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2011 – 2012 Awards and Achievements

Academic Highlights

• Four Charlottesville City schools received 2012 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards for advanced learning and achievement.  The incentive program, which was created by the Board of Education in 2008, recognizes schools and divisions that achieve excellence goals and far exceed minimum state and federal accountability standards.Burnley-Moran and Greenbrier Elementary schoolsearned the highest honor, the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. This is the third consecutive year that Greenbrier has been awarded this honor. Venable Elementary School earned the Board of Education Excellence Award, the second-tier honor, for its fifth consecutive year. The school met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by the board. Johnson Elementary School earned the Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award by meeting all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and making progress toward the goals of the governor and the board. This is the third year the school has been recognized as a VIP winner. Four Charlottesville City schools received 2011 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards for advanced learning and achievement.  The incentive program, which was created by the Board of Education in 2007, recognizes schools and divisions that achieve excellence goals and far exceed minimum state and federal accountability standards.
  
• Charlottesville schools incorporate expectations for post-secondary education into experiences at all grade levels. The Advancement Via Individual Determination Program (AVID) is designed to expose students to college experiences and to develop the skills needed to succeed in college. In AVID, students learn about Cornell notes, time management, organization, test readiness, critical thinking, and study skills. The AVID curriculum is used in content area classrooms as well as in the AVID course. In the 2011-12 school year, approximately 40 sixth graders from Walker Upper Elementary and the entire 4th grade from Jackson-Via Elementary spent a day on grounds at the University of Virginia visiting buildings, eating in the dining hall, and meeting students and faculty. The Day in the Life Program sponsored by the Phi Sigma Pi Honor Coed Fraternity sponsored the Walker student tour and Delta Sigma Theta Soroity led the Jacson-Via tour. College visits for other schools and grade levels are being planned.
• Throughout our schools, teachers and administrators regularly display their college pennants and wear college-branded clothing to promote the college experience as a part of school life. The CHS web page at http://www.ccs.k12.va.us/schools/chs/about.html shows that CHS graduates are selected to attend the very best colleges and universities in the world.
• One-hundred and eight students from Charlottesville High School have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.
• The CHS debate team won first place in Debate Sweepstakes at the Catholic Forensic League Tournament in Madison last weekend. In Lincoln- Douglas debate Cameron Bills went undefeated and took first place, Ryan Murphy came in second, and Maydha Kapur, fourth. Jessie Press-Williams won champion speaker in Student Congress and Gabriel Lipkowitz took third place. Ben Proffitt came in third in extemporaneous speaking, and Anne McGinnis was fourth in oral interpretation.
• There were 210 GED graduates from Charlottesville, Albemarle, Greene and Nelson counties honored at the Regional GED Graduation Ceremony on October 25.
• The Science Club at Charlottesville High School (aka BACON, Best All-around Club of Nerds) was recently named the Top Team in NASA’s 2011 BalloonSat High Altitude Flight competition. NASA representatives traveled to Charlottesville to recognize members of the team with a plaque and a medallion. The BACON team was among four high school teams selected as finalists in the spring, the second year in a row that the CHS team was selected for the BalloonSat competition. Experiments were launched on a NASA helium weather balloon at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the “payloads” climbed to the stratosphere, a near-space environment at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. Five team members—Lizzie Hylton, Dania Jazouli, Vance Pilkington, Jessie Press-William, and Razvan Untaroiu—worked on the experiment called "The Effect of Near-Space on Solar-Powered Climate Control.”
• Two Charlottesville High School students were recently presented with the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing. Seniors Emily Hays and Jack LaViolette were among 520 students chosen nationally to receive this honor. The winners are said to be "among the best student writers in the country." Only four schools in Virginia had both school nominees selected.
• Twelve CHS Orchestra members were selected for the South Central Senior Regional Orchestra. Nearly 250 students from one-quarter of Virginia auditioned for 84 string chairs in the orchestra. Selected students were: Guthrie Brown, Sasha Dickey, Vivek Srivatsa, Shaarada Srivatsa, Lana Womack, and Rebecca Schectman, violin; Zoe Rosner, viola; Isabelle Schoppa and Malloy Owen, cello; and Johnny Little, Addison Josey, and Sam Campbell, bass. Claire Thompson earned first alternate, cello. These students are eligible to audition for the 2012 All-Virginia Orchestra in the spring.
• With on-time graduation rates steadily improving over the last four years and a dropout rate decreasing from more than 17% to 5% (well below the state average of 7.2%), City schools are heading in the right direction toward personal and academic excellence.
• The Charlottesville High School Pop Quiz team finished second in the state and 53rd in the nation in the Fall Knowledge Master competition, while Buford Middle School came in seventh in Virginia, 82nd in the nation. The competition is a two-hour team event in which students answer 200 multiple choice questions on math, science, literature, grammar, history, science, and current events. CHS Team members participating were Captain Jonah O'Connor, Caroline Hylton, Garnett Schuyler, Michelle Brown, Seven Starosta, Auden Nelson, Wesley Morgan, Manning Turkheimer, Malloy Owen, Ryan Cox, and Gian Apusen. Coaches for the team are Patty Vandever, Kris Kishore, and Suzan Hiller. Buford's five-member Knowledge Master team competed against 18 schools—all except two were larger than Buford.The team consisted of: David Kriete, Robbie Harder, Riley Doherty, Austin Shane, and Matthew Toscano. The team is coached by Jill Stubblefield & John Rimel.
• Third and fourth grade students from Johnson Elementary School presented recommendations to improve the Johnson School attendance zone to City Councilors and Planning Commissioners in the City Council chambers. The presentation marked the culmination of a partnership between students and faculty from the University of Virginia School of Architecture and the Johnson Quest program. Working together, students researched the neighborhoods surrounding the school and looked for necessary improvements in the areas of transportation, safety, housing, green spaces and services. The students also created displays of their neighborhood photographs to be exhibited at City Hall.
• The Talent Development teachers at each elementary school are doing an environmental learning experience where students plant tulip bulbs at school. Along with many other schools across the country participating in The Journey North program, students will be tracking the growth of their bulbs and discussing factors that can influence the tulips' production rate.
• Stephanie Thrift, a 7th grader at Buford Middle School, won the third place award for the essay contest, "I like living in America because..." The contest was sponsored by the American Legion Post 74. Stephanie won a $100.00 Patriot Savings Bond series EE, a bronze medal, and a certificate of appreciation.
• CHS took second place in debate sweepstakes at a Catholic Forensic League Tournament in December. Cameron Bills won first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate, and Jessie Press-Williams finished in fifth place. Gabriel Lipkowitz placed second in Student Congress, and Logan Hall came in fourth. In Original Oratory, Ben Profitt won second place. Kate Coleman qualified for states in Original Oratory, and David Cohn qualified in Congress. Forensics is sponsored by Jenn Horne and Mike Evans.
• Since 2006, the Charlottesville Preschool Program has added five classes for three-year-old children, increasing total enrollment to 204 students (60 three-year-olds and 144 four-year-old children). The preschool faculty uses the High/Scope Cognitively Oriented Preschool Curriculum in conjunction with a reading readiness program called Webbing Into Literacy.

Sports Highlights

• Wynter Warren, a member of CHS varsity football, indoor track, and lacrosse teams, was selected as the VHSL's Region II representative for the Student Action Team, one of only 12 positions in the state out of 316 member schools.

Arts Highlights

• All Charlottesville High School choir members who auditioned by competitive audition were selected for the 2012 All District Choir—a 100% success rate! Selected students are Tyquan Boyd-Chatman, Liam Corcoran, Logan Hall, Jacob Herrin, Kate Seidel, Leia Squillace, Sydney Thomas, and Katie Watterson. Congratulations to them and to Choir Director Will Cooke. Junior Logan Hall was chosen by competitive audition as one of only four Tenors to represent District XIII in the Virginia Music Education Association's All Virginia Choir in Lynchburg .
  
• Theatre CHS won the Jefferson District Championship at the VHSL One Act Festival November 5. Theatre CHS also competed at the Secondary School Theater Conference against 40 other high school theater programs in October. They received 11 superior and nine excellent ratings, and an Honorable Mention for Technical Merit. The Improv Team placed 2nd in the state.
• Each year, Piedmont Council for the Arts presents The Arthur C. Greene Rising Star Youth Incentive Awards to high school juniors and seniors selected by their teachers for their outstanding talent and promise in the arts. Charlottesville High School winners for 2011 were Emily Hays, Jack LaViolette, and Zoe Rosner.
• At All-District Band auditions in December, 22 CHS band students were chosen. Six students earned the highest scores/first chair placements and 12 students were All-State eligible. Selected students performed in the All-District concert in February.

Faculty and Staff Highlights

• More than 450 teachers, including 53 new teachers, attended New Teacher Orientation in August. Two phases of training for the BLAST Academy focused on the use of new computers. PD sessions covered topics such as classroom management, new technology tools for the classroom, and the ins and outs of the new mathematics textbooks and resources.
• Charlottesville City Schools received the top award for its category in the 2011 Green Schools Challenge, an initiative of the Virginia Municipal League in partnership with the Virginia School Boards Association that encourages implementation of environmental policies and practices that reduce carbon emissions generated by the local school division and the broader community. CCS scored 200 out of 200 possible points. In 2009, CCS took second place in the inaugural VSBA Green Schools Challenge.  Selections are based on 12 categories and 30 action items that describe policies, installations, and activities that conserve energy and increase awareness of “green practices” in schools and community. Nancy Sutley, President Obama’s principal environmental advisor and Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, toured Johnson Elementary School in November to learn more about green efforts in City schools.
• Mary Johnston, a first-grade teacher at Clark Elementary, was selected as one of two 2011 Virginia “Thinkfinity” Teachers of the Year.  The award—supported through a grant from the Verizon Foundation—recognizes Virginia teachers who successfully integrate Thinkfinity resources into the classroom.

Community Service Partnership and Award Highlights

• For the ninth year, The Boyd C. Tinsley Fund in the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation awarded a $75,000 grant to the Charlottesville City Schools to support music, tennis and academic tutoring, particularly for economically disadvantaged students.  Dave Matthews Band member Boyd Tinsley is a 1982 graduate of the CHS Orchestra Program.
• The 7th Grade Career EXPO at the John Paul Jones Arena served approximately 287 Buford Middle School 7th-graders and students from neighboring divisions. The event was sponsored by the Schools of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson, the Community Relations Office at the University of Virginia, and PIEDMONT FUTURES.
  
• .Local Food Hub and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services selected two Charlottesville City Schools Nutrition Services employees to receive its Trailblazer Award. School Dietician Alicia Cost and Child Nutrition Coordinator Sandra Vazquez were honored. In the past five years, CCS Nutrition Services has introduced a number of innovations in healthier school meals, including: local produce from area farms is served at elementary schools, made-to-order salads and sandwiches at Walker, Buford and CHS, healthy snacks at all elementary schools with the help of USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grants, volunteer parents and equipment grants, a salad bar at Burnley-Moran sponsored by Whole Foods, partnerships with local chefs in recipe development and staff training and collaborative partnerships with City Schoolyard garden at Buford and other community programs such as PB&J fund, Community Obesity Task Force, Local Food Hub, Boys & Girls Club, and Parks and Recreation to promote nutrition, physical activity and overall wellness .
• CHS Instructional Coordinator for Social Studies and History Ms. Annie Evans was invited to attend the Grosvenor Teacher Fellows Google Workshop in CA. In 2008, She earned a Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship and traveled to the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Zanzibar.
• New classes at the Charlottesville Adult Learning Center include Civics and Citizenship classes for future citizens—funded through a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services grant and sponsorship by the local International Rescue Committee. Free Basic Computer Skills classes were funded through a grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, targeting job seekers and others who want to improve their knowledge of social media or word processing. Besides ESL and GED classes, the ALC also has opportunities for community volunteers and businesses.
• More than 1100 City students attended performances at the Paramount Theater, targeting all grade levels with SOL connections to all disciplines.
• In the fall 2011, Charlottesville High School welcomed 24 students and four teachers from Charlottesville’s sister city, Bensançon, France. As a follow-up visit to the successful cultural exchange, a French embassy educational liaison, administrators and university professors from the Franche-Comté district of eastern France toured City schools in January and discussed future educational and cultural exchanges. Plans include opportunities for students and teacher to collaborate in research and project-based learning using video conferencing and Web 2.0 tools. In April, CHS students and teachers will make a third visit to Besançon in conjunction with a physics field trip to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Charlottesville City Schools teachers and students will benefit from a variety of grants awarded through the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Grants included:
  • $2500 from the Quantitative Investment Management Fund for the Book Buddies program;
  • $722.66 from the Bama Works of Dave Matthews Band for a piano at Clark Elementary School in memory of teacher Dawn Reddick;
  • $6500 from the Twentieth Century Merchants Fund to support the Westhaven After-School program;
  • $10,000 from the Batten Family Fund to be used at Charlottesville High School;
  • $10,000 from the Batten Family Fund to support the WALK program at Charlottesville High School.
  • $3000 from the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band for the Charlottesville Festival of Cultures sponsored by Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center. The 9th annual Festival is Saturday, May 12 in Lee Park. The gift supports performances, including the PA system, stage, and performer stipends.

See award highlights from other school years