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School News

March 24, 2004 1:08 am

city schools

Anna Cobey recently won the highest honors in this year's WordMasters Challenge, a national language-arts competition entered by more than 240,000 students annually. Anna was one of only 44 third-graders nationwide to earn a perfect score. Also achieving outstanding results in the meet was third-grader Henry Hoffman.

Hugh Mercer has successfully practiced a tornado preparedness drill. Be sure to ask your child what steps should be taken in case of a tornado or any inclement weather at home. Avoid windows, find an interior supporting wall, crouch down and protect your neck with your hands and arms. Remain calm and listen for directions.

Last week, David Parker presented his critically acclaimed production on "appreciating differences" at 9 a.m. for kindergarten and first grade and again at 1:30 p.m. for second and third grade.

After-school enrichment courses continue through April 1. Students meet from 3 to 3:50 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Advance registration is required.

Tuesday marks the end of the grading period. Report cards will be going home April 5 rather than April 2, as originally scheduled.

The Schwan's Food PTO fund-raiser officially ended March 15.

Parents are reminded with the unpredictable spring weather to dress their children appropriately for school. Lightweight jackets are still recommended for gym class and remember to wear tennis shoes for gym class, too.

Parents are also reminded that no students are permitted to enter the school building until 8 a.m. They shouldn't drop off children before 8 a.m.; the drop-off location is in the rear of the school building. There are no staff members available to supervise a child prior to 8 a.m.

Parents are asked toemember that students who ride the bus to and from school are required to have an adult present in the afternoons for drop off. Students who arrive at their bus stop without a parent or guardian there to meet them will be returned to school and parents will be required to pick the students up in the main office.

--Michele Phillips

To celebrate "Music In Our Schools" month, there will be two assemblies of The Capital Brassworks Brass Ensemble today.

The last day of the grading period will be Tuesday.

The following students were recognized for their accomplishments in the WordMasters Challenge, which is a national language-arts competition entered by more than 240,000 students annually. It consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Matthew Seaver, a fifth-grader who competed in the difficult Blue Division of the Challenge, was one of only 173 fifth-graders in the nation to earn a perfect score in the year's second meet. Fourth-graders Logan Blosser and Chance Parrish and fifth-grader Garrett John also achieved outstanding results in the meet.

The following fifth-graders won second place at the District Odyssey of the Mind competition: Emily Burke, Rebecca Fisher, Kylie Keffer, Ryan Haynes, Garrett John, K.C. Boas and Kelly Anne Martin.

--Valerie L. Morgan

Yin Jie Chen is the March student of the month while Zachary James Bailey is the April honoree.

The following are Virginia High School League award nominees: Zachary James Bailey was nominated for the Academic Award.

Jeffery Allen Scott was nominated for the Male Scholar/Athlete Award.

Marcie Jean Goeden was nominated for the Female Scholar/Athlete Award.

Marcie Jean Geoden is the 2004 All-USA Academic Team Nominee. She is being sponsored by USA Today.

There are still many scholarships and awards available for seniors. Stop by guidance to get more information. Time is running out.

--Heidi Miller

county schools

Berkeley Elementary recently received a check of $160.87 from Target's Take Charge of Education initiative. Feel free to log onto the Target Web site at target.com to see how a portion of purchases can benefit the school.

Family Reading Night was a huge hit at Berkeley. Families visited the various grade levels to experience the wonders of reading. Children and parents alike had fun exploring the power of reading through Web quests, madlibs, bear hunts, fun-with-words activities, story telling and puppet shows.

--Tammy Jones

The following fifth-graders received all A's for the third six weeks: Candice Benshoff, Chris Ward, Chris Rineer, Chelsea Laclergue, Beth Wilson, Shannon Bauers and Danielle Schuler.

The following fifth-graders are in charge of the flags for the fourth six weeks: Justin Sisk, Michael Hager, J.T. Whipple, Cory Eckler, Shain Kelley and Ian Sullivan.

Theatre IV performed "I Have A Dream" for the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders March 11. The group portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life from birth until his death.

Parent-teacher conferences will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 30.

--Cheryl Gallello

Chancellor Elementary celebrated "Read Across America" with guest readers in each classroom. All students at Chancellor have pledged to be lifelong readers. They joined together in a circle of reading around the school in celebration of Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday to show the school's commitment to reading. On March 2 students and staff dressed as their favorite storybook characters.

--Jeanne Grab

The following students were chosen as Cardinal of the Week for the week of March 15:

First grade--Dylan Tolley, Carolyn Louie, Cassidy Clifton and Jacob Hopkins.

Second grade--Michael Holmes, Aidan Goodwin, Earl Cooper, Michael Young and Alex Hilbruner.

Fourth grade--Aaron Berry, Jonathan Burton, Justin Anderson, James Holmes, Shannon Malloy and Jordan Marszycki.

--Susan Debus

The following students were chosen as Superstars: Bailey Vera, Joshua Balderson, T.J. Smith, Kristen Cogswell, Sean McKnight, Tony Johnson, Maya Washington, Colin Ramsey, Isaiah Collins, Spencer Wilson, Kylie Jenkins, Ben Kim, Samantha Dobies, D'Shawn Coleman, Matthew Glenn, Maritza Martinez, Rebecca Hunter, Taylor Fairfax, Uriel Dominguez, Theresa Slusher, Joshua Donohue, Tyler Fawcett, Ashely Pruitt, Cody Johnson, Victoria Mitchell, Maya Wright, Jenny Wagner, Amberly Jacobchik and Alyssa Haynes.

Mrs. Mabie named the following as Estrellas for the week:

Kindergarten--Abbi Lokrantz, Micheal De Maio, Gavin Casey, Luke Henderson and Taylor Myers.

First grade--Becca Decker, Jacob Urnosky, Josh Ransom and Elie Hammond.

Second grade--Cullen Seay, Deonte Johnfiah and Max Cortez.

Third grade--Cody Allen, Theresa Slusher, Mandy Byrd, Cameron Shook, Abraham Herrera and Paige Receveur.

Theatre IV will present Jungle Book to all students on March 31, during the school day.

--Donna Pirnat

The SCA is sponsoring Hat Day on March 26, so make sure you wear your favorite hat to school that day.

The Language Arts Committee is holding its Reading Incentive party tomorrow.

--Shelly Weaver

Students at Robert E. Lee have read more than 20,000 books this year.

April Jett, Brittany Morris and Jared Oliver reached the 200-point level. April and Brittany are students in Juanita Tinsley's fourth-grade class. Jared is in Stephanie Fox's fifth-grade class.

Friday is a Spirit Day. Students and faculty will wear sneakers.

--Rita Caruth

Janice Frye, a historian with the National Park Service, visited the fourth-grade classrooms of Ellen Parlman, Scott Bloom, Susan Smith and Nathaniel Krueger. She brought uniforms of Union and Confederate soldiers for the students to examine, encouraged the students to compare and contrast the lives and beliefs of soldiers from both armies, and shared information about Civil War battles in the Fredericksburg area.

Media specialist Irene Sprick and media assistant Sheila Tetor are hosting the Scholastic Book Fair this week at Salem. Books can be purchased through Friday. Teacher "wish lists" are available for families who wish to make a gift to the classroom.

The school will host Career Days April 23 for pre-kindergarten through second-grade students, and April 30 for grades three through five.

Students will learn about a variety of careers and how school helps prepare adults for the world of work. Please contact Lois Murdaugh, school counselor, if you would like to present information about your career during Career Day.

--Lois Murdaugh

The students at Spotswood Elementary School have been invited to participate in the Creations Contest. The theme this year is "When I Dream an Olympic Dream." All entries are to be turned in by Friday.

In honor of Dr. Seuss, the students and faculty are going to dress wacky on March 31.

The following students participated in Odyssey of the Mind regional competition held in Stafford County on March 6:

Fantastic Art Team--Lauren Beach, Taylor Zadai, Linsey London, Amber Jackson, Matthew Kirchner, Hunter Bryant and Jessica Hildebrand. The coaches were Eve Beach and Blynn Wilson.

Featured Creature Team--Haley Kane, Erik Phillips, Zachary Kane, Kaitlyn Levis, Alyssa Ridgely, Seth Wilson, and Connor Mairena. The coaches were Leslie Phillips and Edward Levis. The Featured Creature Team placed third in their division at the competition.

In honor of Youth Art Month, Spotswood has student artwork exhibited around the school. The following students have artwork at the School Board Office for the month of March: Alastair Burgess, Logan Wolfe and Emma Koenig. March 12 was Wear Your Art Day. All students were encouraged to wear something they've made or decorated.

The second-grade classes of Teresa Bullock, Martha Monts, Devra Pickett and Marsha Winebarger presented the play "American Heroes" on March 16. The play discussed all the great Americans that are part of second-grade SOL tests.

--Maureen Hitchens

Chancellor Middle School will have parent-teacher conferences tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. Please call the school to make an appointment.

Boys soccer tryouts will begin April 2 from 3 to 5 p.m.. Softball tryouts will begin April 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. And an informational meeting for track will take place April 2 at 8 a.m. in the school cafeteria. Any seventh- or eighth-grade student interested in trying out will need a completed current sports physical with all insurance info on the first day of tryouts.

The sixth- and seventh-grade bands received excellent ratings at festival. The seventh-grade band received a superior rating in sight reading.

--Sue Leiss

The next parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for tomorrow from 3 to 5 p.m.. But parents are encouraged to communicate with faculty on a regular basis.

The following students won awards at the annual Virginia Middle School Association state conference: Lauren Henson, second place in VMSA writing contest and Kim VanRenan, third place in VMSA art contest.

Spring sport tryouts (girls softball, boys' soccer, and girls/boys track) will begin April 5. Students wishing to tryout must have a completed physical form on file or bring it on the first day of tryouts. Tryouts will run through April 8.

The media center is sponsoring a book (good condition or better) donation effort throughout April. The top eight students who donate books will receive Borders gift certificates. For more information, contact David Hefner, media specialist.

--Angie Branham

The Spotsylvania Middle School Music Department presented musical trivia quotes and a musical trivia question contest last week to highlight the importance of Music In Our Schools Month.

A prize was awarded each day to the student whose name was drawn from all of the correct entries submitted. The winners were Ryan Libbon, Bailey Rampey, Tyler Mohardt, Sarah Wickes and Emisha Scott. Thanks to the local music stores who furnished the prizes Apple Music, the Guitar Center and Roberson's Music.

The Bulldog Bands competed at the state band directors' association's District 15 Band Festival held March 11 at Stafford High School. The sixth-grade band received a superior rating. The seventh and eighth grades received ratings of excellent.

The national winner of Fuddrucker's "Why Music is Important" contest was announced at Spotsylvania Middle School.

Heidi Ehrich was surprised by her teacher Debbie Tripp at the school assembly. The prize was a concert for the school from rising star Emily Booke during the assembly. Representatives from Fuddruckers presented Emily with an enlarged replica of her poster, a $50 gift certificate, and a hat and a shirt with Fuddrucker's insignia.

Title 1 staff held a Parent Orientation/Pizza Dinner on March 22. Betty Oakes from the PRC was the guest speaker and presented a workshop titled "What Parents Can Do at Home to Help their Student Succeed with Homework."

The Roadrunner team has selected the following students as their students of the third six weeks: Katelyn Burnell, pre-algebra; Darcy King, math 7; Carly Delbuono, algebra; Liz Hefner, civics; Jeff Stoddard, science; Cassie Burtt, resource; and Matt Blair, language arts.

Kristen Bromaghin and Matt skinner won third place at the regional science fair. Matt Nichols won an honorable mention.

--Lisa Simmermon

Students traveling to Charlottesville to participate in the Piedmont Regional Science Fair on March 15, included: sixth-graders Michael Botkin, Amanda Judy, David Justis and Kevin Seay; seventh-grader Elisa Fleming; and eighth-graders Ashley Carlton, Kenny Halterman, Alyssa Lawson, Kristen Martin, Hunter Perkinson, Megan Riley, Lauren Stewart and Brian Trail. Alyssa Lawson received a third-place award in zoology. Ashley Carlton received an honorable mention in earth and space science, and Megan Riley received an honorable mention in chemistry.

Parent conferences are scheduled for tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. Parents who have not scheduled a conferences, but wish to meet with their child's teachers, need to call the Guidance Department requesting a conference.

Representatives from Central Rappahannock Regional Library make visits to the school to give booktalks. On March 10, sixth-graders heard Barbara Harris talk about a number of excellent books as well as other services offered through the public library. Eighth-graders heard book talks on March 19 and seventh-graders get their opportunity April 1.

--Helen S. Cielakie

The following students placed first at the Battlefield District forensics meet at Courtland High School on March 4.

Slade Bond in foreign extemporaneous speaking.

Amber Lawson in humorous dramatic interpretation.

Theresa Gentile and Karen Widman in duo dramatic interpretation.

These students advanced to the regional meet on March 13 at Tabb High School in Yorktown. Slade Bond won first place in foreign extemporaneous speaking, with Theresa Gentile and Karen Widman placing fourth in duo dramatic interpretation. Slade will attend the state meet Saturday in Charlottesville. Bond represented Chancellor High School in Lincoln/Douglas Debating in the regional tournament March 20 at Tabb High School in Yorktown.

The PTSA After Prom Committee will hold a meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at the school. Anyone interested in helping with the After Prom Party may attend this meeting or call the school at 786-2606.

Art teacher Toni Scott currently has one of her artworks included in a juried exhibit at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts. The display will run through March.

Fifteen students and two teachers from our partner school in Germany will be in our school and in the community from March 26 through April 16. Chancellor students wil be in Germany from Aug. 10 through Sept.

--Dorothy Scott

The following students placed at the FBLA's spring regional conference: Cyle Hunnel, third in business math; and Ben Lossing, third in JAVA Programming. Courtland placed third in the Chapter Event of American Enterprise Project prepared by Amanda Greene.

Michael Woodward placed first in the March Math League contest. The overall leaders with one contest remaining are Michael Woodward, Jason Mercer and Amanda Anderson.

Gloria Driest, English and independent studies teacher, presented a program on Independent Studies/Mentor Apprenticeship at the National Curriculum Network Conference held at the College of William & Mary, sponsored through the college's Gifted Center.

--Carolyn Libby

The following students won awards at the Piedmont Regional Science Fair held March 15 at the Omni Hotel Conference Center in Charlottesville:

Desi Wallace--honorable mention, behavioral and social science.

Maggie Erwin--third place, behavioral and social science.

Chelsea Fox--honorable mention, botany.

Crystal Richardson--first place, botany, Office of Naval Research Distinguished Achievement.

Amanda Watts--third place, chemistry.

Kendall Bullock--second place, chemistry, Yale Science and Engineering Association.

Steve Smith-- first place, computer science; honorable mention, Army Math and Computer Science; Intel's Excellence in Computer Science award; Excellence in Computing award by Albemar leFamily.com

Mark McPhatter--third place, Earth and Space Sciences.

Brittany Kodua--second place, earth and space sciences; innovation and scientific excellence in geosciences.

Graham Hunt--third place, Engineering National Society of Professional Engineers award; second place, American Society of Naval Engineers Award and savings bond.

Marcie Willis--third place, Environmental Sciences; first place, Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Rebekah Sargeant--first place, environmental sciences; honorable mention, Army Environmental Sciences Intel's Excellence in Environmental Sciences award.

Jessica Powell--first place, gerontology honorable mention; Army Life Sciences.

Danielle Young--third place medicine and health.

Heather St. Aubin--third place, Physics Ch'ville Astronomical Society Achievement Award.

Joey DePoyster--third place, team projects.

Crystal Richardson was Best of Show and will advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair held in Portland, Oreg.

The concert and symphonic band earned superior ratings at the District Band Festival. This makes Massaponax a 2004 Virginia Honor Band.

The debate team is the Commonwealth District Debate Champions.

Aaron Nuesca and Michael Gills came in first place in Contemporary Policy Debate and Rebecca Smith and Stephanie Slankard came in second. Crystal Richardson and Michelle Blizzard came in first place in Classic Policy Debate and Ashley Betts came in fourth place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Rebecca Smith and Stephanie Slankard came in fifth place to qualify for the national debate tournament held in Boston in May. They are the first debate team from Massaponax to achieve this honor.

Jonell Finley qualified for the state forensics speech competition. Jonell finished second in the region March 13 in dramatic interpretation and will compete later this month in Charlottesville.

Nikki Hollibaugh was selected to the AAA All-State Field Hockey Team. The team was voted on by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. This honor ranks her as one of the top 50 field hockey players in the state.

--Melissa Schultze

Louis Bowman took first in the Residential Wiring Skills contest administered by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 and the National Joint Apprenticeship Training Center. He will go to Salem to compete in the SkillsUSA State Residential Wiring contest April 3 at the Salem Convention Center. Winners from this contest will get an opportunity to go to Kansas City, Mo., to compete at the national level.

This year's post-prom party will be held at Liberty Lanes at Massapponax, midnight-5 a.m., May 15 after the dance at Riverside Dinner Theater.

From now until June, Fuddrucker's Restaurant at Central Park will give 15 percent of the sales every Wednesday evening from those families who present a school coupon. Students can obtain these coupons during school.

The PTSA would like to thank the following who have generously donated to our fund-raising efforts so far: After Hours Formal Wear, Spotsylvania High School Band Boosters, Costco, Sport and Health Club at Four Mile Fork, Fuddrucker's Central Park, FBLA at Spotsylvania High School, Garnet Refrigeration, the McCormick Group, Dr. Diann Vild, D.D.S., Radley Chevrolet, Lake Anna Point Marina, Dr. David Terrill, D.D.S., J.J. Wright PTA, Pirrone's One-Stop Heating and Cooling Specialists, Ray Lora, Aztlan Restaurant Mexicano y Cantina, Giant Food, Creative Custom, Courthouse Carwash, Villa Bella, Bonefish Grill, Liberty Lanes, Brauning Auto, Joyful Convenience, Coke, The Free Lance-Star and Fredericksburg Ice Park.

Jason Lasica scored a perfect 100 percent on Harrell's history test 21 about the Vietnam War.

--Meredith Gompf

The following students participated in the Virginia State Ford Motor Company/AAA Auto Skills National Quality Care Challenge.

Al Parkinson's auto mechanics class: James Brooks, Russell Lane, Jesse Hanrahan, Tony Hahn, Jon Edenton, Zach Pusso, Allyn Sheffield and James Light.

Wally Hunt's auto service class: Justin Anderson, Brandon Pinkney, Chris Humphries, John O'Toole, Danny Apperson, Danny Unkefer, Kyle Gilbert and Doug Mattocks.

The following student team participated and placed in the Honda Virginia Auto Dealership Association competition: James Brooks and Danny Unkefer, fourth place.

--Linda Vohs

private schools

Seniors will practice their senior exhibit project presentations in front of groups of eighth- through 12th-grade students today. The final presentation will be made to a panel of faculty and experts in the field. This project is the culmination of two years of research and effort, and is the capstone for students' education at the school.

Today is Lower School Conference Day. There are no classes for lower school students while their parents conference with teachers. Day care is available to current students.

The Virginia Association of Independent Schools will send an accrediting team to the school on Sunday that will stay through Tuesday. The purpose of the visit is to see the progress the school has made since the original accreditation visit five years ago. At that time, the school was awarded full accreditation status, but VAIS monitors the progress of schools within the association in five- and 10-year visits to ensure that each meets the standards of the organization. Karen Moschetto, head of the middle school, has been the leader of the accreditation work organizing the faculty into teams to address the various areas included in an extensive report. The team will conclude its visit on Tuesday with a presentation to the faculty at 1 p.m. Classes will be dismissed for all students at 12:30.

On April 5, three of the upper school students will perform the piano pieces they played to earn them scholarships from the Rappahannock Music Society competition at the noon concert series at the Central Library auditorium. Seniors Ellen Verbosky and Chris Kent won first and second place, respectively, in the senior division. Junior Jon Russo won third place in the high school division.

--Liz Barnes

On April 3, there will be a Putt-Putt Golf fund-raiser to benefit the Ferry Farm preschool campus.

Standardized testing will take place from March 22 to April 2. Parents will receive details from the school when each grade will be tested and the dates.

District Spelling Bee winners were:

First grade--Joey Hatby, third place.

Second grade--Celestia Lorei, first place; Olivia Dirscherl, third place; and Scott Morrow, fourth place.

Third grade--Bridget Phillips, second place; and Brook Morgan, fourth place.

Chapel Awards were given to Erin Battaglia and Aaron Rump, kindergarten; Evan Huber, first grade; Connor Escudero, second grade; Kylee Good, third grade; Nikki Dabney, fourth grade; Eric Higgins, fifth grade and Chris Long, sixth grade.

District Spelling Bee champions were:

First grade--Michael Francesconi, first place; Evan Huber, second place; and Dillon Brown, fourth place.

Second grade--Conner Escudero, second place.

Fifth grade--Bethany Haynie, fourth place.

Sixth grade--Christian Kaim, third place.

Standardized testing will take place from March 22 to April 2. Parents will receive details from the school when each grade will be tested and the dates.

April 5 is the science fair.

District Spelling Bee winners were:

Fourth grade--Carolyn Lindsey, first place; Kristen Morrison, third place; and Lauren Leupold, fourth place.

Fifth grade--Meghan McConnell, first place; Jennifer Eagle, second place and Sarah Zarzour, third place.

Parents are encouraged to update the school records with changes to home and work phone numbers, including cell phones, or changes to their child's designated emergency contacts. Send the changes to the main office, and they will be distributed to the appropriate teachers.

Students who placed in the district spelling bee in Springfield were: Richard Alt, Jessica Beltran, Chris Cook, Brianne Duffy, Kalista Farmer, Christian Kaim, Chris Pak, Cameron-Ann Standish, Victoria Williams and Sara Withrow. Richard Alt and Chris Pak will be traveling to Atlanta for the ASCI Southeastern Regional Spelling Bee in April.

Friday is the deadline for entering work in the annual art festival. Parents who can help with mounting and hanging art or providing refreshments for the festival should call the school office.

Soccer team members are Meghan Boggs, Leah Brady, Heather Clarke, Melissa Guillette, Caroline Holtby, April Horner, Keri Jones, Mindy Matthews, Erin Morrow, Stevie Noble, Amanda Panak, Alyse Payne, Lauren Rios, Joy Sanders, Meagan Whitman and Bekah Zello.

Students will participate in standardized testing from March 22-25 in the mornings.

A men's prayer breakfast will be held at the school on Friday at 7 a.m.

The deadline for registering for the May 1 SAT is Friday. Horizons' SAT improvement classes begin at the school on April 6. Register online at horizonseducation.com.

The Kiwannis Club of Fredericksburg is interested in sponsoring a Key Club service organization at the school. The Key Club supports programs that benefit area children. Interested? Call Kiersten Scott at 373-2980.

Students who will be taking part in the Northern Appalachia Missions Trip during spring break will need to attend training on March 27, April 3 and April 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Easter Break is April 9-18.

Friday will be a full day of school, not a half day as originally scheduled.

Plan to attend the school's auction benefiting teacher's salaries on Friday evening at Crystal Reflections Conference Center. Dinner will be served, and there will be silent auction as well as a live auction for items such as tickets to professional sports events, vacation packages, getaway weekends, professional services and many other intriguing and valuable items. 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 has also donated a quilt.

The Script Program has been improved. This program allows the school to earn money while you shop at your favorite stores. For more information, call Cindy Gossett at 373-5355.

Using gift cards to buy your groceries helps support the school. They are on sale in the school offices for use at Food Lion, Shoppers and Giant. Also, save your Ukrop's receipts and turn them into the school regularly. The Development Office can use receipts dated from Sept. 29-March 27. Ukrop's makes donations to the school based on the receipt totals.

Register your mall receipts at the information booth at Spotsylvania Mall. The school with the greatest dollar amount registered wins a cash prize.

--Cindy Gossett

Registration for the 2004-05 school year is now in progress. Open House will be held Friday from 6-8 p.m.

Elementary student of the month is Cody Parker, and the high school student of the month is Ben Snook.

Tomorrow, students from kindergarten to sixth grade will be hosting their first Chocolate Festival. Students will do chocolate science experiments, make art projects, learn about the history and making of chocolate and bake some delicious chocolate desserts. Visitors are welcome. Just call the school and reserve a space. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chocolate treat to share.

Students should be reading every night in preparation for the standardized testing which will be held April 5-9. High-schoolers will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m., but the elementary students will have normal dismissal time.

Students should be getting in shape for the John F. Kennedy Physical Fitness Test which will be held in May.

Now is the time for students to be thinking about the science fair projects for the year. The science fair will be held on May 3, and parents are encouraged to drop by and see what their children are learning.

Seniors helped the Salem Fields Community Church with its Missions project by making chocolate Easter eggs.

Elementary students celebrated St. Patrick's Day by making shamrocks and learning the lesson of the Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They had green punch and made cupcakes with green icing.

Registration for summer day camp is continuing. For information on the day camp, as well as the two week Life Arts Camp for girls 9-13, call 898-0166.

--Holly Perrow

Debbi Buck's Art students of the week were Jessica Burley in the pre-kindergarten class, Cree Parris in the kindergarten class, Bruce Garth in first grade, Caty-Scarlett in second grade and Ty Cooley in third grade.

French students of Madame Coleman are enjoying French songs and stories and learning about the French culture. The French students of the week were Noelle Burley in the pre-kindergarten class, Felipe Gaskin in kindergarten, Cameron Jones in first grade, Megan Wright in second grade and Walker Janney in fourth grade.

Pam Karr's Music Makers of the week were Katarina Jones and Marie Freemyers in the pre-kindergarten class, Nicole Williams in kindergarten, Joshua Hanson in first grade, Megan Wright in second grade and Nick Mueda in the third grade.

This Friday, students in the second through fifth grades will journey to the Virginia Science Museum in Richmond. They will attend one of three new science programs at the museum called "Science Spotlights." This hands-on workshop will be entitled "Weather Watchers Workshop." After the workshop, the students in the various grades will be guided through pertinent science objectives by each attending teacher. While the upper grades are at the Science Museum, the lower grades will be exploring a Science Round Robin at school. Students will move through classrooms and enjoy several projects and experiments guided by the teachers.

Jenna Cooley's second-grade class ended their study of Egypt by creating and eating a Nile River Cake. Megan Wright's mom, Teri, baked a large sheet cake and the class contributed to the decorations. They had beige cookie crumbs for sand, blue frosting for the river, chocolate chips for river rocks, triangular cookies for pyramids, and various animal cookies surrounding the river.

Members of Girl Scout Troop 3480 attended a father-daughter dance themed as the Australian Outback. The sheilas and blokes wore outback attire and danced to tunes provided by a disc jockey. No moms were allowed. The troop has also been working on their Cookie Connection and Cookies Count badges. The girls have voted to use part of their cookie sale profits to buy treats and toys for the homeless animals at the SPCA.

Last Tuesday, Kylie Wright was re-dedicated into the Junior Girl Scout Troop, as the girls celebrated the 92nd birthday of the very first Girl Scout meeting. There will be no Girl Scout meetings on Tuesday. The next meeting will be April 6.

April 30 will be New Student Day at Sonshine Academy. All new students enrolled by that date, will be invited to share the morning activities with our students and meet their teachers for next fall. The academy is continuing to enroll students through sixth grade for the fall. Interested parents should call the school office at 786-4128 for information, and to arrange a visit.

--Pam Soper