TSA Chapters Excel in STEM

Leaders of the Technology Student Association (TSA) chapters at five of our schools recently took nearly 80 students to Greensboro for two days to participate in the 39th annual NCTSA State Conference. They engaged in STEM- (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and leadership-based competitions, and learned much in the process. They did an amazing job of representing our district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) department.

TSA chapters take the study of STEM beyond the classroom and give students the chance to pursue academic challenges among friends with similar goals and interests. 

CTE teachers serve as chapter advisors, but the student members govern the organization through chapter, state and national level officers. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' TSA students hold a legacy of leadership with 12 students holding an NCTSA state officer positions since 2003, with four of those as state presidents. 

Along with incubating the leaders of tomorrow, TSA is nurturing tomorrow's scientists, engineers, journalists, trades people and educators. This is evident when one looks at the awards our TSA chapters brought home from the conference. Below you will find a section for each of the five chapters in our district. Students from four of the schools are already making plans to attend the National TSA Conference in Atlanta, June 22-26, and will no doubt continue to represent our district with their talent, integrity and STEM skills on full display. 

In fact, both McDougle Middle and East Chapel Hill High TSAs will receive the Chapter Excellence Award in NCTSA for their respective school levels. The awards will be announced and received at the upcoming National TSA Conference. The advisors for both schools are extremely proud of all of their chapter members. 
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Culbreth Middle School TSA - Mike Sharp, Advisor

The Culbreth TSA chapter was new this year, and the level of involvement was amazing. They had 30 members join the team, and 13 were able to compete at the state conference. Under the guidance and leadership of officers, Yash Gupta, Xavier Van Raay, and Sebastian Malhotra, students performed at their personal best and succeeded in bringing home a total of 5 trophies.

The following students won trophies in their events:

1st place in Coding: Sebastian Malhotra and Ben Shoenbill
2nd place in Community Service Video: Sarah Stephens and Xavier Van Raay
2nd place in Promotional Marketing: Daniel Estevez
3rd place in STEM Animation: Daniel Estevez, Miles Prenda, and Yuta Tsuboi
3rd place in Tech Bowl: Xavier Van Raay, Yash Gupta, and Srinivas Iyengar
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Phillips Middle School TSA - Ryan Barnes, Advisor

Phillips Middle School TSA placed in a number of events and represented their school, district and chapter in outstanding fashion.

1st Place Structural Engineering: Kabir Grewal, Raymond Zhao
2nd Place Microcontroller Design: Ethan Bartlett, Kabir Grewal, Hanqi Xiao, Jake Boggs, Graham Troy
2nd Place Website Design: Jake Boggs, Anna Finklestein, Meilin Weathington
3nd Place Electrical Applications: Ethan Bartlett
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McDougle Middle School TSA - Redmond Grigg and Kate Major, Advisors

These young men and women worked hard, smart ,and with so much heart this year as they prepared for competition. The trophies they earned are but symbols of their consistent and forthright efforts. They resurrected and helped beautify their school's outdoor classroom. They also ran a successful campaign to raise over $1,000 for the American Cancer Society through the Relay For Life at UNC. What an amazing feat for a group that only had three returning members. 

1st Place Community Service Video: Amelia Brinson, Lula Caress, Lucas Gutierrez-Arnold, Mateo La Serna, Vincent Paquet, Sophie Ussery Intintolo
1st Place Junior Solar Sprint: Nivas Kolli, Alexis Mead
1st Place Mechanical Engineering: Nora Daley, Nivas Kolli, Katie Randolph, Noah Wegner
1st Place American Cancer Society Fundraising: Raised $1,095 through Relay For Life
2nd Place Essays on Technology: Erin Gottschalk
2nd Place Flight: Ani Yu
2nd Place Inventions & Innovations: Lars Kahn, Gabo Ochoa Samoff, Noah Wegner
2nd Place Leadership Strategies: Amelia Brinson, Lucas Gutierrez-Arnold, Lars Kahn
2nd Place Problem Solving: Diogo Gomes, Noah Wegner
3rd Place Biotechnology: Ryan Atack, Alexis Mead, Gabo Ochoa Samoff, Guillermo Vizuette
3rd Place Career Prep: Nora Daley
3rd Place Forensic Technology: Amelia Brinson, Katie Randolph
3rd Place Technical Design: Daniel Furberg, Ani Yu
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Chapel Hill High School TSA - Redmond Grigg, Advisor

While no Chapel Hill High student placed in their competitive events at the state conference, they still did an incredible job representing their chapter, school and district. All of the state officers from our district were Chapel Hill High students, including the previously mentioned four state presidents.

Kyle Halstater first joined TSA as a 6th grader at McDougle Middle School. This was Kyle's third year holding a state office as he just finished his tenure as the 2017-2018 NCTSA State President. 

Angel Koshy will carry on the tradition of leadership as the 2018-2019 NCTSA State Reporter. She's held chapter officer positions during middle and high school, frequently serving as a mentor to younger newer members. 

Jillian Breithaupt served two years as a state officer, and as the 2016-2017 NCTSA State President, she helped to revive the NCTSA Fall Leadership Rally as a means of cultivating future state officers and leaders in TSA. 
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East Chapel Hill High School TSA - Pat Pudlo, Advisor

East Chapel Hill's TSA had semifinalists (top 12) in 13 events, and for the first time in this chapter's history, two students, Gabe Valera and Mike Pudlo, ran for state officer positions.

2nd Place Coding: Andy Farkas, Ravi Pitelka, Joseph Ahrendsen
2nd Place CAD 3D: Tarun Goyal
3rd Place Video Game Design: Andy Farkas, Ravi Pitelka
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Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools TSA wishes to thank CTE DIrector Kathi Breweur for her staunch and unwavering support for TSA in our district! Our TSA chapters grow and flourish as a direct result of Kathi's support and guidance for CTE teachers and students alike. Kathi's belief in the power and opportunities student organizations like TSA provide CTE students, makes her an exemplary leader.

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District Staff Receive SNAColade Awards

SNAColades 2017/18

Note from SNAC: The Special Needs Advisory Council (SNAC) created SNAColades to honor Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' teachers, staff and administrators who, through their hard work and creativity, make our children's school experience more meaningful.  The following have been selected for this recognition based on the testimonials of the Exceptional Children community.  Below each name is a quote from an appreciative parent or CHCCS administrator.

Estes Hills Elementary School

• Ryan Grimm - Mr. Grimm has great insight into his students' needs and motivations.  He challenges them to reach their potential while recognizing the supports needed to get them to that point.  He is also a diligent communicator with parents and responsive to their concerns.

Frank Porter Graham Elementary 

• Emily Bivens - Although a Principal’s job entails a range of tasks, Dr. Bivens has gone above and beyond by supporting my daughter and our family through a rough transition into Kindergarten.  She’s met with her regularly to work on developing better friendships and social skills.  She’s given us a glimmer of hope for the future grades.
• June Pacheco - Ms. Pacheco recently relocated to CHCCS, and hit the ground running. She brought decades of experience to the EC department at FPG, and the results I've seen in my child are stunning. And I don't just mean grades or test scores.  Ms. Pacheco handles the children in the EC department with respect and holds them accountable for their actions by rewarding them with accolades.  The children are learning to deal with their emotions better through a recently adopted second-step program and Ms. Pacheco is implementing this program in the EC department.  The children have fewer outbursts and emotional meltdowns as a result.  It's a pleasure to have Ms. Pacheco at FPG, and I highly recommend her for a SNAColade. 

Northside Elementary

• Mary Naylor - Mary has been involved with my son since second grade, either as his EC teacher directly or facilitating with another EC teacher.  My son is now in 5th grade.  I can not say enough good things about her dedication and hard work.  She has gone above and beyond in so many ways and made a such a positive difference in our lives.  A huge thank you from our whole family.

Northside Pre-K

• Sarah Michels - Sarah has been working with my son for three years and the language that he has acquired over this time has been extraordinary.  He went in not speaking but only having about 15 words total and now he is one of the most talkative kids in the class.  Her hard work with him has really made a huge difference and I thank her for that.
• Ronetta Walker - She is amazingly patient.  She pushes my child to his fullest potential so that he can succeed.  She is in constant communication with me and lets me know if something is going on, if something needs to be changed.  She has been a lifesaver and making sure that he is fully ready for kindergarten this upcoming year.
• Pre-K Intervention Team - Thankful for this entire team.  They have helped me and explained everything in detail if needed.  Thanks to Ms. Wilson, Ms. Moore, and all others that have played a part in my son's educational experience.  He had made so much growth in being in the Pre-K class.  Thank you all.

Scroggs Elementary

• Crystal Epps - Ms. Epps is a world- class principal who strives to include children and families with special needs.  She listens to families, students and teachers and helps to resolve problems in a warm, logical and timely manner.  It is critical for students with special needs to have such a professional and caring leader.  She is intelligent, warm, empathetic, fun, and we are grateful each and every day that our children and others with special needs benefit from her leadership.  She listens and problem-solves and educates herself on matters big and small.  With regard to the special needs population, I've seen her attend SNAC meetings after-hours (non-mandatory and clearly indicative of her commitment).  I see her call the names of our children and others with special needs,  on a daily basis.  She greets them with warmth as they enter the building.  She knows them well and supports the teachers when they face challenges.  We are inspired by Ms. Epps and would like her to receive the recognition she deserves.  Lastly,  and importantly Ms. Epps doesn't shy away from difficult moments.  We as parents of SN children will sometimes be anxious or "freak out" about particular situations.  Ms. Epps picks up the phone and calls and reassures us in such situations and we are forever grateful for this.  Thank you Ms. Epps!!!
• Gina Pellegrini - I am giving Gina a SNAColade for her time, patience and understanding she has given my child this year.  His continued growth throughout this grade level wouldn't be possible without Ms. Pellegrini's guidance.  Thank YOU!
• Dottie Small - Ms. Small has been exemplary in the practice of inclusion, when it comes to teaching our son (who has autism) in a mainstream classroom.  She sees his progress and praises him for social improvements, which may go unrecognized by others.  We are deeply grateful for her structured teaching approach and importantly warmth and acceptance of our son.  Our son's fifth grade year has been wonderful both academically as well as socially and we believe Ms. Small plays a major role.  Ms. Small helps him to engage with his peers and to provide him positive reinforcement needed for improvement.  She recognizes his abilities and judges his success based on where he started (not where others are currently at!).  She additionally helps other children to understand our son and to provide him with needed social support.  In this age group,  it is important to also help a special needs child when they struggle with classmates or challenging peer situations.  Ms. Small has demonstrated a clear ability to go above and beyond to support such children.  We feel very lucky to have you as a teacher and appreciate all of the hard work. 

Seawell Elementary

• Julie Halpert - Ms. Halpert has several Twice Exceptional children in her classroom, and she teaches, supports, and encourages them with incredible skill, kindness, and patience.  She seems to care deeply for each individual child, and she ensures that they are thriving!

McDougle Middle School

• Kate Major - As a TA In the AC classroom Ms. Major stepped up to provide leadership and stability while the teacher is away on maternity leave.  She has worked hard to keep up communication with us and continued to provide continuity in our daughter's experience at school.  Losing a teacher is a stressful event for a special needs student, but Ms. Major has gone over and above to keep things as stable as possible.

Phillips Middle School 

• Danielle Riley - Ms. Riley is the "kid whisperer."  She has a magical touch with children in crisis, which stems from her great empathy and patience.  She is entirely non-judgemental with students and puts them at ease, which allows her to get to heart of an issue and start working on solutions.  I am forever grateful to her for the times she has helped my son work through a difficult time.  Yay, Ms. Riley!
• Sydney Ryals - Ms. Ryals is steadfast in her kindness and patience and is the rock that my son has relied upon all year.  In IEP meetings, she looks at challenges from a variety of perspectives and is a creative problem-solver.  Many of her ideas on how to help my son cope and engage have been helpful this year, and we are tremendously grateful to her for being so dedicated to his success.  Yay, Ms. Ryals!
• Kaleigh Vogan - Moving from elementary school to middle school is a big transition for any child, but can be even more difficult for a child with special needs.  From the moment Ms. Vogan reached out to us last summer for a school tour, I had a good feeling about 6th grade.  Having Ms. Vogan as part of my son’s team  has made such a positive impact.  When he needs her, she is there for him.  For our son, knowing that he has her support has been a huge comfort for him and for us.  Thank you. 

Smith Middle School 

• Gina Chapman - Ms. Chapman started at Smith in Jan 2018.  She is very patient, caring and kind to all the students and staff in the AC classroom.  She communicates well with parents and makes herself accessible.
• Danka Kulikowski - Thank you Ms. Kulikowski for encouraging our granddaughter this year. She has blossomed under your direction.  She can be shy, but to see her on stage with a speaking part, brought such joy to my heart.  Thank you!
• Chris Glasco - Mr. Glasco joined the Smith EC team in Sept 2017.  He cares deeply about the students' well being and participation in the classroom, as well as in their specials outside of the AC classroom.  His youthful demeanor and winning smile are a hit as he navigates the hallways and cafeteria with our students.
• Fred Feely - We don’t know what we would have done without your daily support of Violet.  You helped to keep her and us on track.  You are a dedicated professional! Thank you.
• Margaret Maternowski - Ms. Maternowski, we appreciate your understanding and flexibility in designing a program for our granddaughter.  We couldn’t have done it without your support!  Thank you.
• Irene Slydel - Thank you for all your help with our granddaughter this year.  It has been a stressful year, and your assistance really helped.

Carrboro High School

• Brittany Deeds - We are thankful for Ms. Deeds for providing us with the opportunity to complete real, valuable work within our school.  We are grateful that she relinquished control of the school supply closet to our students so they can gain skills with reading, counting and vocational work endurance while filling teacher supply orders.  Ms. Deeds is flexible, cheerful and gives us opportunities to be valued members of the community.
• Kelly Furr - We are grateful that Ms. Furr joined the CHS team!  She volunteered as a chaperone on multiple occasions to make our Community Based Instructional opportunities possible.  We are thankful for her positivity and interest in our activities.
• Lorrie Marro
• Ms. Marro, the transition facilitator at CHS, made a point to connect with my son from the beginning of his freshman year as an OCS student at Carrboro High.  She spent time getting to know him, beyond the assessments and evaluations. Ms. Marro identified him as a good candidate for Appalachian State University's Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program (SDAP).  By his junior year Ms. Marro had made sure we (his parents) understood the requirements of the application process, and the goals he needed to meet in order to be a competitive candidate.  She, along with the whole EC department, helped him work on self-advocacy, self-management, independence, and a raft of academic goals.  During this, his senior year, Ms. Marro worked closely with him and us to get all the pieces in place for his application to SDAP - many, many documents, assessments, evaluations, interviews, work samples, transcripts... We all were glad to have that submitted in November!  By January we knew that he was on the short list. And in late March we learned that he had gotten a spot in the program--one of five students to be accepted, as we understand it.  He is the first CHS student to achieve place in the SDAP. He and we are thrilled!  He has worked very hard - and of all his excellent school support, it is the support of Lorrie Marro that made the biggest difference.  Our son has attended CHCCS schools from K-12 grade.  We are happy that he is ready to move on - and we are profoundly grateful to Ms. Marro, and to the dozens of other teachers and staff that have been part of his education!
• Ms. Marro is a phenomenal Transition Facilitator and going above and beyond for every student regardless of what type of transition needs they have.  Ms. Marro is incredibly creative has unbelievable energy and does not stop until she thinks the student is on the right path for a successful exit from high school.  Thanks, Ms. Marro!
• Donna McMillan - Ms. McMillan has a never ending supply of patience for our students.  She extends herself after school and on weekends to support our students' interests and activities.  Her warm smile, gentle style, and attentiveness help our students express their interests and increase their confidence with interactions.
• Katie Moorehead - Ms. Moorehead goes above and beyond to make sure that our students are embraced by their community.  She volunteers her time, makes materials for us, supports us in activities and continually brightens our day!
• Brett Stegall - Ms. Stegall creates an inclusive class environment and structures activities and lessons so students of all abilities experience success.  Because of her structures and positive attitude, students are comfortable to try new things and find true friendships in our school.
• Quianna Phillips - We appreciate Ms. Phillips for her energy, enthusiasm and support of our skills and interests.  We are thankful that Ms. Phillips volunteered her time to serve as a chaperone this year to make our Community Based Instructional opportunities possible.
• Martha Phipps - Ms. Phipps serves as our CHS bookkeeper and is one of the ultimate "Yes, and..." supporters of our students.  Always behind the scenes, Ms. Phipps helps manage funds from our grants, orders supplies, and makes it possible for magic to happen in the classroom.
• April Ross - Ms. Ross serves as the Athletic Director at Carrboro HS.  She is unwavering in her support of our students and their rights to be on the fields, courts, track and true members of our teams. 

Chapel Hill High School

• Kate Kennedy - I am so thankful that the school has supported the role of a twice exceptional expert, and I couldn't think of anyone better for the position than Kate Kennedy.  She is fantastic at bringing the perspective of both giftedness and disabilities to the table, and she has provided much guidance for our son over the years.
• Ryan McGraw - Mr. McGraw has gone out of his way to help guide our son in choosing appropriate courses each year taking his disabilities into consideration.  He truly goes above and beyond.  Thank you!

TRAC/PATHSS/PATHSS Bridge

• Su Wanamaker - For persevering with coordinating the TRAC, PATHSS and PATHSS Bridge program.  We are looking forward to her leadership next year and hope that she will stick with it!

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Middle School 101

Middle School 101 is a program offered by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to ease the transition from 5th to 6th grade by providing students the opportunity to navigate their new schools and learn some of the procedures of Middle School. Middle School 101 is open to all incoming 6th graders. The program operates as a middle school transition camp for all rising 6th graders in the district. There are two sessions of Middle School 101. Session 1 will be held from July 24-July 26. Session 2 will be held from July 31- August 2. Camper hours are from 10-2 daily. Each camper can only attend one session. 

Transportation is offered for campers, as well as lunch. There will be 70 spots offered per school per week. If you are interested in your rising 6th grader attending Middle School 101, please complete the Registration Form as soon as possible to reserve your spot. 

If you have any additional questions about the Middle School 101 program, please contact Aaron Acome or Sarah O’Shea, Assistant Principals at Smith Middle School (919) 918-2145. Thank you.

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Mustang Math

McDougle Middle School knows how to have a great time! Recently, 119 of teacher Mary Patricia Peres-da-Silva's Compacted Math students held a Math Fair complete with food trucks and cool STEM activities.

 There were 115 different projects set up all over the school. Here is a sampling of the amazing work being demonstrated:

 - Carlos Merida created a robotic arm from scratch that moved and lifted objects.
 - Andrew Herring and his sister, Ava, programmed spheros to go over truss bridges that they built.
 - Sydney Lin programmed a machine to play tunes from Mobius strips.
 - Jane Rydin and Madden Rutherford coded their Makey Makey kits and used bananas to turn it into a piano board.
 - Mia Oliaro created photon flowers that lit up when the circuit was complete with lemon juice.
 - Cogan McMichael flew his drone and showed the audience how they could find missing people using a coordinate mat and the drone camera.
 - Ana Payst made a Rube Goldberg machine that used a marble to trigger other components that ultimately led to a plant getting watered.
 - Alair Rojas constructed a truss bridge with straws and popsicles, and engineered it to hold more than 70 pounds of weight.
 - Rishi Patel created his maze with tunnels and learned how to program his sphero to go through it.

 Many thanks to Mrs. Peres-da-Silva and the entire Mustang team who made this event possible.

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Local Landscaper Helps Beautify McDougle Middle School

Susannah Zimmermann, PTA parent at McDougle Middle School, said she had never tried anything like it - seeking a major gift from an unaffiliated business. But when she contacted Sands Landscape Management about supporting an overhaul of the school’s grounds, she struck gold. Mike Sands replied that he could offer 80-90 yards of mulch, plus machinery and manpower. “I reached out to them blindly via email and they said YES...which makes this donation even more generous!” Zimmermann said. “They have no link to McDougle Middle School - no kids there, they don’t live in Chapel Hill. They said they were motivated to donate ‘because we asked.’ Amazing!”
     
Once the PTA planning team knew they would be receiving the mulch and physical assistance, they scheduled Beautification Day for April 7, a day which turned out cold and rainy. The rescheduled day on Saturday, April 14, was sunny and warm, and more than 70 people worked on the landscaping tasks from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.  The school received a true makeover! Sands and a colleague brought over a Bobcat and other machinery, and the parent and community volunteers arrived with armloads of rakes and shovels.
     
Sands said they were happy to make McDougle a “better place for kids to learn. I feel like the day was a big success after seeing everyone work as a team and with such great attitudes. We had a big turnout thanks to the PTA and students!”
       
In addition to parents and staff, “landscapers” included Cub Scout Pack 825 and their families, as well as the McDougle Middle School Boys Lacrosse team and their families. A group from the National Junior Honor Society also pitched in, some for almost the entire day. Madi Lin, an 8th grade student, said, “As part of our school's NJHS chapter, I was very happy to help beautify our school. I feel our school is now a much more enjoyable learning environment for everyone.”
         
Zimmermann said it was “an amazing day full of hard work and a beautiful sense of community.” She expressed gratitude that their administration was so supportive, and helped the PTA spread the word about the event.

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McDougle Middle Orchestra and Choir Take Top Honors

The McDougle Middle School Orchestra and Choir recently participated in the Busch Gardens Music in the Parks Competition in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The McDougle Orchestra finished in first place with a ranking of Superior.

The McDougle Choir finished in first place with a ranking of Superior. They were also crowned as the Overall Grand Champion Choir.

Congratulations to all of our Mustangs on a job well done!

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The Reality of Money

How many adults wish they could have learned about the reality of money, before they set forth into the world (or as Millennials say, before they began adulting)?

     

With guidance and resources from the local State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), many parents, a team of teachers and support staff, and all of the eighth graders at McDougle Middle School recently experienced a crash course in personal finance. Maybe a little scary, but judging from the students’ evaluations, the event was also extremely valuable-- and fun.

     

The Reality of Money is a community outreach program created by SECU and offered to schools (grades 8-12) as a collaborative learning experience on financial literacy. Phillips Middle School has hosted this event the past three years, but this was the first time for McDougle Middle. The entire 8th grade class, approximately 200 students, participated in groups of 65 during the three sessions throughout the day.

     

In the media center, stations with pairs of parent volunteers were set up at tables: housing, healthcare/insurance, childcare, entertainment, and credit cards among others. First they received random profiles which gave details about their occupation, education level, family situation and monthly salary. As SECU’s Erin Roache said, “They then go through the same decision making process that we, as adults, go through every day.”

    

As students figured out their profiles, they compared information, laughing and shrieking, though at some points while circulating around the media center, some of them reflected stress and frustration. “I’m out of money,” rang out from station to station. One student said, “Things cost a lot more than I thought!”

     

Besides the categories of family and personal expenses, a wildcard element called “Stuff Happens” precipitated fear and amusement among students, as assistant principal Chassity Coston roamed around the stations, handing out cards. Surprise expenditures included buying a wedding present, buying $20 on Halloween candy, breaking a tooth and deciding on a dental treatment. Some cards yielded surprise bonuses, but most produced negative impacts on budgets. Coston said that students were running away from her, once their funds began to disappear.

      

Roache from SECU said, “The goals of the activity are to teach students to live within, or below, their means, to learn that credit can affect their way of living, that furthering your education beyond high school is important to a successful future, and that learning how to manage money now will help them avoid many financial pitfalls.”

     

As Robin Gallaher, District Career Development Coordinator for CTE said, “The 8th grade students learned financial information that many adults do not apply in their own lives.”

    

Nearly three dozen parents volunteered to cover stations, some for an hour or two, others for the full school day. Sarah Morales, 8th grade counselor, said, “Volunteer recruitment is key--we started early and enlisted the PTA's help.” The school provided lunch for volunteers, and a time to debrief, before gearing up for the afternoon sessions. “The volunteers had really positive feedback about their role in the program, too!”said Morales.

     

“A hundred lectures on budgeting wouldn't have as much impact on students as the experience of having to re-think their spending as their monthly balance dwindled away to nothing,” said Mellicent Blythe, parent of 8th grader Will Blythe.  “They also saw in really concrete terms how their education level and credit score can make things so much harder or easier for them down the road. I wish I had something like it when I was in school!”

     

What were the students’ reactions to the Reality of Money? Consider some of their responses to the question about what they learned: “I should definitely get insurance,” “Having two kids is really expensive and you never want to have bad credit,” “It’s hard to make decisions about money,” and “You can’t get everything you want.” One student who clearly had encountered assistant principal Coston with her Stuff Happens cards said, “You have to prepare for the unexpected.”

     

Several students reflected on how they now understand more about their parents’ responsibilities and concerns. One wrote, “I learned how to appreciate my parents”-- another, “Money is important and my parents sacrifice a lot.”

    

Eighth grade students, parents and teachers at Phillips Middle School will reprise this event in February.

   

“SECU relishes outreach opportunities like these as they help to foster relationships within the very communities we serve daily in our operations,” said Charles Robinson, the senior financial services officer who represented the organization at McDougle last month.

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McDougle Middle School BOOKS on BREAK

A free book distribution may not be the first activity that comes to mind when considering ways to excite middle school students. Yet the recent Books on Break giveaway at McDougle Middle School generated plenty of enthusiasm from the 101 students who chose books from a Book Harvest collection.

The event was hosted by Jennifer Parks, the media specialist at MMS, but she worked initially with Nancy Zeman, super-volunteer with Books on Break, to create a pilot template for our middle schools. Once the books were donated, Parks received plenty of support from Jennifer Spaeth and other language arts teachers who invited students to participate in the distribution.

         

Book Harvest, the fast-growing nonprofit based in Durham, usually partners with elementary schools in the region. This year the organization donated more than 16,000 books to CHCCS elementary schools. Yet the need for, and pleasure in, owning books doesn’t end in fifth grade - nor does the summer slide of learning loss disappear.

        

On June 5, small groups of 6th, 7th and 8th graders arrived at the MMS media center to browse through the 400+ books available. Parks noted that students scooped up all of the Rick Riordan selections quickly, as well as novels by Kwame Alexander and RJ Palacio. She said that “lots of students were excited to come and pick out books who don’t show a similar excitement checking out books during the year.” The enthusiasm didn’t stop when students had selected their three books-- they wanted to advise and make recommendations to their friends who were still choosing.

      

Summer slide is a major factor in widening achievement gaps. Research shows that gaps in student achievement increase more during the summer, so efforts to provide ongoing literacy support make a real difference. Thanks to the organizers of McDougle Middle School’s pilot Books on Break event, the initiative may expand to other middle schools next spring, and more of our students will bring books home for the summer.

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State Competition Brings Awards for Technology Student Association

Recently, fifty-five students from the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools competed at the 2017 North Carolina Technology Student Association (TSA) state competition in Greensboro, North Carolina.  TSA chapters from Phillips and McDougle Middle Schools, as well as East Chapel Hill High and Chapel Hill High Schools represented the district. 

The Technology Student Association is a national non-profit student organization which seeks to inspire student members to prepare for careers in a technology-driven economy and culture.

The students garnered a long list of awards (see below) as they competed among nearly 1,300 TSA students from across the state. All the students learned valuable career and technical skills both during the competition and as they prepared throughout the year.

Good luck to all of the students who will next compete at the National TSA Conference in Orlando, Florida, June 21-25.

2017 North Carolina TSA Awards

Phillips Middle School (Mr. Dale Haiducek, Adviser):

1st Place Awards:

- Structural Engineering - Kabir Grewal, Raymond Zhao

- Website Design - Spencer Gordon, Jake Boggs, Tyler Yang, Reilly Galloway, Ayden Xu

- Geospatial Technology - Savannah Xu, Ayden Xu

- Microcontroller Design - Ethan Bartlett, Jake Boggs, Kabir Grewal

2nd Place Awards:

- Forensic Technology - Meilin Weathington, Deegan Albrecht

- VEX Robotics Skills - Alex Abdo, Leo Bergmann, Alice Karakachian

- VEX Robotics Tournament Ranking - Alex Abdo, Leo Bergmann, Alice Karakachian

3rd Place Awards:

- Mass Production - Jon Grabowski, Will Swanson, Finn Harris

McDougle Middle School (Mr. Redmond Grigg, Adviser):

3rd Place Awards:

- Digital Photography - Lucas Gutierrez-Arnold

- Inventions & Innovations - Lars Kahn, Derek Yao

- Problem Solving - Lucas Gutierrez-Arnold & Diogo Gomes

- American Cancer Society Fund Raising - McDougle Middle School

East Chapel Hill High School (Mr. Patrick Pudlo, Adviser):

TSA Chapter of the Year - Small Chapter

1st Place Awards:

   - CAD 3D Engineering - Tarun Goyal

   - Flight - Gabriel Valera

   - Transportation Modeling - Mike Pudlo

   - Coding - Aidan Beggs, Itai Rivkin-Fish, Ben Meadows

2nd Place Awards:

   - Video Game Design - Aidan Beggs, Itai Rivkin-Fish, Ben Meadows

3rd Place Awards:

   - Promotional Design - Lydia Treml

   - On Demand Video - Lydia Treml, Gabriel Valera, Gillian Arleth, Rachel Peters, Sam Sapeta, Zachary Seelbach

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Model United Nations

The Eighth Annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro Middle School Model United Nations Conference took place on Friday, April 7, 2017, at Smith Middle School and the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence (CCEE).

Approximately 120 students from the four Chapel Hill-Carrboro middle schools came together to participate in a Model UN conference. They spent a school day at the CCEE, researching, learning, and debating together with their peers. The conference simulated debates at the United Nations Security Council. The committees were chaired by officers of the Model UN clubs at Carrboro High, Chapel Hill High and East Chapel Hill High.

The participating schools and the teachers preparing the students include:

Culbreth Middle School, William Giblin and Jose Roncancio
McDougle Middle School, Penny Martin and Nicole Walker
Phillips Middle School, Stacey Walker & Benna Haas
Smith Middle School, Erin White

Students were assigned one of the countries in the UN Security Council. They researched their country’s geography, history, culture, economy, and politics, especially its position towards the topic of sustainable development with a focus on both natural resource extraction and population growth. Each participant took on the role of a diplomat representing this country in the United Nations Security Council, attempting to get as much as possible of their country’s view on the topic into a resolution to be adopted by the Council.

Click here to see the story from CBS North Carolina (WNCN).

2017 CHCCS Model UN Awards
United Nations Development Programme A – Room C100
	Country	Student Names	School
Best Delegation	Saudi Arabia	Andrew Sadowsky, Taylor Wiedmann	Smith
Outstanding Delegation	Indonesia	Kevin Higgins, Victoria Schmidt	Smith
Honorable Mention	China	Susanna Su, Ranan Scheer	Phillips
Verbal Commendation	Russian Federation	Hayley Guerry, Daphne Munn	Culbreth
Verbal Commendation	United Kingdom	Charlotte Welsby, Zoe Colloredo-Mansfield	Phillips
United Nations Development Programme B – Room C103
	Country	Student Names	School
Best Delegation	Brazil	Benjamin Knight, Claire Thananopavarn	Smith
Outstanding Delegation	Costa Rica	Daniel Klein, Zachary Dodd	Culbreth
Honorable Mention	Russia	Sophia Su, Megan Talikoff	Phillips
Verbal Commendation	France	Eli Elk, Calvin Hinkle	Smith
Verbal Commendation	Philippines	Ethan Dadolf, Samuel Hileman	McDougle
United Nations Development Programme C – Room C105
	Country	Student Names	School
Best Delegation	Russian Federation	Dennis Perumov, Luke Henriquez	McDougle
Outstanding Delegation	France	Adonijah Crowell, Jenny Blass	Culbreth
Honorable Mention	China	Yutong Yang, Sophie Van Duin	Smith
Verbal Commendation	Germany	Annie Qin, Gayle Krest	Smith
Verbal Commendation	Saudi Arabia	Clara Merry Caroline Chen	Smith
United Nations Development Programme D – Room C106
	Country	Student Names	School
Best Delegation	Congo	Archit Kalra, Daniel Zhang	Smith
Outstanding Delegation	U.S	Katie Clark, Nicole Zhang	Smith
Honorable Mention	Brazil	Elle Freedman, Emma Culley	Phillips
Verbal Commendation	India	Benjamin McAvoy-Bickford, Jai Narayan	Smith
Verbal Commendation	China	Callan Baruch, Warren Kinnaman	Culbreth

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