Food for Thought expands mission
A hungry child cannot learn. That is the premise behind the Food for Thought program that is feeding local, ěfood insecure,î Rowan-Salisbury school children on the weekends so they have enough to eat.
The program has been so successful that Food for Thought is expanding and seeking volunteers for the 2011-2012 school year.
Food for Thought will now serve approximately 135 school children thanks to new programs at Knollwood, Shive and Woodleaf elementary schools. Granite Quarry, Hanford-Dole, Koontz and Overton elementary schools are also served by Food for Thought. This expansion has increased the fundraising and volunteer needs for the organization.
ěWe identify the children that need help during the first two to three weeks of the school year,î said Executive Director Amy Goodnight. ěThen we put the volunteers in place to help us make sure these kids have food for the weekends.î
The process involves obtaining food from Food Lion, a corporate partner with Food for Thought, organizing the food for distribution to packing locations, packing the food into the backpacks and delivering them to the schools each week.
ěAll the children in the program remain anonymous,î said Goodnight. ěThey are given their backpack before they get on the bus each Friday and they bring it back each Monday. It is a very effective program because all the food is healthy, shelf-stable and easy for the children to prepare.î
More information about Food for Thought can be found at www.ncfoodforthought. org.
Reach Food for Thought by e-mail at info@ncfoodforthought.org.
China Grove Middle to host book fair
China Grove Middle School will have a fall book fair Monday through Friday, Oct. 10-Oct. 14. The fair will be open during regular school hours except for Tuesday, Oct. 11 when the fair will be open until 6 p.m.
For more information, contact the school at 704-857-7038.
Erwin Middle School to hold book fair
The Erwin Middle School media staff will be hosting a book fair fundraiser to celebrate Teen Read Week.
Proceeds go toward new books for the students.
The book fair will run Oct. 12 through 25.
For more information, contact Lynne Robinson, media coordinator, at 704-279-7265.
Musicians visit area elementary schools
SALISBURY ó Would you like to learn to play a violin, viola or cello? The Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society is introducing third and fourth grade students in Rowan County to not only the instruments, but also musicians who play them, and an opportunity to learn to play one themselves.
Due to the generosity of the Salisbury Community Foundation, a trio of professional string musicians ó Susan Perkins on violin, John Pruett on viola, and Anne Sellitti on cello ó visited every Rowan-Salisbury elementary school the weeks of Sept. 12 and 19. Education Director Susan Trivette moderates the short concert and provides information about the Symphonyís After-School Strings program.
Childrenís questions range from how old the musicians were when they began to play to why Sellittiís cello is green. For many, if not most, this is the first time they have heard live classical music, and for some of them, it is the beginning of their own career.
For more information, contact Education Director Susan Trivette at 704-637-4730 or strivett@catawba.edu
N.C. State to host open house
North Carolina State Universityís Open House gives high school students and families, school counselors and teachers an opportunity to visit the campus and learn about academic programs and student life at the stateís largest public university.
Alumni and their families are also encouraged to attend.
Visitors can get information about specific majors, admissions, housing, dining, arts, athletics and more.
There is no formal schedule of events, but the following activities are recommended:
Admissions information sessions, held every 30 minutes in locations across campus, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Academic information sessions for specific interests and majors
Musical performances and organization booths on the Brickyard
Tours of D.H. Hill Library
Visits to residence halls and the NC State bookstore
Lunch at the remodeled Atrium Food Court and Howling Cow ice cream at the Creamery
The open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. on the main and Centennial campuses. Preferred parking locations are the Coliseum, Dan Allen, Monteith Engineering and Partners Way decks.
For more information, visit www.ncsu.edu/openhouse or email openhouse@ncsu. edu.
Tammy Lilly joins staff at Salisbury Academy
The Salisbury Academy family welcomes Tammy Lilly as a new employee at the kindergarten campus.
Lilly graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelorís in psychology and earned her early childhood specialist certification from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
Passionate about childhood development, Lilly is working on her certification as a childhood development specialist.
Due to growing enrollment, the school added this position to help with administrative responsibilities and to work with the junior kindergarten and kindergarten classes in small group learning environments. Low student to teacher ratio is valued at Salisbury Academy, and currently stands at 11 to 1.
Lilly and her husband, Ronnie, have two daughters, Ronni and Taron, who are third- and fourth-grade students at Salisbury Academy this year.
ěI have a deep appreciation for Salisbury Academyís community involvement aspect and the ongoing professional development and training offered to the staff,î said Lilly.
An accredited independent school for junior kindergarten through eighth grade, Salisbury Academyís enrollment is the highest it has been since 1998.
For more information, contact the school at 704-636-3002 or contactus@salisburyacademy.org.