Wake School News Archive (2019-20)

Wake School News Archive (2019-20)

July 2020

The big news in July was the announcement of an all-remote option for every student in the district. Previously, it was assumed that the entire district would adopt one of the BoE plans for reopening schools, one of which calls for remote learning only. (More on those plans below.) The Virtual Academy gives the district more wiggle-room in accommodating families who don’t want their child exposed to the coronavirus, which is far more likely under two of the reopening plans that include physical presence on campus. The district predicted that those families would seek alternatives to district schools. The first week of July, WCPSS provided information and a way to register for Wake’s first-ever “Virtual Academy,” described in detail here: https://t.co/iNmYTw1MJ5?amp=1

NOTE: A second registration period for the Virtual Academy is open July 27-29. It is not first-come, first-served; all students who register are accepted.

Three district schools received a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation during a virtual ceremony on July 1: Heritage HS, Middle Creek HS, North Ridge ES, and Panther Creek HS. The ASCA is the American School Counselor Association.

At their July 2 special meeting, the Wake BoE agreed to adopt one of three plans, depending on the final guidance on school reopening to be issued by the governor. State guidance at the time required each district to formulate three plans under the following guidelines:

  • Plan A: Schools would reopen at full capacity, but would take multiple safety measures to keep students and staff safe, including daily temperature checks and face masks.
  • Plan B: Schools would reopen at 50% capacity with safety measures.
  • Plan C: Students spend the school year at home with only remote instruction as an option.

WCPSS reopening plans

Because state law specified that a district could adopt a more restrictive policy than these three broad guidelines, Wake opted for reopening schools at 33% capacity. The plan they adopted would divide students into three groups; each group would follow a rotating schedule of one week on campus, followed by two weeks of remote learning. Read more about the plan here. 

When the filing period closed on July 6, only five members of the current Wake Board of Education had opponents in their bid for reelection in November. The remaining four will be reelected as unopposed candidates: Roxie Cash, Keith Sutton, Jim Martin, and Christine Kushner.

The NC Symphony announced three winners of awards for educators on July 7. Barina Smith Bailey of Heritage ES received the Maxine Swalin Award for Outstanding Music Educator.

On July 10, the district put a preemptive stop to summertime athletics and other extracurricular activities, such as summer band camps, announcing that “After careful review of COVID-19 trends in Wake County and in the state of North Carolina, we have determined that it is not prudent to resume athletic and co-curricular activities at this time, nor for the foreseeable future. Therefore all voluntary workouts and practices are suspended indefinitely.”

Supt. Cathy Moore was interviewed for the Public School Forum of NC’s weekly television show, Education Matters, on July 11. You can watch the broadcast here:  https://www.ncforum.org/education-matters/.

In early July, two teams of developers from Enloe MHS in Raleigh received the good news: they were now in the top five of the Lenovo Scholars Mobile App national competition. More than 5,000 students in 21 states participated in the annual contest, which encourages teams of high-school students to code a uniquely innovative and useful smart phone app. A development team from Enloe also made the top five in the competition last year.

On July 21, the Wake BoE voted to adopt a modified plan to start the school year in August. All students would start the school year in remote learning. Previously, the board had socialized Plan B, so named for the statewide guidance that mandated each system develop three plans for the school year. Instead, the board approved a plan known as “Plan B Transition.” The “transition” refers to the fact that the school year will begin with all students learning from home and make a transition into the three-group rotation within the first semester. However, Supt. Moore specifically stated that the district does not have a date in mind for a return to campuses and face-to-face instruction. Read more about the plan here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article244240482.html 

By July 27, when the second window to enroll in the Wake Virtual Academy opened, 78,792 students, 48% of the district average daily membership in 2019-20, had signed up. More info on the Virtual Academy is here: http://wakeednews.com/back-to-school-dilemmas/

On July 29, the district announced that Elizabeth Shaver, a history teacher at Holly Springs HS, had been named NC History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History.

Elizabeth Shaver of Holly Springs HS

Elizabeth Shaver, history teacher at Holly Springs HS. Photo posted by @TeamWCPSS.

A nonprofit that focuses on fostering excellence in the teaching of American history, Gilder Lehrman Ins. provided one teacher from each state and Washington, DC with a $1,000 honorarium and a set of books and other education resources.

Read the full announcement here: https://www.facebook.com/WCPSSTeam/posts/2749604988654015.

 

June 2020

At their June 2 meeting, the Wake County BoE voted on revised instructional calendars for traditional and year-round schools. They approved significant revisions to the calendars for multi-track year-round schools, enabling these schools to start in August rather than on July 6. Those students were already following the traditional calendar to close out the school year. The BoE also approved an additional 15 minutes of instructional time each day and a reduction of the three-week breaks that characterize multi-track calendars to two weeks in order to fit in the required 180 days of instruction in the coming academic year. View the special 2020-21 school calendars here: https://www.wcpss.net/domain/19.

On June 8 and June 11, the NCGA and State BoE issued guidelines for schools as they planned for reopening in the fall.  Districts were required to write plans for three potentially different types of school reentry: 1) Minimal restrictions 2) Significant restrictions and 3) Virtual learning only. The governor would have the final say on which of the three plans schools would adopt. Wake BoE member Heather Scott concluded on June 15 that “There is not a single plan that will make everyone feel comfortable. But we are going to provide strong plans of the highest standards for our schools.”

Despite many challenges, local high schools managed to send graduating seniors off with a bit of pomp and circumstance. Because the state still forbade gatherings of more than 10 people indoors, or more than 25 people outdoors at the same time, traditional graduation ceremonies were a no-go. Some students picked up their diploma in a carpool line-style delivery at their school. 

Others opted for a more personal way to mark the occasion. Each graduating senior had the option to bring up to 5 family members to their school’s auditorium at a specified time. The school’s principal and a few other staff members then enabled seniors to walk across the stage in front of the small audience of their (masked) family. Southeast Raleigh MHS managed to make a nice occasion out of it while still keeping everyone at a safe distance, as this article and video show. 

Lauryn Taylor of Green Level HS in Cary was one of two statewide winners of the Scholar-Athlete Essay Competition sponsored by the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program and NCHSAA. Taylor is a member of the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Teams at Green Level.

On June 13, the district rolled out a platform for comments from parents about school reopening. A letter from Supt. Moore described it as “a virtual conversation about reopening schools” that was prompted by a single open-ended question.

The woes of Kaleidoscope Charter HS continued as they attempted to amend their charter. Unable to find a suitable location for a temporary facility where the school could open and meet while a more permanent facility was being built in Morrisville, the school’s board of directors located a site in North Raleigh. Some parents of prospective students were unhappy to hear the news and did not want to make the long drive each school day. In addition, on Apr. 27, the Director of the Office of Charter Schools (OCS) for the state of North Carolina advised the board that the requested charter amendment was unlikely to be approved by the Charter Schools Advisory Board (CSAB). According to an open letter dated June 15 and posted on the Kaleidoscope Charter HS website, the OCS director informed the Kaleidoscope board that the CSAB had already heard significant opposition from the PTA, which expressed the belief that North Raleigh already had too many charter schools.

The Wake BoE voted unanimously to rename Daniels Magnet Middle School in Raleigh. Board Chairman Keith Sutton introduced the measure to the meeting agenda shortly before the June 16 meeting began. The school had been named for Josephus Daniels, an important figure at the local and state levels and former publisher of the Raleigh New & Observer who nevertheless had a poor record on civil rights. Under his leadership, the newspaper played a role in inciting the Wilmington coup of 1898, in which white supremacists overthrew the recently elected multiracial city government.  Oberlin Magnet Middle School in Raleigh was officially named for the segregated Black school (est. 1860) that it replaced in 1966. It retains important resonances with the neighborhood—named for Oberlin Village, founded by freed slaves in 1866—that surrounds the school. The name Oberlin comes from Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH because one of plantation owner Duncan Cameron’s freed slaves, James E. Harris, named it for his alma mater. Oberlin College was founded by abolitionists and was the first institute of higher learning in the US to admit Black students, starting in 1835. The prominent Oberlin Anti-Slavery Society was founded that same year. You can find more information about Oberlin Village from the Friends of Oberlin Village organization. 

On June 25, Gatorade announced that Morgan Smalls of Panther Creek HS in Cary had been named Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the state of North Carolina. Smalls is a 13-time state champion, and perhaps most notably won the award last year as well. You can read more about Smalls’s amazing high-school career at WRAL’s High School OT website, including a video of an interview with Smalls here. 

Read Gatorade’s announcement here: https://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/winner/morgan-smalls/38014

WCPSS was proud to have another Gatorade Athlete of the Year this school year when Jade Demps of Broughton MHS was named NC Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year in January. Smalls will continue her track and field career at the University of Southern California next year, while Demps is heading to the University of Wisconsin. The Gatorade award recognizes academic achievement and character in addition to athletic ability.

 

May 2020

COVID Timeline

In late April and early May, high schools began periodically illuminating their stadium lights in honor of graduating athletes, whose seasons were shortened or almost entirely eliminated.

Even though they were tweeting information about their admission lottery as late as Apr 14 and the lottery was still open in late May, Kaleidoscope Charter HS, planned for an opening in Morrisville starting in August, asked the state Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB) at its May 11 meeting to allow them to retain their charter while postponing the startup date to August 2021. They cited concerns about safety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Its charter was approved at the State BoE meeting May 3, 2018. As of May 6, 2020, Kaleidoscope Charter had only 65 applicants for a charter enrollment cap of 230 students. In an explanatory letter to the CSAB, they blamed the coronavirus pandemic for their inability to market the school and encourage families to apply. They also admitted that they had not yet secured either a building to house the school while a permanent facility is built, or a site for a permanent building.

More than 830 people signed a Change.org petition not to grant the charter, saying that Morrisville instead needed a district school. The petition read in part, “Land in Morrisville is scarce and expensive. We do not want to make it any harder for the Wake County Public school system to acquire the land they need for a school with another potential competitor. This school would have been great if we already had the public schools we need and traffic problems were not a big issue in this small town.” Residents of Morrisville have long been petitioning the district for more schools within town limits, but the district maintains that it’s been too difficult to obtain the necessary land.

The district sent out notifications about a Remote Learning Survey, open May 13-20. They sought families’ opinions about how well or how poorly the experience had been thus far.  In June, they reported having received over 32,000 responses and said that “Parents responded more favorably than unfavorably overall.”  Suggestions for improvement, according to the district, stressed that “supporting remote learning is difficult,” and that their child would benefit from:
  • Increased live engagement and feedback on student progress
  • Easier access (for example, fewer applications, platforms, and logins)
  • More consistency and more predictable schedules
  • More communication from the school

On May 16, XQSuperSchool and several other corporations broadcast Graduate Together, a virtual graduation ceremony for graduating seniors nationwide. LeBron James served as MC, and a dozen celebrities participated in the hour-long show.

Many greeted the governor’s executive order of May 20 with some relief: it eased the pandemic situation for some by lifting the statewide “Stay at Home Order” imposed in March. However, not all businesses were allowed to reopen, and schools remained closed under the state’s Phase 2 Plan for reopening. 

 

April 2020

April was the cruelest month, as students and faculty saw one cancellation after another. School dances and proms, band and choral concerts, and all sporting events were canceled starting in mid-March.

After school leaders made contact with families and determined which students lacked appropriate devices for remote learning in March, Chromebook distribution began on Apr. 3, with Lead Mine ES in Raleigh serving as a kind of pilot site for safe technology distribution. 

In mid-April, Activate Good started a volunteer project to prepare  more than 10,000 hotspots for families that lacked internet access. Multiple educators in the district volunteered with Activate Good to configure the hotspots at Vernon Malone College and Career HS, or helped out at their schools with device distribution during the first two weeks of remote learning. Lenovo and local cybersecurity company Absolute donated lunch for volunteers.

Volunteers setting up hotspots

Photo tweeted by Wake County Public School System

The district publicized the following statistics as of Apr. 27:

  • 171 schools had distributed more than 25,000 Chromebooks
  • More than 9,000 wi-fi hotspots had been distributed to schools
  • 2,357 hotspots had been distributed to individual students
  • 210 volunteers from Activate Good and the district had logged over 1,200 hours setting up the hotspots and Chromebooks

Device distribution continued until early May.

On Apr. 9, the 2020 N.C. Council for the Social Studies announced that they had selected Marlin Jones, who teaches AP World History and American History at Broughton MHS, as their Teacher of the Year. You can read more about Jones and this award here. 

Schools on the traditional and all year-round calendars began formal remote learning on Apr. 13. (Schools on modified calendars began the previous week.) The district began staffing an IT help desk for families facing issues with technology. They compiled a list of frequently-asked questions and provided telephone support: https://t.co/AJWi04f2Ve?amp=1

Following the week designated for spring break at schools on the traditional calendar, many still held out hope that the school year would resume. COVID-19 cases in Wake County had not yet reached a critical level, although they were clearly increasing rapidly. However, on Apr. 24, Governor Cooper announced that all schools statewide would remain closed until the end of the 2019-20 school year. Statewide, coronavirus cases stood at 7,608 on that day, with 486 hospitalized. Wake County had 626 reported cases and 11 deaths by that date.

As a result and on that same day, the NC High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) announced that all remaining winter championships and spring sports would be canceled.

Specialists at Oakview ES in Holly Springs launched a website on Apr. 24 to help students keep themselves occupied and engaged during the long lockdown period. Their “Owls for Others” site features ideas for students to make safe connections to others in their community while isolating at home: https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/oakviewspecials/owls-for-others

 

March 2020

In addition to the huge story of the year—school closures due to the coronavirus outbreak—March was National Arts in Our Schools Month. That designation was somewhat ironic after school closures disrupted spring musical productions and music performance adjudication (MPA) opportunities, concerts for bands, orchestras, and choruses, and field trips to watch those performances. Apex Friendship HS was in dress rehearsals for Cinderella when their performances were all canceled. A few groups, such as Holly Springs HS, were able to squeeze performances in under the wire as massive closures began in earnest the week of Mar. 9. Cary HS was fortunate to be able to stage The Addams Family just before the closures went into effect, but their planned final performance was canceled.

Cast of The Addams Family at Cary High School

Members of the cast of “The Addams Family,” Mar. 15 at Cary HS.

Disruptions to sports activities were similarly sweeping and filled with uncertainty. 

The first week of March was National School Social Workers’ Appreciation Week, Read Across America Week, and National School Breakfast Week. Timber Drive ES in Garner combined the last two with their Breakfast and a Book event, which included a special item on the menu: green eggs and ham. 

Bryan Road ES students in crazy hats

Bryan Road ES held a Crazy Hat contest in honor of Dr. Seuss. Photo tweeted by Hannah Hewling.

Many elementary schools invited guest readers to pay them a visit on Mar. 2, to kick off a fun week of reader and author appreciation. Members of the Raleigh Police Department and Wake County School Board stepped up to volunteer their time. Other schools encouraged students and teachers to dress like characters from their favorite books. Apex ES observed Whacky for Reading Day and Relax and Read in Your PJs Day. Students at Holly Ridge ES wore hats for Cat in the Hat Day. And at Ballentine ES in Fuquay-Varina, it was Dr. Seuss Week, culminating in Seuss Night for families on Mar. 5.

Trent Evans of Reedy Creek MMS in Cary won a Maggy Award for Best Middle School Principal from Cary Magazine. The awards for Best Public School and Best Elementary School Principal went to Peak Charter Academy in Apex. They received their awards at a ceremony sponsored by the magazine on Mar. 1.

On Mar. 4, about 1,000 students performed in the annual countywide arts showcase, Pieces of Gold, at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Adjudicated visual art was on display in the accompanying art show, Gifts of Gold. This was the 38th annual Pieces of Gold performance. 

Mar. 4 was the first day of the three-day NCTIES (NC Technology in Education Society) statewide conference for educators, held at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Students from Alston Ridge MS in Cary.

Alston Ridge MS students presented a technology project at the NCTIES statewide conference. Photo tweeted by Michele Lee.

Local students presented projects that involved technology as an essential learning component, including students from the new Alston Ridge MS and Herbert Akins Road ES, as well as Holly Springs ES, Forestville Road ES, and Oak Grove ES. The district was well-represented by presenters and attendees. Kyle Hamstra of Davis Drive ES demonstrated an app that he and fellow educator Heather Kaiser were developing: Hashtag180, an app to help teachers share ideas and communicate with each other using Twitter hashtags and grade-level and subject filtering.

The VEX Robotics team from Sanderson HS in Raleigh announced on Mar. 8 that they had qualified for the World Competition in Louisville, KY—but the championship event was among the many that were canceled over fears associated with coronavirus infections.

The district recognized 20 semi-finalists for Wake County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year at the school board meeting on Mar. 10. 

Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School girls' basketball team wins the East Regional Championship

Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School girls’ basketball team wins the East Regional. Photo tweeted by NCHSAA.

The Lady Bulldogs of Southeast Raleigh MHS defeated Millbrook MHS to win the East Regional title on Mar.7.

Unfortunately, their state championship game, scheduled for Mar. 14 in the Smith Center in Chapel Hill against ZB Vance HS, was canceled on Mar. 12.

 

Also on Mar. 12, Heritage HS announced that one of its students, Alexa Jimenez, had been offered both of the most prestigious scholarships in the UNC System: the Park Scholarship at NC State, and the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill.

WCPSS announced on Mar. 13 this year’s four Diane Kent Parker awards for the district’s top first-year teachers:

  • Elementary teacher — Rachel Giddings of Forestville Road ES in Knightdale
  • Middle school teacher —  Brianna Barbour of Apex Friendship MS
  • High school teacher —  Michael Villanueva of Enloe MHS in Raleigh
  • Special education teacher —  Sarah Hutchinson of Green Level HS in Cary

Read more about the winners here. 

Until Mar. 14, WCPSS was planning to keep schools open despite the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the US. On that day, with 31 cases statewide and 12 in Wake County, the school board rescinded its prior guidance to continue school schedules as normal and closed all district schools effective Monday, Mar. 16. The school board was hesitant to create additional disruptions for families and felt a great responsibility to provide meals to students who qualified for free and reduced meals at school. However, when a teacher at Fuquay-Varina ES tested positive for the virus, the danger for teachers, students, and their families that school buildings and assemblies presented was deemed too great.

Principals, PTOs, and educators banded together to supply food resources to needy families during the closure period, originally set to be Mar. 16 – 31. Rolesville schools teamed up with local grocery stores to set up donation centers in stores and distribute meals.

Online learning could not begin until teachers and students without access to technology at home had been accommodated. First, the district distributed laptops to teachers who needed them and paid for the hardware using funds from the 2018 Wake County school bond. Around the same time (the third week of March), WCPSS started planning and rolling out online training for teachers and staff to help them adapt lesson plans and navigate new technologies for distance learning. For the first three weeks of school closures, parents had to rely almost exclusively on a few recommended resources on the district’s  Remote Learning Resources website, which at first offered only review activities and no new materials for each grade level.

During the last two weeks of March, the district instructed principals and teachers to make contact with every student to verify contact information and to find out whether each student had internet access at home. Teachers were asked to send families review materials and a few new lessons and to find out which families would need to borrow Chromebooks from schools. 

The district cranked up meal service quickly. By March ??, ?? sites in various parts of the county were offering free pairings of a cold breakfast and a hot lunch to anyone, no questions asked.

 

February 2020

February was Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. Students at Alston Ridge MS took a field trip to Vernon Malone College and Career Academy to observe some of their CTE classes. Enloe MHS held a “non-traditional careers” fair that featured representatives from local businesses. 

The regional tournament of the NC Science Olympiad was held on Feb. 1 at Southeast Raleigh MHS. Many local schools sent teams to the competition. The following teams had the top scores in the middle school division: Mills Park MS (overall winner); Davis Drive MS (second place); Carnage MMS (third). In the high school division, Green Hope HS came in second. In the National Ready division, Enloe MHS was the overall winner, and Panther Creek HS placed third.

Also on Feb. 1, several local middle schools, including West Cary, participated in the NC East Central District Honors Symphonic Band concert. High school students from Leesville Road HS and other high schools played in their own district-level symphonic band concert at Sanderson HS.

Many in the WCPSS community were saddened to hear of the death of Angie Stallings on Feb. 1. Stallings taught first grade at Smith MES and had recently been serving as a coordinating teacher for WCPSS and working toward a master’s degree in school administration.

Feb. 1 was also the day that Aniketh Kolla of Green Level HS in Cary won first place in a regional science and engineering competition at the NC Student Academy of Science. He won a chance to compete at the state level. The team from Mills Park MS in Cary also won their division, and the team from Baucom ES in Apex also advanced to the state level.

Schools observed National School Counselors’ Week the first week of February with various demonstrations of appreciation and support for school counselors. The district employs over 475 counselors.

During the first week of February, Magnet Schools of America announced that they had selected science teacher Joshua Hunter of Moore Square MMS in Raleigh as their Teacher of the Year for Region IV, which extends from South Carolina north to Ohio and west to Tennessee. Read the profile of Hunter on the district’s website.

The Raleigh chapter of MathCounts held its annual competition on Feb. 8 at Triangle Math and Science Academy, as teams of 4 students and individual competitors from each school vied for spots in the state-level tournament (to be held Mar. 20). Teams spend three hours moving through four levels of competition, solving problems with and without calculators. 

Local teams performed well at the NCHSAA 4A Indoor Track and Field Championship meet in Winston-Salem Feb. 15. Panther Creek girls won the meet on the strength of some remarkable individual contributions. WCPSS competitors came in 1-2-3 in the girls’ long jump, with Morgan Smalls and Kelly Smith of Panther Creek HS edging out Jade Houston of Rolesville HS. WCPSS girls also dominated the triple jump, with Smalls again placing first and Joidon Boddie of Enloe MHS and Omare McBride of Apex HS taking second and third. Smalls won the high jump for good measure. Sydney Freeman of Millbrook MHS won the girls’ shotput, and Autumn Judd of Southeast Raleigh MHS came in second.

NCHSAA 4A Shotput Champions

Sydney Freeman was state champion in shotput, and Autumn Judd came in second. Photo tweeted by Millbrook Athletics.

The top four in the girls’ pole vault were all from WCPSS: Susannah Truitt of Panther Creek, McKenna Brunick of Leesville Road HS, Kayla Gifford of Green Hope HS, and Maddie Davies of Athens Drive MHS. Apex girls won the 4×800 Meter Relay with Julia Husbands, Anya Pennisi, Ella Arnold, and Libby Borchert. Southeast Raleigh won the 4×200-meter relay with Jahzara Hart, Ani Judd, Nneka Udoye, and Kassidy Jones. In the 55-meter dash, Shawnti Jackson of Wakefield HS placed first, and Jonah Ross of Garner MHS placed second.  In the 300-meter dash, Shawnti Jackson of Wakefield was first and Jahzara Hart of Southeast Raleigh came in third.

A scoring error led to the announcement that Panther Creek had won the boys’ team title, but a few days later, the NCHSAA announced that Panther Creek and Millbrook had tied in the top spot. Davin Vann of Cary HS won the boys’ shotput, and Jordan Payne of Panther Creek came in second in the triple jump.

Millbrook MHS track and field coaches

Victorious Millbrook’s 2019-20 track and field coaches. Photo tweeted by Marion Enyeart.

Wake’s boys took all three top spots in the high jump: Kendall Artis and Timothy Mercaldo of Rolesville in first and second, with Adam Kaakati of Green Hope taking third. Dominique Alexander of Millbrook MHS came in second in the boys’ 55-meter hurdles, and he also won the 300-meter dash, with Michael Gupton of Rolesville and Brian Williams of Southeast Raleigh placing second and third. Alexander capped off his winning day by helping Millbrook win the 4×400-meter relay, running second with Dillon Leacock, Ethan Wood, and Elliot Fernandez. Panther Creek won the 4×800 with Casper Serrano, Milan Desai, Justin Hayes, and Ian Harrison. Michael Gupton of Rolesville won the boys’ 55-meter dash. (The Rolesville team took third with Myles Joe, Jordan Bufford, Salazaku Nsiambote, and Kendall Artis.) Jack Rooney of Broughton and Ian Harrison of Panther Creek came in second and third in the boys’ 1600-meter race. Danny Renard of Heritage won the boys’ 500-meter dash. Thomas Vo of Green Hope won the boys’ 1000-meter race, and Scott Kennedy of Apex came in third. In the 3200-meter run, John Malach of Broughton was the winner and Ian Harrison of Panther Creek came in second. 

Several hundred educators participated in EdCamp: Equity on Feb. 22 at East Millbrook Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts. A committee of volunteers from WCPSS schools spent several months planning and coordinating the day of learning, which included a student panel. Participants tweeted about the discussions they had and the presentations they attended using the hashtag #EdCampEquity.

Also on Feb. 22, Apex Friendship girls’ basketball won their second consecutive South Wake Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship. Not bad for a five-year-old program!

Kobe Early wins the 2020 State Wrestling Championship

Kobe Early, 4A Outstanding Wrestler at the 2020 NCHSAA Wrestling Championships. Photo tweeted by Jessica Wolfram.

That same weekend, local wrestlers participated in the state championship competition at the Greensboro Coliseum. Kobe Early of Cary HS not only won his weight class (126 lbs), but also was named Most Outstanding Wrestler in the 4A Division. 

Kai Paxton of Middle Creek HS won the 145-lb weight class; Kaleb Williams of Apex HS came in second in the 152-lb class; Chris Jones of Middle Creek HS won the 160-lb class. In the 182-lb class, Holden Cypher of Millbrook MHS came in first, and Jacob Polansky of Leesville Road HS came in second. Ronnel Wilson of Wake Forest HS came in second in the 195-lb class; at 220 lbs, Rylan Vann of Cary HS came in second. 

 

 

January 2020

On Jan. 9, Jonathan Hegedus, Principal of Adams ES in Raleigh, received the WRAL Voters Choice Award for Best Administrator.

Jade Demps of Broughton MHS was named 2019-20 Gatorade NC Volleyball Player of the Year. The national award recognizes outstanding athletes with excellent character and top performance in the classroom. Demps’s selection was announced on Jan. 13 by the University of Wisconsin volleyball program, where she had accepted a scholarship offer. In addition to volleyball and volunteer work, Demps plays both flute and trombone. She led her team to the 4A state semifinals.

On Jan. 11, a team from West Cary MS came in third out of 16 teams participating in the Piedmont Science Olympiad Invitational competition, held at Piedmont IB Open Middle School in Charlotte.

That same day, the Improv Team from Wake Forest HS won Third Place at the NC Improv Festival.

The FIRST LEGO League robotics teams from Hodge Road ES, Ballentine ES, and Reedy Creek MMS participated in a tournament Jan. 18-19 in Greensboro.

Enloe MHS announced on Jan. 18 that one of its students, Sahil Pontula, was one of the  top 300 candidates (out of over 1,900 applicants) in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national science and math competition for high school seniors.

On Jan. 21, Leah Rae of Wake Forest HS won first place at the annual Poetry Out Loud competition at the Cameron Village Library. Rae advanced to the state competition with the win.

On Jan. 21, the Wake County Board of Commissioners announced the following funding plans:

  • $42,391,963 allocated from Capital Improvement Plan funds to pay for the full demolition and replacement of York ES in Raleigh.
  • $5,000,00 allocated from Capital Improvement Plan funds toward the full demolition and replacement of West Millbrook MMS in Raleigh. The new school is planned to open in 2022.

Construction is scheduled to begin at the York ES site in April 2020, and at the West Millbrook MMS site in October.

At the same meeting, the county commissioners also discussed plans and funding for a full demolition and replacement for Swift Creek ES in Raleigh and the permanent relocation of Fuquay-Varina MS. 

Some of the biggest news of the month came on Jan. 22, when the Magnet Schools of America association announced its annual awards for public-school magnet programs. Sixteen schools in the district (Combs, Fox Road, Hunter, Joyner, Stough, Washington, Wendell, Wiley and Zebulon elementary schools; Carnage, Carroll, Ligon, Reedy Creek and Zebulon middle schools; Millbrook MHS and Wake Early College of Health and Sciences) received the School of Excellence Award. In addition, 21 schools won the School of Distinction award. Read more about these awards in the News & Observer.

As part of the Future City regional competition on Jan. 25, student teams from Carnage MMS, Ligon MMS, Moore Square MMS, and Salem MS presented their designs for a city that might exist 100 years in the future. Moore Square and Carnage both won awards (for Most Innovative Smart City and Best Land Use Plan).

Future City team from Moore Square Magnet MS in Raleigh

One of Moore Square’s Future City teams. Photo tweeted by Wake County Public Schools.

At the Wake County Cheerleading Championship on Jan. 25 at Green Level HS, Leesville Road HS were named Grand Champions in the High School Division, and they also placed first in the Coed Division. Panther Creek HS placed first in the Small Division, while Green Level HS placed first in the Medium Division and Wake Forest placed first in the Large Division. 

Three members of the state championship-winning Wake Forest HS boys’ soccer team were recognized at the NC High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) All-State Ceremony on Jan. 27. Abdoulie Sanneh and Bryan Marshall received All-State commendations, and Coach Rick Pittarelli was named 4A Coach of the Year.

Swimming and diving teams competed in four conference championship meets during the weekend of Jan. 24 – 26. Green Hope boys and girls won the Tri-8 conference title, and Apex Friendship HS boys and girls won the SWAC. Those whose times qualified then competed in the Eastern Regional meet on Jan. 30.

Throughout the month of October, district schools observed Disability History and Awareness Month (DHAM). Schools competed in various contests with prizes sponsored by the district to encourage public awareness and respect for learning differences in schools. The winners were announced on Jan. 31: Olive Chapel ES won the Gold (top) award in the District Awareness Lessons and Activities category; Walnut Creek ES won gold for a short video; Adams ES won gold for their school’s banner; Davis Drive ES took the top spot for Twitter Daily Quotes; and Adams won a second Gold for Twitter School Engagement. 

 

December 2019

By the first week of December, all schools had announced their Teacher of the Year winners.  Here’s a list of this year’s ToY winners from every school in the district. 

At their bi-weekly meeting on Dec. 3, the Wake County Board of Education elected Keith Sutton as board chairman and Roxie Cash as board vice-chairwoman. They will serve a one-year term. At the same meeting, the board agreed to implement mid-year pay raises to some WCPSS employees to supplement funding from the state. The NC General Assembly ended their biannual budget session without a budget, meaning that teachers did not receive promised pay raises. The board noted that they could afford to provide modest raises for some staff members (in this case, bus drivers) because local charter-school enrollment was quite a bit lower than projected when the county’s budget was adopted.

On Dec. 9, invitations were extended to approximately 35 distinct groups from various schools in the Wake County district to participate in the annual arts showcase, Pieces of Gold. In addition to choral and dance performances, the event includes a large display of visual art by district students. Sponsored by WCPSS, Wake Ed Partnership, and the United Arts Council, the performance features close to 1,000 student participants and takes place at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh every spring. Auditions are competitive. 

Many schools in Wake County held learning events to coincide with Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 9 – 15. 

Dec. 12 was the day that many schools held their annual winter concert. One of the more exciting videos to surface thereafter was filmed at Davis Drive MS in Cary, in which an impressive dance performance featured Principal Barry Richburg dressed as Santa Claus. We think it’s worth a watch:

Leesville Road HS football played their way to the state championship in the 4AA division by defeating Wake Forest HS on the road on Dec. 7. (Wake Forest was the three-time defending state champion. Their current overall record was still 193 – 38 after the loss. Leesville Road broke their 14-game winning streak in playoff games.) The Leesville Road Pride started off their season very strong by winning their first game, beating a Cardinal Gibbons team that would also eventually play for the state championship in Div. 4A. The Pride were undefeated in the regular season but finally lost in the championship game–to Vance HS of Charlotte–in Kenan Stadium on Dec. 14. (Gibbons also lost, to East Forsyth.) For both CAP-7 Conference teams, it was their first appearance in the state championship game. Both teams also handed Wake Forest a rare loss this year.

On Dec. 9, Indermaur Chess Foundation sponsored the Triangle Team Chess Tournament at Green Hope HS in Cary. Over 300 students from 50 local schools participated. Six teams from Hunter MES and three from Ligon MMS won trophies.

Erica Clarkson, Dean of Students at Knightdale MHS, was presented with the Town of Knightdale Mayor’s Commitment to Community Award on Dec. 12. In presenting the award, Mayor James Roberson cited her work at the high school to help students win scholarships and to identify families in need, as well as her accompanying work with the Care Depot and the Giving Tree to support those families by connecting them to community resources. 

The Holly Springs HS chorus, Colla Voce, announced on Dec. 16 that the Holly Springs, NC Chamber of Commerce was providing a $7,000 grant to help pay for the chorus to travel to London on Dec. 28 for the London International Choral Festival on Jan. 2. 

Colla Voce choral group of Holly Springs HS

The Colla Voce choral group of Holly Springs HS, ready to board their plan to London. Photo tweeted by HSHS Chorus.

Colla Voce was selected as one of only four schools in the US to compete at the festival, which enables each selected choir to perform in two carefully selected historic venues. The festival culminates with a Massed Choir Gala Finale concert, accompanied by a select youth orchestra and directed by the current Sub-Organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral. In addition to individual donors, the choir also received significant financial assistance from the town of Holly Springs’s MLK Jr. Community Committee and from the Holly Springs Rotary Club.

Wakefield HS announced on Dec. 16 that their beloved former Athletic Director, Dexter Cooley, had died of cancer. Cooley was the current boys’ basketball coach and the 2015 recipient of the NCHSAA Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding service to the school. Cooley was the former head basketball coach at Bunn HS in Franklin County and at Millbrook MHS in Raleigh.

At their Dec. 17 meeting, the Wake BoE announced that starting in the 2024-25 school year, Fuquay-Varina MS will be in a different location. Work on the new building, to be located on Bowling Road, had not yet been started. However, the BoE has also decided not to place FVMS students on the Herbert Akins MS campus for two years while building is ongoing because the Herbert Akins location needs to open sooner to alleviate overcrowding at existing schools.

On Dec. 19, state and district officials announced that Ruth Steidinger, principal of Olive Chapel ES in Raleigh and winner of Wake County Public Schools’ Principal of the Year for 2019-20, was also selected as PoY for the North Central Region of the state. That makes Steidinger one of the eight finalists for the statewide PoY honor. Her school and the Olive Chapel PTA provided a surprise ceremony to congratulate Steidinger.

Each year, Raleigh radio station MIX 101.5 holds a contest for local school choral groups. Listeners can vote for their favorite group, and the winners of the 7th annual Christmas Choir Competition were invited to perform at Improv Raleigh on Dec. 20.  Here’s a list of the 2019 winning choral groups:

Div. 1 (Elementary & Middle Schools)

  • 1st place : AB Combs Leadership MES
  • 3rd place : Banks Road ES

Div. 2 (High Schools)

  • 2nd place : Fuquay-Varina High School
  • 3rd place : Athens Drive Magnet High School

In addition to bragging rights, the winners received up to $5,000 for their school music programs.

The Wake Weekly announced on Dec. 21 that Adithya Koshy Vaidhyan of Raleigh Charter HS has been named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation Merit winner for Jazz saxophone. YoungArts award winners represent less than 10 percent of applicants for a total of only 686 nationwide. More info here.

The Cary HS and local sports communities were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of boys’ wrestling coach Anthony Dunbar on Dec. 23. Dunbar was an alumnus who started coaching at Cary HS in 2017.  He was named Coach of the Year for the Tri-6 Conference in 2018–the same year that the team won the state championship.

Nine WCPSS teams competed in the John Wall Family Foundation Holiday Invitational basketball tournament, held each year in Holliday Gymnasium at Broughton MHS Dec. 26 – 30. Southeast Raleigh MHS girls narrowly lost in the championship game. Of the six local boys’ teams in the tournament, only Millbrook MHS made it to the championship round of their bracket and took the third spot overall by defeating Farmville Central. Junior Will Felton scored 25 points and had 16 rebounds in the 83 – 78 victory. Scott Dupree of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance noted that this was the 48th annual Holiday Invitational high-school tournament to be held in Raleigh. Attendees tweeted plenty of news, scoops, and general hoops fanaticism using the hashtag #TheJohnWall.

 

November 2019

The 61st annual Cary Band Day event (Nov. 2 was a great way to start the month. Cary HS hosts the event in their stadium each year. 

Wakefield HS band at Cary band Day competition

Wakefield HS band took first in 2A. Photo tweeted by Chris Merrin.

Southeast Raleigh MHS competed in Class 1A; in Class 2A, Wakefield HS and East Wake HS competed; Cary HS, Wake Forest HS, and Millbrook MHS competed in Class 3A; Enloe MHS, Middle Creek HS, Sanderson HS, and the new Green Level HS competed in Class 4A; and Apex HS, Apex Friendship HS, Cary HS, Green Hope HS, and Panther Creek HS competed in Class 5A. Green Hope HS band was named Grand Champion. Thirty-eight bands competed.

Green Hope girls’ tennis also met with success on Nov. 2, when they won the 4A state championship for the third year in a row. See https://www.instagram.com/p/B4aEHFHhhiD/.

Sanderson HS Theatre Ensemble received multiple awards at the NC Theatre Conference (NCTC) Regional Competition Nov. 1-2. With a Superior rating, they advanced to the State-level competition with their production of Ernest and the Pale Moon. And three weeks later, they repeated their success at States (Nov. 21-23), receiving the Distinguished Play designation and advancing to the regional festival, which will take place in Kentucky at the end of February. 

Sanderson HS Theatre at NCTC

Photo by Sanderson HS Theatre Ensemble

Only two plays from each state advance to the regional level each year. Sanderson Theatre Ensemble has advanced three times in the past five years under the direction of Peter Comperatore. They need to raise $25,000 to pay for their trip to Louisville. You can find more info and a link to their GoFundMe account at the SHS Theatre Ensemble Instagram page.

Even though it was a holiday, several local schools participated in Veterans Day activities on Nov. 11. The JROTC organization from Cary HS and the Apex Friendship HS Patriot Regiment provided a formal military ceremony to honor the family of a deceased veteran, Gold Star recipient Staff Sergeant Dozier, and to present them with keys to a new house in Apex. Garner Bands’ Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble performed at the Town of Garner’s Veterans Day Observance, held at Aversboro Baptist Church. The Performance Choir of Aversboro ES of Garner also performed at the ceremony.

Multiple high schools held “signing-day” events in mid-November, as colleges and universities began extending firm scholarship offers to local athletes.

The Fusion Concert Performance at Broughton MHS on Nov. 17 featured a unique melding of talents from dance and band students at Broughton and from one of its favorite feeder schools, Daniels MMS. Daniels students also got a campus tour of their likely high school.

Band and Dance students from Daniels MMS in Raleigh tour the campus of Broughton MHS.

Photo tweeted by Daniels MS Dance

Over 2,000 WCPSS fifth-graders participated in Education Day at NC State on Nov. 19. The event was scheduled to coincide with the NEA’s American Education Week. They enjoyed watching the women’s basketball team taking on Maine in Reynolds Coliseum.

Also on Nov. 19, Wake Forest HS boys’ soccer defeated Holly Springs HS in the semifinals, advancing to the 4A state championship. The Cougars then proceeded to defeat R.J. Reynolds at WakeMed Soccer Park on Nov. 23 for all the marbles. 

Wake Forest Boys' Soccer Wins 4A State Championship

Photo by Hollyn Thielman Thompson (Facebook)

Local news outlets proclaimed the town of Wake Forest to be “the Soccer Capital of NC” after Franklin Academy Charter HS of Wake Forest won the boys’ soccer championship in Div. 1A later that same day. Pundits noted that the girls’ soccer team of Heritage HS (also located in Wake Forest) won their state championship in May 2019, making them the defending champions. The Wake Weekly noted that this was Wake Forest HS’s first soccer championship in 23 years. It’s also notable that Wake Forest was the defending state champion in football.

Fuller ES in Raleigh once again welcomed state and local officials to an open-house event with a roundtable discussion and meetings with students and faculty for Take Our Elected Officials to School Day on Nov. 20. Representatives from the NC General Assembly, the Wake County Board of Commissioners, the Wake Board of Education, the NC Parent-Teachers Association, and the NC Association of Educators were in attendance.

Also on Nov. 20, Ballentine ES in Fuquay-Varina held a schoolwide ceremony to unfurl

Ballentine ES is now a Unified Champion School

Photo tweeted by Grace Flanagan Smith.

their Unified Champion banner, which they received from the Special Olympics national organization as a recognition of their extraordinary efforts to create a school that is deeply and broadly inclusive. Special Olympics describes the criteria as “school climates where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in, and feel a part of, all activities, opportunities and functions.” This achievement was later celebrated again on Dec. 5, when the Town of Fuquay-Varina invited principal Kim Short and the Ballentine Chorus to assist with the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. 

Wake Forest HS and Sycamore Creek ES are among the Unified Champion Schools in the WCPSS district. In 2018, only 7 schools in NC achieved this designation.

 

Multiple marching bands and dance teams braved the cold and rain on Nov. 23 to participate in the 75th annual Raleigh Christmas Parade, including Broughton MHS, Heritage HS, Leesville Road HS, Southeast Raleigh MHS, Riverbend MS, Rolesville HS, Sanderson HS, Wake Forest HS, and Wendell MES. The massive parade, one of the largest in the Southeast, is sponsored each year by the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association. Broughton claims to be the only high school band to have marched in it every year for 75 years.

 

October 2019

The schools observed multiple themes in October, which is Disability and Awareness (DHAM) Month in NC, including National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, National Walk to School Day, and of course, individual schools’ spirit weeks.

At their Oct. 1 meeting, the school board agreed to contract with Voyager Sopris, a consulting firm, to pilot a new literacy approach for elementary teachers. Using the well-regarded Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training course, selected teachers will be trained as literacy facilitators and will assist other teachers in implementing best practices. This contract potentially represents a significant step for the district. LETRS professional development, which is derived from scientific understanding of how the developing brain learns to read, focuses on providing a strong foundation for teachers in evidence-based methods and a heavy phonics component for the earliest readers. More info here: https://www.voyagersopris.com/professional-development/letrs/letrs-new

Also on Oct. 1, the district released the first draft of the next Reassignment Plan. The most notable features of the plan were reassignments to fill the newest elementary school, South Lakes ES in Fuquay-Varina, which will open in the fall of 2020. Additional reassignments are also included to reduce crowding at several middle schools and to fill the newest high school, Willow Spring, to open in the fall of 2021. The district has made the plan available for online viewing and will accept comments through Dec. 3.

Multiple schools observed National Walk to School Day on Oct. 2, including Cary ES,  Douglas MES, Powell MES, Swift Creek ES, and Wakefield ES.

Cary Elementary School Students

Photo tweeted by Cary Elementary

On Oct. 3, WCPSS announced the winners of Principal of the Year and  Assistant Principal of the Year at a gala event in downtown Raleigh that showed Wake administrators how much they’re valued. Each school sent its own Principal to the event at the Raleigh Convention Center. This year, Dr. Ruth Steidinger of Olive Chapel ES in Raleigh was named Principal of the Year. Catie Burnette of Hilburn Academy in Raleigh was named Assistant Principal of the Year. They join Lindsey Evans, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Apex Friendship MS, who was named Teacher of the Year in May. Steidinger has worked in the district ever since she started teaching math at Athens Drive HS in 1989. Read more about these dedicated, talented educators here: https://www.wcpss.net/Page/40997.

Rodney Trice, WCPSS Asst. Superintendent for Equity Affairs, received the UNC-Chapel Hill  2019 Distinguished Alumni Award for Educational Leadership, presented at a banquet on Oct. 5.

Competing at the White Oak Band Classic in Jacksonville, NC on Oct. 12, Apex Friendship HS band was named Grand Champion. Also on Oct. 12, Middle Creek HS band was named Grand Champion and took first place Overall in Class 4A at a competition in Clayton.

Oct. 12 was also the day that the Raleigh BoyChoir sponsored a festival event featuring a combined choir consisting of male singers from the BoyChoir as well as Durham, Johnston, and Wake County schools. The festival, held at Stewart Theatre at NC State, also featured a special performance by the advanced chorus—called 18 Karat—of Southeast Raleigh MHS.

Fuquay-Varina HS hosted the Southern Area Choral Festival on Oct. 15, featuring their own choir plus the choirs from Apex Friendship HS and Holly Springs HS.

WakeEd Partnership held their storied annual awards gala, Stars of Education, on Oct. 16. Former WCPSS Superintendent Del Burns was inducted into the WakeEd Partnership Hall of Fame. Swimming and Diving Coach and 2004-05 Teacher of the Year at Enloe MHS Vickie Peoples was also inducted, in addition to business and civic leaders who have made notable contributions to public education in Wake County. More info here: https://www.wakeed.org/events/stars/

At the Festival of Bands competition held at Fuquay-Varina High School on Oct. 19, Southeast Raleigh MHS band won First Place overall in Class 1A. Participating in the Central NC Band Festival at Western Alamance HS that same (rainy) day, Apex HS band was named Grand Champion, while Leesville Road HS band won first place in their class and Best Visual Ensemble overall.

A roomful of educators was mesmerized by a ball-handling performance by the Gator Handlers of A.B. Combs MES at the EdTalks: A Celebration of K-12 Education event on Oct. 21. EdTalks 2019, sponsored by the NC State University College of Education, was a TED Talks-style evening focusing on NCSU CED alumni and the impact of education on their lives.

Also on Oct. 21, the NC School Counselor Association (NCSA) announced that Vanessa Barnes, Dean of Student Services at Millbrook MHS in Raleigh, had been named Counselor of the Year for 2019-20. They also selected Crystal Reardon of Durant Road MS in Raleigh as their pick for School Counseling Director of the Year.

Holly Springs HS boys’ soccer had 19 wins through the end of October and won their conference (the South West Athletic Conference) with an undefeated record. Cary HS boys’ soccer had a 17-3-2 record, were 13-1 in their conference, and were the top seed in the state playoffs after winning their conference championship.

In the Oct. 30 CarolinaPreps poll, Rolesville HS football was ranked fifth in the state, with an 8-1 record.

Leesville Road HS football had a 10-0 record through Nov. 2.

 

September 2019

The annual release of School Performance Grades (SPGs, also known as “school report cards”) for most traditional and charter public schools statewide was announced on Sept. 4. A few specialized schools are exempt from reporting SPGs. You can see them all, sorted by county, here: https://ncreportcards.ondemand.sas.com/src

Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill into law on Sept. 5 that will eliminate NC Final Exams, starting in the 2020-21 school year. Among other measures, the law requires an analysis of the NC Personalized Assessment Tool that is designed to replace EoGs in grades 3 – 8. EoGs are due to be replaced by three diagnostic tests that are administered throughout the school year. The law represented a win for NC Schools Supt. Mark Johnson, who set up a team to determine which tests could be eliminated without sacrificing accountability and eliminated some that were under his purview. However, it contains a potential loophole.

On Sept. 16, the boys’ soccer team of Wake Forest HS wore special jerseys to memorialize two students (Ian Lewis and Paige Merical) who drowned this summer.

Local author Scott Reintgen of Apex visited several elementary schools in mid-September to speak about his journey toward becoming a professional writer and brought loads of donated books from his publisher.

At the mid-point of the month, a number of parents of students who were eligible to receive special transportation services still had no reliable transportation from the district. WCPSS blamed a contractor’s inability to staff up in time for the start of the school year. Some parents were incensed at the delay. More info here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article235018757.html

The district recognized the achievements of 12 employees on Sept. 17 when they announced recipients of the monthly Employee Excellence Award: Donna Agner, Lead Secretary,  Zebulon MMS: Sally Edwards,  Pre-K Coordinating Teacher,  Office of Early Learning; Karen Poindexter,  IRT/AIG Coordinator,  Moore Square MMS; Timothy Walker, Career Development Coordinator,  South Garner HS; Jennifer Pitarra, Senior Administrator, Human Resources; Ricardo Peralta,  Custodian,  Lake Myra ES; Stephanie Pozoulakis, ELA Teacher;  Carroll MMS, Gloria Anderson, CNS Cashier,  Carpenter ES; Michelle Tucker,  Director K-12 Math,  Curriculum Development; Walter Richardson, Head Custodian, Banks Road ES; Melanie Rhoads, Senior Director K-12 Instructional Support;  and Eloise Hilliard,  GradPoint Teacher,  Mary E. Phillips HS.

Also on Sept. 17, Symphonic Band students at Fuquay-Varina HS were treated to a master class by the Factory Seconds Brass Trio, a group of musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra.

On Sept. 18, Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 75 into law, increasing the annual budget for school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and nurses statewide. The additional funds are intended to become available during the current school year.

At the Peak City International Film Festival Sept. 20, observing its fifth year in Apex, Brianna Lanzen of Crossroads Flex HS won Best Music Video in the student division for her entry, “Hopeful Lies.” 

The Panther Creek Boys’ Cross-Country team won the meet at the adidas XC Challenge, Sept. 21-22 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. However, Thomas Vo of Green Hope HS won the 5K; his time of 15:10 broke a school record and was the sixth fastest time ever in the 5K at the adidas meet. Jack Rooney of Broughton MHS came in second in the 5K. 

All public schools in Zebulon were unexpectedly closed on Sept. 24 due to a massive police operation to catch a kidnapping suspect, who later died.

Also on Sept. 24, a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opened Green Level HS in Cary. The school facilities were completed in 2018 and used during the 2018-19 school year by faculty, staff and students of Apex HS while their school was extensively renovated.

A ceremony at the newly renovated Apex HS campus was held on Sept. 27. Members of Apex city government, former principals, members of the Wake BoE, and other dignitaries were in attendances Principal Elaine Hofmann cut the ribbon.

Cary HS had a substantially louder Homecoming Parade on Sept. 27 when they invited the bands from East Cary MS and West Cary MS to join in. The three bands carved out some rehearsal time the previous day. Learning to play while marching in formation was a fun new experience for many of the middle-school musicians, and they made quite an impressive sound by teaming up. 

 

August 2019

Friday, Aug. 2 saw an enthusiastic group of Wake County principals, assistant principals, district administrators, area superintendents, and members of the Board of Education at the NC State McKimmon Center for the annual WCPSS Leadership Conference. Attendees were treated to a wide range of panel and workshop topics, from academic rigor, family engagement, and restorative practices to Social and Emotional Learning, and had a little fun, too.

The community reacted in shock at the news that an 18-year-old member of the Class of 2019 at Sanderson HS in Raleigh, Desmond Jenkins, was shot and killed outside his family’s home the night of Aug. 9. A vigil was organized the following evening at Sanderson. Jenkins had been planning to play basketball for Vance-Granville Community College.

During the week of Aug. 5 – 9, many schools held open-house events for incoming students. Holly Springs HS went above and beyond, holding a 3-hour camp-style orientation for incoming freshmen, “Flight Academy 2019.” Students rotated through sessions including A  Day in the Life of a Hawk; Purple Craze (which concerned sports and school spirit); a tour of the school; an information session about the school’s clubs; and a Q & A session that featured a guidance counselor and a School Resource Officer.

The National Parent-Teachers Association (National PTA) announced the recipients of its Schools of Excellence designation on Aug. 12. Of 18 schools that were selected from North Carolina, five were from WCPSS: Conn MES, Douglas MES, York ES, Wakefield ES, and Wendell MES.

Aerial view of Parkside ES in Morrisville, NC.

Photo tweeted by Satish Garimella.

On Aug. 14, the new Parkside ES in Morrisville held its ribbon-cutting ceremony. In attendance were members of the Wake County Board of Education and Wake County Commission, as well as area superintendents, the Mayor of Morrisville, and a member of the Town Council.

Parkside’s new chorus had already worked up some tunes, including the new school song, and the weather cooperated.

Fox Road MES announced on Aug. 15 that it’s been recognized as a 2019 Nationally Certified-Demonstration Magnet School.

Mid-August saw multiple back-to-school events, such as Kick-off to Kindergarten at Marbles Kids’ Museum (Aug. 17), Back to School Blast at Southeast Raleigh ES (Aug. 17), and the Back to School Community Day at the Raleigh Boys Club Aug. 17 (co-sponsored by NT A&T men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton). Closer to the first day of school for traditional-calendar schools, the Back to School Festival at Lion’s Park in Raleigh; Engage, Empower, and Equip Back 2 School Event (sponsored by Solid Rock Ministry in Garner); and Community Day at Wakelon ES in Zebulon were scheduled for Aug. 24. All events offered free school supplies; some events even offered free haircuts. The Solid Rock event had the distinction of including Supt. Cathy Moore in a panel discussion for parents.

WCPSS held its annual Transportation Conference at NC State on Aug. 20. Hundreds of bus drivers and school safety personnel were in attendance, as well as members of the Wake County school board. WCPSS is emphasizing the importance of every team member in creating the right conditions for learning in safety this year.

Teachers at schools on the traditional calendar returned to work Aug. 20, where they engaged in team-building activities and professional development.

At their monthly meeting on Aug. 20, the Wake Board of Education agreed to rename East Wake MS. The school’s name  will be Neuse River MS starting with the 2020-21 school year, coinciding with the reopening of the newly renovated buildings.

Apex Mayor Lance Olive paid a visit to Apex ES on Aug. 21, where he spoke to third-graders about how local government works.

Multiple community organizations came together for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Southeast Raleigh ES on Aug. 22. In addition to incoming students, members of the sponsoring organizations, Southeast Raleigh Promise and the AJ Fletcher Foundation, were joined by members of the Wake BoE and County Commission. The community was already showing strong support for the new school and its mission to serve Southeast Raleigh as a community responsive school.

The opening weekend for high-school football was a sodden mess, and several games were played a day early or a day late to avoid the bad weather. Possibly as a result of the extremely wet weather, Wake Forest lost to Cardinal Gibbons in a postponed matchup on Aug. 24, ending their 45-game winning streak.

 

July 2019

Jodi Binkley was rewarded for her efforts in chaperoning a group of Durant Road MS students to the National FCCLA Conference in Anaheim–a trip that included a flight delay that lasted 8 hours–when she was presented with a Spirit of Advising Award on July 3.

During the first week of July, Carroll MMS in Raleigh lost a beloved band director when J. Brooke Rackley died. Friends and family rallied to help her family, including two young sons, by donating over $8,000 to a GoFundMe account.

Title I schools in the district sent representatives to the WCPSS-sponsored  conference titled “Disrupting Disproportionality” July 8 – 9. Title 1 is a federal program that provides supplemental funding to schools that serve large proportions of students from low-income households.  

River Bend MS faculty attend PD conferenceParticipants attended sessions on learning styles, literacy, and the effects of adverse childhood experiences on learning.

Pictured here are educators from River Bend MS in Raleigh.

Photo by Stacey F. Weddle.

Hortons Creek ES in Cary lost a favorite teacher when Marisa Rose Cashin passed away on July 12. Educators from schools across the county memorialized their friend.

July 15 was the first day of a two-week professional-development opportunity like no other: Wake Ed Partnership’s Summer STEM Program. Close to 100 WCPSS educators were selected to participate in a series of seminars, directed discussions, and field trips that engaged them in hands-on learning at various scientific enterprises in the Triangle area. For more information about this program, see http://www.wakeed.org/programs/summerstem/.

Jake Caputo, 2019 graduate of Middle Creek HS, was among only 32 players selected from a nationwide talent pool to play on the US Men’s Lacrosse U19 Training Team. The announcement was made July 16, after three days of tryouts.

At their regular monthly meeting on July 16, the Wake Board of Education agreed to review the findings of an already completed review. They were responding to parent ire over the MVP Math Curriculum materials that Wake Math teachers are using for middle- and high-school math instruction. Parent complaints did not abate after the board accepted the findings of a review committee charged with evaluating the merits of both the curriculum and the criticism it has received. Some parents pointed out that the committee only included three math experts. The second review will not consider the curriculum itself but will instead assess the merits of the previous review process. For more about the controversy, see this anti-MVP blog. The Facebook group for anti-MVP parents had over 1,400 members in July 2019. 

The School Board also recognized 11 athletes from the girls’ and boys’ relay teams at Southeast Raleigh MHS that same night. Southeast girls won the 4x100m relay at the Outdoor New Balance National Championships; Southeast boys won the 4x200m relay at the Indoor National Championships.

Dr. Camille Hedrick, Principal of Green Hope HS in Cary, received the Alpha Delta Kappa International Excellence in Education Award on July 17. Alpha Delta Kappa is an international honor society for women in education.

Parent advocates for public schools held a press conference at Bicentennial Plaza, just outside the NC General Assembly offices in downtown Raleigh on July 19. They drew attention to the questions surrounding the procurement of a new statewide set of literacy-screening diagnostic tools that place more emphasis on digital screening than on one-on-one time with an instructor. The purpose of the press conference was to call for an investigation into the procurement process and to demand a delay in implementing the new assessment regime; they cited insufficient time to install the new software and to train teachers to use it. For more information about the press conference, see the website for the advocacy group NC Families for School Testing Reform.

On July 19, the Enloe MHS football team held a grocery-store-style giveaway to top off a successful food drive. They gave away more than 9,500 lbs of food to about 250 families in Wake County.

On July 21, Omar McBride of Apex HS cleared 2.14m in the High Jump to become the top-ranked American at the Pan American U20 Championships.

During the week of July 29 – Aug. 2, the Friday Institute provided a series of professional development workshops for Wake County educators aimed at enriching computer-science instruction in public schools. The Friday Institute partners with NC State and @codeorg each year to help local teachers develop STEM classes and lessons in coding and software development.