• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

District Celebrates Schools Improvement

Posted on: Thursday, 29 September 2005, 21:00 CDT

By JENNIFER FERNANDEZ Staff Writer

GREENSBORO -- The excitement rolled across War Memorial Auditorium in waves of color and sound Wednesday.

The light blue of Erwin Montessori Elementary supporters wearing school colors as they surged to their feet.

The strident call of an air horn bouncing off the high ceiling as Allen Jay Middle School reacted.

The serenade of Dudley High School supporters, who sang a school song when the Panthers name was called.

Guilford County Schools rallied around its 15 most-improved schools Wednesday during the fifth annual Celebration of Excellence. Schools were picked based on performance on state end-of-course or end-of-grade tests and the federal Adequate Yearly Progress measures, also based on state tests. The awards program is sponsored by Action Greensboros Commitment to Excellence Fund.

Im really proud, said Alex Buffington, 11, a sixth-grader at Aycock Middle School and former student at General Greene Elementary. Both schools received an award, which comes with an $8,000 grant.

We feel ecstatic about it, choral teacher Pamela Stewart said of Dudleys second award. The school also won in 2003.

Several schools saw significant gains in test scores.

At Pleasant Garden Elementary, the number of students with disabilities who passed reading increased eight percentage points, according to state data.

Were very extremely proud of our staff and our students, said Alyssa Harris, the schools curriculum facilitator. It takes all of us together to achieve this status.

Vandalia Elementary saw a nearly 22 percentage point increase in the number of students with disabilities passing math, according to state data. The schools efforts pushed Vandalia off a federal list of failing schools.

Were gonna be No. 1 next year! shouted kindergarten teacher Gail Deal, holding a yellow sign with a photo of her class on it.

Each winning school allowed its top two scoring students to pick the teacher who had the most influence on them. Students received $50 savings bonds, and teachers got a $1,000 grant.

Laryssa Frye, 11, carried a bouquet of green balloons in honor of her former school, Gillespie Park Elementary. She picked her fifth- grade teacher, Gretchen Cuthbertson, to receive an award. She was the nicest teacher, said Frye, now a sixth-grader at Kiser Middle School. She was the one that helped me the most.

Tim Rosenberg, 14, a ninth-grader at Southwest High School, picked his eighth-grade math teacher from Ferndale Middle School. Dewitt Johnson, who was in his first teaching job, started at Ferndale in February. He is now at Grimsley High School.

Johnson was always there for students if they needed to talk, about anything, Rosenberg said. We also learned integrity, respect and discipline and how to harness these things to succeed in life.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jfernandez@news- record.com

Source: Greensboro News Record

More News in this Category