Catawba College students and faculty attend conference and present research

Catawba College seniors Jessica Gibson and Madelin Contreras of Salisbury, junior Grace Tworek of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada and Dr. Sheila Brownlow, professor of psychology, presented their research at the 61st Southeastern Psychological Association annual conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina March 19. The title of their work was “Judgments of Research Quality from Language Style Used in Scientific Writing.”

 

Homeschool vendor fair

The Rowan County Homeschool Association will host a vendor fair April 14 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Life Church, 710 Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury.

All current and prospective homeschool families are invited to attend. There will be representatives from the various service providers in our community who make it possible to have great homeschools in Rowan County.

Meet with vendors now as you begin to plan your 2015-16 school year. Admission is free. Contact Sue Welday at 704-431-2861 for more information.

 

North Rowan Middle hosts Diversity Fair

The North Rowan Middle School Diversity Fair included musical performances, skits, displays, artwork and free food samples.

Each grade level had a theme based on their respective social studies curriculum, and displayed student work such as poems, posters, timelines and iMovies.

Families enjoyed samples of food provided by staff members and donations from community restaurants. Many families came out to enjoy a night of multicultural fun.

 

Gaige VandeZande plays on men’s hockey team at Lebanon Valley College

Gaige VandeZande, a graduate of East Rowan High School, was a member of Lebanon Valley College’s men’s hockey team during the 2014-15 winter season.

VandeZande is pursuing a bachelor of science in biology, and he earned all-academic team status.

Lebanon Valley finished the 2014-15 campaign with 36 total points and a 16-12-4 overall record. The Flying Dutchmen advanced to the semifinal round of the ESCHL postseason tournament before falling to No. 5 Stony Brook.

 

West Rowan Middle students participate in Model United Nations

West Rowan Middle School took a group of eight students to their first Model United Nations conference on March 18 at Appalachian State University.

Students discussed and worked to solve three issues facing the wellbeing of our global community.

Model United Nations provides students an opportunity to become actively engaged in the international community, in providing them with a strong sense of awareness of other countries and international issues, as well as experience in seeking solutions to these issues through discussions and the creation of resolutions according to parliamentary procedure.

Students are tasked with several challenging obstacles in preparation for the conference.

Students who participate are representatives or “delegates” of a specific country. As a delegate of a different country, students have to research their country thoroughly to discover their views on various world issues, as well as past and present actions.

While at the conference, students must represent their assigned country by demonstrating knowledge on past and current events. This allows them to work with other countries to create resolutions that will solve current issues facing our global community.

Matthew Ramsey, Gavin Coffield, Skylar Jahnke, Meredith Gaskill, Ashley Radtke, Bryant Collins, Kevin Sullivan and Trevor Mervine represented West Rowan Middle School.

There are a total of four awards given to the delegates at the conclusion of the conference. Ramsey and Coffield worked together as delegates of the United Kingdom and received honorable mention for their hard work throughout the day. Jahnke and Gaskill worked together as delegates of Nigeria and received superior delegation for their hard work and representation of their country throughout the day.

A total of 13 North Carolina schools attended the conference representing a variety of countries.

 

Wofford student pitches project during Impact and Launch Competition

Stacey Mangan, an Impact track finalist, will pitch Get Moving Campaign.

The Get Moving Campaign targets elementary school children in low-income areas and encourages them to lead a healthy lifestyle and improve self-esteem before transitioning to middle school. Mangan, along with fellow students Parker Johnson and Chandler Washburn, manage the project. Mangan, a member of the class of 2015, is the daughter of Al and Jennifer Mangan of China Grove.

Wofford’s Impact and Launch programs offer scholarships to students who want to learn entrepreneurship skills through the Impact track, which promotes social-good projects and non-profit businesses, or through the Launch track, where students start and run a for-profit business. The students pitch their projects to a panel of judges in a “shark-tank” competition for a chance to win $20,000 in cash and prizes.

 

Battle of the Books awards

Mount Ulla Elementary School won first place in the 2014-15 Rowan-Salisbury Battle of the Books competition. Bostian Elementary came in second and Overton Elementary took home third place.

During the school year, students read 18 books in preparation for the competition. Mt. Ulla Elementary will represent the district at the regional competition to be held in Hickory on April 21.

 

Crosby Scholars welcomes Michelle Strong as middle school coordinator

As the program coordinator for middle schools, Michelle Strong will be the point of contact for all Crosby Scholars students in grades six through eight. She will coordinate middle school programming, including career week, college tours, career exploration, middle school academies and all special programming at the middle school level.

“I have a heart for youth. My life as a child and wife in the military has allowed me the opportunity to travel and experience many diverse cultures. My involvement with youth leadership and community partnering has increased my desire to help make a difference in our youth today. I am eager to share, encourage and equip this generation to see and reach their potential,” Strong said.