Superintendent’s Report
May 16, 2000
Good evening. My report again is a litany of
good news stories about Virginia Beach students and staff members. We are
little more than a month away from the close of school and this is the time of
year when many of our teachers and students are honored for their achievements
and when many outstanding special events take place.
Let me begin, then, with one of my favorite
events of the year....the naming of the Virginia Beach Schools Citywide Teacher
of the Year. I had the special privilege, along with Assistant Superintendent
Betsy Taylor, of going out to Christopher Farms Elementary School on May 4th
to make a surprise visit to the third-grade classroom of Marilyn Jernigan to
tell her she was the 2001 Teacher of the Year for Virginia Beach. Marilyn will
be honored by the School Board at our next meeting, but I wanted to publicly
congratulate her at the earliest opportunity.
In the same vein, let me congratulate middle
school science coordinator Jenny Sue Flannagan and Ann Zingraff-Newton, math
analysis teacher at Ocean Lakes High School. Jenny Sue and Ann were recently
named 1999 Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Teaching in Secondary Education. Our congratulations to both for this
prestigious honor. You will be hearing more about their awards at our next
meeting when they will be recognized formally by the School Board.
Our congratulations also to Nancy Davenport,
Principal of Kingston Elementary School, who has been selected to serve a
2-year term on the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals Board
of Directors. As a Board member she will be actively involved in providing
direction for the VAESP’s efforts to address issues critical to improving
education for the public school children in Virginia. Well done!
I’m not sure how many of you might have seen
the December issue of RU, the magazine of Radford University, but it recently
came to my attention. Congratulations to Lillian Donnally, principal at Open
Campus High School, for the honor of being the subject of a feature article, Clearing
Paths to Success. Lillian is cited for her record of opening "pathways
for struggling students and blazing a trail for educators" and the
Virginia Beach schools" alternative education program receives
well-deserved recognition as well.
The magazine also profiles five more of our
Virginia Beach administrators with very complimentary write-ups
--congratulations to Weeta Bell-Phillips, principal at Kempsville Middle
School; Pat Griffin, principal of Princess Anne High School; Carolyn Keen,
evening administrator at Open Campus High School and Administrative Intern at
Kellam High School; Sheila Magula, associate superintendent, Department of
Curriculum and Instruction; and Don Stowers, assistant superintendent, High
School Education.
Also, the Spring 2000 Longwood College
Alumni Magazine features an in-depth profile of Gay Kampfmueller.
Our congratulations to all these fine
administrators, and our thanks for a job well done.
Last Thursday, May 11th, marked
the seventh annual Technical and Career Education End of the Year Awards
Ceremony. I want to congratulate first of all, TCE Director Pat Konopnicki and
his entire staff for hosting this event and celebrating student and staff
achievement in such a festive manner. Awards ranged from mini-grant
presentations to Rufus Beamer Excellence Award winners to the TCE teacher and
student of the year awards. Allow me the opportunity to briefly mention a few
of these outstanding award winners and offer congratulations to all:
Next, the Rufus Beamer individual and group
award winners:
* Honorable Mention went to Barbara Whaley
and Wilda Stephenson at Salem High School for Showcasing the Workplace,
a marketing campaign and presentation about the cooperative education program.
* The group award goes to a team from First
Colonial High School and the Tech Center for their Patriot Radio Theater
project. Team members include Elaine Hutcheson, Jolene Scholl, Mary Beth
Hackworth, and Sue S. from First Colonial, Bill M. from the Tech Center, and
Charlie Hackworth of Hackworth Reprographics.
* The individual award goes to Bob Shanks,
an electricity teacher at the Tech Center, for Holiday Lights at the Beach.
Not only has Bob won the local competition, but he has also been named the
regional winner. He now moves on to the state competition. Our best wishes for
success at the state level.
Now, the student and teacher of the year
awards:
* The 1999-2000 Technical and Career
Education Student of the Year is Sherill A., a Work and Family Studies student
at Green Run High School.
* The 1999-2000 Technical and Career
Education Teacher of the Year is Bob Shanks...Bob was cited as the Rufus Beamer
award winner, for his services to seven Habitat for Humanity houses and local
churches as well as for his help in providing handicapped ramps during scouting
projects.
Again, let me congratulate all these fine
winners.
Future Problem Solving team members from
Virginia Beach made an impressive showing at the 2000 Virginia Future Problem
Solving State Championship Bowl. Congratulations to the Future Problem Solving
team of ninth graders--Grace H., Allison M., Brandon S., and Daniel Y. -- who
won first place in the intermediate division (grades 7-9) against 35 other
teams from around the state. This team will be representing the Commonwealth of
Virginia at the 2000 International Future Problem Solving Conference next month
at the University of Georgia. The team also won first place in the Presentation
of Action Plan Skit competition. Brandon Stewart won the 2000 Virginia Eagle
Award for outstanding logical and analytical thinking as well as insightful
reasoning. Carolyn Stamm is the Future Problem Solving coach for these students
from Princess Anne High School and Ocean Lakes High School. Congratulations to
them all, and good luck at the international level!
Congratulations to Annabel Oakes, a senior
at Kempsville High School for her "2000 Excellence in Psychology
Award" from the American Psychological Association. Amanda was nominated
for this award by her AP psychology teacher, Kevin Denson based on her
exemplary achievement and effort in the study of psychology. Well done!
Congratulations to Melissa Knight, a gifted
resource teacher at Providence Elementary School, and her fifth-grade math
class. Students J.C. A., Beth C., Katie D., Ariel K., Ralph N., and Will
W. created "shape-it up" designs from a puzzle first published in the
February issue of AIMS magazine. Their designs based on the puzzle were
subsequently published in the most recent May/June issue of AIMS.
The results of the National Latin Exam have
arrived. Two hundred and eleven (211) Kemps Landing Magnet School students took
part in this exam. Of those participants, 129 (61 percent) received awards,
including 10 gold meals and 30 silver medals. Individual honors will be
presented at the school’s awards assembly. Congratulations to all these
classics scholars!
Four Virginia Beach elementary schools --
Hermitage, Kempsville, Glenwood, and Thoroughgood -- received the Outstanding
Achievement Award for their respective student councils’ contributions to the
school this year at the recent Virginia Student Council Association’s annual
convention in Richmond. Only 26 elementary schools in the state were so
recognized for their service and leadership. In addition, Ocean Lakes High
School was one of only 13 secondary schools in Virginia earning this
prestigious award which was sponsored by the Virginia Association of Secondary
School Principals. Congratulations to all!
Finally...let me leave you with a reminder
once more about the upcoming Stars, Musical Bars, and Bands concert
slated for June 1 at the GTE Amphitheater. I encourage everyone to attend this
outstanding family event which features our middle and high school band
students in a 1000-plus person band concert. All funds raised from the concert
will go to support our music department and the Virginia Beach Schools
Education Foundation. We’re also making a concerted effort to receive
recognition by the Guinness Book of Records for setting a world record
for staging the largest student band concert.
Members of the School Board, that concludes
the superintendent’s report.