With career-related classes offered in many high schools and exceptional learning programs available for elementary and middle school students, area schools diligently work to guide students of all levels on the path to success. Their devotion to education is evident in the mottos adopted by many school systems. And the accomplishments by both students and teachers do not go unnoticed.
Take a look at what local schools and students are doing to achieve excellence:
Roanoke City Schools
Students experiment at the Governor's School of Science and Technology, which serves students from several area school systems.
Roanoke City Schools has a mission to graduate students prepared for life in a rapidly changing world. Superintendent Rita Bishop says she and all employees of the school system are committed to making that happen.
“I want to provide programs that meet the needs, desires and talents of students and parents,” she says.
Some new programs and activities of the past year include the Fishburn Environmental Focus School, which teaches environmental science at the elementary school level; a middle school honors program that prepares students for high school accelerated programs; and the 5-5-5 Program for fifth graders to learn about five careers in five days. The new Roanoke Community College Access Program, Bishop says, allowed 51 graduating seniors of the 2008-2009 school year to attend Virginia Western Community College for free.
Roanoke City Schools also earned national and statewide recognition through several awards and grants. Fallon Park Elementary won the 2009 National Excellence in Urban Education Award; Virginia’s 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year was Stephanie Doyle of James Breckenridge Middle School; Patrick Henry High School was named “One of the Top High Schools” in the United States by Newsweek Magazine; and VH1 Save the Music awarded $30,000 grants to four of the school system’s elementary schools.
Elementary school students participated in a community-related project through Promise of Roanoke and Virginia Tech Partnership. According to Tiffany Woods, public relations director, students created an “ABC” Book that identifies significant landmarks throughout the city – such as “A is for art museum.” Copies of the books are available at schools, libraries and other locations.
Other recent accomplishments include:
- Two new high schools and two new athletic stadiums.
- A partnership with Valley Metro for middle and high school students to ride the bus for free.
- More than 100 students were part of the first graduating class of Forest Park Academy.
Roanoke County Schools
Consistency is key in Roanoke County Public Schools. For several years – and again in 2009 – NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation named the division one of the nation’s top 100 communities for music education. Also, each school (and the school system as a whole) became fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education.
According to Chuck Lionberger, community relations specialist, Roanoke County Public Schools recently initiated a new program in partnership with Virginia Western Community College for students to earn an associates degree when they graduate from high school.
“Students interested in this degree option need to take a series of dual-enrollment courses throughout their high school career,” he says.
Roanoke County Public Schools also just completed a major renovation/expansion of Northside High School, and are in the process of renovating/expanding four more schools: Mt. Pleasant, Cave Spring and Green Valley elementary schools and William Byrd High School. Additionally, construction will begin in early 2010 on a new Masons Cove Elementary School.
Looking ahead, Lionberger says the primary goal for this school year is for every school to meet state and federal requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress as part of No Child Left Behind.
“Beyond the academic goals, we also are working now to compile a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 school year,” he adds. “This is especially challenging given all the extreme cuts coming from the state.”
Accomplishments of the past year also include:
- Kindergarten teacher Kathy Barber at W.E. Cundiff Elementary School earned the 2009 Golden Apple Award from the Roanoke County Public Schools Education Foundation.
- Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Lange was named one of the nation’s Top Tech-Savvy Superintendents by eSchool News.
- Thirteen schools and the division as a whole earned the 2009 Board of Education Excellence Award.
Salem City Schools
Every Child, Every Day.
Earning numerous honors and achievements over the past year, Salem City Schools have worked hard to stick by that motto.
According to Mike Stevens, city communications director, all six Salem schools are fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Each school also exceeded all Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2009.
At Salem schools, SAT scores consistently exceed state and national averages.
“In Salem City Schools, we are not waiting for end-of-grade or end-of-course SOL tests; instead, we have instituted a division-wide emphasis on formative assessment, so that the needs of every child can be met every day,” says Salem Superintendent Dr. H. Alan Seibert. “Test scores are important because they are indicators of student progress, but we teach children, not percentages and more importantly, we teach children for 180 days a year and not just the day of an assessment.”
Notable accolades for both students and teachers include the Salem High School Forensics Team becoming the Virginia High School League AA State Champion for the fourth consecutive year, staff members Lee Hodges and James Forester earning Fulbright Scholarships to travel to China during the summer and Salem becoming the first school division in Virginia to add a personal finance graduation requirement. Mark Ingerson, a world history teacher at Salem High School, recently was named the 2010 Region VI Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Department of Education.
Several new programs and classes have been implemented this school year. Salem High School now offers a Student Ambassador Program that “assists new students by pairing them with a fellow student during the tough transition period,” says Stevens. Math Assisted Study Halls (MASH) are available for high school students who seek extra assistance in math.
The school system’s accomplishments extend beyond the classroom and into the community as well. The YMCA recognized Salem City Schools for “developing strong kids, strong families and strong communities through partnerships with the YMCA,” according to the division’s Fast Facts newsletter. G.W. Carver Elementary School earned a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant of $5,000 to be used for landscaping and improvements to the school grounds.
Botetourt County Public Schools
Expansions and milestones highlight the school year in Botetourt County Public Schools. Among the growths, the division has increased opportunities for students to earn college credit through its dual enrollment program.
“Not only were dual enrollment course offerings increased in the areas of math and foreign language,” says Superintendent Tony Brads, “but every program at Botetourt Technical Education Center now offers students the option to earn college credit through all courses. Botetourt County Public Schools now offers more than 50 dual enrollment courses through Virginia Western Community College and Dabney S. Lancaster Community College.”
The school system also just entered into its second phase of a project concentrated on improving the literacy of its secondary students. Developed in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education and the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas, the project began with the implementation of a Content Literacy Continuum (CLC) at two schools within the division. According to the CLC website and Brads, “the continuum is a five-level model that offers students increasingly intensive levels of literacy support based on individual needs.” In the second phase, the project has expanded to include the school system’s remaining three secondary schools.
During the 2009-2010 year, both James River and Lord Botetourt high schools celebrated their 50th anniversaries. The schools opened in September 1959 and “have been in continuous operation and producing high school graduates ready for college, careers and citizenship since that time,” says Brads.
BCPS also will commemorate the Central Academy School – now Central Academy Middle School – which opened in September 1959 as well. The school consolidated all schools that served the black students of Botetourt County in accordance with the segregated education model practiced in 1959 and was a combined elementary and high school. Its last graduating class was in 1966.
Franklin County Public Schools
Franklin County Public Schools has gone “Above and Beyond” – as their motto states – to provide enhanced educational opportunities for the students. A new school and new “green” project are among the exciting happenings for this school system.
Windy Gap Elementary School opened this year and is deemed a “technology innovative school,” according to Janet Stockton of the district’s community relations office. Each classroom in the school contains an ActivBoard, which is controlled by the teacher’s computer.
Ground was broken in August on the Center for Energy Efficient Design (CEED), a “learning center that will be a resource for students and the general public in the region,” says Stockton. “The CEED will include learning laboratories for hands-on instruction and projects related to the building design and advanced systems feature. Learning applications will include wind systems, solar thermal systems and efficient HVAC systems.”
Accomplishments of the past year include Callaway, Glade Hill, Lee M. Waid and Snow Creek elementary schools earning the distinction of Title I Distinguished School, and Franklin County Public Schools testing director Elaine Hawkins receiving the Award of Excellence from the Virginia Association of Test Directors. Benjamin Franklin Middle School started the World Drumming Program, receiving a set of African drums and percussion instruments to supplement the choir program.
“This program brings the enjoyment and excitement of music participation while building important life skills –communication, listening, teamwork, discipline and respect for others,” says Stockton.
Other highlights include:
- Spanish classes available for students at two elementary schools
- Percussion program available at several elementary schools
- Burnt Chimney Elementary School’s new fitness program
- New Advanced Placement Classes at Franklin County High School include physics and computer science
