One hundred winners, one from every county in North Carolina, will be selected for the N.C. 529 Scholarship Contest by a random drawing from all entries in each county. 

Scholarships will be awarded in the form of a $529 contribution to an N.C. 529 Plan college savings Account owned (or opened after the drawing) by the entrant whose name is drawn. The owner of the NC 529 Account must be at least 18 years of age and can name a child, grandchild or anyone else in or planning for college (even him or herself) as the Account Beneficiary. Winners will be announced on May 9, 2014 — which is College Savings Day, 5/29.

The N.C. 529 Plan, also known as North Carolina’s National College Savings Program, offers a tax-advantaged way for individuals to save and pay for higher education. The N.C. State Education Assistance Authority (state entity that established and maintains the N.C. 529 Plan); College Foundation, Inc. (program administrator); State Employees’ Credit Union (scholarship funds provider); and CCL branding (contest host and manager) are contest sponsors.

Read Full Story

Imagine that a natural disaster has left people isolated on a remote island, and you need to build a rocket to deliver food to them.

That’s what 4,000 students in the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City schools faced, in a scaled-down version, as they participated in the “Rockets to the Rescue” experiment Oct. 8.

The experiment was part of the seventh annual 4-H National Youth Science Day, which required the elementary through middle school students to react to this fictional scenario.

Their rockets, made of household items and less than 2 feet tall, had to fly yards instead of miles. With air as the propellant – supplied by a launchpad made of PVC pipes and an empty 2-liter soda bottle – there were no ignitions or explosions, so the experiment was both safe and environmentally friendly.

Kannapolis Intermediate School students designed and built their rockets to deliver a payload of four raisins to the imaginary island that was marked off on the softball field.

On the first attempt, Meredith Katz’s class managed to land a rocket on the island. A few others landed in the area marked as water, close enough that the survivors in the scenario could reach the food with a short swim.

Ten-year-olds Chloe Johnson and Louisa Roche jumped on the soda bottle together, but it still did not make it to the island.

“I am disappointed that it didn’t make it into the circle. I have learned that we made the rocket too heavy,” said Louisa.

The girls agreed, though, that the project was exciting and fun, “My old school never did anything like this. Today I learned about force and motion,” said Chloe.

“Participating in high-quality, positive youth development programs like 4-H NYSD offers youth(s) and adults the opportunity to engage in scientific exploration and work together to build the next generation of our nation’s scientists, engineers and mathematicians,” 4-H Program Associate Beverly Bollenbecker said.

Read Full Article

During the Elkin Board of Education meeting on Monday, nine members of the Elkin High School chapter of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) will be recognized after recently recently winning gold and silver medals at the State Leadership Conference in Greensboro.

The nine members to be recognized are: Kristen Kartes; Courtney Cobler; Kenya Easter; Emma Aldridge; Makayla Dimmette; Rebekah Cranford; Ellie Hooper; Georgia Longworth; Hannah Freeman will be honored by Kali Teague; and Robin Hooper.

Elkin City Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Bledsoe will recognize Barbara Long for receiving the North Carolina FCCLA Outstanding Administrator of the Year Award.

Originally Posted Here

The Cabarrus County Board of Education unanimously approved expanding its early childhood programs, with two classrooms serving 36 students next school year, during the board’s combined work session and business meeting on Monday.

Tara Nattrass, director of elementary education for Cabarrus County Schools, presented a proposal to expand the early childhood programs by leasing space at All Saints Episcopal Church in Concord and using dual subsidy funding that Cabarrus Partnership for Children receives and will provide.

“We know early childhood programs have a big impact on students. … We know we have children throughout the county we are unable to reach,” Nattrass said.

The dual subsidy funding is federally funded and comes to the state, said Ann Benfield, executive director for Cabarrus Partnership for Children. The More at Four and Smart Start programs are provided by Cabarrus Partnership for Children, which must spend 30 percent of its funding in childcare subsidies, Benfield said.

Cabarrus County Schools currently has 176 students at Long School that are funded by Head Start and the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program (NC Pre-K); 108 students at Carl A. Furr, W.M. Irvin, Rocky River and Winecoff elementary schools that are funded by NC PreK; and about 200 students at the Mary Frances Wall Center. There are still 300-400 students on the waiting list, though, and Nattrass said the board asked about a year ago how it could expand its early childhood programs.

“I can see it’s very much a win-win for the children and for the school system. … We can only serve so many, but the number on the waiting list keeps going up and up and up. This will provide more services for more children,” Shue said.

Read Full Article

Two elementary schools in eastern Wake County have received national attention for their magnet programs, including Wendell Creative Arts and Science Magnet Elementary, which earned a place in the top tier of schools.

Magnet Schools of America recognized 23 schools in the Wake County Public School System with the Magnet Schools of Merit Awards. Wendell Elementary placed in the top category – “Magnet Schools of Excellence” – one of five schools in the county to earn the recognition.

Zebulon Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary was recognized as one of 18 “Magnet Schools of Distinction.”

Wake County has 41 magnets and they have seen significant recognition by the national organization over the past four or five years. Magnet schools are public schools that often emphasize a themed curriculum like science or world languages and also focus on diversity and reducing pockets of poverty.

Zebulon Elementary received the “School of Excellence” award last year, and Wendell Elementary had been listed as a “School of Distinction” for the past two years. The latter award recognizes those schools which meet the basic rubric judged by a national panel of educators, while the highest award is given to schools with particularly admirable ways of meeting the rubric.

Read full article on the News & Observer

Teachers from across North Carolina gathered Monday in New Hanover county for a local government seminar. 

About 20 teachers are taking part in the workshops being held at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center. The workshops look at the role of government in North Carolina and explore pedagogical strategies for teaching their students about how the local government works. 

Teachers will meet with local government officials and visit county and city departments.

Program director Paul Bonnici said this program will help teachers better understand local government so that they can better teach their students. He also said the seminars are for teachers to network and share classroom ideas. 

Read Full Article

More than 2,000 people turned out for the Back to School Bash,held on Aug. 16, prior to the start of the new school year on Aug. 25.

“There were great speakers from different professions, such as school and law officials, politicians, probation officer, educational advisor, youth performers, educational vendors, lots of children and parents and grandparents and more,” said Sarah Burns, program manager with the Caraway Foundation, one of the organizations that put on the event. “Children and parents had a chance to speak and get information about college, medical, law, literacy, children organization, mentoring, safe acts, but most of all children received some school supplies, uniforms, and shoes if they needed them. Families were out spending time together, fellowshipping with friends they had not seen in awhile, children exercising by way of (running, dancing, walking), their mind was challenged with health questions, an estimation game, and learning that people are concerned and care about them and their future.”

Children from all grade levels, as young as 2 years of age to college, were provided with something for their age level and some things from the Anson County School supply list. A team of volunteers and community leaders helped orchestrate this event, including Kesler Chapel AME Zion Church, H.O.L.L.A!, County Commissioner and Faith-Based Center of Hope CEO Vancine Sturdivant, Anson County Sheriff-Elect Landric Reid, The Caraway Foundation and many others.

“We want to thank the great citizens here in Anson County for believing and supporting what this event was planned for: our TODAY, our TOMORROW, our CHILDREN,” Burns said.

The Caraway Foundation plans a Collegiate Preparedness Seminar in the near future. “We hope students will plan to attend to get helpful information about preparing for college,” Burns said.

Originally Posted Here

Kathy Oakley, executive director for Child Nutrition Services for Alamance-Burlington Schools, was awarded the Mary Long Beasley Distinguished Service Award by the School Nutrition Association of North Carolina.

Each year the award goes to a director of a school nutrition program whose career shows a dedication to serving children and contributing to the profession.

Oakley’s nomination letters praised her concern for needy children and for keeping the ABSS program financially stable in the face of changing federal directives and rising food costs.

Oakley started her career with Burlington City Schools 38 years ago, working her way up from a cafeteria manager to direct the district’s program. She is a graduate of Alamance Community College and has an associate’s degree in food service.

Originally Posted Here

Many students at North Lenoir High School don’t give much thought to the school’s mentally disabled students. Most don’t interact with them at all.

Holly Holder is not most students.

Holder, 17, has been working to fund a special gift for the 20 mentally disabled students at her school – percussion instruments.

A senior at North Lenoir, Holder has been working to bring music to the mentally disabled for almost four years.

“They love it, and they pick up on music very well,” Holder said.

Last year, Holder led a group of 20 disabled students in a concert, teaching students to sing and to do small hand motions while she played guitar for them. The show was a success and this year she wants to expand on the idea.

With the help of a group of band and choir directors, Holder was able to find beginner percussion kits containing finger cymbals, triangles, tambourines, maracas and other percussion instruments.

In order to fund the instrument kits, Holder turned to the Internet.

In October, she created a GoFundMe.com page, and began asking her fellow students for donations.

“It was amazing. I put it on my Facebook and in 10 minutes my friends started sharing it and donating,” Holder said. “Other students who I didn’t really know would come up to me in the hall and ask me how they could donate.”

While the fundraiser didn’t fully meet its $600 goal, it did raise enough to purchase one kit for each student at North Lenoir. Holder plans to distribute the kits to students next week.

“Our kids love music, we are really excited,” said Edna Howell, exceptional children teacher at North Lenoir High School. “We’ll hear a lot of noise, but we are game for it.”

Stacy Britt, another exceptional children teacher at North Lenoir, said many of her students are non-verbal, but will appreciate the new instruments.

“It’s a way for them to express themselves, to interact with their non-disabled peers,” she said.

Holder said she plans to use the new percussion kits to teach students how to play music, and hopes to host another concert in February.

The fundraiser Holder started to buy the kits is still open through the end of the holidays. Any extra money brought into the fundraiser will go towards buying similar kits for disabled students at other Lenoir County schools.

Read full article on Kinston.com