Parent Teacher Magazine Gaston County School November 2013 | Page 10

GOOD NEWS about our schools
n Gaston County Schools received 500 book bags
filled with school supplies from the AT&T Pioneers,
a local volunteer service organization. Students at
several elementary schools received the book bags
as a back-to-school surprise.

n Students in the Ashbrook High School Air
Force JROTC program won several top honors
at the Converse College Summer Leadership
School. Simon Towner and Tristan Williamson
were named Honor Graduates; Caleb Bartlett
earned the Outstanding Flight Cadet Award; Chris
Rollins earned first place and Lacee Millwood took
second place in the highly-competitive Drill Master
Award category; and Meagan Willis was named the
Outstanding Staff Cadet and received the National
Sojourners Award. More than 300 students from
three states participated in the program.
n Gaston County Schools received a $22,065
grant from the Glenn Foundation Board of
Directors to purchase the Lucy Calkins Units
of Study in Opinion, Information and Narrative
Writing program for elementary schools. The
program will provide resources that teachers need
to help students achieve the Common Core writing
objectives.
n Lory Morrow, GCS deputy superintendent of
instruction, was invited to present a workshop
at the National Common Core State Standards
Networking Conference in Charlotte. Her session
was titled On the Road to Success with Common
8 • November/December 2013• Parent Teacher Magazine?

Core and focused on professional development
for teachers and administrators and parent
communication strategies.
n John Chavis Middle band director Vickie
Whitfield was elected to the South Central District
Bandmasters Association’s board of directors. She
will serve as the middle school representative for a
nine-county region.
n Shelly Bullard, GCS executive director of
compensatory education, was named the Region
Six board chairperson for the North Carolina
Association of Compensatory Educators. The
groups works to support Title I educational
programs in the state.
n North Belmont Elementary pre-kindergarten
students showcased their artwork in June as part
of the school’s end-of-year activities.
n Bessemer City Central Elementary conducted
the Around the World in Two Days program with
activities that encouraged third grade students to
learn about different countries.
n Four East Gaston High School students were
top winners at the Family Career and Community
Leaders of America (FCCLA) national conference.
Jessica Outen, Karrikka Washington and Megan
Walker received a silver medal in the Focus on
Children competition. Their award-winning project
taught children at Springfield and North Belmont

elementary schools about the importance of
recycling. Anjelica Martin won a bronze medal in
the Early Childhood Education competition. Her
project involved a language lesson about culture
and ethnicity.

n More than 2,100 books were donated to Sadler
Elementary as part of the Give Five, Read Five
statewide campaign. Each student received four
books for summer reading. Employees from the
Wix Affinia plant in Gastonia contributed 503 books.
The employees also contributed to the school more
than 150 backpacks filled with supplies.
n Brookside Elementary received an OfficeMax
gift card from Zaxby’s and restaurant manager Bob
Glezen to purchase school supplies.
n Members of the Stanley Middle School robotics
team enjoyed a visit to the WBTV studios in
Charlotte. The students toured the facility and met
with meteorologist Eric Thomas, who presented a
program about natural disasters.
n South Point High School seniors Lyndsey
Stephens and Rachel Abernathy were winners in
the Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant. Stephens
was named Miss Gastonia and Abernathy was
crowned Miss Gaston County 2014. They will
compete in next year’s Miss North Carolina
Scholarship Pageant.