Chris Cotter decided early in life he wouldn’t be another statistic. He would not be “average” or accepting of the bare minimum. He would expect a lot out of himself – only the best – even if he didn’t expect much help from others.



He moved around a lot, often changing schools in the middle of the year. Until high school, he had never stayed at one school for longer than one year, giving him precious little growing time in his classes and with friends. After suddenly losing their rented home to an unexpected sale, Chris’ family found themselves without many options. Through all of this misfortune and despite hard times, his mother stayed strong and provided for her sons. Chris was able to stay with another family, but it would not be the only time he found himself without a home. He realized then he couldn’t depend on others to help him succeed. He’d have to do it himself.



One day while searching on the Internet, Chris found an article claiming young men in his situation would never lead successful lives, never rise above the statistics for “average black men.” He would not accept that.



Through hard work, Chris earned a 3.5 grade point average and is graduating with honors this weekend from Hunters Lane High School. He never accepted Bs and only worked toward As – even in honors and AP classes.



He has been accepted to Berea College in Kentucky, where he’ll study to become a math teacher. The school has offered him full scholarships for all four years, totaling $100,000.



The young man who always has a smile, but hasn’t always had good fortune, has found his path in life. And he will soon be making a difference in the lives of young students very much like himself.



Congratulations, Chris. We couldn’t be more proud of you.

Send your graduation and end of year celebration photos to MNPSCommunicationsOffice@mnps.org

We want to see how our families are celebrating another successful school year and the end of an era for graduating seniors. Caps and gowns, diplomas, parties and proud, smiling parents - we want to see it all!



Share your proudest moment with the entire MNPS community by sending your pictures to the Communications Office. We'll post them to our Flickr page.



By submitting your photos, you allow Metro Nashville Public Schools to use and display them online.

CLICK HERE for a full graduation schedule.

Mayor Karl Dean joined Harris Hillman families, friends and staff for the dedication of the new Wiggle Room Therapy Facility at Harris Hillman School.



The Wiggle Room is an environmental support that supplies an opportunity for students with performance exceptionalities to address academic goals. It uses movement and body input to help prepare students for learning readiness while also challenging the student in appropriate IEP goals. It is implemented using a integrated team approach and plans are individualized for each student to help promote successful engagement.



Funded by the Shelby Foundation, an organization that has been extremely dedicated to the students and growth of Harris-Hillman School since 2006. Since its inception, the Shelby foundation has raised more than $318,000 for much needed projects at the school!

Made weekend plans yet? Don't bother! We know what you'll be doing.



Grammy nominated mariachi star José Hernàndez is giving a FREE performance at Glencliff High School this Friday night! He'll be joined by the Veterans Juvenil de America Mariachi Band from Rio Grande City, Texas.



It's all a fundraiser for the Music Makes Us Mariachi program kicking off next year. This new program will bring middle and high school students into the world of mariachi, practicing and performing in school ensembles. Donations will be accepted at this free concert event.



This is a wonderful opportunity to not only enjoy a free concert, but to support a budding music program that could change the lives of young students. Don't miss it!!

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to you and your student who is about to finish 6th grade! There is one last requirement before your student can begin 7th grade.



Students currently enrolled in a Tennessee school and entering the 7th grade in August 2012 must provide the school an updated Tennessee Immunization Certificate with proof of two additional immunizations:

1. Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster (“Tdap”):not required if a Td booster dose given less than 5 years before 7th grade entry is recorded on the DTaP/Td line


2. Verification of immunity to varicella; (2 doses or history of disease)

The Metro Public Health Department and Metro Nashville Public Schools encourage you to get these immunizations NOW to avoid long waits in clinics and doctor’s offices. Below are some suggestions of places to get your child immunized before school begins:

1. Your private health care provider


2. The Metro Public Health Department (addresses below)

Lentz Public Health Center 311 23rd Avenue North Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 340-5616 Walk-In Hours 8:00-3:30

East Public Health Center 1015 East Trinity Lane Nashville, TN 37216 (615) 862-7916 Walk-In Hours 7:30-3:00

Woodbine Public Health Center 224 Oriel Avenue Nashville, TN 37210 (615) 862-7940 Walk-In Hours 7:30-3:00

The law requires parents provide an updated immunization certificate to the school before the student can start 7th grade. You will only need to have proof of the two additional immunizations mentioned above on the updated immunization certificate. You can turn in the certificate to your child’s school as soon as you have it completed.



For more information you may contact:



Metro Public Health Dept.

Immunization Program

340-2168





Metro Schools Customer Service Center

259-4636

Remember 2-4-7:

2 Immunizations

Be 4 my student

Can start 7th grade



To view in Spanish, click here.

After a nationwide search for outstanding educators, Metro Nashville Public Schools Innovation Cluster has selected school principals, called iLeaders. Four are new to their schools and six are veterans; all are charged with leading dramatic improvement at Innovation Cluster schools.

• Bailey STEM Magnet Middle - Dr. Christian Sawyer (New)


• Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary - Michelle McVicker (New)


• Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary - Jahi Rohrer (New)


• John Early Museum Magnet Middle - Risè Pope (New)


• Napier Enhanced Option Elementary - Dr. Ronald Powe (Returning)


• Gra-Mar Middle - Dr. Antoinette Williams (Returning)


• Margaret Allen Middle - Dr. Dorothy Gunn (Returning)


• Cameron Middle - Chris Hames (Returning)


• Jere Baxter Middle - Dr. Corey Walker (Returning)


• Brick Church Middle - Chirelle Jefferson (Returning)

Learn more about the Innovation Cluster on its website.

What are iLeaders?

“iLeaders are an elite group of educators committed to transforming Innovation Cluster schools into exceptional schools,” said Alan Coverstone, director of Innovation Schools. “These iLeaders will analyze data and implement strategies to improve student achievement at each school. We want rapid results and will work with teachers, students, parents and the community to achieve them.”

Who are our new iLeaders?

McVicker is a product of Metro Schools as a member of the first graduating class of Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School. She began her teaching career at Norman Binkley Elementary and then moved to Bordeaux Elementary where she taught sixth grade until becoming the outreach manager for Nashville Public Television. In 2004, she joined Rutherford County Schools as school technology specialist. In 2007, she became an assistant principal in Murfreesboro City Schools, splitting her time between Hobgood Elementary: A NASA Explorer School and The Discovery School. During her tenure, both schools have been recognized for student achievement. Hobgood is 13th in the state and second in Middle Tennessee for improving student achievement in Education Consumers Foundation rankings.



McVicker earned an associate’s degree from Columbia State Community College and a bachelor’s degree from David Lipscomb University, both in elementary education. She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University and the Ed. S. from Tennessee Technological University.



Rohrer has five years’ experience in school leadership in New York, the British West Indies, and Washington, D.C. He joined DC Prep in 2010 as an instructional coach and became executive principal of the school’s Benning Elementary Campus in 2011. Previously, he was regional director of Potomac Lighthouse Public Charter School, also in Washington. In the British West Indies, he was the principal of the Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute. He began his career as a Teach For America Corps member in New York where he was a semi-finalist for the New York Sue Lehmann Award for teaching effectiveness. He has four years of elementary teaching experience.



Rohrer holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College, a master’s degree in elementary education from Pace University, and has completed the Principal Leadership Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also earned the M.Ed. He is the first African-American to win the overall title at the United State Alpine Skiing Junior Olympic Championship and was on the U.S. Olympic Development Ski Team.



Sawyer returns to Metro Schools from Louisiana where he worked to integrate 21st century learning technology into classrooms. He taught at Hillsboro High School and served as "Teacher in Residence" at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education, where he taught in the Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools program. He has been an instructor of Geopolitics at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and an Atlantik-Bruecke Fellow studying German-American relations with the Tennessee Department of Education. He was named 2006 National Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies and the 2006 Tennessee Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year. In 2008, he received both the Tennessee Distinguished Educator honor and Nashville’s "Educator Award" from the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities.



He has written and edited curriculum, including books on Human Geography. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the honors program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

Learn more about the Office of Innovation.

Metro Nashville’s Innovation Cluster schools are “priority” schools in the bottom 5 percent of Tennessee’s schools based on proficiency rates in math, reading, and science. Under the new statewide accountability system, these schools must improve student achievement at twice the rate of the rest of the district to remain under district governance.

Three students from the Academy at Hickory Hollow have racked up big scholarship dollars from the Simon Youth Foundation, to the tune of $28,000 each!



Lance Dowling, Clinton Ekwuazi, and Simone Ross-Thompson were awarded the scholarships during the Opry Mills Mall grand re-opening celebration on Saturday, May 5.



SYF established the Community Scholarship to meet the financial needs of students in communities that host Simon® shopping centers. The goal of the Foundation is to apply a holistic approach to the educational experiences of our youth. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of financial need, academic record, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, honors, work experience, statement of goals and aspirations, and an outside appraisal. The Academy at Hickory Hollow relocated from Opry Mills after the May 2010 floods that submerged the Opryland area, but still receives great support from SYF. The Academy at Opry Mills, will re-open this fall.



Lance Dowling is a May 2012 graduate, who will be attending Middle Tennessee State University to study sports medicine. Clinton Ekwuazi, also a May 2012 graduate, has been accepted to Middle Tennessee State University and waiting on a response from Austin Peay State University. Simone Ross-Thompson, a December 2011 graduate, has been accepted to Tennessee State University.

 

Twenty‐six students from thirteen area middle schools have been selected for the School for Science and Math Class of 2016. Students were selected on the basis of test scores, grades, personal essays, teacher recommendations, and in‐person interviews. These students are the sixth class to begin the program.



SSMV allows students to spend one full day per week studying with scientists and experts at Vanderbilt all through high school. Find out more on

 

the School's website.

 

See the full 2016 Class.

Our very good friends at the Simon Youth Foundation want to give Nashville students a chance at $5,000 for college just for telling their own stories of perseverance.



Simon Youth is sponsoring the contest to mark the reopening of Opry Mills Mall after the historic flood of 2012 - and the upcoming relaunch of The Academy at Opry Mills.



All you have to do to win is write an essay with the theme "Back in a Big Way: My Personal Story of Perseverance." It's open to all current Metro students who are juniors in high school. You must also be in good academic standing and have plans to enroll in college full-time. The deadline is June 1, 2012.



Full details, including where to enter, are in the flyer below.

 

Carmon Brown, Debbie Booker to lead new Metro Schools

Two innovative Metro Nashville Public Schools will open August 1 with veteran educators at the helm. Carmon Brown will lead the Academy of Opry Mills and Debbie Booker the new Bridge School. Brown and Booker are currently assistant principals at Antioch High School.



“Carmon Brown will be a strong leader for the Academy at Opry Mills. He has worked with high school students for 20 years and understands how the Academy can help students overcome obstacles and earn a high school diploma,” said Jay Steele, associate superintendent for high schools. The original Academy at Opry Mills was displaced by the historic May 2010 flood. With support from the Simon Youth Foundation, the Academy will return to Opry Mills August 1 for the 2012-13 school year.



“Debbie Booker has worked in high schools and middle schools and, most recently, has been the principal of Antioch’s ninth grade academy,” added Steele. “She is very well qualified to serve as principal for the new Bridge School, which will help struggling students in grades 8 to 10 get back on track academically before they continue to high school.”



Brown has public and private school experience, having taught at Brentwood Academy and Friendship Christian School in addition to teaching social studies at Brentwood, Maplewood and Hunters Lane high schools. From 2004-11, he was an assistant principal at Hillsboro High School where, among other duties, he helped implement the Academies of Nashville small learning communities program. He also served as International Baccalaureate principal when the school received its Middle Years Programme authorization. Brown earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from David Lipscomb University.



Booker currently serves as the principal of the Academy of Hospitality at Antioch High. Previously, she taught mathematics at McGavock High and chaired the mathematics departments at Lake Taylor High and Booker T. Washington High, both in Norfolk, Virginia. She began her career teaching mathematics to military dependents at Ft. Irwin Middle School in Ft. Irwin, Calif. Booker holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in education from Alabama A&M University and the Ed. S. degree in administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.



Billy Fellman, who was previously announced as the principal of the Academy at Opry Mills, will instead lead the Academy at Hickory Hollow. That position opened when the current principal decided to move out of state.



Metro Nashville Public Schools is earning a national reputation as the district’s graduation rate has climbed, the annual dropout rate has nosedived and community involvement in schools has accelerated since Jesse Register, Ed.D., became the director of schools in 2009.

It’s not a science fair. It’s a STEM Fair, the first of its kind in our city, and it’s changing the face of Nashville.



Metro Nashville Public School students compete against one another individually and in teams using videos, presentations, and on-site demonstrations to see which of their projects has the best potential to improve the city.



Don’t come expecting to find science fair stand-bys like plaster volcanoes and three-panel display boards. The Metro Schools STEM Competition is a district-wide high school event. Students have worked with Nashville’s top STEM professionals to share their ideas, investigations and recommendations to “Change the Face of Nashville.” At the competition, individuals and teams will use videos, presentations, and on-site demonstrations to showcase the project with the best potential to improve the city in any of five categories: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, STEM Career.

Stratford STEM Magnet High School will host this inaugural competition on May 16.



More information about registering to compete and other contest details can be found here. The deadline to register is Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

Big congratulations are due to three Metro high schoolers who are so determined to go to college they just received a combine $60,000 in scholarships from Dell Computers!



Brandon P. and Escarlet E., both of McGavock, and Dustin Binkley of Maplewood were all named 2012 Dell Scholars. The Dell Scholars program honors students who have a strong determination to succeed and great academic potential.



That's exactly why Brandon, Escarlet, and Dustin participate in the AVID program at their schools. AVID stands for 'Advancement via Individual Determination' and is designed for students who have a determination to graduate and attend college. AVID students work on their own and with tutors to learn study skills, leadership skills, test taking skills, organization skills, career opportunities, and time management as well as many other strategies for success in high school, college, careers, and life.



It took a lot of hard work to get where they are, and we say congratulations to all three of them. You are all stellar students!



P.S. - If Dustin's name looks familiar, it's because he was also the winner of this year's Hume Award for athletic sportsmanship and academic achievement AND he played on Maplewood's near-championship football team. What a year this guy's had!

In his May 1 State of Metro Address, Mayor Karl Dean announced his proposal to fund $100 million in capital needs for Metro Schools. That would go a long, long way toward helping a number of our schools and communities with needs identified in our Capital Master Plan for 2012-13.



If the Metro Council approves the proposed budget, major projects expected to be funded include:

• $20 million in renovations at aging Stratford High School


• A new gym for Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High


• Purchasing land for new elementary and middle schools in southeast Davidson County


• Purchasing land adjacent to Julia Green Elementary


• Renovations and/or expansions at
  
  
  
  • Rose Park Middle
  
  
  • Joelton Middle
  
  
  • Antioch Middle
  
  
  • Oliver Middle
  
  
  • AZ Kelley Elementary
  
  
  • John Early Middle
  
  
  • Norman Binkley
  
  
  
  

Those are all schools and areas that need attention, but as some of our families have pointed out, they’re not the only ones.



Here in Nashville, the average age of our public school buildings is 42 years old. Sometimes a school is aged and needs renovation. Sometimes it needs to be expanded. And sometimes it’s just not built to support the level of technology or specific programs we need.



Our total capital funding needs for 2012-13 as listed in the Six-year Capital Master Plan come to $185 million. We didn’t expect to get the full amount and we won’t. So how do we decide which projects will be funded?



Short answer: they’re prioritized.



Long answer: All buildings are assessed in a process done by a company outside of MNPS using a software tool that objectively looks at more than 30 components of each building and assigns it a score. District officials then put together a plan based on the needs of existing schools and projected needs for new schools.



The whole idea is to take any one person or group’s point of view out of this decision-making process. It’s done objectively and independently.



And keep in mind capital needs doesn’t just mean buildings. It also means any equipment expected to last for ten years or more, like school buses and technology, and access improvements for people with disabilities.



It’s been two years since Metro Schools received any capital funding and $100 million will go a long way toward improving the district’s infrastructure and our schools. There will always be more to be done – after all, nothing ever stops aging – but we’d be thrilled to receive such an investment.

High school students got a crash course in running a business from Junior Achievement and a team of business professionals acting as mentors.



Teams from Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillwood, McGavock, and Maplewood took part in the JA Titan Business Challenge presented by Catepillar Financial. The team from Cane Ridge came out on top, besting teams from Metro schools and some from out of county. McGavock was close behind in second.



Congratulations to all who took part!

From a full Junior Achievement press release:

Nashville—On a typical business day in April, 20 companies sold products, developed product innovations, analyzed financial reports, implemented marketing plans and donated to charity. However, these companies were anything but typical—they were run by high school students and all business was performed virtually. On April 24th, 60 students from eight different high schools in three Middle Tennessee counties competed in the JA Titan Business Challenge presented by Caterpillar Financial and hosted by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee (JA). In teams of 3, 20 student-led companies vied to become the most successful company. Student participants hailed from Antioch High School, Cane Ridge High School, Glencliff High School, Hillwood High School, McGavock High School, and Maplewood High School in Davidson County; Pope John Paul II High School in Sumner County; and Mt. Juliet High School in Wilson County. Cane Ridge High School took first place in the JA Titan Business Challenge. McGavock High School placed second and Pope John Paul II High School finished third. Teams scored points based on business strategy and overall company performance. Prior to the event, students received the 7-session, JA Titan classroom-based program which introduces critical economics and management decisions through an interactive computer simulation and was taught by volunteers from Caterpillar Financial and FirstBank. Only the top team from each classroom was invited to compete in the JA Titan Business Challenge. The winning team from Cane Ridge was mentored by Ritzon Fernandez of Caterpillar Financial Services, who taught the program in the classroom and then coached the students through their decision-making during the competition. He explained, “The JA Titan game is extremely intricate, from basics such as setting price, to deciding on capital expenditures, to monitoring the cost of holding inventory. You don’t realize how much the students have learned in such a short time until you watch them go in with a business strategy, make these complex decisions, and then continuously adjust their strategy according to their competition.” Most of the students received the program through a business management or marketing class at school. Teacher Amanda Davoli of Antioch High School said she provides the JA Titan program to her students because “it is a natural fit with the business principles students are already learning” in her classroom. “The JA Titan Business Challenge allows students to put together all the components of running a business and helps them understand how all these aspects combine to make a business successful,” said Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee President Trent Klingensmith. “Not only does the JA Titan Business Challenge give students a chance to learn and interact with each other in a fun environment, it also gives a competitive advantage because they have a better understanding of how a business operates before they enter the workforce.” Students agreed that the JA Titan experience will be helpful to them in the future. Kelsea Sullivan, a student at Cane Ridge High School, wants to major in business in college. She said, “The lessons I learned in class through JA Titan were applied in a business setting in the competition. I was really applying my learning.” Rina Dervishi, also a student at Cane Ridge, said the competition “gave me an idea of how the real world will be and what will be important.” JA Titan is just one of the classroom-based programs Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee provides to students in Kindergarten through high school. These programs promote financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship through interactive, volunteer-led curriculum. More than 30,000 students will receive JA programs in their classrooms during the 2011-2012 school year. About Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee: Locally, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, a franchise of Junior Achievement USA® (JA), provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement offers classroom-based programs, JA BizTown, JA Job Shadow, and the JA Company Program to students in Kindergarten through high school. Founded in Middle Tennessee in 1957, Junior Achievement now operates in 18 counties in the region, reaching over 30,000 students annually in over 2,000 classrooms throughout Middle Tennessee. For more information, visit www.janash.com. About Junior Achievement USA® (JA) Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches four million students per year in more than 120 markets across the United States, with an additional 6.5 million students served by operations in 117 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

Proving that whole 'entertainment' part of Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, students showcased their musical chops at Puckett's Grocery on 5th and Church Street downtown Monday.



In a night described as a "momentous occasion," several singers and a backing band performed a diverse musical set for the restaurant's Up 'n Comer's Night. Everyone agreed that the show was a raging success, including the folks at Puckett's.



Management at the restaurant said the show was "amazing" and called the student performers "stars in the making." They were so impressed they plan to bring students back for more live events like this one!



Thank you to Puckett's Grocery and the hard working folks at Pearl-Cohn and in the high schools office for making this night such a success. And congratulations, students! You've earned the accolades!

PICTURES COURTESY OF PUCKETT'S GROCERY

Hunters Lane High School has won a $1,000 grant from a major restaurant chain to feed those who need it most. The grant from Darden Restaurants, Inc. allows the school to provide food on the weekends to students who do not have access to consistent food sources outside of school. The money comes from the inaugural Restaurant Community Grant Program from Darden Foundation.



Hunters Lane is one out of 900 schools taking part in the program. It is a $1.7 million local grants program intended to help support nonprofit organizations in the hundreds of communities where Darden has restaurants. Those include Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Nonprofits receiving grants support one of Darden’s three key focus areas: access to postsecondary education, preservation of natural resources, and hunger.



Thanks, Darden for helping our students!

Last year we spent $674 million educating more than 79,000 students. Every year that number goes up – and not necessarily because we want it to. Inflation hits individuals and organizations alike. We have to pay more for many of the same services we receive year to year.



For 2012-13, the Board of Education has approved a budget increase of more than $48 million over the 2011-12 budget. But you may be surprised to learn a huge majority of that increase comes from unavoidable increases. The rest would be dedicated to programs aimed at increasing achievement, bettering our schools, and graduating more students.



So where would it all go? Let’s take a look.

PEOPLE

The most expensive part of almost any organization is people. A school district is no exception. Some 80% of our budget goes to people – salaries, insurance, and pensions. Every year the amount of money required to keep those people goes up just a little bit. Insurance costs rise and many employees are eligible for “step” salary increases.

SEE the approved budget proposal in its entirety.

On top of that, the State of Tennessee has passed a 2.5% raise for teachers, and the district pays most of that. This year, we’re also proposing a 2% raise for support employees. These are the bus drivers, school secretaries, cafeteria staff, and many more who have not had a raise since 2008. They deserve one.



This year we’re also opening a new elementary school in Cane Ridge, because of big growth in that area. That requires hiring 13 new employees and boosting maintenance and custodial budgets. Across the district, we expect about 1,700 new students next year, meaning we have to hire new teachers to keep up our teacher-to-student ratios within state law. That’s 100 new teachers. Add to that three more school days next year (which are also more paid days for support staff) and two new charter schools opening. They’re all necessary additions and they all cost money.



So when you add all of that together, where do we stand? Just these needed – and in some cases unavoidable – costs come to an additional $39.4 million for 2012-13. That’s more than 80% of our requested budget increase.

 

Tomorrow and Wednesday we’ll talk about some of the specific proposals to make our schools even better, including how to turn Nashville into a destination for the very best new teachers in the country.

A school of fish swam its way into Mt. View Elementary’ s cafeteria! The school is using Pepperidge Farms fish bread to promote healthy choices and eating at school during TCAP testing. Check out the pictures of the healthy lunches MNPS students are enjoying.

Academy at Hickory Hollow student Grecia Esparza knows her languages! She won two national awards by taking two very difficult foreign language exams.



Grecia won first prize in the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese level 5 bilingual exam and 3rd place in the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese level 4 bilingual exam contest. She even earned a bit of prize money for the 1st place honors.



Grecia entered the exam at her previous school (Hume-Fogg Magnet High School), but is current a student at the Academy. The exams are a national competition assessing knowledge of vocabulary & grammar.



Way to go, Grecia!

Cole Elementary School fourth grade debate team will participate in a debate on Saturday, April 28, at 10:00 a.m. in Vanderbilt University’s Calhoun Building. Cole’s debate team has had a successful year, competing in various debates with Kirkpatrick Elementary School. Cole's three teams will debate against three teams from Kirkpatrick Elementary School. The top three teams will go on to compete in the finals on Thursday, May 10. The topic of the debate will be “Parents should not be held legally responsible for their children’s poor choices.”



Good luck to all teams from both schools!

Harris-Hillman School Celebrated Earth Day on last Thursday, April 19. Students were able to go outside and learn in ways designed just for them. They learned about many Earth Day topics at accessible interactive stations, bubble machines, and adaptive kite flying. This annual event provides Harris-Hillman students with an amazing opportunity to get out and explore the world around us.

Learn More About Harris-Hillman School

Fifth and eighth grade students are getting their hands dirty and drawing from all of their subjects in a service project that ties academics to gardening and to their community.



With the help of teacher Dr. Boone and the East Nashville Community Garden group, the fifth graders are planting different herbs and crops to understand how multiple factors influence the growth rate of each particular species of plant. The eighth graders are learning about pH levels through acid and base testing to see what conditions will work best for their plants so Bailey can have the best garden possible. The older students will then share what they have learned with their peers, giving both groups a deeper understanding of the concepts involved with growing a successful garden.



The happy conclusion to this experiment is that the families and community of Bailey get to enjoy in the fruits of the students’ labor. The fifth grades will open their very own restaurant using recipes they’ve researched and herbs, fruits, and vegetables from the garden. Their math skills will work overtime as they set up the menu for opening day, which is Bailey’s Student Celebration Day on May 15th. Not only will participants enjoy fresh, healthy foods, but visitors can see “STEM-ulating” demonstrations, investigations, and projects done throughout the year by students from Bailey.

Bailey STEM Magnet Middle School Student Celebration Day

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

2000 Greenwood Ave, 37206

Last Sunday Maplewood High School students Brien H. and Sengphachane P., parent volunteer Ms. Kizer, and Maplewood High teacher Chiquithia Fells, volunteered for the March of Dimes March for Babies representing Future Business Leaders of America. The volunteers committed more than three hours of their time to the information booth during the charity event.



Thanks for getting involved, Maplewood!

Three students from John Early Museum Magnet Middle represented their school at the State Tennessee History Day last Saturday.



La’Charsha W., Mitchell M. and Noah R. competed with six other districts in the state competition. La’Charsha won first place in individual performance category and will compete at the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C. in June. This is a huge honor as she not only had to write and perform her script about a topic in history, but she also had to create a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, complete a process paper, and complete an extensive interview with the judges. Mitchell M. won third place for his website and will be an alternate at the National History Day competition.



Congratulations to all the winners and participants!

On Wednesday, April 18, Eakin Elementary School was officially named an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School!



Eakin is the second elementary school in the district to house the IB Primary Years Programme, joining Julia Green. The school received a letter from Director Jeff Beard in Geneva, Switzerland, announcing the status of the school. Eakin is now included as one of 3,372 schools in 141 countries offering IB programmes to more than a million students.



“This authorization to offer the IB/PYP at Eakin Elementary affirms that we are on the right path, encouraging our students and community “to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand, that other people with their differences, can also be right,” says Principal Ann-Maria Gleason.

The Oasis Center College Connections is offering a “Yes you can afford college!” workshop for students and parents on Saturday, April 28, at 3pm in the Glencliff High School library, 160 Antioch Pike Nashville. We are targeting 8th, 9th and 10th grade in particular, with the idea that the earlier families know that college is within their reach financially, the more students will stay focused on their academics. While the emphasis is on families within the Glencliff, Overton, Antioch and Cane Ridge cluster schools, the event is open to EVERYONE.



For more details, click the flyers below.

Few groups know modern communications better than major television networks, and that's exactly who will help bring McGavock High School students into that career field.



CMT is donating money, resources, and time to help educate students at McGavock. Today they helped cut the ribbon for the CMT Academy of Digital Design & Communication.



The ribbon cutting brought together a huge group who all helped make the moment possible: Mayor Karl Dean, School Board Representative Anna Shepherd, Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register, Principal Robbin Wall, CMT Senior Vice-President Suzanne Norman, and many more - not to mention the very happy McGavock students.



Check out the slideshow of photos below, and learn more about the McGavock's Academies on the school website.

Read the full press release.

 

The students and faculty at Murrell School are celebrating Earth Day with Walden’s Puddle today. Walden’s Puddle is the only wildlife refuge in Middle Tennessee devoted to caring for hurt and injured wildlife. During their visit the Walden’s Puddle staff will demonstrate to students how they care for the wildlife that it rescues. To show their gratitude Murrell has collected 100 rolls of paper towels to donate to the wildlife refuge.



Have fun!

UPDATED 4/23/12: Edits made to reflect new information. Classes are not free, but will be offered for a small fee. However, we have been told no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay.

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Progreso Community Center is offering English classes for the Nashville community starting at the end of April.



For more information, call or visit Progreso:

365-9002

367-3623

2675 Murfreesboro Pike, 37217

Full information in the flyers below.

Hands on Nashville is celebrating this year's Global Youth Service Day (Saturday, April 21) at its brand new Urban Farm - and invites you to be a volunteer farmer for a day!



The Urban Farm is run by Hands on Nashville staff and donates fresh produce to local non-profits serving low-income areas of Nashville. But it promises to be a lot of fun, too. Volunteers this Saturday can expect to:

• make rain gardens


• paint signs for vegetable beds


• create garden paths


• prepare beds for planting

ALL volunteers are welcome, ages 11 and up. Come on down and enjoy a day on the farm!



Who: Families, individuals, and groups are welcome. (All volunteers must be 11+.)

When: Saturday, April 21 – Two shifts available:

Morning: 8 a.m. to noon – REGISTER HERE

Afternoon: Noon to 4 p.m. – REGISTER HERE

How: Individuals – Sign up via the links above.

Groups – Contact caroline@hon.org; (615) 298-1108 Ext. 404

Questions? (615) 298-1108 Ext. 404; caroline@hon.org  

Anthony Sewell, biology teacher at Hunters Lane High School, began his teaching career 12 years ago. Inspired by the wonderful teachers he had growing up, Sewell knew he wanted to help guide and serve as a positive influence for young people.

According to Sewell, his favorite part of teaching is “witnessing the growth of our students intellectually.” He says, “It’s a good feeling knowing that we as educators are helping our students develop skills which will allow them to be successful in life.”

Sewell earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with an emphasis in biology. He also holds a master’s from UTK.

Of him nomination as Teacher of the Year Finalist, Sewell says he is honored to be in the running because there are so many wonderful teachers in our district who deserve this recognition. He says he appreciates the acknowledgement for the work he does as well as the hard recognition of the hard work all teachers do every day.

When he isn’t teaching, Sewell spends the majority of his free time with family and friends. He is also a life-long learner and always searching for opportunities to grow in his endeavors as an educator and coach.

Nashville has been selected as one of just 10 cities nationwide to join The National League of Cities (NLC) and the Food Research Action Center (FRAC) this May in Washington, D.C., for the Cities Combating Hunger Through Afterschool Meals Programs (CHAMP) Leadership Academy. The focus of the event will be how to implement or expand the Afterschool Meals Program; i.e., practical strategies to help children receive federally funded meals after school and on weekends. Braina Corke, assistant director of school nutrition at MNPS, will represent the district alongside representatives from the Mayor’s Office and Second Harvest Food Bank. A second event, with 11 different cities, will be held later in May in Chicago.

Following the leadership academies, cities and anti-hunger groups will be eligible to receive regranted funding (up to $60,000 per selected city) from the Walmart Foundation to help implement the ideas generated at the academy. To learn more about the program, click here.

Mckissack Middle School’s Oasis Program has been awarded the Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Award in the category of "Civic Volunteer Group Award". The school has approximately 65 students who participate in the program that aims to teach life skills, increase healthy behaviors, and create a sense of purpose in each teen through its issue-based, skill-building curriculum. The program, which also includes a significant volunteer component, is now in its 15th year.

This year, Mckissack students have contributed more than 1,000 hours of service to a variety of Nashville nonprofits, civic organizations, and schools. The students addressed many issues in the community through service such as feeding the homeless, boxing food and care packages for the needy, making cards for law enforcement officers, and much more. Congratulations Mckissack Oasis Program Students!

The Hillsboro Fine Arts Department will be holding its 8th Annual Festival of the Arts, Thursday, April 19, from 6 - 8 p.m., in the auxiliary gymnasium and auditorium.

Come explore an exhibit with hundreds of works of art from Hillsboro students, courtesy of all the visual arts classes at Hillsboro! There will also be musical entertainment and refreshments.

A full slate of band, orchestra, choral, theatre and film performances will be on display in the auditorium, courtesy of the performing arts departments of Hillsboro. Guests can come and go from the exhibit to the live performances for an evening of artistic excellence.

Tickets are only $7 for adults and $5 for students. All admissions go towards strengthening the arts programs at Hillsboro.

Earlier this spring, Julia Green Elementary hosted its first annual PYP Exhibition. The PYP Exhibition is a culminating showcase of the Primary Years Programme International Baccalaureate experience. It gives the fourth-grade students an opportunity to present what they have learned through student-driven collaborative inquiry into a topic they have chosen. In addition to the inquiry, the students develop an action plan based on the knowledge they have gained through the inquiry process. This year, the central idea behind the exhibition was “People’s Contributions Make a Difference.” Students investigated topics such as animal rights, childhood obesity, the need for clean water, hunger, homelessness, and the importance of education. They researched the lives of people who have made a contribution in that field, and drew inspiration from the differences that were being made by those people. As a result of that inspiration, they developed a plan to raise awareness and support for their cause. Students created displays, brochures, bookmarks, donation information for local non-profits, or activities to raise awareness.

The group that researched the need for clean water created a “water walk.” During the walk, participants carried large containers of water around an area to simulate the experience of walking to a water source and carrying water back to your home. (pictured below)

Antioch High School senior Jasmine M. was one of a handful of MNPS students with artwork selected to appear in the 2012 Mayor's Art Show at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. In a blog Jasmine recently published, she explains, "Who would have known if I set a clear glass cup with two silver spoons and a black plain background that I would have a cup with vibrant pinks, blues, and browns? There is always inner beauty in the simplest of objects that life offers us."



The Mayor's Art Show recognizes the artistic talents of MNPS students. There are two showings, the first runs through April 12 and features artwork by students from Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hunters Lane, Pearl-Cohn, and Stratford. The second showing opens April 19 and runs through May 3 featuring students from Hillwood, Maplewood, McGavock, Overton, and Whites Creek.



Congratulations, Jasmine and all of the other MNPS students whose artwork is on display.

Hillwood High School is hosting the 3rd Annual Topper Football Golf Tournament. And yes, you read that right. It's a golf tournament benefiting the school's football program. Saturday, April 28, you can play with a team or solo at McCabe Golf Course. The shotgun start is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Numerous awards will be given out, including 1st and 2nd place prizes, the longest drive, and closest to the pin. The deadline to register is April 20. Check out the flyer below for more information.

Students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High, Hillsboro High and Stratford STEM Magnet High represented the district well at the Tennessee WorldQuest Championships held earlier this month at Belmont University. The students competed with others from around the region, answering questions about international affairs. Read more and see photos here.

The Academy at Old Cockrill is gaining national attention for it’s outstanding academic achievements! The school has been named the recipient of the 2012 “Key to Success in Educational Excellence Award” from the National Alternative Education Association. Principal Elaine Fahrner will officially receive the award during an all-expense paid trip to San Diego this May for the Excellence in Urban Education National Symposium. At the national gathering, Fahrner will share the secrets to success at The Academy at Old Cockrill with other educators from around the nation.

This award, and the May Symposium hosted by the National Center for Urban School Transformation, recognize high-performing urban schools and help districts across the nation share best practices.  

Congratulations to Amber M., a senior at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, for being selected to receive one of 14 scholarships from the TMSDC (Tennessee Minority Supplier Development Council) Education Foundation. Scholarship recipients were selected from nine schools from across the mid-state. 

Amber was honored during the TMSDC Education Foundation’s 20^th Annual Impact Awards in early April at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. This year’s scholars received a total of $98,000, internships, e-readers, laptops, software, Senior Year Collections, and backpacks. In addition to her scholarships from A+ Education & Training Services, SMS Holdings, and Saundra & Sidney Curry, and the other items mentioned, Amber received a stock certificate. 

Thursday, April 12, from 5 - 7 p.m., The Academy located at Hickory Hollow will host its first International Night. The event is open to the public. Guests will enjoy great food and music, as well as have the opportunity to talk to a variety of community groups and organizations.

Muna M., a junior in the Academy of National Safety and Security Technologies at Stratford STEM Magnet High Schools, has been selected to participate in the 2012 Bank of America Student Leaders program this summer! She will spend eight weeks alongside some of the nation’s brightest young men and women, learning leadership skills and serving as a paid intern with national charity. Muna will also participate in a week-long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., during which she will gain valuable civic, social and business leadership skills. All expenses of this trip are paid for by the Student Leaders Program. Muna is one of 225 student leaders nationwide selected for this outstanding opportunity. Congratulations!

MNPS is hosting the inaugural Academies of Nashville Student Video Awards show Saturday, April 21, at the Belcourt Theatre. Students in various Academies throughout the district submitted videos that explain what their academy’s focus is and what makes it special.  Now through April 18, Nashvillians can vote for their favorite video here. The videos that score highest in a variety of categories will be recognized at the event. 

Middle Tennessee State University is helping host the Video Awards Show and four current MTSU students will assist four current Academies of Nashville students with official hosting duties.

As an International Baccalaureate Candidate school for the Primary Years Program (PYP), Eakin Elementary presented its first IB Exhibition this spring. Leading up to the event, Eakin fourth graders conducted extensive small group research that encompassed the theme: “Opportunities Depend on Available Resources”. For an IB school, the Exhibition is a culminating experience that gives students the opportunity to share with teachers, parents and fellow students what they learned. The most important and distinguishing features of the Exhibition are the processes of inquiry and the action the students then take because of their learning.

Some examples of this inquiry and action in practice are:

• Students researched the role of St. Jude’s Hospital in the battle of cancer in children. They held a lemonade stand one Sunday and raised more than $500 to donate to the hospital.


• Another group of students visited the local non-profit group, Room in the Inn and interviewed a homeless person as a result of their inquiry into the issue of Homelessness.


• Their research on oil spills, led another group of fourth graders to locate businesses in Nashville who recycle oil. They created a brochure to distribute to visitors at the Exhibition.


• Students researching the lack of education realized that the problem is global. Investigating charities, they selected a charity with a high rating of integrity. The students’ goal is to raise enough money to sponsor a year of education for a student in South Africa.

    

We're showing off our schools on Facebook, and you can too!

We've taken more than 100 photos of our schools and made them available on Facebook for you to use as a cover photo on your Timeline. Just head over to our Facebook page to see which schools are available and learn how to use one of our pictures.



Don't see your school? We sifted through hundreds of photos to find ones suitable for use as a cover photo, but we didn't have one for every building.

If you have a great picture of your school you'd like to show off, send it to us and we'll use it as one of our cover photos!

Hume-Fogg junior Erin W. has earned national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2012, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Erin has been identified by panels of professional artists and writers as one of the most talented young artists in the nation. This year, 200,000 works of art and writing were submitted. Only the top 1,500 were recognized at the national level. These students have been invited to attend a ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall on June 1 and to participate in showcase events at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. Erin’s painting is titled Onions.

Congrats to Jyotishka and Shalom, and a special thanks to the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt for sharing the following news release with us!

Students at the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt land first publication Two members of the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt will be seeing their names in print as lead authors on their first scientific manuscript. Jyotishka Biswas and Shalom Rottman-Yang, seniors at the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt have just reached a milestone that most scientists don’t achieve until they are well into graduate school. . . having chief authorship on their first publication in a scientific journal. In most universities, this accomplishment is a fundamental requirement in order to be awarded a PhD in a scientific discipline. But, as they are finishing up their senior years in high school, Jyotishka and Shalom have their sights set on a much more humble experience of starting their undergraduate education. Jyotishka has his sights set on Georgia Tech and Shalom is looking to head off to Princeton next fall. Both have stated that they would like to continue working in a lab during their undergraduate years. Their work which was recently published in the Journal of Electrochemical Society http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/2.095204jes represents a substantial contribution to the electrophoretic deposition research community on par with the contributions that have been made by other professional scientists in the community. Their findings could facilitate the production of intact, but ultra-thin carbon nanotube films at an industrial scale, which could have implications in applications, such as flexible electronics, ballistic protection, and ultra-light fabrics. In addition to their time spent at Hume-Fogg High School, Jyotiska and Shalom have been coming to Vanderbilt University for one day a week for the last four years. The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV) is a joint venture between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and offers high school students an interdisciplinary, research-centered learning experience that culminates with students entering laboratories of Vanderbilt Researchers for a year-long internship. Students write up these projects to submit to national competitions such as the Siemens Science Competition where Jyotiska and Shalom were recently named regional finalists. The SSMV has received funding from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health, and other generous donors.

Monday, April 2, 60 MNPS high school students from the YMCA Latino Achievers will take a “World of Work” tour at the MNPS Board of Education. They will come to learn about careers in the field of education.

The panel will have a diverse group of representatives from various departments and schools within MNPS, including Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register. All will share their stories – education, career path, and current role in MNPS.

The YMCA Latino Achievers’ purpose is to illuminate the path to success, where students dream, discover their strengths, and plan for their future. The group hopes to encourage these students to consider a career in education and to leave with a better understanding of what it takes to become an educator.

Saturday, March 31, the Cameron High Alumni Association is hosting its inaugural Taste of Cameron Fundraising event. The event will be held from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., in the Cameron gym.

Dr. Nicole Cobb will bring her educational counseling expertise to Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools as the new director of school counseling services. Cobb, the former director of the Center for School Climate at the Tennessee Department of Education, will take the place of Dr. Ann Cumbie.

"I am very excited to join the Metro Schools team,” said Cobb. "I believe Metro Schools is leading the state in innovative strategies that include promoting the value of school counselors as leaders in school reform, student achievement and college readiness.”

Cobb graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a bachelor’s of science degree in Elementary Education and a master’s of art and specialist degree in Educational Psychology. Cobb has earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Tennessee.

Prior to joining Metro Schools, Cobb taught language arts and worked as a school counselor for seven years in Putnam County School district and later worked at the Tennessee Department of Education. While director of the Center for School Climate, Cobb led the state initiative to include school climate as part of the overall reform agenda in 26 Tennessee school districts. Under her leadership, the Center reached 100,000 Tennessee youth and sought to improve school learning environments, student achievement, and postsecondary access and persistence rates.

Cobb has also partnered with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Office of P-16 Initiatives on numerous projects including CollegeforTN.org and the yearly School Counselor Institute. In addition, Cobb has experience working on policy, assessment, evaluation, and educational reform initiatives at the national level for Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ.

Cobb has served on several national and state committees including National Teacher Leader Standards, ACT policy council, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and the Council of Children’s Mental Health.

The Volunteers, the premier band of the United States Army Field Band, visited Hunters Lane this week to perform and share the Army story with the students. The group tours the world every two and a half years and hand-picked Hunters Lane for this tour's Nashville stop!

Don't worry if you haven't filed your taxes yet. The United Way is offering Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) until April 14!



So far this year VITA teams at Family Resource Centers have processed nearly 1,400 federal returns and $3,000,000 of refunds!



Don't miss your chance to get free tax help. Check out the flier below for sites and times.

Researchers condemn shoddy methods, analysis of test data investigation



UPDATE (3/27/12): The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has removed any references to Two Rivers Middle School from the original story.



UPDATE (3/26/12): The Washington Post agrees with our objections

The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) has hired a marketing firm to tout its investigative story on testing data from several large school systems despite being informed of numerous flaws in its methodology and analysis. The story is scheduled to appear in this Sunday’s edition and, while Metro Schools has not seen the story, the paper shared its data and methodology earlier this week in its first contact with the district. The information provided is questionable and shows a complete lack of knowledge or understanding of the system and students. Other school systems contacted have voiced similar protests of the data.



“We looked at the data provided, along with the methodology for their analysis, and immediately identified numerous flaws, as did an independent statistician from Vanderbilt,” said Dr. Paul Changas, executive director for Research, Assessment and Evaluation for Metro Schools. Dr. Changas was the first statistician hired by the State of Tennessee to assess student achievement results.



The AJC has based its analysis of school testing data from the nation’s largest school districts by “flagging” any movement in student achievement that is extremely high or low. Metro Schools’ has provided detailed information to the AJC outlining the serious flaws in the information provided to the district and in the methods they used to calculate their data. Some of those include:

• The AJC analysis assumes that students in one grade level at a school one year are the same students that were there the previous year in the previous grade.
  
  
  
  • Metro Schools has mobility rates between 35%-40%.
  
  
  • Zoning changes have impacted student enrollment.
  
  
  • A significant number of ALCs (Alternative Learning Centers) and special schools (including homebound) are flagged in the data; these schools often have very fluid populations - ALC populations have 100% annual turnover.
  
  
  
  


• This AJC information flags schools with unusually high numbers of discrepancies from predicted scores – both high and low.
  
  
  
  • 77% of the cases flagged in MNPS were due to low performance (significantly below predictions).
  
  
  • The negative scores we saw were not part of a pattern of high gain one year followed by significant loss the next (as would be expected if there were improper testing procedures).
  
  
  • There was not a single case of unusually high gains flagged for 2011.
  
  
  
  


• The AJC data we received had obvious errors, including children who were absent from testing being assigned a “zero” rather than being excluded from the analysis - resulting in average scores that were below the minimum score possible.


• Tennessee adopted much more difficult academic standards in 2010, resulting in a significant decrease in student test scores.


• Metro Schools has the highest population of English Learners in the state, with approximately 1 in 4 of our students coming from non-English Language Backgrounds. National data show EL students typically make among the largest gains from year to year as they learn the English language; several of the schools flagged for positive gains have high EL populations.


• The Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) uses much more sophisticated analytical techniques (Henderson’s mixed model methodology) and follows actual cohorts of students to analyze gains of teachers, schools, and districts and TVAAS results have typically been comparable to statewide trends for several years.

Read a detailed list of issues with AJC's methods

Other information provided to the AJC included information from Dr. Dale Ballou, associate professor of Public Policy and Education with Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education, who has reviewed Metro Schools’ testing results for a number of years. Dr. Ballou has reviewed the data provided and found some statistically impossible anomalies. In addition, Dr. Ballou has been involved with an independent analysis of test gains of MNPS middle school math teachers over three years (2006-07 through 2008-09). This review, conducted by Dr. Brian Jacob of the University of Chicago on behalf of Vanderbilt University, did not show any unusual or suspicious patterns.

• The analysis was conducted as part of the Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) study, to determine whether tying significant financial incentives for teachers (up to $15,000 per teacher per year) to student achievement made an impact.


• The analysis conducted by Dr. Jacob was specifically to determine if evidence existed of invalid test scores. None was found.

“We are shocked and disappointed the Atlanta Journal Constitution has included our district in their investigative report to be released Sunday, despite these and a number of additional flaws in their analysis brought to their attention prior to its publication,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register. “Their lack of understanding of our schools and district is reflected in the data we have seen.”



Michael Casserly, executive director for the Council of the Great City Schools, a national organization representing large school districts, has also criticized the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s approach, saying, “These are serious charges that should be supported by the strongest evidence. That strong evidence has not been provided.”

Read the full statement from the Council of Great City Schools

Congratulations to all students who participated in the MNPS Middle School Science and Engineering Fair this year! The year's big winners are posted below.

Eighty students at Brick Church Middle School have been inducted into the second installment of Team Terminator, a group of students who are recognized for being proficient or advanced on school assessments!  That brings the school's total number of Team Terminator members up to 219 for the school year!

The students work hard to make the necessary gains to become a member of this elite team of students. For their efforts, they are rewarded with a t-Shirt and get to participate in a special induction ceremony. They will also receive extra privileges throughout the school such as dances, movies, first in the lunch lines, and first dismissal. The goal is to keep the students striving to make those gains.

In honor of March Madness, we’re bringing you sixteen sweet moments from the 2011-12 school year!

16. The new Confucius Classroom at Hillsboro High opens for international learning.

15. Our students continute to learn alongside some of Nashville's top executives, thanks to partnerships through the Academies of Nashville.

14. Dual enrollment, which allows our students to earn college credit - and even degrees! - while finishing high school.

13. The students at Maplewood High School and the love they feel for their school.

12. The Academies at Old Cockrill & Hickory Hollow, who will graduate their 1,000th student this spring!

11. The announcement to reopen the Academy at Opry Mills, a school ready serve even more students who are serious about graduating.

10. A new record! We have the highest number of Nationally Board Certified teachers within Metro in a single year!

9. The explosion of online learning at MNPS Virtual School, open to ALL high school students looking for extra classes or a different approach to school.

8. Our amazing alumni, who continue to impress us every day.

7. Options galore! We offered families dozens of school options through fall and spring applications.

6. With Hattie Cotton Elementary, Bailey Midde, and Stratford High Schools all opening as STEM Magnet Schools this year, we have the only K-12 STEM continuum in our region!

5. Oh, and we also have the only K-12 International Baccalaureate continuum in Tennessee.

4. We won a grant from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers! MNPS was chosen as one of just four districts in the nation to serve as a model for how to evaluate and authorize a charter school.

3. The creation of Music Makes Us, a program designed to spread music throughout all students in all schools.

2. Our Teachers of the Year, who earned their titles through hard work and dedication to their students.

1. Our Community is #1 in 2011-12! You have all shown such great support of Metro Schools and public education. Get a taste of the love for MNPS in our "I Heart Metro Schools" video.

Overton High School’s Future Business Leaders of America organization recently participated in the Regional Leadership Conference at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. The conference was filled with competitions, informational sessions, and networking with other students. Mrs. Honarvar and Mr. Strauss, teachers in the Information Technology Academy at Overton accompanied eight students that participated in various contests with five students placing in their competitions. Quiana H., Brittany K., and Brittany B. took 1st place in the Business Ethics team event, while Jasmyne Q. took 3rd place in Business Law, and Lamora L. took 5th place in Technology Concepts. All these students qualified to represent the Region 3 at the State Leadership Conference in Chattanooga next month. Congratulations to all!

This morning, a group of about 40 realtors visited the west Nashville high school and toured the school's three academies: Academy of Art, Design & Communication, Academy of Business & Hospitality, and Academy of Health Sciences. The realtors also got a glimpse of Hillwood's Academic Scholars program and heard directly from the students why they love their school.

Dr. Jesse Register, Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, is the newest recipient of the esteemed PRSA Apollo Award. The Apollo Award recognizes outstanding communications’ skills for mid-state executives who “demonstrate and exemplify the public relations and communications functions within his or her organization.” Previous recipients include Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, former Mayor Bill Purcell, Belmont University President Bob Fisher, and founder of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt John Seigenthaler.

Pictured is Dr. Register alongside PRSA Nashville President Todd Smith. Smith is president of Dean, Smith & Partners a local public relations consulting firm.

Students and staff at West End IB World Middle School proudly hosted a group of Tennessee leaders and education reform activists today. SCORE, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, selected the school as the backdrop of its 2012 Annual Report on the State of Education in Tennessee. In selecting a site to release the annaul report, SCORE noted that West End is one of the highest performing schools in the state:

West End Middle School, where the report release was held, is one of the top performing schools in the state, and has made dramatic gains in narrowing the black-white achievement gap, the Hispanic-white achievement gap, and the economically disadvantaged/non-disadvantaged achievement gap. The school is part of Metro Nashville Public Schools.

SCORE collaboratively supports Tennessee’s work to prepare students for college and the workforce. They are an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan advocacy and research institution, founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Proud Elementary School Teacher – Greatness Groomed Early

The North Sports Report visited Chadwell Elementary School recently and chatted with Music teacher extraordinaire Marsha Brewer who spoke fondly of a former Chadwell student named Devin Wilson and pointed out that Devin recently received the Collegiate Scholar-Athlete Award from the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, after leading the TSU Tigers in receiving this year and carrying a 3.15 grade point average. TSU’s Coach Rod Reed described the Chadwell Elementary alumnus as “a true student-athlete. He is a great role model for young kids and spends time reaching out to our youth.” Mrs. Brewer remembers Devin as “a great music student.”



Every high school and college scholar is built on a foundation of tremendous elementary school and middle school teachers. Congratulations to Devin and to Chadwell Elementary!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Can you imagine receiving a scholar-athlete award from a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Thanks to retired MNPS athletic director Scott Brunette, sports photo-journalist Mike Strasinger, and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, these scholar-athletes have a memento to treasure, and the North Sports Report proudly shares the pictures with you.

PHOTOS of Student Athlete Awards

MNPS: The First Choice for Tremendous Teachers

Metro Schools is hosting its second annual Youth Safety Summit, and this year, it's all about loving middle school! Students will also get a glimpse of what's in store when the transition to high school. Students representing The Academies of Nashville, located in all 12 zoned high schools, will be on hand to share their experiences with the younger peers. Parents will learn how to understand test scores, be more involved, and stay safe online.

CLICK HERE to See What's on the Agenda

A new mentoring program at McKissack Middle aims to help 8th grade females focus on self-esteem, culture and pride, and fulfilling their legacies.  The first three sessions were was conducted by school social workers, Jessica Bell and Cate Westfall, a representative from Conexion Americas, Cecilia Gomez, and a Nashville professional singer, Myshel Wilkins.  The students were inspired by the message given by each guest speaker. The mentoring program will continue through the end of the year, focusing on: Relationship Building, Finances & Budgeting, Sisterhood/Teambuilding Exercises, and Mock Interviews.

Miss Fisk and her royal court recently visited McKissack Middle School. They began the day sharing why they chose to attend Fisk via the schools morning newscast. Next, the group stopped by each 8th grade classroom to share valuable lessons on college, career, and respect for oneself and others. Miss Fisk and her court were escorted to each classroom by McKissackStudent Council President Tatiyana Coleman. 

Can you spell "scholarship"? If so, this might be the perfect opportunity for you!

Metro Nashville Board of Education Member Dr. Sharon Dixon Gentry will be honored for her leadership at tonight’s Women of Legend and Merit Awards dinner hosted by Tennessee State University. Dixon Gentry currently serves as the representative for District 1.

The annual celebration salutes dynamic women leaders, as well as expose TSU’s female students to positive role models, networking opportunities and resources to assist in their academic, personal and professional growth.

The ceremony will be held tonight, March 15, at 7 p.m., at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) will serve as the keynote speaker.

Antioch High School students enrolled in the Academy of Teaching and Service participated in district-level Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) competitions March 6, at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. Collectively, the Antioch team did an amazing job and represented their school well. Many were awarded 1st and 2nd place in various competitions and will advance to the state competitions at Opryland Hotel in April. They are:

• Jerica J. - 1st Place, Teach and Train


• Madonna B. - 1st Place, Leadership


• Mariama D. - 1st Place, Job Interview


• Eboni C. and Evelyn C. - 1st Place, Environmental Ambassador


• Natasha G. and Jazmine R. - 1st Place, Advocacy


• Brandi Coates - 2nd Place, Nutrition and Wellness


• Danielle Palmer - 2nd Place, Promote and Publicize FCCLA


• Chelsea Dancy- 3rd Place, Illustrated Talk


• Patrice M., Imani B, and Anyika H. - 3rd Place, Life Event Planning

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the co-curricular career and technical education student organization, provides students with opportunities for leadership development, personal growth, and school/community involvement. Patricia Deas and Tiffiney Anderson advise the Antioch chapter.

Jenny Gambill, third grade teacher at Glengarry Elementary, is more than just a proud MNPS teacher and finalist for this year's Teacher of the Year. She is also an alumni of Overton High School. In fact, her third and fourth grade teachers, Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Rogers, at Tusculum Elementary were key reasons she entered the profession. The pair served as inspirations and showed Gambill that learning can be fun and rewarding.

When asked what she loves most about teaching, Gambill replied, “My favorite part of teaching is when I see that spark in mystudents’ eyes when they finally get what they’ve been struggling with. I know that I’ve succeeded as a teacher when I can reach them.”

Gambill says that being a finalist for Teacher of the Year is humbling and a great honor because there are so many outstanding educators in the district.

Gambill attended McMurray Middle and graduated from Overton High before enrolling at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She holds a bachelor’s degree in deaf education and elementary education. She is in her 28th year of teaching with Metro Nashville Public Schools.

When she isn’t teaching, Gambill’s family takes priority. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and one granddaughter. She also enjoys walking, reading, bicycling, movie-going, home decorating and other outdoor activities.

Gambill is a finalist for Metro Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. This year’s Teacher of the Year Reception will be held Tuesday, April 16.

This Friday, Julie Hasjford, third grade teacher at Julia Green, shares why she was determined NOT to be a teacher and what changed her mind.

View the Complete List of 2012-13 Teachers of the Year

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

It’s Official…Referees Deserve Kudos

The North Sports Report recently ran into TSSAA referee and Baxter ALC Principal Billy Fellman and was reminded that referees, umpires, and officials of all monikers deserve our gratitude for handling the difficult, pressure-packed, and often thankless job to officiate games. How important are the officials? Remember the old saying: “Without the referees, it would just be recess.” Wear the stripes proudly!

Award Season – A View from the Red Carpet

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame held its annual banquet at the Airport Marriott. With the honorees all donning black tie tuxedos, it is the most regal, celebrity-laden event of all sports related award galas. From media celebrities like George Plaster to college coaching legends Johnny Majors and Watson Brown to MNPS coaching royalty Wes Elrod and Jerry Pigue, to MNPS Sports Hall of Fame members Walter Overton (Pearl) and Bonnie Sloan (Litton), to over sixty mid-state football player honorees and their families, this is a can’t miss event. Even the NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry, fresh off his appearance at the Super Bowl delivering the Lombardi trophy to the stage, was in attendance. I am not kidding…the North Sports Report shook the hand that caught passes from Unitas.

The real stars, of course, were the student-athletes honored that night with the Charles W. Hawkins III Scholar Athlete Award. Those awards went to DeMarco Moore (Antioch); Jamaris Pye (Cane Ridge); Calvin Canada (East Lit); Justin Farr (Glencliff); Ben Ross (Hillsboro); Andrew Chomic (Hillwood); Victor Fletcher (Hunters Lane); Dustin Binkley (Maplewood); Caleb Azubike (McGavock); Ike Amadi (Overton); Demario Donnell (Pearl-Cohn); George Gutierrez (Stratford); and Ashuntae Bass (Whites Creek).

DeMarco Moore of Antioch also won the Jim Barrom Spirit Award for exemplifying the “highest qualities of sportsmanship.”

Oh, I almost forgot…the Hunters Lane Junior ROTC Color Guard presented the colors and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. As always, the MNPS ROTC students were outstanding.

Madison High School legend Houston Ragan was honored with the Bonnie Sloan Courage Award presented annually to a person who “overcame obstacles and fought back to succeed.” The award is named for Litton great Bonnie Sloan, the first deaf player in the NFL. If you don’t know the story of Houston Ragan, go visit him at Maplewood High School where he serves as one of the best school counselors in the state.

The North Sports Report had the unparalleled privilege to present the Bonnie Sloan Courage Award, and shared the stage with Bonnie Sloan, Houston Ragan and NFL great Raymond Berry. “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong”…It was me.

Stop and Make the Call

Houston Ragan coached me at Madison High many (I dare say many, many) years ago. I cannot express how gratifying it is to have the opportunity to thank him for the influence he had on me. If you have a coach, teacher, family member or anyone else who inspired you by their example, call them and say thank you. Great people like Houston Ragan don’t always appreciate the positive impact they have on people’s lives, so call and tell them … and I mean today!

Alumni Alert

Among the stars of the hardwood at the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena were McGavock star Ndidi Madu of the Florida Gators and Hillsboro star Isabelle Harrison of the SEC Tournament Champion Tennessee Lady Vols.

MNPS: The First Choice for Exemplifying the Highest Qualities of Sportsmanship

If you missed Dr. Register's State of Schools Address, click here to read the address in its entirety, hear a student's inspiring story, and see what's in store for Metro Schools.

Several Metro high schools have active HOSA chapters, and students have been busy this spring showing off their skills.

Twenty-four students from Glencliff High competed in the Middle Tennessee Regional competition. Of these, 11 advanced to the state competition: Lisa B., Lina B., Kimberly B., Isatu B., Saloni P., Soly N., Daniel M., Paulina V., Nancy L., Mario V., and Jose B.

Hillwood had a long list of students who placed at regionals: Tuyet L. - 2nd Dental Spelling; Jonathan D., - 2nd Place- Biotechnology; Musie Y., Ahbid Z., Kasey Mircea, and Jeriel J. - 2nd Place Biomedical Debate; Karla A. and Monica M. - 3rd Place Community Emergency Response Team; Stephanie A. and Joanna M. - 3rd Place Community Awareness; Shelby J. - 5th Place Concepts of Healthcare; Matthew T. and Courtney H. - 4th Place CPR and First Aid; Trinh L. - 2nd Place Dental Terminology; Bansri P. - 3rd Place Epidemiology; Christiana C. - 3rd Place Home Health Aide; Cong N. - 4th Place Human Growth and Development; David S. - 5th Place Extemporaneous Speaking; Glenda R., Katherina Z., Chau M. and Cody W. - 4th Place-= Creative Problem Solving; Jelena R. - 4th Place Job Seeking Skills; Nguyen L. - 3rd Place Healthcare Issues; James H. - 4th Place Life support skills; Hang N. - 3rd Place Medical Math; Chloe P., Lillie O., and Anna F.- 2nd place Medical Reading; Zahraa A. - 2nd Place Medical Terminology; Amber C. - 4th Place Nurse Assisting; Kristen H. - 4th Place Nutrition; Miriam H. - 1st Place Personal Care; Ariel C. - 5th Place Physical Therapy; and Luisa R., Miquel O., Brenda H., Cristie C., Maria O., and Bianca T. - 5th Place PSA

At Hunters Lane, 11 students competed in the regional competition. Of those, three advanced to the State Competition: Brian T., Alexandria C., and Makiya M.

McGavock High had three students participate in regionals, two of whom advanced to state. Delaney W., who won first in the regional Sports Medicine competition, and Jane S., who placed third in Medical Terminology, will now compete with others around the state.

Overton High took 10 students to regionals, four of whom will now advance to state. And Whites Creek High took 36 students to regionals, a whopping 31 of who advanced to state! The Whites Creek students headed to the next round include: Doresha B., Kennetha B., Johnny B., Jasmine B., Melba B., Kaitlyn C., Rodkia E., Mikeisha E., Morgan E.,  T.J. F., LaMondria G., Charmika H., Harvea H., Monique H., Micheal H., Marche J., Lakasha L, Devin M., Cresa M., Willie P., Prisha P., Jada P., Marcusia R., Breayant R., Gwendolyn S, Raven S., Ashley W.,  Arriona W,  Sabria W., Hailie W., and Valesia W.

Congrats to all and good luck at the State Competition this April.

Inglewood Elementary School has quite a bit going on this March. Parent workshops in computers, cool websites for kids, helping students at home, and drafting resumes will be held Saturdays, March 10, 17 and 24, from 8 a.m. - noon. Inglewood parents can register for classes here or by calling 262.6697.

The school is also participating in the Great American Clean-up, Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  Volunteers can register here.

Saturday, March 24, Nashville School of Arts will be hosting its annual Celebration of the Arts event.

This event introduces the community to everything that takes place at Nashville School of the Arts and is the biggest fundraiser for Friends of Nashville School of Arts (FNSA), the school’s parent/teacher organization.

Celebration of the Arts will feature art exhibits, demonstrations in dance, theater, broadcast, musical performance, and an adult/student blues jam. Guests can also shop at a special consignment store and auction. FNSA will also release the "first-ever" NSA. The CD will showcase the depth and variety of talent of the students at NSA. Including sounds from Renaissance to Rock n' Roll, the disc will feature the amazing Jazz Band, Madrigals, Swing Band, Orchestra, Early Music Consort, Pop Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Theater (Xanadu), Guitar Quartet, solo guitar, and solo piano. All components celebrate NSA student work. 

The Celebration will take place at the Nashville School of Arts campus, 1250 Foster Ave., Nashville, TN 37210. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., for ticket sales. Tickets are $5. For more information, contact the school office at (615) 291-6600.

Grace P., an 8th grader at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet, won the Middle Tennessee Regionals Spelling Bee on Friday, March 2.  By taking 1st place, Grace became the Regionals champion and will be competing in the National Spelling Bee later this year. Grace beat out the top 52 spellers from all the other Middle Tennessee counties and will be representing Tennessee at Nationals. Grace clinched her victory by spelling the word “j-i-m-b-e-r-j-a-w-e-d” correctly. Some of her other challenging words were “Hemerocallis”, “solder”, and “Qatari”. 

Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School is hosting a Transition Fair to help students with disabilities explore their options post high school. Numerous community businesses and partners will be on hand to talk with students and share the many opportunities and services that are available.

A physics’ student at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School is closing in on a spot on the 2012 U.S. Physics Olympics Team. Austin P. was among roughly 300 students who were selected from the 3,000 who competed in the first round of the selection. He will next participate in a second exam that will identify the nation’s top 20 young physicists, i.e., the 2012 U.S. Physics Team. 

In May the top 20 will travel to the University of Maryland-College Park for the U.S. Physics Team Training Camp. There, they will endure nine days of intense studies, mystery labs, daily exams, and problem solving activities. At the end of the camp, the top five students and an alternate will be selected to serve as the traveling team and represent the U.S. at the International Physics Olympiad in Tartu, Estonia. Good luck, Austin!

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Antioch Lady Bears – Region 6-AAA Champs

The Lady Bears from Antioch High School took home the championship trophy in Region 6-AAA with an impressive run through the bracket. I like to say they “Bear-ly” won the tournament. The North Sports Report dictionary of sports terms defines Bear-ly in this context as: “in a bear-like manner; totally dominating; awesome. See Antioch Lady Bears’ performance in the 2012 Region 6-AAA championship game.” Congratulations to Coach White and the Antioch Lady Bears!

Antioch Principal Brian Mast has called a Code Blue for the Lady Bears’ Sub-state game Saturday night March 3 at 7:00pm at the Antioch High School gymnasium. Be there dressed in blue.

Hunters Lane Warriors – Advance to the Sub-State Round

The Hunters Lane Warriors are primed and ready for a sub-state match-up with Clarksville High School on Monday night March 5 in Clarksville. The highly ranked Warriors –led by Coach Anthony Sewell and point guard Billy Hughes – put together one of the best seasons in school history and are one win away from a trip to the state tournament. Everybody’s a Warrior fan Monday night!

Regional Tournament Hosts – Stratford and Hillwood Representin’

Photo Credit: Mike Straginger

Hosting a Regional Tournament requires the coordinated efforts of coaches, administrators, teachers, staff and students. Hillwood welcomed the 16 participating teams in Region 6-AAA, and Stratford hosted Region 5-AA. Fans of high school basketball from across the mid-state enjoyed the hospitality and great environment provided by their MNPS hosts. Congratulations to the Principals – Dr. Chauncy of Hillwood and Mr. Steele of Stratford – and everyone who worked on the tournaments for a job well done. The photo shows the Hilltopper ambassadors who helped me find my seat.

Middle School Basketball Champions

MNPS crowned the Middle School boys and girls basketball champions last week at Pearl-Cohn High Schools’ gym. Congratulations for a great season to Smithson-Craighead boys basketball team (Eastern Division Champions and City Champions), McKissack Middle School boys basketball team (Western Division Champions), Kennedy Middle School girls basketball team (Western Division Champions and City Champions) and Haynes Middle Design Center girls basketball team (Eastern Division Champions).

Brush with Fame

The North Sports Report rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest athletes and coaches in MNPS history this week at basketball tournaments. Stratford basketball great Ray Maddox was back in his old stomping grounds at the Region 5-AA tournament at Stratford. In the Hillwood gym on the same night were: Pearl High great and MNPS Sports Hall of Fame member Walter Overton (he was officiating the game); Glencliff High hoopster and leader of Metro Schools’ athletic department Roosevelt Sanders; Donelson High star Mike Tribue; Madison High baseball legend (also the most popular player in Nashville Sounds’ history) Gene Menees; MNPS Sports Hall of Famer Joanne Arnold Tribue (Antioch High school legend and presently the Coach of the Cane Ridge Lady Ravens); and last but not least Coach Carlton Collier, longtime Madison High and Hunters Lane basketball and softball coach. Wow… that is a lot of fame in one gym.

Vanderbilt Sports Medicine – Athletic Trainers…keeping it healthy

I witnessed an extraordinary burst of quickness from Hunters Lane Athletic Trainer Emily Carter when a Warrior hoopster took a tremendous fall last week. Emily was on the court, providing care almost instantly and showed exemplary skill and compassion in her treatment of the injured player and his family. MNPS student-athletes have the best athletic trainers in the country on the sideline for every game. A big healthy thank you to Vanderbilt Sports Medicine for providing the athletic trainers and for the care each provides our students.

 

MNPS: The First Choice for Extraordinary Bursts of Quickness