Give a round of applause to this year's winner and runner up in the Kathryn C. Mitchell Spelling Bee.



The Bee was held last week and Jeremy G. of DuPont Hadley Middle School came out on top. Christine L. from Meigs Middle Magnet followed closely behind as runner-up.

(L-R) Tracy Hardin, President of The Links, INC. presenting our Spelling Bee winner with a $500.00 Check from Dr. and Mrs. Carver G. Wilcox, daughter and son-in-law of Dr. Kathryn C. Mitchell; Jeremy G., Spelling Bee Winner-DuPont Hadley MS; Dr. Lora Hall, MNPS; Christine L., Spelling Bee Runner up- Meigs Magnet Middle School; Toni Davis, Representing The Links, INC and the Charles Davis Foundation that donated a $250 check to the runner up

Oh, and by the way - the winning word was VENTILATE. VENTILATE. Shall I use it in a sentence?

We'd like to give a big, BIG thanks to Papa John's and Michael Griffin of the Tennessee Titans for a sizable donation given to Hunters Lane High School this week.



Michael came by Hunters Lane with a check for more than $8,500 to be used for healthy snacks and fresh food for students.



The money was raised through a pizza promotion done at Papa John's restaurants. Both Michael Griffin and executives from Papa John's were proud to particiapte, saying how important it is to be involved in the community and to give help young people who need it.



Thank you for the donation!

Tennessee Titan Michael Griffin with Hunters Lane principal Susan Kessler & assistant principal Andrew Davis.

Is it still volunteering if you can win cash? You bet it is!



OneNashville.org is enticing you to volunteer in our schools by putting cash and prizes on the line. You can enter as yourself, enter your whole school or enter your business.



It's easy.



Log on to OneNashville.org and choose volunteer opportunities in our schools. Be sure to log your hours on the website. And that's it. Really, that's it!



When you hit the minimum number of hours you will be entered into a drawing. There are three separate prizes for individual, school and business:

• $1,000 for you


• $1,000 for your school


• a full page ad in The Tennessean for your business

Here's the fine print:

Criteria to win: Individual: Anyone who logs 12 hours or more will be entered into the drawing. Business: Employee volunteers must log an average of 2.5 hours each. For example, if a company has 10 employees who volunteer in Metro Nashville Public Schools, they would need to log at least 25 combined hours for the business to be entered into the drawing. School: In order to keep the playing field equal for large and small schools, each school will need an average of one volunteer hour logged per student per year to be eligible for the prize. Since the time frame leading up to the drawing is three months, schools must divide the number of students by four to find out how many volunteer hours are needed to be entered into the drawing. For example, if a school has 200 students, they would need to log 50 hours to be eligible.

Get started!

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Hoops Night Out

The North Sports Report enjoyed a fabulous mid-week hoops experience at Glencliff this week as the Colts hosted the Hillwood Hilltoppers. The gym and new floor design at Glencliff are gorgeous. The floor was recently dedicated to Coach Glenn Falls, Glencliff’s longtime great basketball and volleyball coach. The North Sports Report had the honor of watching the games, played on Glenn Falls Court, sitting next to Glenn Falls. He spoke glowingly about the past and present Glencliff players with stories of outstanding defensive performances in state tournament games of the past to the college and career plans of present players. That was a treat! By the way, the hot dogs at the Glencliff concessions stand were out of this world! You should go to a game this week, catch-up with old friends, enjoy a good dog, and support our student-athletes.



Also spotted in the crowd was Hillwood Football Coach Bubba Spears cheering on the Hilltopper hoopsters.

Glenn Falls Court at Glencliff High School

Bowling State Tournament…Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’

The State Bowling Championship Tournament starts Thursday January 24 and runs through Saturday at the Smyrna Bowling Center. The schedule and brackets are available at www.tssaa.org.



MNPS student-athletes qualifying for the boys’ state tournament (along with their season average) are:



Matt Holland, McGavock (196.06); Aaron Ruiz, Cane Ridge (244.33-the top qualifier in the state); Andre Rucker, MLK (188.0); Steven Smith, Hillsboro (180.58); Jonathon Davis, East Nashville (202.60); Louis Dunn, Hillsboro (178.22);



MNPS student-athletes qualifying for the girls’ state tournament (along with their season average) are: Kaitlin Cashion, MLK (156.0); Summer Earnest, Hume-Fogg (139.86); Reanna Evans, Hunters Lane (119.0); Eunicia Turner, East Nashville (127.29); Kelsie Holland, McGavock (125.70);



Congratulations on a great season and good luck in Smyrna this week!

Hancock-Nipper Award Winner

Congratulations to Cane Ridge Ravens’ Raymond Caruthers who earned a prestigious Hancock-Nipper Award. Presented by the Nashville Civitan Club, the Hancock-Nipper Awards are presented to football players who “displayed outstanding sportsmanship for Nashville teams that won region or state championships” according to the venerable sportswriter Harold Huggins of The Nashville City Paper.



Congratulations to Raymond and all our MNPS student-athletes.





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Outstanding Sportsmanship

The safety of our students and staff is always our first priority. Lately, some questions have been raised about carbon monoxide in schools. The vast majority of our classrooms, including portables, are heated with units using electricity and do not have a source for carbon monoxide, greatly reducing this risk for students and staff.



Our heating units are inspected by our maintenance department annually, and our staff routinely conducts random carbon monoxide monitoring. We have had no recent reports of elevated carbon monoxide in any of our buildings. The Metro Code does not require carbon monoxide detectors for schools and Metro school buildings do not have them. Our maintenance and construction offices meet regularly and do plan to discuss whether or not the installation of carbon monoxide detectors is warranted.

Someone in a Middle Tennessee high school is going to win $1,000. Will it be you? 



The Princeton Prize in Race Relations is given to a high school student whose efforts have had a significantly positive effect on race relations in his or her school or community.



So how do you win? It's easy. Fill out part 1 of the application and have a "supporter" (teacher, mentor, religious leader, etc.) fill out part 2. You can even apply online.



The deadline to submit is January 31, 2013, so don't hesitate. Apply now and the Princeton Prize could be yours!

John Early Museum Magnet Middle was transformed into a museum to showcase work done in the past nine weeks.



This was an opportunity for students to share and show off work to parents, teachers and their fellow students. It was also is a wonderful chance to experience what the museum theme has to offer.



Grade Level Themes:

• 5th Grade: The Way It Was.


• 6th Grade: The Power Of...


• 7th Grade: The Perspective Of...


• 8th Grade: The Way It Was, The Way It Is, and the Way It Shall Be

The McGavock Cluster Coalition helped more than 85 families during its Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Drive night yesterday.



Students and their parents received assistance filling out paper work, learning about college and university deadlines and how much federal aid students should ask for. The Donelson Hermitage Chamber volunteered for the evening as well as first –time volunteer Deloitte.



Deloitte will be hosting additional FAFSA Drives the month.

• Antioch High School, Thursday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m.


• Hillsboro High School, Thursday, Jan. 17


• Overton High School, Thursday, Jan. 24, at 5:30 P.M.

We want to give a big thanks to Deloitte, the Donelson Chamber, the McGavock Cluster Coalition and every volunteer who helped students take their first steps in reaching the next level of education!

McGavock Seniors are committed to graduating!	Board Representative Anna Shepherd signs families in.
Principal Robbin Wall chats with Family Engagement Specialist Shonta Woodbury.	Families sign in for FAFSA Night.

"Within the next three years, all Kindergarten through Grade 12 students in Metro Schools will have opportunities to participate in high quality music instruction..."

In a strong move signaling to the rest of the country the Music City is a leader in arts education, the Board of Education adopted a lengthy resolution not only acknowledging the vital importance of music education, but also commmiting to expanding it.



The resolution was approved Tuesday, January 8. It recognizes the part music education plays in improved test scores, graduation rates and closing the achievement gap. But perhaps more importantly, it also recognizes the other, harder to measure impact music education can have.

...multiple research studies make clear that students who participate in a rigorous, sequential, standards-based visual and performing arts education develop the ability to innovate, communicate, and collaborate... ...such music education in schools improves test scores, increases graduation rates and helps close achievement gaps among student groups... ...research shows music enhances cognitive development in many areas, including verbal skills and social emotional learning... ...research indicates low income students with in-depth music and arts involvement earn better grades, are more likely to attend college, develop greater self esteem and are more engaged in civic affairs... Read the full resolution

So what will Metro Schools do with all of these facts and this recognition?



Music instruction for all students in all grades.



The act wasn't merely symbolic. It was a distinct recognition of the Music Makes Us program and the work it does. Going even further than that, it was a commitment to stick with the program, expand it and support it whatever ways possible.



Music Makes Us is a collaboration between Metro Schools, the Mayor's Office, and mutliple groups in the community and the music industry. It strives to increase the quality and quantity of music education in our schools with classes that are tied to rigorous academic standards and a more modern approach to music classes.

Learn more about Music Makes Us

The arts play a vital role in academic success, and we are proud to have this renewed commitment as set of guiding principals for music education.

Bank of America is looking for students who want to make a difference in their community. Applications are now available for the bank's "Student Leaders" program, which promises to show how non-profits, government and business can work together to change communities and connect citizens.



The program offers an eight-week, paid internship at a local non-profit and admission to a week long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.!



Applications are due by January 25 2012 and can be found on the Bank of America website: http://www.bankofamerica.com/neistudentleaders. Click below for the program flyer.

Updated January 8, 2013

As we begin the second half of our school year, the terrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, is still on our minds. It is difficult to comprehend what happened and we grieve the loss of the children, teachers and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

We are committed to the safety of our children and staff and we have been working to create positive, safe schools for years. We are well ahead of many area districts. Any changes we make to our procedures now will be based on thoughtful, measured decisions that produce real improvements to school security.

We know parents are troubled by this event and may want to know more about school safeguards and security measures in our district.

The safety of our students and staff is our first priority. We are reviewing every piece of our security practices and plans and expediting security upgrades that we had previously planned. We have been in ongoing communication with local law enforcement and emergency management officials to insure our emergency management procedures are current and aligned with best practices. With our large district, we need a process to address the improvements and we are underway.

Toward that end, all principals, assistant principals and central office staff who work in schools were asked to complete a FEMA crisis management training program over the holidays as a refresher for good safety procedures. We have reviewed our safety procedures with local law enforcement and are in communication with the state. Our maintenance and security staffs are reviewing access and safety measures in every school, with help from school staff. We want to make sure procedures are consistent and in place and that safety devices are up to date. We remind visitors they must sign in and out and wear visitor IDs in district facilities.

Thank you for continuing to observe and follow all of the safety procedures currently in place.

Our middle and high schools have School Resource Officers who are sworn Metro Police Officers employed by the Metro Police Department. We believe any armed staff in our schools should be fully-trained uniformed police officers.

We are in a better position to keep our schools safe when we limit detailed discussion of our security measures to those who need to know the details. Consequently, if you have concerns about the specifics in your school, please talk to your principal, who can address your concerns or share them with our security and facilities staff as appropriate.

So that we can all help our children emotionally process this disturbing news and continue to feel safe at school and home, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has put together a number of suggestions and tips for families. The NASP website has even more, including tips translated into several languages.

From NASP:

It is important to keep in mind that an event like this is rare. Schools are one of the safest places for children and youth during the school day, and an important place for them to receive support and return to normalcy.

Communication and collaboration among schools, parents, and communities is critical to ensure that our students continue to view schools as safe, caring, and supportive environments. How adults react to this tragedy can shape the way children and youth react and their perceptions of safety.

Educators can reinforce students’ sense of safety by making classrooms predictable and welcoming, providing access to mental health supports as needed, and connecting families with other available resources after school hours.

Families are encouraged to spend time together, validate children’s feelings, ask for help as needed, and find calm and relaxing activities to do at home.

It is very important to limit children’s exposure to media coverage, particularly for young children. If children are watching the news or accessing information online, parents and caregivers should be available to talk to their children about it.

Families and educators will serve on the frontline of helping children understand and cope with this violence and loss of life. Most children and youth are resilient and will cope well with the support and caring of their families, teachers, friends, and other caring adults. However, young children may have particular difficulty understanding and describing their feelings and emotions.

Some tips to help children include:

• Provide a developmentally appropriate, clear, and straightforward explanation of the event


• Return to normalcy and routine to the best extent possible while maintaining flexibility


• Let children know it’s okay to feel upset or angry


• Be a good listener and observer


• Provide various ways for children to express emotion, either through journaling, writing letters, talking, making a collage, or music


• Focus on resiliency as well as the compassion of others

More Resources:

• Parent Tips in English, Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, Somali , Vietnamese, Korean, Amharic


• American Psychological Association


• National Child Traumatic Stress Network


• PBS Parents

Let's give a hearty congratulations to Dr. Kecia Ray, recently featured online as a "global hero in education."



Kecia is in charge of Learning Technology for Metro Schools, which means she helps teachers, schools, and the district integrate technology into curriculum and the classroom. Of course she does so much more than that, like designing and launching MNPS Virtual School.

For Dr. Kecia Ray, creating a classroom for today’s students means a complete re-imagination of what the classroom can and should look like. And technology is just one component. “My work is focused on increasing the use of technology in classrooms, both formal and informal,” she says. “I have worked with museums to redesign environments into more engaging learning spaces for informal learning, and I’ve worked with higher education and K12 to rethink teaching and learning.” Currently, Dr. Ray works in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools as the Executive Director of Learning Technology. “A focus of our department is to design blended learning environments in our schools,” she adds. Two years ago, Ray and her team designed the state’s first diploma-granting high school, and they are currently planning to redesign classrooms and instruction to incorporate blended learning models and project-based learning into K-12 classrooms.

The article also includes an in depth interview with Kecia where she talks about her dreams for educational technology in Metro Schools and the world.



Read the full article.

Looking back to help the future: Six high school basketball teams are taking part in The FANS Retro Classic this weekend that benefits The FANS, Inc., a foundation raising money for Metro Schools athletic programs.



So what makes these games so special? Teams will be wearing old school uniforms to honor high school teams of the past!



Hume-Fogg and Hunters Lane will wear Madison High polka dots, Maplewood and Stratford will wear uniforms to honor Isaac Litton High, McGavock will honor DuPont High, and Glencliff will honor Cameron High.



Will the uniforms look exactly like you remember them? Of course not, but that's not really the point, is it?



The point is that schools of today are willing to honor the past, and together we can build a bright future. Here are the details:

Friday, January 4, 5:00 p.m.

Hume-Fogg vs. Maplewood (Girls)

Hume-Fogg vs. Maplewood (Boys)



Saturday, January 5

McGavock vs. Stratford (Boys)

Hunters Lane vs. Glencliff (Boys)



Historic Location

The historic Isaac Litton High School Gym.



Tickets

Tickets are $6 each night and are available at the door. This event might sell out, so get there early.



Parking

Please park at Litton Middle School, 4601 Hedgewood Drive (turn on Richmond from Gallatin Road).



Benefit

Proceeds from The FANS Retro Classic go to The Foundation for Athletics in Nashville Schools, Inc. for the benefit of athletic programs in Nashville's public schools.





If you are unable to attend but want to help, you may donate online at www.thefansinc.com or send a check The FANS, 1215 Gallatin Pike, S., Madison, TN 37115.

Cover courtesy of The Nashville Scene and photographer Michael W. Bunch

What a way to end 2012.



Two teachers in Metro Schools have been named Nashvillians of the Year by the Nashville Scene. Adam Taylor of Overton High School and Christina McDonald of Nashville Prep Charter School represent the teachers who "give Nashville's schoolchildren, no matter what their background, a fighting chance to reach their brightest future."



 In a lengthy and detailed article, reporter Steven Hale lays out the bare - and sometimes forgotten - fact in our city's current debate over education: whether charter school or district school, great teachers are at the center of great education.



It's a great piece, and I strongly recommend you take a few moments to read the full article so you can see how teachers like Christina and Adam can bring the focus of the education discussion back where it belongs.

The Scene would like to refocus the discussion of public education not on differences and squabbles, but on the enormous asset that charter and public schools have in common: the teachers who are the most active, direct agents of hope Nashville's children will face outside the home. As our 2012 Nashvillians of the Year, the Scene honors two such instructors: one from a charter school, Christina McDonald at Nashville Prep, and one from a traditional Metro district school, Adam Taylor at Overton High. They are hardly alone. Space does not permit us to list the many outstanding district and charter teachers who slug it out in Nashville's trenches throughout the school year, fighting the shared enemies of poverty, hunger, troubled home lives, behavioral problems, language barriers, bad outside influences and limited resources. But McDonald and Taylor are sterling examples of what can be accomplished by creative thinking, supportive administrators, and sheer determination. To look inside their classrooms is to see small miracles happen every day — and to see a brighter future for Nashville schoolchildren of all races and backgrounds than statistics sometimes let us hope.

Read the full article here.

From Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee:



Oliver Middle School students spent all day Monday learning about capital resources, imports and exports, the importance of budgeting, and the characteristics of entrepreneurs. They studied foreign currency, created business plans, set personal budgets and crafted résumés. Students learned all of this not from their teachers, but from businesspeople.



More than 60 employees from 23 area companies took over the school on December 17th, leading interactive programming on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship through a JA in a Day event hosted by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.



“JA in a day at Oliver Middle School is a wonderful day for our students. Students get to play math games and make advertisements for products, which helps develop critical thinking skills and stimulates their creativity. Students also get to know a variety of community professionals who are interested in furthering students’ educations in unique and thoughtful ways. Thank you, Junior Achievement,” said Linda Latter, Counselor at Oliver Middle.

Dr. Susan Kessler (center), JA Associate Board Member and Executive Principal at Hunter’s Lane High School, and Andrew Davis (right), Assistant Principal at Hunter’s Lane High School, volunteer at Oliver Middle School.

Junior Achievement provides hands-on programming that connects what students are learning in the classroom to the real-world. Offered to students in Kindergarten through high school, JA programs combine discussions and group activities into lessons that help students understand the important role education plays in a successful future.



JA in a Day combines all six lessons of JA’s middle school programming into one day, instead of spreading the lessons out over several weeks. Having dedicated volunteers take over the entire school ensured all 860 students in the Metro Nashville school received the lessons at the same time on the same day.



JA of Middle Tennessee President Trent Klingensmith said, “Being able to reach every student in four grades with JA’s message of financial responsibility and workplace skills is incredible. As an organization, Junior Achievement is grateful to the volunteers who helped inspire hundreds of students at Oliver Middle to take the steps today that will lead to success in life and the workplace down the road.”



Several volunteers participating in Oliver’s JA in a Day were JA Board Members. Associate Board Member Jaclyn Carney of Radsource had a great experience. She said, “my teaching partner and I spent the day with a great group of 23 eighth graders...this day was so rewarding as it allowed me the opportunity to engage with the next generation and challenge them to start thinking about what it means to own their own economic success. The lessons and activities provided to us by JA were visibly impactful as they empowered these students to open their minds, think about their future, and begin the important journey of self-discovery. From evaluating their own skills, values, and interests in thinking about future career options, to balancing a budget, to understanding the difference between credit and cash, the value of education, and many things in between, I feel as though each student walked away from this JA in a Day experience with an increased level of self knowledge and the important foundation from which to build upon their own economic success. I am confident that because of JA in a Day, each of these 23 students were exposed to priceless lessons that challenged them to think outside the walls of their eighth grade classroom and dream big!”



The teachers and students at Oliver Middle School are no strangers to JA volunteer experiences. This marked the fourth year in a row the school has opened its doors to host a whole-school JA in a Day event for its middle schoolers.



Junior Achievement hosts other JA in a Day programs throughout Middle Tennessee. Companies and schools interested in participating should contact JA Director of Programs Andy Schenck at 615.627.1186 or andys@janash.com.

UPDATE! Marcus and Joey will finally make their national debut! Thursday, Dec. 20, a special segment highlighting their time working with Brad Paisley will air during the CMA Country Christmas Special on ABC.



Live television, folks! CMA Week (a.k.a “Country Music’s Biggest Night™”) cast a national spotlight on two Metro high school students – even if they didn’t end up playing with Brad Paisley during the broadcast.



Marcus Wanner, a student at Nashville School of the Arts, and Joey Santoro, a student at Hume-Fogg Magnet High School, were hand-selected to perform with Brad during the The 46th Annual CMA Awards on Thursday. The performance was meant to draw attention to Keep the Music Playing, a program that has donated more than $6.1 million to support music education on behalf of the hundreds of Country Music artists that perform at CMA Music Festival for free.



But the hectic world of live television forced the performance to be cut from the show, though they still had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rehearse with Brad and appear with him on Good Morning America.



Isaac Litton Middle School, home of the Marching 100, was also to be featured, though that video segment was cut from the broadcast, as well. Teachers Allison Winstein and William McMillan - along with more than twenty students - participated in a video shoot promoting the Keep the Music Playing partnership with MNPS.

Litton was selected to participate for its long and rich history of excellence in music. Litton is now redeveloping its music program as part of its overall school improvement program and in partnership with Music Makes Us, a city-school partnership that aims to reinvigorate music education in Nashville.



“The support and generosity of our Nashville community is remarkable,” said Laurie Schell, director of Music Makes Us. “We are so grateful to the Country Music Association's Keep the Music Playing program for ensuring our students have access to quality musical instruments. Having a good instrument is the first step toward becoming a music-lover for life."



About Keep the Music Playing

Keep the Music Playing is an initiative of the CMA Foundation, which exists to provide financial support to worthwhile causes that are important to the Country Music Association and the Country Music community. The CMA Foundation places special emphasis on serving the needs of CMA's core constituents and nonprofit organizations with initiatives that preserve the legacy of the format, music education, and respond to such other needs that may be identified in the future by the CMA.



Since 2006, KTMP has contributed more than $6.1 million to Metro Nashville Public Schools. The funds have been used to build music labs, provide sound and lighting equipment for school auditoriums, and purchase more than 4,000 instruments for the schools.



About Music Makes Us

Music Makes Us promotes, supports and advances student engagement and achievement through robust, high quality music education with both a traditional music curriculum as well as a contemporary curriculum track that uses new technologies and reflects a diverse musical landscape. A public/private partnership among Metro Nashville Public Schools, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, and music industry and community leaders in Nashville, Music Makes Us is committed to becoming a worldwide leader in music education, bringing the resources of the Nashville music community together to enable participation and foster student success for all of its 81,000 students.



Building on a model partnership and the generosity of the Country Music Association’s Keep The Music Playing program, Music Makes Us seeks to establish groundbreaking new contemporary curriculum pathways as well as create a strong alignment with the instructional goals of MNPS, enhance existing chorus, band and orchestra programs, facilitate strong partnerships among the business and nonprofit music communities, develop a facilities master plan, and improve the support infrastructure for teachers, students and community partners.

iLeaders are charged with dramatically improving the performance of and changing the culture at the district's iZone schools.

They met as a group last Friday (December 14) with Executive Director of Innovation Alan Coverstone to share ideas, best practices, and lessons learned at their schools.

They focused on the three big goals:

• Moving students (figuratively, not physically)


• Moving teachers (again, figuratively)


• Sustainable school redesign

Discussions included smarter time management and allocation; clear team priorities and roles; expanding capacity to meet the big three goals; and prioritizing highly effective actions and abandoning ineffective ones.

After the iLeaders discussed in small groups, they shared their discoveries with each other.

With a relentless focus on moving students and teachers forward, these teams shared honestly about how to help everyone participate more effectively in the big goal of dramatically improving student achievement and the opportunities for college and career readiness built on that foundation. Autonomy and innovation are allowing a sharp leadership focused on proving what is possible when all the people, programs, money, and time are focused on success for all students, and this session offered a great opportunity to adapt and improve at this crucial mid-year break.

But despite spending half a work day away from their schools, Alan and his team promised: "We want you to leave with the ways to recover the time you spend here today. You will stop doing things that take time away from high productivity outcomes and start including more people in activities that will enable them to contribute more to the bottom line with less time commitment by the people in this room."

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

I Saw the Light

Friday was one of those days…the horrific tragedy in Connecticut …unspeakable terror…dominated the news, monopolized our thought, exponentially multiplied our fears, and left each of us searching for elusive answers. Social media constantly reiterated the questions – Where did we go so wrong? Why would someone inflict such horror? What in his background would make him act in such a way? How can such evil exist? Why?



Darkness



With that backdrop, I planned to attend a high school basketball game as I do every Friday evening. This week, I was heading to Green Hills for the Hillsboro Burros’ showdown with the Hunters Lane Warriors. It would be my first chance to see Burros star Jamonte Davis, a 6-7 (or 6-8 depending on which recruiting service you subscribe to) forward whose complete game, including mastery of the lost art of the mid-range jump shot, has catapulted him to national recognition as a college prospect. I knew he would be tested by Hunters Lane’s scrappy, tenacious zone defense.



My daughter, home from college, accompanied me to the game, an unexpected and particularly heartwarming treat considering the events of the day. She warned that she might not pay too much attention to the game because she concentrates on and enjoys the spectacle that surrounds the actual game. True enough…and I responded that I try to notice things other people overlook and provide a different perspective through the North Sports Report. Sitting together, we watched the game in our own ways, occasionally sharing our unique commentary.



During a break in the action, late in the game, the Hillsboro cheerleaders tossed souvenirs into the crowd. You know the routine…cheerleaders throwing little basketballs and rubber bracelets all along the sideline, and every fan standing, hoping to catch a keepsake. Just like every fan at a baseball game wants to catch a foul ball, everyone in the gym wants to catch some cheerleader-thrown gift. Did I stand and wave, encouraging a toss toward me? Of course I did. Did any souvenirs land within my reach? Of course not. So, we sat back down as action resumed on the court.



Then it happened.



A Hillsboro student, sitting three people down from me, leaned over and tapped my arm. As I turned, she handed me a rubber Hillsboro souvenir bracelet the cheerleaders had thrown into the crowd. What? I had never met the young lady, and she didn’t know me from the man in the moon. What makes a high school student give a gift to a stranger? Why so nice to me? How can such grace and beauty exist? Who gets the credit…her parents? …a teacher? Where did we go so right?



I have no answers, but the cynical veil of despair was lifted. A bright light… I swear I saw a bright light…shone down on that child like a spotlight. Or, was it shining up, emanating from her kind heart? Looking around the gym, I saw light shining on everyone. I could actually see the beauty and grace in every spectator, shining through like a beacon of hope to the world. Was her light of kindness contagious, or were my eyes simply opened to the light of kindness that shines from all those around me?



I still have no answers, and that light doesn’t change the past or hide the horrors of tragedy. It does, however, expose the hope for healing and for the future.



As the New Year approaches, may we open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us; and more importantly, shine our own light of grace, beauty and kindness in whatever small way we can.



Oh, and Go to a Game!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Hope for the Future

With his first semester in Nashville almost under his belt, Wright Middle and Glencliff High Mariachi instructor Alan Lambert is leading the students in their inaugural holiday concert and fundraiser. From 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 13, the Nashville community is invited to join the young Mariachi performers and special guests Sheyla Paz Hicks and Los Delgados! Check out the flyer for more details.  

Marla McKenna, author of popular baseball-themed children’s book “Mom’s Big Catch,” made a few quick stops at several Metro Schools this week, including Crieve Hall Elementary, which is pictured. McKenna, an advocate for youth literacy, wants children to reach for their dreams.

But the famous author wasn’t the only surprise guest of the day. Helping bring her book to life, Nashville Sounds mascot Ozzie also got in on the fun! Ozzie, who has spent the past decade cheering on the minor league baseball team, is a big fan of reading. He and the sounds regularly serve more than 75,000 children in the middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky region through the Nashville Sounds Reading Club.

Haywood Elementary is focused on families! Check out the article and photos sent in by Carolyn Price, 1st grade teacher at Haywood:



Haywood Elementary students and their families enjoyed a school wide potluck dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 27. The initiative was to bring families together with school faculty to embrace diversity, and fellowship together. Students and parents were encouraged to wear ethnic clothing and bring a dish from their country. Nearly 250 students and families attended the event which was divided into two separate dinners for different grade levels.

Principal Melanie Schiff thanked students and their families for attending over the morning announcements Wednesday morning. Haywood is planning to have another potluck after the first of the year to encourage fellowship within the school community.

    

They call themselves the P.U.R.P.L.E. Girl’s, but their community may be more inclined to call them good citizens and servants. 



Fifteen Goodlettsville Middle ladies, grades six through eight, are part of a special mentoring group (P.U.R.P.L.E.: Pursuing Uniqueness, Responsibility, Purpose, Leadership, & Education) that aims to serve the community. Thanksgiving weekend, the girls volunteered at The Women’s and Children’s Shelter and served dinner to more than 200 homeless women and children. The project proved to be a powerful, and fun, experience!

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Hume Award Luncheon

Overton’s Brandon Orr joined a long list of distinguished Hume Award winners, the most prestigious scholar-athlete award given to high school football players, at the 69th Annual Hume Award Luncheon hosted by The Economic Club of Nashville at Bridgestone Arena. Other finalists at the luncheon were Antioch’s Christian Molina, East Nashville’s Michael Collins, Hillsboro’s Joseph Occhipinti, and McGavock’s Tracey Bowler. The ceremony at the luncheon includes a brief statement by the head football coach of each finalist, describing the leadership and scholastic achievements as well as the football accomplishments of these fine young men. It is always a highlight of the year for the North Sports Report. 

 

The Hume Award

Other Hume Award Nominees this year included:

• Noble Wolugbums – Cane Ridge


• Anton Arnold – Hillwood


• Justin Lang – Hunters Lane


• Wayne Williams – Maplewood


• Jeremy Ward – Pearl-Cohn


• Erick Davidson – Whites Creek

Congratulations to all our scholar-athletes.

Hume Award History…Cool Stuff for the Old Timers

The Hume Award was first presented during World War II, in the 1944-45 school year. Nashville City School Board Chair William Hume and School Superintendent W.A. Bass established the award for football players in Nashville’s public schools to recognize “sportsmanship, scholarship, and football ability.” A trophy with the names of each recipient travels to the school of the winner each year.



Although it is the 69th annual award, there have been 72 Hume Award recipients (two winners were named in 1987-88, 1994-95, and 1995-96). 13 Hume Award winners attended Overton, including this year’s recipient; six attended Hunters Lane; five attended Maplewood, including two of the last four; five attended East; five attended Hillwood; three attended Antioch, Glencliff and Stratford respectively; two attended McGavock, Pearl-Cohn, and Hillsboro respectively; and Whites Creek’s one Hume Award winner was the great Jamie Graham in 2006-07. 22 of the Hume Award recipients attended schools that no longer serve as high schools, including Cohn, West, Howard, North, Madison, Litton, and Goodlettsville.



Names you might recognize from the list of Hume Award winners include Eddie and Billy Lawrence from West (1944-45 and 1946-47); Odell Binkley from North (1950-51); Cohn great Thomas E. Wells (1956-57); Maplewood’s E.J. Junior (1976-77); Hunters Lane’s Reginald Grimes (1994-95) who played quarterback at Hunters Lane and starred as a defensive tackle at Alabama; Maurice Fitzgerald of Pearl-Cohn (1996-97); Brenard Wilson II of Hunters Lane (2004-05); and James R. Stone of Maplewood (2009-10). The list is long and impressive.

Alumni Alert – Who Says You Can’t Go Home?

The North Sports Report attended the Tennessee Titans game at LP Field Sunday versus the league leading Houston Texans. In looking for a silver lining during the game, I found myself repeating “He is a Glencliff graduate” every time Houston linebacker Tim Dobbins made a good play. The former Glencliff Colt made so many great plays, including an interception and fumble recovery, those sitting near me grew exceedingly weary of my Glencliff Colt pride. Although the home team had a disappointing day, one linebacker from Glencliff put on a rousing homecoming performance.

Don’t Miss the Hoops

Nothing compares to the sweet sounds of a high school gym on game night. The ball bouncing on the hardwood, the buzz of the crowd, the cheerleaders, the joyful conversations of students and fans sitting nearby … it is magical. The thrilling games at Maplewood last Friday even exceeded the North Sports Report’s expectations. The girls’ game included an overtime session after Maplewood scored at the final horn to tie the game.



The boys’ game was a thrill a second slam fest to the very end. East Nashville jumped out to an early lead scoring 22 points in the first four minutes. Let’s put that in perspective… they were on pace to score 176 points. It was high-flying, slam dunking, jump shot swishing, fast paced hoops. How did Maplewood respond? They turned up the defense, scrapped and scraped and took the lead going into the fourth quarter. With 1.2 seconds remaining and the game on the line, Maplewood would inbound the ball near mid-court trailing by 2. Somehow, the Panthers managed to get off a three-point shot before the horn, and it headed straight for the goal as if in slow motion. If it goes in, Maplewood wins…if not, East Nashville wins. The shot hit the rim, rattled, rolled, bounced, spun, and …. The game ended.



So, did it go in or not? Who won the game? Let me just say… “You should have been there!” GO TO A GAME! You will love it!



After the game, exhausted from the excitement, the North Sports Report paused by the new waterfall/fountain in front of Maplewood High, constructed with the help of Maplewood students, to relax and unwind. Beautiful!

A nice place to relax after intense Maplewood basketball games.

Hoops This Week – Friday December 7

Here is your chance to see a game near you:

• Antioch Bears host Hillwood Hilltoppers;


• Cane Ridge Ravens travel to Overton Bobcats;


• Whites Creek Cobras welcome Maplewood Panthers;


• Stratford Spartans visit MLK Royals;


• Glencliff Colts host Hunters Lane Warriors;


• East Nashville Eagles play at home against CPA;


• Hume-Fogg Blue Knights host Ezell Harding; and


• Pearl-Cohn Firebirds travel to Lipscomb

The MNPS home games are at: Antioch; Overton; Whites Creek; MLK; Glencliff; East Nashville; and Hume-Fogg (played at NSA).



Go to a game!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Prestigious Scholar-Athletes

Cameron Middle School leaders are making great strides in building parental involvement. Earlier this month, school leaders hosted a math and literacy night in conjunction with Lipscomb University that drew more than 100 people. Families were able to visit 24 interactive booths created by Lipscomb University College of Education graduate students. All of the activities were inspired by the book Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix which Cameron students are currently reading as part of the school-wide genre study of dystopian-themed science fiction. The activities allowed the book to come to life for students and their families and demonstrated activities that can be done at home to make reading and math more fun. 

We want to give a big shout out to Lakeview Elementary Design Center and W.H. Oliver Middle School, both of which were awarded Music Makes Us education grants from the Nashville Singers. Check out the news release below.

Lakeview Design Center & Oliver Middle School Receive Music Education Grants from The Nashville Singers, Inc.

Nashville, TN - Lakeview Design Center and W.H. Oliver Middle School were each announced as recipients of a $500.00 Music Makes a Difference music education grant from Nashville Singers in May of this year. The formal presentation took place at the Nashville Singers annual Season of Harmony concert on November 17 at Hillsboro High School. 

Since being founded in November of 2008, the philanthropic mission of Nashville Singers has been to enrich lives through support of music education in our schools and the community. To support this mission, the chorus funds several programs, including a free singing lessons program entitled Acappella Academy, music education grants, middle and high school master classes, and the Educator of the Future college scholarship created for students pursuing a music education degree.

Upon hearing the announcement, Carol Crittenden, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) remarked, "The Nashville Singers have not only been an incredible financial support for grant recipients in Metro Schools, but the members have also given of their time and talents to support our music students. This is the type of commitment and partnership we greatly value."



Jay Steele, Associate Superintendent for MNPS High Schools added, "A rich curriculum that includes the arts is very important for all students in Nashville and MNPS is very fortunate to have such supportive partners like the Nashville Singers."



Kim Marie Folsom of Lakeview Design Center stated, "I am so thankful for the Nashville Singers, who provide help for students in need, through music education. They realize that music teaches math, language, history, reading and science in a fun environment. I am so grateful for their support."



Franklin J. Willis of Oliver Middle School added, "The Oliver Middle School community advocates in the importance of music education in students' lives. Receiving this award not only serves as monetary gain to fund the new chorus program, but motivation to meet the challenge of engaging students in finding their own voice through music. It is truly an honor to be a recipient of the Nashville Singer's Music Makes a Difference Grant. I look forward to future collaborations with Nashville Singers and the Oliver Middle School Chorus."  

Other dignitaries on hand for the presentation and concert included Laurie Schell, Director of the Music Makes Us education project, Margaret Campbelle-Holman, Executive Director of Choral Arts Link, and Peter Bird, President and CEO of the Frist Foundation.

About Nashville Singers

In their first four years, this volunteer group has grown from four to 15 singers, learned 42 songs, released their first CD, racked up 50 performances for 32 organizations in seven counties across Tennessee, and produced a successful concert series which attracted attendees from 36 cities in eight states across the USA. Their concert audiences have ranged in size from a few hundred to 4000 people. Their diverse repertoire spans many genres. Their philanthropic mission is to enrich lives through support of music education in our schools and the community. This support comes in the form of music education grants, college scholarships, master classes in area schools, and an annual free singing lessons program called Acappella Academy. Nashville Singers has awarded $2500 in music education grants and scholarships in the last two years. The Nashville Singers, Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information about Nashville Singers, visit them online at www.nashvillesingers.org.

They were dressed to the nines in the Academy of Nashville blazers, eagerly waiting at the door to greet their distinguished guests, and unbelievably well versed in sharing what it is they do at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School. “They” were the dozen or so of student ambassadors for Pearl-Cohn who served as tour guides during a special VIP tour organized by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Academy tours, guests heard a detailed message from Associate Superintendent of High Schools Jay Steele about the goals for Nashville High Schools. They also heard some exciting new programs from Principal Sonia Stewart including a Grammy grant, a partnership with a nationally syndicated television station and a new student-run record label affiliated with Warner Music Nashville. Tons of great photos below. Check them out!

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Hume Award – Spotlight on Scholar-Athletes

The Hume Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious awards any student-athlete can receive, will be awarded next week to a scholar-athlete/football player “on the basis of scholarship, sportsmanship, individual performance and value to the team.” The Hume Award, named for local civic leader, attorney and Chair of the Nashville City Board of Education William Hume, was first awarded in 1944 to Eddie Lawrence of West High School. Last year’s winner was Maplewood Panther Dustin Binkley.



This year’s five Hume Award finalists are: Christian Molina, Antioch; Michael Collins, East Nashville; Joseph Occhipinti, Hillsboro; Tracey Bowler, McGavock; and Brandon Orr, Overton. Congratulations to all our scholar-athletes.

Hume Award Trivia

Which High School Principal’s stellar athletic and academic career made him a Hume Award finalist? Answer: Overton’s Dr. Andrew Shuler Pelham.

All-Star Game Features MNPS Gridders

The Toyota East/West All-Star Football game will be played Saturday December 8 at 1:00pm on the campus of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. Rosters for this game may be updated to add players, but my last check of the roster shows that the West team includes DeAnthony Patrick and DeQuan Mays of McGavock; and Michael Cain of Whites Creek. The game will be televised across the state on local PBS stations.

Grapple with This – Pre-season Recognition

The Tennessean’s high school wrestling preview highlighted Glencliff Colts wrestler Garang Madut as one of the mid-state’s “Wrestlers to Watch” this season. Good luck to all our wrestlers who will go to the mat for their schools this season!

Hoop Dreams

High school basketball games are scheduled several nights every week, and you should check the paper each week for a game near you. The North Sports Report will keep you abreast of the games scheduled on Fridays.

Basketball Games November 30, 2012

This week’s North Sports Report Game of the week has the high flying East Nashville Eagles visiting the mighty Maplewood Panthers. Tip-off at 6:30.



In other action:

• Whites Creek Cobras travel to nearby rival Hunters Lane Warriors;


• Hillwood Hilltoppers host Glencliff Colts;


• Hillsboro Burros host Mt. Juliet;


• McGavock Raiders welcome visiting Cane Ridge Ravens;


• MLK Royals travel down the road to Pearl-Cohn Firebirds;


• Overton Bobcats host Brentwood;


• Hume-Fogg Blue Knights visit CPA; and


• Stratford Spartans hit the home hardwood against Lipscomb.

The MNPS home games this Friday are: at Maplewood; at Hunters Lane; at Hillwood; at Hillsboro; at McGavock; at Pearl-Cohn; at Overton; and at Stratford. Oh, and Antioch Bears play at home on Thursday night November 29. There is a game near you – go support the schools and students this week!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for the Incomparable Flair of School Spirit

Two of Metro’s finest are taking their lessons learned on the road! Frankie Harris, 6th grade literacy and social studies teacher at Rose Park Middle Magnet, and Kathleen Turnmire, English teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School, are two of Tennessee’s newly named Reward School Ambassadors. They will spend the next year traveling the midstate region, sharing best practices with neighboring schools and working to boost student achievement across the board.

Harris and Turnmire both earned top scores on Tennessee’s new evaluation system and were subsequently nominated by their schools -- both Reward Schools which means they are among the top 10 percent of Tennessee schools in terms of student performance. They are two of just 15 teachers across the state selected for this prestigious post.   

In addition to the year-long paid position as Reward School Ambassadors, Harris and Turnmire will also receive a $20,000 grant to further their educational programming.

When asked about her new role, Turnmire commented, "As an ambassador, I will be able to combine the teaching skills I have honed at MLK with the leadership skills I developed through Metro's TLI. I am thankful to have the opportunity to collaborate with educators across the state who are passionate about helping students meet their academic potential. Metro has given me a rich set of educational tools, and I am proud to share these skills with my fellow teachers in Middle Tennessee. Additionally, I am thankful for the support and guidance of my colleagues and administrators at MLK over the past five years; I would not be in this position without them!

Thinking about a career change? Nashville Teaching Fellows may be just what you need. The program recruits professionals of various backgrounds and industries who are looking for a second career, as well as recent college graduates. Nashville Teaching Fellows trains accepted individuals and places them in classrooms throughout Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Visit www.nashvilleteachingfellows.org for more to details.

A special thanks to Caroline Price for writing and submitting the following:

Math is easy, math is fun! This was the central focus at Haywood Elementary’s Annual Family Math Night. The school-wide initiative was held on Thursday, Nov. 15. Teachers and administrators worked together to develop family friendly math activities for the school’s pre-kindergarten through 4th grade students.

“We have math night to get parents into our buildings to show them different strategies and games that they can use at home to help their children build math skills that they are using in their grade level this year,” said Assistant Principal Carl Febles.

Haywood teachers have been working hard to raise math test scores and help promote high student achievement. This was a central focus for Family Math Night. “Math night can help parents learn what we are doing at school so they can help their children at home. A lot of times parents don’t know what to do to help their children, this (math night) gives them the resources and knowledge they can use at home,” said Febles. Nearly 175 students attended the Haywood event.

Charity D., a student at Nashville Big Picture High School, is inching closer to her diploma by reaching out to the Nashville community! As part of her senior capstone project, Charity hosted a special event benefiting March of Dimes at Baptist Hospital. She spent the day passing out information about premature births, to 133 guests; raised money for the NICU Fund at Baptist; and handed out stuffed animals to raise donations for the March of Dimes.

The National Alliance for Black School Educators (NASBE) annual conference is in Nashville this weekend (the conference kicked off Nov. 14 and wraps up the 18th), and several Metro Schools are getting involved! 

Wednesday, Nov. 14, conference guests toured several schools including the construction site of the new Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet studio (pictured left). The studio is a collaboration of the Recording Academy’s Producers and Engineers Wing, Steven Durr Designs, Music Makes Us and MNPS. The state-of-the-art studio is expected to open in February/March 2013.

Thursday, Nov. 15, Chandler J., an 8th grader at Head Middle Magnet, had the privilege of introducing Roland S. Martin, CNN news analyst, who served as the Keynote Speaker. Pictured right.

Later that day, hundreds of high school students from across the district participated in a Youth Symposium where they came together with educators and civic leaders to discuss ways to create a stronger emphasis on good writing.

The following day, Maplewood High School’s Junior ROTC Unit TN-933 performed Color Guard detail for the Opening Plenary again featuring Martin, the keynote speaker of the conference. This performance came the same week the students helped celebrate Veteran’s Day with a performance at The River Church and participation in the Downtown Nashville Veteran’s Day parade.

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Middle School Athletics

Middle school sports provide great after-school opportunities for students. It keeps them busy; teaches them discipline, sacrifice, teamwork, and structure; and promotes school spirit.



Congratulations to the Middle School City Champions for the fall sports:

• Volleyball – JT Moore Middle


• Girls’ Soccer – Meigs Middle


• Football – Smithson-Craighead Middle

Congratulations to all our middle school student-athletes!

Middle School Pep Rally … Putting the Pep in the Rally

Last week’s pep rally at Head Middle School featured TSU’s marching band. The Aristocrat of Bands made its annual visit to Head and added its incomparable flair to the school’s pep rally extravaganza. The band at TSU is a great community partner and a source of pride for all Nashville.

News from the TSSAA…Award Winning Administrators

The TSSAA awarded Athletic Director of the Year for the Middle Tennessee Region to Chip Sullivan of Hunters Lane and the Principal of the Year to Hillwood’s Dr. Steve Chauncy. Congratulations!

News from the TSSAA…District Realignment

The TSSAA changes the districts every four years and have announced the proposed changes to the Districts for 2013-2017. The biggest news is that Hillsboro will join District 12AAA.



District 12AAA will feature:

• Antioch Bears


• Cane Ridge Ravens


• Glencliff Colts


• Hillsboro Burros


• Hillwood Hilltoppers


• Hunters Lane Warriors


• McGavock Raiders


• Overton Bobcats

In the football playoffs, Glencliff, Hillsboro and Hillwood will compete in the 5A classification while the other District 12AAA teams will compete in 6A.



District 10AA will feature:

• East Nashville Eagles


• Hume-Fogg Blue Knights


• Lipscomb


• Maplewood Panthers


• MLK Royals


• Pearl-Cohn Firebirds


• Stratford Spartans


• Whites Creek Cobras

In the football playoffs, East and Stratford will compete for the 3A championship; while Maplewood, Pearl-Cohn, and Whites Creek will compete for the 4A championship.



The realignment will be approved within the next week or so, and the new districts begin play in the fall of 2013.





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for the Incomparable Flair of School Spirit

He’s arguably one of Tennessee’s most famous artists, and now the students at Old Center Elementary are paying homage to the legendary Red Grooms. A new exhibit features the young artists’ interpretations of Grooms’ work and life. The students also created a life-size installation where visitors can have their photograph taken with Elvis and Grooms. The display is a tribute to pictoramas, which catapulted Grooms to international status. Other displays showcase Grooms’ techniques of printmaking, relief and paper sculptures of Nashville and historical landmarks, such as Groom’s Alma Mater, Hillsboro High School! To wrap up the project, students took a field trip to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to see an exhibit of Grooms’ work.

Nashville parents are invited to the 2012 Parent Multicultural Leadership Conference, sponsored by MNPS and STEP (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents) TN.

Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., parents and caregivers will

• learn strategies to increase involvement and leadership in the child's education,


• explore ways to strengthen the child's educational plan,


• understand ways address the child's communication and behavior needs, and


• discover what community connections and resources are available.

There will be free childcare and activities for children, free breakfast and lunch, information in multiple languages, and an information far. Register at www.tnstep.org or call 1(800)280-7838.

How far should technology reach in the classroom? What tech do students need to be using to prepare them for the 21st century? Can you have too much in every day lessons?

We've come a long way from Apple IIe computers and word processing. But we can't continue to plan for the future without hearing from the ones who matter most: students, parents, and teachers.

We want you to help us plan for how technology moves forward in education. What tools should we be using? In what ways? How often? These are the questions you can help us answer. Your input will help shape long term technology goals in Nashville and the rest of the country.

Please take a few moments to complete the Speak Up survey from Project Tomorrow.

Paragon Mills opened its doors to 4th grade families in the schools first My Child, My Choice event. Parents learned about school choices, the application process and online registration. Representatives from the area’s zoned school Wright Middle, as well as MNPS’ charter and magnet schools were on hand to talk with families.

The goal of the evening was to overcome barriers such as the lack of understanding of the process, language, and illiteracy that can limit a child’s educational opportunities. According to Paragon Mills ESEA Family Coordinator, not only did they achieve their goal, but they also experienced a genuine collaboration from the community with more than 45 volunteers consisting of teachers, Lipscomb University students, Glencliff High School students, MNPS employees, and volunteers from faith-based organizations! 

To learn more about MNPS optional schools and the Optional School Application process, click here.

First Lady Crissy Haslam recently hosted a large group of Glendale Spanish Immersion Elementary 3rd graders at the Tennessee Residence. Approximately 70 boys and girls participated in a Read20 Family Book Club event.



Click here to check out the photos First Lady Haslam shared!

The men and women of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors (GNAR) took a walk on the wild side at Croft Middle! The group joined Mayor Karl Dean, Director of Schools Jesse Register and parents for a special tour through the district’s global- and environmental-awareness themed middle school.

Croft principal Juana Granberry welcomed guests including Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Board of Education member Will Pinkston, Councilman Chris Harmon, GNAR CEO Don Klein and GNAR President Kendra Cooke. Principal Granberry shared news about the school’s significant growth on TVAAS, Tennessee’s system to measure gains in student achievement. There is a highly-qualified certified teacher in every Croft classroom.

Croft Middle School is a design center school with a theme of global environmental awareness. GNAR members who toured the school with students enjoyed the decorated hallways that reflect the school’s global outlook. Guests learned about the school’s unique partnership with the Nashville Zoo, which provides 16 interactions with the school every year, including field trips. The Zoo donated animals from each continent that live at the school in habitats maintained by 8th graders trained as junior zookeepers.

The award-winning Band program at Oliver Middle School recently performed at a Veteran’s Celebration Nov. 5.  Not only did they entertain the crowd with music, the students also shared artwork and essays they wrote about freedom and patriotism, as well as hand-written thank you notes to veterans. 

The bands’ musical tributes were powerful and moving and included a student-created slideshow that accompanied all of the musical selections. The concert concluded with a tribute to all of the branches of the armed forces followed by an encore of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Although still relatively young, the Oliver Middle School band has received numerous accolades including recognition as a National Commended Winner and State Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors Project in 2009 and 2010. The band consistently receives Superior ratings at MTSBOA adjudications and are seven-time recipients of the Tennessee Bandmasters Association Sweekstakes Award.  

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Cross-Country Excellence

MLK’s Sam Klockenkemper’s second consecutive state championship capped a great Cross-Country season for MNPS runners. That’s right, Klockenkemper reigns as state champion two years in a row. The MLK boys’ team finished second in the state and Hume-Fogg’s boys’ team finished fourth in the state.



Cane Ridge Sophomore Bailee Dean finished runner-up in the state in her first year of competition. Future is bright for that runnin’ Raven.

A Lesson from History …aka…Annual End of Season Waxing

In sports with a playoff system, most teams end their season with a disappointing loss. That’s just the nature of the beast. About this time every year, the North Sports Report contemplates the end of the season that comes so quickly in the playoffs. Although consoling disappointment with historical quotes might not be recommended therapy, the lesson from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote applies to all of us no matter our venture, and bears repeating again this year.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Congratulations and all due credit to our students, coaches, teachers, staff, parents and administrators who strive valiantly, dare greatly, and know the great enthusiasms and great devotions of a worthy cause.

Alumni Alert – James Stone

The North Sports Report visited Neyland Stadium in Knoxville this week and witnessed an outstanding offensive line performance, anchored by 2010 Maplewood graduate James Stone, the starting center for the Tennessee Vols. Every offensive play begins in the hands of the former Panther. Outstanding!

Football Playoffs – Second Round: November 9, 2012

MNPS has three football teams in the second round and all playing nearby this Friday night. In the Class 4A playoffs, the Maplewood Panthers travel north to face White House. In the Class 5A playoffs, the Hillsboro Burros head to Sumner County to square off with Beech. And, the Overton Bobcats travel just down the road to Brentwood High in the Class 6A playoffs.



This is a great week to show your support and go to a game.

Hoops Time!

The 22nd Annual Metro Basketball Jamboree – or as the North Sports Report calls it, Hoops-apallooza – tips off the basketball season this week.



On Thursday November 8 at Antioch – Glencliff Colts play East Nashville Eagles starting at 5:00pm; McGavock Raiders play Pearl-Cohn Firebirds at 6:30pm; and host Antioch Bears play CPA at 8:00pm.



On November 9 at Hillwood – Hillsboro Burros play Whites Creek Cobras starting at 5:00pm; Hume-Fogg Lady Blue Knights play Harpeth Hall at 6:30pm; Hume-Fogg Blue Knights play Nashville Christian at 7:15pm; and host Hillwood Hilltoppers play MLK Royals starting at 8:00pm.



On November 10 at Maplewood – Stratford Spartans play Cane Ridge Ravens starting at 5:00pm; Hunters Lane Warriors play Lipscomb starting at 6:30pm; and host Maplewood Panthers play Overton Bobcats starting at 8:00pm.



This is your chance to get the first glimpse of the MNPS Super-Hoopsters! Go to a game!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Knowing the Triumph of High Achievement

Nashville youth have a new outlet to share their voices, and a chance to help the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The center invites all interested students to submit an entry - in the form of an essay, poem, spoke-word/rap lyrics, or work of art. The deadline is Monday, Dec. 10. Contestants will compete for cash prizes and the chance to showcase their work as part of the university-wide celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.

A call to artists is being issued for an Antioch High School art exhibition being developed as a project of Academies initiative of the Metro Nashville Public Schools.   The exhibition, entitled Frist Antioch Community Exhibition (F.A.C.E), invites artists of all ages, in all genres, from all areas of the city, to explore the theme IDENTITY from personal visual perspectives.  The exhibition will open at Antioch High School Jan. 31, 2013.

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Who Says Nobody’s Perfect? News from the Alley

Cane Ridge Super-Bowler Aaron Ruiz had the state’s highest per game average last season, and he added to his accomplishments this week with a perfect 300 game. What? Are you kidding me? Seriously…strike after strike after strike after…well, you get the idea. We have a legend of the alley at Cane Ridge. Roll on, Ravens!

Cross-Country: Region Champs…Taking on the State

The North Sports Report was eavesdropping on a conversation at a football game recently and overheard several coaches and administrators describing a young cross country star from Cane Ridge High School: “She finishes her race, goes to visit with her family and friends, gets out a snack, sits down, and then the second place runner comes into view.” Exaggeration? Nope! Unbelievable? Believe it! Cane Ridge Sophomore Bailee Dean won the Region Championship by over 53 seconds. I would say the competition was eating dust, but she was so far in front, the dust settled before second place could dine on it.



In Boys’ individual competition, MLK’s Sam Klockenkemper (the defending state champion) won the Region championship.



The State Championship Meet is Saturday November 4 at the Percy Warner Park Steeplechase course here in Nashville. MLK’s Boys and Girls teams and Hume-Fogg’s Boys and Girls teams qualified for the state. Glencliff’s Dag Bahiru and Hillsboro’s Gabriela Herrera also qualified for the state meet.



Good luck to all the runners!

Football Friday Night…It’s Playoff Time

The regular season ended for the North Sports Report in grand style. While at Cane Ridge for the rivalry game with Antioch, I visited dignitaries like school board chair Cheryl Mayes, benefited from the hospitality of Principal Wall, and rocked to the halftime show provided by the greatest college marching band on the planet, TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands! Oh, and it was a great football game too.

TSU’s Aristocrat of bands prepares to take the field at Cane Ridge High School

This week begins the Road to Cookeville. I40 East? No, the TSSAA State Football Playoffs, and MNPS has six teams looking to advance.



Have you seen Antioch stars Raekwon Hosey, Moses Cornelius, and Tyler Bumbalough, or Hillsboro tailback Robert Kelley and kicker/punter Joseph Occhipinti? The first round of the playoffs is your chance as the Antioch Bears host the Hillsboro Burros in the only playoff game with two MNPS teams facing each other.



In other playoff action:

• Maplewood Panthers host Crockett County;


• District Champion Cane Ridge Ravens host Riverdale;


• McGavock Raiders travel to Dickson County; and


• Overton Bobcats travel to Arlington.

The MNPS home playoff games are at Antioch; at Maplewood; and at Cane Ridge. Support a team this week!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Perfection

Gateway Elementary School students and staff are feeling the love from Schneider Electric Company. Chad Lloyd, a representative of the company, made a special trip to the school Oct. 30 to hand deliver a check for $2,750! Students gave Lloyd a set of personally drawn "thank you" owls. Check out the photos.

The Tennessee Department of Education wants to know what you think about the climate of schools in Tennessee. Parents and students are invited to participate here; the survey will close Dec. 21.

The 32nd Annual Christmas Craft Fair at McGavock High School will be on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sponsored by the McGavock Orchestra Parents Association, the fair features hand-made and quality goods from more than 80 crafters, musical performances by McGavock Area Strings students, a Silent Auction, and free admission. The fair is all indoors and handicapped-accessible. There will be a food booth sponsored by the McGavock HS Cheerleaders!  For more information, see www.mcgavockorchestra.com  or  www.mcgavockcraftfair.org .

There’s no better time than now to start planning for the future, and Hillsboro High leaders want their students to do just that! The school is hosting a college fair Thursday, Nov. 1. Representatives from the United States Army, Art Institute of Nashville, Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, Cumberland University, International Academy of Design & Technology, ITT Tech, Lipscomb University, Marine Corps, Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville State Community College, United States Navy, Nossi College of Art, Oasis College Connection, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Tennessee Tech University, TN Technology Center at Nashville, Trevecca Nazarene, Tusculum College, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Volunteer State Community College, Watkins College of Art & Design, and Western Kentucky University will help students explore their post-secondary options and plan their next steps.

For two weeks in late October and early November, several Metro Schools opened their doors to about 20 Chinese principals and education leaders from the Guangdong Province in South China. The delegation was the eighth cohort of participants for the Education Leadership Learning Exchange (ELLE), a collaborative partnership between Vanderbilt University, South China Normal University, and Metro Nashville Public Schools. 



Click 'Read More' to see photos from their visit.

Rose Park Math and Science Magnet Middle School won the highly coveted SCORE Prize, a statewide award that recognizes dramatic improvement in student achievement. Rose Park won in the middle school division.

Click to read the official news release issued by SCORE.

Planning a trip to your child’s school for the Nov. 6 Parent Teacher Conference Day? Learn a few tips from long-time educators that will help you get the most our of your meeting.   

Nicholas W. represented Hillwood H.S. Culinary Arts at the annual SFT Awareness Chili Cookoff that took place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Crieve Hall Church of Christ.  Nick took 1^st place in the spicy category. Congratulations Nick!

 

Metro Schools has received a $750,000 grant to support social and emotional learning (SEL) for students. The grant announcement comes just months after MNPS was selected to participate in the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Collaborating Districts Initiative, a three-year collaboration of eight school districts that aims to support the social and emotional growth of students.

Oliver Middle School’s chorus recently performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center for the Regions Free Day of Music, an event created to showcase talent in the Nashville community. Oliver was the only middle school group selected to perform!

According to choral teacher Franklin Willis, “our students have risen to a new level of artistry. I am extremely proud of the quality performances the students had yesterday. Each concert we continue to display great vocal technique, expressive singing, stage presence, and focused energy on the stage. With each performance, the students are taking ownership/pride in their accomplishments, thus making them true musicians in their own right.”

Gra-Mar Middle School is opening its doors to all for a special Pancake Breakfast! Saturday, Oct. 27, from 8 - 10 a.m., you are invited to join students and staff in the school cafeteria for a stack of pancakes paired with sausage or bacon. Cost is $5. Proceeds will benefit the Gra-mar cheerleaders.

The students and staff at Chadwell Elementary School are back home! After spending the past year and a half in a different location while the building was renovated, the school officially cut the ribbon on the new and improved facility. Mayor Karl Dean, Congressman Jim Cooper, Chancellor Perkins, Dr. Register, Councilwoman Karen Bennett, Board Representative Jill Speering and a number of other key community leaders were present to celebrate the reopening.

Also on hand to help with the celebration were the Showstoppers out of Maplewood High School. The young jazz band played several hits during a post-ceremony reception.

Faculty, staff and students will enjoy a new entrance and lobby area, additions to the library and art room, and a cafeteria expansion. The school also received four additional kindergarten classrooms, new cabinets, white boards and task boards. The entire building now has an energy efficient heating and cooling system along with energy efficient lighting. Chadwell Elementary is currently seeking LEED certification for its school. If the school receives certification, Chadwell Elementary will be the fourth elementary LEED certified school in MNPS.



Click 'READ MORE' for photos.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and at Brick Church Middle School students showed their support by wearing pink and white and forming a human ribbon. Many of the students and faculty have friends or family members who have been affected by cancer, and the school wanted to show the community that they have not forgotten their struggle.  

More than 150 students and faculty members participated in the human ribbon. According to Principal Chirelle Jefferson, “this is a wonderful testament to teamwork, cooperation, and working towards a single goal.”

Four MNPS seniors who are enrolled in the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt are gaining national recognition. The students are semifinalists in the national Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology.

Congratulations to:

Zachary A., of Hume-Fogg. Zachary completed the project “Reflection and Transmission Measurements at Variable Incidence Angles of a Zero” under the supervision of mentor Jason Valentine, Ph. D. (Mechanical Engineering).

Abhinav G., of Hume-Fogg. Abhinav completed the project “Culturing of Neurons on Graphene Transistors for High Resolution Scanning of Processes” under the supervision of mentor Qi Zhang, Ph. D. (Pharmacology).

Jacob S., of Hume-Fogg. Jacob completed the project “Examining sequences that stimulate telomere addition following DNA double-strand breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae” under the supervision of mentor Katherine Friedman, Ph. D. (Biological Sciences).

Busra G., of Martin Luther King, Jr. Busra completed the project “Uncovering the Role of TGFβ and BMP in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Stem Cells” under the supervision of mentor Hal Moses, M. D. (Cancer Biology).

Siemens named 322 semifinalists representing 32 states and an international school in South Korea. Tennessee has 10 semifinalists.

Stratford High School is hosting a Community Health Fair for all in the East Nashville community. Saturday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. - noon, families will have access to free health screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations, and much more. The event is free!

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

It’s the Time of the Season for…Playoffs and Championships

Pressure packed games with the end of the season hanging in the balance… in a flash your season and high school career could be …done. All the years of hard work and sacrifice culminate in this moment when student-athletes compete with it all on the line. It’s playoff time.



Championship Game: Freshman Football – the Pearl-Cohn Firebirds visit the Antioch Bears with the Ninth Grade City Championship on the line today at 4:00pm.



Championship Game: Girls Soccer – Hume-Fogg Lady Blue Knights play CPA for the District 9AA Championship tonight at 6:00pm.



Championship Game: Girls Soccer – Antioch Lady Bears and the McGavock Lady Raiders play tonight for the District 12AAA Championship.



Sectionals: Volleyball – Hume-Fogg Lady Blue Knights have reached the Sweet Sixteen in the state and visit Page tonight at 7:00pm with the chance to qualify for the State Championship tournament.

Shout Out on National TV from an NFL Star

Two weeks in a row, Glencliff graduate Tim Dobbins played on national television – Monday Night Football on ESPN one week and Sunday night on NBC the next week. On Sunday, each member of the starting defense introduced himself, and the starting linebacker for the Houston Texans said: “Tim Dobbins…Linebacker… Glencliff High School” Whoop Whoop for the Glencliff Colts!

TSSAA Reclassification

The TSSAA examines enrollment every four years and realigns its member schools into six classifications for football and three classifications for the other sports. The TSSAA announced this week the new classifications for every school in the state and will align the various districts next week. It is possible that MNPS schools will change districts, and that rivalries will be disturbed or created by the realignment. Frankly, the North Sports Report does not expect much change, but will examine the districts after the TSSAA makes the final decisions. Stay tuned…

Football Friday: October 19, 2012

This week’s North Sports Report Game of the Week pits two teams on a roll after notching impressive victories last week – the East Nashville Eagles travel to Nick Coutras Stadium to face the Overton Bobcats.



In other action:

• Both teams are playing for playoff position when the Hillwood Hilltoppers visit Cane Ridge Ravens;


• Hillsboro Burros travel east of the river to Buster Boguskie Field to play the red hot Stratford Spartans;


• Maplewood Panthers travel over Monteagle (a beautiful drive this time of year) to Chattanooga to play Boyd-Buchanan;


• Antioch Bears host Columbia; and


• McGavock Raiders host Goodpasture.

Glencliff Colts, Hunters Lane Warriors, Pearl-Cohn Firebirds, and Whites Creek Cobras will rest up during their bye week and prepare for next week’s regular season finale.



The MNPS home games are at Overton; at Cane Ridge; at Stratford; at Antioch; and at McGavock.



All games start at 7:00pm except Maplewood’s game which starts at 6:30pm central time (7:30pm local Chattanooga time).



Enjoy a game this week!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Competing When It’s All on the Line

On the Monday after fall break, students shared their beloved program with special guests including TN Commissioner of Agriculture Julius Johnson, MNPS Nutrition Services Director Spencer Taylor, MNPS Chief Operating Officer Fred Carr, several local dairy farmers, and former Tennessee Titan Blaine Bishop. The group toured the school, heard from teachers, and watched as students enjoyed their Monday morning Breakfast in the Classroom!

Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option Elementary School is ending fall break on a very high note - the school won the NFL Play 60 DonorsChoose.org Showdown! Pre-K teacher Katie Elam applied for the showdown. She will now receive $1,000 with which she will purchase books, puzzles, posters and stickers that can be used to teach lessons about citizenship and character. Check out the release issued by the Tennessee Titans.

Families at Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet joined together for a fun night of reading. Literacy Night at Robert Churchwell gives parents an opportunity to share their love of reading with their children, as well as explore new ways to include daily reading activities with children.



Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet caters to the budding storyteller. The museum theme allows students to uncover interesting and unique stories and find creative, meaningful ways to share them. The school benefits from strong community partnerships with Adventure Science Center, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum of Art, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Tennessee State Museum.

Maplewood High School is hosting a Latino Festival, Saturday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event will be held on Maplewood’s football field. Guests will enjoy multi-cultural dancing, cuisine, arts, crafts, music, bouncy houses, face painting, informational booths, door prizes, and more. The festival will support the Maplewood Young Latino Leaders Program as well as offer the community a chance to learn about the Latino culture. Admission is $3.00 for adults; children are free. 

Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option Elementary needs your help! Katie Elam's blended preschool class is in the running for the NFL PLAY 60 DonorsChoose.org Showdown. The class will be matched up against a school around Pittsburg, the Titans Week Six Thursday Night Football opponent.

Click here for a video of Elam and her adorable class.

Have on old bicycle that runs great but is taking up coveted space in your garage? Or maybe one your kids have outgrown? Hands on Nashville and the Oasis Center have teamed up and want to take them off your hands with ReCYCLE for Kids, a new project that aims to redistribute pre-loved kids’ bikes (20” wheels and smaller). Bikes will be collected, refurbished, and given to economically disadvantaged youth who benefit from the services of the Oasis Center. See flyer for more details.

From Tennessee’s First Lady Crissy Haslam to News 2 Meteorologist Justin Bruce, Metro elementary school students had some very special guest readers to help celebrate Jump Start’s Read for the Record Day! Thursday, Oct. 4, students throughout Metro joined millions across the nation in reading Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman and Jacky Davis.

At Neely’s Bend Elementary, the school’s literacy coach Patti Taylor dressed in full character to read to her students. Inglewood students enjoyed a special reading by First Lady Haslam. Justin Bruce read at Napier Enhanced Option, and MNPS Chief Operating Officer Fred Carr shared the story with students at Eakin.

Alice Sanford, Latin teacher at Hume-Fogg Magnet, is next week’s News 2 Teacher of the Week! She will be featured during News 2 at 10, Thursday, Oct. 11, and again during the 6am news Friday, Oct. 12.

Grātulātiō, Domina Sanford!

(We hope we got that right!)

Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School English teacher Christopher Dowlen is at the top of his class! Dowlen was recently awarded the Don Jenkins Award for Excellence in the Teaching of English/Language Arts. Up to three teachers from Tennessee are awarded this prestigious honor each year.

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Hillsboro Hoopster Commits to Big Blue Tigers

Talk about a bright college future…Hillsboro’s Jamontae Davis has committed to continue his studies and play his college basketball locally at Tennessee State. Looking forward to watching his senior season with the Burros, and then next year, you can check out his show at the Gentry Center.

Alumni Alert – Maplewood Graduate Earns OVC Special Honors

According to the Tennessee Tech website, Tennessee Tech Freshman and 2012 Maplewood graduate Ladarius Vanlier was named Ohio Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after a tremendous performance against Murray State. Ladarius “had 291 all-purpose yards, the fourth-most in school history…returned an OVC-record 11 kickoffs (just one off the NCAA record) for 237 yards (13 yards shy of the OVC record) including a 94-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It marked the sixth-longest return in school history and the ninth-longest kickoff return in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) so far this season. Vanlier also returned one punt for 30 yards and caught four passes for a total of 24 yards.”

Football Time

Last week’s Pearl-Cohn vs. Maplewood game reminded me to always stay to the end. The last two minutes of that game defies description and ended with a game-tying field goal attempt falling just short. Maplewood Principal Ron Woodard and the Panther staff were great hosts as always; the two marching bands electrified the crowd with a battle of the bands halftime show that kept everyone rocking; and the ending of the game …well, “defies description” is the only way to describe it. An awesome night at Maplewood!

Football Thursday October 4, 2012

This week is one of my favorites as we double the fun with games on Thursday and Friday. The North Sports Report has two…count them two…games of the week.



For Thursday’s Game of the Week the North Sports Report will head to McGavock to see the Overton Bobcats visit the McGavock Raiders in a big District 12AAA showdown.



In other action on Thursday:

• Stratford Spartans travel to East Nashville Eagles in the Pride of the Eastside Throwdown;


• Hillwood Hilltoppers host Glencliff Colts; and


• Maplewood Panthers travel to CPA.

MNPS home games on Thursday are at McGavock; at Hillwood; and at East Nashville (played on the TPS campus). Go to a game Thursday night!

Football Friday October 5, 2012

Need more? Of course, you do. The North Sports Reports Friday Night Game of the Week sees the Whites Creek Cobras face the home-standing Pearl-Cohn Firebirds.



In other action on Friday:

• Antioch Bears take their balanced and powerful running attack to face the Hunters Lane Warriors;


• Hillsboro Burros host Brentwood; and


• Cane Ridge Ravens travel to Centennial.

MNPS home games on Friday night are at Pearl-Cohn; at Hunters Lane; and at Hillsboro. Go to a game near you!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Bright College Futures

Much to the delight of hundreds of 7th and 8th graders, Tennessee Titans tight end #89 Jared Cook made a surprise appearance at Madison Middle School today! The pro athlete made the trip on behalf of the NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign, sponsored by SUDIA and the American Heart Association. Cook talked about the importance of studying hard, persevering, eating healthy, and getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.



The special visit came right in time to celebrate Child Health Week. This year marks the 84th anniversary of Child Health Day, originally started by President Calvin Coolidge. Check out the video. 

McGavock High School students in the CMT Academy of Digital Design & Communications will be making their television debut next week! The students recently produced a PSA promoting Metro Schools’ 1st Choice Festival, which will be running on Comcast Cable. If that isn’t cool enough, they will also appear in a special segment on More at Midday, Oct. 4, on Channel 4 News, who is the media sponsor of the 1st Choice Festival. Morning anchor Ian Reitz will be at the festival.

Earlier this week, WSMV sent a producer/photojournalist out to catch up with the students and see why families should make plans to attend the 1st Choice Festival. What students didn’t know was they would actually get to shadow the producer -- help run the camera, set up lights, and make sure audio checked out. Check out some behind the scenes footage from the shoot below as well as the PSA produced by McGavock. 

Earlier this month, a group of male singers from Overton High School participated in Lipscomb University's Men's Choir Festival. The festival featured Cantus, a famous group of male singers from Minneapolis, along with 250 High School students from 18 different high schools across the state of Tennessee.



Dr. Gary P. Wilson from Lipscomb University led the festival and rehearsed the combined student festival choir with the young men during the day. In the afternoon, the professional men's choir Cantus provided a master class  clinic for local high school men's choirs. In the evening, the festival choir presented a concert prior to the performance by Cantus then joined with the men of Cantus for a grand finale number.

Five MNPS students have been named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program! Congratulations to MLK student Mustapha W., and Hume-Fogg students Rukayat A., Jeremy C., Dayja T., and Teaira W. These students are among roughly 1,600 seniors across the country who scored in the highest percentile for the region. They will now compete for more than 800 Achievement Scholarship Awards worth more than $2.5 million. Good luck!

Bryson A., a student at Rose Park Math and Science Magnet, is one of five semifinalists in the SCORE Students Rise to the Challenge competition. Bryson wrote an essay on innovation in the classroom (view it here). Find SCORE on Facebook and vote for Bryson before Tuesday, Oct. 2, and he could be the one of three finalists. If selected, Bryson will go into the final interview round. The three finalists will attend the SCORE Prize event Monday, Oct. 8, at the Ryman Auditorium. Let's make sure Bryson gets a front row seat .... go vote! 

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Bowling Season: Set ‘Em Up…Knock ‘Em Down

The time has come for MNPS student-athletes to hang out in the alley…bowling alley that is. Bowling is an exciting combination of an individual and team sport. Did you know that the bowler with last year’s highest per game average in the state resumes his state title hopes for the Cane Ridge Ravens. That’s right, Aaron Ruiz, the best high school bowler in Tennessee, and all other MNPS bowlers are heading down the lane toward a successful bowling season.

Alumni Alert – Volunteer to Save the Day

How about Hillsboro graduate Eric Gordon’s performance Saturday for the Tennessee Volunteers? Eric helped lead the Vols to victory at Neyland Stadium with four tackles and a crucial interception.

Soccer Season Version of Magnet Madness

The North Sports Report attended the girls’ soccer match between the Lady Blue Knights of Hume-Fogg and the Lady Royals of MLK this week. While the action on the field was exciting, the North Sports Report was most impressed with the true school spirit of the fans. The students, body-painted in school colors, brought the stands to life as they banged a drum, encouraged both teams, and all cheered the effort at the end. MNPS students are FANtastic!

Football Friday September 28, 2012

The North Sports Report enjoyed the breezy homecoming night at Antioch last week. It was a beautiful night for football.

The Antioch Bears take the field.

The Wizard of AHS - The Antioch High School concession stand brings the refreshment.

This week’s North Sports Report Game of the Week is the match-up we have all anticipated as the Pearl-Cohn Firebirds visit the Maplewood Panthers in the game each team hopes will catapult it toward a district title. It promises to be one of the best match-ups of the year! I’ll see you there.



In other action:

• Glencliff Colts host Cane Ridge Ravens;


• East Nashville Eagles travel to CPA;


• Hillsboro Burros travel to Independence;


• Overton Bobcats welcome Hillwood Hilltoppers;


• Hunters Lane Warriors cross the river to face McGavock Raiders; and


• Whites Creek Cobras host Lipscomb.

Antioch Bears and Stratford Spartans do not play this week.



The MNPS home games are at Maplewood; at Glencliff; at Overton; at McGavock; and at Whites Creek. The students would love to see you at a game this week!



Go to a game!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for the the True School Spirit of the Fans