Future RCCC Student
Every Friday in
Mrs. Christina Davis’
fourth grade classroom,
you will find students
proudly displaying their
hopes for college by
wearing their favorite
college shirts. Students
are encouraged and
inspired to attend
college in order to
pursue their dreams.
Meet Mrs. Davis’
student, Harley, whom
she describes as, “A
precious, hard working
student. She always
gives 100 percent in
class, she’s not afraid to ask questions, she gets along well with others, and
she is quite often the peace maker in our class.”
Not having a store-bought shirt for Fridays, Harley created her own
design. Mrs. Davis sums it all up by saying, “It’s really such an illustration of
the heart of our students. They have dreams and hopes and just need to be
nourished along the way.”
Harley is now sporting her favorite college in style thanks to the RowanCabarrus Foundation. She received numerous other items such as an RCCC
carry bag, RCCC notebook/pen from the Student Government Association,
sticky notes, hand sanitizer, lapel pins, etc. The items were presented to
Harley by Gaye McConnell, vice president of Enrollment Management and
The Student Experience, Marty Richards, director, RCCC Foundation, and Tina
Haynes, vice president of Human Resources.
CCS Celebrates School Social Workers
March was National School Social Work Month, and CCS celebrated its
school social workers and thanked
them for making a difference in the
lives of Cabarrus County Schools’
families by helping to build, support,
and empower positive family and
community relationships. School
social work is a specialized area of
practice rooted in recognizing the
importance non-academic factors
have in a student’s success in
learning, adjustment and growth.
Executive Director for Student
Services Donna Smith said, “We
are so pleased to have school social workers actively involved in each of
our schools. Our school social workers function as change-agents and
serve as a vital link between home, school and community.” She continued,
“They are specially trained to focus on the non-academic factors beyond
the classroom that influence learning, including family and community
factors. They offer a range of services for students facing these challenges,
including improving the climate for learning, crisis intervention, mental health
services, counseling, and addressing student truancy, and they provide direct
assistance for students with and without disabilities; their services help to
remove barriers to positive outcomes for children and youth, and establish
working relationships between schools, families, and communities.”
We are fortunate to have school social workers employed in CCS. Our
school social workers generally serve 3-4 schools each. They are our
district’s first responders to a school experiencing the death of a student
or staff member. School social workers represent CCS in a variety of
community partnerships addressing the well-being of students. They are also
instrumental in bringing attendance cases to Truancy Court.
Beverly Hills Elementary Receives Grant
Congratulations to Beverly Hills Elementary
School for receiving a $1,000 grant from the
Cabarrus Health Alliance Active Routes to
School initiative.
BHES Principal Dustin Shoe and Physical Education Instructor Amber
DiGiore accepted the check along with BHES students from Cabarrus Health
Alliance Wellness Coordinator Greg Stewart and Cabarrus Health Alliance
Active Routes to School, Region 4 Program Manager George Berger.
The grant was awarded to expand the school’s Jogging and Walking
Stars (JAWS) walk-at-school program, which encourages BHES students to
stay active when they are attending school and promotes healthful living
by requiring each student in grades 1-5 to walk at least one-quarter mile
before recess each day. Once students reach 25, 50, 75, and 100 miles, they
receive a prize for reaching that goal. The grant is being used to provide
incentives for the students.
The N.C. Active Routes to School project is a three-year grant
partnership between the North Carolina Department of Transportation and
the North Carolina Division of Public Health designed to encourage students
in elementary and middle schools to safely walk and bike to and at school.
Cabarrus Health Alliance is one of ten grantees in the state. The grant’s
regional coordinators assist schools, districts and communities statewide in
efforts aimed at providing safe routes to school and programs encouraging
physical activit