It's natural for parents to have questions about their children's schools

Glen Iris parents participate in informational seminar.

and the school system. The faculty at Glen Iris Elementary School decided to hold a parent information seminar Nov. 9 to see if they could help. Counselor Twila Sanford coordinated the event.

Speakers included Cheryl Hilliard, a behavior intervention specialist, Michael Hicks, an attendance officer, Donna Hill, an ESL teacher at Glen Iris and Marixa Gillie, an ESL instruction assistant.

Parents were allowed to ask questions as well.

The response from the parents was so positive that plans are being made for additional informational meetings in the future.

The Community Service Division of the Birmingham Police Department is hosting an anti-bullying conference  from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov.15, at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Quanda Watson-Stevenson, founder and president of C.A.P.E. (Crime Awareness Prevention Education), which promotes education and awareness, will be keynote speaker for this event. A number of representatives of the government  will participate on the conference panel.

This event, which is free and open to the public, is designed to raise awareness to the severity of bullying, its methods and solutions through a series of interventions. The target audience for is parents of students from 9 to 18 years of age.

Contact Lt. Cathy Peoples via email at cathy.kennedy@birminghamal.gov or via telephone at (205) 329-0237 for more information.

Carver High School took top honors at the All City Marching Band Festival held Nov. 4. Carver earned superiors for its band, drum major, dance line, color guard and drum line, plus Best Band in Class AA. It won the Frank E. Adams Award for earning the highest score in the marching band evaluation.

Woodlawn High School received an excellent rating for its band, Best Band in Class A, and a superior rating for its color guard.

Ramsay High School earned superior ratings for its band sand color guard and Best Band in Class AAA.

Huffman High School received an excellent rating for its band and a superior for its color guard.

Parker High School received a fair rating for its band and a superior for its color guard.

Wenonah High School received superior ratings for its band, featured twirler and color guard.

Jackson-Olin High School received superior ratings for its band, drum major, dance line and color guard was runner-up for Best Band in Class AAA.

Edward McMullen, director of purchasing for the Birmingham City Schools was elected president of the National Procurement Institute (NPI) at its 44th annual conference held in October in Houston.

McMullen has been with BCS since 1990 and has served on the National Procurement Institute Board of Directors for five consecutive terms as director, second vice president and first vice president.

As president, he serves as chairman of the executive board and exercises general supervision and shall have authority for the overall day-to-day operations of the association.

Carver High School students are taking full advantage of new technology at the school.

Carver teacher Menyorn Beachem uses iPads in her class.

Menyorn Beachem's education and training classes are using iPads in class and loving it.

"My current students are a part of the "net" generation because of their early introductions to computers and technology. Research suggests that the way they receive and process information is vastly different from the generations before them," Beachem said. "I believe incorporating iPads as an instructional tool further validates their interest in teaching as they can experience first-hand how technology is an integral part of the teaching process."

More than 150 students at Bush Middle School had some unusual teachers Nov. 5. Seventeen officers from the Birmingham Police Department were in classrooms to teach about personal finance and the economic benefits of staying in school in a program called JA Economics for Success.

A police officer teaches a lesson at Bush Middle.

 Economics for Success is one of four Junior Achievement programs targeted to middle school students. It provides practical information about personal finance and the importance of identifying education and career goals based on a student's skills, interests, and values.

"Birmingham police officers have partnered with Junior Achievement to inspire children to be forward thinkers and goal oriented," said Officer La'Quaylin Parhm, community project coordinator with the Birmingham Police Department. "This is an opportunity for us to provide knowledge and teach life skills that may be absent in their homes, or at a minimum, a chance for us to reiterate the knowledge and skills."