Passing
all three Gateway Exams is a state requirement
for earning a regular or honors high school
diploma for students who entered the ninth
grade in 2001-02 or later.
Current
students who would like to prepare for the
Mathematics or Science Gateway Exams are encouraged
to sign up for Gateway Test Prep Sessions
that will run from June 26 – July 10,
9 a.m. – noon each day. Priority for
enrolling in the test preparation courses
is given to seniors and juniors.
The
courses will be offered at Frayser, Sheffield
and Whitehaven High Schools, and applications
to attend the courses are available at all
Memphis city high schools and may be downloaded
by clicking
here. Applications should
be completed and brought to the selected school
site at 8:30 a.m. on June 26.
For
more information on the Gateway Exams, call
416-5450. For additional information on the
Gateway Prep Sessions, call 415-4552.
May
23, 2006
Gateway
Test Prep Sessions Scheduled for Summer
Memphis,
Tenn. - Memphis City Schools students
planning to take Gateway Tests this summer
may take advantage of Prep Sessions beginning
June 26 for the Mathematics and Science exams.
The
Prep courses will be held from June 26 –
July 10 at Frayser, Sheffield and Whitehaven
High Schools. The classes will run from 9
a.m. – noon each class day.
Priority for enrolling in the Gateway Prep
classes will be given to Seniors and Juniors.
Students are responsible for their own transportation.
A
copy of application is attached, however,
applications to attend the Gateway Prep Sessions
are available at all Memphis City High Schools.
Students should complete their application
and bring it to their selected site (Frayser,
Sheffield or Whitehaven High) at 8:30 a.m.
on June 26.
Students
planning to take the July Gateway Exams must
pre-register for the exam or exams they are
planning to take. Test dates are: July 11
(Mathematics), July 12 (Language Arts) and
July 13 (Science).
For
more information, call Emily Barbee at 416-4552
or 416-7985.
Click
here to download the application.
May
22, 2006
MCS
Hosts Mid-South’s First-Ever Family
Literacy Summit
Memphis,
Tenn. – City and county leaders
in education and community services will be
joining educators from Memphis City Schools
at the Mid-South’s first-ever Family
Literacy Summit on Tuesday, May 23 at the
Martin Luther King Cultural Center. The summit
was organized to increase awareness of family
literacy components and to discuss ways to
expand the level of literacy services being
provided to children and families in Memphis
and across the Mid-South.
Bonnie
Lash Freeman, Director of Training/Special
Projects with the National Center for Family
Literacy, will facilitate the event. She’ll
outline the “Even Start” concept,
which is implemented nationally through cooperative
projects with schools and communities that
create services to help children and families
achieve academic standards set forth by states.
The ultimate goal is to develop a consortium
for family literacy that will sustain and
expand the Even Start concept in the district.
“This
summit is a great opportunity for us to expound
on the differences between family literacy
and literacy,” said Beverly Johnson,
who coordinates Even Start in Memphis. “When
most people think of family literacy, they
only think about parent-child interaction;
that’s only one component. This summit
will explain that family literacy requires
adequate programs at the early childhood level
and the adult level, and that it also needs
specialized programs for parents.”
The
Family Literacy Summit will take place from
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. The first session, 8
– 11 a.m., is only open to MCS educators.
The public session will begin at 11:30 a.m.
and include presentations from a number of
community collaborators, such as the Shelby
County Mayor’s office and the Shelby
County Sheriff’s Department.
Members
of the media are encouraged to attend. The
Martin Luther King Cultural Center is located
at 620 South Lauderdale. Call 416-7299 for
more information.
Even
Start is in place at the Messick Adult Center,
Berclair Elementary and through the Parents
and Children Learning Together (PCLT) program
at the Martin Luther King cultural Center.
To learn more, contact Beverly Johnson at
johnsonbeverly@mcsk12.net
or 416-7299.
May
22, 2006
Grammy
Winner Leads Workshop, Master Class for MCS
Educators
Memphis,
Tenn. – On Monday, June 5,
educators with Memphis City Schools will have
the privilege of attending a valuable arts
integration workshop led by legendary Grammy
Award-winning jazz artist Al Jarreau*. The
workshop, “Jarreau, Rhythm &
the Arts: An Arts Integration Experience,”
is designed to instruct educators on how to
create a learning environment rich in the
arts by connecting topics in art to traditional
subjects such as math, history, social studies
and language arts.
This
workshop will serve as the kickoff event for
Memphis City Schools’ partnership with
the Cultural Development Foundation of Memphis
(CDFM) and the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts. CDFM signed on last year
with the Kennedy Center’s Partners in
Education Program to improve the quality of
arts education in the Memphis City Schools
system.
In
addition to the arts integration session,
Jarreau will be hosting a voice master class.
Both will be held at the Cannon Center for
the Performing Arts. Members of the media
are welcome to attend. These events
are not open to the public. For more
information, contact the Cultural Development
Foundation of Memphis at 312-9787 or www.cdfmemphis.org.
*Al
Jarreau
Al
Jarreau has been honored with five Grammy
Awards and scores of international music awards.
He is the only vocalist ever to win a Grammy
in three different categories (jazz, pop and
R&B). Jarreau has also been awarded a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame commemorating
his status as one of the greatest singers
of his generation.
Jarreau’s
visit to Memphis includes “An Evening
with Al Jarreau,” a live performance
on Sunday evening, June 4 at the Cannon Center
for the Performing Arts. The concert will
also feature jazz violinists Nuttin' But Stringz,
a renowned duo with a unique rhythm &
blues/ hip-hop flare. The concert will take
place at 7 p.m. Call 743-ARTS or the Cannon
Center Box Office, 576-1269, for more information.
May
18, 2006
Sea
Isle Elementary Celebrating 15 Years with
MCS
Memphis,
Tenn. – Sea Isle Elementary
will host an Open House on Sunday, May 21
from 2 – 4 p.m. to celebrate 15 years*
with Memphis City Schools and to congratulate
Principal Rita Porter on her retirement.
The
Open House will include a number of special
presentations highlighting all of the success
and accomplishments of students at Sea Isle
Elementary over the years and inform parents
and community members of the many great things
planned for the 2006-07 school year and beyond.
There will also be live performances every
half hour by school musicians and other notable
guests, and former students and staff will
be part of a school-wide tribute to Ms. Porter.
Ms. Porter has been the only principal at
Sea Isle over the last 15 years.
This
event is open to the public, especially those
people who either attended Sea Isle or have
children who attended Sea Isle. A long list
of distinguished guests, including the mayors
of Memphis and Shelby County, School Board
Commissioners and public supporters, has been
invited.
Members
of the media are encouraged to attend this
wonderful celebration. Sea Isle Elementary
is located at 5250 Sea Isle. Call 416-2104
for more information.
*Sea
Isle Elementary School was built in 1955 and
annexed into the Memphis City Schools system
in 1957. After several grade transitions in
the 1970s, the school was used as a Vocational-Technical
Center in the 1980s. Sea Isle officially reopened
as an MCS elementary school in 1991.
May
17, 2006
Delano
Elementary a National Schools of Distinction
Award Finalist;
Vying for “Best of the Best” Honors
Memphis,
Tenn. – Delano Elementary School
is one of 48 schools nationwide selected as
a finalist for the Intel and Scholastic Schools
of Distinction Awards and one of only two
chosen from the state of Tennessee vying for
the honor. The Schools of Distinction Awards
recognize schools for implementing innovative
programs that support positive educational
outcomes.
Sixteen
winners will be selected as Schools of Distinction
in eight different achievement categories:
Academic, Literary, Mathematics, Science,
Technology, Leadership, Professional Development
and Collaboration & Teamwork. One elementary
and one secondary school will be chosen from
each category during an awards ceremony on
October 5 in Washington, DC.
Intel
and the Scholastic Corporation named Delano
Elementary as a finalist in the “Literary
Achievement” category for implementing
a language arts curriculum that “is
designed to ensure high levels of achievement
for all students and is consistently implemented,
regularly evaluated and modified for effective
instruction.”
Ms.
Patrice Shipp, principal of Delano Elementary
School, said her staff is committed to employing
a balanced literacy program at every grade
level, which includes daily self-directed
reading designed to help the students formulate
inquiries about what they’re reading
and numerous opportunities to hear adults
from outside the school read and share their
thoughts about the importance of literacy.
“Probably
the most important strategy that Delano employs
is the extension of learning beyond the classroom,”
Shipp said. “Our teachers constantly
encourage students to participate in a variety
of activities that allow them the opportunity
to actively apply the skills and concepts
acquired in their classrooms.”
All
of the finalists will be honored during the
awards ceremony in October, and each will
receive a $10,000 grant. They’ll also
have the opportunity to compete for $190,000
in various grants from the Intel Foundation,
as well as other prizes from sponsoring companies.
One elementary school and one secondary school
from the group will be named “Best of
the Best.” These schools will receive
an additional $15,000 award.
The
48 finalists were chosen from a list of public
and private schools from across the country
that participated in the application and judging
process, which was overseen by the Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory Center for
Classroom Teaching and Learning.
For more information about the Schools of
Distinction Awards, visit www.schoolsofdistinction.com.
May
16, 2006
Student
Production Revisits Musical Memories along
the Mississippi
Memphis,
Tenn. – This week, CAPA (Creative
and Performing Arts) students from Rozelle
Elementary School will transport audiences
back to a time when work was tough to come
by, happiness was hard to find, and music
was all anyone had to take their minds away.
The CAPA classes’ end of the year production,
“A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi,”
takes place Wednesday, May 17 and Thursday,
May 18.
The
story follows a young man as he floats along
the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Memphis
and down to New Orleans in search of work.
Along the way, he meets up with a runaway
orphan with big dreams of becoming a musician.
The two encounter some amazing sights and
sounds on the trip, including great music
from Howling Wolf in St. Louis to B.B. King
and a Beale Street Blues Quartet in Memphis
and the lively culture and sultry jazz sounds
of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
“A
Musical Journey Down the Mississippi”
is an amazing example of the work being done
through Rozelle’s optional creative
arts program. This original script was written
by the school’s drama students, creative
arts classes constructed the backdrops and
stage props and designed the wardrobes, and
the dance students choreographed the dance
numbers. Plus, all of the featured songs in
the play are performed live by the music students.
Both
performances will start at 7 p.m. The play
is open to the public, and media members are
encouraged to attend. Rozelle Elementary School
is located at 993 Roland. Call 416-4612 for
more information.
May
15, 2006
Ridgeway
Celebration Embraces “Diversity Across
Time”
Memphis,
Tenn. – The students, faculty
and administration of Ridgeway Middle School
will host a Diversity Fair on Thursday, May
18 from 5 – 8 p.m. The event is part
of a school-wide thematic unit titled “Ridgeway
Middle School: Embracing Diversity Across
Time.”
During
the fair, each classroom will feature displays
promoting the learning, appreciation and understanding
of the different races and cultures that make
up the diverse population of Ridgeway Middle
School. The school’s hallways and main
corridors will also be decorated with images
that embrace the diverse cultures that have
been part of the school throughout its history.
Teachers have selected special student ambassadors
to guide visitors through all of the displays.
Other
planned highlights of the evening include
a selection of dramatic monologues from famous
historians that changed the perception of
diversity in America, orchestral, choral and
performing band students playing choice selections
from different eras of American music, various
multi-media presentations focusing on diversity
issues that affect students in today’s
society and a student poetry slam.
The
Diversity Fair is open to the public. Members
of the media are encouraged to attend. Ridgeway
Middle School is located at 6333 Quince Road.
Call 416-1588 for more information.
May
5, 2006
Cultures
in Color at Craigmont Middle World Celebration
Memphis,
Tenn. – An amazing showcase
of color and culture is on display this morning,
May 5, at Craigmont Middle School, where students
in the optional social studies program are
hosting an international celebration.
This
lively event represents countries such as
Greece, Russia, Japan, South Africa and Mexico
among many others through music, food and
art. Each country has its own exhibit with
themed entertainment and fun activities for
visitors. For instance, Mexico has a mariachi
band playing along side rows of hand-crafted
piñatas, and at the Japan booth, students
dressed in traditional Japanese robes are
serving authentic Japanese food to visitors.
The
international celebration is going on until
11:30 a.m. at Craigmont. It is a public event.
Media members are encouraged to come out and
witness an exciting example of the great work
done through Memphis City Schools’ optional
programs.
Craigmont
Middle School is located at 3455 Covington
Pike. Call 416-7780 for more information.
May
4, 2006
Sea
Isle Welcomes Costa Rican Performers during
Memphis in May
Memphis,
Tenn. – On Tuesday, May 9,
a group of performers from Costa Rica will
visit Sea Isle Elementary as part of their
tour of local schools during the Memphis in
May celebration. Sea Isle is one of eight
schools the performers will visit in Memphis
and Shelby County this month.
The
touring group will arrive dressed in colorful,
festive Costa Rican garb. They’ll sing,
play instruments and dance to an array of
traditional Costa Rican musical selections.
The Sea Isle students are decorating the hallways
of the school for a big welcome reception,
and some of the school’s student officers
will offer welcoming speeches before the show.
The
performance will start at 9 a.m. and last
about one hour. Media members are welcome
to attend. Sea Isle Elementary is located
at 5250 Sea Isle Road. Call 416-2104 for more
information.
May
4, 2006
MCS
Gears up for its first annual Alumni Hall
of Fame Gala - Event Sold Out
Like
any school district in America, the millions
of children who grew up in Memphis and received
their education at Memphis City Schools are
the best representation of its historic past.
However, very few school districts in the
country have had the honor of producing as
many legendary men and women over the years
as MCS.
World
class entertainers like Elvis Presley and
Isaac Hayes, renowned social and cultural
leaders such as Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks and
Bishop G.E. Patterson and great business minds
like that of Kemmons Wilson, founder of the
famous Holiday Inn hotel chain, are only a
handful of Memphis City Schools’ amazing
success stories since its establishment nearly
140 years ago.
On
Friday, May 12, MCS will honor these legacies,
along with those of dozens of other elite
MCS graduates, during its celebration of a
new group of inductees at the inaugural Alumni
Hall of Fame Gala. It will take place at 7
p.m. at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom on Thousand
Oaks Drive. This black tie fundraising event
will kick off the district’s first-ever
annual campaign to raise private dollars for
music and arts programs through the newly
established “MCS Funds for Excellence.”
Everyone in attendance is being asked to “Reach
Back and Inspire” the future generations
of Memphis City Schools students.
The
gala will include dinner, an awards presentation,
a live auction and musical entertainment by
R & B singing legend Howard Hewett. A
former member of the group Shalamar with Jeffrey
Daniel and Jody Watley and writer of solo
hits such as “I’m for Real”
“and “Once, Twice, Three Times,”
Hewett is considered one of the great pure
vocalists of the urban contemporary era. WMC-TV’s
award-winning news anchor Joe Birch will serve
as the night’s emcee and presenter along
with the host of Memphis’ number one
radio talk show, WDIA’s “The Bev
Johnson Show,” Bev Johnson. The gala
is sold out.
The
Board of Education will induct Elise Neal,
Oscar Reed, Thomas Boggs, Lorenzen Wright,
Anita S. Vaughn and James Bolden into its
Alumni Hall of Fame for their accomplishments
in their respective professions.
Elise
Neal is a Hollywood actress who graduated
from Overton High School. She landed her first
major performance role during the early 1990s
in David Merrick's Broadway musical, "Okay."
Since then, she’s appeared in major
motion pictures such as “Let It Be Me”
and “Paid in Full” and prime-time
TV shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,"
“Chicago Hope” and “The
Hughley’s.” Last year, she was
nominated for the NAACP’s best supporting
actress award for her role in the Memphis-made
movie, “Hustle & Flow.”
Oscar
Reed played for seven championship
teams in nine NFL seasons with the Minnesota
Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons. After retiring
25 years ago, the Booker T. Washington alumnus
dedicated his life to a career in community
youth development. Reed has implemented and
directed programs for low-income families
in the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
as the city’s Youth Programs Director
and co-founded “Life’s Missing
Link Inc.,” a non-profit youth and family
service agency.
Thomas
Boggs started waiting tables after
earning his diploma from Central High School.
However, it wasn’t long before his hard
work in the hospitality industry landed him
a job at the corporate headquarters for TGI
Friday in Dallas, TX opening new Friday’s
restaurants across the country. By the time
he returned to Memphis, he possessed the experience
to help transform Huey’s from a small
local pub into one of the most successful
popular casual dining chains in Memphis today.
Boggs is also a partner in the Half Shell,
Tsunami and Folk’s Folly restaurants.
Anita
S. Vaughn, a Central High School
alumnus, is a 29-year member of the Baptist
Memorial Health Care Corp. family and currently
the C.E.O. of the Baptist Memorial Hospital
for Women. She led planning and operations
for 11 Baptist Minor Medical Centers and six
physician practices before overseeing the
development of the Baptist Memorial Hospital
for Women in 1998. In 2002, Vaughn was named
one of Memphis’ “50 Women Who
Make a Difference.”
Lorenzen
Wright’s basketball star rose
while he was a student at Booker T. Washington
High School. His determination there caught
the attention of coaches across the nation
who later voted him as a starter on the McDonald’s
High School All-American Team and the 1995
USA World University Games Team. After a stellar
career at the University of Memphis, Wright
was taken with the seventh selection in the
1996 NBA draft. This year marked Lorenzen’s
10th season in the NBA and his fifth with
the Memphis Grizzlies.
James
Bolden is recognized today as one
of the most respected and accomplished leaders
in law enforcement in the United States. After
graduating from Hamilton High School, his
studies carried him from Memphis State University
to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
National Academy and later to the illustrious
Senior Management Institute for Police at
Boston University. After his start in 1968,
Bolden quickly climbed to the highest ranks
of the Memphis Police Department, and his
success was soon recognized on a national
level as he was hired as District Eleven Director
of Homeland Security for the State of Tennessee
in 2004.
Presenting
sponsors include FedEx, Memphis Area Teachers’
Credit Union, Laidlaw, AutoZone, First Tennessee
Bank and Partners in Public Education (PIPE).
The event is also being held in partnership
with the Memphis in May International Festival.
To
learn more about how to contribute to MCS
Funds for Excellence, contact Vince McCaskill
or Miska Bibbs in the Office of Community
Development at (901) 416-7600.
May
3, 2006
Academy
Awards Technology Challenge May 4
Talented
young documentary makers, web site creators
and other technological wizards in grades
K- 12 will be recognized at the Memphis City
Schools’ Teaching & Learning Academy
(TLA) Thursday, May 4 at the district’s
Academy Awards Technology Challenge.
The
ceremony announcing Academy Awards Technology
Challenge winners will be held from 6:30 to
8 p.m. in the TLA auditorium and will be televised
live on Cable channel 19 and produced by MCS
broadcast students.
This
contest provides an opportunity for students
to work collaboratively in teams as they create
original work to support their learning, said
Diane Raley, instructional technology coordinator
for Memphis City Schools who organizes the
Technology Challenge each year.
“The
backbone of the experience is teamwork, as
members bring their talents and desire to
learn to their creations. Central to the Academy
Awards Technology Challenge philosophy is
the notion that students learn best by doing,”
Raley said. “The Challenge promotes
this philosophy by inviting participants to
explore topics within a content area, collaborate
to achieve goals and develop interesting multimedia
projects that extend their knowledge.”
Awards
are given to student teams submitting winning
entries in three categories: web-based projects
such as web sites, documentary video and multimedia
software. Each category was open to students
in three different grade levels: K - 4, 5
- 8, and 9-12. Winning team members will receive
a trophy and a cash prize: $300 to first place
winners, $200 to second place winners and
$100 to third place winners. All student finalists,
their families and teachers are invited to
this event.
For
more information, call Diane Raley at 416-3657
or visit:
http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/tech/academy_awards.asp
May
3, 2006
Memphis
City Schools spotlighted on Capitol Hill
for Academic Performance at the Middle School
Level
The
National Middle School Association (NMSA)
today announced a national campaign to build
collaboration between educators, families
and policymakers at the federal, state and
national levels, and it is using Memphis City
Schools (MCS) as its ONLY district success
model.
MCS
was asked to serve as the model district for
the campaign based on Success in the Middle:
A Policymaker’s Guide to Achieving High
Quality Middle Level Education which is a
national guidebook advising lawmakers about
policy reforms needed in middle school education.
Brenda Cassellius, MCS’ Academic Superintendent
for Middle Schools, spoke to reporters at
the National Press Club in D.C. this morning
about accomplishments in MCS’ middle
schools. Memphis City Schools was the ONLY
representative of a school district asked
to be part of this event.
“We
are on a journey toward academic excellence
in our district under the leadership of Superintendent
Carol R. Johnson,” said Cassellius.
“We are especially excited about our
academic improvements in literacy and mathematics
at the middle school level.”
This
success is also highlighted in the NMSA guidebook
that was released to policymakers on Capitol
Hill today.
“We
feel Memphis had a compelling and successful
story to share about the journey it is currently
on regarding the education of young adolescents,”
said Sue Swaim, Executive Director of NMSA.
“We felt the spectrum of work going
on in Memphis would be supportive of our goals
across the board.”
The
NMSA report sets five goals for policymakers
and provides specific action steps at the
federal, state and local levels. The goals
are:
