(Melissa Gute/MI Monitor photos)

Hopewell High School invited exceptional students from Hough High School to join for a special prom held in the Hopewell Media Center on May 24. The theme was “Life is a Masquerade.”

Nearly 50 students and their parents attended the second annual prom for students with disabilities who participate in the Specialized Academic Curriculum/Autism program. Although these students have an opportunity to attend their schools’ regular prom, many struggle from social, economic and sensory issues that prevent their participation. The staff in the SAC/AU department at Hopewell High wanted to make sure these students could experience a prom with a disc jockey, photographer, flowers, dinner and court crowning ceremony.

(Courtney Price/MI Monitor photos)

MOUNTAIN ISLAND – About 30 students from Mountain Island Day School took a trip May 22 to the Cook’s Community Garden to learn about plants, chickens and community involvement.

“You’re never too old or too young to help or be an advocate for your community,” garden volunteer Sonya Smith told the students as she explained how the community garden works.

The garden, which sits next to Cook’s Memorial Presbyterian Church, offers private plots for gardening while also growing some food to donate to area food pantries. Volunteers also manage an egg cooperative and raise chickens on the site.

“A lot of the kids have never seen a tomato on the vine,” social studies teacher Heather Brown said. “We want the students to learn that produce doesn’t just magically arrive on the shelf. It takes teamwork, from seed all the way up.”

The third- through seventh-graders learned about growing flowers and vegetables, raising and caring for chickens and helping the community.

Later that day, the students went to the Mecklenburg County Recycling Center.

At the program, the top students from each high school were recognized, as well as the teacher who had the greatest influence on the students’ educational careers.

“Star Teachers are outstanding educators who have inspired these students and numerous others in their classrooms,” Superintendent L. Reeves McGlohon said. “Star Students are the kind of young men and women you want in charge of your businesses, your government and your armed forces. They are our future leaders and decision makers. We are extremely proud of our honorees.”

During the ceremony, each student reads an essay about his or her star teacher. The awards are presented by the Gaston Gazette and the county Board of Education.

“The Star Teachers make a difference in the lives of students everyday,” said Kenny Lutz, chairman of the Board of Education. “They set high standards and expectations, but at the same time they guide the students and help them reach their goals.”

The Mountain Island-area students and teachers who were honored:

• East Gaston High School – Star Teacher Jacquilyn Weiner selected by Star Student Caroline Hawkins

• South Point High School – Star Teacher Leslie Kalmbach selected by Star Student Sadler Gensch

School will begin Aug. 25, 2014, and the last day of school is June 10, 2015.

The school calendar includes 14 teacher workdays, 11 holidays (Sept. 1; Nov. 11, 27 and 28; Dec. 24-26; Jan. 1 and 19; Feb. 16; and May 25), and 10 annual leave days (Nov. 26, Dec. 29-31, Jan. 2, and April 6-10).

The planned school year has 180 instructional days. This calendar option was preferred by about 65 percent of those who responded to the district’s online survey.

Find the calendar and more school information online at http://cms.k12.nc.us.

The county school board recently set the dates for next year. The last day of school is June 10, 2014.

Students will be out of school Sept. 2, Nov. 11, Nov. 27-29, Dec. 23-31, Jan. 1, Jan. 20, April 18-25 and May 26.

Find the calendar and more information online at http://gaston.k12.nc.us.

education@mimonitor.com

MOUNTAIN ISLAND – When the eight pink balloons tied to a bench in a memorial garden at Mountain Island Elementary School unexpectedly detached and began to float upward, attendees at the dedication ceremony felt the spirit of the woman they were honoring.

Family members of Karen Kirch release pink balloons during a ceremony dedicating a memorial garden at Mountain Island Elementary School in honor of Kirch on April 12. Kirch died from bile duct cancer in May 2012. She was a teacher at the school for eight years. (Melissa Gute/MI Monitor photo)

“Karen’s trying to steal the show already,” Kirsten Hall said, and everyone softly laughed, remembering Karen’s sense of humor.

The eight balloons represented the eight years Karen Kirch taught at Mountain Island Elementary. She lost her battle with bile duct cancer in May 2012. She was 42 years old.

The balloons were caught and later released in the ceremony by Kirch’s family members.

Family members, school administrators, past and current teachers and students gathered to dedicate a memorial garden in Kirch’s honor April 12.

The garden hugs a wall of the school and includes a brick walkway that leads to a bench under a tree. Two red rose bushes symbolize beauty, passion, courage and respect. A pink rose bush symbolizes love and excitement. Irises planted represent wisdom, while the yellow lilies line the garden’s boarder. The daffodil bulbs represent rebirth, new beginning and eternal life, and the maple tree signifies rest and being at peace.

“I think Karen had a hand in helping us pick out these items,” Hall said. “We didn’t know what they meant when we planted them. We just thought they’d look really good, but I truly believe that the words and symbolism so aptly describe her – her beauty, her passion, her courage, her respect, her love and her wisdom, and for us to always remember her rebirth, her new beginning, her eternal life.”

Co-worker Alan Mehldau said if Kirch were there, she would have said, “how funny it is that we have a dedication to me with a bench that everyone gets to put their butts on.”

Along with her humor, Kirch was remembered for her inquisitiveness, spunk, wit, compassion and integrity.

“Karen was such an amazing woman, and she fought her cancer hard and with such class,” co-worker Megan Moore said.

Her relationships with her students were positive and respectful, and she had the “magical quality” to bond with her students and their parents, something not all teachers have, Principal Jeff Ruppenthal said.

In addition to the garden that will be a living reminder of Kirch’s legacy at the school, Ruppenthal announced the creation of the Karen Kirch Award, which will be given annually to a fifth grade student who personifies Kirch’s qualities of having a caring heart and showing commitment to relationships. The first award will be given in June.

To conclude the dedication, Kirch’s father, Matt, gave a word of appreciation.

“I just want to thank everyone that’s here and for your love for Karen,” he said choking back tears. “We miss her dearly also. It’s just wonderful what you’ve done and the way you felt about Karen.”

education@mimonitor.com

CHARLOTTE – Michael Jordan’s impact on the game of basketball and his basketball brand reaches worldwide.

Jeff Genthner, general manager of FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth, and Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan talk about giving money to support Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. (Aaron Burns/MI Monitor photo)

But Jordan’s charitable impact on local students was on display March 21, when he visited West Charlotte High.

Jordan, owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, and FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth donated $200,000 to the Y! Achievers Program, a YMCA of Greater Charlotte initiative, which partners with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to help teens set college and career goals.

The donation is part of the pair’s new sponsorship of Y! Achievers. Jordan and FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth Senior Vice President and General Manager Jeff Genthner also announced the formation of three $5,000 academic scholarships: One each on a yearly basis to a student at West Charlotte, West Mecklenburg and Vance high schools.

The former NBA star and sneaker icon said the goal of his team’s Cats Care community relations program and the new sponsorship was to put students in a position to give back to their communities after becoming successful.

“When I first took over the team, that department was kind of being cut loose,” Jordan said.

“We felt the need to add it back. Over the last two or three years, we’ve ramped it up a little bit to give back to the community, because I felt like the integration between (the Bobcats) and the community wasn’t strong. We have to be strong. We want to bond with the community.”

The plan, he added, is to help more local schools. Jordan said he plans to give more money to other academic causes in the region in the future, with donations likely to be higher dollar amounts.

“This really is a perfect example of a partnership,” Genthner said.

“When your business is predicated on the community you serve, you feel a need to give back to the community.”

education@mimonitor.com

CHARLOTTE – Mountain Island Elementary School could be expanded in the next few years to include kindergarten through eighth grades, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ master plan unveiled during the March 26 Board of Education meeting.

The Long-Range Facility Master Plan is part of a 10-year capital improvement program, which includes Mountain Island Elementary. Its expansion would allow students to continue a science, technology, engineering and math focus, or STEM, through eighth grade.

Though no athletics would be available at Mountain Island Elementary, students would be able to participate in them at Coulwood. The expansion will also result in a smaller enrollment at Coulwood and require the use of mobile units for grades six to eight.

The top 25 proposed projects would require $400 million. They will alleviate major areas of overcrowding, address aging facility issues and reduce the district’s use of mobiles to accommodate expected student enrollment growth of about 2 percent annually, according to a district news release.

“CMS plans for the capital needs of the district over a 10-year horizon to help drive cost efficiencies,” said Board of Education Chairperson Mary
McCray in a news release. “We are highlighting our top 25 capital projects because Mecklenburg county managers have indicated they will likely pursue a three-year bond in the fall.”

Capital projects for the district are usually paid for with bonds issued by the county. The last school bond package was passed in 2007 for $516 million.

In addition to building improvements and grade reconfigurations, the master plan includes the expansion of magnet programs, career and technical options and classes to allow students to earn college credits through Central Piedmont Community College while still in high school.

Here are key dates as the capital improvement plan moves forward:

• April 9: CMS board will hold a public hearing

• April 23: CMS board will vote to approve the plan

• May 7: CMS will present a bond package request to county commissioners

• May 21: County commissioners will vote on bond package

• June-November: CMS will engage the public about the proposed bond package

• Nov. 5: The public will vote on the bond package during the general election

education@mimonitor.com

HUNTERSVILLE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Heath Morrison answered questions from Charlotte-area residents during his latest community chat Feb. 11 at New Birth-Charlotte Church.

The topics ranged from school security to student rankings on the global scale.

The point of these community meetings, Morrison told Your UCity, is to listen.

“We talk about public education, but if we aren’t listening to the public, then I don’t know how well we can do our jobs,” Morrison said. “These really provide me the opportunity to listen and to hear what’s on the hearts and minds of our parents and community members from all different regions of our school district.”

Here is a summary of the question-and-answer session between Morrison and the community. Some statements have been paraphrased for clarity:

How is CMS preparing for the changing needs of children in the modern economy?

Morrison: When we look at our strategies, I think it’s important that we have a lot of options.

The question becomes about career technology.

At the end of the day, we educate children because it’s a moral obligation, but it’s also a good economic investment.

Our children, who are students today, become the workforce of tomorrow. If we do this right, we should be preparing our students for the workforce needs of the future.

What we are looking at right now is current career technology offerings. What we often hear from our principals is that it’s very hard to offer Career Technology Education classes, because we don’t always have the volume of students.

We are looking for opportunities for students to go to a CTE hub. We believe we have to offer more career technology opportunities.

What is CMS doing to bring more diversity to the classroom?

Morrison: We are having multiple outreaches to our colleges: Johnson C. Smith, UNCC, CPCC and Davidson.

We have a committee specifically on higher education partnerships.

Myself, the higher institution presidents and leaders have pledged to meet at least four times a year to think about how we can be more creative in our partnerships.

There are many amazing opportunities around Johnson C. Smith regarding education.

I look forward to things like educational opportunities that broaden the talent pool for young people.

I have never found that to diversify our workforce, you have to move away from quality.

What I am excited about is bringing great talent. In bringing great talent, we are also going to be able to bring great diversity, because I think that’s one of our greatest strengths.

How do you feel on the move away from a liberal arts emphasis?

Morrison: How do we define success? It’s really easy to say: Shouldn’t our K-12 systems and higher education be creating the workforce of tomorrow?

Yes we should, but if we simply look at college success as students immediately graduating and getting a job, then I worry we are going to miss some important opportunities.

Part of a good liberal arts education is a process of discovery, an exploration of how do I find out knowledge that has not been discovered.

Research tells us that we don’t even know what kind of jobs our kindergartners are going to need.

As a matter of fact, they won’t just be looking for jobs, they will create the jobs.

Innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship are going to become the central job skills when our kindergartners hit the job market.

If we only define success for higher education as career-vocational, then I worry who is going to create that workforce of the greater tomorrow.

A lot of people say they love STEM education: science, technology, engineering and math.

I get that, but I like STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

I really appreciate that art meets the human need to create. Creativity will create opportunities.

Opportunities will create the workforce of tomorrow.

Should all our schools have safety and resource officers, not just high school and middle school?

Morrison: The most important sacred obligation that we have to our parents is the safety of their children.

I am a parent in CMS myself, and I care very much about how much my son or daughter learns everyday.

The most important thing is that they are safe.

I know every parent watching that horror in Connecticut. That is every one of our worse nightmares.

As a superintendent, it’s my worse nightmare.

We have to ask ourselves a very tough question: If that would have happened here in our schools, how would we have been able to handle it and what can we learn?

Every one of our schools has a crisis and safety plan.

We are challenging our schools to rethink their plans and make sure they are keeping those updated. You constantly have to make sure people are up to date and ready if something happens.

We are going to do an active shooter drill, not when children are in session, with county and city support officers, so that we can be better prepared.

We are looking at facilities.

One of the things that is a really good national practice is a single point of entry, especially at elementary schools. That provides some real opportunities for advanced safety.

Sandy Hook Elementary had that, but usually in many schools, that has deterred issues. We are looking at adding cameras, strategic use of fencing and a number of safety protocols.

We have worked in partnership with our county commissioners and have asked if there is an opportunity to use some savings from our 2007 bond. They have given us some positive response that they will consider that.

The last area is around school resource officers.

We are having the conversation around “Do we truly believe that we need an armed safety officer at every school?” We are looking at how much will that cost and is that the strategy that is best?

How are we preparing our students for a competitive global job market?

Morrison: I think people tend to still think that my child is going to graduate from a great North Carolina university and are going to be competing for jobs with kids all over the country.

When you are making airplane reservations and you need to make a change, you are probably talking to somebody in India.

We have to get parents to understand that if you have a job that is easily duplicable, it is going to get outsourced to other countries or it’s going to get replaced by technology.

The reality is, those jobs are going to be gone.

We have to prepare students for the fact that the game has changed.

Our students go to school 180 days; students in China go to school 240 days.

Our kids go to school for about six and a half hours; kids in India and China, go to school eight to nine hours on average.

We have to be pretty darn good in what’s happening in 180 days compared to 240 and six and a half compared to nine to give our children the same advantages.

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has rebooted CMS TV and see new programming on Time Warner Cable channel 3.

The relaunch of the district’s television station will help CMS keep the public informed and provide work-based learning opportunities for students.

The first new program is “CMS Insight,” a 30-minute show in which Superintendent Heath Morrison and guests discuss the district’s eight new strategic goals and the major initiatives that support them. CMS Insight premiered Feb. 2, and will air daily at 7 and 10 p.m.

A second magazine-style show will recognize employees, students, programs and schools that go the extra mile to build a culture of excellence at CMS. CMS Magazine will also be a 30-minute program, and will begin airing later in February.

Starting with the 2013-14 school year, CMS will expand programming by using the station as a work-based learning opportunity for students. This will include student-produced and student-hosted programming as well as production and broadcast internship opportunities for CMS and local college students.

Funding for CMS TV was eliminated in 2010-11 budget, after multiple years of reductions forced tough decisions for the district.

“We are glad to be able to use this important resource in a cost-efficient way. It will help us reach and inform the public about our district,” said Mary McCray, chairwoman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. “I’m also pleased that students will be able to participate in the work of CMS TV.”

Magnet school lottery now open

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is accepting applications for the magnet school lottery for the 2013-14 school year. Families must apply online by Feb. 11 at 10 p.m.

Students who apply for a magnet program must meet any entrance requirements and agree to fulfill program requirements to remain enrolled. Those who are happy with their listed placement do not need to apply.

CMS will offer nine magnet programs at 37 schools in the 2013-14 school year. Magnet themes include International Baccalaureate; Military and Global Leadership; Leadership and Global Studies; Montessori; Learning Immersion/Talent Development; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); Traditional; Visual and Performing Arts and World Languages. All CMS students are taught the N.C. Standard Course of Study.

Dropout rate declines in CMS

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported fewer dropouts in 2011-12 compared to the previous year, according to a state report.

CMS reported 1,278 students, or 3.20 percent, dropped out in 2011-12, down from 1,404, or 3.57 percent, dropped out a year prior.

The report also showed that suspensions increased for the third consecutive year, while expulsions declined. CMS reported 37,464 short-term suspensions in 2011-12, compared to 35,393 a year prior and 33,589 in 2009-10. Long-term suspensions declined to 88 from 137 a year earlier.

There were no expulsions in 2011-12, compared to five for 2010-11.

New charter school to hold open house

CHARLOTTE – Corvian Community School, a new public charter school that will serve children in kindergarten through fourth grade during the 2013-14 school year, will hold open house events at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 and 10 a.m. Feb. 8 at the school, 9501 David Taylor Drive.

Registration is not required.

Applications for enrollment in the 2013-14 school year must be submitted by Feb. 15. Each year, the school will add a new grade until it serves kindergarten through 12th grade.

Find more information online at www.corvian.org.

CMS seeks feedback on budget plans

CHARLOTTE – What’s important for your school next year?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has posted a survey to its website for the community to provide feedback on priorities to help the district leaders allocate resources.

The survey asks about issues such as funding sources, per-student spending, factors that affect the budget and employee pay, among others.

Superintendent Heath Morrison identified eight strategic goals for the district in November 2012. The survey will help the district create a budget that aligns with those goals.

The anonymous survey will be open through Feb. 8 on the district website, www.cms.k12.nc.us.