Davidson Police Sgt. Scott Misenheimer accepted a check Tuesday from students at Davidson Elementary School.

Students in Davidson will be heading back to school Monday, following Thanksgiving break.  We offer some news of how our local students have given us much to be thankful for, including a collection taken by students at Davidson Elementary School to help “Officer Scott” and his family recover from a recent house fire, pen-pal exchanges between Bailey Middle students and a soldier in Iraq, and a food drive competition at Davidson IB.

We also have a report on Bailey Middle’s first-ever International Night, the rundown of student performances at Christmas in Davidson and other calendar items.

STUDENTS OFFER CHECK TO ‘OFFICER SCOTT’

“Overwhelmed,” said Davidson Police Sgt. Scott Misenheimer, shaking his head Tuesday morning.  He used the word several times to describe how he felt to be the recipient of an oversized check from “Tiger Bank,” representing money collected by students at Davidson Elementary School following a fire in his home.

Sgt. Misenheimer, a 20-year veteran of the local police force and a familiar face at Davidson Elementary, had to find temporary housing for his family following an electrical fire at his home near Salisbury in early October.

Principal Celeste Ellis announced the check presentation for "Officer Scott." At her side was Sgt. Scott Misenheimer and Rebecca Clark, who organized the event. Student council members officially presenting the check were (l-r): Brooks Carroll, Jacob Noble, Caroline Rusk and Madeline Dreffer.

Members of the school’s student council presented Sgt. Misenheimer with a special check for $1,151 during the school’s morning announcements Tuesday.  The check represented money that students gathered through a “Trick or Treat for Officer Scott” campaign on Halloween.  Students used special Halloween bags to gather hand-written notes and cash for the Misenheimer family, part of a community-wide effort that brought in just over $3,500, according to Rebecca Clark of Downtown Davidson, who helped coordinate the campaign.

“You boys and girls did something wonderful,” said Principal Celeste Ellis as she announced the contribution amount.

“You all are just too nice to me,” Sgt. Misenheimer responded, in footage broadcast into all of the school’s classrooms.  “I do appreciate it.”

LETTER FROM IRAQ

“We are approaching a time and season where we should stop and think about the things we are thankful for.”

Branden Lester on his most recent trip home to Statesville.

That is how Branden Lester, a soldier recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, began his open letter to students at Bailey Middle School.

“I cannot express in words how wonderful it was to be away from home and family and receive packages and letters from the school my step-mom works at,” he wrote on Nov. 19, the day after he returned from Iraq to Fort Riley, Kansas.

Branden’s step-mother, Teresa Lester, is a CTE (Career and Technical Education) teacher at Bailey, and she coordinated a pen-pal exchange between some Bailey students and her son.

Branden’s letter asked students to count their blessings.  “I never thought about being thankful for having a warm school building and teachers who care until I saw what students in other countries have to deal with every day,” he wrote.

To read the entire letter, click here.

IB MIDDLE HOLDS FOOD DRIVE COMPETITION

Seventh graders who helped coordinate their class food drive include: (back row, l-r) Casey McQuirt, Jenna Dworak, Brianna Biel and Samantha Sharp; (front row, l-r) Thomas Churchill and Mikayla Murphy.

The National Junior Honor Society of Davidson IB Middle School held a canned food drive during the week of November 10-14. The seventh graders beat the sixth grade and the eighth grade in a competition to see which grade could bring in the most cans. A total of 1,102 cans were collected for Loaves & Fishes at the Ada Jenkins Center.

NORTH MECK HOSTS IB OPEN HOUSE

North Meck High School will host an informational open house for families interested in its International Baccalareate program Tuesday, Dec. 9.  The event will be held in the media center, 6-7 p.m. and be followed by a varsity basketball game.

IB program representatives will also be offering informal walking tours from 8 – 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, through Friday, Dec. 12.  Those interested are asked to contact the school beforehand.  (Email Jane Vanselous for more information.)

CHRISTMAS IN DAVIDSON FEATURES NUMEROUS STUDENT GROUPS

The annual Christmas in Davidson town celebration begins Thursday, Dec. 4, and will feature a number of student groups performing.  Here’s the rundown of where to see local students (note that the South Main location is near Fuel Pizza, and the DUMC Chapel is the small white church across the street from the main campus of the Davidson United Methodist Church):

• Cannon School performing arts groups (nine different groups), 6 – 9:30 p.m. Friday at the DUMC Chapel
• Children’s Community Schoool Chorus and Dancers, 7:15 – 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Village Green
• Cornelius Elementary School Choral, 6:45 – 7:45  Thursday at South Main Street
• Davidson Day School vocal and instrumental groups, 8:30 – 9 p.m. Thursday on the village green
• Davidson Day School Theater Department, 7:30 – 8 p.m. Friday at the village green
• Davidson Elementary Choral, 6:45 – 7:15 Thursday on the village green
• Hopewell High School Chamber Choir, 6:45 – 7:15 Friday at the village green
• McKinnney Academy Choral, 7:45 – 8:15 Thursday at South Main Street
• Pine Lake Preparatory Chorus, 7 – 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wachovia Bank
• Pine Lake Preparatory performing arts groups (four different groups), 6 – 9 p.m. Saturday at South Main
• Woodlawn School performing arts, 8:15 – 9 p.m. Thursday at South Main

BAILEY MIDDLE HOSTS INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

Joe Dennis, a history professor specializing in East Asia at Davidson College, demonstrated how to write "peace" in Chinese caligraphy during Bailey Middle's first-ever International Night.

Bailey Middle hosted its first-ever International Night Thursday, Nov. 20, offering informational booths from around the world, student “passports” for stamping, food, activities and dance.

“The international night was a real success and has also contributed in highlighting the wonderful diversity of our school,” said French teacher Fabrice Fresse, who organized the event.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• Nov. 26-28 – Most area schools will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Monday, Dec. 1 –  Parent University has rescheduled its course “Knowing the Signs -Suicide Prevention” to this date, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Davidson IB Middle.
• Thursday, Dec. 4 – “Evening with the arts” at Bailey Middle, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. with student performances in theater, dance and more.
• Thursday – Saturday, Dec. 4-6, various student performances at Christmas in Davidson (see above for schedule)
• Tuesday, Dec. 9 – North Meck High School will host an informational open house for families interested in its International Baccalareate program.  The event will be held in the media center, 6-7 p.m. and be followed by a basketball game.

Send calendar items and press releases about local school news to us at lauriedennis@bellsouth.net . Don’t forget to include a contact phone number, in case we have questions.