Wednesday, June 20, 2012
She loves her volunteers, but knows there are limits to what they can do.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
By Tanya Hudson I'm the librarian at Chase Street Elementary, where there hasn't been a media parapro for two years. I have a wonderful group of volunteers, some who are parents of my students and some who live in the neighborhood and want to share their time. Many neighborhoods do not have this built-in, fully invested volunteer base to work from. Not only that, but because volunteers aren't paid for their work, there's no way to require them to work particular days or times. If one of my volunteers takes a two-week vacation in October, that's help that I just don't have for those two weeks. A parapro isn't likely to take that kind of time off during the school year. There are some jobs parapros do that can't be done by a volunteer. For…
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Clarke County board axes all teaching assistants from first grade classrooms and media centers in Athens, Ga..'s public schools.
They did everything from tying shoes to escorting a child to the bathroom to helping a child read to hqnding out books. Sometimes small, sometimes large, these daily duties kept the classrooms running smoothly and helped the teachers do their jobs. Parents and teachers may believe paraprofessionals are essential for having a well-run first grade classrooms, but the Clarke County Board of Education apparently does not, according to a story in the Athens Banner Herald. The board voted to eliminate the jobs of 32 paraprofessaionals who worked in first grade classrooms across the county, resultings in a savings of $736,000. A similar measure was proposed a few years but it didn't pass. The school board adopted a budget of $118 million at its …
Monday, May 14, 2012
An Essay from the Teaching Georgia Writing Collective
- SCHOOLS
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Monday, May 14, 2012
"If America can increase funding for libraries and librarians, I can only think that America has found one important way to rebuild itself." -Stephen Krashen Stephen Krashen, along with many other educational scholars, insists that investing in our libraries and librarians is crucial to building a strong and just America. Research points to high quality school libraries and librarians as key to high achievement for students, especially those from families struggling economically. But when budgets are tight, libraries (or "media centers"), librarians, and media center paraprofessionals can too frequently be perceived as unnecessary costs in schools. The Clarke County School District joins others across Georgia cutting funding for media …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Athens, Ga. nonprofit puts its money where the music is.
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Friday, May 11, 2012
ATHFest Educates, a local non-profit organization, recently donated 15 violins to the UGA String Project, another local effort to put instruments in the hands of children who do not have an orchestra program in their school. ATHFest Educates was founded in an attempt to extend Athens' rich music scene to local school students. The group raises money through year-round fundraising and ticket sales to events such as the ATHFest Music and Arts Festival, ATHFeast, and the Athens GA Half Marathon. ATHFest director Jared Bailey presented a $5000 grant to UGA String Project director Dr. Skip Taylor and Ronald Sachs (of Ronald Sachs violins) in an intimate ceremony. Each of the student violins bears a plaque which reads "donated by ATHFest …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Anise Crane is dually enrolled at UGA.
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Friday, May 4, 2012
Cedar Shoals High School senior Anise Crane was named the 2012 Spanish Student of the year by he Georgia Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. She has also earned national recognition for her performance on the National Spanish Exam and has participated in various language learning projects such as the Governor’s Honors Program. She was also a winner in the Clemson University Declamation Contest for Spanish. Crane is currently dually enrolled at the University of Georgia and after graduation, she plans on majoring in biology with a minor in Spanish. She is the daughter of Akemi and George Crane.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Carlo Nasisse captures the state's top honor.
- SCHOOLS
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
Clarke Central High School’s Carlo Nasisse has been named the 2011 Georgia Champion Journalist, the highest individual honor given to a scholastic journalist. As the photo editor of his school’s newsmagazine Odyssey, Nasisse has produced several award-winning photos and page designs. He also has worked for Flagpole and Athens Move. His adviser, David Ragsdale, said the senior’s willingness to work with younger students is what stands out. “He has two young apprentices with whom he works daily—taking them on photo shoots, critiquing their work and engendering an excellent sense of team spirit,” Ragsdale said. “He continues to push himself with photography for the staff and has expanded his role beyond photo editor to that of visuals …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Eight high schoolers will head to Valdosta in June.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Eight students from Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools will be attending the Governor’s Honors Program this summer, school district officials said Tuesday. Held on the campus of Valdosta State in South Georgia, the program is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors. “These students excel in a variety of areas, and they are most deserving of this honor,” said Superintendent Philip D. Lanoue. “As ambassadors for our school district, I know they will do a great job representing Clarke County.” Officials with the Georgia Department of Education, which runs the Governor’s Honors Program, interviewed more than 2,900 students from across the state during three weekends in January and …
Monday, February 20, 2012
Eliza Rothstein, Mike Xiao, Mika Broocks awarded academic designation.
- SCHOOLS
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Monday, February 20, 2012
Three students have been named STAR students for the Clarke County School District. They are Mike Xiao from Cedar Shoals High School and Mika Broocks and Eliza Rothstein from Clarke Central. A STAR student has the highest score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test in one sitting on the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of his or her senior year. A STAR student also must have a G.P.A. that puts them in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class. A senior at Cedar Shoals, Mike is the son of Wen Zhang and Shiyun Xiao. He plans to get a bachelor's in molecular biology, genetics or neuroscience, hoping to become a doctor focusing on anti-aging and disease prevention. An all-state solo pianist winner, he enjoys music and…
This amazing young man is a scholar, a gentleman and an athlete
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Monday, February 20, 2012
Pats Laniak has nominated David Glassman at an Athens Patch Whiz Kid. After reading about David’s many accomplishments, it’s easy to understand that motivation—he is a whiz at many things! David, 17, is a senior at Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School. He is the STAR student for Athens-Clarke County, which means he had the highest score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test in one sitting on the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of his senior year. A STAR student also must have a G.P.A. that puts them in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class. Pats describes David as the embodiment of intelligence, integrity and energy. Whether on the field or in the classroom, David’s relentless and positive pursuit of …
Thursday, February 9, 2012
This girl rocks!
One of the performers in the Lullabies for Lukas benefit at Hendershot’s Friday night will be 11-year-old Jordan Rhym. She’ll be the smiling girl on the drums, playing with friends of her older brother Chad in a band called Jordan and Two High School Dudes. Jordan, a sixth grader at Clarke Middle School, has been playing drums for a while, participating in Girls Rock camp and now studying drums at the Athens School of Music. But drums aren’t her only instrument—Jordan has taken piano lessons and also plays cello in the school orchestra. “I’m happy to have found orchestra,” she says. “It’s given me a chance to learn how much I love playing the cello.” Still, if she had to choose her favorite instrument, she says she would pick drums. And …
Rebecca McCarthy
10:08 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2012
Great point, Sarah! and we can extend it to journalism, where Sarah Palin, among others, wants to raise an army of "citizen journalists" to challenge the elite media. I don't see many "citizen journalists" sitting through budget hearings, work sessions, dry presentations, or going into dangerous situations to cover a story. Sorry to rant a bit, but what you are saying can be extended to so many … more ›