Parent Teacher Magazine Cabrrus County Schools March 2014 | Page 5

Gehrig Named First Ever Teacher Assistant of the Year CCS Crowns Spelling Champion Joy Jackson, a 7th grader at Harris Road Middle School, is the 2014 Cabarrus County Schools Spelling Bee Champion. After what is sure to go down in CCS Spelling Bee history as one of the longest final rounds – 17 minutes and 23 seconds – Joy was declared the winner. Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan, a 5th grader at Coltrane-Webb Elementary School, was named runner-up. The winning word was “insidious.” Joy recently competed in The Charlotte Observer’s 60th Annual Regional Spelling Bee, representing Cabarrus County Schools. The regional winner moves on to compete in the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., during Bee Week in May. Joy is familiar with the spelling bee spotlight. She was named runner-up in the 2013 CCS Spelling Bee. After coming so close last year, she rededicated her efforts and won back-to-back championships as her school’s top speller to compete once again at this year’s county competition. Thanks to her hard work and determination, she was named this year’s district champion. Congratulations to Karen Gehrig, Cabarrus County Schools’ first Teacher Assistant of the Year. Gehrig has been a teacher assistant at Harrisburg Elementary School for eight years. She began as a teacher assistant/bus driver and has worked in all grade levels at the school. For the past six years, she has concentrated her efforts to support students and teachers in kindergarten. Mrs. Gehrig is remarkable in the care she shows each student and the way she anticipates classroom needs to prepare instructional resources. She provides individual and small group instruction to students with reading and math challenges. She is always willing to help in any way and carries a positive attitude to school each day. Mrs. Gehrig has been instrumental at the district level in promoting the importance of teacher assistants. She positively encourages other teacher assistants as they work to support the education of all students. Congratulations, Joy! Congratualtions Karen Gehrig! Family Resource CAFE Conference Connections and Access to Families Through Education For: Families of children/youth with special heath care needs (medical & developmental) Date: Saturday, March 15, 2014 Time: 8:30am - 3:00pm (registration at 8:00 am) Location: CMC-NorthEast/Roper Commons-Hamrick Theater (downstairs from cafeteria) 200 Medical Park Drive, Concord, NC Looking for Special Needs Resources? Visit www.resourcecafe.org Website developed by the Innovative Approaches Project Learn about:  Available resources  How to navigate the service system  Preparing for transition Register Now! www.surveymonkey.com/s/FamilyResourceCafeConference2014 For more information please contact Debbie Biggerstaff at 704-934-4399 or [email protected] Parent Teacher Magazine • March/April 2014 • 3