Celebrating Academic Excellence

During the months of October and November,  students throughout the division were honored for academic excellence.  Students who finished the 2017-2018 school year with All As for their final grades were recognized with an academic medal during special evening ceremonies.  Over 500 4th through 12th graders earned a medal for their exceptional achievement.  In addition, seniors who maintained a 3.75 Grade Point Average though their Junior year received an Academic Jacket.  The personalized Varsity Letterman jacket is presented to the student by their parents, who actually get to place the jacket on their child.  This is usually followed by several hugs and lots of pictures.

This was the fourth year of the medal and jacket ceremonies for Isle of Wight County Schools.  It was a tradition I started in my previous divisions and I wanted to make sure the students in Isle of Wight County had this same opportunity.  With the assistance of a great sponsor, SSC, I am pleased that IWCS was able to present an academic jacket to over 120 extraordinary seniors. 

The history of wearing a varsity jacket originated over 100 years ago. This time honored tradition is an outward symbol of hard work, determination and perseverance. Often the letter, pins and stars recognize athleticism and great accomplishments in a sport. The Superintendent’s Academic Jacket honors our students who have demonstrated great achievement in the classroom.

Honoring accomplishments in academics lets students know that we appreciate the many hours of studying, note taking, reading, writing papers, listening to lectures, working in groups, and staying up after everyone is asleep to finish a project. The jacket not only honors the students, but also their parents and loved ones, as well as the educators, that have supported them throughout their academic journey.  

Here is a video of the jacket ceremonies from Windsor High and Smithfield High.  It is a special moment for the students and their families and one that is well deserved.   

It’s Always a Good Day to be a GREAT Citizen

You may have seen or heard the words GRIT and GREAT used by our schools to discuss characteristics we want our students to have.  GRIT, which stands for Gumption, Resiliency, Integrity and Tenacity, is about working hard towards challenges.  GREAT focuses on citizenship, and stands for Growth, Respect, Empathy, Accountability, and Trustworthiness.  Being a GREAT Citizen also means not being a bully, and standing up for others who are being bullied.  Our schools are emphasizing these characteristics throughout October in conjunction with National Bullying Prevention Month.  I wanted to highlight some of the activities taking place in our schools as they teach our students about being GREAT citizens.

• Carrollton Elementary will be unveiling their Buddy Bench, where students can sit with someone and demonstrate kindness.  The bench was painted by members of the Carrollton CARE Club.
•  Students at Carrsville Elementary are creating artwork that illustrates GREAT qualities and signing the Bulldogs Don’t Bully banner.
•  Hardy Elementary students will hear the story of Spookley the Square Pumpkin who is often bullied for being different.  They will learn the importance of celebrating differences and that everyone can contribute to the greater good.
• The Westside Eagles held a ceremony to bury bullying behaviors. Students wrote a bullying related behavior they want to bury on a slip of newspaper. Their slips were thrown into a pre-dug hole where a “Unity Tree,” will be planted, to help remind students of their commitment to a fresh start.
• Isle of Wight County Sheriff James Clarke spoke to students at Windsor Elementary School and shared with them actions they can take to stand up to bullying.
•  Georgie Tyler will observe Mix it Up at Lunch Day, which encourages students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch.  The national campaign was launched in 2002 and will take place on the last Tuesday in October.
•  Eighth graders at Smithfield Middle School participated in a program called Love Over Hate.  The motivational speaker shared the powerful concept of self-love, along with self-realization and awareness using music, conversation and interactive activities that kept the students engaged throughout his message.
•  The Positivity Club at Smithfield High is the driving force behind the school’s anti-bullying campaign #PackFightsBack.  The club set up “Boar Boxes” throughout the school where students can report any instances of bullying.  They have designated the last Friday of the month as Blue Out day, to bring awareness to being a buddy, not a bully. 
• Similar to Mix it Up at Lunch Day, Windsor High will host a "Strangers in a Ball Pit" day.  Students will have the opportunity during lunch to sit in a ball pit and make new friends at WHS using conversation starters as encouragement to connect with others.  Providing students with occasions to interact with those who are different from them helps to change biases and misperceptions.
• Several schools also held a Pinky Promise Day, where students pledged to take a stand against bullying and showed their commitment by having their pinky painted blue.

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to emphasize characteristics of a GREAT citizen.  The division’s Focus Document on GREAT Citizenship states our beliefs and our goals:  Isle of Wight County Schools strives to create a culture that focuses on individual growth in the area of citizenship for students, staff, parents and community members. We believe that citizenship is defined by the choices we make and actions we show each day. We recognize a significant connection between the behavior of our citizens and the success of our community. Our expectation is that our school community focuses on being GREAT every day!

I am proud of the efforts our students and staff are taking to bring awareness to bullying, but these efforts aren’t isolated to just October.  We teach, share, model, highlight and celebrate outstanding citizenship all year long.  It is our commitment to ensuring students have the skills to make them successful, not only while they are with us, but for the rest of their life.

Pictures from the Anti-Bullying Activities in Our Schools

A Sweet Performance at Convocation: Willy, Charlie and the Oompah Loompahs

During our division-wide Convocation in August, Central Office entertained the group with a performance of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  In our version, teaching candidates for IWCS were put through several tests at the factory in order to see who was worthy of working for our school system.  Augustus Grump, the Boringard sisters, Veruca Brickbrain and Mike PBL, as well as Charlie and Willy, took us on an adventure, complete with a chocolate river, human blueberries, shrink rays and trap doors.  We even had our very own Oompah Loompah chorus!  Every member of Central Office participated in the production, whether in front of or behind the curtain.  It's our way of sharing an important message in a light-hearted way, while modeling the importance of taking risks.  I am so proud of the work of each person involved in the skit and I'm excited to be able to share the video of the performance with you.  We had a few microphone issues that were resolved about mid-way through, so you may want to select the closed captioning feature in order to catch all the dialogue.  Enjoy!

A Look Back at Graduation 2018

In early June, we celebrated the accomplishments of our seniors during graduation ceremonies at Windsor High and Smithfield High schools.  Many of those students are wrapping up their summer and preparing for what's next, so it seemed like a good time to revisit that special day.  Below is a link to a video that highlights the two graduations.  We've also posted some pictures on our Facebook page.  Good luck to all of our recent graduates as they continue on with their lives, whether it's college, the military or the workforce.  Be Great!

GRADUATION 2018