District News

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The following district directors have submitted news items for NCSTA members:

Not sure which district you are in? Check out the district map at the bottom of this page.

News from District 2
Director: Barbara Stroud

It is difficult to believe we are near the end of another school year. Everyone is trying to successfully complete the SCOS in their area. Soon some of us will be relaxing while others will be getting ready for staff development opportunities during the summer.

For some neat ideas look at the UNCW website (http://www.uncw.edu/smec). There is a wealth of information about projects, programs, workshops, and courses for teachers and students. Also they have posted on their website the total list of the Southeast Regional Science Fair winners. Congratulations to all!

Another program at UNCW is Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program CORMP which is a member of the congressionally mandated Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). CORMP, primarily funded by NOAA, was established in 2000 as a research and monitoring program to address the IOOS goals in the southeastern North Carolina coastal ocean. CORMP’s overall goal is to provide an interdisciplinary science-based framework that supports sound public policy leading to wise coastal use, sustainable fisheries and improved coastal ocean ecosystem health. Education staff can visit your classroom and share the value and importance of the Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program with students. If you are interested in learning more, contact Jennifer Dorton at info@cormp.org or 910-962-2777.

Mr. Bryan Bishop at Eugene Ashley High School in New Hanover County hosted Ashley’s Funky Junk Contest this year on Earth Day at Hugh Macrae Park. It was part of the countywide program with “Keep America Beautiful.” The program started last year to encourage student awareness of the environment and the responsibility this involves. It was open to all middle school and high school students. Projects were created out of trash, or any unusable items. Ms. Fowler, Ms. Hewitt, and Ms. Day were among other faculty members helping the Environmental Club promote environmental awareness to students and the community.

In Pender County at Cape Fear Middle School Mrs. Angela Wixson- Tarter has an interesting website for her students and parents. Check it out by going to the school website and looking for her name. She shares with students and parents painless ways to learn science. Parents can feel her enthusiasm and love for their children and Mrs.Wixon-Tarter’s love of teaching as they read through her website.

In Onslow County Summersill Elementary School has a new Odyssey of the Mind team.  The new team members are:  Justin Myers, Alex Medeiros, John Nagy, Nicholas McIntosh, Luke Lanier, Caitlin Chastain,and Taylor Studer.They look forward to competing in future events.

Congratulations to Dixon Elementary School team for their first place win in the Regional Odyssey of the Mind

In Carteret County, Miriam Sutton at Newport Middle School has been keeping her students fascinated with her 2005-2006 Bright Ideas grant - "Ecosystem by the Gallon". The grant provided funding to create classroom aquarium observation tanks of three diverse ecosystems of the Newport River (headwaters, brackish, saltwater).

Ms. Sutton will be involved in three summer adventures. In June, DUOY (Down Under Out Yonder), a one week SCUBA diving for Coral Reef Research in the Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico (http://www.gulfmex.org/duoy.htm). In July, she will be involved in the Maury Project at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland for 2 weeks studying oceanograpy (http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/maury/). In August, Ms. Sutton will be involved in the ARMADA Project,which is a one month adventure at sea aboard the Canadian Research Vessel CCGS Hudson in the Labrador Sea. The research experience leaves Newfoundland and will conduct seismic reflective geophysics, bottom photography, and sediment sampling to investigate the near surface geology of offshore potential development areas in order to provide advice on regional issues of offshore hazards, environment, and constraints to development.

Congratulations to Arendall Parrott Academy in Lenoir County for their first place win at the state Science Olympiad competition at North Carolina State University. The team will advance to the national competition held May 19-20 at Indiana University. Good luck team!

Wayne Countyelementary and middle school science teachers have continued to participate in PIMS training this year.  They attended regional, state, and national meetings and seminars, were accepted into summer institutes, and won awards for their excellent teaching.

High school teachers met to discuss safety, the nature of science, forestry, water quality, grant writing, and nanoscience, and they attended local, state, and national meetings.  They worked diligently on portfolios for honors classes and on chemical hygiene plans, led vertical articulation sessions, and took classwork online.

Students participated in science fairs, agricultural extension programs, after-school science clubs, field trips, and presentations from NASA and the State Parks Service.  They took field tests in fifth and eighth grade science as their teachers worked hard to incorporate science into their busy curriculum.  Seniors were awarded prestigious scholarships and showed interest in mathematics, science, and teaching.  

Wayne County Public Schools was happy to receive science-related gifts from Mission Foods, McDonalds, MacMillanMcGraw-Hill, National Welders, and Goldsboro Physical Therapy. We are pleased to have a full-time K-12 Lead Teacher for Science (Dr. Ralph Smith) at the central office, and expect to move forward into a new era of science teaching and learning in our county.

The TSA team at Eastern Wayne High School in Wayne County participated in the NCTSA competition that was held in Greensboro April 9-11. The first place winners are listed below:

CADD 3D Engineering: Michael McKnight
Technical Sketching & Application: Melissa Ricker, Sarah Compton
Medical Technology: Emily Ardis.
Michael McKnight was also elected the NC-TSA State Treasurer.
The team will continue competition in Dallas June 21-26. Good luck team!

News From District 3
Director: Mike Talley

Sam Wheeler, science deptartment chair and teacher at Southeast Raleigh HS has won the Presidential Award for Science Teaching and recently met with Mr. Bush at the White House.

On Feb. the 4th, at Wake Technical Community College, the regional Science Olympiad was held. The regional winners advanced to the state tournament at North Carolina State University. The state winners are going to the University of Indiana for the nationals.

In an effort to create smaller learning environments for students, three partners in Wake Co. have created a high school that will live on the campus of a major medical center at Wake Med. The name of the school is Wake Early College for Health and Sciences. The three partners are Wake Co. Schools, Wake Technical Community College and Wake Medical Center. The school will open in Aug. 6 and will help bring down the barriers between community colleges and school systems. Contact Jim Palermo, Principal at 919-850-1973 for more information.

Dr. Harriett Stubbs of NCSU is conducting her annual Grand Father Mtn. Workshop 19-23 of June . Her contact information is 515-9483 or 787-8387.

News From District 5
Director: Darlene Ryan

Sarah Lynn Jaeger, a ninth grade student at Chatham Central High School in Chatham County, won first place at the State Science Fair in the Senior Earth/ Environmental Division. For her project she researched how soil's pH and texture affects how it conducts electricity. The title of her project was “The Effect of Different pH Values and Texture Types on the Electrical Conductivity of Soil.” Jaeger may be nominated as one of the high school individual winners to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in May of 2006 in Indianapolis.

Girls Exploring and Learning Science is a free weeklong program on June 26-30, 2006 for rising fifth- through eighth grade girls. The institute is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at Western Middle School. Girls must apply by May 15, and the 15 available slots fill up fast. This program is funded by the Academically and Intellectually Gifted program in the Alamance-Burlington School System. Participation is not restricted to public school students or to girls who have been identified as gifted.  For more information, call William Toth at 538-6010 or e-mail him at William_Toth@abss.k12.nc.us

Claxton Elementary School in Guilford County Schools will celebrate the opening of their new wildlife habitat outdoor classroom on Friday, April 21 in honor of Earth Day. The students will be transplanting seedlings they have nurtured into the outdoor classroom. The faculty are excited that the new outdoor area which will support teaching the science curriculum and are already infusing literacy by having their students research other types of plants that attract birds, butterflies, and other animals.

The East Chapel Hill High School Science Olympiad Team competed on April 8 at the State Science Olympiad competition at North Carolina State University.  After winning the regional competition in February, the ECHHS team placed second out of 44 of the best regional teams at the state competition.  The first and second place teams are invited to compete in the National Science Olympiad at Indiana University in Bloomington on May 19-20.  This is the first time in the history of ECHHS that the team has qualified.

UNC-Chapel Hill Center for Mathematics and Science Education and its sister centers of the NC-Mathematics/Science Education Network have launched a new professional development initiative in K-8 science to help teachers meet the new demands of science testing. The initiative, Excellence in K-8 Science Teaching, will begin this summer with a new institute for grades 3-5 teachers.

The institute will include five days during the summer and four during the 2006-07 school year. The focus will be on four main themes of the 3-5 science curriculum: the rock cycle; ecology; energy and forces; and weather and climate.

The Greensboro Natural Science Center will hold its Annual Yard Sale on May 5, 6 and 7 from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. While you are finding science treasures for yourselves, you will be supporting the center through the funds raised. Food will be available for sale on-site each day of the sale. Monies will continue to support renovations at the Center.

Monster Trunks will be the summer special exhibit at the Greensboro Natural Science Center.

UNC’s North Carolina Botanical Garden, a research and conservation garden, recently announced a partnership with the United Kingdom’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to preserve plants of the United States’ Piedmont eco-region, which spans the states from Delaware to Alabama.

The Botanical Garden is also holding a workshop on mountain plants and spring flowers at High Hampton in Cashiers, NC. The May 7-9 workshop will be led by NC Botanical Garden director Peter White, curator Jim Ward, and emeritus director Ritchie Bell. For more information and registration, you can contact the High Hampton Inn (800-334-2551).

The spring meeting of the North Carolina Science Leadership Association was held at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill on April 27. Dr. Charles R. Hokanson, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Strategic Initiatives for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education was the special speaker for the spring membership meeting.

News From District 6
Director: Debbie Michael

I hope everyone has had a great semester and that the last of the semester is proceeding well! Summer will soon be here and time to think about staff development opportunities that are available.

The Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at UNC-Charlotte has been very busy. Check out their website at http://education.uncc.edu/cmste/ They hosted the regional science fair on February 18. The students and teachers are to be commended on the excellent work displayed in the projects. On March 12 and 13 they hosted the NC Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Check out the pictures from this year’s event on their website. Students were treated to field trips and listened to each others presentations. This state has some incredible students doing some amazing research! Check out the center for staff development offerings. Many of the sessions look very interesting. They are also offering classes for environmental education certification and AP training. Have fun!

Congratulations go to Janice Deese Ward, Sixth-Grade Teacher, Jay M. Robinson Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina for winning the Shell Science Teaching Award at NSTA in Anaheim! Way to go, Janice! What an honor!!

Congratulations go to Lincoln County Schools. North Lincoln’s Envirothon team placed fourth and East Lincoln’s Envirothon team placed seventh in the regional competition held at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC on April 6. Both of these teams were then eligible to compete in the state competition.

Discovery Place in Charlotte has many displays and exhibits that warrant a trip. Check out their website to see current offerings. http://www.discoveryplace.org/

I had a wonderful time in Anaheim at NSTA. If you have not participated in this national conference, you have no idea what you are missing!! I only wish I could have seen everything! I went on some fabulous field trips and got to stand on the San Andreas Fault. I’ve already used my pictures with my students when we studied earthquakes. Conferences enrich my life and give me new tools to use with my students. Next year the conference will be held in St. Louis, MO: March 29-April 1, 2007. Field trip anyone?

I have recently been appointed the District 4 Director for APAST - Association for Presidential Awardees in Science Teaching. I look forward to this new challenge.

I will spend a week this summer at the McDonald Observatory in Texas. I am excited to have this opportunity. I hope you all have a restful and rewarding summer!

News From District 7
Director: Elizabeth Bustle

NCSTA welcomes Elizabeth Bustle as the new director of District 7.

News From District 8
Director: Teresa Hembree

It is hard to believe that SPRING is upon us and that the school year is quickly drawing to a close. We are counting the days until…. EOG’s. I know that the 8th grade pilot science test is creating anxiety and curiosity. Where will this take science education in the state of NC? We must stand together… advocates for the positive implementation of programs that strengthen the teaching and learning of science in NC.

Well enough of that, now on with the news:

CONGRATULATIONS

District 8 Science Olympiad winners at the February event held at UNCA.
The event includes 17 middle school teams and 10 high school teams. The event proved to be a spectacular event for all that participated as competitors, coaches, event leaders, and volunteers. Our thanks and “hats-off” to UNCA for an amazing job, once again.

  • Division B winners: AC Reynolds MS (1st), Polk County MS (2nd), East Burke MS (3rd), and North Buncombe MS (4th).
  • Division C winners: Polk County HS (1st), Freedom HS (2nd), Carolina Day (3rd), and North Buncombe HS (4th).
  • First Place Winners in Specific events (that were not team finalist): Brevard MS, Table Rock MS, TC Roberson HS, Mitchell HS, AC Reynolds HS, and CD Owen HS. These individual winners qualified for the state tournament.

Drew Roland (a student at Asheville HS) built and tested a hydrogen peroxide rocket. His work was a part of the NC International Science Challenge. This challenge is an effort of the Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative, which is made possible by the support of the NC Science, Math and Technology Education Center. Drew and two other NC students were selected to present their work at the 2006 Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition. For more information on the project contact Fran Nolan at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Summer Science Opportunities for TEACHERS: Workshops are sponsored by the Pisgah Forest Institute which was created in 1999 through a partnership of Brevard College, the Cradle of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service. PFI workshop participants are eligible for CEU’s and courses meet Criteria 1,2,3 for the NC Environmental Education Certification program. Visit www.brevard.edu/pfi for more information.

Summer Opportunities for GIRLS: Visit the following sites to discover and share summer science opportunities for your female students. What a wonderful opportunity to nourish our budding young female scientists.

Watch for mailings concerning upcoming events for the NCSTA. Considering presenting at the fall conference, bring a friend and stay at the conference hotel. Experience all the conference has to offer.

Remember to contact me (teresa.hembree@bcsemail.org) with news, celebrations, workshops

 

Current Issue | Archives | NCSTA

The Science Reflector
Newsletter of the North Carolina Science Teachers Association
PO Box 1783, Salisbury, NC 28145
Elizabeth Snoke Harris, Editor