Friday, April 27

STEM is alive and well in Davie County Schools. Our third robotics competition will take place at Davie County High School today, April 27, 2012 beginning at 4:00. The public is welcome to attend to see

24 of our elementary and middle school teams compete on mats designed around a health care theme. We want to thank Wake Forest Baptist Health for helping our staff plan this competition, the third in a series of local events this school year.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math will have a new focus in our high school in 2012-13! Approximately 150 rising ninth graders will be participating in the first STEM center on the campus of Davie County High School this fall. Teachers at Davie County High are incorporating an engineering model into their teaching methods through a new, innovative instructional delivery model. Teachers of this first cohort have already been involved in hours of training and will continue to work together with the New Schools Project. Davie County High School was invited to be part of a select group of North Carolina Schools in the STEM Affinity Network. This is an exciting new model that we hope to expand in the future!

The Board of Education held a public forum last Thursday. During this forum, the architectural firm presented their findings from the facilities assessment for all schools, a demographic forecast for the population in Davie County, and the proposals presented to the BOE on the 17th. The long-range plan developed by the architectural firm recommends the construction of a single new high school in a new location near the population center of Davie County. The architect's presentation file is accessible on our facilities update page under April 19, 2012, as well as the video of this public forum.

The Board of Education also met last week with the architectural firm to discuss $6 million in renovations at Davie County High School to eliminate mobile units on that campus. The local current expense budget for 2011-12 was adopted contingent upon the Board of Education developing a plan for up to $6 million in renovations at Davie County High School. The video from this meeting has been posted on our facilities update page and can be viewed by clicking here. The architect's presentation files are also accessible on our facilities update page under April 17, 2012. This two-story classroom/administration building is a proposed short-term solution to a long-term issue.

The superintendent will present a budget resolution to the Board of Education at their May 1, 2012 meeting. Since the local, state, and federal budgets have not been adopted, this budget is only a draft. The school district is required to submit this budget request to the Board of County Commissioners (BOC) by May 15 each year. The BOC will consider this request over the next several weeks and are required by NC General Statute to adopt a local budget by June 30. As soon as the budget resolution is presented to the Board of Education, we will post the budget resolution and the Superintendent's Budget Message on our budget updates page.

As you drive down Hwy 601, you will see a new construction site across from Davie County High School. The final phase of renovations/expansion of the Davie County Early College High School is underway! Three new classrooms and a science lab are being added to the front of the Gantt Building and will be ready for students sometime in August 2012. We are excited about this new facility for our Early College! We want to thank the Davie County Board of Commissioners for funding this $1.2 million project and Davidson Community College Davie Campus for partnering with us to support our early college high school.

Davie County Association of Educators will be hosting a school board candidates' forum on Monday, April 30, at 6:30 at the Davie County Public Library. Students from Davie County High School will be asking questions of the candidates. This will be an excellent opportunity for the public to learn more about school board candidates.

In 2010, only 28% of registered voters voted in the primary election. Three new members of the Board of Education will be elected during the 2012 primary, and will take office in July 2012. Along with the Board of Education election, we will have the opportunity to vote for candidates at the local, state, and national levels. On May 8, 2012, please exercise your right to vote.

We would like to invite our Davie community citizens to a grand scale celebration of our talented students and their teachers on Saturday morning, May 12, at North Davie High School. This is the 2nd annual Arts Smart Festival that will involve students from across the county, presented by Arts Educators from every grade level and art form. So please make plans to join us for this remarkable event on Saturday, May 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at North Davie Middle School. 

You will enjoy guest artists from the UNC School of the Arts Trumpet Ensemble, performers from the Davie High School Dance Company, a preview of Into the Woods by Davie High Theatre Arts Department, the Davie County Elementary Combined Chorus, South Davie Middle School Drama Club, the Davie High School Jazz Band, and exciting art masterpieces connecting learning across the curriculum. Come for a short tour, come and spend the morning with us, or come and enjoy lunch and arts. We look forward to seeing you there.