CONTENTS

2012

Huntington Viking Power…………………………..

o Vikings in training

Hines Spartan Success……………………………………

o Total Commitment to the Total Child

o Community Sponsors Help Spartans Soar

Crittenden Cougar PAAWS………………………………

o Scratching the Surface

o Tech Talk

Newsome Park Navigators……………………………….

o Lynn Bacchus Takes it Personal

o Ashe Knows Academics

Hidenwood Huskies……………………………………...

o A Community Connected

o and A Little Child Shall Lead Them

o Majors’ Mastermind

Sedefield Soaring to Success…………………………….

o Tag Teaming With the Coordinators

o Tech-Talk

Hello 21st Century students, parents and community partners!

I am pleased to announce our newest publication “i-Century”, which will illustrate the wonderful

components of our Newport News Public Schools 21st Century Community Learning Center programs,

and share with you just some of our many successes. As the Program Administrator, I am honored and

truly humbled by the contributions, collaboration, dedication, and support from the participating

schools, parents, partners, and students! I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with you

during the second half of this school year, and sharing the many more successes that are sure to come.

A thought to remember: Parents, it takes a village to successfully raise a child, and WE the 21st Century

staff thank you for allowing us to be members of your village.

Sincerely,

Corey L. Gordon

Mr. G’s Corner

“Kids are not only our

future; they are also

our right now.” ~Miss

Angie, Community

Partner and proprietor

of Angelica’s Beauty

Salon, Hampton,

Virginia

Click here for Mr G’s Message

Isaiah Stevens, freshman

soccer player from Warwick

High School, is not only

scoring on the field, but also in

the classroom. A self-

proclaimed rule follower,

Stevens models the importance

of a focused mind both in and

out of the classroom.

Isaiah demonstrates his

scholarship by previewing all

assignments before students are

given the task in order to

troubleshoot possible

challenges. Once he does this,

Isaiah works with teachers and

tutors to devise the most

comprehensible teaching

strategy to ensure students are

victorious. When asked why he

goes the extra mile, Stevens

declares, “I know what it’s

like. I’ve been there.”

The sad-eyed 6th

grader who

entered Huntington Middle

School with uneasy trepidation

over four years ago is no more.

Now confident and carefree,

Serenity Abdullah Muhammad

saunters through the halls

beaming, eager to help students

who now sit where she sat only

a short while ago.

Serenity maintains perfect

attendance and is a contributor

to Menchville High School’s

writing club, MHS Writes.

When asked why Serenity is

the tutor she looks for, LaKira

Nicholson simply states, “She

listens,” proving that Serenity

Abdullah Muhammad is indeed

a calming force to the students

in Huntington Middle School’s

21st Century Program.

Vikings in Training, or V.I.T.s, is

the next tier of mentoring and

instruction in the 21st Century

Community Learning Center. The

high school program was started by

coordinator, Mrs. Marcia Little,

who realized that Viking alumni

were not ready to go to the next

level without a support system.

V.I.T.s are students who have

successfully graduated from the

program and have been selected

based on their academic

performance and behavioral

maturation to go through a training

course designed to help them

Huntington Viking Power’s Vikings in Training

are Viable Parts to This Successful Program

develop the communication and

career readiness skills that they will

need to assist program participants

with literacy, content area subjects,

computer applications, and social

concerns.

Serenity Abdullah Muhammad and

Isaiah Stevens are high school

freshman who know firsthand the

difficulties students have balancing

social and academic life with ease.

Honor Roll students, Muhammad

and Stevens have committed

themselves to reaching back to help

fellow Vikings navigate school

with ease.

Viking love empowers, protects, and persists.

V.I.T.s are responsible for assisting

teachers and tutors as needed,

working one on one with students,

riding the busses home with the

program participants to ensure

safety, and providing

companionship to fellow Vikings.

Hines Middle School

The 21st Century Community

Learning Center at Hines Middle

School may be the new boots on

the middle school circuit, but it is

certainly holding its own. With

enrollment for the sixth grade

only program booming at an

average daily attendance rate of

55 students, the Spartan camp is

more than showing promise.

Teaming with community

partners like One Life Fitness and

Midtown Community Center gives

program participants access to a

wide selection of enrichment

activities from art to Zumba.

Enrichment classes are offered as

a complement to the literacy and

math based academic classes that

are built in to the rigorous schedule.

Total Commitment to the Total Child

The total child concept is the

foundation of the success of the

program. Focusing on the mental,

physical, and socio-emotional

wellness of each student ensures

measurable success found in

each 21st Century Learning Community division wide.

Program Co-Lead, Yolanda Oliver,

knows all too well that academic

success is directly impacted by

social and emotional factors.

“Students don’t care what we

know unless they know that we

care,” says the full time

counselor. “21st Century gives

students that opportunity to

interact with adults without their

guards up in a warm learning environment.”

“In every community, there is work to be done. In every

nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is

the power to do it.” Marianne Williamson

Community Sponsors Help Students Soar

When schools and community affiliates

work together, students benefit. The

partnerships forged with Sonya Silverio

from One Life Fitness and Marhonda

Williams from Midtown Community

Center allow 21st Century students to

benefit from sharing and maximizing

resources with the collective goal of

promoting healthy behaviors today that

will foster productive citizens tomorrow.

Cougar PAAWS:

Doing More than

Scratching the Surface

Crittenden Middle School’s

Cougar PAAWS has started off

its sophomore year in the 21st

Century Family with a bang!

With enrollment spiking at over

100 students, there is plenty to

be proud of. Crittenden PAAWS

is the forerunner of the S.T.E.M.

(Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Math) and

social studies initiatives, which

provide additional support for

achievement and cultivates an

atmosphere of advancement.

S.T.E.M. STUDENTS:

Touching Tomorrow Today

“Kids are not just our future; they

are also our right now! We don’t

know what the future holds. I love

dealing with the young folk. They

are like sponges, absorbing

everything we teach them. They

all have different personalities

and since 2007, I have the

pleasure to watch them mature

from 6th

graders to mature

students ready to progress into

high school and beyond.”

~Miss Angie

PAAWS students participate in

courses such as Culinary Arts,

Drama and Dance Corp, Cougar

Creations (News Crew), and

STEM with an emphasis on

financial literacy as well as a

host of exciting physical fitness

activities that strengthen their

minds and their bodies.

The dedicated tutors provide an

exceptional example for our

students as they mentor and

encourage our PAAWS students

to achieve their dreams.

Community partners Joe Clark,

owner of A Perfect Style beauty

and hair salon in Newport

News, and Angela Martin,

owner of Angelica’s Beauty

Salon in Hampton, have

been21st Century partners since

the program’s inception. These

successful business executives

have touched the heads and

hearts of children from the all

over the city, tip to tip. With

over a decade of collective

entrepreneurial expertise, Mr.

Joe, and Ms. Angie provide

more than shape ups and styles;

they are committed to equipping

tomorrow’s leaders with pride

and purpose today.

“Being able to build relationships and equip (the

students) as they progress into high school is great.”

~JOE CLARK

21st Century Tech Talk

21st Century is committed to surpassing the

technological expectations of the division by standing

out as an innovator in computer science. Aiming to

close the achievement gap, 21st Century Learning

Communities are equipped with onsite TCIS experts like

Mrs. Bonnie Adams.

“Technology doesn’t replace solid classroom

instruction. It enhances it.” Corey Gordon, 21st Century

program administrator explained to the Cougar PAAWS

staff during the roll-out talks for the new iPad labs. He

wanted to make sure that the students maintained access

to the research proven best practices that have set

Newport News Public Schools apart from other

divisions.

Danielle Treiber, newcomer to the 21st Century family,

has brought a fresh approach to applying understanding

in the classroom. Her 7th

graders explored the web-based

zooming presentation application phenomenon, Prezi.

“Technology labs and small groups allow me to solidify

instruction and extend the learning without borders.”

~DANIELLE TREIBER, TEACHER

Intervention Done Right Ch

art

ing

A C

ou

rse

fo

r S

uc

ce

ss

Beyond the Basics with Lynn Bacchus

Servicing nearly 800

students and their families

is no easy feat, but that is

the task Newsome Park

Elementary School is

Lynn Bacchus Takes it Personally

Students Take Notice

Ashe Knows Academics

Visitors to Newsome Park

Elementary School would

never guess what lies just

beyond the array of print

and digital media walk into

the back room of the

library. Mrs. Arlene Ashe

sits with her students,

moving the theory of small

group instruction from a

theoretical best practice to

an applied strategy.

Student engagement is

the first observation made

in this 21st Century

classroom, yet equally

remarkable are the

invisible instructional tools

.

charged with. Thankfully,

the 21st Century

Community Learning

Center partnership makes

the assignment attainable.

Site Coordinator, Lynn

Bacchus started as an

intern with the 21st

Century family over three

years ago. When asked

why she remains

connected and

passionate, she beams, “I

love knowing that I am

making a difference.”

Bacchus attributes making

a difference to the

opportunity for

individualized instruction

and personal touch the

11:1 teacher/student ratio

the learning community

provides.

5th grader, Nashawn

Crittle, has been with the

program since the third

grade. He verbalizes the

personal touch Ms.

Bacchus speaks of when

he states, “A family takes

care of me, and 21st

Century is like my family.”

The community of care

that is obviously

established creates a

forum of trust whereby

students are not

concerned with making

mistakes. They

understand the process of

thinking aloud and use it

openly as they analyze

text on their road to

discover intellectual

responses.

In this class, thinking is

respected and expected.

Students use Kegan

strategies to process

internally and then aloud

with their peers. Students

understand that the “right

answer” is not found like a

word in a word search

puzzle, but like a

scavenger hunt, where

each clue is equally

important to finding the

ultimate prize.

Students know this

because Mrs. Ashe

knows. how to meet them

where they are and guide

them to where they want

to be.

Newsome Park Navigators: Charting a Course for Success

Page 2 of 3

21st Century training and

support transformed a

terrific teacher into an

exceptional educator.

Students are not the only

people that have

reservations about new

quests. Mrs. Deborah

Roberts also spoke

candidly about her

apprehension. “I was a

K-2 special educator, and

I didn’t know whether I

had what it took to teach

the 21st Century students.

That was over a year ago,

and Mrs. Roberts is now a

star teacher and innovator

at Hidenwood Elementary

A Community Connected

Tekavia Breaux, has been

a 21st Century student

since the third grade.

Citing the use of digital

media and technology, the

bright eyed fifth grader

discusses the highlights of

committing her after

school hours to the 21st

Century Program. “I like

creating projects on the

computer that help me

with science and math.

We don’t get to do that in

the daytime.”

Like most 11 year olds,

“And A LittLe ChiLd ShALL LeAd them…”

97% of the students who

attend Hidenwood

Elementary School receive

free or reduced lunch, and

21st Century site

coordinator, Terri Majors,

wants 100% of the students

to succeed. According to

Majors, 21st Century’s

Inside Majors’ mAStermind

School’s 21st Century

Community Learning

Center.

What made the

difference? According to

Roberts, it was the

training and support that

the program provided to

the staff. “I could talk

about anything,” Mrs.

Roberts declared.

The students in Mrs.

Robert’s class are

fortunate to be in her class

and they know it. Before

leaving for the evening,

after a long school day,

one student sauntered

over to Mrs. Roberts,

looked up to her teacher

and said, “Can I have a

math sheet to work on at

home?”

This small-voiced request

is a testament to Mrs.

Roberts’ instructional

expertise. The students

are not the only lucky

ones—21st Century is too!

Web site and post it.

Tekavia is full of energy

and eagerness to learn.

The extension of the

regular school day allows

her and the other 21st

Century Community

Learning Center students

the opportunity to expend

that energy in an upbeat,

social environment that

promotes healthy living

and rigorous academic

instruction. Along with her

classmates, Breaux

benefits from the small

group instruction

and collaborative

activities. “It doesn’t

matter if I get up out of my

seat to work with my

friends and no one gets

mad because, we are

allowed to work together

and it helps me

understand better too.”

Tutors, teachers, and a

team of talented

educators help to make

students like Tekavia

Breaux touch the tips of

their dreams.

curriculum based

instruction provides the

roadmap toward achieving

academic successes and

much more.

“I believe in the program

and growth I’ve seen it

provide,” Mrs. Majors says

of the learning community

designed to remediate and

accelerate student

achievement. She strongly

believes that the rapport

built between students and

staff creates a community

of care that infects

everyone touched by the

21st Century Community

Learning Center.

Hidenwood Huskies

Sedgefield Elementary

School is one of the

newest additions to the

21st Century Family.

Eagles’ Soaring toward

Success is just what the

students’ needed as it

brings a unique

opportunity for learning.

Though it extension of the

school day, 21st Century

sets itself apart from other

afterschool programs. The

program is curriculum

based, and child centered,

to provide the 21st Century

students an academic,

fitness, and enriching

energy shot for the mind

and body

Tag Teaming with Regina Forrest and Shaundalyn Thomas

Sentinal: How do you

decide what the students

will create to synthesize

the learning goals?

Patricia Young: I consider

the performance

assessments built in to the

curriculum, and include

the tools and programs

available to the division. I

introduce students to

programs like Wordle,

Photostory, MovieMaker

and KidPix3 so they can

see how these programs

help them use their critical

thinking skills. Later in the

year, all students will be

working on their personal

blogs, using Thinkquest.org

as they move toward

Tech Talk with Patricia Young

“I like teaching students to use

technology as much as I like

learning how to use it myself.”

When asked what makes

21st Century different from

alternate options, Mrs.

Regina Forrest, 21st Co-

Coordinator at Sedgefield

unapologetically states,

“Just look at the title. 21st

Century is geared towards

training students for the

time we live in now and

preparing them to be the

community leaders we will

need for them become for

the future.”

This assignment isn’t

taken lightly by either Mrs.

Forrest or Mrs. Thomas as

they are not opposed to

stepping outside of their

Coordinator’s role to make

sure the program runs

smoothly and students are

equipped with the

necessary tools to achieve

the highest academic

honors.

becoming global

communicators.

What is the goal for the

students of 21st Century

as it relates to

technology?

Students need to have basic skills when it comes to using a computer. They must know how to use a variety of “tech tools” to create projects or complete assignments. Students also need to navigate the internet safely. My overall goal for our 21st Century students is that each will build their own tech portfolio, with tools they can apply to class assignments.

These are skills that our students will take with them wherever they go.

Sedgefield Elementary’s

fourth grade teacher, Ms.

Patricia Young has been

teaching in Newport

News, VA for 8 years. The

self-proclaimed tech

advocate says she loves

learning new ways to use

technology for education

and enjoyment. Young

believes that networking

has helped her improve

her skills in technology

and aims to pass those

skills to students and co-

workers.

Sedgefield Elementary School

Soaring

Toward

Success

A COMMUNITY CONNECTED

The Virginia Peninsula

Foodbank is a longstanding

partner with Newport News

Public School Division and

the 21st Century Program.

Last year alone, the

Foodbank distributed

9,243,449 pounds of food

and related products, with

the largest percentage going

directly to the families

within the city.

Virginia Peninsula Foodbank

aims to eradicate hunger and

promote healthy eating

through community

partnerships and education.

The United States Tennis Association Partners with the

Newport News Public Schools’ 21st Century Community

Learning Center Programs

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has

partnered with the Newport News 21st Century Community

Learning Center programs to bring 10 and under tennis to

our school division. With the enthusiastic support of USTA

Virginia Tennis, our 21st CCLC students have been given

the opportunity to get involved with the game of tennis

through the new Quick Start program. Quick Start allows

beginners to learn the game using smaller rackets, sponge

balls and shorter tennis courts. Many thanks to Janine

Underwood, Executive Director of USTA Virginia Tennis

and her staff for all of their support in helping to bring

Quick Start to our 21st Century programs. Parents are asked

to please take advantage of a new USTA promotion to

provide free memberships to 10 and under kids across the

nation. Just complete the application and have your child

return it to his/her 21st Century site coordinator. The free

USTA 10 and Under membership is a $20 value, so make

Scan for more information on the

10 and under Tennis Program

Feeding the

City’s

Children:

Mind, Body,

and Soul

Among the many outreach

programs sponsored by the

Foodbank is the annual

Harlem Wizards

exposition. On May

18th,2012 at 6:00pm. The

Peninsula Foodbank will

welcome the Harlem

Wizards at Heritage High

School,in Newport

News. The Harlem Wizards

offer a unique brand of

Harlem-style basketball,

featuring high-flying slam

dunks, dazzling ball-

handling tricks, and hilarious

comedy routines. While

much fun will be

experienced at this event, we

are also hoping to raise funds

to continue on with and grow

our Child Hunger

Programs. Save the date,

tickets on sale soon!!!

Our parenting courses utilize Developmental Assets ™ research from the Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN, Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty; current research on the development of the “Teenage Brain”; and other prevention and personal growth information for adults, children, youth and the family.

As a member of the City of Newport News “Keeping Our Kids Safe” Initiative, the office offers quality parenting programs to help fulfill Goal II, of the initiative which states, “To increase the capacity of families to provide a safe nurturing environment.” [for children and youth ]

We also offer Anger Management for adults 17 years and older the last Saturday of every month. Teens as young as 13 to 16 years may also attend this 8 hours class, however, a parent or a designated adult over the age of 18 must accompanied the younger teen. All of our programs are open to the community and there are no fees attached. To find out more information or to register for any upcoming program call Ms. Scott at 757.369.6807.

The City of Newport News has played a role in providing quality parenting education and other family friendly courses, workshops and presentations since 1993. We employ programs such as the Nurturing Parenting Programs®, Active Parenting of Teens TM, the Strengthening Families Program©, the Virginia Supreme Court Co-Parenting Seminar for parents or others seeking custody of a child and the International Association of Infant Massage classes.

A COMMUNITY PROTECTED

YOUTH LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Police Advisory Board

Newport News high school students meet weekly to plan an annual project that will have a positive impact on young people in

our community of Newport News. Students meet regularly with the Chief of Police to provide input for youth focused

solutions and updates on annual project progress. Field trips and hands on knowledge of the NNPD are part of this youth

leadership program.

Mayors Youth Commission

Selected Newport New high school students meet on the first and 3rd Monday of each month to work on policy and

procedures affecting youth. During the year ,students have the opportunity to present their work to the Mayor and discuss

outcomes.

Mentor Task Force

Task Force meets every 3rd Wednesday and is open to any youth mentor organization. Task Force members share resources

and best practice information on current mentor initiatives.

Application and interview process are required for both.

Youth Programs is a division of Newport News Parks, Recreation & Tourism that provides fun, quality and supervised out-

of-school time experiences for youth ages 3-16. We currently have 19 afterschool locations in Newport News and have been

a staunch supporter of the 21st Century program since the beginning. So if you are looking for an exciting summer camp or a

special event for your child and family, check us out! For more information about Youth Programs, visit

www.redefiningplay.com or call 926-1400.

A COMMUNITY PROTECTED