Thursday, April 19, 2012

Girls Scouts Make Contribution to LES

Kindergarteners A Step Ahead with AMSTI Math


In planning for instruction HHS Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Amanda Hughes, realized that the next lesson seemed just a little too easy for her students. So, as any good teacher would do, she tweaked the directions slightly and was floored with results. The original directions were for students to come up with as many combinations of 6 as they could. Mrs. Hughes adjusted and directed students to come up with combinations of 12 for one group of students and 15 for another. Check out a couple of the results she got… Keep in mind subtraction has not been a huge focus and there was no other assistance from Mrs. Hughes. And yes, again, this is kindergarten work. 


` Submitted by Mrs. Melanie Matthews

Southeast Alabama Gas Awards CCBOE

The Southeast Alabama Gas District presented the Crenshaw County Board of Education a check for  $15,011 this past Monday night.  Said funds will be used to support classroom instruction via technology.  Pictured left to right are:  Board Members Ronald Rhodes, Dr. Charles Tompkins, SEAL Gas Representative Mitch Thorn, Yours Truly, SEAL Gas Board Member Joe Rex Sport, Board Members Bertha Jones, Troy Hudson and Steve Sanders.


Legislative Update

Well, we have a first look at a proposed ETF budget for FY 13 and it is not looking good.  From the Senate, the proposal is for an increase in divisors of 0.4 across all grade levels.   The loss of teachers statewide would be more than 1100 with an additional 600 support jobs lost.   Locally, the SDE is showing us losing 4.57 total units. The Senate has included a provision to lower the divisors by 0.15 if the Start Date bill passes.   There is an allocation of $31.35 per pupil for textbooks and $300 for teacher materials and supplies.  Other Current Expense and Transportation may also see cuts. Interestingly enough, there is a $1,000,000 allocation to pilot digital textbooks in State School Board District II.

Speaking of such, the School Start Date bill has left the House (by a vote of 62-30) and is in the Senate.  This bill states that students may not start school prior to 2 weeks before Labor Day (Aug. 20, 2012) and must end by Memorial Day.  There is a flexible language that will give Boards the option of selecting a calendar with hour equivalencies in lieu of 180 instruction days.  Passage of this bill would mean that we would have to adopt a new calendar.

There will be much more to come in the days ahead.  Stay tuned.

PALS Essay Winner Announced

This past Tuesday, at the weekly Luverne Kiwanis Club Meeting, Hannah Barron of BHS was recognized as the 2011 PALS Essay contest winner.  Hannah was the recipient of a certificate, t-shirt and $300 cash.  Pictured are:  Kiwanian Ronnie Hudson, Hannah Barron, Jon Hayden Sanders of LHS, and Jonathan Phillips of HHS.


Safety Grant Awarded to BHS

The Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Department of Education recently awarded a grant to Brantley School for a digital speed indicator to be placed in proximity to the campus. The grant value is approximately $6,000. Pictured below are, Mayor Bernie Sullivan, Principal Dodd Hawthorne, Yours Truly and Alabama State Department of Education representative Michael Bassett.  

LHS and WAKA Team Up for Ink

The LHS Class of 1964 responded to a request from the school for funds for ink cartridges.  To read more, go the school's website:  Luverne School.

LHS Futures Are Looking up


The Stock Market Game is over and Luverne’s ten teams collectively finished in 6th place. Not too shabby for our first time in the competition. The highlight is that we were actually in 1st place going into the last week of competition. This was great considering we were once in last place. It was exciting to have students come to class excited about market changes. Some students even downloaded an app for the stock ticker tape to scroll across their cell phones for market updates while traveling to ball games. It was not uncommon to hear a shout from the back of the bus saying, “Mr. Williams, Apple closed up today at $595 but Wal-Mart is down again.” We even incorporated this language into Kid’s College for the 8th grade participants. Their market was up or down depending on their performance in math and reading. This was a fun project based learning activity.

Please be sure to congratulate these students when they come to your class and let them know how proud we are of them and their 6th place finish. Following are the ten teams and their performance:

                                                                                                            Regional
Team ID        Team Members                               LHS Rank     Rank              Total Equity

A246                C. Worthington, S Adams,                    1                       41 of 286           $112, 331.95
                        B. Odum, J. Wilson,
                        B. Townsend

A247                 Kamron Womack                                2                      43 of 286           $112, 265.23                   
                        D. Boyd, T. Byrd, J. Chambers
                        L. Defee, M. Hansell, H. Helms
                        M. Johnson, Q. McMillian
                        T. Pouncey, J. Raybon, C. Steele
                        S. Upshaw,

A253                 Max McDougald                                   3                     49 of 286           $111, 710.11
                        M. Smith, L. Sanders
                        Demarcus Oliver


A252                 Kelly Morgan                                       4                      62 of 286           $109, 883.95
                        B. Taylor, D. Knott
                        C. Rocha, K. Washington

A248                 D. Thomas, K. Cole,                             5                      84 of 286           $105, 226.12
                        E. Stroud, D. Gibson
                        A. McLeod

A249                 Amber McFarland                                6                      40 of 286           $104, 986.39
                        N. Person, G. Jeffcoat
                        D. Brantley

A244                 Shaye Walker                                      7                      90 of 286           $104, 472.42
                        J. Sims, D. Phillips
                        E. Bradley, D. Jones

A251                 Ny’Keith Harris                                      8                     112 of 286          $101, 747.05
                        J. Sasser, N. Debose,
                        C. Woo, B. Wilson                               

A245                 Ellise Pinckard
                        M. Pinckney, D. Marsh                           9                      134of 286           $100, 759.58
                        A. Gorey,


A250                 Zoe Bloodsworth                                 10                    176 of 286           $100,164.28
A.      Odum, A. Bryant
L. Barber


Bob Williams

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Winners of PALS Essay Announced

Congratulations to 10th grade students Hannah Barron of BHS, Jon Hayden Sanders of LHS and Jonathan Phillips of HHS for winning their school's PALS essay contest. Each school winner receives $100 and the county winner receives $300.  All three will attend the Kiwanis program next week to read their essay and for the announcement of the county winner.

Alabama PALS (People Against A Littered State)  is a non-profit 501C3 organization dedicated to working with Alabama communities to promote a cleaner and healthier Alabama. The programs of Alabama PALS are designed to assist Alabama cities, counties, schools and communities by providing programs that address litter prevention, cleanup and litter control.

Kristi Sport Crowned Miss HHS

Highland Home School held its Beauty Pageant on Saturday, March 30, 2012, in which junior Kristi Sport was crowned Miss Highland Home School.  Congratulations to all who participated and a special thanks to the directors


3rd Runner Up-  Lauren Davis, 1st Runner-Up Sydney Rogers, Miss HHS Kristi Sport, 2nd Runner Up- Shannon Taylor,
Ms. Congeniality and Miss Photogenic- Khadijah Shepherd 
Easter Parade
2011-12 JV Cheerleaders
The Mike Davis 1978-80 FFA Band



Students Perform to Thriller

Alvin and the Chipmunks Make Appearance

It's Raining Men- Can 

Clint Kilcrease and Raheem Berry Attend Bryant Jordan Banquet

Ninety-six (96)  of 150,000 Alabama high school student athletes  were honored at the Bryant Jordan Banquet this past Monday Night at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center's ballroom. Crenshaw County was well represented by Highland Home School senior Raheem Berry and Brantley High School Senior Clint Kilcrease.

Coach Scott Graham, Mother Rhonda Berry, Raheem Berry, Sister Kiyana Holley, Father Willie Armstrong,
Wiltasha Armstrong, Yours Truly, and Athletic Director Doug Bailey
Yours Truly, Father Terry Kilcrease, Clint Kilcrease, Mother Kelly Kilcrease, Brother Cade Kilcrease,
Grandparents Jerry and Sharon Kilcrease and Principal Dodd Hawthorne

Dillion McCardle Places First In State Geometry Contest

Congratulations to Highland Home School's Dillion McCardle.  He placed first in the recent STATE Geometry test (and he took Geometry last year).  Kudos to Mrs. Eva Russell for assembling the team and taking them to State.  This year's County Math Competition should be exciting!


BHS Land Judging Finishes 4th in the State

Congrats to Caleb Perry, Trent Warrick, Arron Hendrick, Zach Bryan, Matthew Judson and Brandon Horn for placing 4th in the State's Land Judging Contest.  Please know that there is no consideration given to the size of schools and that all schools compete and are placed according to performance.  Great Job!

HHS Prepares for ARMT

After years of  stagnant math and reading scores, HHS administrations and staff made the decision to step it up a notch (Turn Up the Heat) for the 2011-2012 school year. The staff, realizing that pedagogy needed to change, began ‘real’ conversations about instruction.  In an attempt to shift instruction from lecture, teacher guided, worksheet style instruction, teachers in grades K-8th were AMSTI trained in math. In reading, adjustments were made in grades 3-6 to eliminate guided reading and instead engage students through strategic instruction. In grades 7 and 8, teachers received Content Literacy Training by ARI which helped them to understand the importance of and how to teach comprehension skills in any content.  Teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators have maximized their efforts in motivating students to do well academically. Through a plethora of innovative ideas, one can conclude that students are more prepared than ever. To celebrate this year's progress and to wish students the best of luck on the upcoming ARMT+, on Monday, lead by Elementary Guidance Counselor Danielle Butts, a pep-rally was held. The HHS band, cheerleaders, and motivational speakers celebrated with students and teachers in grades 3-8. There were a few grade levels who had their own motivational strategies, such as 3rd grade who held ARMT+ Boot Camp. Students also participated in a poster contest and are currently in competition for daily door prizes, which reward attendance and those who are putting forth 110% when testing. Hopefully, all efforts will pay off and scores will increase!   
Third Grade ARMT Boot Camp

ARMT King and Queen

Poster Contest

Senior Class Members:  Erica Caroll- Valedictorian, Nikki Davis- Class President,
Kase Kelly- Football Player, Jason Sankey- Football Player

Highland Home School 5K Run for Reading

On Saturday, April 7th HHS held its first 5K run/walk. This fundraiser, directed by Reading Coach Melanie Matthews, was supported by a number of sponsors and profited from registration as well totaling over $2200. With 75 participants, the race began at 8:30 a.m., followed by ‘Fun Runs’ for the whole family! To wrap up the morning, an awards ceremony was held to recognize lead runners. All proceeds will be used to purchase iPads for grades 7-12. What a wonderful way to raise money for a much needed cause and just as wonderful to promote and model what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to all who participated and contributed! Every dollar brings us closer to higher student achievement.

Sponsors:
Gold Sponsorships:
Baptist Health, Montgomery, AL
The Ramer Bank, Manager: Cindy Overstreet
Sassy Kids Consignment, Owners: Tina McGough & Denise Strength
Cousins Insurance Agency, Owner: Joe Bennett
Bulk Material & Transport, Owners: Derek & Shae McCullough
Kathy Horne
Road I.D.
TTS Trucking, Owner: Timothy Woodson
Silver Sponsorships:
Sikes & Kohn’s Country Mall, Owner: James Sikes
Acme Propane Gas Company, Manager: Keenar Kelly
Rickey McElwain, Crenshaw County Commission
Faulk Construction, Owner: C.J. Faulk
Flying K  Farm, Owners: Phillip & Glenda Kelliher
Merle Norman Cosmetics, Owner: Peggy Perdue
First Citizens Bank, Highland Home Branch, Branch Manager: Brenda Herring
Bronze Sponsorships:
Wayne & Mary Ann Wilson
Dee & Eileen Bennett
Giggles & Grins Daycare, Owners: Kim Rogers & Wendy Davis
Randall Free Trucking, Owner: Randall Free
Alfredia’s Style Shop, Owner: Alfredia McGhee
Extreme Heating  & Air, Owner: Daryl McGough
Beasley’s Grocery, Owner: Rita Beasley
Randolph Hall
Nelson’s Grocery, Owner: Lamar Nelson, Sr.
Initial Outfitters, Representative: Leesa Massey
Kelly’s Kids, Representative: Melanie Matthews




Winners:



Division:



Place:



Time:
5K



Arthur Teague
19 & Under
Bronze
34:18
Justin Brown
19 & Under
Silver
28:43
Raheem Berry
19 & Under
Gold
28:23
Joe Ballreich
20-29
Bronze
35:05
Jessica Jones
20-29
Silver
31:32
Saundra Perrett
20-29
Gold
31:06
Brandi Norman
30-39
Bronze
28:54
Jamie Brown
30-39
Silver
28:44
Shanna Malone
30-39
Gold
28:27
Phillip Kelliher
40-49
Bronze
40:19
Knox Crowe
40-49
Silver
35:33
James Littlejohn
40-49
Gold
21:53
NA
50-59
Bronze
NA
Jenny Holladay
50-59
Silver
43:27
Johnny Acreman
50-59
Gold
36:28
Shanna Malone
Overall
Female Masters
28:27
James Littlejohn
Overall
Male Masters
21:53
1MILE FUN RUN



Sydney Malone

Bronze

Kollon Brown

Silver

James Littlejohn

Gold

Raheem Berry

Master

Winners Row
Ava Matthews and Alee Jacobs Crossing the Finish Line


Teachers Tara Bailey and Jenny Holladay

Trot Trot and Kinder Dash Participants





Assistant Principal Sherry Sport and
James Littlejohn

LHS Implement "Sit and Think" Strategy in Restrooms

...Or you can stand and think...so long as you think...whatever it takes.  This is one teacher's notion as demonstrated by her strategic placement of reading strategies on the walls and stalls of LHS's Junior High restrooms.  Point well made and I am sure well received.


HHS Celebrates Read Across America

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not!” – The Lorax, Dr. Seuss

Oh, the fun (and learning) that went on at HHS on March 2nd, 2012, Read Across America Day! Throughout the day teachers incorporated Dr. Seuss books, activities, and projects within each classroom followed by an afternoon of fun filled engaging activities!  To begin the afternoon reading coach, Melanie Matthews, read The Lorax. The focus of the lesson was to teach students that our environmental surroundings affect everyone and everything, with a targeted focus on pollution and the value of trees. In the story an industrial plant was responsible for polluting the environment and cutting down all the Truffula Trees in a small town, which in turn, left this town empty and barren. So, ‘The Lorax’ assigned students to replenish the ‘trees’ by replanting, with hopes that ‘the town’ would once flourish again. K-8th grade students began the replanting process – with the assistance of Jake Dean and Cassidy Balkcom - by designing their own Truffula Tree using cupcakes, pretzel sticks, green icing, and cotton candy. (Yes, Mrs. Janette Moseley and our WONDERFUL lunchroom staff made 560 cupcakes!!!) To extend this lesson, each grade level then experienced the process of planting one-year-old oak and maple trees (donated by Adam Worthington, AL Forestry Commission). These trees are now flourishing in planters and will be transplanted when maturity is reached. Until then, students must “care a whole awful lot” for these trees so that one day we may all enjoy them on the HHS campus.

The following Friday students enjoyed watching The Lorax at The Edge Theater in Greenville followed by a picnic style lunch. To say the least, Read Across America 2012 was exciting, educational, and engaging for HHS students! 

~Special To the Blog-  Reading Coach Melanie Matthews 





Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Brianna Taylor Selected for D.C. Trip

Luverne School eleventh grader, Brianna Taylor, participated in this years AREA Youth Tour and Your Tour Interview Day at South Alabama Electric Cooperative.  For over 40 years, electric cooperatives have sponsored high school students from across America to visit the nation's capitol and meet their member of congress. Brianna is one of two students selected from the South Alabama Electric Cooperative region to go to Washington, D.C.

Congratulations Brianna!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Martha Roby Visits Crenshaw County

Mr. Hawthorne placed Representative Roby's visit in proper perspective when he said that in his 17 years as an educator, he had never seen a member of the U.S. House of Representative visit a school.  I will go a step further to say that in my 39 years of life, I do not recall such a visit (o.k., I am a little older than 39).

Congressman Roby actually spent the entire afternoon with the citizenry of Crenshaw County.  She was the guest at the joint Rotary-Kiwanis meeting, visited the town of Glenwood, spoke to an assembly at Brantley School and addressed the system's teachers via ACCESS labs.  In addition to addressing the works of the committees that she currently serves on, she spoke of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.  To the liking of our ears, she is in favor of abolishing AYP, granting more local control, and the reliance of growth models to determine the success of our efforts.

We appreciate the efforts of all who assisted in the visit, especially the faculty and staff of Brantley School and the members of Highland Home School and Luverne School who attended the after-school session.  Additional thanks to Jay Mullis who performed during lunch, LHS seniors and BHS Ag students for representing their schools, and the brave BHS students who participated in the question and answer period.

We will share the details of the bills in which Congressman Roby spoke as soon as they are in hand.
Left to Right:  Rotarian President Helen Saffold, Kiwanis President Melissa Bush, Representative Martha Roby, and Yours Truly

LHS Musician Jay Mullis, LHS Senior Class President Andy Ackerman, Representative Martha Roby, Senior Key Club and Interact Member Ryan Wilkes
Principal Dodd Hawthorne, Superintendent Wilkes, Representative Martha Roby, Curriculum Director Ashley Catrett, Special Education Director Bille Thompson 
and Chief School Financial Officer Ken Wesley

Front Row left to right: Emily Alverson, Katie Mount, Chelsea Smith; Back
Row left to right: Caleb Petty, Aaron Hendrick, Matthew Hudson, 
Trent Warrick, Brian Compton