Salisbury Academy faculty and staff invite parents to visit the school for a preview morning and presentation on effective school choice.

“Making the decision where to send your child for their formative educational years is one of the biggest decisions parents make,” said Academic Administrator and Admissions Director Beverly Fowler. During the event to be held April 12, Fowler will lead a discussion on the seven key principles of an effective school choice decision. “Personal visits and conversations with teachers and administrators about the curriculum, learning environment, and school’s educational philosophy are an important first step in this decision-making process,” Fowler said.

Parents will learn about Salisbury Academy and have time to interact with teachers and staff. Parents are also invited to tour the campus and spend time in the classrooms to get a first-hand look at the school’s challenging and enriching curriculum that provides skills needed for 21st century learners.

The event begins at 8:30 a.m. at Salisbury Academy, 2210 Jake Alexander Boulevard, North.

For more information contact Fowler at bfowler@salisburyacademy.org or 704.636.3002, extension 103.

Amy Hrinsin, an instructor of accounting in Catawba College’s Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, recently completed a Teaching

Effectiveness Seminar offered by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business(AACSB). Hrinsin was evaluated on her teaching effectiveness by five faculty members with considerable experience in the classroom and she received critical constructive feedback.

Hrinsin, who is herself a 1996 alumna of Catawba College, earned her master of accounting degree from N.C. State University. She began teaching at Catawba in 2008. She had previously served as an adjunct instructor at North Carolina State University, Peace College, Meredith College and Wake Technical Community College. She has also been a CPA in Raleigh and Westport, Conn. She is a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Dr. David L. Fish, associate professor of music and chair of the music department at Catawba College, has been accepted to take part in a traditional Korean music international workshop at Korea’s National Gugak Center in Seoul. The all-expense paid workshop starts June 17 and runs for two weeks.

Fish, who joined the Catawba College faculty in 2002, is a native of Tucson, Ariz. He earned his bachelor and master of music degrees from Western Michigan University and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

According to statistics reported by ABC news, every day, more than 160,000 children nationwide stay home from school to avoid being bullied. Not only are the effects of bullying on a child felt immediately, but they can also be lifelong — or even tragic. That’s why Aubree Huffman, an eighth-grader at China Grove Middle School, developed Be Bold Not a Bully.

Huffman is passionate about creating awareness in her community about what bullying is, how it can be identified by students, and what students, teachers and parents can do to intervene. She came up with the slogans, “Need an IV,” in which “IV” is short for intervention, and “U&2,” meaning you and two friends can join together to immediately confront the bully and diffuse the bullying situation. The goal is for students who see bullying taking place to take two peers and offer a needed bully IV, or bully intervention, to help the student being bullied by putting a stop to the situation immediately.

A bullying awareness rally will be hosted by Be Bold Not A Bully at China Grove Middle. Huffman has joined her school principal, guidance team and fellow eighth-graders to have bullying awareness rallies on April 10, 11 and 12. Students will perform skits on bullying and a presentation on the facts of bullying and how it is related to an increase in teen suicide and school shootings. They will also offer hands-on tools and resources for how to identify and respond to a bullying situation.

“I got so tired of seeing students get pushed around through social media, texting and school events. Most people think if it’s not physical, it’s not bullying. But the truth is that bullying comes in so many forms. After researching the statistics on bullying, suicide and school shootings, I knew someone had to step up to tell people what bullying really is.” said Huffman.

Linda Johnson, principal at China Grove Middle, is excited that this awareness program is student-lead. She is excited to support a program that has originated with a student who has spread the word throughout her school to gain support and bring awareness to bullying.

For more information, visit www.beboldnotabully.com or on Facebook. Huffman plans to coordinate a bullying awareness relay/walk as well as a concert, Bands for Bully Victims, both of which will be planned for the fall.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month and is sponsored each year by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, which is based in Minneapolis, Minn., and educates communities nationwide to prevent bullying through creative and interactive resources. Learn more about the PACER’s resources at PACER.org/bullying or by calling 952-838-9000.