Why is Cannon boys basketball coach Glen Taylor barefoot? Find out below. (Hint - it's for a good cause.)

School notes this week includes the heartwarming (or, rather, feet warming) story of Friday’s shoe drive at Cannon School, at which organizer Elizabeth Rubens of Davidson was overwhelmed by the results.

We also have news about the new aluminum can recycling bin at Community School of Davidson, and the times for two upcoming classes: an info meeting about summer travel to Europe this summer, and a college financial planning class.  See below for all that plus some sports scores and our regular calendar of event.

SNOW DOESN’T KEEP THE SHOES FROM PILING UP AT CANNON

Among all the students across the area on the lookout late last week for signs of snowflakes outside, there was at least one whose was desperately hoping the snow would NOT cause school classes and events to get canceled Friday.

“I freaked out,” Elizabeth Rubens said of the reports of an impending storm.

Elizabeth, the daughter of Sara and Barry Rubens of Spring Street in Davidson, had been working since September to organize a shoe collection drive for Friday night’s basketball game at Cannon School.  Elizabeth is a junior at Cannon and chose the Charlotte-based nonprofit Samaritan’s Feet as the beneficiary for her community service project of the year.

She asked the coaches for Cannon, and also for the visiting team from Providence Day, if they would take off their shoes and coach barefoot to raise awareness for the plight of impoverished children who suffer from foot-borne diseases and infections due to a lack of shoes. The coaches agreed, and the Cannon game became one of many across the country in the “Barefoot for Barefeet Coaches Initiative.”

Elizabeth Rubens with barefoot coaches for the boys teams from Cannon and Providence Day. (Photo courtesy of the Rubens family)

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti Jan. 12, the emphasis for the campaign changed to a focus on collecting shoes specifically for Haiti.

As the game day approached, Elizabeth set out a collection box at school, but didn’t get much of a response, and was starting to worry.  Then came reports of the approaching winter storm.

“That dampened my hopes,” Elizabeth said.  “I wasn’t sure anybody would bring in any shoes.”

But Elizabeth was wrong.  School officials moved the start time of the game up to 6 p.m., beating the storm.  Fans did not forget to bring in shoes, to the tune of about 250 pairs of brand new shoes.

“I stood near the entrance and handed out fliers and people handed me more and more shoes,” Elizabeth said.  “We didn’t have a place to put them all.  It was, like, the coolest thing ever.”

The announcer had to remind the coaches of the girls game to take off their shoes, but the boys team coaches were barefoot from the get-go.  At half-time, the audience was asked to text a special number to donate $5 to Samaritan’s Feet.

“There’s no way to tell how many donated, but it looked good,” said Elizabeth.  “A lot of people pulled out their phones and started texting.”

Her efforts proved to be good luck for Cannon Coach Glen Taylor too.  The Cannon boys won 63-43, led by Jarrell Eddie’s 22 points and 13 rebounds.  (The girls were not so lucky, losing to Providence 63-21.)

Elizabeth hauled all the donated shoes home to her garage for sorting and packaging.  She’ll be delivering them to the Samaritan’s Feet center soon.

CANNON SCHOOL GEO-BEE WINNER, BAND SHOWCASE PERFORMER

Besides Elizabeth Ruben’s shoe drive, students at Cannon School who have been in the news include two other local kids:

Fifth-grader Adam Kurtz of Cornelius won the 2010 Cannon School Geo Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. (see our past School Notes for coverage of Geo Bee winners at Bailey Middle, Woodlawn and Pine Lake Prep).  Adam has taken a written test for school champs.  The top 100 scorers on the written test will advance to the state bee in Raleigh this April.

Tenth-grader Will Keenan of Davidson was among a foursome who organized, sponsored and performed at a January band showcase that raised $400 for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit that provides children with music education regardless of their financial situation.  The group hopes to make the showcase an annual event.

CSD TRAILER IS READY FOR YOUR CANS!

The Community School of Davidson has recently added an aluminum can recycling trailer intended for public access.

The new recycling trailer at Community School of Davidson. (Photo courtesy CSD)

The trailer is located behind the charter school, near Davidson Gateway and Harris Teeter.

“With the continued support of local businesses, Davidson College and Davidson residents, the recycling campaign will help keep aluminum cans out of the landfills and benefit the school’s on-going fundraising efforts,” the school announced in its press release about the trailer.  “Many businesses separate their garbage, as well as sports teams and local events and there in now a convenient location to place the beverage cans and help the environment.”

CSD is a state charter serving 750 students in grades K-8, with plans to expand into the high school level starting in the fall.  The school is located on Griffith Street.

FREE CLASS ON COLLEGE PLANNING IS FEB. 20

Ryan Clark

Charlotte-based college financial planner Ryan Clark will be holding a free class on how to afford college.  The class, designed for the parents of high school juniors, will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Davidson Public Library, from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

Topics will include how to decide what colleges to apply to, what to find out before applying, why procrastination can cost you money, and more.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling 704-323-8349, or by clicking on the Mr. Clark’s website, www.clarkcollegefunding.com.

MCKINNEY STUDENTS TO PERFORM FEB. 8

Students at McKinney Academy will be performing “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, an African-American Tale,” at two locations on Monday, Feb. 8, as part of a Black History Month presentation.

The student performers will be at North County Regional Library at 9:30 a.m. and then at Barnes and Nobles in Birkdale Village for the 10:30 story time.

McKinney Academy is a private elementary school in Davidson serving grades K through 4 (and will add grade 5 next year).

INFO MEETING ON EUROPEAN TRIP IS FEB. 3

Local area teachers are planning a 2010 Central Europe Tour this summer that will bring students from Davidson and Cornelius to see the sites of Berlin, Vienna and more.  The group will be using EF (Education First) Tours, a 40-year-old student-teacher travel program, to lead the educational trip abroad, which offers the chance for high school and even college credits.

Representatives from EF Tours will be presenting details of the trip at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 3, starting at 6 p.m. in the Cornelius Library’s meeting room.

The meeting is open to all interested middle and high school parents.  Contact Bill Myers (email wmyers1@att.net), orchestra teacher for Bailey Middle School, for more information.

SCHOOL APPLICATION SEASON

School registration is now underway for local charters, private schools and the public Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district.  Click here to see our previous coverage of what you need to know to register your child.

SPORTS NEWS

• In basketball news from Davidson Day, the boys (15-4) defeated conference rival Victory Christian 65-49 Friday, led by Clay McLean, who totaled 21 points, and Rashun Davis with 19.
• The Woodlawn boys and girls basketball teams hosted Pine Lake Prep Tuesday.  The Trailblazers won both games: the boys (whose record is now 3-6) defeated PLP 50-36, while the score for the girls (2-5)  was 31-13.

Have sports news to share?  Email lauriedennis@bellsouth.net with your game report.

SCHOOL CALENDAR

• WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3 – Info meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Cornelius Library to discuss a summer student trip to Europe.  See above for more details.
• FRIDAY, FEB. 5 – No classes at Davidson Day (faculty development day) or at Community School of Davidson (parent conferences).
• SATURDAY, FEB. 6 – Davidson Day will hold an Admissions Open House for prospective families, starting at 10 a.m.
• MONDAY, FEB. 8 - Deadline for the CMS magnet programs application lottery. Click here to get to the CMS Magnet Programs website.
• MONDAY, FEB. 8 – McKinney Academy students perform at two venues in Huntersville.  See above for more.
• WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10 – Students from Davidson College will be at Davidson Day to talk to juniors and seniors about how to make the transition to college life.  The afternoon event is titled “College Life 101.”
• FRIDAY, FEB. 12 – No classes will be held at Woodlawn School or at Cannon School to allow time for a teacher in-service day.
• FEB. 13-17 – Davidson IB Middle’s state champ Future Cities team will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Finals.  Click here to see our coverage of the team’s win last week. (And you can also find a video of the team in action on our home page.)
• MONDAY, FEB. 15 – President’s Day is a holiday for some schools (including Woodlawn, Community School of Davidson, Cannon School and Davidson Day) but not for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, who will use the day as a makeup for the Feb. 1 snow day.  McKinney Academy will not have class, but will use the day as a teacher workday.
• THURSDAY, FEB. 18 – Open house, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.,  for families of prospective students at McKinney Academy.  Parents can also call 704-895-9664 to schedule a tour.
• SATURDAY, FEB. 20 - 10:30 – noon, Davidson Public Library. Charlotte-based college financial planner Ryan Clark will be holding a free class on how to afford college.  See above for more info.
• SATURDAY, FEB. 27 - Open house, 1-3 p.m., for families of prospective students in grades 5-12 at Cannon School.  Register at the school’s website, www.cannonschool.org.

Have school news you want to share?

Send calendar items and press releases about local school news to us at: lauriedennis@bellsouth.net