Child Nutrition Manager of the Year - Essie Markham

Congratulations to Essie Markham of Morris Grove Elementary. She was recently recognized as the Chartwells Child Nutrition Manager of the Year! 

Liz Cartano (left), Director of Dining, presents award to Essie Markham (right) of Morris Grove Elementary.

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Smith Students Unplugged!

Before the holiday break approximately 260 seventh-graders at Smith Middle School spent time with the seventh-grade counseling team, exploring the concept of addiction to media. As a follow-up activity, the students were challenged to go 24 consecutive hours without using any media (with the exception of a radio and a house phone) during the weekend of January 11-12. This meant no TV, video games, cell phones, ebooks, tablets, iPods, etc!

The purpose of the activity was to evaluate whether or not students could or would actually go 24 hours without media and to have students assess and reflect on their own "addiction" to, or "dependency" on, media. The challenge also encouraged students to find replacement activities to the many hours they typically spend absorbed in media of all kinds.

These were some of the results from the weekend challenge:

- At least 3,649 hours were spent "unplugged" that weekend.
- 56% of students were able to go 24 hours without media.
- On average, students were able to go 18.5 hours without using any media during the 24-hour period.
- On a scale from 0-10 the average self-reported media addiction level was 5.6 out of 10 (10 being completely addicted).
- Students reported feeling like they had more free time, were able to focus better, and were able to spend more quality time with their family (one student said, "My mom was happy because we had an actual conversation").
- Students also reported feeling bored, out of touch, and lonely (one student said, "I just cried all day").

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Afternoon Activities Canceled for Tuesday, January 21

Due to weather conditions, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have cancelled all afternoon activities for students scheduled for today, Tuesday, January 21.  The Elementary After-School Teacher Workday Program will continue as scheduled today and is not impacted by the canceled events.

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Twelve CHCCS Teachers Earn National Board Certification!

North Carolina leads the nation in the number of National Board Certified Teachers. We are pleased to announce the following educators recently earned their national certification.

Susan Azzu - ESL teacher at Rashkis Elementary
Holly Loranger - social studies teacher at Chapel Hill High
Melissa Nicholson-Clark - Intervention Specialist at Morris Grove Elementary
Samantha Howard - classroom teacher at Morris Grove Elementary
Christine Cohn - classroom teacher at Estes Hills Elementary
Jenny Marie Smith - English teacher at East Chapel Hill High
Agnes Bernasconi - classroom teacher at Rashkis Elementary
Ashley Laver - classroom teacher at Rashkis Elementary
Miles Chappell - social studies teacher at Phillips Middle
Jennifer Pedersen - Intervention Specialist at Northside Elementary
Lisa Myles - Gifted Specialist at McDougle Elementary
Beth Kinney - EC Resource teacher at McDougle Middle


Additionally, the following six educators have renewed their national certification. We appreciate their ongoing commitment to excellence.

Susanna Breeden, social studies teacher at Phillips Middle
Annie Cramer, art teacher at Seawell Elementary
Toni DeMarco, classroom teacher at Morris Grove Elementary
Jessica Harris, counselor at East Chapel Hill High
Bradey McDaniel, classroom teacher at Rashkis Elementary
John Montavon, Spanish teacher at McDougle Middle

Congratulations and thank you to all of our nationally certified educators.

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Trash Terminators Meet Chapel Hill Leaders

This past Monday evening (January 13, 2014), the Trash Terminators of Phillips Middle School met with Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and the Town Council to discuss the composting program at Phillips Middle School and the possible expansion of composting in Chapel Hill. The Council was very receptive to the students’ presentation and ideas. The Trash Terminators have won $8,000 in grants during the past two school years and are in the finals for the Lexus Eco-Challange this year.

We appreciate the work of CHCCS Sustainability Coordinator Dan Schnitzer and the Terminators.

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CHCCS Sustainability Coordinator Dan Schnitzer (center) and the Phillips Middle Trash Terminators

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