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MCS
News Releases for September 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Snowden School to Help “Save
Our History”
through National Civil Rights Museum Partnership
History Channel
Provides $10,000 Grant to Support Preservation Initiative
Memphis,
Tenn. – Bridging the gap between Memphis’ past
and future, Snowden School and The National Civil Rights Museum
will partner to conduct an oral history project aimed to preserve
the city’s historical
impact during the American Civil Rights Movement through education.
Snowden will host a kick-off celebration on Thursday, September
27 at 6:30 p.m. to draw community support and excitement for this
creative venture.
The project, “Connecting Generations: A
Look at Memphis During Desegregation,” will document and
explore how the Evergreen Community was impacted by the Memphis
Sanitation Workers’ Strike and Dr.
Martin Luther King’s assassination, while also preserving
a significant aspect of community history using eyewitness testimony
of local desegregation efforts to examine how those efforts compare
to others across the country.
Additionally, students will have the
opportunity to see first-hand how the civil rights movement shaped
their school and neighborhood.
Snowden School and The National Civil
Rights are able to participate in this initiative thanks to a $10,000
Save our History grant awarded to the museum by the History Channel.
Only 27 grants were awarded nationwide. For more information about
the Save Our History project, visit www.saveourhistory.com.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Nine MCS Seniors named Semifinalists
in
National Achievement Scholarship Program
Memphis, Tenn. – Today,
the National Achievement
Scholarship Program announced that nine
Memphis City Schools seniors have been designated as Semifinalists
in the 44th annual Achievement Scholarship competition.
The National
Achievement Program, conducted by National
Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), recognizes promising black students
throughout the nation and provides college scholarships to the
most outstanding participants. These nine talented MCS students
are part of a national pool of more than 1,600 high school seniors
with an opportunity to compete for nearly 800 scholarships worth
$2.5 million to be awarded in spring of 2008.
Achievement Scholarship
awards provided in 2008 will be supported by corporations, foundations,
professional organizations and NMSC funds.
More than 140,000 high school juniors from all parts of the United
States requested Consideration in the 2008 National Achievement
Program when they took the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Semifinalists are the
highest-scoring program entrants in each state. National Achievement
Semifinalists must meet additional requirements, including an SAT
score that confirms performance on the qualifying exams and proven
potential for success in rigorous college studies, in order to
be selected as a Finalist.
2007 National Achievement Semifinalists
To learn more about the National Achievement Program or NMSC,
visit nationalmerit.org. For more information about this year’s
semifinalists, contact Elaine Detweiler or Eileen Artemakis at
(847) 866-5100, or send an email to mediainfo@nmerit.net.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sharpe Elementary, Westwood High Named
2007-08 FedEx/MCS Blue Ribbon Schools of the Year
FedEx to Award $5,000 to Principals from Each School during Tonight’s
School Board Meeting
Memphis, Tenn. – It takes a committed effort
by everyone involved with a school to maintain a culture of success.
Making sure students are always engaged, parents stay involved
and community partners remain lasting members of its family are
among the critical steps in a school’s
ability to continue reaching new heights year after year. No two
principals understand that better than Mr. Gary Zimmerman of Sharpe
Elementary and Ms. Tommie McCarter of Westwood
High School.
In recognition
of their hard work in establishing high expectations for MCS youth
and fostering positive growth in character and education, Mr. Zimmerman
and Ms. McCarter will each proudly accept a $5,000 award from FedEx
during tonight’s Memphis School Board meeting as principals
of this year’s “FedEx/MCS Blue
Ribbon Schools of the
Year.”
Understanding the challenge and importance of pushing forth the
objectives of the district’s Blue
Ribbon initiative in MCS
classrooms, FedEx teamed up with the district to reward two schools – one
elementary school and one secondary school – that have been
most successful in implementing the plan.
Based on data from the 2006-07 school year, a committee of behavior
coaches, academic superintendents and select members of the Superintendent’s
Leadership Team determined that Sharpe
Elementary and Westwood
High were tops in the district when it came to meeting the
following standards set forth under the Blue
Ribbon plan:
- Improved student
achievement
- Positive behavior plans (created and implemented)
- Increased student attendance
- Student engagement
- Decrease in office referrals
- Teacher/staff, student, parent, community support of behavior
plan
- Positive and safe environment
Thrilled by the honor, Principal Zimmerman said his success has
stemmed from the cooperative efforts of his staff to establish
a climate conducive to learning and success.
“Students need
to feel safe, and they need to feel good about coming to school,” Zimmerman
stated. “Students also have to
understand that school is serious business. We feel that if students
know what is expected of them and are provided encouragement and
support along the way, they will achieve.”
Ms. McCarter believes her school’s teamwork philosophy has
been the biggest contributor to its success in recent school years.
“I
have a really good group of teachers that believes in rewarding
and recognizing students for their accomplishments,” McCarter
said. “Our students understand how they should act. They
know that good behavior will be recognized, but also that discipline
is certain and swift at our school.”
Mr. Zimmerman is a strong believer in student incentives, and
a number of Sharpe’s incentive campaigns continue to produce
positive results, including the BUGS (Bring Up Grades in School)
and BATS (Better Attitudes in School) programs. Each day, he collects
a list of students from each classroom who have gone out of their
way to help someone or demonstrate good behavior and announces
the names of those children over the intercom daily.
“Recognition
means a lot,” Zimmerman said. “Students
like to know that we notice their good deeds. When kids hear their
classmates being congratulated, it drives them to do well, too.”
Mr.
Zimmerman says he and his staff meet regularly to develop creative
programs and incentives that will inspire kids to strive for success.
Additionally, his Blue
Ribbon team meets annually to review the
effectiveness of various behavior programs.
At Westwood
High School, visibility of the principal and teachers
creates a sense of encouragement and security among students.
“We try to find something positive to say to every student
we see,” McCarter said. “It’s important that
students are happy at school, and it’s important that they
know our school is a safe and orderly place for them to learn.”
Principal McCarter and her team of teachers meet every Tuesday
for “Teacher-to-Teacher Tuesday,” a day where grade-levels
come together to talk about what strategies are working well. The
groups also discuss ways to keep parents informed and involved
in the learning process throughout the school year.
Ms. McCarter and Mr. Zimmerman can use the $5,000 award for anything
that will promote the main objectives of the Blue Ribbon plan.
While neither has any specific plans, both are likely to spend
a good portion on new incentives for students.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Parents + Community = Student
Success!
NCLB Parent Seminar Aims
to Arm Adults with Tips, Tools to Boost Student
Achievement
Memphis, Tenn. – Memphis City Schools’ Division
of Parent & Community Engagement encourages parents and community
members with a stake in public education to attend the annual No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) Parent Seminar on Thursday, September
27. The seminar will take place from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the
Holiday Inn Select, 2240 Democrat Rd.
The theme of this year’s
seminar is “Parents + Community = Student Success!"
The seminar offers parents and student supporters in the
community the opportunity to attend a series of specialized workshops
focusing on effective academic strategies and resources. The aim
of the seminar is to help parents and community members strengthen
their positive influence on children and affect their behaviors,
perceptions and attitudes in order to boost achievement.
Dave Weber
of Weber & Associates will serve as keynote speaker
of the morning professional development sessions for family specialists,
parent counselors and family resource center managers who work
throughout the district and the city. His topic, “Sticks & Stones
Exposed,” will
examine the culture and climate of schools and how the creation
of a positive learning community through communication and team
building can result in greater student achievement.
Hundreds of
parents are expected to attend this highly informative seminar.
Media is also welcome to attend.
To register or to find out more
information, contact the Division
of Parent & Community Engagement
416-7264 or 416-7469.
September 21, 2007
Trezevant CTC Investing in Students' Financial
Awareness
Trezevant CTC to Open Tennessee's First Student-Operated
Bank
Tuesday, September 25
Memphis, Tenn. – It has
been three years in the making, and now, a dream has finally come
to fruition for Trezevant
Career and Technology Center.
The school will be opening the doors of a student-operated
bank at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 25 at 8:30
a.m. The new bank is part of Memphis City Schools’ Business
Finance Academy at Trezevant
CTC, which provides services to high
schools in the Frayser, North Memphis, and Raleigh areas.
“Fiscal
management and responsibility are among the many essential life
lessons that we want to provide to our students,” said Milton
Burchfield, Principal of Trezevant
Career and Technology Center. “With
the opening of the banking center at Trezevant CTC, students will
gain the knowledge and hands-on experience to pursue careers in
finance and business.”
The bank will be fully operated by
students within the school’s
finance program, and students as well as the public will be able
to open non-interest bearing savings accounts. All accounts will
be FDIC insured.
As the first project of its kind in the state
of Tennessee, the bank is part of a career-development partnership
with several local banks that will offer students the opportunity
to gain employment in the banking industry upon graduation. The
school’s principal, Milton Burchfield,
pushed for the cutting-edge program so that students could learn
money matters now that will help them later as adults.
Representatives
from Wachovia, Federal Reserve and First Tennessee banks, along
with MCS representatives and Board of Education
Commissioners,
will be on hand at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday. Trezevant
CTC is located at 3224 Range Line. Contact the school at 416-3800
for more information.
September 19, 2007
Memphis City Schools Joins National Effort
to “Read for
the Record”
Thursday September 20
Memphis, Tenn. – On Thursday, September
20, Memphis City Schools will be among the many school districts
across the country participating in Jumpstart’s "Read
for the Record" event. Memphis
Board of Education Commissioners will lead the effort at 40 Memphis
City Schools to help set a new world record for the number of children
reading the same book in a single day with an adult. The record-setting
book is "The
Story of Ferdinand."
Tomorrow's event will take place at elementary schools across
the city between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Board Commissioners
along with a number of MCS representatives, will read to students
in Kindergarten and first grade classrooms.
Jumpstart's "Read for the Record" campaign serves to
increase literacy skills among students, raise awareness about
the early education crisis and provide effective tools to address
the issue in the nation's schools.
Media members who would like to cover one of the record-setting
reading sessions can contact the Office of Communications, Marketing
and Development at 416-5628 to find out which schools will be open.
Jumpstart is a national nonprofit organization currently working
with more than 10,000 children throughout the United States by
pairing them with caring adults in one-to-one relationships that
help each child build language, literacy and social skills. For
more information, visit www.jstart.org.
Wednesday, September 19,
2007
U.S. Navy's Blue Angels to Land at Wooddale High Friday,
September 21 at 8:30 a.m.
Famous Pilots to Join Superintendent Dan
Ward for Thrilling Aviation Assembly
Memphis, Tenn. – Known
throughout Memphis for its outstanding Optional aviation program,
Wooddale High School will welcome members of the famed Blue Angels
flight crew, as well as a team of African-American pilots, for
a thrilling aviation assembly on Friday, September 21 at 8:30 a.m.
A retired Air Force Lieutenant and pilot, Memphis City Schools’ Interim
Superintendent Dan Ward will serve as guest speaker for the event.
Students will learn about the exciting career opportunities available
for aspiring pilots and other professions in the aviation industry,
while also hearing some incredible first-hand stories from the
officers who amaze millions of spectators at air shows across the
country as commanders of the Navy’s high-powered Boeing F/A-18
Hornets.
Several students from Wooddale High School who participate
in the school’s aviation program have spent the early part
of this school year researching the aircrafts scheduled to fly
over the Memphis area this weekend during the Mid-South Air-Show
in Millington. Those students will be making special presentations
at the Air Show on Saturday and Sunday.
Media is welcome to attend
this event on Friday, September 21. Wooddale High School is located
at 5151 Scottsdale. For more information, call 416-2440.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
O’Charley’s Restaurant Serving Up Support for MCS Students through CONNECT Mentoring Program
Memphis, Tenn. –
Memphis City Schools accepted a generous $1,000 donation from the
O’Charley’s restaurant chain today to support its renowned
CONNECT Mentoring program. Representatives from O’Charley’s
made the donation through the “Stuff the Bus” school
supplies drive, sponsored annually by WMC.
“We are thankful
for this contribution from O’Charley’s and so pleased that
businesses and community organizations continue to recognize the
importance of student support,” said Nellie Powell, program
manager for CONNECT Mentoring. “We’ll use this money to
help train and recruit new CONNECT mentors to help make a positive
impact on our children.”
CONNECT Mentoring aims to
address the social and academic needs of children who live and learn in
“high priority” neighborhoods. CONNECT has placed
nearly 100 mentors in 20 different schools and continues to
recruit more every school year. To find out how to become a CONNECT
mentor or to learn more about the program, call 416-5700 or visit
www.mcsk12.net.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Seventeen (17) MCS Seniors Named
National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Memphis, Tenn. – Memphis
City Schools is proud to announce that 17 of its high school seniors
have been named Semifinalists in the prestigious National
Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation
(NMSC) made the announcement earlier today. These talented students
are part of a national pool of high school seniors chosen on the
basis of their academic achievement, skills, accomplishments and
potential for success in rigorous college studies.
More than 1.4 million juniors in nearly 21,000
high schools entered the 2008 National Merit Program by taking
the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of entrants.
The group of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent
of all U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants
in each state.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award,
Semifinalists must advance to the Finalist level of the competition.
Qualifications include an outstanding academic record throughout
high school, SAT scores that reflect high performance on the qualifying
entrance exams and demonstration of participation and leadership
in various school and community activities.
About 90 percent of the Semifinalists (roughly
15,000) are expected to attain Finalist standing, approximately
half of whom will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners. More
than $34 million in scholarships will be presented in spring of
2008, including the $2,500 National Merit Scholarship that will
be awarded to 2,500 students, nearly 1,100 corporate-sponsored
scholarships and some 4,600 college-sponsored awards.
These 17 MCS seniors have been named National
Merit Scholarship Semifinalists:
- Christopher J. Campbell – White Station HS
- Christopher V. Carlile – White Station HS
- Xiaoyang Leng – White Station HS
- Andrew Y. Lu – White Station HS
- Sophie S. Moskop – White Station HS
- Shawn Pan – White Station HS
- Tabatha R. Parker – White Station HS
- Rachel A. Schoumacher – White Station HS
- Hannah R. Shaffer – White Station HS
- Jun Song – White Station HS
- Sara E. Stephens – White Station HS
- Chandra Vishwas – White Station HS
- Tianxiong Wu – White Station HS
- Ray Xiong – Cordova HS
- Benjamin Yang – White Station HS
- Peter A. Zastoupil – White Station HS
- Chi Zhang – White Station HS
For more information about the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), contact Elaine Detweiler or Eileen
Artemakis at (847) 866-5100, or log onto www.nationalmerit.org.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Jazz Great Wynton Marsalis to Share Stage with Overton High Musicians
Marsalis to Lead Master Clinic for School’s
Jazz Band
Saturday, September 15 at Overton High School
Memphis, Tenn. – Overton
High School, Memphis’ premier
high school for creative and performing arts, will welcome world-renowned
classical jazz musician Wynton Marsalis on Saturday, September
15 for an exciting master clinic with students in the Jazz Band.
The master clinic will take place from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the
Overton
High School Auditorium.
Marsalis will impart the musical
wisdom that earned him nine Grammy's, a Pulitzer Prize and countless
honors from around the globe over the years while providing an
invaluable, loving critique of the Overton Jazz Band’s latest
works, a collection of “Essentially Ellington Tunes.”
The
workshop is free for all Memphis City Schools’ band
students and band directors, as well for parents and community
members.
Members of the media are also encouraged to witness
this amazing learning opportunity presented by Overton
High School staff, in conjunction with the Cultural Development Foundation
and the Kennedy Center. However, it should be noted that Mr. Marsalis’ production
company, Spotlight Productions, will NOT allow more than two minutes
of video footage.
Overton
High School is located at 1770 Lanier.
For more information, contact Jeff Huddleston, Overton Jazz Band
Director at 416-2046.
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