Video on World Population Change

Rock Hill's Applied Technology Center Gets $50,000 Grant

The Applied Technology Center was the recipient of the 2011 Collision Repair Education Foundation's Ultimate Collision Education Makeover $50,000 school grant. The announcement was made November 2, 2011 at the SEMA expo where ATC's collision instructor, Mark Dellinger, was present. The grant honors a high-performing school that has been doing an outstanding job in educating students in collision repair but is in need of financial assistance to improve teaching materials and equipment.

Competing in a Global Society - Meeting in Columbia

I have promised a report on a meeting in Columbia last fall. The meeting was sponsored by the SCASA and included a kick-off of their new web site and vision in addition to some very high profile speakers and panel discussions. I have delayed my notes because I didn't know how to report the comments our State Superintendent of Education, Mick Zais, made. I have finally decided to follow some old advice, "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything" - so I'll limit my comments on the Superintendent to say, he had guts showing up at a meeting full of state educators and saying the things he did.

I particularly enjoyed the talks from Dr. Yong Zhao, University of Oregon and Mr. Jamie Vollmer, author of Schools Cannot Do It Along. Business representation was especially strong with; Boeing; Michelin North America; Milliken and; AT&T making presentations on how important it is to support public education. It is great to know that major businesses in South Carolina are organizing to help education. Former Governor Dick Riley and Senator Hugh Leatherman also were presenters. I especially enjoyed Lucy Beckham, the Wando High School Principal, and I think,  a national Principal of the Year.

Our own Dr. Lynn Moody was an organizer and moderator of the event and Rock Hill's Jason Broadwater helped develop the new web site, Our Education Vision. Briefly, school superintendents got together to develop a vision for education in South Carolina. They have put together a web site that allows you to add your input to the vision as well. You should click here to help build on the vision that has already been created.

From Mr. Vollmer's magic list:

• Parents need to be able to trust their schools. Schools must build that understanding and seek permission for change.
• Educators need to stop bad mouthing each other.
• Educators need to stop the, "I know the job is hard" discussion.
• Shift comments to the positive.
• Share the successes. Communicate in your community, not just in your schools. Change the message on your schools sign; weekly if not daily. Partner with businesses and put up posters/place matts of the good news or just the work of the schools. Play video's of your successes at community events - many of your business's now have LCD's for customers and employees - see if you can play there as well.
• Sustain the effort. This is for the long haul.
• Start - Do it Now!

Teachers are not the problem, they are part of the solution. Remember that.

test

Click here for a link to the video.

Hello Dolly At South Pointe High School Nov. 17 - 20

From S.P.I.N magazine:

Classic musical to come to South Pointe

OCT 4

Posted by SPiN WIRED - The latest South Pointe High School news

Nov. 17-20, South Pointe’s auditorium will be ringing with “Hello, Dolly,” this year’s big musical event.

Barbra Streisand sings in the 1969 movie version of “Hello, Dolly.”

Dolly (Rachel Henderson) is the best match maker inYonkers, N.Y. She is trying, without much success, to find a wife for the grumpy “half a millionaire” Horace Vandergelder (Shivam Patel). Meanwhile, Horace’s niece Ermengarde (Anna McKeown) enters into a star-crossed relationship with the young Ambrose (Grant Brannon), whom her uncle does not approve of. At the same time, Cornelius (Logan Hughes) and Barnaby (Collin Laster), Horace’s store clerks, are on a mission to take the train to New York City and not come home until they eat a fancy dinner and kiss a girl. 

“Hello, Dolly” takes place at the turn of the 20^th century and is based on a book entitled “The Matchmaker.” It was written in 1955, making it not the newest show out there. Director Jimmy Chrismon says he was “looking to do an older musical because we haven’t really done one… this one is fun [and] silly.”

Putting on a musical isn’t all fun and games; the rights to the music and script cost $1,500 and costumes will be roughly another $1,000. And that’s not to mention the scores of hours of planning, rehearsing and perfecting the show.

 “[I’m] really looking forward to working with the cast,” says Chrismon. With a group of 56, “it’s the largest we’ve ever had [but] they seem to be working hard so far,” he says.

When: Thurs. Nov. 17, 18, 19, matinee on the 20^th. Times to be announced.

Where: South Pointe High School auditorium

Education Nation 2.0

Stanford University held a Redefining K-12 Education in America conference with several innovative leaders. The video below is long (90 minutes) but the discussion is interesting. Established education management and elected school boards in particular were identified as problem areas for education improvement. Technology and Charter Schools were mentioned as leading the change.

Click here for a link to the video.

SC Shows Little Change in NAEP Scores

COLUMBIA, SC - November 1, 2011 - While South Carolina eighth graders improved their scores in reading and mathematics, fourth graders’ performance in reading slightly declined and slightly improved in mathematics on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  Ranked by scale score, South Carolina is 39th in fourth grade reading (no change from 2009), 38th in eighth grade reading (improvement of 4 spots from 2009), 37th in fourth grade mathematics (improvement of 1 spot from 2009), and 34th in eighth grade mathematics (decline of 1 spot from 2009).

Is Economic Inequality Harmful?

An interesting look at data from different types of economic indicators and the effect on the population.

Click here for a link to the video.