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Oakland’s international program building pride
Writings sent around the world for evaluation
BY CHASITY GUNN
Courtesy of The Daily News Journal

Oakland High sent dozens of internal assessments of its International Baccalaureate program halfway around the world to be evaluated. French papers were sent to Canada, Spanish papers to the United Kingdom and English to India.

Students will also complete an exam next month that makes up a significant portion of their grade in their IB classes.

The program is in its second year of operation, the first year the school will test in all IB subjects. Teachers and students hope the results are similar or better than the school’s performance last year.

Last May, nine students took the math exam and scored a collective 4.9 on a 7-point scale. The international average was 4.6. Three students took a music exam and made a 5 compared to the international average of 4.8.

“It’s been very successful,” said Todd Williamson, who coordinates the program. “I think they (students) really enjoy it. The teachers are passionate.”

IB classes focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Topics are taught from a global perspective and based on an international curriculum. Oakland is the only school in the county with the program.

About 300 to 400 students are enrolled in IB classes, according to Williamson.

“Most of the classes are two years,” he said.

Students do a great deal of writing and analyzing material.

In honors or advanced placement courses, teachers give students the high points “and hope something sticks,” said Janice Morey, who instructs psychology. “In IB, you slow down everything.”

Classes require more than regurgitating information, she explained, noting students are expected to apply the concepts.

Williamson hopes the school system will offer a middle school IB program one day.

He said talks of starting the program at Oakland Middle, which opens in August, have
taken place but no plans have been established.

Oakland officials say adding the IB program has not only benefited the school’s high-achievers, but has touched all parts of the school.

“I think it has definitely raised the standard. Just with anything, it’s very easy to get in your mold and stay in that mold,” Morey said. “I think it has pushed other people to present (class material) outside of the box.”

Principal Bill Spurlock added, “I think it has raised the bar. It provides the emphasis on academic excellence.”

School spirit has grown as well.

Said Spurlock, “It’s transcended to all aspects of the school.”

McFadden Robotics headed to national competition

Courtesy of The Murfreesboro Post

To a casual observer, it may not look like much more than a fabrication of plywood, plastic and wires. But don’t be fooled.

The creation is actually a robot fashioned by a team of students representing McFadden School of Excellence, a magnet school serving kindergarten through eighth grades in Rutherford County.

The team, comprised on mostly middle school students and a few former students of the school, are competing in a national robotic competition in Dallas, Texas on April 23-24.

“It gives the students an opportunity to do some hands-on engineering,” said Marc Guthrie, a McFadden science teacher and coach for the robotics team. “It gives them a chance to see what works and what doesn’t work.”

To earn a spot in the national competition, teams perform in regional contests and only the top four proceed. McFadden’s team recently placed first out of 54 teams at a regional competition held at Auburn University and will be one of 12 teams in the nationals. McFadden is the only middle school competing out of a field of high schools.

The teams must build a robot out of predetermined materials and then control the robot remotely to perform tasks on an obstacle course in three minutes. For example, the team may have to use their robot’s claw-like appendage to pick up beach balls and move them from one area of the course to another. The obstacle course team is made up of drivers and spotters, who help by giving instructions during the challenge.

Seventh-grader Colton Miller is a member of the obstacle course team and he enjoys the challenge of competing against other students with similar interests.

“I like the concept of perfecting a robot and taking it to a competition,” Miller said.
Josh Walker, another member of the obstacle course team, says the experience has nurtured his interest in engineering and helped him with his application to join a local leadership program for area teenagers.

“I’ve always been interested because my mom and dad are in engineering. Being in the robotics competition and doing all those interviews, that has really helped me with the interviews for Youth Leadership Rutherford,” Walker said.

But McFadden’s team is made up of more than the course team. In all, there are 38 students from the school who play a role along with lots of parents who help support the team.

“The idea is to organize your team like a corporation,” Guthrie said. “Different teams are responsible for different areas.”

For example, a group of students are responsible for creating marketing materials for McFadden’s project and then makes an oral presentation at the national competition. The school also has a spirit team consisting of a pep band, cheerleaders and a mascot. In fact, all students from the middle school grades at McFadden are attending the nationals to support the robotics team.

This year marks the fourth consecutive time the school has earned a place in the finals and the school has done well overall, including a fourth place finish two years ago. But regardless of the how the team finishes, the real importance is the impact it has on students and their education.

“We have students who are looking at engineering careers who maybe wouldn’t have,” Guthrie said. “That’s pretty rewarding. That’s the part I like.”

Currently the team practices in a former locker room at McFadden and the setup is far from glamorous. But Guthrie hopes to expand and improve the program when it moves to nearby Central Magnet School, a new Rutherford County school for high achievers that will open next year. Central Magnet will offer middle and high school students a curriculum focusing on math and science, making the robotics program a perfect fit.

 
Student named All-American Scholar
 
The United States Achievement Academy announced that Joshua A. Leonard from Murfreesboro, TN. has been named an All-American Scholar At-Large Award Winner.

Joshua A. Leonard will appear in the All-American Scholar Official Yearbook which is published nationally. Joshua A. Leonard is a student at Blackman High School.

This award is a prestigious honor very few students can ever hope to attain. In fact, the Academy recognizes fewer that 10 percent of all American high school students.

“Recognizing and supporting our youth is more important that ever before in America’s history. Certainly, winners of the All-American Scholar Award should be congratulated and appreciated for their dedication to-excellence and achievement,” said Dr. George Stevens, Founder of the United States Achievement Academy.

The Academy selects All-American Scholar winners based on the Standards of Selection set forth by the Academy.

The criteria for selection are a student’s grade point average, student achievements, and a well-balanced schedule of academics and extracurricular activities.

Joshua A. Leonard is the son of Kimaston and Anthony G. Leonard from Murfreesboro, TN.

His grandparents are Fannie and Lemar Melette of Marion, and Elouise and George Leonard of Mullins.

He is also the great-grandson of the late Ruth W. and Major Davis and the late Elise and Anderson Johnson. Joshua has one brother, Caleb A. Leonard, who is also an honor student at Blackman Middle School.

Kittrell School Students LEAP into Learning with New Lenovo Netbooks

September 17, 2009  
Rutherford LEAP founders Sara and Ira Brody will meet Kittrell School seventh graders presented with  new Lenovo IdeaPad S10e netbooks in a program at the school’s media center September 21 at 1:00.  After an introduction by Principal Sherry Chaffin, students will hear remarks by Rutherford County Schools Director Harry Gill, Jr., as well as the Brodys. 

Immediately after the program, attendees will be allowed to observe students as they use the new netbooks in their classrooms. With the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system and a six-hour battery life, the IdeaPad S10e netbook is intended for regular, daily use throughout the school day.  The Brodys profess, “The use of technology on a regular basis in the classroom is key to the professional and personal success of students’ futures.  We are very excited to be an integral part of working towards establishing a one-to-one laptop program in the Rutherford County school system.”

To coincide with the Rutherford LEAP/Lenovo laptop presentation, Rutherford LEAP Director Sara Brody will answer questions about the pilot program in an interview with Mike Schmedlen, Lenovo’s Director of Worldwide Education, in an article on the Lenovo website.  The interview can be accessed at http://lenovoblogs.com/education/ on September 21. 

Rutherford LEAP was created with the vision of providing each student in Rutherford County with a laptop computer for daily use in the classroom, in order to help students acquire the technological skills necessary for their successful futures.  Kittrell School in Readyville is the site of LEAP’s  two-year pilot program, which began in 2008.

To learn more about Rutherford LEAP, or to make a contribution toward its program, visit www.rutherfordleap.org.  Sara Brody can also be contacted at (615) 823-1433, or through sara@rutherfordleap.org.

Schools Keep Kids Moving
BY CHASITY GUNN
CGUNN@DNJ.COM
July 26, 2009
Courtesy of The Daily News Journal

Fifteen elementary school students hopped like leap frogs, jumped like rabbits and ran like cheetahs.

It was their first day in physical education class at Hobgood Elementary on Friday, and the students were learning to use their locomotive skills.

Fifty minutes spent in P.E. class every week helps students get their required physical activity time in school.

Preliminary data shows that Murfreesboro City Schools students are getting well over the state-mandated 90 minutes of weekly activity. The district will receive official results in September after East Tennessee State University releases its yearly report.

“We’re so proud, but we realize we are elementary,” said Andrea Cain, the district’s supervisor of coordinated school health.

She said middle and high schools often struggle to squeeze in 90 minutes of physical activity.

In the 2007-2008 school year, 100 percent of city schools were in compliance with the Tennessee law, which was enacted in 2006.

Keeping kids moving is a growing concern for schools across the state, where as much as 42 percent of students given health screenings last year were either already overweight or at risk for becoming that way.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the prevalence of obesity among children ages 6-11 has more than doubled in just a quarter-century, from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006. Among adolescents (ages 12-19), the rate tripled, from 5 percent to 17.6 percent.

Some 61 percent of obese children carry at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, which they wouldn’t ordinarily, according to the CDC.

Also, obese kids have a higher risk of bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and social problems such as poor self-esteem. The additional risk factors tend to carry over into adulthood, where they are more at risk for adult problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer and osteoarthritis.

Cain said teachers are encouraged to incorporate physical activity in their classrooms. For example, the Murfreesboro school district uses Take 10, a program where students learn a subject and exercise at the same time.

“We want to incorporate movement into learning,” she explained.

She said when children can burn excess energy through physical activity, it increases their time on task and their attention span.

Short walking trails like those at Hobgood give students additional opportunities to exercise multiple times during the week.

In April, Scales Elementary received $10,000 to build a walking trail in the shape of Tennessee.

“Kids can do a geography lesson on the trail,” Cain said.

Such programs like Take 10 and on-site walking trails help the physical education teachers make sure kids get 90 minutes of physical activity.

“The teachers realize the healthier the kids, the less absenteeism,” said Kim Gates, P.E. teacher at Hobgood. “The healthier our kids are the better they are going to be in the classroom.”

A Summer of Research – Students, Teachers Delve into Science, Technology
BY CHASITY GUNN
CGUNN@DNJ.COM
July 26, 2009
Courtesy of The Daily News Journal

Ever since her elementary school days, 17-year-old Alyssa Scheele has been interested in science. She spent this summer pursing that interest in research at MTSU.

The program brought together of group of 25 high school and college students, high school teachers and college professors who split into teams of five and conducted several projects, from searching for compounds that stop cancer agents to updating Google Earth maps to studying a TVA coal ash spill.

They presented their research in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math Friday to friends and family at MTSU’s Todd Hall.

Scheele, a senior at Siegel High School, said her work this summer will give her a head start in research. Most students don’t get to do the kind of research until they are juniors or seniors in college, she said.

Students and teachers from Siegel, Blackman and Smyrna high schools were members of the program.

“The summer program is really about getting people interested in real research and giving the experience of research in a team setting,” said Megan Hall, a program coordinator. “We felt that including high school teachers will help them teach their classes.”

She added, “Our high school teachers seem to enjoy the program. It’s a way to reach people. We affect one person who can go back and affect 200.”

Siegel biology teacher Christina Nicholas believes she gained knowledge that will impact her students. Nicholas’ team used GPS technology to create updated Google Earth maps of the Blackman community.

“I feel like I learned a new skill that, hopefully, I can take into the classroom,” she said.

Siegel High senior Matt Jones was on a team that researched a current issue, TVA’s Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant coal ash spill.

“It was a big issue,” he said. “It was a way to get out in the community and help other people.”

His team visited coal plants throughout Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee to collect water and sediment samples.

“My team took me under their wings,” he said. “They taught me everything.”

Another goal of the program is to spur students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“We (United States) used to lead in science, technology and engineering. We don’t do that anymore,” said Thomas Cheatham, dean of MTSU’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

Increasing professionals in those fields, Cheatham said, “is really important to our economy and our future.”

Two of three National Federation of Independent Business scholarship winners statewide from Rutherford County

Joe Horvath and Josh Horvath, both seniors at Blackman High School, recently received $4,000 scholarships each as winners of the seventh annual National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Young Entrepreneur Foundation scholarship award. The brothers also participated in the Business Education Partnership’s Youth Leadership Rutherford program (see photo below).

The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards is a scholarship program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students.

This year the NFIB YEF Awards program gave out more than $600,000 in scholarships to young entrepreneurs nationwide, thanks to support from small business leaders, corporate and foundation supporters and major corporate sponsors Visa and The McKelvey Foundation.

Tennessee Holocaust Commission names Eagleville School’s Beverly N. Barnes recipient of $1500 Teaching Award

The Tennessee Holocaust Commission (THC) recently announced the three statewide winners of the 2009 Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator Award; one of the three is Eagleville School seventh grade teacher Beverly N. Barnes. Barnes won a $1500 scholarship which can be used to develop new curriculum, purchase resources and attend training that will help further engage students in the study of the Holocaust.

Barnes said. “Sharing the stories of those who sacrificed and helping young people recognize the importance of standing up and speaking out for others is a privilege.”

Beverly Noland Barnes teaches seventh and eighth graders language arts at Eagleville School in Rutherford County. She has taught the Holocaust for seven years and uses the study of the Holocaust to encourage her students to think about their roles and responsibilities as members of society. Barnes uses an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing historical documents, literature and speakers to educate students about how the Holocaust has relevance to their lives and the decisions they will make now and in the future.

NEWS RELEASE – Souper Bowl Sunday

Our Kids hosted its 16th Annual Soup Sunday event at the Titan’s Stadium in Nashville on February 22, 2009. Over 60 local restaurants brought their personalized soups to be sampled by nearly 1,500 people that were attending. Judges were local chefs and celebrities, such as Kyle Vanden Bosch of the Tennessee Titans and Rudy Kalis of WSMV, Channel 4.

The prize for the most creative soup award went to a creation called “Swamp Hog, Mud Bug and Grub – Mint Cheese Soup,” dished up by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. The Judges’ Choice award went to “Loaded Seafood Chowder” from Aquarium Restaurant, and the Peoples’ Choice was awarded to “Strawberry Cream Soup” from Monell’s.

But the highlight of the event was the Pro-Am Challenge. Middle Tennessee High School Culinary Arts students were paired up with a local top chef to create a home-made soup in a very short hour and a half. This intense competition requires that all students bring their own equipment, from the knives and cutting boards to the portable stove needed to cook on, while the chef is only allowed to bring his own knife kit. Ingredients were chosen from a mystery pantry containing a wide arrangement of strange and exotic foods, and a special secret ingredient, “mussels,” was assigned bonus points for effective use in their soup.

Clint Kremar, Junior from Smyrna High School Culinary Arts Program, competed for his second year in this competition. Last year, he placed third with executive chef, Mike Cox from Sperry’s in Belle Meade, making “Crazy Clint’s Southwestern Chowder”. This year, Clint was paired up with the executive chef from the Bonefish Grill in Murfreesboro, Ray Sanes, making Hali-Veg soup; a combination of different types of seafood, Halibut being the star fish, and a large number of different types of vegetables.

Out of the eight star students and chefs competing, Maggiano’s chef Sean Riley and James Smidt of Blackman High School took first place with their Spicy Mussel Chowder; Second place was awarded to Chef Maurizio Bussolino and student Mason Bickery, also from Blackman High; Third place went to Chef Garret Pittler and Hunters Lane student Julian Clopton. Other students and chefs that did not place were still awarded medals for competing.