The Science Reflector - NCSTA Newsletter

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

District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8

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

News from District 1
Director: Colleen Karl

What a wonderful turnout this year from District 1 at the NCSTA Professional Development Institute on November 11th and 12th in Greensboro, NC. The Institute provided all of us with a chance to preview curriculum support materials and other resources available for science education. In addition, these two days were packed with excellent workshop sessions, special speakers and many opportunities for networking. I was very glad to lots of new faces from the Northeast as our recently licensed teachers and their mentors attended the sessions together. Let’s keep the excitement of working together going for 2005! The Northeast is always well represented as leaders in the NCSTA organization.

District One is pleased to recognize Teri Campbell as our Outstanding Science Teacher for 2004, an award that was presented at the NCSTA Professional Development Institute in November. Teri is a science teacher at Gates County High School, who currently is involved with the Bennett’s Millpond Project in Edenton, NC. Teri also extends herself each summer to take advantage of many quality professional development opportunities that she readily shares with her students. She is a teacher at heart, a mentor to her colleagues, a model of high classroom standards and a wonderful friend. We offer congratulations to Teri for her dedication to excellence in the teaching profession.

Late autumn brings good news to many teachers who assembled portfolios as National Board Certification candidates. District One is proud to announce our new National Board Certified Teachers in the certificate areas of Early Adolescent /Science and Adolescent and Young Adulthood/ Science. These teachers are: Laura Schroeder, Samantha Forshey, Charles Mault, Karen Powell, Robert Williams and Stuart Windley. The NCSTA recognizes your professional expertise and your dedication to the teaching profession. Congratulations to all of these teachers for their determination and hard work in pursuing this top honor.

Springtime offers a time for classroom teachers to plan for upcoming grant opportunities for the summer and for next fall. One of my favorite sites to check for funding sources is at http://www.ncsta.org/grants/index.html. Another grant possibility for those of us in the Albemarle-Pamlico area is from the APNEP organization. Opportunities to develop schoolyard demonstration sites exist through grants monies from this agency. See www.apnep.org (request for proposals) and organize your community for an innovative approach to outdoor education. Sherlton Broadnax at J.A. Holmes High School in Edenton and her colleagues were the recent recipients of a successful Dominion Power grant for calculators and probeware for the AP Biology classes. A little bit of invested time can pay back in rich resources received from grant funds.

Don’t forget about all of the springtime competitions for your students in Eastern North Carolina and around the State. Remember to include the Science Olympiad, the regional and State Science Fairs, the Envirothon, and the National Ocean Science Bowl. All of the details for these events and more are found at http://www.ncsta.org/resources/student.html. Another informative website that publishes the latest educational developments across the state is the MSEN link at http://www.unc.edu/depts/msen/.

In Eastern North Carolina, the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology at East Carolina University at http://www.coe.ecu.edu/csmte/ offers many rewarding staff development sessions as well as e-mentorship opportunities. Currently, many eastern North Carolina teachers are involved with a visualization workshop that teams teachers from this area with teachers in Illinois. To find out more about this innovative project, link to http://revitalise.ncsa.uiuc.edu/. Our special congratulations to the director of the ECU Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology (CSMTE), Dr. Karen Dawkins, who was recently presented the Herman Gatling Award by the North Carolina Science Leadership Association (NCSLA). The award is the highest that NCSLA gives each year, is presented at the association’s fall meeting, and acknowledges an outstanding science education leader in North Carolina.

The Science House at NCSU also has great professional development opportunities for your needs – see http://www.science-house.org/workshops/ or give Scott Ragan a call at the Science House to tailor workshops to the focus of a larger group.

Best wishes for the 2005 year!
Colleen

Have news to share? Email your District Director!

News from District 2
Director: Barbara Stroud

Many educators across the region took time to write grants for various programs. In Lenoir County at Pink Hill Elementary Norma Tyndall received a Bright Ideas grant entitled “Readers Become Leaders”. Students do a science activity integrated with Social Studies and then go to a listening center that incorporates the activity with leveled text.

Ms. Miriam Sutton in Carteret County has also received a Bright Ideas Grant. The grant will provide printing and publishing materials and equipment for a student designed science newsletter. The students will take these home to share with their families.

I do not have a listing for all of the grant recipients in our district, but before the next newsletter goes out I will provide this with additional information on the impact these grants have made in the classroom.
The following are Bright Idea Grants that are funded:

Duplin County
Beulaville Elementary	Literacy and Science	Tammie Blackburn
East Duplin High	Electrifying Revelations	Ray Mcleod
North Duplin Elementary	Supplemental Classroom Library and Scientific Resources	Amanda Sutton
Charity Middle	Environmentally Sound	Wendy Flynn
Lenoir County
Banks Elementary	Weather Watchers	Robin Beaman, Anne Willis, Judy Arthur
Moss Hill Elementary	Creep, Crawl, and Fly Hands on Science	Donna Casad
	Skills on Wheels for Science	Wendy Sutton
North Lenoir High	Raising Flytraps	Michele Spence
Pink Hill Elementary	Readers Become Leaders	Norma Tyndall
Pender County
Heide Trask High School	Club MED	Angela Jeffrey, Colleen Pate, Jodi Cockrell, Judy Cluett
Sampson County
Plain View Elementary	Science Comes Alive	Donna McQueen, Regina Stephenson
Salemburg Elementary	Kinesthetic Science	Donna Jackson, Penny Kimberly, Carol Radford, Emma Williams, Caroline Strickland
Hobbton Elementary	Concrete Concepts Hands On Learning for Math And Science	Anita Degrasse, Delores Eldrige, Erica Norris
CE Perry	Reach Out and Touch Science	Brandi Hayes, Carrie White
Wayne County
Carver Elementary	Science Discoveries	Stacie Fail
Sampson County also awarded Friends of Education mini-grants.
CE Perry	Science Kits for Science	Barbara Francis
	Reach Out and Touch Science	Brandi Hayes, Carrie White
Salemburg Elementary	Kinesthetic Science	Carol Radford
Plain View Elementary	Science Comes Alive	Donna McQueen, Regina Stephenson
Hobbton Middle	Fascinating Facts of Forensics in Felonies	Sharon Lavender
Hobbton High School	Science Detectives	Anda Barefoot, Carrie Vann, Mike Barnett, Laura Thornton

Congratulations to all our grant recipients!

Linda Thomas PR/Marketing Communications at Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation has shared information about an exciting program called “Get Charged!” Through the Discover Channel and Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation, science teachers at middle schools all across Brunswick County and Columbus County have a comprehensive new resource for teaching about electricity. Through BEMC, each school has received the “Get Charged!”program, which was developed by the Discovery Channel School and Touchstone Energy. Paul Thomas, vice president, Discovery Education notes, “We’re delighted to partner with the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives to help get kids energized about power.”

The Get Charged! program provides basic information developed specifically for grades 5-9 about electricity, how it works and how to use it safely. Each program kit includes an array of teaching materials, from posters, videos, an interactive CD-ROM, activity books for the students, teacher’s resource guide and even detailed lesson plans.
Dana Mauldin, Safety Supervisor of BEMC recently visited Rita Moffett’s 6th grade class at Shallotte Middle School as they began to explore the Get Charged! materials. Dennis Murray and Andrew Leszczynski, both involved in the Science Olympiad program easily cruised through the interactive CD and the Discovery School Internet link. They hope to find a science project idea in the program.

From the “lobby” of the Discovery Channel, students can visit the “Theatre” to view videos on various aspects of electricity, the “Laboratory” to test their knowledge with quizzes and brainteasers; the “Library” to do further research, or the “Studio” where they can create their own slide show complete with images, sounds, text and effects on a variety of topics. At every point in the program, they can make notes in their own “journal” to print or save for later use.

Nikki Yeats and Savannah Payne found some quick quizzes to test what they already knew about electricity. Justin Burney worked with Ms. Moffett exploring electricity web links. Turning to the student workbook, Moffett says “I really like that it’s colorful and fun. The information is presented in short pieces, so you can teach just a page or two at a time, holding the attention of the students.”

Discovery Channel School products have been developed by the world’s most respected brand for television quality and recognized by leading educational groups for their excellence. The curriculum and materials used in the Get Charged! program were developed specifically by Discovery Channel School for classroom use and to comply with National Science Education Standards.

Teachers will find the Lesson Plan information and Teachers A-Z Resource Book especially helpful. Both are full of teaching ideas, specific exercises, and classroom and homework projects to engage students in learning. The two videos are also an easy way to get the ball rolling with good basic information about electricity and the role that electric cooperatives play in providing power for their communities.

“We’re excited about bringing the Get Charged! program to our schools” said Robert W. “Chip” Leavitt, Jr., CEO of Brunswick EMC. “The materials are colorful, fun and offer a variety of activities to engage students at all levels. Get Charged! is a great addition to our ongoing school safety initiatives. Along with our Bright Ideas educational grants, this program gives us another way to support our teachers and our schools.”

The Science House now has a Jacksonville Satellite Office located at Northside High School in the Commons area of Onslow County. The Jacksonville Office serves the K-12 science and math teachers of Onslow County and the surrounding area. Shawn Reintjes is the Outreach Coordinator, and she is ready to help incorporate technology into science and math instruction through the use of Calculator Based Technology (CBL) and Microprocessor Based Technology (MBL). Apple iBook computers, TI-83+ calculators interfaced with Logger Pro interface units and various probeware that are available for classroom use. Also she will provide staff development in other areas, student support services, and community projects. Ms. Reintjes may be reached at 1-910-455-4868 or by e-mail, shawn_reintjes@ncsu.edu.

News From District 3
Director: Manley Midgett

All of the systems in Region 3 are very busy working on textbook adoptions right now. However, student science competitions are gearing up for this spring. The Region 3 Science Fair will be held on February 26. Visit http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/k12outreach/ScienceFair/ for details. The regional Science Olympiad will be at Garner High School on Feb. 6th and the public is welcome to come watch the competition.

The Science House is offering several open workshops this spring:

Greetings from your District 4 Director. I hope your 2004-2005 school year is progressing well. This is an exciting year for North Carolina science education; with the pending implementation of the new curriculums and textbook adoption in the works we will all no doubt be busy. Please take the time to get involved and share your ideas with your fellow science educators.

2004 National Board Teachers, Cumberland Co.
Congratulations to Robert Bass, Douglas Byrd High School, and Janice McDaniels, Jack Britt High School, for achieving their National Board Certification. The process of achieving National Board Certifications is a rigorous one. These teachers are among the best in the nation. Contact your school system’s Professional Development coordinator to find out how you can begin your certification process. There are many resources available to help you in the process and there are more than just financial awards to achieving this goal.

Lumbee River EMC Awards, 2004 Bright Idea Grants.
This year’s award winners were honored at a luncheon held November 5, at UNC Pembroke. The Bright Ideas education grant program sponsored by North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives set two major records this year. In November, the program awarded $530,000 in grants to North Carolina classroom teachers, the largest single year of disbursement in the program’s 11-year history. Additionally, a new application record was set with more than 1,700 classroom teachers submitting applications this year, the most in the program’s history. Since 1994, the Bright Ideas grant program has strived to improve education in North Carolina by financing classroom projects that may not otherwise be funded. The annual Bright Ideas grants fund creative teaching ideas to meet the needs of area students, with awards up to $2,000 being offered for projects in any disciplines. Congratulations to the following winning teachers, who were amongst the 30 selected teachers this year. Betty Breeden, Wagram Elementary; Ronnie A. Ford, South Robeson High; Vickie Gibson, Oxendine Elementary; Megan Kellhofer, Brentwood Elementary; Mary Laughlin, Rockfish Hoke Elementary; and Suzetta L. Scott, South Hoke Elementary.

Speaking of Grants!
As the education dollar gets harder to come by it is important that we as educators look to other resources to implement our ideas. There are literally thousands of grant opportunities available to the science educator that we must take advantage of. If you have a great idea, but do not have the funding to support it, take the time to investigate alternative sources. Every school and school district has personnel trained and ready to assist you in preparing your proposal. The Internet can help you get started in locating those resources and many have information available on how to get started on writing that grant. The following websites are a good place to begin: www.ncsta.org/grant, www.nsta.org/awardcomp, www.dpi.state.nc.us/educators, and www.nsf.gov/home/grants.

Textbook Adoption.
This year we have the opportunity to choose the textbooks we will use for the next five years. Many of us are unsure of the process and how we should go about choosing the correct textbook for our needs. There are many resources available to help get started, but the best starting position is the DPI site, www.dpi.state.nc.us/textbook. The website has information and checklists available that will guide you through the process. Your first step should be to become knowledgeable of the textbook selection process AND the new standard course of study. Next develop your criteria for making a choice, and stay clear of the urge to jump on the resources with pretty pictures and freebies. Examine each of the textbooks against your selected criteria and do not forget to share your criteria and selections with others. Good luck and remember we must live with our decisions for five years!

Revision of the North Carolina Science Standard Course of Study.
By now we all are aware of and should be familiar with the changes being implemented in the Science NCSCOS. If you have not taken the time to review the new curriculum and standards you need to visit the DPI website and print yourself off a copy. The standards are available at www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/standard. Remember, the new curriculum will focus on inquiry-based learning and the time to prepare yourself as a professional for these changes is now. Take advantage of the numerous workshops and professional development opportunities available to ensure you are ready for the change. I would also recommend you review the implementation timeline that underwent minor modifications this fall at www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/timeline. Note, the 1999 science curriculum will continue to be tested through the 2005-2006 school year. During the 2006-2007 school year, the Grade’s 5 and 8 EOG science pilot tests and the statewide field-test for the new EOC science tests based on the 2004 curriculum will be administered. The implementation of the new EOG and EOC tests will occur in the 2007-2008 school year.

4-H and Schools: A Natural Partnership.
I have recently stepped out of the classroom and taken a position as a science facilitator with the North Carolina Partnership for Improving Mathematics and Science. In addition to providing professional development opportunities to our science educators in North Carolina, I have the task of interacting with outreach programs from many of the other agencies involved in science education within our state. Recently, I attended a “Discovering Science” workshop with the County Cooperative Extension Centers from our state. I was amazed at the science resources available and would like to encourage you to contact your local 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent. The North Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program is a partner with the Public Schools of North Carolina and their goal is to help teachers accomplish their mission by providing North Carolina 4-H curricula that adheres to the Department of Public Instruction standards. As a partner in youth development, you are eligible to take part in training that is conducted by your County Extension 4-H Agent. The training involves both the subject matter content and the experimental learning process. Working with the program you can bring your students exciting enhancements to textbook learning, while at the same time assisting you in meeting the standards required for the respective grade. The 4-H curricula offer learning opportunities in Energy Links, Down to Earth, Embryology, and Exploring Your Environment. Please take the time to contact your local 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent or visit their website at www.nc4h.org. It is through them that you can obtain additional curriculum resources as well as an entrée to university experts in a multitude of subject matter disciplines.

Awards.
This past year, District 4 did not have any NCSTA award nominations and therefore none of our local teachers were recognized at the Fall NCSTA Professional Development Institute. I know we have many deserving teachers and this was a missed opportunity for them to be recognized for their contributions to science education in North Carolina. I have vowed to not let this happen again in 2005. Please review the award possibilities at www.ncsta.org/awards/. I would like to see YOU win an award.

Finally, this is where you news belongs! I am aware of all the strains and requirements placed on your valuable time, but take the time to share your news with other science educators in your district and the state. We have lots of change coming our way and it is important that we work together as a science education profession to share our accomplishments and events to help others. Please email me as events occur and I will make sure your peers see them here in the future. I look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Mark MacAllister, Online Learning Coordinator for the North Carolina Zoological Society was honored at the NCSTA Professional Development Institute with the Distinguished Service to Science Education Award in the Non-School Division. Mark has been instrumental in creating conservation education websites to support teachers in the classroom as they instruct science in an integrated approach using literacy, math, and technology. His most recent work has been with the Field Trip Earth site (http://www.fieldtripearth.org) which focuses on field based research around the world. Researchers in the field provide live information and data for teachers and students to use. A history of data from ongoing projects and from past projects is also included on the site. Dr. Mike Loomis, one of the field researchers for the site, remarked, “Mark is passionate about making environmental and conservation education easily accessible, relevant and fun in the classroom. He has consulted and recruited several classroom teachers for aid in the development of the web sites. Although the first web site project, The Elephants of Cameroon, was a resounding success, he improved on content and presentation in the subsequent projects to reflect suggestions from classroom teachers. He is constantly searching for ways to improve Field Trip Earth.”

Lynne Gronback, science teacher from Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools has been named as the Elementary Science Consultant for the Department of Public Instruction. Lynne was an outstanding science teacher and researcher. She was presented with a Kenan Fellowship and conducted research on the topic “NC Power Shift Initiative.” She has also served on many state professional development teams instructing teachers on current teaching strategies and content. Lynne began her work with DPI in December. She replaced Brenda Evans who retired in October.

News From District 6
Director: Debbie Michael

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope that 2005 will be a fabulous year for everyone!

Thanks to everyone from District 6 who participated in the NCSTA Professional Development Institute this past November. We were well represented in Greensboro. Thanks to everyone who attended sessions and special thanks to all who facilitated presentations. You helped make this a great institute and I appreciate all your efforts in making this happen!

Congratulations go to teachers from District 6 who won awards at NCSTA.
Tom Ellsworth , from Northwest Cabarrus Middle School, in Concord won the District 6 Outstanding Science Teacher Award. The Nancy Wynn Distinguished Award for High School Science went to Anita Sturgies with the NW School of Arts in Charlotte. Josephine (Jo) Duckett Wallace was awarded one of the Vi Hunsucker Awards - The Outstanding Science Educator of NC. Jo was very active in NCSTA and was a past Director of Mathematics and Science education Center at UNC- Charlotte. She had a lasting impact on science education in NC and will be missed by many, but her memory will be alive in all that she touched!

John Fout of South Charlotte Middle School in Charlotte writes that he and Lynn Howard and McKinley Johnson will be presenting in Dallas at NSTA a session titled "New Teachers, Science, and Survival." Please look for this session if you plan on attending NSTA this year. I would recommend this as a wonderful staff development opportunity. I personally have attended NSTA for the past few years and have enjoyed it so much.

John Hunsucker writes that Linda Bray, Biology teacher at Forestview HS, Gastonia, has been selected to be a Pinnacle Leader. Congratulations Linda!

I was awarded a $1ooo.oo grant in May to build an outdoor classroom at North Lincoln High School in Lincolnton. My students and my husband, Richard Michael, have worked hard to complete it this past semester. Science teachers at North also helped complete the project. Funding to purchase materials to build the classroom was awarded to the Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District by the NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation with funding from the Caterpillar and Z Smith Reynolds Foundations. The classroom supports classes in Biology, North Carolina Wildlife and Earth/Environmental sciences. This website shows the new classroom. http://webpages.charter.net/debmichael/ncwl.htm

I was also happy to be awarded a Project Tomorrow Grant for the North Lincoln Media Center for $1000.00. This award is for an environmental collection of materials for the media center.

If you are interested in applying for a grant, you might want to check out this site and watch the presentation - Grant Writing for the Techno-Savvy Science Educator.
http://video.dpi.state.nc.us/eforums/04-05/science/index.htm

Check out these websites for current information on earthquakes. My seismograph in my classroom updates on the web every ten minutes. If an event happens that is above a 6 on the Richter scale, we may have recorded it. It's a great learning tool to use in your classroom!
http://webpages.charter.net/debmichael/Seismograph.htm
http://www.scieds.com/spinet/

This website will show several seismographs in real time. http://jclahr.com/science/psn/as1/heli/allas1.php

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2005 and hope that the rest of the school year is great in every way!

News From District 7
Director: Jane Crosby

Welcome colleagues! I am Jane Crosby, your new director. I teach academic and honors level Earth Science at Statesville High School. This past summer I completed my environmental educator certification. I am a Maury peer trainer and a LIT for DataStreme Oceans. You can contact me with information about you or your colleagues at jwcrosby@iss.k12.nc.us.

On March 12 there will be a SEAPORT Ocean Awareness workshop at Allison Woods just north of Statesville. Allison Woods is a 1700"s land grant that is being developed as an environmental education area by descendants of the Allison family. The theme is Water: the Peidmont Coast Connection. Carolyn Elliott and Jane Crosby will lead activites about fresh and salt water. Dr. Carrie Thomas from NCSU will teach us about barrier islands. There is no registration fee, lunch is free and freebies to take home! Register by contacting jwcrosby@iss.k12.nc.us or celliott@iss.k12.nc.us

News From District 8
Director: Kyle Carver

Wow! What a terrific Annual Science Institute! Thanks to Carolyn Elliott, Ann McClung, Ruth Page, and many others who planned such an outstanding event. All the feedback I received was very positive.

Congratulations to our new officers. We in District 8 are especially proud of our new president, Dr. Renee Coward. Renee has been such an inspiration to District 8 Science teachers for many years and now she is our NCSTA President. She will do a great job.

Region 9 Science Olympiad Competition will be held February 19, 2005, at UNC-Asheville. Judy Beck and Kathy Whitlock are directing the competition again this year. They, along with their many volunteers always have a well-organized day. For further information you may contact them at the Physics Department at UNCA (828) 232-5036.

Congratulations to Kay Ball of Clearmont Elementary School in Yancey County for being selected as District 8 Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year.

Any teacher in District 8 who is interested in becoming more involved in NCSTA, please contact me atkylecarver@charter.net or (828) 683-2075.