Monthly Board Meeting : July 2008

What is this?

The French Honor Society at Brevard High School, Société Honoraire de Français, inducted 13 new members in a candlelight ceremony on May 28.  To be eligible for membership, students must have an A- or higher average in either French I and II or French II and III as well as a B- overall average in all other subjects.  Senior members received special red, white, and blue cords to be worn at graduation.  Parents and school officials attended the ceremony as well as students inducted into the group in prior years.  Inductees were Katlyn Charles, Caleb Cooper, Brittany Curtis, Hannah Davis, Marshall Harrison, Brennan Hooper, Amy Jackson, Samantha Knights, Rodrigo Martinez, Nicole Newton, Patrick O’Rourke, Athena Demas-Owen, and Glenn Palmer.  Seniors who received graduation honor cords were Marshall Harrison, Nicole Newton, Sara Jerome, Kelsey Leonard and Victoria Robinson.  Polly Averette is the French teacher and sponsor at BHS.

Several of our school libraries have received notification they will receive the Picturing America resources, including 40 large format, high-quality reproductions of selected masterpieces illustrating themes from American history, a resource book providing background information about the art and architecture examples, and access to http://picturingamerica.neh.gov (already a free resource for educators). This will be a useful resource for both core subject classes and for art classes.  The materials will be delivered early in 2009.

Twenty-six students from Brevard and Rosman high schools were inducted in the National Technical Honor Society on May 26.  NTHS requires that students be nominated by Career and Technical Education faculty and evaluated using demanding criteria.  Selection for membership is indicative of outstanding performance and skill as well as critical workplace values of honesty, responsibility, initiative, teamwork, productivity, leadership, and citizenship.  Members received purple and white cords to be worn at graduation.

Ashley Dickson’s Occupational Course of Study class at BHS visited the Transylvania County SAFE agency to learn about domestic abuse and what is and is not acceptable in a relationship.  They found that over 300 women and children in this county sought shelter at SAFE last year.  The class developed a campaign to collect toiletries and underwear for women and children who come to the shelter, most of whom leave home with only the clothes on their backs.  They chose as a theme, “Last year in Transylvania County, over 300 women and children were forced to escape to the SAFE shelter . . . and we bet they forgot to grab a few things.”  The students made announcements over school intercoms, designed posters and brochures, wrote letters and telephoned local businesses, and distributed information and collection boxes to local churches.  The responses have been awesome.  Ms. Dickson’s classroom is filled with boxes of sheets, towels, socks, underwear, toiletries, and clothing for adults and children.  Items will be delivered to SAFE toward the end of May. 

Bryce Jones, fifth grader at TCH, had his Earth Day artwork chosen to be published by Riverlink in the May 30, 2008 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times and as a separate publication available in the Asheville area.  The publication may be seen at http://www.riverlink.org/spring08magazine.asp.  Elizabeth Ballard is the art teacher at TCH and RMS.

Ansley Ussery and Jasmine McMillan, Brevard Middle School students, were accorded State Recognition in the Duke Talent Identification Program.  Recognition is based on outstanding performance on the SAT given in December of the students’ seventh grade year.  The Duke University Talent Identification Program recognizes all students who score in the top 30% of the Talent Search Pool. A recognition ceremony was held on May 15 at Davidson College.  Thirteen Transylvania County students were chosen to take the SAT during their fifth grade year.  Participation in the Talent Identification Search provides these qualified students ongoing information about programs for academically gifted students.

BE IT RESOLVED by the Transylvania County Board of Education that recognition, thanks, commendation and congratulations be expressed to the following individual(s):

The Brevard High School Men’s Relay Teams for Being Named State Champions in the following events:

                        Ethan Babin                                    

                        Brian Carrington – Conference Runner of the Year

                        Hunter Massingale

                        A. J. Zandecki

                        Luke Anton

                        John Burrows

                        John Guice

                        Hunter Massingale

                        Bill Baldwin, Coach

For Selection as the 11^th Congressional District Student Artist, whose work will be on display in Washington, DC next year:

                        Logan Treacy, BHS

For Achievement in the Prospective Student Category at Savannah College of Art and Design:

                        Olivia Isreal, RHS – First Place

                        John Epps, BHS – Third Place

For Achievement in the Art Contest sponsored by the World War II Museum:

                        Allie Williams, BMS – Winner

                        Emma McLeod, BMS – Winner

                        Anna Fuller, BMS – Honorable Mention

Norris Barger will present the following year-end budget amendments for FY08:

            Budget Amendment No. 1 – State Public School Fund

            Budget Amendment No. 1 – Local Current Expense Fund

            Budget Amendment No. 1 – Federal Grants Fund

            Budget Amendment No. 1 – Capital Outlay Fund