems selected, including “other than the night,” “a friend in fall” and “here lies.”
Writing and literature major Andrew McCollister of Rockwell has had the following poems accepted: “Mother’s Kitchen” and “An Ode to My Best Friend.” In addition, “An Ode to My Best Friend” was awarded an honorable mention by the magazine.
Madison Holshouser chosen for 2015 Congress of Future Medical Leaders
Madison Holshouser, a 10th-grader at East Rowan High School, has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Boston, Massachusetts this summer.
The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields.
The purpose of the event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.
Holshouser was nominated by Dr. Connie Mariano, the medical director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, to represent East Rowan High School based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.
During the three-day Congress, Holshouser will join students from across the country and hear Nobel laureates and National Medal of Science winners talk about leading medical research; be given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what to expect in medical school; witness stories told by patients who are living medical miracles; be inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies; and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.
Cannon School teacher to publish first book
Cannon School music teacher Aimee Pfitzner will publish her first book, “Hands to Hands — Hand Clapping Songs and Games from Around the World.”
The book is marketed to music teachers and includes hand clapping games with rhythmic songs and chants.
“This collection began from a discussion at a faculty meeting at the end of a school year. We were talking about the challenges of teaching in this ‘digital age’ with ‘digital natives’ who have grown up using technology,” said Pfitzner. She started looking at clapping games and songs as a way to help students engage with one another, and learned there were several musical benefits as well.
Pfitzner lives in Concord and has taught music at Cannon School for 17 years. She holds a master’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Maine, Orono. In addition, she has been a teacher of Orff-Schulwerk for 21 years, receiving her master level Orff certification from the University of Memphis.
Local student named semifinalist in U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
Caleb Johnson, a graduating senior at East Rowan High School, has been named one of the 565 semifinalists in the 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
Semifinalists were selected from more than 4,300 candidates on the basis of superior achievements, leadership qualities, personal character and involvement in the community and school activities.
Final selection of the scholars will be made by the Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of eminent citizens appointed by the president, and will be announced in May.
The Commission will select one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. students living abroad; up to 20 students representing visual, literary and performing arts; and 15 students at-large.
Scholars will be invited to Washington, D.C. in June to receive the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a recognition ceremony and to participate in various activities and events held in their honor.
Semifinalists were chosen by a panel of distinguished educators after a review of students’ essays, self-assessments, descriptions of activities, school recommendations and school transcripts.
Salisbury Academy invites community to book signing by alumna
Salisbury Academy invites the community to a book signing event of alumna and Salisbury native Kristy Woodson Harvey.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Harvey’s first novel, “Dear Carolina,” releases May 5. Guests will hear Harvey speak about her book at the school on May 7 at 6:30 p.m.
“Dear Carolina” is the story of two strong southern women, one the biological and one the adoptive mother of a child. Described in reviews as a sweet and real story with impeccable writing, the book has been deemed an ambitious first novel by a young author.
“Characters with rich, complicated lives … beautifully shows how a family comes to be,” said New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas.
Harvey will also speak about her years at Salisbury Academy.
“The teachers at Salisbury Academy didn’t only teach me math and language arts and history. They taught me how to learn, how to be creative, and, most important, to be confident in the skills and gifts that I had been given and how I would share them with others,” she said.
“We are thrilled to have one of our many talented alumni back on campus to share her story with students, parents, teachers and the community,” said Head of School Beverly Fowler.
Harvey lives in Kinston with her husband, Will, and 3-year-old son, Will.
This event is free and open to the public and begins in the gym at 6:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. Books will be available for purchase. For more information contact Jill Wagoner at jwagoner@salisburyacademy.org or 704-636-3002, ext. 120.
Dental program at Hanford Dole
In recognition of Dental Health Month, Salisbury Pediatric Dentistry was invited to do a dental health awareness program for pre-kindergarten through third grade at Hanford-Dole.
Yaslin Filpo, dental hygienist, and Jasmine McCain, dental assistant, did a presentation to each grade level which was educational and allowed students to participate in hands-on activities.
McCain, the dental assistant, shared the book, “The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist,” on what to expect when going to the dentist and what is good and bad to eat.
Filpo taught the children the “Rule of 2” – brush two times a day for at least two minutes.
The presenters stressed the importance of flossing, brushing and going to the dentist regularly.
Students at this age have a fantastic curiosity as well as a desire to learn and this program gave many useful facts in dental hygiene in a positive, caring approach. Each of the students received a new toothbrush and a tooth-shaped eraser, compliments of Salisbury Pediatric Dentistry as well.
American Legion sponsoring three Girls State participants
The Harold B. Jarrett American Legion Auxiliary Unit 342 will sponsor three young ladies to attend the 76th session of Tar Heel Girls State this summer. Tar Heel Girls State will be held at Catawba College June 14-20.
Girls State is a weeklong practical study of the structure and operation of North Carolina state government. The program is offered to rising senior girls who are in the top third of their class.
The following young ladies will be attending: Courtney Hughes, Sarah Hallett and Susan Barker Fowler.
Hughes, the daughter of Michael and Deborah Hughes of Salisbury, is a junior at East Rowan High School and also attends Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. She is a member of the marching band and has an internship teaching kindergarten at Granite Quarry Elementary School. She is an attorney for Rowan County Teen Court and a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church.
Hallett, the daughter of Michael and Denise Hallett of Salisbury. She is a junior at Jesse Carson High School where she is an active member of the Fine Arts Academy. She has acted in many plays and musicals at Carson and with Piedmont Players. Hallett is a member of the International Thespian Society and serves on Carson’s leadership team. Hallett attended the Rotary Seminar for Tomorrow’s Leaders in 2014. She is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Barker Fowler is a junior at East Rowan High School and is the daughter of Joe and Susan Fowler. She is a member of the varsity volleyball and soccer teams and serves as secretary for the student council and was the North Carolina Association of Student Councils’ Western District chair her sophomore year. She coaches soccer at the Saleeby-Fisher YMCA and is a junior camp counselor at Camp Cheerio.
Kannapolis City Schools cancel May 25 make-up day
There will be no school for Kannapolis City Schools students on Memorial Day, May 25. The Board of Education approved the change at a special meeting on April 27.
May 25 was originally set aside as a make-up day for inclement weather. However, because no school has been missed since February and the threat of additional inclement weather has passed, Kannapolis City Schools will have enough instructional time to meet the state’s 1,025 hour requirement without using May 25 as a make-up day.
At the beginning of March, the district added 12 minutes to the end of each school day at elementary schools to make up for time missed due to inclement weather. That additional time will be in effect through the end of the school year.
Kannapolis Intermediate School, Kannapolis Middle School, and A.L. Brown High School already had longer school days, so their schedules have remained the same. With the longer school days, Kannapolis City Schools will meet the instructional time requirement without using Memorial Day as a make-up day.
As an additional reminder, May 1 will be an early release day for students. All schools will dismiss three hours early to give staff time for professional development in the afternoon.
Kannapolis Intermediate, Kannapolis Middle and McKnight Head Start will dismiss at 11 a.m., the elementary schools will dismiss at 11:52 a.m. and A.L. Brown will dismiss at 12:25 p.m.
Local educators attend NCCAT
