In less than a month, they've performed live with Brad Paisley on Good Morning America, walked the red carpet at the CMA Awards, and performed again during the CMA's with Paisley. As if that isn't enough to make Charley Woods and Mignon Grabois' senior years spectacular, the pair are now featured inside this week's issue of Country Weekly! Way to go, girls!

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Championship Week

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

Madness at Municipal Auditorium

Football

• Antioch – Darius Williams, Christian Molina, Demarco Moore, Aaron Kabelu, Tyler Bumbalough, Tyrone Smith;


• Cane Ridge – Jesse Williams, Malachi Tullis;


• East Lit – Michael Leater, Antonio McKissack, Kendall Trice;


• Glencliff – Treon Hill, Montez Brown, Justin Farr, Jason Marrow;


• Hillsboro – Patrick Segovia, William Cooper;


• Hillwood – Anthony Johnson, Jahmare Anthony;


• Hunters Lane – James Maney, Howard Cliffe;


• Maplewood – Ladarius Vanlier, Randall Smith, Navonte Parks, Steven Johnson, Christopher Lee Denzel Jones;


• McGavock – Caleb Azubike, Tony Mason, Nolan Sexton;


• Overton – Rick Thomas, Ike Amadi, Geremy Henderson, Brandon Scruggs, Zabian King;


• Pearl-Cohn – Trevon Miles, Darrius Darden-Box, Dedric Wilson, Demario Donnell, Larry Sims, Andre McDonald;


• Stratford – Tyler Wilson, Derrick Howell, Oliver Lewis;


• Whites Creek – D’Harius Brown, Kenneth Marlowe, Michael Cain.

Alumni News

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

MNPS Virtual School is now accepting applications! Students interested in the flexibility and independence of online learning can register for full-time or part-time classes now through Dec. 8. Part-time courses can be taken to supplement regular course loads or to recover lost credits.



To learn more, check out a list of offerings for Spring 2012, or register, visit the MNPS Virtual School.

Have you met our Family Involvement Specialists? Their mission in Metro Schools is to remove barriers to learning by working within clusters and directly with families. They are trained, talented, multi-lingual, and dedicated to helping all Metro Schools families.

Together our Family Involvement Team has compiled these seven habits for successful students. These habits are a great first step to establishing a foundation of involvement in your child's education and growth.

Read them over and think about how you can implement each of them. Then head over to our Family Involvement & Community Services page to see which of our Specialists serves your cluster.

1. Set academic and extra-curricular goals with your child each fall and revisit them frequently. Discuss dreams and aspirations, and post-secondary plans throughout their school years.



2. Get a Gradespeed account at https://gradespeed.mnps.org/. Set the triggers for low or missing grades or absence notifications, check it regularly with your child, and follow up with teachers with questions or concerns. Seek help at your school if you feel your child is not progressing.



3. Model the importance of homework by checking their agendas for assignments, Gradespeed for grades, and providing a quiet place to work. Provide assistance when possible or utilize the Homework Hotline.



4. Get to know your child's teacher(s) and counselors each year by attending Parent Teacher Conference Day, and through frequent communication, visits and volunteering.



5. Enroll your child in after-school and summer enrichment or extracurricular activities.



6. Encourage your child, reward progress with a hug and a "job well done", and post assignments or tests with high grades, or artwork, on the fridge or around the house.



7. Give your child a healthy breakfast, and make sure they get to school on time, or early, in order to start the day ready to learn.

They’ve done it again. Facebook has changed the way you see what your friends are talking about – and even which friends you see and don’t see.

You might have noticed a change to your News Feed on the Facebook homepage. You now see ‘highlighted’ stories first in your feed instead of the most recent stories. You can tell which stories are highlighted by the light blue triangle across the top-left corner of the update. Stories are highlighted by the computers at Facebook, based on what they think you’ll be interested in most. This means Facebook decides which updates are most important to you, and not everyone makes the cut.

But you can fix it. Here’s how.

1. Head to the Facebook homepage. Look at the top-right of your News Feed and find a light-colored link called ‘Sort.’ Click this and choose ‘Recent Stories First.’


2. Now find updates that are important to you (like, say, one from MetroSchools) and move your mouse to the top-right of the update.


3. Click on the arrow that appears and choose ‘Highlight Story.’

Tyler W., a freshman at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, is the owner of a new laptop thanks to the generosity of Permanent General. Permanent General is a large supporter of the Academies of Nashville and attended the 2011 Career Exploration Fair. Kent Fourman, Vice President & CEO of Permanent General, made a special trip to Pearl-Cohn where he hand delivered the new laptop.

Juniors enrolled in the Academy of Digital Design and Communication at McGavock High School will be showing off their debut films Monday, Nov. 21, at the school’s second annual DDC Film Festival.

Throughout the semester, students have worked with Stones River National Battlefield and CMT to produce three – five minute films depicting specific battles of the Civil War. All films are 100% student created and produced.

At 6:30 p.m., student filmmakers will walk the red carpet. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets for this event are $5 at the door.

Brad Brown, theatre teacher and head of the fine arts department at Hillsboro High School, is headed to the West Coast to hang out with none other than Alex Trebek.  After an eight-month long testing and audition process, he was selected as one of 15 teachers from across the nation to compete in the 2nd Annual Teachers' Tournament on Jeopardy! The tournament will be filmed January 23-24, 2012. The winner will take home $100,000. Air dates have yet to be announced, so stay tuned and help us wish Mr. Brown good luck!

One in four children in Tennessee struggle with hunger every year. Nashville leaders want to put an end to that trend, at least for the holiday season.

Next Thursday, the Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Kroger will be hosting the annual "Fill the Boat" food drive to support Second Harvest Food Bank. The goal of the day is to fill the OEM boat with non-perishable food items that will be donated to Second Harvest.

The food drive will take place this Thursday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., outside the Nipper’s Corner Kroger off Edmondson Pike in South Nashville. The most needed food items include canned chicken/tuna, peanut butter, canned vegetables/fruits, soups and stews, pasta and cereal.

A pair of seniors at Overton High School will join the nation’s best marching band students in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game. In a special ceremony held Tuesday, Nov. 15, Rachel Clark and Mary Morrow were invited to participate in the nationally televised bowl game alongside 123 other marching band students from across the country. Clark will represent the school in the Color Guard while Morrow will represent on the trumpet.  

On hand to celebrate and present the girls with their All-American hats and jackets were Staff Sgt Steve Toler, 1st Sgt Juan Canalda, Maj Elaine Johnson, Ltc Adolphus Weems, Cpt. Earl Roloff and SSG Robert Tunnell. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game will be held in San Antonio, Texas. It will be broadcast live Saturday, Jan. 7, on NBC.

Both girls hope to continue their marching band participation after graduation. Clark is planning to attend the University of Alabama where she will participate in the university’s Color Guard. Morrow hopes to attend either Florida State University or Middle Tennessee State University and continue playing the trumpet.

Want to see more MNPS Videos? Visit Metro Schools YouTube page.

Metro Schools do very well with fire safety, despite what you may hear about a story promoted by a local media outlet.

Our staff and employees of the Metro Fire Marshal’s office work closely to ensure the safety of our students and employees and we value the partnership and respect that has developed between our two agencies. In fact, Fire Marshal Danny Hunt has publicly stated that Metro Schools’ staff is responsive when any question about fire safety or a fire alarm system is raised, and we share this opinion regarding our work with his staff.

All buildings have fire alarm systems and the district has two full-time, certified personnel dedicated to inspecting and responding to maintenance on those systems. In addition, our schools conduct monthly fire drills as required by law. These drills not only provide students and staff the opportunity to practice how to evacuate safely in the event of a fire, they are also a monthly system test to ensure equipment and procedures are working properly.

Here are the facts:

• The safety of students and staff is always our top priority.



• The vast majority of fire alarm requests are minor repairs or alarm re-sets . There is rarely an issue that results in a system not being functional.



• Fire alarms receive priority response – actual repair is usually simple and immediate. More extensive problems may require parts that, if unavailable, can extend a repair. If that happens, alternate plans are already in place, such as temporary equipment or visual monitoring of all building levels.



• Of the 10 specific cases where the media requested information on requests for service on our fire alarms:
  
  
  
  • 8 alarms were repaired the same day, and
  
  
  • 1 was repaired within two days.
  
  
  • The final case was for a portable classroom where the main school alarm was not audible. The district follows all codes for portable set up, including the proper set-backs from the main school building to prevent the spread of fire.
    
    
    
    • Our automated system allows us to track maintenance requests and our responses. The response to this request was unacceptably slow. This slow response is a rare event and we strive to make it the only one.
  
  
  • One school, Hickman Elementary, had three separate incidents in short succession caused by lightning strikes during severe weather. Each request was addressed in a timely manner. Metro Schools provided documentation on this issue to the media. The employee who made the request mistakenly believed the initial request was not addressed.

The safety of our students and staff is not something we take lightly. Metro Schools takes great care to ensure our facilities are safe for all.

Jessica Oliver of I.T. Creswell Middle Arts Magnet School has been named the News2 Educator of the Week! Jessica was featured on the evening and morning news. To see what makes her stand out in the classroom, check out the News2 Educator of the Week site.

Glengarry Elementary School celebrated being “portable free” during its building dedication. The school has undergone remodeling projects that added three new wings and 22 new classrooms to its original structure. Glengarry Elementary has been educating students for more than 49 years. Within its diverse student body, more than 19 countries and 14 different languages are represented.

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Cross Country – State Champion

Football

Last week’s North Sports Report Game of the Week – Maplewood Principal Ron Woodard played the gracious host for the first round playoff game. The Maplewood Panthers football team was not as hospitable to the visitors as MNPS leading rusher and Mr. Football finalist Ladarius Vanlier carried the ball for 316 yards and four touchdowns … he had two more touchdowns called back because of penalties. Awesome!

Different perspectives appreciate different things: Several television photojournalists at the game noticed and commented about the improved lighting from the new stadium lights. That brightened everyone’s night.

Brush with fame – two Campbells: I enjoyed visiting and watching the game with math teacher extraordinaire and former Hunters Lane football coach Richard Campbell and Stratford Spartan legend running back Joe Campbell – two great men who have had great careers following their playing days at Stratford.

Maplewood hosts Liberty this Friday night at 7:00pm. Everyone come out and cheer for the Panthers.

In other action, Pearl-Cohn Firebirds defeated top seeded Smith County and will continue on the road toward the championship next week at Harpeth. It looks like Pearl-Cohn will play away games all the way to Cookeville for the Championship game. Go Firebirds!

Congratulations to Antioch Bears, Glencliff Colts and Overton Bobcats on great seasons, and good luck to all the seniors who played their last high school game Friday night.

Basketball

MNPS: The First Choice for the Competitive Spirit

H. G. Hill Middle School has been awarded $500 and was recognized during the UT – South Carolina football game!  They were one of the schools chosen in the Good Sports Always Recycle Contest thanks to the hard work of students, teachers and staff in the school’s Life Skills program. The school also received a commemorative plaque and two tickets for a faculty member or parent and student representative to attend the football game.

Friday, Nov. 4, East Literature Magnet Algebra II Teacher Michelle Woods and her students present more than $1,400 to the Nashville Rescue Mission! The money was raised by four classes as part of their first quarter Paideia Project.

Student groups were given the task of creating their own business. Over the span of five weeks, they were expected to develop a product, sell the items to the general public, and keep a detailed list of all monetary transactions. At the conclusion of the selling period, each group gave a presentation to a judge’s panel of four Nashville business owners explaining why their business was the best investment. Groups were required to determine the percent profit on each item sold, provide a graph of their selling trend, and represent their expenses and gross profit in matrix form, amongst a list of other learning objectives. In addition to a great hands-on learning experience, the students also learned a bit about giving back to their community!

Projects are one aspect of the Paideia philosophy. A Paideia project is a unit of study, centered on ideas and values, that leads to a student production or performance.  The culminating product/performance is presented to an audience outside the classroom and requires the students to show mastery of the learning objectives. This process enhances the curricular study by deepening student understanding, as they are asked to think creatively about the information provided in class.  Other projects at East Literature have included creating a newscast based on Spanish speaking countries that celebrate Day of the Dead, writing a children’s story using geometric vocabulary, developing an epic about a hero to combat social issues in the world today, and many others. Overall, the projects make learning relevant by connecting it to both the curriculum and real world issues. This helps the students become well-rounded critical thinkers who can connect with the larger world.

Live Well Woodbine is a community health event open to the students, families, and community members of the schools and community in the Glencliff cluster.  This event will feature nutrition workshops by the Vanderbilt Dietetic Internship program, physical activity workshops by the YMCA, healthy cooking classes by the Glencliff High School Family Consumer Science program, free health screenings by various community health clinics, and much more!  Bring family and friends to Live Well Woodbine to learn more about healthy lifestyles, healthy eating, and active living.  Healthy snacks, free health screenings, and raffle prizes will be available! 

Hillsboro High School participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Saturday, Oct. 29. The race benefits breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. The Burros team had 46 participants and raised more than $2,500.  Students Kelly G. and Kathleen E. started the team as an International Baccalaureate service project, and many students and teachers joined them and the 25,000 other race participants!

From new community gardens to incorporating physical fitness into everyday classrooms and activities, the November issue of the Coordinated School Health newsletter is packed with good news and tips to keep our students healthy.

Paragon Mills Elementary third and fourth grade classes recently invited students from the Glencliff High School Academies to visit Paragon Mills and discuss the various Academies and the importance of setting academic goals and working hard. The students had the opportunity to visit four of the six Academy stations including Business, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Marketing, Engineering, and Medical Sciences, asking questions about the Academies as well as the importance of reading and math skills, future job plans, and post secondary aspirations. The Glencliff High School students served as outstanding role models for the third and fourth graders by inspiring them to dream big and work hard.

Congratulations to Ted Edinger, art educator at Tulip Grove Elementary, who was named the Tennessee Art Education Association’s Elementary Art Educator for 2012.  He received the award on Oct. 29 at the TAEA Fall Conference in Memphis.

Ted has been part of the state committee to develop the new art standards, the MNPS committee for developing the new art curriculum and recently served at the state level on the textbook adoption committee.