Mariner Gold

Go Team Go!

There is nothing like interscholastic high school athletics to bring unity to a school and community.

Welcome to the Fall 2009 East Carteret High School athletic recognition celebration.  Whether you or your student-athletes are from Beaufort, Harkers Island, Cedar Island, North River, South River or all points in between…this season they joined as one team…one band of brothers or sisters…in football, soccer, volleyball, girls tennis, cross country, girls golf, cheerleading, and sports medicine.

Tonight, we are here to recognize them for their individual participation and achievements…but more than that we are here to recognize the power of teams, the power of school, and the power of community…east of the bridge.

Go Team Go!

This year our 110 fall athletes and 16 coaches competed in over 65 events.  To put this in perspective, I want you to understand the input of all the adults involved before the game whistle even blows.

Read the rest of the Mariner Gold Speech

Permanent Connections

Whether we remain in one school work setting for a long time or hop around from school to school, we touch a lot of lives.  Conversely, we are equally as touched.  After 25 years in the business—and a lot of stops along the way–I have built a lot of connections to a lot of people in a lot of places.  And the opportunities to reconnect along the way are always fulfilling–somewhat like class reunions or homecomings.

Most recently (11/12/09), I had the opportunity to return to Newport Elementary to give the inspirational message at the Academic Achievement Awards ceremony for about 250 students who made Principals List and Honor Roll.

My speech was called Hawk Air and it started like this:

Imagine walking into grandma’s kitchen right when an apple pie is coming out of the oven.  Your natural reaction is probably something like a big, long whiff followed by a great exhale of satisfaction.

Sniff—-Ahh

You could almost taste that apple pie.  Just the aroma and the air you breathe seem to invigorate, refresh, energize, even nourish the body, mind and soul.

Now, I want you to focus on our air.  Because the air that surrounds us tonight is equally as rare.

Sniff—-Ahh.

That, my dear students, families and friends, esteemed colleagues, and distinguished guests…that is some good ol’ Hawk Air…the air that hangs exclusively over the Newport Nation.

On any given day here, if you look above the tree line and against the clouds you can see a hawk or two gliding on the wings of that hawk air soaring ever higher…always improving their positions…always soaring ever higher.

Sniff—-Ahh

Our air is the air of excellence, success, achievement, hard work, determination and ClassScapes.

Full text of Hawk Air

ECHS Positive Spin, 09-10

Here are the archived news articles about East Carteret High School, 2009-201

Fall Sports Awards/Recognition Banquet—Nov 18 @ 6:00 pm  (Cafeteria)
ECHS Debate Team Ranked #5 in State
1st Round Football Playoffs:  ECHS hosts Gates Co.   All tickets $6
Mariners guaranteed third place with 25-0 triumph over Lejeune
Mariner Soccer Team Defeats Pamlico, 7-0  (10/28)      
Mariners Make it Two in a Row on the Gridiron (10/24)
Mariners Pound Dixon 26-8 (10/16)
Lady Spikers Roll Past Southwest Onslow 3-1 (10/15)
Lady Spikers Handle Jones (10/13)
Upstart East Puts Scare in Trojans at Homecoming (10/11)
Volleyball Sweeps Lejeune (10/11)
Soccer Gets “Blank Sheet” 5-0 Victory vs Pamlico (10/7)
Soccer Team Notches Victory vs. Grammercy (9/30)
Lady Spikers Topple Lejeune and Jones (9/24)
ECHS Band Victorious at Croatan Band Competition (9/21)
ECHS National Forensics League Victory at 71st (9/21)
Bucket Fued a Long Tradition (9/16)
East Spikers Hand Grammercy First Loss in Two Years (9/15)
ECHS Volleyball Defeats Croatan in 5 Games (9/3)
East off to up-and-down Start with Goldsboro on Tap (9/2)
East Grid Fans Need to Stop Looking Back (9/2)
Courman Headed for the Pros (9/1)
Carteret among Sweet 16 SAT Avg Scores in State (8/31)
ECHS Ranked #12 in NCHSAA 1A SAT Rankings (8/27)
Good Report on SAT Scores (8/26)
East Surprises Many with 28-20 Win Over Pamlico  (8/23)
Courman Still Pursuing Pro Football Dream (8/21)

Gateway

On Monday, July 6, I join the faculty and staff at East Carteret High School, home of the Mariners.  I look forward to this opportunity to serve the students in the eastern part of the county.  East Carteret is located at the gateway to downeast Carteret County.  It links historic Beaufort, NC, with such down east communities such Bettie, Otway, Straits, Gloucester, Harkers Island, Smyrna, Davis, Merrimon, North River, South River, Atlantic, Sea Level, Cedar Island, Marshallberg, Williston, Lola and Stacy.

ECHS is the gateway that connects Beaufort Middle, Smyrna K-8, Harkers Island K-8, and Atlantic K-8.

East Carteret High School is a gateway of opportunities through which all students east of the bridge must pass on their journeys to post-secondary education and careers.  Similarly, West Carteret High School and Croatan High School serve the same gateway purpose for students from their boundaries in the county.

In times of tight economics,  global competitition, and unpredictable futures — high schools (or gateways) and the preparation they are responsible to provide — are as important and vital as ever.

I really look forward to joining the ECHS gateway and the charge of the Mariners.

Hawk Air

This makes the third July in a row that I am looking at a new school assignment for the fall.  And for three years prior to that, my central office responsibilities shifted annually. I’ve gotten used to it to the point where I open e-mails and answer the phone in July with trepidation.

Every move is a growth opportunity.   What I lose, though, is the daily contact with the people at each place I leave.

So far I have worked at the following Carteret County schools:   West Carteret (twice), Newport El (twice), Beaufort Middle, Morehead El, and Bridges Alternative.  I have also done an admin internship at Croatan.  Add to that six years at Central Office and my time at NCDPI and ECU (not to mention 7 years in the District of Columbia Public School System), and I have put on a lot of experience and have worked with a lot of people.

So to close out one of the most fulfilling years in my 24-year career, I am leaving Newport Elementary and heading to East Carteret High School.  It is a great opportunity for me to work in a high school and to work east of the bridge.

My time at Newport will not be forgotten.  In fact, I have written extensively about it in a 70-page compilation of humorous vignettes I call “Skiffload of Hard Crabs.”  (I’m referring to the students here, not the teachers.)   Once I polish it up a little more, I will leave a copy with Mrs. Lanning.

Newport El is a great school.  Together, we made the dream of greatness a reality this year.  The spirit of team is alive and well.  Our innovations were fast and nothing short of effective:  team teaching, Hawk Center, Academic Achievement, literacy circles, Lexiles, ClassScapes formative assessment, standardization across grade levels, weekly team meetings with admin, heightened teacher observations, in-house staff development, duty free lunch, prison dodgeball, Dexter, Levar, Newport Beach Music Party, and the list goes on.

We all were focused, positive and directed…by Mrs. Lanning.  What an inspirational leader!  Her passion, courage, and love of Newport community and school go unrivaled.  This is a big reason Newport El will continue to excel.

The late Brad Sneeden was the architect of the Lanning/Poletti match.  Who else could have had the uncanny insight to put two high school veterans together at an elementary school that was labeled “School in Improvement?”  To a large degree, what the entire NES staff accomplished this year is a tribute to his great vision.

And you want icing on the cake?  I spent untold hours crunching EOG numbers.  My calculations are conservative and unofficial, but they have us making strident gains.    I predict that when official numbers are released, Newport Nation may be dancing in the streets.  This will be a tribute to our collective and unceasing commitment to excellence.

Though I must roll, I know I always have a home in Newport.  And I never know which way the path ahead will diverge.  So leave the light on for me.

Because of you, there will always be an illuminated part of my heart — and golden memories — that belong to Newport Elementary School.

I wish you the best as NES continues its assent to the limitless heights of excellence.

Thank you again for allowing me to breathe “Hawk Air.”

AP of the Year, representing Newport Nation…

Carteret County Employees of the Year

Final Laps

Though testing is far from over, we already are showing some solid finishes.

Our “unofficial” overall reading scores are running slightly ahead of last year’s.  With 113 reading retests on tap for Friday, we can only gain more ground.  So every reading retest counts, and we must do all we can to get as many over the proficiency bar on Friday’s final lap for reading as possible.  And we recognize the staff is running hard each morning during remediation to do just that!

Our “unofficial” overall math scores are running significantly higher than last year’s.  With 65 math retests on tap for Monday, we can also pick up prized ground here.  And we applaud all who are chipping in to make the afternoon math tutoring a success.

Unfortunately, on the AYP racing circuit, it is not just overall scores–but also sub-group scores–that define our place on the podium.  We are still in the race with EC and Econ Disadvantaged sub-groups in both reading and math.  But they are projected to be photo-finishes at the wire.

Therefore, we can only do as we’ve done all year:  dig in, give it our all, and keep our eyes on the prize of every student making growth…right up until the end.

In the words of the great football coach Vince Lombardi, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

Finish strong!

Symphony

Daniel Pink (2005) writes:  ”In any symphony, the composer and the conductor have a variety of responsibilities.  They must make sure that the brass horns work in synch with the woodwinds, that the percussion instruments don’t drown out the violas. But perfecting those relationships–important though it is–is not the ultimate goal of their efforts.  What conductors and composers desire–what separates the long remembered from the  quickly forgotten–is the ability to marshal these relationships into a whole whose magnificence exceeds the sum of its parts.”

Our EOG testing process has an ongoing symphonic quality; without a doubt, Su-Lin and Elizabeth are masters of orchestration.  They have marshalled up test administrators, proctors, environments, accommodations, materials, schedules, retests, and results in an efficient, effective and organized manner.

It is artistry to make music of the madness that is EOG testing. Within the last seven school days, we have done Extend2’s in reading for 21 students, extend 2’s in Math for 17 students, EOG’s in reading for 363 students, and EOG’s in math for 364 students.  And we just received a spontaneous arrangement sent at 10:19 last night that sets up for today the first series of Extend2 retests and EOG make-ups for 30 students.

The players tune up their instruments again today for another round of high stakes testing.  We are all the music-makers, following the conductor batons of Su-lin and Elizabeth.

And if our first listen to the testing results that were delivered yesterday afternoon is any indication, this year’s EOG symphony at NES may be some long remembered music to our ears.

The Commitment to Excellence

…is habitual hard work.

The EOG teachers and proctors are just one example of that ethic.  They supply and organize materials.  They circulate among student desks for 135 minutes straight.  They make sure student test items and answer keys are in the same zip code.  They attend to the geometry of the various papers on student desks.  They oversee errant pencil markings and eraser blemishes on answer keys.  They pick up pencils and calculators that drop to the floor.  They pick up heads that drop to the desks.  They bring tissues to runny-nosed kids and escort those that “gotta go.”

They read scripts verbatim, mind the clock, and lead stretching during breaks. They guard against misadministration. They keep test items secure.

They cannot do anything more.

Here’s to our teachers and proctors for their great personal investment in this endgame!

Right now, our entire staff is operating like a juggernaut focused on a common cause.  It is what leads Millie Temple, our liaison from Central Services, to call us the “most structured testing environment” she has ever seen and a “PERFECT model!”

I could not agree more with Millie’s assessment.

Soar on!  Soar on!

Random Acts of Heroism

…OR…why Newport Elementary School will triumph.

Heroic Acts from 5/19:

• The morning duty staff in the media center adapt to the avalanche of students who missed the memo and showed up there before school.
• The U-11 soccer stars set the “golden” standard on the morning news.
• The cafe ladies deliver 430 to-go breakfasts pre-EOG.
• 2 first grade and 2 second grade teachers answer the call to remediate our Extend2’s in reading. Grade level teachers provide resources.
• The other teachers in those grades absorb the students from the four classes to make the remediation happen.
• Vicky, Dean, Shawn and the PE department convert the gym to a cinema. Later, they break it down and set it up again…this time with surround sound.
• The PE teachers structure some much needed recreation for assorted students who are not in the formal EOG environment.
• The cafe ladies handle the unpredictable lunch arrival times of the test-takers.
• Three teachers/proctors sacrifice their afternoons to monitor the slow finishers.
• Many teachers handle discipline in their classrooms as the HC and specials operate on an EOG schedule.

These are among the random heroic acts of individuals who put team first and victory at hand during the Reading EOGs.

This staff is truly remarkable and appreciated. Soar on!