North Meck DECA, a local chapter of the national association of marketing students that compete at the local, state, and international levels, is hosting a community-wide book drive to raise awareness about literacy issues and concerns. DECA students are asking for donations of any and all books, no matter the condition or genre.

Books may be dropped off at Main Street Books, 126 S. Main St., until Jan. 31. They also may be dropped off at home of DECA member Sarah Houck, 539 Watson St., Davidson. Read the full story

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 15
The fog was thick and the temperature hardly frigid as a record 660 riders pedaled away from the start of Saturday’s 15th annual Polar Bear Metric Century (100k) and Half Century (50k) rides through the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area.

Riders met and finished at Ingersoll-Rand headquarters on Beaty Street in Davidson. The morning started out grey and wet, but temperatures rose into the 70s, and sun poked through by the finish. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Local fans of foreign and art films will have a new outlet for their passion in 2013 through a newly formed Davidson Film Club. The independent nonprofit group plans to meet one Saturday night a month in a conference room at South Main Square to watch films from Europe, Asia, Africa and the US. Read the full story

Five-year-old Caroline Cain of Huntersville did her part for a good cause this week. On Wednesday, she stopped by the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson to drop off a donation. The note says: “From my ice cream stand. Carolina.” The upside-down bill is a twenty.

Caroline lives in Huntersville and attends to McKinney Academy in Davidson. She stopped by with her mother, Karin.

Ada Jenkins center is a regional community services center on Gamble Street in Davidson. The center offers a variety of social services to area families, including a food pantry, counseling, free medical and dental clinics and the Learn Works after school program. Info: www.adajenkins.org.

Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center is recruiting volunteers for construction work to complete an infant care expansion at the facility now through mid-January. Can you help?

Women and men, skilled and unskilled, youth over 16, are needed for shifts of one hour, four hours, or more, weekends and weeknights, between now and the projected completion date, Jan. 12. If you can help, please contact Rev. David Buck, david@saintalbansdavidson.org.

Here’s a tentative work schedule:

• 21 December (Friday, 8am-4pm): Moving furniture and supplies, installing a security door (all the more pressing now), building a ramp along with the team from Habitat for Humanity.
• 22 December (Saturday, 8am-4pm): Same as above.
• 28 December (Friday, 8am-4pm): Moving furniture back into parts of the building, completion of the ramps, miscellaneous construction work inside.
• 29 December (Saturday, 8am-4pm): Same as above.
• 31 December (Monday, 8am-4pm): Interior Construction, painting, wall installation, laying floors, etc.
• 2-4 January (Wednesday, Friday, 6-10pm): Same as above, through to completion
• 5 January (Saturday, 8am-8pm): Same as above, through to completion
• 7-11 January (Monday-Friday, 6pm-10pm): Same as above, through to completion.
• 12 January (Saturday, 8am-2pm): Clean up and prepare for celebrative closure, 3pm.

RELATED STORY

Dec. 13, 2012, Davidson Cornelius Child Development Center renovates, so it can accept infants, needs $50K. .

By ANNE VARI
DavidsonNews.net

Bailey Middle School’s PTSA is raising money this month with a sale of holiday trees through Scott’s Tree Lot in Davidson. Meanwhile, Thursday brings “A Christmas Carol” and holiday concert at Cornelius Elementary. And W.A. Hough High School’s DECA Team was recently crowned champs in the district marketing competition. We also have the tally from October’s Cornelius Elementary Fund Run, and a note about winners of Hough’s “Reflections” contest.

BUY A TREE, SUPPORT BAILEY

The Bailey Middle School PTSA is selling top-of-the-line Fraser firs through a Christmas Tree fundraiser, which continues until Dec. 24. Customers purchase a voucher online for a tree (5-feet to 12-feet tall) or wreath (available in two sizes), then pick the tree up at Scott’s Tree Lot at 602 Griffith St. in Davidson. Satisfaction is completely guaranteed and a portion of your purchase benefits the BMS PTSA.  To support BMS, go to baileymiddleschoolptsa.christmastreesalefundraiser.com and start shopping!

‘CHRISTMAS CAROL’ AT CORNELIUS ELEMENTARY

On Thursday, Dec. 6, Cornelius Elementary 4th and 5th graders will present “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens in the school cafeteria. The chorus (including 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) and the Recorder Ensemble will perform a pre-concert. The event begins at 5:45 pm.

HOUGH DECA EXCELS AT DISTRICT COMPETITION

William A. Hough High’s DECA team won big at the recent District DECA Competition, which was held at Myers Park High School on Nov. 14. Two hundred thirty-eight Hough DECA students were among 1,100 competitors from 12 CMS high schools. The Hough chapter took home six first place trophies, six second place trophies, two 3rd place trophies, 24 finalist medals, and 90 event medals. Eighty-eight percent of Hough competitors earned proficiency in their events, making them eligible to represent the school at the State DECA Competition in Greensboro in March 2013.

DECA is an international student organization which prepares students for careers in marketing. The high school division has more than 185,000 members globally. North Carolina DECA has more than 5,000 members in 150 high schools across the state.

The following Hough DECA members earned recognition at the district DECA competition:

First Place: Craig Amasya, Marissa O’Neil, Anne Rutledge, Amelia Sechrest, David Snedecor and Jenny Stevenson. Second Place: Leanna Conti, Ashley Harmon, Gray Hyland, Kevin Parsons, Dylan Schmidtke, and Nelle Thomas. Third Place: Kevin Harrow and Matthew Newman.

Other finalists included Sara-Rose Bockian, Kalli Brooks, Cassidy Burk, David Curry, Tim Carpenter, Logan Mariner, Chris Markham, Claire Rutledge, Blake Sivick and Sandra Trockel.

‘FUND RUN’ RAISES $17K FOR CES

The results have been tallied and all money collected from the Cornelius Elementary School FundRunners Fun Run in October, and the PTO raised a total of $17,000 on the event! A pep rally kicked off the fundraising and motivated students to seek pledges from family and friends; pledges were made per lap or as a flat donation. The Fun Run took place on Oct. 24, and included special guests Sgt. George Brinzey and Detective Matthew Figaro, of the Special Response Team of the Cornelius Police Department, along with their police cruiser. (See Oct. 24, 2012 story and photos, “Kids run for fun and funds at Cornelius Elementary”

HOUGH “REFLECTIONS” CONTEST WINNERS NAMED

On Nov. 13, Hough High students who participated in the Reflections contest had their entries anonymously judged by a panel of local artists and educators. The National PTA contest’s theme was “The Magic of a Moment,” and students submitted works in any of six categories: Visual Arts, Photography, Literature, Musical Composition, Dance Choreography, and Film Production.

Gold and Silver level winners received cash prizes and will move on to the county level of competition, and may advance to district, state and national levels.

Gold winners: Rachel Cowley (10th Grade), Visual Arts ; Jordan Eggleston (10th), Literature; Alexandria Fletcher (10th), Photography; Rachel Eggleston (12th), Photography.

Silver winners: Leanna Conti (10th Grade), Literature; Valerie Ortiz (10th), Visual Arts;
Selena Price (10th), Dance Choreography; Reagan Walker (10th), Literature

Judges included Cornelius photographer Deborah Young; Anne B. Wills, Associate Professor of Religion at Davidson College; J.V. Washam Elementary art teacher Celeste Dulin; and Mooresville artist Ilisa Millermoon.

HAVE NEWS?

Have school news to share? Send it to editor@davidsonnews.net. School news appears on both DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net.

Many of our canine residents brought their owners out this past weekend for Christmas in Davidson, while some other local creatures were stars in Saturday’s 30th annual North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade.  The action included Friday night’s Doggie Fashion Show on the Davidson Village Green. See a photo gallery today on PETS & ANIMALS»

Also today on Pets & Animals:

• “Photo of the Day: A fellow greenway traveler.” – A local runner encountered a slithering obstacle on a local greenway Monday. So he photographed it.
• Cornelius Animal Shelter Pets of the Week – How about adopting a kitty or a doggie for the holidays?

Davidson Service Board, a group of high schoolers working with Davidson College students, will host a free program called “Breaking Barriers” on Saturday night, Dec. 8, mixing food, fun and messages about bullying and suicide prevention. The party runs Saturday from 6:30 to 9pm at Woodlawn School, 135 Woodlawn School Loop, off Presbyterian Road in Mooresville. Read the full story