The Decree
VOL. 7, NO. 6 North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, N.C. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6,1991
I •
Wesleyan aims to boost math instruction
North Carolina Wesleyan
College has been given $20,300
from the Eisenhower Mathemat
ics and Science Program for
Higher Education for the project
“Increasing Math Achievement”
The main priority of the pro
gram is to provide primary class
room teachers with the skills and
knowledge to deliver more effec
tive mathematics instruction. The
purpose of the project is to pro-
Wesleyan
offers study
at Sorbonne
North Carolina Wesleyan
College plans to offer students
the opportunity to study French
history, language, architecture,
and art in Paris, France, this sum
mer in a new program called
NCWC at the Sorbonne.
Students will be enrolled in
one of the world’s oldest and most
prestigious universities, the
Sorbonne of the University of
Paris, France.
Heading up this venture is
Karine Sparrow-Ginter, a new
NCWC professor who joined the
college from East Carolina Uni
versity where she was co-founder
and director of the ECU-Sorbonne
program. She has directed travel/
study programs in France and
Spain since 1969 and has intro
duced hundreds of students to the
rich cultural heritage of Europe.
The program will last six
weeks, from June 29-Aug. 9.
Placement tests will be adminis
tered upon arrival in Paris to de-
teimine the stadents’ ability lev
els, which range from the abso
lute beginner to more advanced
levels. The first week is dedicated
to an orientation in Paris, while
learning to work the metro and
bus systems, location of major
monuments, and notable neigh
borhoods of Paris.
In addition to their language
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vide teachers with skills, confi
dence, and materials to implement
the curriculum effectively to re
duce the g^s in achievement, and
make mathematics accessible and
enjoyable to more students. The
primary goal is to provide 500
students in rural HaU&x County
with impropriate first-hand expe
riences in math-related activities.
The project, targeted at
Inborden School and private
Finals are just around the cor
ner and many Wesleyan students
are rushing to cram a semester of
learning into one night. Group
studying is not uncommon and is
often preferred to studying alcme.
But as the curfew draws near, a
problem arises — where can a
group of students go to study into
the wee hours of the morning?
The library is offering a solu
tion. Once again, the library is
extending its hours during exam
week. Students are now able to
use the library facilities as late as
schools in the county, will ben
efit 20 teachers in Halifax County.
Ninety-five percent of the stu
dents in the targeted school are
identified as minority students
with 88 percent receiving free or
reduced school lunches. A review
of past achievement data indicates
54 percent of the students fall be
low average achievement. Forty-
nine percent are from single-par
ent households. Most are from
midnight on some finals.
On Monday through Wednes
day, the library is open until mid
night. Regular hours will resume
on Dec. 12.
For students who wish that the
library was open later hours on a
regular basis, the library is look
ing to permanently extend the
hours starting next year.
“The library use has picked up
tremendously in the last two
years,” said A1 LaRose, director
of the library. There has been
sufficient demand for the increase
in hours and LaRose hopes to en
act this plan next year.
rural Halifax County along with
some migrant children.
The recent “report card” for
Halifax County issued by the
State Department of Public In
struction indicates that the county
struggles to provide equitable ac
cess to a quality educational pro
gram. The schools lack the basic
supplies and resources to imple
ment effective programs.
Wesleyan’s project will provide
By CECILIA LYNN CASEY
Wesleyan continued the
Christmas season last week with
a tree lighting ceremony on
Wednesday. A small group of
students joined Judy Boyd and
Carl Turner in decorating a me-
dium-size tree located on the pa
tio outside the Hardee’s building.
Braving the cold weather, the
group hung candy from the
branches and dr^>ed white lights
around the outer limbs of the tree.
Boyd began the celebration by
saying, “Usually the tree lighting
ceremony is a solemn event;
however, this year we’re just go
ing to let it be a time to come
together as a community.”
The tree and all the decora
tions were paid for by the Cam
pus Activities Board. The tree’s
candy decorations are for every
one who is passing by. Also, Boyd
explained that the reason white
lights were chosen over colored
lights was because when Martin
Luther began the tradition of put
ting lights on Christmas trees, he
only had white lights. So to keep
the tradition, Wesleyan’s Christ
mas Tree only has white lights.
Turner had the honor of plug
ging in the tree after it was com-
resources and teacher renewal to
encourage improvonent in math
ematics instructicHi. Materials will
serve as a basis for a professional
library for mathematics in the
school.
The intended outcome of this
project is improved primary
grades mathematics instruction
and achievement. Teachers will
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pletely decorated. Before he did
so, he said a few words about the
ceremony.
“Driving back to Wesleyan
after Thanksgiving break, I no
ticed that there were many stores
that had Christmas trees for sale
and I was reminded that I was not
going to be able to be home with
my family when they decorated
our tree,” he said. “So I think that
this is important for the college
to have this for students because
it gives the students a chance to
have a sense of belonging to the
community.”
Graduate donates prize
to chemistry department
The NCWC Chemistry De
partment has been chosen by Ed
ward S. Tripp of Park City, 111.,
to receive $10,0(X) from Abbott
Laboratories.
Tripp, a 1974 Wesleyan grad
uate in chemistry, was one of four
employees across the nation who
received Abbott’s “Outstanding
Researcher Award,” the com
pany's highest research honor.
He received 200 shares of Ab
bott stock and $10,000 to donate
to the university of his choice.
Tripp joined Abbott in 1972.
Completing ROTC tour
Major Blake Adams G«ft) completes his tour of duty at North
Carolina Wesleyan Collie at the end of this semester. Captain
Paul Grady (right) takes over as head of the campus ROTC.
Library staying open
later to help studying
By DELINDA LEE
Christmas
tree lighting
opens season