KWHS Students Create Quilt to Raise Awareness of Human Rights Violations

Story and Photos by Michelle Yates

Mrs. Cuya´s Spanish IV class has been studying various human rights situations and violations throughout the world.  Recently, they learned about certain South American countries using quilts to raise awareness of particular violations.  Students found a particular situation that disturbed them the most, wrote a paragraph about the situation, researched which article(s) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the situation would violate, and offered recommendations of what should be done.  They also had to create a symbol to represent awareness of the problem that they chose.  Each student put his or her thoughts and symbol onto a piece of foamie, and then sewed them together to create a quilt.

Hamilton-Holmes Middle School Holds Spelling Bee

Story by Jessica Web, HHMS Student, Photo by Mike Embrey

For the 22nd year, the National Geographic Society is holding the National Geographic Bee for students in fourth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across the United States and in the five U.S. territories, as well as in Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world.  The 2010 Bee is sponsored by the Google Corporation.

The winner of the Hamilton-Holmes Middle School (HHMS) Bee will advance to the next level of competition, a written examination to determine state competitors. All school winners are eligible to win the national championship and its first prize, a $25,000 college scholarship, at the national competition to be held on May 25 and 26, 2010, in Washington, D.C.

The HHMS student who will be advancing to the next level stated, "I was very excited and nervous before the competition, [but] all my hard studying paid off."

Sponsor, Ms. Kim Tupponce stated, "This is the first year that HHMS has participated in the Geography Bee, and the student response was overwhelmingly positive!  We had a lot of fun preparing and competing at the classroom level, and I am proud of the school winners."

Caption: Pictured from left to right: the school champion, runner up and fellow classmates, pose with Superintendent Dr. Mark Jones, HHMS Principal Dr. Stan Waskiewicz, and sponsor Ms. Tupponce.

Food for Thought

Story by Michelle Yates and Lou Chapman

A vital element of the college admissions process is the student´s SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) score.  The King William High School (KWHS) administration and guidance department are taking an approach to enhance student preparation for these yearly tests.  A class has been established to give additional strategies in taking the SAT.  Using the SAT study manual, students answer sample questions covering the critical reading and math segments of the test.  In addition, students are given a "SAT Question of the Day", provided each morning by Ms. Washington from the College Board website.  Each day up to 25, 000 students across the U.S. are answering this same sample question; however, classroom teacher Lou Chapman and guidance counselor Gloria Washington have added a tasty twist to the standard classroom procedure.

Mr. Chapman gives each of his first block students the day´s question and tabulates the results for the nine-week period.  The winner each grading period is awarded a Domino´s Pizza party held in the school´s conference room, complete with drinks, during the winner´s lunch block.  The two winners (one for each nine week term) invited four of their friends to share the wealth of food and knowledge.

Caption: The winner of the "SAT Question of the Day", enjoys Domino´s pizza with a few of his friends.

Interview with Charles Fishburne

"I appreciate the privilege of having been permitted to allow my students to share their recent persuasive writing with a widely diverse audience of public radio listeners," said David Lancucki, fourth grade teacher at Acquinton Elementary School. 

Mr. Lancucki had asked his students to write an essay about relocating the bust of Connecticut after he had heard that it might be removed from The Diamond.

The attached mp3 captures Idea Station correspondent Charles Fishburnes "Connecticut" follow-up story, which aired Friday, January 15th, during NPRs "Morning Edition," a broadcast of Richmonds affiliate, WCVE 88.9.

Please enjoy listening to Mr. Fishburne´s skillful blend of voices in his storytelling. Linda McElroy, a spokeswoman for RMA, which owns the bust of "Connecticut" along with the actual sculptor, Paul DiPasquale, certainly add to the broadcast.

Mr. Lancucki concluded his remarks by saying, Naturally, it is difficult for me, as a teacher, to be impartial, but I think the contributions of my students, Mikayla, Sadat, Alex and Maggie, are the best part of the story.