May 25, 2005

White Station Middle Concert Choir places first in country

By Stephanie Myers, MyersS1@mcsk12.net

Memphis, Tenn. — White Station Middle School’s Concert Choir took part in a music competition, placing extremely highly.

Members of White Station Middle School’s Concert Choir competed in the Music Festivals Competitions in Chicago recently. The Chicago location is one of 23 locations that holds the national competition, which drew close about 600 musical ensembles from across the country, including about 100 junior high choruses.

White Station Middle’s choir had the highest scores of all choirs and won the National Junior High Choral Sweepstakes Award. The White Station Middle School Concert Choir scored an overall 98 out of 100!

May 25, 2005

MCS students named Skills USA officers in telecommunications

Memphis, Tenn. — Two Memphis City Schools students were named to positions of leadership in the field of telecommunications. Both students are participants in the school district’s Telecommunications Center Media Program.

Johnathon Washington of Ridgeway High School and Christopher Scales of Craigmont High School are Tennessee Skills USA’s new state officers. Johnathon is West Tennessee vice president, and Christopher is parliamentarian.

Both students will attend the 41st Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo., from June 21 to June 25 as delegates. They will represent their states in electing national officers, conducting organization business, meeting with business and industry representatives and hearing from government officials.

May 23, 2005

American Way Middle language arts teacher is Teacher of the Year

By Stephanie Myers, MyersS1@mcsk12.net

Memphis, Tenn. — A Memphis City Schools teacher was named the 2005 Teacher of the Year by a local Sam’s Club.

American Way Middle School seventh grade language arts teacher Lisa Maclin received a surprise when representatives from Sam’s Club at 2005 Getwell visited her classroom to tell her that she had been named the 2005 Teacher of the Year. Maclin was nominated for the award by her students through essays.

With the honor, Maclin received a dozen roses, an award certificate, a $50 gift certificate and cake and punch for her class. The award also included a $1,000 check for American Way Middle School.

“Ms. Maclin is a dedicated, creative, innovative and hard working teacher,” said American Way Middle School Principal Russell Heaston. “She loves her students and they love her. She is truly an asset to American Way Middle School.”

May, 19, 2005

LaRose Elementary School Principal Keeps Promise to students and will eat SNAILS

On Friday, May 20, 2005 Larose Elementary School principal Tonya Cooper will honor her committment to students to eat snails and ride a horse in a clown costume if the school made AYP in attendance for the 2004-05 school year. Larose is on the NCLB state identified list this year for not making adequate yearly progress in attendance for the 2003-04 school year. The school did reach its goal for attendance for this school year... and students will enjoy watching their school leader eat snails. The event willl begin at 1pm. Principal Cooper will eat the snails soon after.

The last word we heard from the principal was " Wish me luck!!!!"

LaRose Elementary School is located at 864 S. Wellington Street.

May 5, 2005

Shrine School students to take part in school’s 25th annual field day

Memphis, Tenn. — The students of Shrine School, the Memphis school for children with special needs, will participate in a very special field day this week.

Shrine School will hold its 25th annual field day on Friday, May 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the school, 4259 Forestview Dr.

The students will compete in a variety of indoor and outdoor games and activities, including wheelchair races, adapted bowling, Skee-Ball, basketball, beanbag toss, cakewalk, remote control car racing and karaoke. The carnival area will feature face painting, water guns, "pies-in-your-face," a moonwalk, a dunk tank and a concession stand.

All 151 students, ranging from age 3 to 22, will participate in the day’s activities, and ribbons and trophies will be awarded. Opening ceremonies will include the presentation of the Olympic Torch and the Special Olympics Oath.

Student volunteers from Harding Academy and the Fallen Walls Ministry will participate in the event by lending assistance to Shrine’s physically-challenged students. Volunteers from Shrine’s Adopt-A-School partners, Baptist Trinity Home Care and Hospice, Snell’s Orthotics and Prosthetics and Hill Chapel Church, will be on hand to lend their support, as well as parents and other community members.

“Due to a variety of medical conditions that students have, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and traumatic brain injury, Shrine School’s medically-fragile children are unable to participate in more vigorous sports activities,” said Nancy Posey, a teacher at the school. “Field day activities are designed specifically for our students, providing them with a chance to excel where they might not otherwise. Field day provides an exciting, fun-filled opportunity for them to achieve success in the physical arena.”

May 3, 2005

Memphis Symphony Orchestra awards MCS music teachers

Memphis, Tenn. — Four Memphis City Schools music teachers were honored as the first recipients of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Outstanding Music Educator Award this weekend at a special performance.

Deanna Franklin of Fox Meadows Elementary, Jerry Sanders of Peabody Elementary, Susan Van Dyck of Campus School and Michael Williams of White Station Middle were presented the Outstanding Music Educator Awards at the 2004-05 First Tennessee Masterworks Series season-ending performance of German composer Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” directed by David Loebel. Layne Baxter Wilson of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School was the fifth recipient of the award.

“We feel that music education is vital to our community and would like to honor those who have dedicated their lives to sharing music with their students,” said Susan Rice, education director of the Memphis Symphony.

The awards, sponsored by the Memphis Area Teachers’ Credit Union (MATCU), were presented to the teachers by MATCU Senior Vice President Judy Bell prior to the performance. The MSO received hundreds of nominations from colleagues, administrators, students and parents. The selection committee used a blind selection process that hid the name, school and gender of the nominee and left only the teacher’s accomplishments.

Franklin is the Orff music specialist at Fox Meadows. She was co-recipient of the 2003 VH1 “Save the Music” Award, and she serves on the board of the Memphis chapter of Orff Music Educators Association.

Van Dyck is director of the Memphis Symphony’s Children’s Chorus that sang during “Carmina Burana.” She teaches guitar lessons after school and teaches students to sing in Italian, Hebrew and Latin.

Sanders served as co-chair for the All-City Orff Concert and has traveled to Cincinnati with his school dance troupe to perform at the National Orff-Schulwerk Association. Last fall, the Memphis Symphony Chorus presented Sanders and his class with a new CD player, cases of CD music and
money to buy additional Orff instruments.

Williams is founder and artistic director of Novus Canticus Youth Chorale of Memphis. Enrollment in his concert choir increased from 70 to 170 this year.

The MSO also honored Fran Addicott, retiring teacher and administrator for the Memphis City Schools Orff music program, for her years of service to children and music.

“On the front line of passing on the joy of music to the next generation are teachers,” said David Loebel, MSO music director and conductor. “I am in awe of what these people do. Not only am I in awe, I am profoundly grateful.”