Hickory Public Schools

	NC Teacher of the Year Addresses NC Budget--and More! Meet North Carolina Teacher of the Year -- Karyn Dickerson. Discover her passion for teaching and her concerns about the NC budget. (Article by Lindsay Wagner & Photo by Ricky Leung)
	HCAM Celebrates Second Year of Prom King & Queen Before the close of the school year, Hickory Career & Arts Magnet High School celebrated the school's 2nd prom! As a new tradition, reflective of proms through generations, HCAM announced their Prom KING & QUEEN. The reigning Prom Queen for 2013 is Jade Strickland, a 2013 graduate of the Cosmetology Academy. The reigning Prom King for 2013 is Dustin Tummelson, a 2013 graduate of the Theatre Arts Academy. The students are joined by David Coyne, HCAM principal.
	Northview’s School Nurse Wins NCPTA Award! Ginny Beisler, the school nurse at Northview Middle School, was recently recognized by the NC Parent Teacher Association (NCPTA) for her dedication to excellence. (Click link)
	New Assistant Principal Announced for Hickory High Starting with the new school year, the students at Hickory High will notice a new administrator on campus, as newly hired Titus L. Hopper will serve HHS as an assistant principal. Assuming the role previously held by Eric Hight, who recently retired, Hopper will join the administrative team led by Dr. Ann Stalnaker, principal, and additional assistant principals, Shannon Clemons and Caroline Lovette. (Click link)
	New Leadership Announced for Hickory Career & Arts Magnet High Following the Monday night meeting of the Board of Education, Hickory Public Schools, Teresa Carroll was announced as the new Principal for Hickory Career & Arts Magnet High School, also known in the community as HCAM. Carroll, who currently serves as the Assistant Principal for HCAM, will assume her new duties on July 1, 2013. The position came open following the resignation of Principal David Coyne, who resigned to move his family to the Charlotte area for new opportunities. (Click link)
	HPS Selects Director of Exceptional Children/AIG Amanda Witherspoon Byrd has been selected as the new Director of the Exceptional Children and Academically & Intellectually Gifted Program at Hickory Public Schools, effective July 1, 2013. Byrd, who has served as a program specialist within the department since 2006, will assume the director duties following the retirement of Lorane Rohr on June 30. Rohr has served as Director of the EC/AIG Program for the past 13 years. (Click link)
	Averitt Serves as National Speaker to Promote Keeping Kids in School Alice Averitt, the Graduation Coach for Hickory Career & Arts Magnet High School, has been working as a dropout specialist for high school students for more than 25 years. And now her successful efforts are being noticed—on a national level. Averitt is sharing her career journey with other educators and parents who want to make a difference in the lives of young people. (Click link)
	Viewmont Teacher Wins Wells Fargo Outstanding Educator! All eyes and hearts watched Alison Milstead, 2nd grade teacher at Viewmont Elementary, as her name was called from the podium during the school’s recent awards day. Just the call of her name sent a wave of cheers across the gym—without any idea of what was yet to be announced. Milstead has a big fan club at Viewmont. After Milstead received a bouquet of flowers, Principal Jeff Hodakowski turned over the microphone to Philip Moore, business banking manager with Wells Fargo Bank. Moore announced Milstead as the winner of the 2013 Wells Fargo Outstanding Educator Award. (Click link)
	HHS Golf Wins 13th Straight Conference The 2013 Hickory High School men’s golf team went undefeated in conference play this spring to win the 13th straight conference golf title dating back to the 2001 season. (Click link)
	HPS Recognizes Retirees Hickory Public Schools recently held a luncheon to honor all HPS retires from both 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. The event, held at Market on Main, included opening remarks from Dr. Walter Hart, HPS superintendent. The invocation was provided by Reverend T. Anthony Spearman who also serves on the HPS Board of Education. Following the luncheon, retirees were recognized by Dr. Hart and Reginald Hamilton, vice chair, HPS Board of Education. Each retiree was awarded with an engraved plaque and honored for their dedicated service to the students of Hickory Public Schools. Click link.
	HPS Announces Volunteers of Year 2013! Volunteers for Hickory Public Schools are involved in countless efforts to enhance the lives of students. These volunteers do a little of everything—from reading stories to students and serving as lunch buddies—to donating snacks and clothing items. Some volunteers organized a district-wide art competition or led math and science fairs; while another volunteer launched a community-wide effort to purchase new books for a media center. Volunteers serve as a vital link to the development of Hickory Public Schools. (click link)
	"No Excuses" Opens Minds to Opportunity Stop making excuses. How many times have we heard this phrase while growing up? How many times have adults repeatedly shared this advice with young people? It’s not uncommon for these words of advice to be ignored when it comes to personal accountability and responsibility. But that’s no longer the case for students involved with the No Excuses program at Hickory High School. (Click link)
	Claire McCrea--Great Job at National Spelling Bee! Claire McCrea, representing Hickory Public Schools as the Regional Champion, competed in the National Spelling Bee this week in Washington, D.C. She tied for 43rd place out of 281. According to Claire's mother, Ellen McCrea, everyone from 42nd place and up went to semifinals. "So close. Claire was bummed. She never misspelled a word in an oral round but her written test score was just a few points short of qualifying for the semifinals," said Mrs. McCrea. "But Claire won another $100, had a great trip (hotel was AMAZING), was interviewed by four TV stations, had a video made of her this week by the Charlotte Observer, and got to spell all of her words correctly on National TV!" HPS is extremely proud of Claire McCrea! Congrats for a job well done!
	EOG Test Scores Not Available Until October, 2013 Attention Parents & Students: New End-of-Grade assessments (EOG) for Math, English/Language Arts and Science were administered for the first time this past spring (2013). The NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is processing the test data this summer--and therefore, scores will not be available until October, 2013. Once the State Board of Education has approved the scores, schools will provide parents with each student's "Individual Student Report." If you have questions, contact your child's school principal or contact Shawn Clemons, director of accountability at the HPS administrative services location.
	Two Winners of Patrick Beaver Scholarship Foundation from HHS! Congrats to 2013 graduates: Katie Mathewson and Thinh Truong for winning the Patrick Bveaver Scholarship Foundation award! The foundation is named in honor and memory of Patrick Beaver, a Hickory native who attended HPS and was a rising senior at Christ School in Arden when he died in 1997. The award is given to students who possess strong character, leadership, solid academics and clear educational goals. Congrats! (Click HPS Facebook page to read entire story on award!)