Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 8, 1994 TAG: 9402080247
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Melissa DeVaughn
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
February has been named Reading Month, Black History Month and Dental Health Month. This week is National School Counselors week. Next week, school board members will be honored. Valentine Day will be celebrated Feb. 14 and President's Day will be on Feb. 21.
But perhaps the most important event is ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE AWARENESS WEEK, set aside for students and teachers to reflect on growing drug abuse and to find ways to solve it. The event is sponsored by the Governor's Youth Counsel on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Problems.
At Blacksburg Middle School, the advanced drama class has planned to put on a play called "Juvie," and Roy Scott from the Raft Crisis Center will speak to the eighth grade-health classes.
A family spaghetti lunch will be held Wednesday and a family night is planned for Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the school. Choral and band students will perform, art will be on display and the drama group will perform.
A student-faculty volleyball game will be held Thursday to help raise money for earthquake victims in the San Fernando Valley.
To cap off the week, those who sign "drug-free pledge cards" Friday will have their names put in a drawing for prizes. Also on Friday, an after school dance will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. with Earl Brown and Joselle Edwards, who will teach some line dancing.
"We want students to realize they have a support system at home and in their community," said health and physical education teacher Juanita Colley, who has helped plan some of the activities. "If they use [the information] they've already learned, they will make good choices" and not use drugs.
In honor of National School Counselors Week, school counselors in Shawsville and Elliston are sponsoring a PARENT-COMMUNITY APPRECIATION SOCIAL Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon at Hale's Restaurant. Guidance counselors from Shawsville and Elliston-Lafayette elementary schools, and Shawsville High and Middle School, will explain their programs and talk about counseling. Snacks will be provided. For further information, call Laree Hinshelwood at 268-1165.
Christiansburg Middle School students will have lots of reasons to whoop and holler Friday as "Captain Ace" (a.k.a. principal Bill Fletcher) honors every one of them in the school's second annual ACADEMIC PEP RALLY. The purpose is to instill a winning attitude in each child, Fletcher said, not just the ones who play sports, compete on academic teams, or make good grades.
The rally will feature rafter-shaking music from the band, loud singing from the choir, and teachers jumping about as excited as the kids. The festivities begin at 8:30 a.m. and parents are encouraged to attend and help cheer on their children.
Blacksburg High School will hold REGISTRATION ORIENTATION for the 1994-95 school year Feb. 15 from 7-9:15 p.m. Guidance Counselor Greg Harman will fill parents and students in on which classes are available and how to register. This is a good time for parents to see the many departments within the school - music, fine arts, vocational and science.
For further information, call the school at 951-5706.
Elementary School guidance counselors have formed a group called ``STEPPING STONES TO A GREAT EDUCATION,'' for parents of children ages 3 to 6 years old. Meetings are held every month to help parents and their pre-school children make a smooth transition from pre-school to public schools. This month's meeting will be held tonight from 7-8 p.m. at Christiansburg Primary School.
The topic will be ``Services Provided by Montgomery County Schools," with representatives from speech, special education and the Parent Resource Center.
For further information, call Sherry Reynolds at 951-5737.
The Joint Committee on Education of the Greater Blacksburg and the Christiansburg-Montgomery County chambers of commerce is sponsoring the annual EDUCATIONAL AWARDS program that recognizes contributions to education in Montgomery County schools.
Two awards will be given: the "Award of Excellence in Education" for teachers, administrators and support staff, and the "Business Industry Award" for the commercial sector of the community.
Nominations can be submitted by school personnel, students, parents, PTAs, civic organizations and the public. For further information, call Karin Clark at 552-5592. Forms may be picked up at the School Board office or any one of the chamber offices.
College-bound students can prepare for COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS in two courses offered in Pulaski County.
A course offered by New River Community College is held Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and covers all topics of the exam. Drills on math problems and verbal topics are included. The fee is $60, plus the cost of a textbook. For further information, call 674-3607.
The Pulaski County High School English department is sponsoring the other course for $25. Those interested in taking the 5-week course may choose from two meeting times: Mondays from 6-8:30 p.m. or Thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m. For further information, call 674-4605, and ask for Vada Boyd.
Community Christian Academy has announced the winners of its CREATIVE WRITING FESTIVAL which was held in January. Faith Harden, Leslie Dove and Christine Miles all received Superior ratings on their work. Those receiving a rating of excellent were: Dana Owens, John David Shanks, Josh Akers, Megan Armstrong, Michelle Dove, Christian Harden, Kristy Mullins and Natia Hayden.
The school sent 12 of the selections to the creative writing festival in Newport News where they will be placed in a regional competition.
Margaret Beeks Elementary School announced the winners of the 1993-94 REFLECTIONS CONTEST sponsored by the school Parent-Teacher Association. The theme this year is ``If I Could Give the World a Gift.'' The winners are:
Literature, intermediate level: Sarah White, first place; Beth Day, second place; Kodi Parson, third place.
Literature, primary level: Pat Vining, first place; Blake Howard, second place; Amy Jacobs, third place.
Photography, intermediate level: Ian Bugh, first place.
Photography, primary level: Whitney Eggleston, first place; Scott Robinson, second place.
Music, primary level: Emily Sprague, first place; Kelsey Jones, second place; Betsy Carstensen, third place.
Visual Arts, intermediate level: Pooja Phaltanker, first place; Megan Hill, second place; Nick Reinholtz, third place.
Visual Arts, primary level: Jessie Glass, first place; Lindsay Taylor, second place; Chris Bethell, third place.
This week's featured high school is BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL. Here are the newsmakers at that school:
Guidance counselor Beth Stephenson was inducted into Omicron Tau Theta, an honorary fraternity for Vocational Education.
The Vocational Industrial Clubs of America sponsored a needy family for the holidays, presenting the family with gifts for Christmas.
The Knowledge Master Open team placed in the top 4 percent of all high schools competing in the computerized competition. Over 1,500 schools nationwide, and in several foreign countries, competed in the Knowledge Masters tournament.
The Forensics team recently competed in the Catholic Forensic League Tournament in Charlottesville. The winners were: Abha Kaushal, second place, oral interpretation; Amanda Ryan, fourth place, oral interpretation; Njambi Good, second place, extemporaneous speaking; Rasna Sarao, third place, original oratory; Dennis Price, second place, dramatic interpretation; Margo Hasselman, fifth place, dramatic interpretation and Tristan Carolan and Dana Spencer, fourth place, duo interpretation.
Sarah Landres, John Schwartz, Abha Kaushal, Rob Woodfield, Bo Patrick, Adam Jortner, Mary Agnes Santoroski, Holly Moyer, Mike Shumsky, Adeel Kaiser, Jason Scott, Aaron Jones, Margo Hasselman, Geoff Murphy and Michael Johnson also competed in another tournament held in Lynchburg.
Hasselman, Woodfield, Schwartz, Patrick, Jones and Thompson placed first in the respective events at that tournament.
Adam Jortner of the forensic team earned a degree of superior distinction from the National Forensic League. He is now one of two current Virginia high school students to hold this honor.
The Debate Team competed in the George Mason University Debate tournament last month. Rasheq Rahmen and Elliot Turner were the fourth team negative and Eleanor Lee and Aliah Carolan were the fourth team affirmative. Nathan Parrish was in the top 16 out of 60 debaters.
Parent-Teacher-Student Association "Reflections" winners were: Phyllis Chen, first place, music; Rebecca Winfrey, first place, literature; Robin Guynn and Holly Moyer, second place tie, literature; Amanda Ryan, fourth place, literature and Marjana Borojevic, fifth place, literature.
Krisha Chachra, daughter of Vinod and Ranjana Chachra, was selected as the senior of the month for January. Krisha is the editor of the student newspaper, president of the International club, a member of the Spanish, Youth and Government, and the State of the World clubs, and a member of the National Honor Society.
English teacher Jane Carr has been appointed by the National Council of Teachers of English to serve as Virginia state leader for the 1994 Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines.
If you have an interesting school-related item for the paper, send it to Melissa DeVaughn at the Roanoke Times & World News, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, Va., 24073-0540.
by CNB