Davidson IB Middle School students are starting the new year with a whole new shelf of honors. After telling you recently about 8th-grader Louise Pilsbury‘s spelling success (she won the North Learning Community bee and then went on to place fourth in all of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools), and the school’s Future Cities team‘s win at the state competition, this week we bring news of Ruth Swallow‘s recent win in a CMS cultural contest.
We also have reports on an upcoming Wildcats women’s basketball game that will be dedicated to a Davidson Day student who died last year, the donation of over $1,000 to local elementary schools by honors arts students at Bailey Middle, a visit to Cannon School by a delegation of students from China, and more. Plus, our calendar lists upcoming open houses at area schools, registration for Girls on the Run and several Parent University seminars.
IB 7TH GRADER WINS LITERATURE PRIZE
Ruth Swallow, a seventh grader at Davidson IB Middle School, won first prize in the literature portion of the PTA Reflections Contest for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
Ruth Swallow
Reflections is a cultural arts contest for students in grades preschool through 12. The contest has seven categories, all using art of various types to express this year’s theme of “wow.”
“I wrote about what ‘wows’ me in nature,” said Ms. Swallow.
Her winning entry consisted of a coronet of sonnets, or a linked set of seven sonnets, with the last line of the first poem turned into the first line of the next poem and so on. She wrote about such topics as baby birds and the spirit of the wind.
Beneath the loamy soil, they wait to grow,
A sleeping form of flower, clothed in silk,
Sitting, waiting for the end of snow,
At home in bulbous bed as white as milk.
So begins the fourth sonnet, on the “wow” power of daffodils. You can find the entire coronet on the DavidsonNew.net kids page.
Ruth’s parents are John and Cameron Swallow. Her mother is a math teacher at Davidson IB Middle.
JAN. 24 NAMED ‘HARRISON NICHOLS DAY’ FOR WILDCATS
Harrison Nichols
Harrison Nichols, an eight-year-old Davidson Day School student who died last February, will be honored and remembered at a Davidson College women’s basketball game. January 24th, when the Wildcats take on Appalachian State, has been named “Harrison Nichols Day.” The game will begin at noon in the Belk Arena. Five dollars from each ticket sold will benefit the Harrison Nichols Foundation.
Harrison died Feb. 17 after a his six-year battle with Neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. The Harrison Nichols Foundation was established in his memory to raise money for the advancement of Neuroblastoma research and education, and to lend financial support to families in their fight against this deadly disease.
Tickets are $6. For ticket information, contact Kevin Buechler, Davidson Day School Athletic Director and Dean of Student Life, at kbuechler@davidsonday.org. Or contact Megan MacLeod at Davidson College at memacleod@davidson.edu.
BAILEY STUDENTS DONATE ART DOLLARS
Students from the Honors Art Class at Bailey Middle School recently donated more than $1,000 to two area elementary schools.
Honors students in the arts programs at Bailey Middle presented checks to art departments at two local elementary schools.
The money was raised through the school’s Art Auction, held in early December. Eighth-grade students from Bailey presented checks to the art department at both Hickory Grove and Statesville Road Elementary.
“The arts help reinforce math, history and even the sciences!” said students from the Bailey Drama Troupe, Dance Company and Mural Club during the check presentation ceremony. “But most importantly it is just something we love. We all love art for many different reasons.”
CANNON SCHOOL HOSTS CHINESE STUDENTS
Cannon School is hosting 14 students and five teachers from Tianli International School, a private boarding school in central China, for a two-week cultural exchange visit that started Monday, Jan. 19. The guests will be visiting Davidson College and touring area sites, including the Richard Childress Racing headquarters and the new research center in Kannapolis. They will also be catching a Charlotte Bobcats game. Cannon School families will send the Tianli students home with a donation of English-language books.
The visit is part of a sister school relationship that began five years ago to exchange educational ideals and cultural traditions at both institutions and expose Cannon School students to a different and vibrant culture. Cannon School offers Mandarin Chinese classes at the Upper School level and in fifth and sixth grades. Tianli International School is a private middle and upper boarding school located in Luzhou, a town founded in 135 B.C. in the southern mountainous region of Sichuan, in central China.
Souper Bowl, Jan. 31
DAVIDSON DAY SPONSORS SOUPER BOWL
Davidson Day School is the sponsor of this year’s Souper Bowl, a fundraising event to benefit HAMMERS (Hands Around Mecklenburg/Mooresville Making Emergency Repairs Safely). Held Saturday, January 31 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Lilly Family Gallery at Davidson College, Souper Bowl 2009 is an opportunity to taste soups from favorite local restaurants. Proceeds benefit HAMMERS, an initiative of the Davidson Housing Coalition, created to provide safe housing for all of our neighbors.
DOCTOR TO SPEAK AT PTA-TOO LUNCH
Davidson Elementary School’s PTA-Too will host its first guest speaker lunch Monday, Jan. 26, at 11:30 a.m. featuring a talk by Dr. Anthony Castiglia on “The Missing Link in Autism, ADD/ADHD, Asthma and Allergies.” Reservations for the lunch are due Thursday, Jan. 22, for the meeting, which will be held at Campania Cafe, 416 S. Main St.
Dr. Castiglia, of Advanced Integrative Medicine in Mooresville, will discuss nutrition, beneficial supplements, toxicity, chronic disease and the immune system. To reserve a spot, contact Heather Hovis at pinegolf@msn.com or 704-907-9259.
Mark Your Calendar!
- Thursday, Jan. 22 – One of several informational open houses for the Northwest School of the Arts, a free public school in Charlotte that specializes in dance, music, theater and visual arts for 6th-12th grade students. The open houses will feature tours of the facility and discussion time with staff.
- Friday, Jan. 23 – Registration closes for the local “Girls on the Run” program, which will be held Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 7-8 a.m., at Bailey Middle. The spring session begins on Feb. 10 and ends with a 5K race on May 9.
- Friday, Jan. 23 – CMS (public) schools will be closed for a teacher work day.
- Monday, Jan. 26 – Davidson Elementary School’s PTA-Too will host its first guest speaker lunch, starting at 11:30 a.m. (see above for more details).
- Tuesday, Jan. 27 – CMS Parent University will present a class, “Bullying Prevention and Intervention” at Davidson Elementary School. The free class is open to the public and will run from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Topics to be addressed at the workshop include how to identify bullying behavior and how to teach children coping skills and reporting techniques.
- Wednesday, Jan. 28 – Walking Wednesday for Children’s Community School.
- Monday, Feb. 9 – Deadline to apply for acceptance into Charlotte-Mecklenburg magnet programs for the 2009-10 school year. Local magnet programs include Davidson IB Middle and the IB program at North Meck High School. See the calendar below for tours and informational meetings planned for local schools, or check out the CMS website.
- Thursday, Feb. 19 – Parent University will hold two free seminars in the Bailey Middle School media center. “Transitioning from elementary to middle school” will run from 6-7:30 p.m., while “Preparing for the high school years,” will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The Bailey building will also be open for a tour that night, starting at 5:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Police Officer Daniel Waltman will discuss the influence of pop music on youth at a Parent Education Coffee Hour that starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Bailey Middle School orchestra room. Light refreshments will be served.
- Monday, April 20 – The 2009 Annual Davidson Day School Golf Tournament will be held on at the River Run Golf Club in Davidson. This will be the main fundraiser for the Patriots Club 2008-09 year.
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.
