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School News

February 18, 2004 1:09 am

Visitors are welcome to come and browse in our clothing center at Head Start. Lots of winter items are available for adults and children. All items are free. Just bring a picture ID when you sign in. Parent volunteers are also needed to work in the clothing center, classrooms or office. Earn PEP points for the annual auction in May. For more information, call 540/368-2559.

Free tax help and free filing are available at Head Start on Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and Monday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Contact the family service worker for an appointment.

Family Literacy night returns at 5 p.m. Monday with Ebenezer United Methodist Church providing food for the evening.

Students of the Week were Khristian Settle, Virginia Eppinett, Elexis Pierre, Cristo Smith, Anthony Wood, Shontay Whittaker, Brandon Taylor and Olivia Pullen.

--Alice Thompson

Broadcasters for the week of Feb. 2 were Charley Johnson and Teliferro Mitchell from Linda Whalen's fifth-grade class. Featured artist of the week was Derek Hill from Michelle Johnson's kindergarten class. Employees of the day were Anne Carey Endler and Cathy Cook.

Second-grade Falcons are studying about Egypt. They will learn how the Egyptians mummified their dead. They will also create their own names using hieroglyphs.

Students in Mary Bowe-Torrans' class are learning about the famous presidents on their coins and learning how to count money.

Ann Carey Endler's third-grade class are "Book Buddies" to Michelle Repass' first-grade class. The third-graders read to the first-graders three afternoons each week, sharing their reading skills.

Nicole Papania's second-graders just finished lighthouse seascapes. They are currently on display in the front lobby of the school. The ocean is a tissue collage of aluminum foil. The coastal land is made of watercolor with plastic wrap (for texture) and finally, the lighthouses were made of paper mash and later painted in the stripe colors of the artist's choice. This artwork is truly a mixed media project. The class read stories of lighthouses to inspire their artwork. Marce Miller is the art instructor for this class.

All "A" honor roll students were: Samantha Anderson, Morgan Gaines, Apriljoy Brown, Hailey Tussing, Chester Gray, Skylar Bartley, Miranda Ritchey, Kara Flanagan, Dylan Hecox, Chelsea Lease, Justin Sullivan and Samantha Kosik.

The Foreign Language Experience Program for grades two through five takes place from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday beginning March 2. Spring registration forms are available.

PTO board meetings are held the second Monday of the month at 6:45 p.m. in the media center. Any parents interested in learning more about the PTO are welcome.

The school welcomes Sally Martin to the custodial staff.

--Doris Rutherford and Liz Valge

The following fourth- and fifth-grade students who made All "A" Honor Roll this past six-week grading period were: Chrissy Johnson, Stephanie Le, Sarah French, Lindsay Lafratta, Kyle Hunt, Ryan Leake, Leland Brooks, Jameson Howell, Akash Patel, Stephen Bell, AnnMarie DeSando, Kristen Lee, Ryan Bateman, Julia Colopy, Holly DeBernard, Steffanie Garringer, Patrick Marshall and Colin Maurer.

The afternoon SOAR to Success program had its graduation for students who finished the 17-week program through The Reading Center. Parents were invited to the afternoon program where students received Certificates of Completion with refreshments provided. Janice Brunson, the reading specialist, discussed the intent of the program and how it is structured for the students. Brunson, with the help of paraprofessionals, helped 21 students during the fall program. Soon new students will have a chance to participate in SOAR this spring.

--Janet Smoot

The following students earned all A's for the third marking period:

Fourth-graders--Conner Allen, Shannon Cooke, Kelly Greeson, Haley Russ, Devin Geraghty, Daniel Strock, Gianna Catell, Melanie Rudd, Cody Thomas, J.C. Baron, Katelyn Gudyka, Logan Jackson and Dana Jacobs.

Fifth-graders--Steven Stitt, Katherine Smith, Alyssa Hopun, Kathryn Campana, Ryan Reames, Ryan Conner, Candace Tulloch, Else Whelpley, Alivia Knutson and Kelsie Judd.

The PTA is sponsoring "Mornings With Mom." This is a special morning treat for mothers to join their child(ren) for a continental breakfast from 8-8:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria. Last names beginning with A-F, X and Z are invited to come on Feb. 24. Last names beginning with G-L, W and Y are invited Feb. 25, and last names beginning with M-V are invited Feb. 26. Parking will be available on the field to help alleviate any traffic problems. Please return the Mornings with Mom registration form sent home with your child to the school by tomorrow.

--Lynelle Duncan

Carolyn Ross' primary one class and Lucy Burn's third-grade class both won pizza parties for being the top readers for Reading Month. Denise Scoggins' primary one, Heather Howe's second-grade and Stephanie Hensen's third-grade classes won popcorn parties. The top reader in second grade was Christine Patten in Jeanne Fines' class and Anna Haynes in Lucy Burn's class led the third grade. Reading Month encouraged many students to earn Reading Counts' Prizes. Elizabeth Everette has earned her 500-point prize. Christine Patten and Jacob Barker earned 200 points. Eliza Oborne, Casey Jenkins, Jesse Craven, Shauna Richards and Zander Bartholomew earned 150; Sonya Harrell, Grace Phillips, Steven Gilbert, Suzanna Weisband and Sami Durham earned 125 and Ashton Laub and Michael Faust earned 100.

Ashley Olbeter and Joey Buongiorne demonstrated the Boystown skill of following directions on the morning announcements. New announcers for the month of February for WHES are Aaron Burns, Beca Unruh, Kayla Pometto, Kim Hildebrand and Marc Whitt.

--Marilyn Thompson

Joanna Newcome, a student in Barbara Czekner's fifth-grade class, recently won the school's annual geography bee. The school-level contest was the first round of the 16th Annual National Geography Bee.

Bobbi Sue Sanders, a fourth-grader in Susan Shenk's class, and Kathleen Namey, a fourth-grade student in Vicki Harrison's class, were second and third, respectively.

Each fourth- and fifth grade class sent one representative, who was chosen by a written preliminary competition. Others competing in the bee were Harvey Walden, Chelsea Schott, Nick Pakhchian, Alyssa Winegarden, Andrew Swartz and Colby Brainard. Focus resource teacher Betty Dodd and library media specialist Chris Collins judged and moderated the event.

Students participating in the Six Flags Six Hour Reading Club are reminded that they must turn in their log sheets on or before Friday to the library media center. Those students who participate are eligible for the drawing to win the Harry Potter afghan.

The following students were named Students of the Month: Katiyana Holloway, Monique Chellis, Uche Chukwuezi, Juan Valencia, John Ennis, Timmy Price, Alejandra Ponce-Escobar, Kelvin Paul, Derrick Scibetta, Matt Wilcox, Daniel Arnold, Christopher Holloway, Edgar Lopez, Lindsay Grubbs, Nicholas Butler, Michaela Cricchio, Shane Brown, Ben Crews, Shane Young, Ignacio Alleyne, Jordan Cribb, Roscoe Bickel, Robert King, Sondra Crowley, Stuart Wanner, Andrew Swartz, Erica Bender, Nick Crews, Lauren Muller, Donevian Snipes, Quartavious Sharpe, Harvey Walden, Ashley Weisskopf, Miranda Carney, Robert Baez and Emily Gabrielsen.

--Chris Collins

Focus teacher Lisa Moyer was recently honored for becoming a National Board Certified teacher.

Guidance counselors Staron Stiefel and Leslie St. Laurent were recognized on the WPUP morning news broadcast during National School Counselors week in February.

WPUP cast members last week were fifth-graders Rebekah Blighton, Amanda Schmal, Brian House, Ashley Petty and Rachel Klein, "Chef Biscotti."

New PTO secretary is Jeanne Defeo.

--Janice Raspen

The following students received these awards.

Most Improved Student Award: Kindergarten--Quinton McReynolds, Shannon Mclaughlin, Austin Chapple, Christopher Ware, Jason Furman and Mariah Owens.

Second grade--Tatianna Rios, Brittany Leonard, Bradley Pipoly, Aubrey Smith, Jenna Mountain and Julia Kroeger.

Fourth grade--Shawn Austin, Brian Britton, Kendall Khan, Brittany Mullins, Anthony De LaRosa and Rizan Salous.

The Citizenship Award:

Kindergarten--Megan Beckman, Kaitlyn Commes, Cadence Caveny, Donye Reed, Anastasia Kramer, Madison Cheeks, Megan Barbee, DeAndre Robertson, Shawn Monaghan and Autumn McCorn.

Second grade--David Guckian, Tatyana Armstrong, RJ Dubois, Katie Petway, Coeinne Jacobsen, Ivan Ren and Abby Maldonado.

Fourth grade--John Earle Sullivan, Sarah Morely, Rachel Jacobsen, Shannon Rudd, Elizabeth Stanley, Morgan Powell and Presha Merritt.

The Character Award:

Kindergarten--Kate Farish, Shamyah Wyatt, Harrison Weinfeld, Riaja Braswell, Tristan Stevenson-Sopko, Dylan Johnson, Monica Bruszeuski, Matthew Laporte, Millen Desta and D'Andre' Mora.

Second grade--Darien LaPorta, Kathleen Parker, Ryan Persaud, Tiana Sauls, Kala Compton, Jake Thompson and Tameshia Fisher.

Fourth grade--Tiana Hughes, Brian Britton, Alicia Bonvillain, Justin Morgan, Christopher Cox and Casey Franklin.

The Enormous Effort Award:

Kindergarten--Emme Harvey, Patrick McPherson, Jimmy Elverson, Lakeya Riggs, Andrew Waite and Steven Davis.

Second grade--Justin Raupp, Charlotte Potts, Jasmyn Abrams, Pedro Umana, Elizabeth Fauth and Ben Kramer.

Fourth grade--Dominic Infonti, Matthew Choy, Lindsey Bass, Destinee Jackson, Donnel McCann-McCalpine and Zachary Evans.

The Yearbook Committee is looking for any photos that you would like to share with them. Send them into the office.

The following are winners of the baskets fund-raiser: Pam Beaumont, Vicky Powell, Christine Grady, Sharon North, Jane Stoecker, Kim Trentley, Terri Shackelford, Connie Irby, Stephanie Beachman, Judy Ayers, Robyn Errington and Terry Woods.

The winning class for CiCi's Pizza Party for January was Eleanor Braxton's class.

--Ruth Guckian

The annual Jump Rope for Heart activity will be held tomorrow after school. PE teachers Margie Tober, Judy Clark and Justin LeDoux are organizing this wonderful fund-raiser.

--Karen Culp

The following students were this year's science fair winners.

Sixth grade:

Honorable Mention--Allison Leake's "Vibrating Strings," Charlie O'Neill's "Quick, Quicker, and Quickest" and Emily DeWalt's "Does Acid Rain Affect the Growth of Plants?"

Third Place--Patricia Ast's "What are the Effects of Urine on Grass?"

Second Place--Matt Epperly's "Rocket Design."

First Place--Joey Elder's "Radio News."

Seventh grade:

Second Place--Allie Ast's "Physical Effects of Alcohol on Plant and Animal Tissue."

First Place--Ryan Crowther's "Which Materials Insulate Best Against Wind Chill?"

Eighth grade:

Honorable Mention--Ashlee Colley's "The Effect of the Type of Wheels on the Speed Down a Hill," Rachel Pellar's "Pull, Pulley, Pull" and Liz Walther's "The Effect of Different Types of Bowstring Bridge Support."

Third Place--Michael Ballard's "Pesticides as Steroids."

Second Place--Tori Lewis' "The Effect of Different Brands of Orange Juice on Vitamin C."

First Place--Daniel Bachman's "Pioneers with a Purpose."

Overall School Winners--Honorable Mention, Michael Ballard and Tori Lewis; third place, Ryan Crowther; second place, Joey Elder and first place, Daniel Bachman.

Sixth-graders Matthew Attwa, Corey Bloom, Ashley Cooper, Megan Gould, Chris Hall, Brandon Henderson, Tyler Limbrick, Kyle Littlejohn, Caitlin Mahoney, Nathan March, Sarah Planakis, Billy Reisenfeld, Jack Riley, Jacob Ritenour, Elijah Schoolfield, Thomas Schrader, Michelle Sloan, Sarron Stephens, Stephen Theriault, Erin Wall, Kelsie Young, Danielle Hoffman, Sadenise Cosby, Phillip Freeman and Kurtis Hagan participated in the Virginia Young Readers Breakfast Celebration in the Media Center. All of these students have read at least two VAYR books.

--Sheryl Sinche

A one-act showcase, "The Monkey House," will be presented by the Drama Club tomorrow

and on Friday in the cafetorium. Drama teacher Katy Facemire adapted this production for the middle- school stage, and the cast consists of students from all three grade levels. There is no charge for admission.

Students in the MARS Society attended the family storytelling series at Porter Library and listened to the traditional African folktales and songs of storyteller and musician Kala Jojo.

The "Paws & Claws" Club is holding a fund-raising drive to collect wish-list items for the Fredericksburg SPCA. The shelter is a no-kill facility and is in need of the following items: blankets, cleaning and laundry items, copy paper, soft dog treats, dry or canned cat and dog food, trash bags, postage stamps and kitty litter. A complete listing of items needed is on posters in the hallways. Donation boxes are located in both cafeterias, the main office, the media center and Room 129. Donations are due by Feb. 26. That is also the day of the next Paws & Claws meeting. A representative from the SPCA will be the guest speaker and will be showing members the SPCA truck and the equipment that they use in rescuing animals.

--Bea Brittain

Paraprofessional Koekie LeRoux was the Service Employee of the Year.

The SCA is collecting Pennies for Prescriptions during the month of February. The money will be donated to the county's elderly residents to assist with prescription costs.

Students Serving Stafford recently delivered individual boxes of personal-care products to nursing home patients.

The Chorus Department and PTO hosted a lasagna dinner on Feb. 10 to raise money for a new piano for the Chorus Department. Chorus and band students provided entertainment. An electric guitar package was raffled off and won by seventh-grader Brittany Waris.

--Liz Featherstone

The annual Math/Science/Technology Fair was coordinated by Craig Vann and Cathy Ouellette. Winners were as follows.

Sixth grade:

Math--First place, Rachel Mackey.

Science--First place, Sarah Hitchcock; second place, Angela Karountzoz; third place, Paige Spiller and Honorable Mention, Louis Magor and Katelyn Eads.

Technology--First place, Morgan Woods; second place, Judy Ingold; third place, Ethan Compton and Honorable Mention, Joey Durand and Colin Root.

Seventh grade:

Math--First place, Matt Hensell and second place, Timm Milner.

Science--First place, Hope Wood; second place, Sean Franklin; third place, Ben Hemenway and Joseph Landolt and Honorable Mention, William Oswalt and Kyle Breckenridge.

Technology--First place, Aurelie Hardell and Kristen Vipperman; second place, Justin Bond; third place, Shane Gentry and Honorable Mention, John Reiner.

Eighth grade:

Math--First place, Mia Joshi; second place, Emma Yeick and third place, Kristen Ragland.

Science--First place, Lizzy Bradley, second place, Melanie Bryant; third place, Tristen Alford and Honorable Mention, Chanelle Felder and Stephanie Clark.

Technology--First place, Brian Barker and Josh Lewark; second place, Mikey Dejerlome; third place, William Methony and Honorable Mention, Fernando Tellez and Justin Sellars.

--Stephanie Pettengill

The cast and crew of the one act "Visiting Oliver" took home first place at the regional competition in Lynchburg. Evan Graham, Kristin Johnson and Taylor Burgess all received outstanding performance recognition and Brian Kitta received honorable mention. Cast members include: Taylor Burgess, Kristin Johnson, Evan Graham, Brian Kitta and Brian Yauss. Students were directed by drama teacher Carrie Schafer. The group will be competing in the state competition on March 6.

--Kerri McClafferty

Recently, the Step Team traveled to Herndon High School to compete against nine other high school teams. The Step Tteam received first place honor at the Herndon Step Show. Coach Kelly Dunn said of their accomplishment, "The team put forth their best and represented North Stafford with pride."

Parent-teacher conferences will take place tomorrow from 5-8:30 p.m. Parents must call the school to make an appointment to meet with their student's teachers. Appointments will be taken today from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1-3 p.m.

The TEACH club is offering peer tutoring to all students on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:15-3 p.m. in Room 208.

Seniors are encouraged to talk to their counselors regarding scholarship opportunities, college application deadlines and visits from military recruiters.

The registration deadline for the March 27 SAT is Friday.

All student athletes who desire to compete at the Division I or II level must be certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse to be eligible. The Clearinghouse information is available online at ncaa clearinghouse.net.

--Katie Arnold

The PTSA will be sponsoring a raffle to benefit the PTSA Scholarship Fund and After Prom. Ticket price is $1. Raffle prizes are $250, $100 and $50. Tickets may be purchased until March 12 by contacting Jill Stodola at 371-8433 or Elizabeth Mikkelson at 371-3577.

The National Honor Society has chosen Joel Peck as the Student of the Month for January. He is the son of Linda and Howard Peck and plans to attend Mary Washington College in the fall to study chemistry. Mark Hughes has been chosen as Teacher of the Semester. Hughes teaches Art 1, Art 3 and

photojournalism.

In March, DECA students will compete at the State Leadership Conference to be held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott in the Quiz Bowl--the 2004 Management Team Decision Making Event in Sports, Entertaining and Recreation Marketing, and the Chapter's Public Relations Project 2004.

--Jennifer Betz

private schools

Fourth-grade students in Mr. Evans' class decided to assist one of their classmates, Devin Holladay and his brother, Derrik, in raising funds to purchase bicycles and helmets for children in an orphanage in Dzhankoy, Ukraine. Larry Wright, the uncle of Devin and Derrik, is in the Peace Corps there and told his nephews about the needs of the students. The goal was to raise enough money to buy two bicycles but when the students pooled their allowances, emptied their piggy banks and did extra chores to raise money, they collected approximately $280 which was enough to provide four bicycles and helmets. The story was in the newspaper in Dzhankoy, including pictures of the boys with their new bicycles and helmets.

The music department will present two performances of "The Night the Castle Rocked," a musical play in eight acts by Michael and Jill Gallina. This magical tale of merriment and music features a band of lively minstrels as our guide through the history of Trotsworthy Castle and the royal Windabag family. Featured performers are Caitlin Dungan, Caitlin Hamon, Lexie Hamon, Laura Honsinger, Latera Jenkins, Rachel Parker and the middle- and upper-school choir. The performances will be in the middle school multipurpose room today at 10 a.m. and tomorrow at 7 p.m.

The Virginia Association of Independent Schools State Swim Meet will be held tomorrow through Saturday at Midtown Aquatic Center in Newport News. Ten students from the school will compete in the state championship: Beth Calloway, Caitlin Weinstein, Jordan McDaniel, Kelsey Walsh, Jamie Pollnow, Brett Dameron, Dougie Quarles, Joel Butterworth, Joe Martin and Brock Martin. The school's male and female teams finished second in the regular season. In the championship finals, the males maintained their second place standing and the females dropped to a very close fifth place.

Winter break holiday will be Feb. 23-27. Classes will resume on March 1.

--Liz Barnes

Gift cards from Shoppers, Food Lion and Giant can be purchased by filling out an order form next to the sign-in book. Orders are filled as quickly as possible, usually by noon the day they are left.

The third-grade class will be singing at chapel on Friday. Second-graders will sing Feb. 27 during chapel.

The following students recently received chapel awards: Cameran Merritt, kindergarten; Kirby Tucker and Heather Young, first grade; Carly Arroyo, second grade; Madison Hogue, third grade; Andrew Elser, fourth grade; Jennifer Lambertson, fifth grade and Caleb Koch, sixth grade.

Spelling bee winners who will participate in the district bee on March 5 are: Jannie Bond and Christian Kaim. Andrew Nishimoto is the alternate.

Winners of the grade-level spelling bee will move on to the next level and represent the school in the district bee March 5. This bee will be hosted by FCS at the new Stafford campus for grades one through four. The fifth-grade district bee will be on the same day in Springfield.

The following students were winners in the Association of Christian Schools International creative writing contest.

Fourth grade: Krissy Baertschi, Hunter Devers, Jonathan Duggins, Lee Robinson, Jessica Schue, Cara Simpson, Elizabeth Sullivan, Seth Williamson.

The following will compete in the regional contest: Gina Bill, Adam Davis, Lauren Leupold, Paige Marple, Lauren Powell, Savannah Snead and Hannah Woods.

Fifth grade: Allison Brooks, Trevor Carr, Rebecca Copeland, Brittany DeBernard, Hannah Hayes, Carl Munsee, Johnny Robison, Amanda Stamper and Jonathan Whelan.

Kyle Beavon, Sallie Heurich, Kelsey Lucas, Brian Marple and Matthew McAleese will advance to the regional contest.

Orientation will be held for parents of next year's ninth-graders Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

The following students are members of the spelling bee team and will compete on March 5 in the district bee:

Sixth grade--Jessica Beltran, Christian Capobianco, Holton Chason, Kalista Farmer, Rachel Sansone, Josh Shade and Victoria Williams.

Seventh grade--Breanne Duffy, Katie Lee, William Matthews, Rachel Phonenix, Johnny Powell, Amber Plourde, Hillary Rose and Sara Withrow.

Eighth grade: Richard Alt, Chris Cook, Matt Johnson, Gabrielle Marple, Stevie Noble, Chris Pak, Bethany Reid, Adam Rollyson, Cameron-Ann Standish and Tim Wirtala.

Students should be preparing for the science fair following the guidelines that were recently sent home. The fair is on April 5.

Seventh-graders will be having a fun night Friday. Details were sent home with the school newsletter.

Spiritual Emphasis Week will be March 1-5.

The retreat will be held March 2-4.

Interested in joining the Sea Cadets? Applications are due Friday and require an application, medical history and a physical. Call Michael Beggs at 653-4906 for details.

Students interested in a mission trip to Appalachia during spring break should expect to participate in training as part of the preparations. The cost for the trip is $250 with the total amount due in February. Students considering an overseas mission trip are reminded they must first complete a local mission trip through FCS or their church to qualify. Questions? Contact Dallas Bisignano.

The annual magazine sale will be begin Feb. 25. The sale benefits the school scholarship fund and the teacher training program, which helps meet the special learning needs of some FCS students.

Items for the annual yard sale at the high school may be left at the school until Feb. 28. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Mission Teams.

The annual carnival will be held Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the high school. There will be games for all ages, concessions, a giant yard sale and a book fair.

FCS will host its annual auction to support teachers' salaries March 26. Each class from pre-kindergarten though fifth grade is making a special item to be auctioned off. These include specially decorated chests, benches, tables, chairs, mirrors and quilts. The senior class at the high school has also donated a quilt. Donations are still being accepted and are deeply appreciated. Business owners and school supporters are invited to donate a product or service. Items large and small contribute to the auction's success as do a variety of services. Yard work, car washing, baby-sitting, house cleaning, cooking--all are services everyone can use. Call the Development Office at 373-5355 for ideas on how to put your talents or gifts to work.

School enrollment forms for families currently attending FCS were mailed out during the Christmas break. Only one application is required per family, regardless of the number of children enrolled. They are due Feb. 27 for FCS families. If you did not receive your application or are interested in the new preschool program planned for the Stafford Campus in 2004-05, call the office at 373-5355.

Wondering whether school is closed? Check fredericksburg.com or fredericksburgchristian.com for closings or delayed openings.

--Cindy Gossett

With plenty of energy and enthusiasm, hundreds of students jumped rope for charity last week helping the school to raise more than $8,000 for the Thurman Brisben Center during the annual Catholic School's Week fund-raiser. The following students were recognized for their individual contributions from pledges: Second-grader Jonathan Buck, $215; fifth-grader Nikitas Conrad, $205; sixth-grader Jonathan Fehrens, $180; eighth-grader Amanda Miller, $150 and third-grader Louis Caiafa, $125. Susie Lockard and Mary Ann Martin's third- and fifth-grade classes each donated $627 to the cause while Jo Larach's second-graders generously gave $535. These classes will receive an ice cream party and the appreciation of the entire school. Also recognized is event coordinator and PE teacher Tom Sherman, and everyone who participated.

Paul Loverde will celebrate a Mass of Appreciation at St. Mary on Sunday at 2 p.m. for the many blessings extended upon the people of our diocese.

Fifth-grader Gabrielle Koenig was mistakenly not included in last week's list of students receiving First Honors for the second grading period. Her classmates, teachers and school wish to acknowledge her achievements.

The Second "Spring for the Children" Benefit Dinner and Auction will be held April 24. There are many ways to be involved and supportive. In addition to donating a product or service, this year a Sponsor Program has been established to incorporate different levels of giving. Contact Donna Hetrick at 898-1272 if you would like to help underwrite the costs of the 2004 Spectacular Spring Auction.

--Betsy Moran

One hundred days of school is fast upon us. To fit with this and Valentine's Day, each first-grader wrote a compliment about other classmates for a total of 100. The students did a fantastic job with their animal habitats in a shoe box. They also created musical instruments and shared them during music class.

The following awards were given to the students in second and third grades for the second quarter:

Maggie Blair, A Way with Words; Armanni Patterson, Awesome Artist; Sabrina Combs, Perfect Reading Lab Work; Candice Pleasant, Awesome Artist; Tatiana Savage, Awesome Artist; Caila DeAbreu, Love that Leap and Achievement Award; James Thagard, Student Spotlight; Jenifer Pickle, Principal's Award; Victoria Conner, Wow Writing and All "'A" Honor Roll; Scooter Terry, Math Award and Victor Preidis, Science Award, Golden Rule Award and All "A" Honor Roll.

Students meeting or exceeding their AR goals in second and third grade include: Victoria Conner, Caila DeAbreau, James Thagard, Maggie Blair, Sabrina Combs and Jenifer Pickle.

The Student Council Dress Down Day was a huge success with kids dressed in red, pink and white.

The PATS organization is having a fund-raising event that will continue until Feb. 23. Yankee Candle/Spring Essentials will be sold with great gift ideas for yourself and the upcoming special holidays.

Due to the inclement weather, tributes for the 2003-04 yearbook will be accepted through Friday .

--Anne Pickle

This week students at Sonshine Academy celebrated their 100th day of school with exciting math and science activities, 100 minutes of reading, remembering 100 things they have learned this year, and a breakfast of one sausage link, and two mini-bagels, to spell out 100. Students each brought 100 items to school to share with classmates. They went home with pennies, stickers, candies, pencils, erasers and more. The students will now begin the count backwards to the last day of school.

Students in art this week designed a $100 bill with a picture of themselves on it, and drew what they would do with $100 to spend. The art students of the week were Katarina Jones in pre-kindergarten, Cree Parris and Alexis Abell in kindergarten, Bruce Garth in the first grade, Marshall Steven in the second grade and Clayton Hardy in the fourth grade.

The French awards this week went to Noah Khan in the pre-kindergarten, Catie Nelson in kindergarten, Nathan Jacques in first grade, Sarah Rainville in the second grade and Isabel Steven in third grade.

The music classes are beginning to learn new songs they will sing on a video recording for a Spring Arts Fling this May. The music awards this week went to Kyle Morton in the pre-kindergarten class, Felipe Gaskin in kindergarten, Bruce Garth in the first grade, Marshall Steven in the second grade and Clayton Hardy in fourth grade.

Monica Balzer's first-grade class has rocketed into "space." They have made models of the planets and the sun, written postcards from the moon, and made "Moon Rocks" containing "precious gems." They have many more language, math and science activities to complete about space before they come in for a landing at the end of February.

--Pam Soper