From special programs to distinguished awards, the area’s school systems are paving the way for students to be successful both in the classroom and in the real world.
Note: The story below is an excerpt from our Jan./Feb. 2015 issue. For the full story download our FREE iOS app or view our digital edition for FREE today!
David Hungate
Roanoke City Public Schools
Teachers for Tomorrow, a new initiative spearheaded by the school board, is helping high schoolers discover firsthand the joys of teaching. Participating students – 30 total – learn not only the history of education, instruction strategy and classroom management, but also get to experience teaching in a classroom.
“We want to recruit highly qualified teachers, so we put this program together to help make that happen,” says Kathleen Duncan, career and technical education director for the city schools. “Who better to come back to teach than our highly qualified graduates.”
A similar program existed in the ‘90s, Duncan says. And the teacher cadet instructor for Teachers for Tomorrow, Kurrai Thompson, is a product of that program.
“So it’s come full circle for me,” Thompson says. “It’s wonderful to work with these students; some are naturals already.”
Students from William Fleming High School recently gained experience in the field by giving presentations to kindergartners at Round Hill Elementary. Destinee Clay and Antonio Johnson, both seniors, created a book and read it to a classroom. Both say the program has brought them out of their comfort zone and helped them discover their future careers.
“I want to be a culinary teacher, and I know this program can lead me to that,” Johnson says.
“I’ve learned that everyday is different with teaching by viewing other people teach,” Clay says. “I’d like to teach preschool one day.”
More Cool Programs
This school year, all 17 of the city elementary schools have VH1 Save the Music Foundation programs, says Justin McLeod, community relations coordinator. VH1 provides money to buy instruments for students and since the program began in 2009, VH1 Save the Music has donated close to $500,000 worth of instruments.
“The program introduces instruments to students at a young age,” McLeod says. “We are finding it is helping our middle and high school music programs. Since they are starting at a young age, they are really advanced by the time they get to the middle and high school.”
The school system is also launching an initiative that will put a laptop in the hands of every eighth grader.
“The students will be able to take these laptops home,” McLeod says. “Now that SOL tests are completely done online, we found students are struggling on the tests. The goal will be for these eighth graders to use these laptops every day in the classroom or at home.”
Roanoke County Public Schools
In an effort to provide special education students with similar opportunities available for gifted or advanced learners, Roanoke County Public Schools introduced makerspaces. This pilot program challenges special education students to develop key skills of creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking, all while solving problems on their own.
Makerspaces presents students with a problem, gives them a set of resources and sets them free to solve that problem using both high-tech and low-tech tools. From laptops, 3-D printers and video technology to simple items such as tape, paper, cardboard rolls and other everyday items, students are encouraged to make their own solution to the problem and are given the freedom to try any idea, says Dr. Jessica McClung, director of special education and pupil personnel services.
“The key about this program,” says Chuck Lionberger, community relations specialist, “is that students are controlling their own learning experience and teachers act as a guide to encourage creative thinking and collaboration. As students develop their unique solution to a problem, teachers help the students learn from their failures and to remain persistent.”
According to McClung, special education students can be successful and independent learners if given the opportunity to be creative problem solvers. And teachers and facilitators are already seeing results.
“One middle school student with significant disabilities solved her first creative challenge, to the tremendous surprise of the teacher,” McClung says. “This is a student who had never shown this level of cognitive ability before. Within the first two months of the program’s implementation, we have seen considerable student growth and development as measured by the program rubrics and by teacher observation.”
School Growth
Glenvar High School, which was built in 1964, is under a $24 million renovation and expansion project. A new science wing, a new entrance, a new cafeteria, expanded classrooms and redirected traffic flow around the building are all part of the renovation, says Lionberger.
Salem City Schools
Thanks to a generous donation from Nick Powell of Salem Tools, a longtime supporter of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Salem City Schools was able to bring back its strings program, which was defunct last year due to lack of funds. And the re-launch caused quite an unexpected response.
“We were expecting around 24 students, but have 72 kids participating,” says Sarah Wardle, RSO education director. “We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The program, available to second- through eighth-graders, is held weekly after-school and teaches students the basics and fundamentals of playing the violin. Classes, divided by experience level, will perform at the end of the school year to showcase all they’ve learned.
“Performance is a skill too,” Wardle says, “so it’s important for them to be able to share their music.”
Wardle says the goal after students complete instruction is that they will be prepared to join the strings orchestra or, perhaps as ninth-graders, join the youth symphony orchestra if interested.
Wardle attributes much of the success of the program to assistant superintendent Curtis Hicks and the school system’s music teachers, who “all worked hard to encourage students to participate.” And the two teachers who lead the program – both of whom play for the symphony – are dedicated to maintaining interest, and sending emails and reminders to the participants and their parents.
The program is also a way to introduce the orchestra to the community, as the culture is not as widespread as other types of music.
“What better way to do that than through the schools,” Wardle says.
Enhanced Learning Space
Before the start of the current school year, East Salem Elementary received renovations that created or enhanced 9,000-square-feet of learning space.
The $1.1 million project included two new classrooms, a new computer lab, five renovated classrooms, an expanded hallway and improved safety measures. Now, all students, especially those with disabilities, can make their way through the hallway much easier. The previous hallway was 36-inches wide; it is now eight-feet wide.
Botetourt County Public Schools
Five years ago, Rachel’s Challenge, an organization created in memory of the first victim of the Columbine shootings, was brought to Botetourt schools to help raise awareness on bullying. And it’s been quite a success.
“Students are more aware of each other and how powerful their words are to either hurt or heal a fellow student,” says Summer Underwood, who leads the program at Read Mountain Middle School. “We try to bring awareness that every student has a story and that a common thread of kindness can help anyone who is having a rough day, week or month.”
A group of teachers and students wanted to create something that celebrated the accomplishments of Rachel’s Challenge in Botetourt. They came up with Rachel’s Rally, a community event that features games, face painting, a cornhole tournament and other activities to brings students and residents together. Now in its third year, the rally is held just before the James River/Lord Botetourt boys basketball game, during which the Richard Henegar Jr. Act of Kindness Community Award is presented to a deserving community member.
“Richard is a former student who has done great things through random acts of kindness,” Underwood says, so it was only fitting to name an award after him.
A Fair for the Future
Students and instructors from the Botetourt STEM-H Academy wanted to show future high school students what it’s like to attend the academy. Thus, the STEM-H Fair was born. Held in October, the fair welcomed sixth- through eighth-graders to experience STEM-H activities.
STEM-H administrator Stacey Jones says students participated in three activities from each strand of STEM-H. For example, in the engineering strand, students worked with certain constraints to design and build a tower.
“Students were challenged to think about how changing the shape of weaker items could result in stronger material,” she adds. “We hope that the fair will pique some interests for students who were unsure what STEM-H means and get them thinking about future educational and career goals.”
Franklin County Public Schools
Want to explore the moon’s surface and test your knowledge of the moon? Thanks to four Franklin County High School students, there’s an app for that.
Matt Brosinski, Darius Hale, Brandon Hollandsworth and Richard Hall – under the guidance of their teacher Dr. William Schmachtenberg – created a software application for mobile devices called Lunar Explorer. The app was entered into the first annual Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Contest, and won first place for the Fifth Congressional District.
Brosinski says of the win: “We put a massive amount of time into it, so it’s nice to see the effort paid off.”
Students across the nation participated in the contest, designed to encourage participation in STEM areas of study. Each Congressional District named a winning submission. Congressman Robert Hurt says all of the submissions were full of ingenuity and imagination.
“We were inspired by these young people’s abilities,” he says. “It is important that we foster the growth of the STEM education fields, as those who excel in these areas of study will undoubtedly propel us forward in future innovations.”
High Achievement
Snow Creek Elementary School received the 2015 Title I Highly Distinguished School Award, a recognition based on student achievement during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.
The award is earned for achieving a mean score at the 85th percentile for English and math, for meeting full accreditation for a minimum of two consecutive years and for exceeding the federal accountability benchmark targets for English and math in the current and previous year for all students and for each subgroup. I
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