— Henderson County Public Schools —

http://www.henderson.k12.nc.us
Where Tomorrow Begins

Click here to download an MS Word copy of our
Updated Facts and Figures

Download the current Newsletter in PDF format.
(You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file. You can get it here.)

Update January 2004

Starting 2004
Superintendent Tom Burnham

Time flies!It is hard to believe that we are 86 days into the school year and seven days into the year 2004.I hope each of you had a memorable and restful holiday,and that you and your children are ready to start the second semester of this school year.

The list of student and staff accomplishments continues to grow – seven Schools of Excellence,nine Schools of Distinction,four Schools of Progress,seven state championships in various sports,six schools receiving ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grants,a semifinalist in the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test),superior ratings in band and drama,a Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher – and the list goes on.

Another growing list is the number of teachers who have received their National Board Certification – 24 were added in December..HCPS now has 83 teachers (about 10%)with this certification.National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession.We give strong support to teachers who actively seek this certification.A system-wide network of teachers who have attained this status provide mentoring to National Board candidates. Workshops are held to assist them as they prepare portfolios.Each candidate is provided a laptop for use during this rigorous and time consuming process.

Construction projects continue as we work to keep HCPS facilities safe and up-to-date.I have included the Long Range Facilities Plan for Henderson County Public Schools on page 3 to inform you of the criteria we use to determine facility priorities and of our short and long range needs. Currently underway are the Mills River Sewer Project,the Dana Sewer Project and the Balfour School Renovation Project.The Hendersonville Middle School Project has been completed. Students began the first day of the semester in the new and renovated facility.A dedication ceremony is planned for the spring.

The 2004-2005 Calendar Committee will begin its work on next year’s school calendar in January.The committee is comprised of four principals, four parents,four teachers, one Board member and one central office staff member. The plan is to have the calendars ready for a first reading at the February Board meeting and a second reading at the March Board meeting.

The state released report cards were sent home on December 5. The report cards can be accessed through a special web site, www. ncreportcards. org . If you have any questions, please don ’t hesitate to call your school or our offices.

I hope you find this update informative. We will keep you abreast of what is happening at HCPS. Visit the web site for frequently changing news stories. Thank you for your support as we work together to serve the children of Henderson County.

Numbers That Just Keep Growing

Rebecca Russell, Dana Elementary
Karen Worthington, Dana Elementary
Joel Thiery, Flat Rock Middle
Kelly Walker, Flat Rock Middle
Janet Wood, Flat Rock Middle
Elena Corn, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary
Julie Edge, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary
Gigi McGill, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary
Andrea Wright Smith, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary
Gerald Ledford, North Henderson High
Pamela Schlueter, North Henderson High
Amy Singletary, North Henderson High
Sharon Ashe, Rugby Middle
Laurene Carnes, Rugby Middle
Pat Davis, Rugby Middle
Ginger House, Rugby Middle
Angela Subler, Rugby Middle
Michael Gesing, Tuxedo Extended Day
Melanie Taylor, Tuxedo Extended Day
Leslie Hutcherson, Upward Elementary
Jan King, West Henderson High
Angela Perry, West Henderson High
Cliff Searcy, West Henderson High
Linda Soble, West Henderson High

National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. Certification is currently available to teachers in 27 fields. To achieve this certification, teachers are required to demonstrate teaching practice and content knowledge. It takes between one and three years to complete the process. Nationally, approximately half of all applicants receive certification.

North Carolina leads the nation with a total of 6, 641 National Board Certified teachers (1,523 were added this year). Hilda Hamilton (certified in 1994) and Lynn Carter (in 1995) are among the first in the nation to receive National Board Certification. There are 32,131 National Board Certified Teachers in the United States.

The enrollment as of the 80th day (12/09/03)was 12,072 students.

Beverly Setzer, 2004 HCPS Principal of the Year

• Serious overcrowding:portables/floating teachers from classroom to classroom especially in the eastern part of the county
• Safety/Unsafe Conditions (building codes)
• Aged buildings that could be unsafe
• Program needs
• Meeting new NC state standard
• Electives/enrichment
• Class size reduction (state and local standards)
• Efficiency/conservation
• Energy
• Climate control

• Mills River Sewer Project
• Dana Sewer Project
• Hendersonville Middle School Project
• Balfour Renovation Project

• Dana Elementary Schools needs additional ten (10) classrooms
• Hillandale Elementary School needs additional ten (10) classrooms, new media center, gym and administration office with renovations to existing structure
• Edneyville Elementary School needs additional (10) classrooms
• Balfour site will continue renovations
• Acquisition of land and planning for future site needs
• Justification for immediate needs
• Additional classrooms at Dana and Edneyville Elementary Schools will help with overcrowding in the eastern part of the county
• Additions at Hillandale Elementary will provide relief of overcrowding at Upward Elementary School
• The overcrowding at Fletcher Elementary School will be addressed by redistricting with Glenn C. Marlow Elementary School

• New Elementary School
• Mills River Elementary School needs additional ten (10) classrooms, new gym, and cafeteria

• New Middle School
• New High School
• New Transportation Facility

• Covered tennis courts with soft surface
• Covered swimming facility
• Performing arts center

Colby Coren and Mark Siak, Choral Music students at East High, were chosen from statewide auditions to be members of the 2003 North Carolina High School Senior High Honors chorus. Only 172 students out of the 1,487 who auditioned were selected to participate in the chorus. East High is one of only two schools to have students chosen for this honor.

The East Henderson High School Marching Band, received a superior rating and were the Grand Champions of the 1A, 2A and 3A Bands at Freedom Classic Tournament of Bands. The band received First Place in the Horns(2A)and First Place in Color Guard (2A). In the individual category, Whitney Suttles received Second Place in the Drum Major competition. Thirteen bands competed in this regional tournament. Sean Smith is the music director.

Adam King and Eric Freed, from East High, were the only two students selected from Henderson County for the North Carolina All-State Honors Orchestra. Adam plays the viola and Eric, the string bass. Also at the All-State Honors Clinic, Eric won fourth chair in the bass section (out of nine)and Adam won tenth chair in the viola section (out of sixteen). This is Adam's second year as a member of the All-State Honors Orchestra. Donnie Walter is their teacher.

East Henderson High School is the 1-A/2-A/3-A division State Champion in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association golf tournament. Teammates, Blair Lamb and Miranda Van Arsdale, claimed the title with a two-round score of 314. Blair Lamb also won her second straight 3-A individual state title. Carl Taylor is their coach.

East Henderson High School received a Superior rating for their one-act play presented at the regional North Carolina Theater Conference One-Act Play Festival. A total of eleven schools participated in the Festival. Students Adam McCrary, Kati Dale, Ben Radford, Jennifer O ’Rear and Tim Robison performed Sam Shepherd ’s play "Icarus ’s Mother." Technical Crew members were Savannah Pitcock, Colby Coren, Lawrence Frost, Mary McCoy, Stephanie O’Rear, Kristin Benson and Madison Flowers. Zachary Walker, the director at East High, received a "Best Director" award. .

Hendersonville High School won the Wachovia Cup for the 2002-2003 sports season. This is the 12th time in 15 years that the school has received this recognition. The Wachovia Cup recognizes high schools that achieve the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state ’s four competitive classifications.

Hendersonville High students, Jessica Eblen and Mary Elizabeth Rouse, won the 1-A Dual Tennis State Championship in Girls ’ Tennis.. They completed a 22-0 season.

Michael Carnot, North Henderson High, is Henderson County ’s only semifinalist in the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Each October more than 21,000 high schools across the county administer this test to 1.3 million students. Of these 1.3 million students, 16,000 are named as semifinalist to compete for 8,000 merit scholarship awards.

West Henderson High School Superior rating for their one-act play presented at the regional North Carolina Theater Conference One-Act Play Festival. Their play "The Bald Soprano" advanced to the state level. Mary Davis, West High director, received "Best Director " award. . West High competed against 15 other plays from North Carolina schools and won the State contest. They will advance to the next level, the Southeastern Theater Conference (SETC)and compete in March again seven Southeastern states. The last time a Henderson County play won at state level was in 1981.

West Henderson High School’s Lady Falcons Volleyball Team has claimed the state 2-A volleyball championship. This is the third state volleyball championship in the school’s history. Brooke Stanley , daughter of the team’s coach Jan Stanley, was awarded the match ’s Most Valuable Player award. Team members are Tory Macomson, Brittany Holliday, Jessie Sims, Erica Lauffer, Leigh Smith, Allyson Corhn, Carey McCall, Nicolette Filson, Amy Greenwood and Brooke Stanley. Nat Garren is the team ’s manager, Zac Combs is the score keeper and Tiffany White is the assistant coach.

Shannon Marlowe, Dana Elementary School, is the Henderson County Public School System’s 2003 Outstanding K-5 Math Teacher.

Martha Shoemaker, Media Coordinator at Apple Valley Middle, participated in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. She traveled to Japan during October to promote greater intercultural understanding between the United States and Japan. She was selected from a national pool of more than 2, 500 applicants. The Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program annually provides 600 American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with opportunities for professional development through short-term (three weeks)study visits to Japan. The program is designed to provide firsthand opportunities to experience Japanese culture and education through school visits, interactions with teachers and students,
seminars and home stays. Ms. Shoemaker will share her through curriculum improvement, development of teaching materials, workshops and other activities.

Clear Creek Elementary, Hendersonville Elementary, Mills River Elementary, Rugby Middle, North Henderson High and West Henderson High Schools each received a $500 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Grant to be used for a special project at their school. Barry Edwards, Paul Jordan and Connie Cunningham, all from Henderson Oil Company, worked with school officials to secure the grants from 4,000 available to schools across the country served by Exxon or Mobil stations.

Important

Dates To Remember