Elementary Schools
Carnes
Egypt
Ford Road
Graves
Hanley
Hawkins Mill
Lakeview
Lauderdale
Lester
Oakhaven
Springdale
Treadwell
Whitney
Winchester

Middle/Junior High Schools
Chickasaw
Craigmont
Cypress
Geeter
Georgian Hills
Havenview
Lanier
Raleigh-Egypt
Riverview
Wooddale

High Schools
Booker T. Washington
Fairley
Hamilton
Ridgeway
Wooddale
Frayser
Oakhaven

August 24, 2004

Memphis City Schools’ Focus on Literacy Receives Federal Support
U.S. Department of Education and MCS schedule press conference

Superintendent Carol Johnson and officials from the U.S. Department of Education will hold a press conference on Tuesday, August 24 at noon in the MCS Telecommunications Center (Cable 19 studio), located at 2485 Union Avenue (corner of S. Hollywood and Union Avenue).

Memphis City Schools successfully won its bid for a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will be used to focus on improving literacy through MCS libraries as part of the school district’s “Partners in Literacy” project. MCS’ focus on improving literacy among students is credited with helping many schools clear off the Tennessee Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind(NCLB) list. The NCLB state report was released on August 12, 2004.

For your convenience, the press conference will be carried live on Cable 19 (Time Warner Cable) and 88.5 WQOX-FM

August 23, 2004

Hamilton High holds family night to encourage involvement

As part of a Memphis City Schools system-wide effort to increase community participation in school events, Hamilton High School will hold a spirit night for the football team’s supporters and the general school community.

The Hamilton High administration and football coaching staff are inviting the players' parents and the entire Hamilton community to the school’s first Photo Spirit Night on Thursday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. The meeting will serve as the school’s official kick-off for the 2004-05 academic and athletic season and will take place at the school, 1363 Person.

“We are striving to increase parental participation and promote the social, emotional and academic growth of our students,” said Isaac White, school principal. “We believe when schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits.”

August 20, 2004

American Way Middle holds open house to educate parents on Title 1

American Way Middle School will hold a Title 1 Parent Meeting/Open House Tuesday, Aug. 31, to give parents an opportunity to learn more about the No Child Left Behind Act and to meet their child’s teacher.

The event will take place at the school, 3805 American Way, from 6 - 8 p.m. Upon arrival, parents will receive their child’s mid-term progress report. The first half hour of the program will feature a performance by the school’s show choir and an introduction of the faculty and staff, with short messages from administration members, the PTSA president and the School Leadership Council representative.

From 6:30 - 6:45 p.m., the school’s Title 1 coordinator will speak to parents about No Child Left Behind, and from 7 - 8 p.m., parents may tour the school and meet teachers in their classrooms.

August 20, 2004

Downtown Elementary’s 'Olympians' going for the gold

The 2004 Olympics is more than just a group of athletic events on television to the students of Downtown Elementary School. It is also the inspiration for this year’s learning theme, urging students to go for the gold.

Downtown Elementary held an opening ceremony Aug. 13, to celebrate this year’s educational theme — The Olympics. The school’s teachers created thematic educational units for each subject area, incorporating activities, ideas and the competitive spirit of the Olympics. The theme is designed to encourage students to “Go for the Gold” in all their academic and personal pursuits.

“We want to teach our students to believe in themselves to make their dreams come true,” said DES Principal Marcia Wunderlich, “and inspiration for doing that comes from the Olympics and the men and women who worked so hard to compete.”

The opening ceremony featured flags created by the students to represent each class. And the students heard from people in the Memphis City Schools community who have had Olympic experiences — Downtown Elementary School teacher Kathy Owens, who carried the Olympic torch in 2002, and Melrose High graduate Rochelle Stevens, who won a gold and silver medal in track and field.

Owens was chosen to carry the torch as it passed through Memphis on its way to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, in recognition of her work with special-needs students. The students watched a video featuring Owens’ run, and she spoke about how proud she was “to represent Memphis and the United States as an Olympic torch bearer.”

Upon high school graduation, Stevens was offered track and field scholarships by 24 colleges. She went on to win a silver medal in the 4 x 400 relay in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain, and the gold medal in the same event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“ You can be the very best in anything you choose,” Stevens said, in the spirit of the educational theme. “The only person who can hold you back is yourself. It is your choice.”

The opening ceremony ended with the students getting a close-up look at Stevens’ gold and silver medals and parading around with Owens and her Olympic torch leading the way.

From Aug. 16 - 26, Downtown Elementary students will participate in a number of Olympic-style events. Monday, Aug. 27, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a closing ceremony with the awarding of medals.

August 18, 2004

Memphis City Schools ACT test score rises significantly to 17.4, District aggressively addressing areas to meet state, US averages

Memphis, Tenn. – Memphis City Schools has more good news on academic performance. The ACT announced today that the district “significantly” increased the average composite score for the second consecutive year. The average ACT composite score rose two-tenths of a point to 17.4 among 2004’s high school graduates, compared to 17.2 last year.

“An increase of two-tenths of a point in one year is significant,” said Jon Erickson, ACT’s vice president of educational services. “It’s a positive sign that good things are happening in Memphis City Schools, and a tribute to hard work by the district, its teachers and its students.”

Key accomplishments identified by the ACT report are as follows:

“Our goal is to increase student graduation rates and support students’ transition to post-secondary educational and career opportunities,” said Superintendent Carol Johnson. “These scores indicate we are moving in the right direction, but we must accelerate our progress. We must ensure that more students are exposed to rigorous coursework and we must continue to create a learning culture where students expect high academic achievement and view it as worthy of their effort.”

Currently, the district ranks behind the state of Tennessee composite average of 20.5 and the national average at 20.9. To continue progress and meet or exceed state and national averages, the district will utilize five options: continued emphasis on teachers following MCS curriculum guides, encourage students to take four years of math and four years of science in high school, provide tutoring opportunities, offer a variety of ACT test prep sessions, and using community groups and volunteers to help tutor and conduct prep sessions.

The ACT assessment was taken by 3,659 district students in the class of 2004. The test was administered to 3,661 students in 2003.

August 17, 2004

White Station High graduates awarded college-sponsored Merit Scholarships

White Station High School’s community has reason to be proud this month, as two of the school’s recent graduates were awarded college-sponsored Merit Scholarships for their outstanding academic performance.

Amanda Huddleston was awarded a Merit Scholarship by Rhodes College, where she intends to study medicine; and Zachary Sloane was awarded a Merit Scholarship by New York University, where he plans to study mathematics. Both students graduated from White Station in May.

" We at White Station High School are always proud when our students are recognized for their excellent academic performance and demonstrate their ability to compete nationally for academic achievement," said Wanda Winnette, WSHS principal. "Zachary and Amanda are wonderful students, and I know they'll go far."
Officials of each sponsor college selected winners from finalists of the National Merit Scholarship Program who will attend their institution. Scholarships are between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the awarding institution.

More than 2,000 high school graduates of 2004 were awarded college-sponsored Merit Scholarships in July. This was the second — and final — round of college-sponsored Merit Scholarships awarded for 2004, in addition to the recipients of the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, the corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships and the first group of college-sponsored Merit Scholarships.

August 16, 2004

Nine MCS May graduates awarded $1,000 minority scholarships

More than 4,500 students graduated from Memphis City High Schools in 2004, generating more than $70 million in scholarships. Nine of those students received minority scholarships for $1,000 each.

The Mid-South Minority Business Council awarded the Robert R. Church Sr. Scholarship to the following students:

From Central High, Jerrica S. Knox II, who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville this fall.

From Craigmont High, LaShundra K. Alexander, who will attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this fall, and Danielle Lauren Taylor, who will attend the University of Memphis.

From Kirby High, Erica Cole, who will attend the University of Tennessee at Martin this fall.
From Northside High, Stephanie Rivers, who will attend the University of Memphis this fall.
From Overton High, Marcia Adair, who will attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this fall.

From Ridgeway High, Hayward C. Townsend II, who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville this fall.

From Whitehaven High, Raquel Brown and Joselyn A. Teamer, who will both attend the University of Knoxville this fall.

The scholarship is awarded annually to graduating high school students pursuing business degrees at Tennessee colleges and universities. It is named for Robert R. Church, the first black millionaire in Memphis and one of the founders of and first president of Solvent Bank and Trust Company, the first black bank organized in Memphis. The fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.

August 12, 2004

77 Memphis City Schools cleared from list not meeting standards;
District aggressively addressing areas to fix schools not achieving

Memphis, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Education (TDE) announced today that Memphis City Schools dramatically increased the number of schools that met all state standards for student achievement under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal law. Seventy-seven (77) schools of the 148 schools identified last year as not meeting NCLB standards have now been cleared off the list. Key accomplishments identified by the state report are as follows:

“I think that Memphis City Schools has made amazing progress in planning improvement for a majority of schools on the original state identified high priority list,” said Dr. Connie Smith, Executive Director for the Office of Innovation, Improvement and Accountability at the Tennessee Department of Education.

MCS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said “We are certainly pleased that many of our schools have achieved or exceeded state standards. First, we must recognize the dedicated principals, teachers and staff who achieved these positive results. Over the next several days, we will analyze these results and identify specific strategies that have proven successful, so that we can share them across the system. Already, we have increased our focus on literacy and offered more professional development in mathematics and science. All of our schools are emphasizing 95 percent attendance, and many have employed family specialists to better connect with parents.”

Dr. Johnson added that as a district, we will not be satisfied until all of our schools and students are achieving high standards. Currently, 61.5 percent of the schools are achieving all NCLB standards. Sixty-seven (67) schools are now listed on the “high priority” list, an increase from a total of 44 schools last year. Thirty-one (31) of the “high priority” schools were “target” schools moving to “school improvement” status.

Of the 22 schools on “corrective action” last year, 13 made academic progress with 7 moving to “restructuring 2” (alternative governance) status due to missing just one category – attendance. In all, 16 schools are now in the “restructuring 2” (alternative governance) category.

At the “restructuring 2” stage, the TDE, working with the school district, has four options: replacing existing staff, conversion to a charter school, taking over management or contracting with a university to take over management.

“As you know, we have already Fresh Started five (5) schools, changed leadership in several others and restructured the grades in some,” said Superintendent Johnson. “We will continue to implement our action steps and also review the progress and data for each site so we know where to focus interventions. As you are aware, we must work with the State Department of Education and Commissioner Lana Sievers to determine what additional steps might be required.”

August 11, 2004

Tutors change lives through learning, attention

When Janas Jackson began tutoring at Raineshaven Elementary School last winter, the fifth grader she met with once a week had a D average in reading. By the end of that semester, the same girl was on the honor roll.

“That was the most rewarding part of my experience as a volunteer tutor,” said Jackson, a senior communications specialist at FedEx.

For Venase V. Britton, a Memphis City Schools alumna and the parent of two children in the district, the most rewarding thing about volunteering to tutor at Lester Elementary was “just knowing the children wanted me to be there — they just wanted the attention.”

Our Children—Our Future, the district’s premier volunteer tutoring program, provides opportunities for community members and business leaders, like Jackson, and MCS parents and relatives, like Britton, to make a difference in the lives of the city’s children.

“Volunteer tutoring not only benefits the children of Memphis City Schools,” said Barbara Dawson, Our Children—Our Future program manager, it benefits the city as a whole by allowing community members to be active in — and take pride in — their school system.”

More than 70 percent of MCS students live in families whose income meets the federal requirements to receive free or reduced-price meals, and about 40 percent of the district’s kindergartners have never attended a preschool or daycare center. While Memphis City Schools has the moral and legal obligation to educate the city’s children, this job cannot be done alone, Dawson said.

“All adults, organizations and institutions in the metropolitan area must join together to form a ‘safety net’ of academic support that is so tightly interwoven that no child falls through the cracks,” Dawson said.

Jackson became a volunteer tutor with Our Children—Our Future because she feels that educating Memphis' children is the whole community’s responsibility.

“In addition to the educators and administrators, the whole community needs to be involved in improving student performance,” Jackson said. “This needs to be a grassroots effort.”

Jackson became so passionate about her tutoring efforts that last school year, even though she was busy at work, she still met her weekly tutoring appointments — at 7:30 in the morning. She also implemented an Our Children—Our Future recruitment program at FedEx to allow her coworkers to participate in the program.

Britton became a volunteer tutor to give back to the school district from where she and one of her children graduated and where her other child still attends school.

“Teachers and administrators are often so busy that they don’t have as much time as they would like to sit down one-on-one with a child,” Britton said. “I just know that sometimes the students need some one-on-one attention.”

All that is needed to become a volunteer tutor is a strong commitment, a desire to make a difference in a child’s life and strong basic skills. Volunteers can tutor math or reading in one of 25 of the district’s high-priority schools. Volunteers start by tutoring one child at a time for 30 minutes a week for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and 45 minutes a week for students in sixth through 12th grade.

“It’s a very well-organized program, and it achieves great results through one-on-one tutoring,” Jackson said. “The students get a lot out of it. It’s inspiring to us tutors and great for the students.”

Before entering the schools, volunteer tutors undergo training at the Teaching and Learning Academy, 2485 Union Ave., to learn tutoring techniques and procedures.

“These training programs offer volunteers the opportunity to become equipped with the tools and materials they need to make their tutoring experience with our students a joint success,” said Dawson. “Research has shown that one-on-one tutoring has a tremendous impact on improving students’ academic skills, so we encourage everyone to support our program and our students.”

For more information on how to become a volunteer tutor, to sign up for a tutor training program or to find out how to implement a volunteer tutor recruiting program at work, contact Our Children—Our Future at 416-5732.

Available dates and times for elementary reading and math training are as follows:

Available dates and times for elementary, middle and high school reading and math training are as follows:

August 11, 2004

Downtown Elementary students get lessons from local artists through Artist in Residency Program

The students of Downtown Elementary School will receive hands-on art education from a local artist thanks to the school's Artist in Residency Program, funded by parents and community members.

Amy Winterrowd, owner of Amy Winterrowd Studio, 1541 Overton Park, is volunteering to teach art classes at Downtown Elementary, where her son, Ravi attends kindergarten, as part of the school's Artist in Residency Program. The program is supported by donations to the school's Heart for Art campaign. Partners In Education, the school's parent/teacher group, provided funding and raised money, and school adopters and community businesses made donations to support the program.

" Parents and community members like Amy make Downtown Elementary the exceptional school it is," said D. Jackson Maxwell, a teacher at DES. "Individuals and groups have really embraced our school, and we appreciate them. With their help, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of helping our students achieve their dreams."

Through the program, a different local artist visits the school each semester and teaches weekly classes for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students. Other artists teach elective art classes after school as part of Downtown Elementary's onsite, extended care program.

Research has shown that students who are exposed to the arts early are likely to perform higher academically. Downtown Elementary art classes seek to develop a stimulating and creative educational environment and to encourage interaction between the school and the local artistic community.

Winterrowd said she wanted to participate in the program to give something back to the education community.

" My high school art teacher, Virginia Helwig, was an inspiration to me," she said. "She helped me develop my portfolio and get a scholarship to the University of Memphis."

Winterrowd opened her studio six years ago and does a lot of work on commission, including work at Park Place Hotel, 5877 Poplar. Her artistic interests and projects are expansive, including elaborate hardwood floor inlays, murals, painting domed ceilings, portraits, cabinetry, furniture decoration and design, mantles and wall finishes.

" My favorite medium is oil painting, but I like to switch up to challenge myself," she said. "Art is a part of me. I don't think I can live without it. I was born to paint."

For more information or to donate to the Heart for Art program, contact Downtown Elementary School at 416-8400.

August 11, 2004

Media Advisory

The Memphis City Schools Board of Education Capital Improvement (CIP) Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 12, has been cancelled. If you should have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at the number below.

Vince McCaskill
Communications Manager
Department of Communications and Public Affairs
Memphis City Schools
(901) 416-5628 voice
(901) 325-5472 fax

August 10, 2004

Complete List of Administrative Main Numbers

NOTE: This list has been updated since last week's notice.
The following are the new main office numbers for Central Administration:

Information/Switchboard 416-5300
Accounts Payable 416-5385
Adopt-A-School/Community Development 416-5622
Assessment 416-5450
Board Commissioners Office 416-5447
Cafeteria/Cafe 416-5669
Chief of Staff 416-5528
Communications 416-5628
Computer Operations 416-5433
Contract Management 416-6659
Customer (Parent) Relations 416-5721
Dept. of Deputy Superintendent 416-5800
ESL/Special Skills 416-5411
Extended Contracts 416-5763
Facility Planning 416-4720
Facility Services 416-5644
Fingerprinting 416-5388
Fiscal Services 416-5461
Graphics 416-5673
Human Resources 416-5304
Human Resources/Insurance 416-5344
Human Resources/Labor Relations 416-5323
Human Resources/Retirement 416-5464
Information Systems 416-5631
Internal Auditing 416-5436
Library Services 416-5382
MAPS program 416-5872
Media Services 416-5890
Officer-in-the-Schools Office 416-5860
Operations (Chief of Operations) 416-1130
Optional Schools 416-5338
Our Children/Our Future 416-5732
Payroll 416-5402
Planning & Policy Development 416-4730
Printing Services 416-5874
Procurement Services 416-5312
Purchasing 416-5376
Quick Print 416-5396
Research, Evaluation & Assessment 416-5533
Research & Evaluation 416-5455
Risk Management 416-5515
Security 416-5773
Student Information Compliance 416-6649
Student Enrollment 416-5830
Student Records 416-5843
Summer School 416-7622
Superintendent's Office 416-5444
Textbook Services 416-5870
Transportation 416-5540

August 9, 2004

Teachers benefit from community kindness at Partner Sharing Center

While most Memphians were sleeping the morning away last Saturday, American Way Middle School teacher Carolyn Rich was in line at the Partner Sharing Center at 5:15 a.m. to get the supplies she’ll need for this school year.

“ This center is so awesome,” Rich said. “Teachers appreciate the Partner Sharing Center because we spend so much of our own money on supplies, and this really helps us out.”

More than 1,100 Memphis City Schools teachers visited the Partner Sharing Center Aug. 7, to collect supplies donated by more than a dozen companies to counter teachers’ costs during the school year.

Teachers received pre-packaged bags with a value of about $75 each that contained paper, pens, markers, highlighters, notebook dividers, folders and more. They also received books, hats, key chains, poster paper and bookmarkers, among other things.

“ Every year, teachers spend their own money to buy the supplies necessary to conduct class,” said Peggy Jones, Adopt-A-School Partnerships Office coordinator. “Through the generosity of Mid-South companies that donate supplies, we are able to offset some of that cost.”

And the center doesn’t just offer assistance to Memphis City Schools teachers. After MCS teachers have been through the center, items are restocked and offered to educators in the Shelby County, Fayette, Tipton, West Memphis and DeSoto County systems.

Mid-South businesses have contributed supplies to the Partner Sharing Center with a retail value totaling more than $170 million since the center’s opening in April 2001. The largest contributors have been Troll Communications, International Paper, Avery Dennison, Hershey Foods, AutoZone and RDJ Specialists. Flower shops and private businesses, both large and small, have also donated their over-stocked or out-dated items to the center.

Although the Partner Sharing Center is able to assist teachers with their needs about four times a year, Jones says that’s just not enough.

“ I would like to see the Partner Sharing Center have enough donated merchandise to open one day every week,” she said. “If every business in Memphis would just donate their unused merchandise and office supplies, we could help teachers throughout the school year.”

To donate to the center or receive more information, contact the AAS Partnerships Office at 416-5622 or 299-7007. Items that are needed the most are paper, pencils and pens, carpet sample squares, art supplies, tennis balls and coffee cans.

August 9, 2004

Fresh ideas for fresh start at Georgian Hills Jr. High

It’s an exciting new school year for everyone at Memphis City Schools, but for new principals like Rosalind Martin, this year is even more exciting.

Martin, principal of Georgian Hills Junior High, one of the district’s five Fresh Start schools, is one of 28 new principals at Memphis City Schools who began the year ready to face old problems and new ones when about 120,000 students filed in to begin a new school year Monday.

“ The first day of school was excellent,” Martin said. “Some parents had questions about the Fresh Start program, but once I told them about our plans, they were all very excited. They were impressed with the uniform policy and the friendly main office staff.”

The biggest challenge Martin said she’ll face this year will be increasing parental involvement at a school with traditionally low involvement numbers and implementing a school-wide discipline plan. Georgian Hills Junior High, a high priority school, is one of five schools that have been "Fresh Started" by MCS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson to improve student achievement. The Fresh Start process involves replacing a school's principal, faculty and staff.

“ I’m very thrilled and honored to have such a great Fresh Start staff,” Martin said. “And everyone has been helpful. I’ve especially learned a lot from our middle school academic director, Brenda Cassellius.”

For the Fresh Start schools, Johnson tried to match principals’ personalities and experiences with the schools and their unique problems. Because Martin, who spent one year as assistant principal of East High School and two years as assistant principal of Sheffield High School, has experience with improving low family involvement and floundering test scores, she fits in well with Georgian Hills.
“ Martin will prove to be an asset to Georgian Hills, just as she was to East High,” said Barbara King, East High School principal. “She is an exceptional educator and jumps in with both feet in whatever she does. She does whatever she needs to in order to get the job done and knows the value of hard work.”

With the help of instructional facilitator, Sharon Hardin, Martin has already proven to be on the right track through her parental involvement efforts and the introduction of several school initiatives, including a research-based, school-wide discipline program.

“ I believe parental involvement is a major part of a student’s education,” Martin said. “Involvement, coupled with high expectations and improving literacy skills, is the most important educational aspect on the middle school level.”
To improve parental involvement, Martin hosted two introductory events before school even started. She sponsored a community walk, in which she and her teachers took to the streets to meet parents, and a “Principal Meet and Greet,” so parents could ask her questions first hand.

“We want to show parents that we are serious about improving our learning community and our standardized test scores,” said Martin.

The efforts have already started to pay off, Martin said, as parents volunteered during these events to sit on school leadership councils and committees such as the school’s Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO).

To further increase parental involvement, Martin is implementing a Progress Report Meeting for the halfway point of each six weeks. During the third week of every grading period, parents will have the opportunity to meet with their child’s teachers to discuss progress, omitting the element of surprise that can come at grading time.
Martin is also implementing other school programs that will increase student achievement. All ninth graders will take a foreign language course, and novel reading is mandatory for every seventh grade student. As part of Martin’s plan to expand students’ interest in the arts, GHJH is offering vocal music for the first time in several years and has obtained a state-of-the-art piano lab.

Martin is particularly passionate about the seventh grade reading program, which correlates with Johnson’s initiative for all MCS students to read a minimum of two books per month.

“ Literacy is the most important aspect of education,” Martin said. “If a student can’t read, every subject will be a struggle.”

Rosalind Martin, the new principal of Georgian Hills Junior High, one of the district’s five Fresh Start schools, and Carlos Fuller, her assistant principal, show eighth-grader Deshanta Gooden around the school. Martin is one of 28 new principals at Memphis City Schools who began the year ready to face old problems and new ones.

August 7, 2004

MCS Board Committee Meetings Schedule

Monday, August 9, 2004
Programs & Services Board Committee Meeting
2597 Avery Ave.
Conference Room 216
5:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 12, 2004
CIP Committee Meeting
2597 Avery Ave.
Conference Room 216
11:30 a.m.

August 7, 2004

MCS Teachers Offered Free Supplies

Memphis City Schools' Partner Sharing Center will offer its teachers free Back-to-School supplies Saturday, August 7 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Partner Sharing Center, 220 N. Montgomery.

Teachers are invited to go through the Partner Sharing Center to pick out items such as books, pens and markers, pencils, masking tape, crayons and other school supplies for their classrooms. Also available are special items including printer kits, photo paper and card kits for ink jet printers. Teachers must bring their own bags to carry out materials. and they will be required to show their MCS identification.

Local businesses donated the paper and other school supplies to the MCS Partner Sharing Center. More than 600 teachers took advantage of the Partner Sharing Center's free supplies last August. The center, now in its fourth year, has been successful creating partnerships with the civic and business community. Area businesses have donated more than $13.5 million worth of supplies to help teachers.

August 6, 2004

Superintendent Carol Johnson and Board of Education President, Patrice Jordan-Robinson, will visit schools on Monday, August 9, the first day of classes in MCS. Superintendent Johnson will visit "Fresh Start" school, Vance Middle, at 7:30 a.m. Vance Middle School is located on 673 Vance Avenue. Board President Patrice Jordan-Robinson will visit Woodd