DCSS Notebook – March 29, 2015

Turner named ELS district ‘School of the Month’

Turner Elementary School has been awarded the Educational Learning System’s “School of the Month Award” for February for the school’s commitment to surviving students. Turner was chosen for giving students access to the Symphony Math Program, one of the software components in “The ELS Process.” At Turner, during the month of January, 42 percent of the students in the Symphony Math program met their targeted minutes which was significantly higher than the next school.

Albany Middle School earns honor in Kiwanis Youth Art Competition

James Middleton, art teacher at Albany Middle School, led enough students to place in the Kiwanis Youth Art Competition that the school garnered the most points in the Middle School category. This is not unusual for Albany Middle School, as Mr. Middleton has won several other years. This year’s winners are Jerome Suggs, 6th grade, 2nd place; Shaquille Johnson, 6th grade, 1st place, Anthony Anderson, 8th grade, 1st place and Honorable mention; Dwayne Vanover, 7th grade, Honorable Mention. The art work is currently on display at Albany Museum of Art.

Albany Middle School student places 2nd at Georgia’s Tech Fair

Morgan Rhodes, an 8th grade student at Albany Middle School, placed second for his case modification project titled “Everlasting Galaxy”. More than 1,000 students across Georgia took part in the Georgia Tech Fair held in Macon recently Morgan was sponsored by his Business and Computer Science teacher Gloria Clemons. Other students attending the Tech Fair were Destiny Richardson, Steve Hairston, Ortega Parks and Jasmine Whitsett.

Merry Acres student picked for All-State Chorus

Dalton Dugger, a 7th-grade student at Merry Acres Middle School, was chosen to compete at the 2014-2015 Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Chorus District audition. Dugger received high markings in sight singing, rhythm, pitch, intonation, repertoire execution, and over all musicianship and advanced to the regional auditions.

There, he scored an overall score of 94.14, earning an invitation to sing with the 2014-2015 All- State Chorus this month in Athens representing Georgia’s top middle school vocalists.

ISECS’ LEAP students tour ASU

Fourth and fifth grade students enrolled in the Language Education Advancement Program (LEAP) took a tour of Albany State University recently, hosted by ASU’s Foreign Language Institute (FLI). The LEAP program, sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany and housed at International Studies Elementary Charter School, provides homework and language assistance to Latino students. This trip allowed the students to experience a college setting and understand the importance of doing well academically in the early years of their schooling. They also met professors, students and administrative staff to understand what it takes to be college-bound. Dr. Kimberly Harper, FLI director, and administrative assistant Patrice Smith also gave students bags full of school supplies and ASU paraphernalia.

Westover art students create keepsake portraits for disadvantaged

At Westover High School “The Innovators” Art Club participated in a 2015 Mission in Thailand. The Memory Project is a unique initiative in which art students create portraits for children and teens around the world who have been neglected, orphaned, or disadvantaged. Given that kids in such situations tend to have few personal keepsakes, the program aims to provide them with special memories that capture a piece of their childhood – portable pieces of their personal history. The students created portraits of the children in Thailand and gave a donation with each artwork.