Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Nov. 3, 1977, edition 1 / Page 13
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Second In A Monthly Series: Central School Where Students Prepare For Life / airar u For most 12 and 18-year- olds. Central School offers their first real concentra tion on careers and or ganized health and physi cal development at a point In their young lives which Is a crucial phase of their education. On any given day of the week, a visit to the campus will find students develop ing their talents In career exploration, which has moved to a very important role in the total educa tional program of sixth and seventh graders. Working In four labs, each seventh grader Is given an opportunity for Story By Elizabeth Stewart Photos By Tom McIntyre nine weeks In each lab to learn about construction, personal services, art and music. Boys and girls are cooking, sewing, sham pooing hair, manicuring, learning about office ma chines and office practice, welding, bricklaying, studying art and music and creating beautiful macrame pocketbooks, waU hangings, and pot tery. Each sixth grade student visits each lab six to seven times during the year for basic Instruction and demonstrations In the career areas. And moving from elementary school to Cen tral Is a big step tor 700 stu dents who comprise all sixth and seventh graders In KM District Schools. What Is Central School doing for kids la a question SIXTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS CLASS - Tim Phillips, Allan Simpson, Carla Adams, Bob Blddlx, Pat Davis, Joel McCoy and Donna Robinson, left to right, are undergoing vocabulary and spelling tests using taped programs while two other groups of students In other areas of the room are being tested, a new ap proach In classroom teaching by Ronnie Whlanant. ► 4. I rv. f WELDING CLASS - Central students get their first emphasis on specialised education In the four labs of fered to them during a school year. Here, seventh graders learn about welding. the Association of Class room Teachers asks the Herald to determine In this second In a series of fea tures on KM District Schools. Principal Larry Allen, In hla fourth year as Piin- c4>al, says that the 38 faculty members stress Individualized education. "We accept the kids as they are and work from that point. Identifying as best we can the worka bility level of each boy and girl,” said the principal. Some students at this age level have definite reading problems and Mr. Allen says quite frankly that the new testing program, approved by the state legislature, will curb these problems by re taining children in the lower grades. Central School will also be forced to remediate before the boy or girl graduates seventh grade. "When our kids don’t function at the academic level we will have to hold them back and not keep In their own age group,” said Allen, and he thinks this Is a good approach. Emphasis on decision - making Is another lu'ea that children learn about when they reach sixth and seventh grade. And there Is more emphasis on self- dlsclpUne. It’s the child’s first ex perience In band and chorus and in organized Idiyslcal education on a dally basis. Intra-murals are a big activity at Central School. Each child at Central School Is exposed to positive esqierlences In all academic areas, declares Allen. Strang emphasis Is also placed this term on First Aid, a program which was popular with students last year and gives practical knowledge and basic life support skills. Kids also like Interest Period and one of the most popular activities since 1973 has been the Central RAP, student newspaper organized by Social Studies teacher John Pet- tus and edited by Arjuana Curry. Other staffers are Becky Bolt, Mary Stevens, Heather Crowley, Trent Hullender, Quinton Rlkard, Pam Odems, Angel Allen, Angela Adams, Jerri Patterson, Kelly Goodson and Cindy Adams. "In our newspaper we have a sports page, humor page, ads like every paper, and a front page,” says Heather, who recently moved to Kings Mountain from Wilmington when her father. Dr. Crowley Joined the staff of Hendrlcks- Durham - Lee Clinic. Heather said a feature of next month’s edition will be an Interview with the new superintendent of schools, William F. Davis. Her fellow staffers are excited about the awards that Mr. Pettus wdll pre sent this year to the stu dent for best story, best Illustrations and best poetry. Interest period Is one of the most active periods of the day. Within this period of time, the students are allowed to become In volved In educational activities that are not rou tine and that attract the interest of the Individual. This part of the Central program offers the student' that needs aiddltlonal aca demic help an opportunity to receive some needed In dividual assistance that he was unable to obtain during the regular class time. The seventh grade band and the combined chorus utilize this period as a musical Interest ex perience for the students that qualify for the pro grams. Approximately 26 students aire enrolled In CPR health programs after school and are be coming certified in first aid. A realistic ai^roach la given to the health classes as boys and girls "prepare for life skills” by learning to take care of broken bcKies and bruises. Central School has a unique Parent-Teachers group In that the group has no officers and Is not or ganized, as such, rather choosing to meet every nine weeks In a Central Association of Parents to see what their children are doing. "We polled the parents last year,” said Allen, "and found they didn’t want planned programs and speakers.” The chief fund-raising project of this group Is a spring festival and all proceeds are used for needed equipment. PrlnclpsLl Allen believes, like all his faculty mem bers, that the sixth and seventh grade child can be shaped and molded much more than students In later grade levels. Peer pressure begins at seventh grade and modi fied changing class pro grams literally frighten sixth grade students who are used to small schools and suddenly become part of a 2S0 member student body composed of previously all fifth grades in the system. Heather Crowley, who attended a small school In Wilmington, has adjusted quickly to Central, where she Is a seventh grader. "Kids are nice,” she says, and she loves her work on the school newspaper. Ronnie Whlsnant, sixth grade teacher. In his popu lar language arts class, has three different teats underway at one time by taping vocabulary and W r CENTRAL PRINCIPAL — Larry Allen, In his fourth year as Central School Principal, believes this age ' student can be molded and shaped much more than higher grade students and feels this period In a child’s education Is a crucial turning point In his life. Living Today SECTION B Thursday, November 3,1977 speech tests, using a mas ter tape player and ear phones. It’s a new ap proach, which he finds most successful, and requires a lot of Inlatltlve on the teacher’s part. Fifty-five children partl- c4>ate In the sixth grade reading lab Instructed by Carole Wheeler with Janine Miller and Glenda Ivey assisting. Phonics surveys test for weak nesses and skills and all the children have a good attitude about developing their reading skills, says Carole, a third year teacher here and wife of KMSHS Principal Forrest Wheeler. Carole said that an effort Is made to Identify specific reading problems and to develop a program that would reteach reading skills that have been lost In the educational process of these Individuals. "It is our desire,” she said, "to Identify, with loced assessment Instru ments, the Independent reading level, the Instruc tional level and the frus tration level of each child taught at Central School and hopefully relate this same Information to the Junior High for our present seventh grade and will have this Information available to us for the present fifth grade next year. ’"nus entire effort.” ex plained Allen, will allow teachers to be aware of the students abilities by the opening of school each fall. In seventh grade Life Sciences, students were looking at protozoan speci mens under a mlscro- scope. Inspecting cow skulls, dissecting frogs. earthworms, sharks, and fetal pigs and preparing Insect and leaf collections. Tills popular class also plans field trips during the year and plans to tour the UNC-C Science Building In Charlotte soon. Sherrill Toney, In his ninth yeau* at Central, Instructs 99 stu dents In science and math. Ask the teachers what they think Central offers a student and most of them like Ronnie Whlsnant, of Ellenboro, will exclaim "enthusiasm.” The Learning Lab serves pupils who have not ex perienced a great deal of success and have rot pro gressed as fully as possible In their educational ex periences. Mrs. Peggy McDowell, 1976 ’Teacher of the Year, has a classroom of 12 students this year and (Turn To Page 2B) VA' ■ INTRAMURALS BIG ACTIVITY AT CENTRAL - Physical Education classes are organized on a dally basis for Central pupils who enjoy Intramurals and get their first experience "dressing out" for PE.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Nov. 3, 1977, edition 1
13
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