School news

Union

Sun Valley Middle and High Schools: The winners of the Gingerbread House Contest are:

•  Sun Valley High: First place, sophomores Kayla Iannetto and Cheyanne Helms for “You’re a Mean Mr. Grinch” entry; second place, juniors Nadya Murdcau and Anna Clarke for their castle of gingerbread; third place, freshmen Samantha Gulickson and Isabella Garcia for their Christmas cottage; faculty winners, Michelle Vangaasbeck and Tammy Weed for their Sun Valley High School gingerbread house.

•  Sun Valley Middle School: First place, sixth-grader Rachel Howard; second place, eighth-graders Thomas Urena and Braydon Willett; third place, Taylor Christensen and Emily Cleary; faculty winner, Assistant Principal Pascale Glenn.

Union County Early College: The school hosted more than 200 preschoolers from Walter Bickett Education Center at UCEC’s seventh annual Angel Tree event. Using their personal funds, UCEC students selected gifts for each child. The Student Government Association and the Do It Yourself Club decorated large gift bags for the preschoolers with SGA fundraisers providing mittens, books and supplies for the bags.

Porter Ridge Middle: Eighth-grader Hannah Haigler organized a book drive to benefit students at Walter Bickett Elementary. The community effort collected 1,535 books, two for each student and additional books for the library.

Summer Ventures: Students interested in The Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Summer 2013 Program should visit www.summerventures.org/apply.

Application deadline is Jan. 31.

SAT Prep classes: The classes will be offered at several Charlotte area and Union County locations in January and February, including The British American School of Charlotte, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and Parkwood High School. Visit www.futureprep.com for more details and to register.

Mecklenburg

Newell Elementary: Five new books were given to each of 750 students as presents during December.

The gifts, part of Newell’s collaboration with Newell Rubbermaid and First-Book Charlotte, were possible through corporate and community contributions and First-Book-Charlotte’s spring gala. Newell Elementary reading facilitators chose the books for the grade levels.

West Charlotte High: Sonia Moorman has received West Charlotte’s Athletic Programs “Coach of the Quarter” award. Honorable Mentions went to Coaches Terry, Goings, Hunter, Mobley and Neely.

• IB Junior Anjelica Pendergrass visited Senegal recently and read to young students as part of the IB focus of community giving.

Garringer High: The school’s Sowing Seeds of Success program will offer four Saturday sessions through April 2013. The courses provide parents with teaching strategies to help develop student academic success. Details: sonyanette.willis@cms.k12.nc.us or ryann.battle@cms.k12.nc.us.

Cochrane Collegiate Academy: DeAndre Morehead, Jorge Lopez, Christian Mendoza and Vicente Brito helped the school earn a $1,000 Technology Grant. The students created a design for the school rock in the Rocking the Belk Bowl art contest.

Cabarrus

Cox Mill High: The Band asks for community online support in the Gift of Music Video Contest. Vote at http://www.rackroomshoes.com/ through Jan. 11 for a prize of $15,000.

Northwest Cabarrus High: The Theatre II class recently performed “Blue Horses” for Charles E. Boger Elementary second-graders. The play, which promotes reaching for your dreams, was presented by the Theatre Department to expose elementary students to theatre.

Pitts School Road Elementary: Paige Norris’ kindergarten class is the winner of the November Community award for their participation in a project that benefited Riley’s Wagons of Wuv and will place wagons in the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord.

Royal Oaks Elementary: Students raised $350 as part of an effort to purchase a seizure-alert therapy dog for Anna Beth Davis, daughter of a former Royal Oaks employee. In connection with their Rachel’s Challenge pledge, the school sold Dog Grams, paper dogs with large bellies for inspirational messages, to help raise the funds.

Magnet programs: Applications for admissions into the STEM and International Studies programs are due by 3 p.m. Feb. 1.

CCS magnet programs are offered at: Coltrane-Webb Elementary, J.N. Fries Middle, Central Cabarrus High (science, technology, engineering and math); J.N. Fries Middle, Concord High (international studies).

Jay M. Robinson High: The School Chamber Choir performed holiday and classical selections at the Cabarrus Rotary meeting in December. The choir is directed by Vivian Howard.

Performance Learning Center: Math teacher Hobart Hostler organized a shipment of blank Christmas cards to troops stationed in Afghanistan. A friend of Hostler and one of the troops mentioned to Hostler that the soldiers aren’t stationed in areas where they can purchase the cards. The PLC student body donated the cards.

York

Northwestern High: Students and faculty wrote 1,150 cards of encouragement and raised over $300 for the Newtown, Conn., community.

Saluda Trail Middle: The RoboRockers won first place in the 2012 FLL Regional Senior Citizen Challenge. Competing among 21 teams, the RoboRockers were chosen for “The Project Award.”

Compiled by Cindy Stern