Kindergartners at Davidson Day make sunflowers for Harrison Nichols Day. (Photo by Chris McKay)

It’s not quite the season for sunflowers yet, but because they were the favorite flower of Harrison Nichols, students at Davidson Day made sure the bright yellow flowers were blooming on campus in time for Harrison Nichols Day, celebrated this year on March 22.  The annual event honors the courageous battle with cancer by a former Davidson Day student.

We have news about that, plus a number of upcoming school events, including a leadership seminar at Cannon, “Living History Day” at Woodlawn, a college admissions workshop at Lake Norman High, a lecture on picky eaters at McKinney Academy, and the dates of upcoming golf tournament fundraisers (see the calendar listings below).

In addition, we have news of Stephen Curry reading with Bailey Middle students, French lessons at Davidson IB that sent students out to try their skills on Main Street, and yoga classes at Woodlawn.

DAVIDSON DAY MARKS 3rd ANNUAL HARRISON NICHOLS DAY

Davidson Day students honored the memory of a former student March 22 by wearing green, garlanding the school in sunflowers and holding a school assembly.

Sebastian Soria (at center) was honored as the 2010 recipient of the Harrison Nichols Award. He is seen here with (l-r): Director of Admissions Anne Buechler, Headmistress Bonnie Cotter, Gina Nichols, and French teacher Monica Gelinas. (Photo by Chris McKay)

Michael “Harrison” Nichols was a student at Davidson Day when he died from Neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system. He spent six years undergoing chemotherapy, surgeries and clinical trials in his battle with the disease.

“Harrison bravely faced each day with courage and grace and lived life fearlessly, never giving in to a bad day,” noted the school in its press release about Harrison Nichols Day.  “During all of this, Harrison was committed to being a part of Davidson Day School. When he was too ill to come to school, Harrison would participate with his friends and teachers via a webcam in the classrooms.”

Harrison Nichols Day coincides with his birthday, and the sunflowers emblem represents Harrison’s favorite flower. Students collect money, through bake sales, class projects and other activities, to contribute to the Huntersville-based Harrison Nichols Foundation, which assists families coping with a Neuroblastoma diagnosis.  School leaders also annually choose a student “who represents the courage, perseverance and grace that Harrison modeled for us” for the Harrison Nichols Award.  This year’s recipient was 8th grader Sebastian Soria, who is a member of the track and field team, maintains good grades and is respected by his peers.

Harrison’s parents, Mike and Gina Nichols, attended the event and accepted a $300 donation from the 4th grade class to the Harrison Nichols Foundation.

CANNON SCHOOL HOSTS LEADERSHIP PANEL APRIL 7

A panel of local leaders will discuss the community, college and careers at an event Wednesday, April 7, at Cannon School in Concord.  The free public discussion will take place in the private prep school’s Taylor Hall.

“As partners for our children, we parents have a unique opportunity on the evening of April 7 to come together and learn,” said Head of School Matt Gossage. “We have assembled a group of fascinating people who want to help parents anticipate the world their children will inherit.”

Tom Shandley

Panelists will include: Tom Shandley, vice president for student life and dean of students at Davidson College; Dr. Owen Furuseth, associate provost for metropolitan studies at UNC Charlotte; Tony Brown, principal and director of mergers and acquisitions at Public Consulting Group, Inc.; Randy McVane, the process design executive responsible for supporting Bank of America’s international client service and global wire business; and Lynne Scott Safrit, president of Castle & Cooke North Carolina, developer of the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.

WOODLAWN YOGA ON THE WEB

Woodlawn students have been striking yoga poses with a special purpose – to create instructional videos for an on-line company.

Woodlawn students hold a yoga pose.

“It’s like a NetFlix for Yoga,” explained Jodi Shackley of YogaVibes.com.

The company, founded by Brian Ratte of Davidson, offers  yoga videos for downloading and has recently added yoga for kids.

“Woodlawn has a yoga teacher, Elizabeth O’Connell, and she teaches a weekly class, which is really wonderful,” Ms. Shackley said.  “They are our first group of students that will be featured on our website!”

YogaVibes made videos of the Woodlawn class March 1 in the school’s Red Barn gym.  The session is designed for teen athletes.  A free vignette of the class (click here to watch it) features students moving in the Vinyasa style of Yoga through the Dancer, Monkey and other poses.  The full 32 minute class is available to purchase for $10.

WOODLAWN SCHOOL HOSTS LIVING HISTORY DAY APRIL 17

Woodlawn School will host a Spring Festival and Living History Day for surrounding Lake Norman communities Saturday, April 17, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Woodlawn's Stinson Hall

The event will feature food, fun, games, and craft booths.  Plus,  living history stations will fill the campus.  Visitors will be able to tour Stinson Hall, built in 1836, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Woodlawn students and parents will be steering living history stations to help visitors experience life in the 1800s.

Davidson Chocolate Company, Rita’s Italian Ice, Matt’s Chicago Dog, Nancy’s Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Country Ride Saddlery, Thirty-One Gifts, Pampered Chef, Handmade Pottery, and Silpada Jewelry are a among the participating vendors.

Woodlawn, a private school for grades 1-12, is located at Hwy 115 and Presbyterian Road.  See the school website for more information.

NUMBER 30 JOINS READERS AT BAILEY MIDDLE

Stephen Curry takes a shot at a good book.

Is it a book about basketball?

We’re not sure, but we do know that’s Stephen Curry reading (at left) — doing his part to inspire students at Bailey Middle to join him in getting lost in a good book.

The Warriors star rookie point guard, formerly of Davidson College, was one of the VIP readers recruited for Bailey’s recent campaign, which got students reading to collect money for victims of the January earthquake in Haiti.

Students sought sponsorships and held class reading events in a two-week campaign that ended Sunday and garnered over $3,000 in sponsorships.

DAVIDSON IB CLASS TESTS OUT WORDS AT VILLAGE STORE

Octavia Kee (at left) and Caitlyn Holquin use their French speaking skills to make a purchase at the Village Store.

“Je voudrais acheter…”

“C’est combien?”

Visitors to the Village Store on a Friday earlier this month may have been surprised to hear all the French being spoken by teen shoppers.  The French shoppers, paired with translators, were students in Cameron Swallow’s French class at Davidson IB Middle, visiting the store to test their language skills in a real-life setting.

“They had prepared questions, with one student acting as a non-English speaker and the other acting as an interpreter,” said Village Store owner Megan Blackwell.  “The kids were great and we all had fun!”

Students also visited Summit Coffee.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SEMINAR IS APRIL 18

The Charlotte-based “College Admissions 101″ will hold a seminar titled “Demystifying the College Application Process” on Sunday, April 18, from 2-5 p.m. at Lake Norman High School in Mooresville. Tickets are $120 per family in advance or $140 at the door. Register online by clicking on the company website, or call organizers Ellen Martin (704-543-0089) or Laura Lewin (704-281-7633). The event brings together 20 regional experts to speak on 10 panels (ticket holders can pick three), on topics like: writing a college admissions essay, SAT/ACT tips and strategies, financial aid and scholarships, the path to highly selective colleges, how colleges make admissions decisions, and more.

Among the panelists are: Craig Fulton, former head of the UNC Charlotte Admissions office, Lee Bierer, who writes the “Countdown to College” column for the Charlotte Observer, and Robin Pool, who read over 12,000 college essays for Princeton University and now tutors students for SATs or ACTs.

SCHOOL CALENDAR

• THURSDAY, APRIL 1 - Davidson Day School photography instructor Paul Cotter will lead, “Click: A Photo Class for Adults” from 4-5:30 p.m. in room 408 of DDS. The topic for this class, which costs $25, will be “Understanding shutter, aperture and ISO.” Child care options are available. Contact Mr. Cotter at pcotter@davidsonday.org or call the school at 704-222-6493.
• FRIDAY, APRIL 1 – FRIDAY, APRIL 9 – Spring Break for local public schools.  Among private schools and charters, Woodlawn, Community School of Davidosn and McKinney Academy will be closed April 1 – 9, while Davidson Day will be closed April 1 – 5.
• WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 – A panel of local leaders will discuss the community, college and careers at at Cannon School in Concord.  The free public discussion will take place in the private prep school’s Taylor Hall.  See above for more information.
• THURSDAY, APRIL 15 - Kristen Clewell, an occupational and sensory integration therapist from Integrative Therapy Concepts will offer a free public lecture on “Picky Eaters” at McKinney Academy.  The event starts at 6:30 p.m.  The lecture will teach parents the best ways to approach feeding a child and dispel myths around problem eaters. She will also provide specific ideas that parents can take home and implement immediately. Nicole Magryta, a Registered Dietitian, will also supplement the talk with healthy nutrition guidelines and approaches.
• SATURDAY, APRIL 17 - Woodlawn School will host a Spring Festival and Living History Day from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.  See above for more.
• SUNDAY, APRIL 18 – Lake Norman High School in Mooresville will host an afternoon of workshops on “Demystifying the College Application Process.”  See above for more details.
• MONDAY, APRIL 19 – Seventh Annual Tee It Up Golf Tournament for Davidson Day School will be held at the River Run Country Club, starting at 11 a.m.  Click here to register online.
• FRIDAY, APRIL 23 – The Community School of Davidson Annual Golf Tournament will be held at the Verdict Ridge Golf Club in Denver, NC., starting at 10 a.m.  See the school webpage to learn more.

Have school news you want to share?

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