Wendy Readling, coach of the "Food Science" team for Davidson IB's Science Olympiad, watches Jacob Pilsbury test chemicals for proteins.

Take out your rulers and put on your goggles — this week’s Around Davidson is dedicated to science and math and some of the people in our town who help make those subjects exciting for kids.  We’ve chosen this special focus because Saturday will be a day when both subjects will be on display in a special way for Davidson folks.  Math professors at Davidson College will give their own twist to bracketology by offering “March MATHness” to the 6th through 12th grade crowd.  Kids and teachers will be able to learn math through mime and more and there’s still time to register.

Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed for Davidson IB Middle’s Science Olympiad team, which will be competing at UNC-Charlotte.  We spent an afternoon with some of the the team members and were dazzled by their high-tech science skills.  Good luck, DIB Dragons! Read the full story

Robert Carrington (at center), currently at Vance High, talked with parents and students at Bailey Middle about his new role as band director for the new William A. Hough High School.

Robert Carrington of Vance High was a judge Tuesday at Bailey Middle’s band concert.  Parents, however, were more interested in him as the newly-named band director for William A. Hough High School.  He is one of many teachers who have been hired to staff the new school.  We have a report on that, plus boundary concerns for North Meck related to this fall’s opening of Hough High.

In other matters, we have reports on Pine Lake Prep‘s work to collect donations for victims of Haiti’s earthquake, Davidson Day‘s blood drive Thursday, a Miss Clemson contestant with Davidson ties, and several calendar items. Read the full story

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a human tree of students from Community School of Davidson!

Community School of Davidson got ready for Arbor Day by forming a “human tree” Friday afternoon.

We have a report about the  involvement of CSD 8th graders in Davidson’s Arbor Day celebration, plus news of Bailey Middle‘s win at Battle of the Books, Davidson IB‘s win at a Black History Bowl, history day at Woodlawn, and local sports news.

Our calendar includes this weekend’s Run Too Overcome and an upcoming event featuring Davidson College’s take on “Math Madness” Read the full story

Tuesday’s snowfall is causing cancellations for some after-school activities at area schools.  That includes a parent meeting for Hough High, which has been rescheduled.  Also, Mooresville schools closed early. See below for more, and check back for updates as more weather-related information comes in. Read the full story

The flurry of departure for parents of Davidson Elementary fifth graders was made a bit easier by Steve Vetrone, who set up a free coffee stand in the bus loading area. Mr. Vetrone is a manager at Summit Coffee and the father of Morrigan Vetrone, one of the fifth graders on the 2010 D.C. tour.

A caravan of buses rolled out of Davidson Elementary at 6:15 Wednesday morning, headed for the nation’s capital. The school’s entire fifth-grade will spend the next three days in a whirlwind tour that will take in the Smithsonian museums, Arlington Cemetary, the Holocaust Museum, national memorials, the White House and even a meeting with Congressman Mel Watt on the steps of the Capitol. Trip coordinator Thomas Underhill said this year’s tour includes a total of 216 students, parent chaperones and teachers.

We hope they all stay warm!  Meanwhile, School Notes this week has reports on the new library at McKinney Academy, recognition for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ North Area Superintendent Monique Gardner-Witherspoon, poster contest winners at Woodlawn, a new LKN Rotary Club scholarship for high school seniors, and a Davidson IB teacher in the news.  All that plus a calendar of events, including the upcoming Run Too Overcome 5K.

The predawn departure of four busloads of Davidson Elementary fifth-graders, bound for a three-day tour of D.C.

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Construction continues on the new William A. Hough High on Bailey Road, set to open in the fall as one of two new high schools for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

In preparation for the opening, school Principal Terri Cockerham is holding an organizational parent meeting March 9.  She has also released the names of several coaches for the new school’s sports teams.  Plus we have the Hough High bell schedule. Read the full story

Traveling with a purpose is the theme of this week’s Around Davidson column. We have news about two young women at our local high schools who are getting their passports and travel plans ready for two quite different itineraries.

Kathleen Elkins, a senior at Woodlawn School, is a local tennis sensation and has earned a spot on a European traveling team. She is raising funds for her summer tennis tour by organizing two doubles tournaments, the first planned for this Saturday, Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, at Davidson Day, French teacher Sheena Geiger is raising money for a trip to dance in Japan at the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Osaka World Expo.

Both Kathleen and Sheena are seeking individual and business sponsors to help defray the costs for their upcoming adventures. Read the full story

Hanson Wang (blue sweatshirt) and his Future City teammates are showered with confetti during Friday's celebtration. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net photo)

Davidson IB Middle School welcomed its national champion Future City team back from Washington, D.C., Friday with a ceremony and a confetti-showered parade through the school hallways.

“Let’s give a huge shout out,” Principal Jo F. Karney said as she introduced coach Jay Hager, engineer/mentor Dane Horna , of S&ME Inc., and team members during the school’s video morning announcements.

See a photo gallery below Read the full story