The December School of the Month is no stranger to getting things done.  During good times and bad, the students and faculty at Graham Elementary School work hard to strive for excellence.  Over the last 10+ years, Graham has maintained an all clear status for Adequate Yearly Progress.  Students have been award winners at the district, regional and state levels of competition for the Alabama State Science Fair for the last two years.  They have also had students participate in extracurricular activities such as the Missoula Children’s Theatre in recent years.

According to Principal Melissa Dyer, “Graham Elementary School is a fine example of what a community based school should be.  We take great pride in our student’s accomplishments and our presence and participation in the local community.  The hard work and dedication of Graham’s teachers and staff, in addition to the hard work that our students do to help maintain our AYP status makes our school a true standout.  The teachers, parents and students of Graham Elementary are grateful for the support that we receive from our local neighbors and churches and relish the relationships that we have developed and look forward to many more productive years in our future.”

This month, Graham will be raising money to cover start up costs for a school community garden that is being coordinated through the local SAFE organization.  These types of projects provide opportunity for hands on teaching time and help broaden the experiences that many students may otherwise miss.  Some of the funds will also be used to cover the cost of teaching tools such as paper and copier supplies and expenses.  Due to the current proration of the budgets, schools no longer receive funds to help cover these types of costs.  With the many different teaching tools available today, teachers do not rely as heavily on the traditional school books.  Online resources often provide great opportunities to expand on subjects, but these different tools must still be printed and distributed to students.  Offsetting these costs will allow teachers to continue to provide exciting and innovative lessons throughout the year.

To keep up with the happenings at Graham, check out their blog.

Talladega County Central High School is a school that motivates, educates, and inspires its students.  Students at TCCHS receive a high quality education with a focus on 21st Century Skills.  The students are being prepared for life in the real world along with preparing for college.  Talladega County Central High School has met its AYP goals for the 2010-2011 school year.  TC has been an active participant in the 21st Century Technology Showcase where they have consistently represented well.  This past year the Sr. High Technology competition team won first place. 

TC has also implemented a Professional Academy Day.  This is a day in which all students wear navy blue blazers and khaki pants.  The male students wear neckties.  This improves the morale of all students throughout the day.  Teachers work with students on presentation skills and help them with making choices for their future educational plans.  TC has definitely taken education to another level for the achievement of its students.

The atmosphere at TC may be best summed up by Antonio Gooden, a student at TC.  "The learning experience at TC is not only educational but fun.  We are learning information in a fun way that excites us about our learning."

This combination of education, technology and real-world experience does translate to fun, and reward.  Everyone knows that kids will be kids sometimes, but the school has a plan for that too.  A positive behavior support program is there to reward those students who exhibit good behavior and excel in their studies.  This program has proven to help keep the students on track.  The money raised during their School of the Month term will be used for the positive behavior support program.  Students at Talladega County Central High School are rewarded for their academic excellence, and their superior behavior they display in classes.

"At TC, students will have opportunities to be successful.  Students are provided many opportunities to interact with challenging and meaningful experiences with preparing for post high school options. TC is a place of great learning with teachers that are focused on advancing the students to the next level." - Mr. Tim Young, Principal

The 2011-12 school year brought an anything but normal start to Houston Elementary School and their Principal Alicia Laros. Not only was she starting the year at a new school, so were the students that used to attend Hal Henderson. The merger of these two schools into the Houston campus have brought some challenges, but also many rewards. The students, parents and faculty at both schools are no strangers to putting their time, sweat and money into the school to make it a great place to learn.

Principal Laros is very proud of the strides the students are making in their reading programs.

“Over the past two years, Hal Henderson and Houston Elementary School have both improved in the areas of reading and math. Both schools were awarded money for improved reading and math scores during the 2010-2011 school year. Together, both schools received $12,000.00 for meeting and/or exceeding the challenge.”

Books are not the only way to learn at Houston either…

“I am also proud to say that all classrooms (PK-6) are equipped with Promethean boards and Activote or Activexpressions. All 3rd-6th grade classrooms have a laptop cart giving each student their own individual laptop to use on a daily basis.”

The hard work that students put in to their learning can pay off. During the month of October 2011, any money raised for Houston Elementary School will be used to fund Honor Roll Field Trips. Each six weeks, our honor roll students are rewarded with a field trip. To cut down on cost to parents, the school pays for mileage and the driver. With approximately 200 students on honor roll for the first six weeks, the school will need 4 buses for each trip costing approximately $800.00 each six weeks.

These types of rewards are paying off not just in grades, everyone is working together to invest in the future of Houston Elementary students. Laros stated, “I believe the two qualities that made our school standout in the past two years are (1) teamwork and (2) dedication. Faculty, staff, students, and parents of Houston Elementary School are dedicated to working toward one common goal - educating children. To take learning and teaching to a new level, we need technology and resources. In order to purchase technology such as Promethean Boards, software, Activexpressions and Activotes, we need money. A team effort toward raising money to purchase what our children need has made our school standout.”

To keep up with the happenings at Houston, check out their blog.

In 2007, after an investigation by school and community leaders, Winterboro High School transformed from a traditional model of secondary instruction to a model that would engage students and prepare them for their future.  This model is Project Based Learning (PBL) and has proven very effective for Winterboro.  It focuses instruction on the Framework for 21st Century Learning Skills allowing students to be better prepared for future employers.  To optimize the success of the PBL model, community partnership grants were obtained and the school facility was redesigned.

A culture of professionalism supports students in learning and practicing skills in problem solving, communication, and self-management.  Moreover, the culture creates collaborative relationships among diverse groups of students meeting the needs of learners of varying skill levels and learning styles.  Student performances are assessed on skills using criteria similar to those in the work world, thus encouraging accountability, goal setting, and improved performance.

At Winterboro, curriculum must be made relevant by presenting information to students in a thematic, holistic manner.  We believe that integrated learning empowers students to seek connections generalize, and transfer knowledge to a variety of problem solving situations in their lives.

“The exciting thing about project based learning is that while focusing on content standards students have opportunities to create authentic products that prepare them for the workforce and post-secondary education.”  Craig Bates, Principal.

To keep up with current technology, the school is continually updating software and purchasing new software so that students can stay on the cutting edge.  Funds raised in September will go towards purchasing additional software for the students to use as part of the Project Based Learning Initiative.

You can donate to Winterboro at the school, any FNB Branch or online using the PayPal link above.  To catch up on the latest news from WHS, check out their website!

Congratulations to C.L. Salter, the first School of the Month for the 2011-12 School Year. Salter was the #1 fundraiser in the '09-10 inagural year of Cash for the Classroom, and big thigs are expected to lead off this new school year. C. L. Salter studenst and faculty are no strangers to going above and beyond to find innovative ways to make school more interesting.

Principal Jenni Griffin spoke recently about these new projects:

“We are very proud of our Outdoor Classroom We enjoy watching birds at the bird sanctuary, bird feeders, and bird baths. Discovery tables allow our students to enjoy outdoor projects. Our gardens grow carrots, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkins, and beautiful flowers. The students enjoy tasting what they grow. The school pond is a wonderful addition to our campus. The students enjoy learning about plants and fish. All of our students have a great experience learning how to take care of their environment.”

In addition, the school has added an exciting new program to the Physical Education department.

“This is our fourth year to have the "Archery in the Schools" program. Our school was the first school in the district to have this program. We were also the first school in our district to attend the regional, state, and national championships. Our students are truly amazing!”

The primary uses of money being raised for the school at this time is to build a gym, improve our outdoor space, and to add more technology to the classrooms. The school has many exciting plans for the 2011-2012 school year and hope that everyone will help us reach our fundraising goal!

“Our students shoot targets in the PE classroom in a very cramped space. A gym or auditorium would allow our students to have PE classes in an indoor facility that would also serve as a meeting place for programs, parent and child activities, meetings, awards ceremonies, etc. Our Outdoor Classroom Committee would like to add an ampitheatre and the Boy Scouts have already made a commitment to us to furnish the labor for free. We just need to provide the materials. So many of our classrooms have state of the art Promethean boards. Now our teachers would like to have additional supplies for up to date technology in their classrooms.”

This focus on the outdoors has also helped the students in the classroom…

“We are extremely proud of the fact that once again, C.L. Salter Elementary School made AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress. Our test scores are reflective of the joint effort that we have as we make the home/school connection. Our entire faculty, parents, and students are committed to a quality education for our students. We feel that we are educating the "whole child" not only through textbooks, but through hands on activities. We want to allow our students experiences that they will always remember.”

You can donate to C.L. Salter at the school, any First National Bank Branch or online via Paypal. Since school starts in mid-August, donations will be accepted at the school and online for Salter though mid-September.

Visit the blog to keep up with all the happenings at Salter today!

Since the start of the 2009 school year, the Cash for the Classrom program has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for local schools.  Click here to read about our exciting first year with the Cash for the Classrom campaign.