NEWS
BRIEFS
More Students
Enroll in Foreign
Language Study
SPEQAL REPORT
According to a Modern Language
Association study, after two decades of
decline, high enrollment in foreign
language classes in the 1990s indicates
that students are recognizing the
importance of learning another language
in an increasingly global economy.
The study reveals that 1995
regisuations are 13.5 percent higher than
in 1986 and 23 percent higher than in
1980.
March is....
Celebrate Foreign
Language Month
Cloning
page 2
MTV Intem
page 4
Vibes
page 9
WilloMay
page 12
Vibes
page 9
Fashion Police
page 13
Sexual Assaults
page 14
Poetry Comer
page15
Did You Know....
The first black newspaper in
modern times, The Atlanta
Daily World, began publishing
on March 13,1932 ?
Math & Science Academy
Helps Students Develop Skills
BY CHERYL CASH
Staff Writer
“The teachers at my school don’t
have time to give me the extra help that 1
need,” said Kanita Adams, a student at
Hill Middle School. “Here at the Math &
Science Academy, the teachers are
helping me develop skills for the future.”
What is The Math & Science
Academy of Excellence? What does this
special academy offer that can get middle
school students (6, 7 and 8th graders) to
give up their Saturday mornings?
The Math & Science Academy,
which was established eight years ago, is
the brainchild of Dr. Virginia K. Newell,
professor emeritus of Winston-Salem-
Stale University and former Winston-
Salem Alderman from 1977 to 1995. She
was also chairman of WSSU’s Math
Department from 1965 to 1985. She is
currently a real estate broker and owner of
GFN Realty Co.
The academy grew out of the Best
Choice Center. Children who were
deficient in math were involved in
tutoring at the center. Newell saw a need
to provide students with the math skills
they would need to be able to compete
globally. After the students showed
remarkable progress, it was decided that
they needed to go beyond the basic math
concepts and principles. Newell stated
that her purpose for teaching mathematics
rose from her love of math and her love
for leaching.
“God gave me a talent for math. I
have a passion for teaching and math. I
have a passion for imparting math,”
explained Newell. “It was fun. It was
like solving a puzzle. I felt that
everybody should know it.”
She has attended many conferences
on how to get math across to students.
Newell says, “I can teach calculus to the
smallest ones. I consider myself a master
in calculus.”
Newell realized that the students and
the program now required classroom
space and funds to provide classroom
instruction. The program received a
partial graJit from the National Science
Foundation through the Winston-Salem
Forsyth County School
System. The program was
endorsed by the
superintendent of Forsyth
County Schools and the
former WSSU Chancellor Dr.
Cleon Thompson.
The academy’s program
is held every Saturday from 8
a.m. - Noon, during the
winter and spring. The
summer expanded program,
is held five days a week
from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. for six
weeks. The academy is
housed in the R. J. Reynolds
Building during the winter
spring and summer. In the
summer, the program also
utilizes space in the Hill Hall
laboratories.
Throughout the year
teachers from WSSU and the
W-S/Forsyth County School
System work with the students.
Barbara Puryear, teaches Logic and
Critical Thinking; Barbara Massey and
Deborah Smith, tcach Communication.
They are from the W-S/Forsyth County
School system. WSSU’s Dr. Ike Okonta
teaches Philosophy and Dr. Elva Jones
tea'',hes Computer Science. Gerald Dash,
a WSSU senior, teaches application
techniques in Computer Science.
Michael C. Smith, another teacher, works
with the students in Biology, Earth
Science, Chemistry and Botany.
Students attending the academy,
have the opportunity to choose electives
which range from engineering to
journalism. Engineers from R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co., teach basic
concepts of engineering; Maestro Peter
Perret, conductor of the W-S Symphony
Orchestra, teaches music; and Denise
Franklin, former reporter and broadcast
journalist for News Channel 12 - WXIl
teaches journalism.
How did Newell recruit these middle
school children who attend the academy?
Newell explained that the children
were recruited by the counselors at their
schools.
The parents of the students who
Dr. Virgina Newell and Claire Stackhouse
attend the academy, have very positive
comments about the progress and
motivation of their children.
Mr. & Mrs. Lonnie Harris staled
that Hill Middle School’s Gifted -
Talented program recommended their
daughter, Alison, to the academy. They
say the academy is “outstanding and
wonderful.” Their daughter has made the
honor roll, her progress has improved
99.1 percent and her motivation has
improved tremendously.
“I want to enrich my math skills. I
am taking pre-algebra now,” explained
Alison. “When 1 go to high school and
take the SAT test for college, I will be
prepared. 1 like everything about the
school.”
Newell's grandaughter, Mary Banks,
said, “1 am looking to the future by
taking extra classes because 1 want to go
to Harvard.”
Dr. Gail Stackhouse says school is
excellent for her daughter, Claire,
because, “1 don’t have to push her to
come. She wants to come.”
“1 like the school. 1 want to further
develop my skills in science, because I
plan to become a doctor or a scientist,”
said Jason Walters.