District 3 Has 5 AP Scholars for 2006 - 2007 School Year

The following District Three students qualified as AP Scholars for the 2006-2007 School Year:

Barry W. Drier
Sarah E. Faris
Travis M. Gause
Jason P. Jones
Elizabeth C. Maier

Award Levels
AP Scholar
Granted to students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.
AP Scholar with Honor
Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
AP Scholar with Distinction
Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
State AP Scholar
Granted to the one male and one female student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with grades of 3 or higher on the greatest number of AP Exams, and then the highest average grade (at least 3.5) on all AP Exams taken.
National AP Scholar
Granted to students in the United States who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.They scored a 3 or higher on 3 exams.

Board Work Session Monday, October 8, 2007

The Board of Trustees will have its October work session at Northwestern High School Media Center on Monday, October 8, 2007.  The meeting will begin at 5:30 pm with a proposed agenda as follows:

1. Presentation by Northwestern - James Blake - 30 min.
2. Reassignment Follow-up - Luanne Kokolis and Susan York - 60 min.
    Data on requests from the hearing will be discussed.
3. Report on Options for Youth - Sheila Huckabee and Keith Wilks - 30 min.
4. Board Retreat Suggestions - Luanne Kokolis and John Hair - 15 min.
    Building Capacity - Philosophical vs. Architectural
    District Facilities Master Plan - Review of the Capital Planning Timeline
    Future High School Choice - Magnet School Survey Results (Complete survey at: http://research.zarca.com/clients/RockHill/survey.aspx?sid=13&lang=0 )

    Schools of Choice
5. Urban Learning & Leadership - Harriet Jaworowski - 15 min.
6. Policy GBEBD/GBEBD-R Acceptable Use of Technology (internet) - Rebecca Partlow - 15 min.

Could Have Had More Whiteboards

A Clean Slate: Interactive Whiteboard Makes Lessons Snazzy
There's no reason to be bored with this new kind of board.
by Douglas Cruickshank
published 10/3/2007
Credit: Elena Dorfman
Do you fit one of these scenarios? You've acquired an interactive whiteboard for your classroom, or you're about to. It's been installed, or it soon will be. You've attended a workshop on using the board or gone through an online tutorial, or a colleague has shown you the basics. Now what? How do you and your students make the most of this grand gadget?

Recently, during a morning prep period, Sue Holland, an energetic seventh-grade science teacher at Miller Creek Middle School, in San Rafael, California, answered that question and several others. Holland, a semifinalist for the 2005 California Teacher of the Year award, has been teaching for thirty-four years. This is the third year she's used an interactive whiteboard in her classroom and her enthusiasm is unrestrained. "It's very powerful learning," she says, "very powerful learning!"

Several companies market interactive whiteboards, including Hitachi, Panasonic, Mimio, Interwrite, Promethean, and Smart Technologies, which makes Smart Board, the brand Holland uses.

"Just creating lessons is so fun," Holland says. "I used to sit with the old plan book and write, 'I'm going to do this and this.' But with the Smart Board, you get to design your lesson plans using their tools. You can be as creative as you want to be.”

Credit: Elena Dorfman
And Holland has done just that. “I can insert links to the Internet, or go right to a streaming video on the Web,” she explains. “During a lesson, if a student asks, 'What about this?' I can say, 'Let's take a look' and go online to view it, instead of just talking about it. Eighty percent of us are visual learners -- I do all my lessons now as Smart Board lessons, which is cool."

And Holland isn’t the only one who thinks it's cool. The students use the board in a variety of ways, too, individually and in groups. "I just stand back, and the kids are engaged,” she explains. “For example, we study diseases of the human body in seventh grade. The kids will research a disease, create a PowerPoint presentation, and then share it with the class. They can change their presentation while standing at the board, or write on the board if someone asks a question."

The board can be just as beneficial when applied to math, history, art, physical education, or any other subject. "The software comes with K-12 curriculum built into it," Holland says. “Any software you can put on your laptop can be used with your Smart Board."

Has she had any problems with the board?
"It's technology!" Holland says with a laugh. "Sometimes it will just do something strange. But I love technology, even when it doesn't work."

Accessing Web-based software (such as Google Earth) and other Web resources further expands the potential for using interactive whiteboards in class. Indeed, the list of possibilities is endless. Here are just a few:

• Digital storytelling.
• Creating, viewing, and annotating student PowerPoint and multimedia presentations in real time.
• Showing streamed or downloaded videos.
• Using online map and satellite imagery to teach geography.
• Displaying artwork or online museum presentations.
• Demonstrating moviemaking techniques.
• Viewing and analyzing competitive sports and physical education activities.
• Teaching students how to conduct research on the Internet.
• Working collaboratively on writing and editing exercises, math lessons, and science experiments.
• Instructing the class on the use of a software program, keyboarding techniques, and other computer skills.

"Anybody can use it -- it’s limitless,” Holland says. “Unless the students are engaged in a project at their desks or they're taking a test, we use the board throughout the day, even if I just show them a short video. I use it all the time!"

Douglas Cruickshank is the former editor of Edutopia.org.

Source URL:
http://www.edutopia.org/interactive-whiteboard-classroom
Copyright 2007 The George Lucas Educational Foundation | Privacy Policy
Board of Education: A Wall-Mounted Computer Monitor for Your Classroom
A top teacher shares her enthusiasm for -- and tips about using -- interactive whiteboards.
by Douglas Cruickshank
published 10/2/2007
Credit: Elena Dorfman
No doubt some twisted souls will miss the occasional nerve-fraying shriek of chalk on a blackboard. For the rest of us, the growing popularity of interactive whiteboards -- often mistakenly lumped under the label "smart boards," although Smart is a specific brand name -- are one of the best things to happen to classroom technology in the last twenty years.

An interactive whiteboard is essentially just a large, touch-sensitive screen. The board is connected, via a standard USB plug, to a computer and a digital projector, which displays the computer's screen image onto the whiteboard. Software enables the computer to be controlled from the whiteboard by a hand or by special pens. Work done on the board can be saved on the computer and emailed, which, over the course of the school year, can mean a significant reduction in paper handouts.

Not surprisingly, the business world quickly took a shine to interactive whiteboards when they were introduced in 1991. Now, educators are beginning to discover what the business community is raving about.

In a July posting on Edutopia.org, elementary school teacher Susan Parker wrote that her classroom's interactive whiteboard "brings the information alive" to the students. She noted that "each lesson becomes an interactive one, and students are very motivated to learn."

"The board is very useful to demonstrate and teach editing and rewriting," says Parker, who works in an inner city school with many bilingual students. "There are pens in different colors that allow you to write directly into the Word document you're using and save the editing marks, which is extremely helpful."

One of the board's benefits, Parker adds, is that all students can easily see the images, enabling the lesson to become an engaging group activity. "Instead of crowding around little monitors, the students take turns interacting with the computer," she says. "They also get support from each other. The teacher can use it to demonstrate, then the students can use it to practice, but without feeling like they're put on the spot." Parker uses the interactive whiteboard in class daily, often in conjunction with the Internet, she adds, "in all subjects: reading, literacy, math, writing, science, geography, and social studies."

The companies that make and install interactive whiteboards usually offer tutorials on their Web sites, or provide onsite training for a fee. But most educators agree that they're easy to learn, and simple to operate. Becoming tech savvy has rarely been this easy.

What It Requires
Cost: Typically, $600-$2,000. Manufacturers of interactive whiteboards include Hitachi, InterWrite, Mimio, Panasonic, Promethean, and Smart Technologies.

Time to Set Up: Installation of the whiteboard and related software is done by the manufacturer or your school's IT staff. It should take 2-3 hours.

Source URL:
http://www.edutopia.org/interactive-whiteboards
Copyright 2007 The George Lucas Educational Foundation | Privacy Policy

Message From Oscar F. Lovelace on Healthcare and Smoking

Friends,
Act Now! Why? Because I care and I feel certain you do too!
Previously I have shared with you the fact that every pack of cigarettes sold in SC is costing $7.70 in state and federally funded healthcare costs -- Medicare and Medicaid. At present we collect 39 cents of federal tax and 7 cents of state tax on each pack sold. So we currently collect 46 cents on each pack which is actually costing us $7.70 cents per pack sold in SC. Considering the fact that cigarette smoking is our nation's number one cause of preventable death and understanding the simple math above, it should come as no surprise that our public health care delivery system is collapsing.

About 3 months ago, our practice cared for a patient who had end stage lung disease from smoking. He was taking 3 experimental medications which costs about $12,000 per month. The cost of these medications was paid for by state and federal taxes - through Medicaid and Medicare - AND HE CONTINUED TO SMOKE.

Please remember there is currently no more powerful way to keep teens from starting smoking and to lower the consumption of smoking that raising the purchase price on a pack of cigarettes.

If the federal government were to raise the federal tax on cigarettes, it would most likely discourage interstate trafficking of cigarettes which has become a principal mode of funding terrorist cells in America.

So a higher cigarette tax would:
- keep more teens from starting smoking
- help motivate adults to quit
- save lives and save health care dollars by lowering the cost of medical care
- discourage interstate trafficking or smuggling of cigarettes which has become a principal source of funding for terrorist cells in America

Senate Overwhelmingly Votes to Expand SCHIP
With an Increase in the Federal Tobacco Tax
----- from the American Cancer Society
On September 27, 2007 the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan compromise (67-29) to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program with a 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax. The bill, which enjoys strong bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, will have a significant, positive impact on America's health. The 61-cent tobacco tax alone will reduce youth smoking by an estimated seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by four percent. This amounts to 900,000 lives saved from smoking-attributable premature deaths, including nearly 600,000 children who will not cut their lives short from tobacco use.

Sadly President Bush has repeatedly stated his intention to veto the legislation. We must urge him to have a change of heart and put the interests of our children and public health over the interests of ideology and the tobacco industry. If he signs the legislation, four million additional children whose families otherwise could not afford health insurance will be protected.

------ also from the American Cancer Society:
President Bush has announced he will veto this legislation that would save 600,000 children from dying of tobacco-related disease and provide health coverage to uninsured children by simply raising the federal tax on cigarettes.

Last week, both the U.S. House and Senate passed this legislation by overwhelming, bi-partisan majorities. Now the House must act to override the President’s veto. Call 1.888.NOW.I.CAN and tell your Member of Congress to vote yes to override the veto.

Imagine a bill that will save the lives of 600,000 kids and provide health insurance for uninsured children. The president decided to help tobacco companies instead of children. We must make sure Congress makes the right choice and overrides the veto.

Call 1.888.NOW.I.CAN and tell Congress this legislation will:

• Increase the federal tobacco tax by 61 cents per pack
• Save $12 billion in tobacco-related Medicaid expenses
• Reduce youth and adult smoking
• Save 900,000 lives, including nearly 600,000 children who will not have their lives cut short from tobacco use
• Fund state programs that will provide health insurance to four million additional uninsured children

Only 2 of South Carolina's congressmen voted in support of this compromise bill that passed the House and Senate last week (Clyburn and Spratt). President Bush has now performed his expected veto. The Congress must show leadership to override

------ from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids:
The tobacco industry spent more than $18 million paying lobbyists to influence Congress in 2006. We don't have that kind of money -- but we do have you!

It's time to call your members of Congress and urge them to end special protection for Big Tobacco. It is time for Congress to pass legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration the right to regulate tobacco products.

Right now, 55 members of the Senate and 198 members of the U.S. House have sponsored this life-saving legislation (S. 625 /H.R.1108).

• Our Senator, Lindsey O. Graham, is NOT a sponsor. Please call and urge your Senator to co-sponsor S.625 today. You can reach Senator Lindsey O. Graham at 202-224-5972.
• Our Senator, Jim DeMint, is NOT a sponsor. Please call and urge your Senator to co-sponsor S.625 today. You can reach Senator Jim DeMint at 202-224-6121.
• Our Representative, Joe Wilson, is NOT a sponsor. Please call and urge your Representative to support H.R. 1108 today. You can reach Rep. Joe Wilson at 202-225-2452.

Below is a short phone script to help you with your call:

Good morning/afternoon. My name is _________________ and I live in __(NAME OF YOUR CITY)___. I am calling today to urge NAME OF MEMBER OF CONGRESS OR SENATOR to support giving the Food and Drug Administration common-sense authority over tobacco products and to sign on as a co-sponsor of (H.R.1108 for Representatives; S.625 for Senators). I also urge you to vote to override the Presidential veto of the bipartisan bill to raise the cigarette tax by 61 cents per pack.

I believe it's time for Congress to address the nation’s number one preventable cause of death -- tobacco. Passing (S.625/H.R.1108) into law would be an important accomplishment for Congress and for public health. Please support this legislation and help end the special protection the tobacco industry has enjoyed for far too long.

------ from Join Together:
Heart Attacks Decline After N.Y. Smoking Ban -- October 1, 2007
New York hospitals admitted nearly 4,000 fewer heart-attack patients in 2004, the year after the state implemented a ban on indoor smoking, the New York Times reported Sept. 28.

The state Department of Health said that such admissions were 8 percent lower than expected, saving the healthcare system an estimated $56.3 million.

Ursula Bauer, study author and director of New York's tobacco-control program, called the 2003 indoor-smoking ban "a public health intervention that hardly costs anything, so to accrue that kind of savings from an inexpensive intervention is really unparalleled."

Researchers looked at a decade's worth of data from hospitals in all 62 of New York's counties. The more than 250 hospitals studied admitted 462,396 people for heart attacks in 2004. They controlled for factors such as seasonal differences in heart-attack rates and improving health care to attribute the decline in hospital admissions to the ban.

The study was published online in the American Journal of Public Health.
Reference:
Juster, H.R. (2007) Declines in Hospital Admissions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in New York State After Implementation of a Comprehensive Smoking Ban. American Journal of Public Health, published online Sep 27, 2007 [see attached PDF file]

This may seem like a stuck record but I see our health care crisis first hand every day. Please call your congressman today and urge them to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco and override President Bush's veto of the bipartisan Bill to increase the Federal tax on cigarettes to $1/pack.

Press on,
Oscar F. Lovelace, Jr. MD
Lovelace Family Medicine, PA
PO Box 630
Prosperity, SC 29127
Office 803 364-4852
Cell 803 622-4223
Email olovelace@backroads.net
"Dum Spiro Spero"

Superintendent's Message to Employees on Turf

FACTS CONCERNING ARTIFICIAL TURF

To: District Three Employees

As most of you know, there has been a controversy about the board's decision to approve artificial turf for the District Three Stadium. I'm always concerned when members of the community disagree with the decisions made by the board, but I'm especially concerned when our employees express their doubts. I am, therefore, providing you with the following information with the hope that you will be better informed as to why the decision was made. It's truly important to me that district employees are knowledgeable about the decisions made by the school board or by the district administration.

A question presented to the Board of Trustees on September 24, 2007, was not, “If you had $750,000 in surplus money to spend, what would be your priority?”  The question was, “Can we save our taxpayers' money by installing artificial turf in the District Three Stadium?” 

Each year we spend approximately $65,000 maintaining natural grass in the District Three Stadium.  Although our maintenance staff does an outstanding job of maintaining the field, it is used three to four nights a week (38 times last year within 3-1/2 months).  Grass cannot hold up to such extensive use without being patched or replaced over a ten-year period at a cost of over $400,000, bringing the 10-year cost of natural grass to an estimated $1,050,000.  It is impossible to keep it maintained at a level anywhere close to artificial turf without spending a great deal more than we currently spend.  By comparison, the 10-year cost for synthetic turf is less than $790,000, or over $250,000 less than we spend to maintain natural grass over the same time period.

We continue to look for ways to be more efficient and effective.  We recommended installing artificial turf as a means of getting “more bang for the buck.”  Although this decision was based purely on economics, there are some additional benefits:

• Instead of limiting the use of the field, we can expand the use of the facility for students. 
• We can provide a safer field for our players by providing a consistent surface. Currently, late in the season, the field becomes rutted and during a typical year, the field becomes muddy.
• We have the possibility to generate new revenue streams by using the field on a year-round basis.
• It would improve one of our facilities that has been the centerpiece for our athletic community for a number of years.

The term surplus denotes extra money.  This is not extra money; it is simply the difference in what we budgeted and what we actually spent.  It should only be spent on one-time expenses or to increase our fund balance for emergencies.  It simply cannot be used for additional teachers or more academic programs, both of which are recurring costs.

Our school board members want to make the right decision for the people they represent. However, due to limited communication, a decision can be perceived as wrong.  The decision made on September 24 is sound business, but we failed to explain the decision adequately to you and to our community.  We apologize for any frustration or misunderstanding.  We will work harder in the future to provide information earlier in the process.  Please know that we value and appreciate the support of all employees and want to be good stewards of everyone's tax dollars.

Zero tolerance equals no brains

Despite what Greenville County school officials say, the school district for years has effectively operated with a "zero tolerance" policy for certain youthful mistakes. I've always thought "no brains" was a better description of such harsh measures than "zero tolerance."

At a time that school officials and community leaders fret and stew over this community's high drop-out rate, we have a school district that has a "one strike and you're out" approach to punishment for certain misdeeds. In our own school district, such policies have resulted in good kids being kicked out of school for silly mistakes such as using a plastic knife to cut Styrofoam for a project at school, using a steak knife during an after-school project to cut out cardboard badges and having a broken knife used to fix a stereo in a locked car.

Granted, allowing school officials who should be able to exercise discretion and plain common sense brings an element of human subjectivity into the punishment for certain foolish mistakes. But my heavens, if the criminal courts took this approach to punishment, we'd be executing people for holding up a bank or robbing a liquor store.

The good news is this: some trustees are showing some commendable courage, and now a trustee committee will review the district's policy regarding explusion. Trustee Megan Hickerson reportedly brought up this matter after discussions with community and board members. Good for her!

There are times that students should be expelled from school in a skinny minute. Think attacking another student with a weapon. Or getting caught with alcohol more than once. Or hitting a teacher.

But a young person shouldn't have his or her future ruined -- or at least significantly sidetracked -- because of some foolish mistake that does not reflect student's record and isn't consistent with that student's character.

The School Board owes it to this community, to parents, but especially to students, to come up with a policy that maintains order and safety, but does so in a way that doesn't destroy the lives of young people who slip up badly one time.

Posted by Beth Padgett on September 27, 2007 05:24 PM | Permalink

High School League and Other Issues

More reasons to get angry
First, let me thank Sports Editor Gary McCann for his Sunday column outlining the incredibly ridiculous decision by the South Carolina High School League. Moving Rock Hill High School and South Pointe High School to Region 4-AAAA and forcing them to play games in Richland County rather than in their own county is wrong on several levels.

Mr. McCann listed several negative effects this decision is going to have on budgets, students, parents and classwork due to the extended travel distance for every athletic event. I have a few more. What about the dangers for high school students who drive to games to support their classmates? What about the pep bands, dance teams, cheerleaders and alumni supporters who will also have to travel further? Mr. McCann is right. The only thing he failed to mention is how to get your opinion heard. The SC High School League can be contacted by calling (803) 798-0120 or at schsl@schcl.org

Get angry! Do it for your kids!
While you are at it, how about contacting a few of your state legislators about a few issues. Several of them voted yes to swapping property tax for a 1-cent sales tax. Did you know that South Carolina saw a recession in May and June of this year? How do you think that is going to affect the programs our schools offer in the future?

Take a look at who is in favor of school vouchers. Ask them how a school voucher is really going to help low-income families be able to attend a $7,000-a-year private school. When you have him on the phone, mention the child may need a ride and a packed lunch. See if they might be able to help in that regard, too.

Don't hang up! I have a couple more people you may want to contact about starting school after the third Monday in August. I know we all got a longer summer this year, but guess what? The state still mandates that South Carolina schoolchildren attend school for 180 days. That longer summer was a one-shot deal. I hope you enjoyed it. It is too bad our PACT testing dates will not be any later during the school year, and our high school students have to spend their holiday vacation studying for first semester exams.

You are right, Mr. McCann, get angry, and do it for all our children!
Mikki Rentschler
Rock Hill