East Union students visit Ga. aquarium

Leigh Akins, who teaches gifted elementary students at East Union Attendance Center, submitted these pictures from a recent field trip to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Looks like they had a swimmingly good time!

TVA makes Governor’s Honor Roll

JACKSON, Miss. – Working with grade school students at all levels to help boost academic achievement has earned the Tennessee Valley Authority this year’s spot on the Governor’s Honor Roll of Exceptional Partnership Support.

The Mississippi Association of Partners in Education (MAPE), which promotes community involvement in schools statewide, recognized TVA’s Partners in Education program with the Honor Roll award. By joining boardrooms with classrooms, MAPE fosters a level of communication and participation that has helped Mississippi’s grade school students improve their level of preparation.

“The winning partnerships have used creative programs and methods to improve student achievement and community involvement,” said Phil Hardwick, president of MAPE. “Their success stories are proof that partnerships can make a positive difference in our schools and raise standards of performance for our students.”

TVA supports seven Partners in Education schools in the state of Mississippi. TVA employees have developed and implemented many of the programs in conjunction with TVA customers. Programs receiving support from TVA include:

• Funding for a “Virtual Chemistry Lab”
• Sponsorship of a physics class in the engineering competition at Ole Miss
• Field trips to TVA plants and to area businesses
• Donations of surplus computers and computer equipment
• Host of job shadowing programs that permit students to shadow employees in the work place
• Development and participation of students in leadership programs
• Sponsorship of solar car competitions
• Providing School-to-Work skill programs
• Presentations to students about TVA’s business

The award selection committee, comprising representatives from business/industry, non-profits and education, considered the needs and goals established for the partnership; activities; communication with students, parents, staff, employees and news media; and overall effectiveness.

Association leaders said the Governor’s Awards and Partnership Excellence Awards are key components in their efforts to promote excellence and opportunity for children in Mississippi’s public schools through community collaboration.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 159 power distributors that serve approximately 8.8 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

Mississippi Teacher of the Year

From a Mississippi Department of Education news release:

Forest Municipal School District teacher Chantelle Herchenhahn was named the 2008 Teacher of the Year at a luncheon held today in Jackson. Paula Mayfield, a teacher in the Hinds County School District, was named 2008 Alternate Teacher of the Year.

Other Congressional District Finalists include KaTina Kitchens-Lloyd, South Panola School District, and Melissa Harris, Pass Christian School District.

The 2008 Mississippi Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 salary supplement from the Mississippi Department of Education. Herchenhahn will compete in the National Teacher of the Year competition and be invited to attend the National Teacher of the Year Conference in Dallas. She will also travel to Washington, D.C., meet President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, and participate in a Rose Garden recognition ceremony at the White House.

Photo caption: The 2008 Mississippi Teacher of the Year and finalists, including (l-r) Melissa McKenney Harris, Pass Christian School District, Fourth Congressional District Finalist; Chantelle Herchenhahn, Forest Municipal School District, 2008 Mississippi Teacher of the Year; Paula Mayfield, Hinds County School District, 2008 Alternate Teacher of the Year; and KaTina Kitchens-Lloyd, South Panola School District, First Congressional District Finalist; are announced at the Mississippi Teacher of the Year luncheon held today in Jackson.

AEE Awards Luncheon

The Association for Excellence in Education had its annual luncheon today. The private organization granted $93,000 to Tupelo Public School District teachers for innovative projects.

Judy Harden of Tupelo Middle School, and Patty Hosch and Julie Mattox of Tupelo High School were Founders Grant recipients. Public education advocate Jonny Davis picked up the Jack Reed Sr. Award, while Melinda Tidwell accepted the J.C. Whitehead Award on behalf of the United Way of Northeast Mississippi.

I’ll have the full story in tomorrow’s Daily Journal. Enjoy the pics, the best of which belong to Journal photographer Todd Sherman. Grant recipients are listed below.

There were 13 large grants totaling $10,202.24:
• “Tupelo Teaches”
$600
Milam Elementary School – Marrion Winders
• “Calling All Famous Mississippians”
$500
Milam Elementary School – Amy Carter, Patsy West
• “A Nose for News - The Search Continues”
$868.36
Pierce Street Elementary School – Leslie VanBuskirk
• “Jammin Journey through Japan”
$990.60
Pierce Street Elementary School – Cynthia Beasley, Brittney Coker, Rasheda Kemp, Leigh Ann Henderson, Jenny Wright
• Konichiwa “Hello Japan”
$993.28
Joyner Elementary School – Sherry Willis
• “Kindergarten Cooks”
$999.29
Thomas Street Elementary School – Emily Roberts, Christy Todd, Wanda Mitchell, Barbara Beane, Elizabeth Mansfield, Renee Price
• “Monday Magazine with Mom”
$376.26
Thomas Street Elementary School – Susan Hankins
• “Happier Handwriting!”
$911.07
Lawhon Elementary School – Jalema Tidwell, Jethlynn McCraw
• “I Have a Tale to Tell”
$1,000
Rankin Elementary School – Laurie Alford, Kim Brashier, Merritt Lee Herring, Sharon Hutchison, Rothann Richey
• “Culture Shock!”
$968.06
Rankin Elementary School – Carmon Dye, Carrie Hardin, Emily Carodine, Jessica Click
• “Bodies in Motion”
$683.10
Carver Elementary School – Valerie Donnell, Misty Elliott, Kaylah Lawrence, Margaret Adams, Lisa Rhoden
• “CSI to the Rescue!”
$985.22
Tupelo Middle School – Judy Harden
• “Writing with Maya”
$327
Tupelo Middle School – Carrie Koon, Jessica Williams, Brock English, Emilie English, Russ Harrell

AEE large grants
There were 20 large grants totaling $83,129.43:
• “Success Studios”
$2,382.50
Early Childhood Education Center – Ellen Hill, Meredith Pickett, Carrie Riley, Amanda Young
• “Let’s Explore in the Tree-mendous Outdoors”
$4,000
Parkway Elementary School – Donna Jones, Judy Kirk, Karen Nickels
• “Authors Abound: Continuing to Write All Around”
$1,385.78
Pierce Street Elementary School – Norma Pardin, Erin Hall, Leigh Ann Henderson, Christy Jordan, Emilie English
• “Mobile Mathmagic”
$5,850
Tupelo High School – Lea Johnson, Robert Francis
• “Opposites Attract: Math and Art Collide” An Artist-in-Residence
$3,652.61
Tupelo High School – Patty Hosch, Julie Mattox
• “M2: Mobile Math”
$1,350
Lawndale Elementary School – Melissa Harris
• “Folktales for a Cultural Celebration”
$8,563.70
Thomas Street Elementary School – Michelle Sykes
• “Sing, Shout, and Move About”
$8,944.56
Parkway Elementary School – Georgia Marlin, Leigh Smith, Tori Martin, Kelley Homan, Nicole Enis, Laine Godwin, Leslie Hilliard, Morgan McWhirter
• “Oral History: Somewhere in Time”
$560
Church Street Elementary School – Tabitha Easter, Carol Wright
• “Logging Miles in Literature”
$1,775.45
Rankin Elementary School – Glenda Clay, Emily Elkin, Lynne Mize
• “MERMAIDS & ARGONAUTS - Great American Leaders: Planning for the Future, Homage to the Past”
$4,500
Tupelo High School – Sherry Davis, Jeramy Turner
• “The RIPPLES Literacy Club”
$3,925
Milam Elementary School – Patsy West, Becky Shands
• “A Closer Look”
$1,784
Pierce Street Elementary School – Kalicia Henderson, Christy Jordan
• “Education Outdoors”
$4,500
Tupelo Middle School – Judy Harden, Barry Cook, Carrie Koon, Mary Webb
• “Different Strokes for Little Folks: Choice-Based Art”
$4,142.43
Joyner Elementary School – Jamie Baker, Marla Gray, Jodie Thompson
• “If You Give a Child an Author”
$8,863.65
Thomas Street Elementary School – Susan Hankins
• “Leadership Academy: Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”
$3,387.75
Lawndale Elementary School – Claudia Hopkins, Rene Hooper, Sally Amos, Diane Hink
• “History Alive: The Next Step”
$9,999
Tupelo Middle School – Mary Webb, Brian Foster, Shane Windham, Joseph Fields, Kate Holland
• “Diving Deeper into Orff with Contrabass Bars”
$2,470
Pierce Street Elementary School – Lee Anne Grace
• “Seussdays!”
$1,093
Parkway Elementary School – Alisha Hughes, Beth Miller, Teresa Dill-Johnson

TPSD virtual tour earns state award

The Public Relations Association of Mississippi has recognized the Tupelo Public School District with a 2008 Award of Excellence.
“We are very proud to win an award of excellence for our virtual tour of Tupelo schools,” said Kay Bishop, the TPSD’s public information officer.
Renasant Bank sponsored the project, produced by Glen Allison of Allison Digital and available at tupeloschools.com.
Bishop picked up the award at a PRAM meeting on April 17 in Hattiesburg.
“PRAM began an awards program in 2003 as a way to recognize outstanding work in the field of public relations,” Bishop said, noting the TPSD previously won an award of excellence for its Ambassadors Voice program.
The significance of the district’s awards, she said, is that the school was competing against projects from businesses that specialize in public relations.

Kindergarten registration Tuesday in Okolona

Kindergarten registration at Okolona Elementary School will be from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the K-2 building. The school is located a 411 W. Main St. in Okolona.
Children who are eligible for kindergarten should be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1. Items required for registration include the child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, current shot record, and two proofs of residency.
For more information, call (662) 447-2700.

Parkway Japanese Tea Ceremony

Teresa Dill-Johnson, Challenge teacher at Tupelo’s Parkway Elementary School, invited me to attend a Japanese tea ceremony at the school this morning. With Toyota building an automotive assembly plant near Blue Springs, talk about relevance! Teresa’s 72 students have been studying Japan this 9 weeks and culminated the unit with today’s program. The second- and third-graders performed a play based on a traditional Japanese folk tale and sang about cherry blossoms. Every child had a role, be it a speaking part or playing an instrument. The kimonos the kids wore were cute, the tea was delicious and the decorations were beautiful. Well done, Parkway! Read my story in tomorrow’s Daily Journal, which includes some of Journal shooter Todd Sherman’s images you see here. I added a few of my own and I hope you’ll enjoy them all.

Church Street Art & Soul Festival

Here are pics from Church Street Elementary School’s Art & Soul Festival on April 18. Hope you enjoy! If you’d like to read the advance I wrote about it for the Daily Journal, click here. A handful of the pics are mine, but many thanks to Principal Kay Collins, Amy McCain and Trae Wyatt for the photo CD they brought to my office this week.

Governor signs House Bill 513!

Education fans, at 2:36 p.m. CST I received this text message from state Rep. Brian Aldridge, R-Tupelo:

“Just signed HB 513!!!”

I responded with a great big “Woo hoo!”

As you know, House Bill 513 funds, among other things, $1.5 million for screenings for all Mississippi K-3 students for the characteristics of dyslexia. The bill has been awaiting Gov. Haley Barbour’s signature since its passage April 14.

A former member of the House Education Committee from District 17 whose wife is dyslexic, Aldridge has worked with parents and other dyslexia advocates for two years to get children screened for the characteristics of dyslexia, an inherited language-based reading disorder affecting one in five people. Some of the disorder’s characteristics include poor handwriting, repeated erratic spelling errors, word substitutions in oral reading, slow reading speed and a delay in learning to talk.

Aldridge previously drafted legislation modeled after a screening program for elementary students in the Lee County Schools. It was signed into law by the governor but was not scheduled to take effect until funding was appropriated.

The pics, BTW, were taken at Rouse Elementary School in Brandon.

Rotary Scholars named Monday

On Monday, 186 students from Tupelo High School and Tupelo Middle School were honored as Rotary Scholars for academic achievement. In addition, 11 THS seniors were given special recognition for being Rotary Scholars each year since the seventh grade. I’ll have a story about this in tomorrow’s Daily Journal. Thanks to chief photog Thomas Wells for the six-year scholars pic.

Seventh grade
Matthew Amann, Kenya Ashby, Mary Bailey, Cassidy Barnett, Lauren Bell, Joshua Chambers, Tyler Cozart, Chasity Crayton, Emma Daniels, Erin Ezell, Tyler Fields, Baxter Geddie, Kristen Hare, Rachael Holman, Abigail Hunt, Miranda Jones, Paige Knapp, Mallory Lesley, Hannah Lippard, Ben Logan, Benjamin Matthews, Rob McAuley Jr., Bridgid McCool, Kayla Nguyen, Lauren Pugh, Mary Taylor Ray, Dorie Stewart, Margaret Wheeler, Ashley Williams, Hunter York

Eighth grade
Teresa Alberto, Binita Barath, Monica Bhula, Elizabeth Burleson, Bria Burt, Emily Cobb, Adam Cox, Sarahanne Davidson, Eric Deaton, Elise Friloux, Mikhail Gaerlan, Mitchell Galloway, Abby Grace, Colleen Haadsma, Holly Harrington, Margaret Horton, Jace King, Mary Langford, Johnny Le, Rachel Macklin, Luke Mason, Grace McLarty, Courtney Phillips, Ryan Reynolds, Garrett Rogers, Georgia Russell, Alexia Smith, John Tapscott, Emily Weldon, Sami Whitwell, Amanda Wilkerson, Rachel Wilson, Kara Young

Ninth grade
Madeline Alvis, Stephanie Bryson, Cody Calaway, Melody Chimahusky, Tyler Crosswhite, Lauren Dickey, Rachel Farmer, Katherine Gilbert, Isabel Gray, Mandi Hankins, Taylor Hilbun, Emerson Holliman, Catherine Holman, Anna Catherine Holmes, Hannah Hudson, Emily Johnson, Rebecca Kellum, Amanda Legge, Peyton Lewis, Hannah McCarty, Mellie McGehee, Danna Nobile, Nathan Oakes, Addie Reynolds, Mary Kate Robbins, Alivia Roberts, John Servati, Taylor Walden, Tykeylia Walker, Kathryn Wynn

10th grade
Lizzie Brevard, Mary Elizabeth Butts, Lindy Carroll, Jonathan Doles, John Paul Frerer, Ashley Hayes, Kelli Heath, Max Holman, Evan Houston, Mary Beth Hunter, Katie Ireland, Rachel Ivancic, Victoria Jefferson, Odie Johnson III, Mary Jourdan, Kalie King, Laura Matthews, Bramlett McLaurin, John McMullan, Jane Alice Moore, Tucker Napier, Lindsay Newell, Amanda Pannell, Tyler Pirkle, Kayla Prenzlow, Micah Presley, Jared Roberts, Kelly Robinson, Alana Simpson, Stephen Stone, Tessa Willoughby, Hannah Wilson, Alisa Wood

11th grade
Sarah Kathryn Ballard, Raven Bradley, Marrisa Clauson, Mandy Collins, Perrin Crews, Tate Davis, Ryan Gaines, Justin Gilmer, Lauren Guy, Maria Holland, Catherine Holliday, Anna Jamieson, Jacob Kent, Caitlin Lesley, Maggie McFerrin, Jacob McGregor, Michelle Nettleton, James Orr, Millie Pridmore, Blake Pruett, Leslie Reed, Marion Rice, Alix Robbins, Bess Ruff, Robin Sharp, Hollis Smith, Chris Stratton, Ivelina Valchanova, Alexander Weatherford, Kyle Young

12th grade (six-year scholars are in bold)
Mary Page Billingsley, Kelley Beth Brashier, April Cameron, Elisa Canali, Lauren Cassilly, Leah Clayton, Laura Collins, Taylor Debusk, Caitlin Dickens, Jordan Edwards, Anne Goodwin, Mary Gray, Morgan Hall, Sophie Houin, JinJing Huang, John Nelson Huffman, Hilary Hunsucker, Jessica Joblin, Melanya Kushla, Lisa Lamberth, Anna Lunceford, Phillip Matthews, Amanda Nordin, Lindsay Purnell, Nicole Rinaldi, Lindsay Robinson, Lacey Gray Stone, Josh Tucker, Crystal Usher, Katie Vanbuskirk