WHAT’S INSIDE: Hole in One | Pg. 3 Footprints Worth Following | Pg. 5Spotlight on:

CFA | Pg. 8

A WORLD APARTSarah Martin is a counselor for school-aged children on a

day-to-day basis, but for Martin, this is about the only thing that has stayed the same for her this year. As a counselor at Fairfield Middle,

Martin had gotten used to her students, their parents, her fellow staff members and even her short commute, but in the past few months,

she has voluntarily turned her world upside down.see A WORLD APART, Pg. 4

2 December 2011 school days

Well on our way to achieving greatnessDr. PatrickRussoSuperintendent of Schools

The holiday season is here, and this is a perfect time to express my gratitude and thanks for the way

our students and staff started the school year. The weeks before the school year brought various challenges from Mother Nature, but the first day of school could not have gone smoother. Thanks to ev-eryone who went the extra mile to make sure our students began the school year on time and fully prepared.

I would also like to thank our par-ents for the support they have given our school staff and administration during the first part of our school year. We rely on your time, participation and encour-agement to make sure we provide the best possible education for all of our stu-

dents. We are only a few months into the school year, but our staff is delivering the quality of education to our students that everyone expects and our students con-tinue to impress with the quality of their work! Please visit our website to see the latest highlights and accomplishments of our outstanding schools and students (www.henrico.k12.va.us).

As you know, the Henrico County Public Schools vision is to be The Pre-mier school division in the United States. We are well on our way to achieving this goal, but know we still have more work to do. During the rest of the year, we will be addressing and discussing the stu-dent achievement gap among segments of our student body. We identified these

gaps several years ago and immediately began work to improve student perfor-mance and overcome them. We have made progress but are not where we want to be. We will be asking for your help and support as we move forward and continue to make sure all of our stu-dents are achieving at the highest levels possible. Please look for announcements about community meetings where we will share information about our past, present and future efforts.

Finally, I hope everyone has a rest-ful and peaceful holiday season sharing time with family, friends and loved ones. My family and I wish you all the best during this joyous season of celebration!

Sincerely,

The Helping Hand Volunteer of the Month Award recognizes volun-teers who make a difference in our

schools. One winner is recognized each month for commitment, helpfulness, and maintaining good relationships. Victoria Stephenson from Lakeside ES won for the month of October and Jamie Ashjian from Longdale ES won for the month of November. The ABCD award is presented to various Henrico County Schools support

personnel who have made significant contributions that improved job efficien-cy, quality of services, safety, or conserved resources; performed a humanitarian or heroic act; or who responded proactively by anticipating needs and solving prob-lems without specific direction. These people have gone Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

The Henrico Education Foundation in partnership with the Henrico Federal Credit Union joins us in recognizing

these individuals by providing a check to each recipient. The winners for October were: Peggie Myers of Hermitage HS, Vickie Wilson of Ridge ES, and Henry Glaze-brook of Wilder MS.

The winners for November were: Jennifer Robinson of Echo Lake ES, Walden Green of Lakeside ES, and Jerry Knight of Technology Services.

Notes from the Board -A regular feature in School Days highlighting discussion and action at the Henrico County School Board’s monthly meetings and work sessions.

September 8, 2011, Work Session: • The School Board recognizedthe receipt of LEED certification for Holman Middle School and Glen Allen High School. • The school board accepted theDollar General Literacy Foundation Back to School grant in the amount of $4,000 for software, equipment and installation of a Promethean Board in Fair Oaks Elementary School’s Library.

September 22, 2011, Monthly Meeting: • The School Board recognizedHenrico County Public Schools’ Music Department as being honored as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” for the twelfth year in a row. HCPS is the only school system in the nation to receive this award all 12 years. • The School Board accepted the2011-2012 Foreign Language Assis-tance Program (FLAP) Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $109,713 for the Chinese Language Program. • The School Board accepted theJobs for Virginia Graduates grant, awarded to the Academy at Virginia Randolph in the amount of $21,000, from the Virginia Department of Edu-cation. • TheBoardacceptedtheVirginiaDepartment of Education’s Virginia Middle School Teacher Corps grant award in the amount of $80,000 to pro-vide salary differential for the 2011-2012 school year for members of the Virginia Middle School Teacher Corps program. • The Board approved the pro-posed update to the Strategic Plan to include two additional goals.

•••

Monthly meeting6:30 p.m.New Bridge

Helping Hands Volunteer of the Monthand

ABCD Awards

October winners (L to R) Henry Glazebrook, Vickie Wilson, Peggie Myers and Victoria Stephenson.

November winners (L to R) Walden Green, Jennifer Robinson and Jamie Ashjian. Not pictured: Jerry Knight.

school days December 2011 3

HEF hits ahole in

one

Members of the CISCO team analyze the turf on the 18th hole.

Henrico High School Principal Ronald

Rodriguez drives a ball at Hunting Hawk

Golf Club during the tournament.

There wasn’t a cloud in sight at the 13th annual Henrico Education Foundation Golf Tournament,

held on October 17th. The event raised more than $50,000 for the foundation thanks to the 31 teams that came out to give their support. “Special thanks go out to Moseley Architects, our tournament sponsor, as well as Strawbridge Studios and Valic,” said Susan Stanley, HEF’s executive director. According to Stanley, one of the key goals of the tournament is to identify new sponsors and this year, four new company sponsors came out to play. “This year was one of the best,” Stanley said. “There were more HEF volunteers, and a beautiful day for teams to enjoy a great day of golf, what more could you ask for?”

Nehal Thaker from Valic volunteered his

time at the registration table as HEF Board

Member Mike McGhee checks in.

Joined by HEF board

president Dean Jarret

t

(L), Dr. Stuart Roberson CEO of Moseley

Architects addresses

the crowd at the start

of the tournament.

4 December 2011 school days

Martin heard about San Jeronimo Bi-lingual School in Honduras at a wedding more than two years ago. The conversa-tion she had with a friend about the school and its mission continued to resonate with her. After a lot of thought and planning, Martin decided it was finally time for her to take the leap and immerse herself in a new culture. She would travel the more than 1500 miles to help deliver skills to young Honduran students in pre-K to 9th grade as a part of the Bilingual Education for Central America program (BECA), which is volunteer-based. Although the teachers who volunteer with BECA are experienced, many of them are not fully prepared to handle specific concerns chil-dren bring to them, which is why Martin resolved it was only natural for her to go to Honduras and become the program’s first school counselor.

“I dreamed of being BECA’s first school counselor and I dreamed of be-coming a stronger counselor for ALL of my students,” Martin said. “I wanted to understand, to learn, to be challenged, and to contribute.” In the blink of an eye, Martin hopped out of her comfort zone and onto a plane to plunge head first into Honduran cul-ture. Honduras is where she is currently living, teaching, and learning. She lives and works with roaches, iguanas, geckos, scorpions, and tarantu-las among other animals. She walks the 25 minutes to work each day in the heat and the rain, on an unpaved road with no street signs or stoplights. She takes bucket showers and lives in a shed with a tin roof. Calling her living situation modest would be an understatement, and yet she couldn’t be happier. Her love of learning and challenging herself is apparent to anyone she talks to.

“The lessons are abundant,” Martin said. “I learn something new every single day!” Martin has learned so much about not taking anything for granted, espe-cially when looking at the learning en-vironment in Honduras. Some students only attend school in Honduras through 6th grade, then they work, or fall prey to gang violence, drugs and street crime. Some years, public schools only meet for about 100 days of the year due to teacher strikes and other issues, some-times because the government can’t pay their salaries. A normal public school classroom typically holds one teacher with 65 students and if English is offered, Hondurans teach it. At San Jeronimo Bilingual School, there are a maximum of 25 students per class with resource support and now a counselor of course. Martin counsels the entire school, and is the Upper Resource Teacher, which means she offers some academic support to students in grades 6-9, as well. Many of the students at the school are there on scholarship. This does not just mean financial help, but rather that parents will work to clean school grounds in order to earn points towards their child’s education. The school has open-air windows that do not close, no heat, no air conditioning, and no school nurse. A lot of the time, there is no running water and parasites and other diseases are a constant threat. No one blinks when the electricity goes out, it is just part of living there. Teachers are encouraged to have alternative “bad weather” plans because when a storm hits, it soaks the inside of the classrooms with nowhere else to go. “Most students do not have books, or toys at home, so they are a highly creative bunch,” Martin said. “They have fun, ap-preciate what they have, and mostly rely upon each other. The community is very social, warm, polite and inviting. They are taught to share the little amount they have. ” Martin plans to come back to the states with a newfound wisdom about how to counsel students as well as a dif-ferent worldview. “Our world is constantly changing,” Martin said. “Therefore, we all need to change just to keep up…our students are of the world now, not just of Henrico County.”

“The more I learn, the more I see I still need to learn, but I figure this is a start,” she said. “Trying to survive in a new community, struggling to under-stand people in another language, liv-ing without my family, knowing what it is like to truly sacrifice the life I know…while it is a little uncomfortable to hop outside our comfort zone, the rewards are immense for everyone. I felt I needed to go away in order to even begin up-holding my end of this bargain for our Henrico students and families. I want to be the best counselor to all of our stu-dents, not just some. I want to show all of our students, too, that they can make a difference in and beyond our own changing community. I want to inspire them to embrace their education and to give. The study of foreign languages is so important, as our own community is rapidly changing. Some people do not realize how much they are able to help the world, but each person is able to help and impact others. The English language alone makes our students an invaluable asset in this world. The best way I could think to demonstrate all of this, was to go away myself, and I thank my Henrico and Falcon family for supporting me in doing this.” Living in squalor, getting sick from the water and using an outhouse are all obstacles Martin has had to face, but according to her, the ends justify the means. “It is no vacation…it is the toughest work I have ever done,” Martin said. “And worth every second!”

All photos courtesy of Sarah Martin.

yA WORLD APART

Mama María of Cofradía

Pat, pat, pat, pat in the early mornMaking tortillas of flour and corn.First one up in the fresh new dawn,Quietly humming a new day’s song.Swishing the broom back and forth,Sun crowning mountains way up north.Skirt now swaying in the dusty haze,Family stirring in their morning laze.Alejandro whimpers as he wakes,She pauses to get him as she bakes.Sweetbread hot in the oven cooking,Twelve sets of eyes hungrily looking.She sets a place for each to enjoy.Helps serve every girl and boy.Sees they have everything they need.Separating watermelon from the seed.Picking their clothes up off the floor,No complaint, moves through the door.The morning sun illuminates her face,Hearts proud of her cared for space.Faded soft fabrics between her fingers,Her husband’s body beside her lingers.One leg left, neither eye can see.His adoring love will always be.She hangs the clothes upon the line,Softly rubbing his withering spine.They begin to crisp under the rays,As she counts their few remaining days.Her tired muscles reach for the pail.Water runs over her tethered nails.Alejandro’s belly releases a giggle,Gently splashing the pila’s trickle.Her blackened hair has turned to grey,Drooping hands pruning more each day.Her body’s last day has almost come,Heart labors, like the bass of a drum.Never complaining, she needs to rest.It is time to leave her loving nest.The lump in her side… no one knows.Done all she can to help them grow.The horses’ hooves come to pick her up.Falling asleep to the clippity clop, clop.Her family thinks she’ll soon return.From Tegucigalpa without concern.I lived with Maria for two full weeks.She cared for me as my stomach ached.Embracing arms, she kissed my cheeks.Warmth protruding her swollen feet.But Mama María, you work so hard,As she stirs in veggies with the lard.Do what you can for those you love.So one day your spirit can rest above.Thank you, María, for all you did.For me, for them, and all the kids.My blurry eyes now see your life,Understanding how to sacrifice.Through people like you, we survive,Your love gives us a chance to thrive.Give me strength to live like María The baleada Mama from Cofradía.

— by Sarah MartinMama Maria

school days December 2011 5

Every morning Rondell Tucker wakes up, puts his feet on the floor, and says to himself “make footprints worth following.” He

walks out the door with his head held high and an earnest smile on his face. Since starting at Highland Springs as a freshman, it has been his goal to make a difference and impact his community, and maybe even the world someday. Tucker rattles off quote after quote as if these small sayings are something he has rehearsed over and over again. His favorite is a quote by Maya Angelou “If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” In reality, the reason he knows them so well is because they have provided him with little pieces of strength in what has sometimes been a volatile home life. But this home life is where Tucker says he gained the strength that shows in his demeanor, in the way he carries himself, and in the way he interacts with others. “My past isn’t the greatest,” Tucker said. “I hold onto that because every-thing I went through...has made me stronger today. ”

Once he reached high school, Tucker made a decision. “I made the stand to not follow in their footsteps because I saw where it would lead me. Everyone doesn’t have to follow the same trends that their family members or their parents set. If you see something that isn’t right, don’t follow behind it.” And Tucker has made it a point not to follow, but to lead instead. With encour-agement from his teachers and peers, he ran for SCA president his junior year and beat out two seniors. He also founded the “Raging Springers,” a group of students who go to sporting events, take part in community service and raise awareness throughout Highland Springs. According to Tucker, he has never felt more at home than at school. “What really drives me now is the support I get from this school. The stu-dents, the faculty.” Tucker said. “It lacks at home, I don’t get a lot of family sup-port. This is why I come to school every-day and continue to do what I do because I have the support of Highland Springs High School faculty and staff. And as long as I have that, I’ll keep going.”

Tucker prides himself on reaching out to Highland Springs students and has made drug awareness a high priority throughout the school. “He’s always talking to other students about doing the right thing, said Tucker’s counselor Ms. Gegenheimer. “He never stops being who he intends to be.” When asked what he wants to do with his life, Tucker smiles and says “I know EXACTLY what I want to do.” Tucker plans on being a high school principal and maybe even a superinten-dent one day. “I definitely see Rondell as someone who is going to do big things, and he’s definitely not gonna give up,” Gegen-heimer said. “I see him affecting a lot of people.”

Being a role model for the students at Highland Springs on a daily basis is just practice. “(There are) a lot of the students here who have been through the same trials and circumstances that I have, I felt like we needed someone to step out and make a difference and show that you can’t be a victim of your circumstances,” Tucker said. “You still have to do what’s best for you, to make something of your life, and make a difference in others.”

Highland Springs student’s strength of character resonates with peers

“Make footprints worth following.”

The Mark A. Edwards Ed. D. Education Scholarship, named after Henrico’s former super-intendent, was created by the

Henrico Education Foundation (HEF) to assist HCPS employees pursuing a degree in education. Recipients are

awarded $1000 to go toward the cost of getting their degree. HEF chose two very deserving winners this year, Melissa Daniels, a Henrico High School English teacher, and Joseph Koontz, the associ-ate principal at Donahoe Elementary. Melissa Daniels has been a teacher officially for four years but has had a pas-sion for teaching all of her life. Whether it was the neighborhood kids or her

Educating Our Educators2011 Mark A. Edwards Scholarship recipients

dolls, Daniels taught them reading, writ-ing and arithmetic. “I always heard grow-ing up that you learn as a teacher as much

as you teach, but in fact you learn more.” Daniels is attending Mid-dlebury College to receive her master’s degree in English.

Joseph Koontz is getting his doctor-ate, while meanwhile raising 2-year-old twins and going to work everyday as the associate principal at Donahoe, so

clearly he has a lot on his plate. But Koontz says it’s all worth it to be able to teach kids and inter-act with them and teachers in a meaningful way. “The more we can make things an authentic experience for kids, the more they learn,” Koonz said. “Things are changing so much…to take all of this dynamic information and present it to teachers in a way that they can use it in the classroom is very important.”

Koontz

Daniels

6 December 2011 school days

Stephanie and Lauren Bennett are quite the duo act, not just because they’re twins, but because they both play a rather unique instru-

ment…the harp. It all started when they went to a harp players summer camp, and now, years later, they are touring around the world as a part of the American Youth Harp Ensemble.

“It’s a passion for me. You have to love it because there is a lot of dedication,” Lauren said.

The pair has been to London and Austria and even plans to go to Carnegie Hall. All while being enrolled in the IB program at Henrico High School, participating in extracurricular activi-ties, and finding time to hang out with friends, not to mention giving back to the community. “It gets a little ridiculous at times,” Stephanie said. “But it’s very rewarding knowing all of the hard work pays off.” Both girls have used their musical

talents to lend a helping hand. Lauren has played the harp at the Thomas Johns Cancer Hospital in the lobby of the radia-tion and oncology unit, while Stephanie organized a holiday concert that collected more than 200 books for Reach Out and Read. The twins get an extraordinary amount of parental support too, which makes their busy lives just a little bit easier. “Oh my gosh, they support us so

much,” Lauren said as if with a sigh of relief. “I don’t know what we would do without them.” “They take us everywhere, they are extremely supportive,” Stephanie added. The two plan to go to college for other things but plan to continue playing the harp for the rest of their lives. “Music is your ticket to the world,” Lauren said.

In the story “Making a Difference,” a kid looks out the window of a bus and says to his mom, “Why are there people sleeping on the street?” After

he learns the people are homeless, he de-cides to take action and do anything he can to help, and that is just what five stu-dents did in Ms. Montecalvo’s 5th grade class at Donahoe Elementary School. After reading this story, Tamara Smith, Jaida Robinson, Jamarie Fowler, Montrez Turner and Taejon Morris each came to their teacher and said they wanted to do something to make a dif-ference, just as the boy in the story did. After brainstorming what they could do, the group decided to organize a canned food drive at Donahoe just in time for Thanksgiving. “For them to want to take the ini-tiative like this warmed my heart,” Ms. Montecalvo said.

Each day for a week, the five went from classroom to classroom and eventually collected more than 350 cans. And when the students saw that they really did make a difference, they were jumping up and down with excitement. “It makes me feel proud of myself,” said Morris. “It makes me feel good that I can help people out, I feel special,” Smith said. All of the food collected will go to the Central Virginia Food Bank. “It’s really amazing for five kids to pull together and do a project like this,” Montecalvo said. “And with such great results.”

Donahoe students makea difference

‘HARMONY’Stephanie BennettLauren Bennett

Jaida Robinson(left)and Tamara Smith put aclassroom’s donated cansin a box during thecanned food drive.

t

Jamarie Fowler(left) and Montrez Turner count the

amount of cans they received from classes on the final day

of the canned food drive.

t

school days December 2011 7

Cole Taylor walks into his art class and immediately gets to work. Without a word, he grabs paints

and starts mixing colors together. In re-cord time, an artistic masterpiece appears on what used to be a white canvas. He has re-created scenes of the Mi-ami strip, done pastel drawings of Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty and has dabbled in re-creations of master painters including Matisse and Georgia O’Keefe. From the sound of it, Taylor is a seasoned artist, but in actuality he is a 5th grader at Echo Lake Elementary. His focused and often quiet de-meanor is ever-present, and to get Taylor to admit that he is what most would call a prodigy would be like pulling teeth. To him, art is something to do for fun, and modesty is only natural. “I do it for the fun of it, and it kind of calms me,” Taylor said. His teacher, Merle James calls Taylor “the most talented student (she) has ever

taught in (her) 21 years with Henrico County Public Schools.” According to James, Taylor comes into the classroom and just does his own thing. He has a very specific process that he follows that is almost meticulous, especially for a 5th grader. “He paints differently than anyone I’ve ever seen,” James said. “He has a plan for each piece of art he does.” Taylor spends extra time at school once or twice a week to work in the art room, he doesn’t have a specific type of artwork he likes the most, but just goes with whatever he is feeling at the mo-ment. “It’s just been an amazing evolu-tion,” James said. “He can paint at a level of students who are in college or plus. I think art is what he is supposed to do.”

An Evolutioninto an Art Prodigy

5th graders at Pemberton Elementary

School wear patriot colors and perf

orm

songs to honor U.S. Veterans on

Veterans

Day.

Veterans Day: November 11, 2011

Three Chopt Elementary’s fifth-grade chorus

performed for Veterans on V

eterans Day.

Highland Springs Elementary School honored veterans by asking them to stand during its Veterans Day program.

Taylor has been creating award-winning art pieces since 1st grade. Although the pieces to the left are more recent works, you can visit the HCPS newsroom and click on “feature stories” to see pieces from his 2nd and 3rd-grade years.

8 December 2011 school days

Henrico County School Board Contact Us Awards & Credits

Lamont BagbyChairFairfield District

Linda L. McBrideBrookland District

John W. Montgomery Jr.Varina District

Diana D. WinstonVice ChairThree Chopt District

Lisa A. MarshallTuckahoe District

Dr. Patrick RussoSuperintendent

P.O. Box 231203820 Nine Mile RoadHenrico, VA 23223-0420804.652.3600www.henrico.k12.va.us

School Days is an award-winning publication produced quarterly by the Department of Communications & Community Outreach of HCPS. If you have questions or concerns about this publication, call 804.652.3724 or send an email to nnallen@henrico.k12.va.us.

Natalie Allen - EditorChristie Harman - Production Manager

piva

CFAThe Center for the Arts offers qualified Henrico County high school students the opportunity to participate in a four-year course of study in one of four curriculum areas: Dance, Musical Theatre, Theatre and Visual Arts. Students enrolled in the CFA program get in-depth training in their core area of study, working for personal fulfillment and profi-ciency. The program provides opportunities for performance and public exhibition to showcase student achievement. The expertise of many of the finest guest artists in the greater Richmond area supple-ment the educational opportunities planned by the CFA resident faculty, who are also professional practitioners in their respective art forms.

Spotlight On: CFA

To view CFA student testimonials, please visit the HCPS newsroom page (www.henrico.k12.va.us/newsroom) and click on “feature stories.”

StudentS Speak out about why they choSe center for the artS

Art “I came to CFA to learn and broaden and develop because I want to be an artist. I have learned how to express myself and bloom.” Erin Dalton “Here we have art every day, which is awesome. I’ve

learned so much.” Emily Watlington

Theatre “After touring the facilities here I was convinced that I needed to come here…it’s a dream come true to do it everyday. Whatever I do in college, I think my experi-ence in CFA will help me. ” Mary Beith “It just kind of all added up…I thought it would be kind of nice for a change.” Hannah Paster

Musical Theatre “I chose CFA because I came to sneak preview and saw other musical theatre kids perform and fell in love. Everything about this center just appeals to me. There is such a family atmosphere and you learn a lot. You learn how to develop your craft really well. I’m around people who are as focused as I am so it keeps me motivated to keep doing what I’m doing.” Jessica King “I’d always done dance and chorus and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life…so it was just a good fit for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and who I am as a person.” Victoria Powell

Dance “I chose the center because I always wanted to dance, and it was a great program to go through if I want to take my

craft seriously.” Briah Bebbs

“I chose to come here because I love dance and it’s a great opportunity

to come dance at school every day.” Sean Daly

Kevonya Webb-Riley t