Education
Troy Elementary School Stars: 3rd Nine Week Grading Period - 2012-13
Caleb Emerson
Chayton Godfrey
Tristan Huffman
Hunter McCune
Braylon Mencer
Kaelynn Moyers
Emily Williams
Tristan Nuzum
Kara Anderson
Britton Farnsworth
Stevie Starsick
Destiny Frymier
Kamdin Fox
Aiden Helmick
Tristian Anderson
Aaron Frederick
Shawn Gillespie
Harlee McHenry
Tessa Simmons
Amanda
Taryn Wilson
Ryan Beron
Hunter Helmick
Max Hulse
Joe Lilly
Sam Rose
Chris Smith
Nikki
Selena Wilson
Destiny Williams
Matt Matheny
Dakota Anderson
Zack Collins
Ally Frymier
Tierra Law
Garrett Matheny
Ty Wellings
Rhea Finley
Tristan Peggs
Autumn Frymier
Olivia Finley
Shayla Sipling
Levi Helmick
Logan Pritt
Morgan Yoak
Kaylie Smith
Taylore Whitehair
Jared Frederick
Hannah Hinter
Matthew Hulse
Macee Starsick
Kaitlyn Puffenbarger
GSC Attends Higher Education Day
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) sponsors Higher Education Day every year during the legislative session. The annual event is designed to salute West Virginia’s higher education institutions and to inform students, policymakers, and the public about post-secondary educational opportunities in West Virginia. Higher Education Day 2013 was hosted by Dr. Paul Hill, Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission; Mr. James Skidmore, Chancellor of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; and Mr. Ben Exley, IV, Executive Director of the West Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities Inc.
West Virginia’s Higher Education Day 2013 was held at the State Capitol in Charleston on Thursday, March 21st. Representatives from more than thirty of the state’s colleges and universities set up displays in the upper rotunda of the West Virginia State Capitol Building promoting their institutions. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators from each institution manned their booths by handing out information, talking with the public, and visiting with members of the West Virginia Legislature.
The display for Glenville State College included a promotional literature explaining GSC programs and fields of study that are available as well as photographs of the campus. GSC faculty and staff attending the event were: GSC President Dr. Peter Barr, Executive Assistant to the President and Hidden Promise Scholar Program Director Teresa Sterns, GSC Hidden Promise Scholar Program Coordinators Whitney Stalnaker and Stacy Adkins, and GSC Director of Alumni Affairs and Special Assistant to the President Debbie Nagy.
GSC Hidden Promise Scholars met with West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin
and First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin during Higher Education Day.
(L-R): Gabriella Brown, GSC Hidden Promise Scholar Coordinator Whitney Stalnaker, Allegra Davis,
GSC Hidden Promise Scholar Coordinator Stacy Adkins, Ethan Epling, First Lady Joanne Jeager Tomblin,
Scott Ashley, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Dillon Hovorka, Ashley Lambey, Tyler Fourtney, Autumn Harkins, and Jacob Yocum.
Glenville Sate College was also represented by nine GSC Hidden Promise Scholars:
• Freshman Business Administration major Scott Ashley of Clendenin (Roane County)
• Junior Education major Gabriella Brown of Arnoldsburg (Calhoun County)
• Freshman Education major Allegra Davis of Salem (Doddridge County)
• Junior Natural Resource Management major Ethan Epling of Spencer (Roane County)
• Freshman History/Political Science major Tyler Fortney of Elkins (Randolph County)
• Sophomore Education major Autumn Harkins of Grantsville (Calhoun County)
• Freshman Education major Dillon Hovorka of Marlinton (Pocahontas County)
• Freshman General Studies major Ashley Lambey of Clay (Clay County)
• Freshman Education major Jacob Yocum of Elkins (Randolph County)
The students met Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and had their picture taken with him. They were also acknowledged during the session of the West Virginia House of Delegates by House Majority Leader Brent Boggs (D-Braxton County) of the 34th district.
Approximately one-hundred and fifty West Virginia GEAR UP high school students were also in attendance with displays highlighting a variety of initiatives and events held over the past year to assist students in planning, applying, and paying for education and training beyond high school.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin presented Hill, Skidmore, Exley, and the college and university presidents with a proclamation declaring March 21, 2013 as Higher Education Day. Similar ceremonies were held in the state’s House Chamber and the Senate Chamber.
CommunityConcerns™: Gilmer County High School’s 2013 Third Tier OEPA Rating
West Virginia’s Office of Education Performance Audits (OEPA) published its 2013 Report of School Ratings (www.oepa.wv.us) including those for Gilmer County’s five public schools.
The ratings in a decreasing order of desirability are:
• EA=Exemplary Accreditation
• DA=Distinction Accreditation
• FA=Full Accreditation
Among our schools the Normantown Grade School received the highest rating with a DA.
The other four schools including the high school received a third tier FA rating.
The high school’s diminished rating is alarming.
In any other WV County there would have been bold print newspaper headlines to address the suboptimum performance to cause citizens to demand corrective actions, but the news was not printed. Why?
Citizens deserve to know specific causes for the high school’s third tier rating.
Why was monitoring not done by the State to prevent the third tier rating, and most importantly what are the specific actions planned to elevate the rating to the EA category?
Governor Tomblin, Dr. Linger, Dr. Phares, Dr. Gus Penix, and Delegates Boggs and Walker, all of you were informed of our high school’s problems so what will it require to receive your corrective involvement?
Our School Board is powerless to act with its authority stripped by the State to emphasize the utmost necessity for your help.
This community concern deserves top priority attention in Gilmer County.
Gilmer County Economic Development (GCEDA), Glenville State College (GSC), those who caused the takeover (CUBIES), Gilmer Schools Coalition (G.S.C.), parents, teachers, and all other interested citizens, we have an urgent and immediate need to unite to achieve performance improvements at our high school.
Please attend future Board meetings to show community support for changes.
High praise is extended to Normantown Grade School’s students, principal Chambers, and its admirable teachers and staff for earning a DA rating.
With consolidated grade schools pending, proactive initiatives must occur to ensure that they are EA performers.
Because the Gilmer High School will not be replaced by consolidation, the community must demand whatever may be required, including a change of administration if necessary, to elevate its rating to an EA level. Anything lower than top performance will be unacceptable to prevent our high school students from continuing to be victimized.
Kudos to the GFP and Mr. Dave Ramezan for providing this important information to Gilmer County’s citizens.
~~ Author on File ~~
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES - 04.08.13
Examples of Excelencia
The Examples of Excelencia initiative recognizes programs and departments at the forefront of increasing academic opportunities and improving achievement for Latino students at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels.
Maximum award: $5,000; recognition at special events; a highlight in the 2013 edition of What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education; and inclusion in the web-based Growing What Works Database.
Eligibility: programs and departments at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels of higher education.
Deadline: April 26, 2013.
Earth Island Institute: Brower Youth Award
The Earth Island Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people for their outstanding activism and acaievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy.
Maximum Award: $3,000, a trip to California for the awards ceremony, and a wilderness camping trip.
Eligibility: youth ages 13-22.
Deadline: May 13, 2013.
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Talent Development Award
The JKCF Talent Development Award celebrates K-8 educational organizations committed to the deliberate cultivation of high-potential students’ talents, skills, and passions.
Major criteria considered for the Talent Development Award include: alignment with the Foundation’s commitment to identifying, cultivating, and/or promoting exceptionally talented students who have financial need; focus on students in grades K-8; high apparent effectiveness as demonstrated through internal reviews, external evaluations, and/or scientifically-confirmed research; strong leadership with a clear vision and the capacity to influence stakeholders; a noteworthy, innovative solution that could be replicated.
Maximum award: varies.
Eligibility: K-8 educational organizations.
Deadline: rolling.
Gilmer County Board of Education Special Meeting - Tuesday - 04.09.13
AGENDA
Special Meeting
Sand Fork Elementary School
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
6:00 PM
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Introductions
IV. LSIC Chair or designee:
The following areas must be addressed during the presentation, but in no particular order.
A. Describe how instruction is provided for students who have been excluded from class, suspended from school or expelled?
B. Describe the alternative settings available for students?
C. Describe how the in-school suspension program is used. If one is not present, are there future plans to implement one?
D. Describe any preventive discipline or student involvement programs, i.e., Peer Mediation, Natural Helpers, Responsible Students Program, that are in place.
E. Describe what the school has done to promote anti-bullying and prevent harassment.
F. In the event of a crisis, what procedures are in place to communicate and coordinate with local emergency service agencies?
G. Does the school have a discipline plan/code in place? In what manner has the plan/code been discussed with students, staff and parents?
H. Describe how the LSIC has analyzed school discipline data. What action steps have been taken to identify meaningful consequences and improve student behaviors and school culture?
I. When did the LSIC conduct its annual meeting to engage parents, students, school employees and other interested parties in a positive and interactive dialogue regarding effective discipline policies? Provide the agenda and describe the comments received.
J. How does the LSIC know the discipline code is enforced fairly and consistently? If the LSIC determines that student discipline is not enforced fairly and consistently, it shall transmit that determination in writing, along with supporting information, to the county superintendent of schools.
K. Describe school/student performance.
L. Describe school curriculum.
M. Describe the status of the school in meeting the school strategic plan.
N. Describe the status of the school in meeting the county strategic plan.
O. Describe the status of your PTO and how it functions with the school.
P. What other information, comments or suggestions do you have for improving your school?
V. Adjournment.
GED Classes Are Available In Both Gilmer And Calhoun Counties
Calhoun County classes will be held at the Career Center on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Gilmer County classes will be held at St. Marks Church on Wednesday from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM. (St. Marks is located one mile from Glenville; across the street from the new fire station.)
Call Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center at 304.354.6151 for more information.
HEPC Chair Says Commission Should Have More Oversight, Not Less
The Chairman of the Higher Education Policy Commission says he wants the House of Delegates to defeat the bill that would eliminate some of the primary oversight the HEPC has over Marshall University and West Virginia University.
“Rather than having less supervision, we should have more,” Dave Hendrickson, a WVU graduate, said on Thursday’s MetroNews Talkline.
“You need a body like ours to make sure that the goals of higher education are being met as a whole and, anytime you start eroding our responsibility over the institutions, it makes our job that much more difficult to do.”
SB 444 would give Marshall University and West Virginia University more freedom by lifting review requirements from the HEPC when it comes to large investments, capital improvements and presidential salaries.
Officials with both WVU and Marshall support the proposed legislation and it’s already picked up approval from the Senate.
But Hendrickson says HEPC oversight is key, especially when budgets are tight.
“We need to watch every dollar and make sure every dollar is being well spent, not just at WVU and Marshall, but across the system,” he said. “So, if you take our oversight away for WVU and Marshall, then it leaves the rest of the institutions kind of out there on their own.”
Hendrickson says the HEPC fills an important role since millions of dollars worth of taxpayer money go into West Virginia’s higher education institutions each year.
“The organization that we have is there to take a look at the 64,000 foot level, to look at the overarching policies for the State of West Virginia.” He says the HEPC works to advance education for the entire state.
“To make sure that the equities are there, not just for Marshall and WVU, but for Glenville, for Concord, for Bluefield and the rest of the institutions.”
The House Education Committee will first take up the bill. If approved there, it will have to go through the House Finance Committee to make it to the House floor.
The last day of the 2013 Regular Legislative Session is Saturday, April 13, 2013.
~~ Shauna Johnsons - WVMN ~~
GSC Seminar to Focus on Science Education in America - 04.16.13
The Glenville State College Department of Science and Mathematics will conclude their four-part series of seminars on ‘The Impact of Science and Religion on Society’ on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 6:30 PM in room 315 of the Mollohan Campus Community Center.
Complimentary beverages will be served in the pre-function area beginning at 6:00 PM.
GSC Professor of Physical Science Dr. Joe Evans will be the speaker for part four of the series, ‘Status of Science Education in the U.S.: On the Brink of Cultural Extinction.‘
Dr. Evans will explore the reasons for the marginal to poor performances of United States’ students on science and math exams. The lack of U.S. educated students going into STEM fields, thus fueling the need for Division I universities to recruit international students, will be highlighted. The presentation will conclude with the steps being proposed to counter the situation.
“I feel that the seminars have accomplished what we set out to do, get people talking. A dialogue has certainly been opened with those who have attended one or more of the seminars. I believe we have helped people open their minds to consider more than their own points of view and beliefs,“ said Dr. Gary Morris, GSC Assistant Professor of Biology and Department of Science and Mathematics Chair.
Attendance has grown for each of the first three seminars with over one-hundred people present for episode three. A large core of people have attended all three seminars.
One of those is GSC Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Alan Daniel.
“The flow of topics worked well; the first two seminars set up the third nicely. In general, there tends to be a lot of misunderstandings about what science is and what science does, which the first seminar helped clarify. The most powerful point of the second seminar, to me, was the idea that there are multiple ways of approaching the bible: as either entirely of human invention, entirely divine, or some blend of both. The purely divine camp is the only approach in which it is challenging to find common ground between religion and science, leaving us to debate the question ‘Could an omnipotent deity provide humans with an exact, perfect message, or was something lost in translation or influenced by the culture of the time and place the bible was written?‘ Once the places to find common ground were established, the third seminar explored the most important discovery in the life sciences to date, evolution. Overall, the series has been a great opportunity for individuals who have struggled with reconciling the supposed conflict between science and religion to get a discussion started, and start thinking about the problem in new ways. I look forward to the final talk on science education in the US,“ Daniel said.
Following the seminar, a reception will be held in the pre-function area on the third floor of the Mollohan Campus Community Center.
Light refreshments will be served.
The seminar is free and open to the public.
For more information on the seminar series, contact Morris at “Gary.Morris@glenville.edu” or call 304.462.6305.
Gilmer Schools Coalition News: HB3160 Passes the House
Delegate Brent Boggs September 17, 2012: “When these takeover situations occur, they are not legislative decisions. Legislators are neither consulted nor provided advance notice of their planned actions… Long term takeovers present a glaring flaw in the current system. The DOE must be both helpful and clear in these takeover situations with our county Board of Education members and the public as to why and what action is expected to return to local control.”
Delegate Brent Boggs in conjunction with Delegate David Walker and other members of the House Education Committee are aware of issues surrounding the takeover of the Gilmer County School system and the effect of intervention on all counties. Their hard work must be acknowledged and should be very much appreciated. Nothing happens without it.
This bill passed out of the House without one opposing vote on April 02, 2013. It’s in the hands of the Senate now. More legislation has been promised establishing a process to expedite return to local board control. It would be great to see the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability more involved.
Concerned citizens, please take the time to review this bill and contact your Senator. We must move forward.
Click H E R E to Read the Printable HB3160
Click H E R E to Read the Printable HB3160 Abstract
C-GCC: National Technical Honor Society 2012-2013
Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner at GSC - 04.05.13
Glenville State College’s Alpha Psi Omega honorary members will present “The Pajama Party Murders” on Friday April 05, 2013 at 6:30 PM.
The performance will be not only for entertainment but also interaction. The show is about the Cosmo family coming together for the first time in many years to attempt to inherit a large family fortune by staying overnight together. Dressed in their own pajamas, the audience is encouraged to participate and maybe win the fortune for themselves. ‘Prizes will be awarded for the best audience sleuths and for the best pajamas,” said GSC Professor of Communications Dennis Wemm.
The cost of admission is $3.00 per person to attend and participate in the performance. The play is rated PG for mild language and innuendo.
The cast members for the performance are junior English major Shane Lehman from Fostoria, Ohio, junior psychology major Jamie Stanley from Point Pleasant (Mason County), West Virginia, freshman business management major Eric W. Jones of Weston (Lewis County), West Virginia, Lois Miller, GSC Dining Services Office Manager who resides in Glenville, (Gilmer County) West Virginia and is a GSC ’83 alum, freshman natural resource management student Andrew Mattox, of Pineville (Wyoming County), West Virginia, sophomore English major Lindsay Acree from Ripley (Jackson County), West Virginia, and Alisha Neal who is a freshman pre-nursing student from Ivydale (Clay County), West Virginia.
The stage manager will be Samantha Wolford, a junior mathematics education major from Buckhannon (Upshur County), West Virginia. junior natural resource management major Brittany Ferguson of Glenville (Gilmer County), West Virginia will be providing the technical support.
The evening will be hosted by Whitney Stalnaker, a GSC 2011 graduate and current Hidden Promise Scholar Consortium Coordinator from Glenville (Gilmer County), West Virginia and Patrick Montgomery, a theater volunteer from Sand Fork (Gilmer County), West Virginia.
Please reserve tickets in advance by calling Dennis Wemm, Alpha Psi Omega advisor, by e-mailing “Dennis.Wemm@glenville.edu” or at 304.462.6323.
GSC ROTC Program Working with Glenville Elementary School Students
Cadets in Glenville State College’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program have been spending time this semester at Glenville Elementary School for a community service project.
Each week one or two cadets and their instructors visit Glenville Elementary School to act as mentors for some of the students. They help students with school work that they are struggling with in their classes.
GSC ROTC cadet Nicole Himes helps Glenville Elementary student complete her assignment.
“My first visit to the school was great. It was such a wonderful feeling to see how excited the students got when they saw us in uniform. We really enjoy being able to help and act as role models for them. Being a part of that environment makes me appreciate being a cadet in the ROTC program even more. We always leave the school with such a great feeling knowing that we have done something to help them out or just make their day a little bit better. Our program’s goal is to stay actively engaged in the community and give back whenever we can,“ said Cadet Nicole Himes.
Himes is a GSC senior from Harpers Ferry (Jefferson County), West Virginia who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. She is the Commander of the GSC ROTC unit and Battalion Operations Officer for the Yellow Jacket Battalion which includes ROTC units from West Virginia State University, the University of Charleston, West Virginia University Institute of Technology, and Glenville State College. After graduation, she will be commissioned as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and will enter the Adjutant General’s Core.
“Glenville Elementary feels very fortunate to work with the GSC ROTC program. Volunteer hours at the school are very important to meeting the needs of our children. We appreciate the ROTC community service and realize they are making a difference,“ said Glenville Elementary Teacher Nancy McVaney.
To learn more about the GSC ROTC program, contact Major Charles Beirne at “Charles.Beirne@glenville.edu” or 304.462.6287.
GSC Accounting Students Offering Free Tax Return Assistance - Mondays 1:00-5:00
The Department of Business at Glenville State College is once again offering free assistance for filing your basic federal and West Virginia income tax returns through an IRS program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Free File. The free service is available to anyone who would like assistance with filing their 2012 income tax returns.
The GSC Department of Business partners with the Internal Revenue Service through the college’s Accounting 399 course. GSC Associate Professor of Business & Accounting Cheryl McKinney, who is a CPA, is the Coordinator for the GSC VITA Free File site. GSC senior accounting majors Racheal Fetty of Spencer (Roane County), West Virginia and Melissa Pursley of Mineral Wells (Wood County), West Virginia, who are IRS certified, assist qualifying low to moderate income people (generally those making $57,000 or below and under 57 years old) who need help preparing their basic Federal and West Virginia income tax returns. The VITA Free File experience is the IRS’ new ‘self-service’ option that is available to those with basic computer skills. Taxpayers will actually be preparing their own returns at a computer with assistance as needed from trained GSC accounting students. Once completed, federal and state returns may be electronically filed.
The Department of Business at Glenville State College is once again offering free
assistance for filing your basic federal and West Virginia income tax returns
Taxpayers may choose the TurboTax, TaxSlayer, H&R Block, or TaxAct (new this year) programs based upon eligibility criteria. Each program has varying qualification requirements. Once an account is created at the GSC site, it may be accessed from anywhere if additional information is needed before filing. One distinguishing characteristic of VITA Free File is that qualifying taxpayers may electronically file both federal and state returns at no charge. However, if you access one of the software programs directly without first going through the VITA Free File site, there will be a charge for the state return.
Those who wish to receive this free tax assistance from the GSC VITA Free File site should bring: a copy of their 2011 tax return, if available, wage and earning statements (Form W-2) from all employers, interest and dividend statements (Form 1099), any other relevant information or forms relating to income and expenses, social security cards for taxpayers and dependents, if available, and bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit/direct payment, if desired.
Also, students and anyone who received financial aid and/or paid tuition and fees must have a copy of the Tuition Statement (Form 1098-T) provided by the school before your tax return can be completed. Those who cannot locate that document must request a duplicate copy or find it on their EdNet account. Form 1098-T should be in hand upon arrival at the GSC VITA Free File site so assistance can be given in a timely manner. Students may also be able to deduct additional costs including required textbooks.
The GSC VITA Free File site is located in Room 309B of the Heflin Administration Building (the Ernie Smith Computer Lab). The VITA Free File program allows for multiple taxpayers to be assisted simultaneously.
The site is open on Mondays from 1:00 – 5:00 PM through April 15, 2013.
The Glenville State College Department of Business has now been offering free tax return assistance to campus and community taxpayers for over seventeen years.
For more information about the GSC VITA Free File program, contact Cheryl McKinney at 304.462.6263.
Gilmer County Board of Education Special Meeting - 04.09.13
AGENDA
Special Meeting
Sand Fork Elementary School
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
6:00 PM
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Introductions
IV. LSIC Chair or designee:
The following areas must be addressed during the presentation, but in no particular order.
A. Describe how instruction is provided for students who have been excluded from class, suspended from school or expelled?
B. Describe the alternative settings available for students?
C. Describe how the in-school suspension program is used. If one is not present, are there future plans to implement one?
D. Describe any preventive discipline or student involvement programs, i.e., Peer Mediation, Natural Helpers, Responsible Students Program, that are in place.
E. Describe what the school has done to promote anti-bullying and prevent harassment.
F. In the event of a crisis, what procedures are in place to communicate and coordinate with local emergency service agencies?
G. Does the school have a discipline plan/code in place? In what manner has the plan/code been discussed with students, staff and parents?
H. Describe how the LSIC has analyzed school discipline data. What action steps have been taken to identify meaningful consequences and improve student behaviors and school culture?
I. When did the LSIC conduct its annual meeting to engage parents, students, school employees and other interested parties in a positive and interactive dialogue regarding effective discipline policies? Provide the agenda and describe the comments received.
J. How does the LSIC know the discipline code is enforced fairly and consistently? If the LSIC determines that student discipline is not enforced fairly and consistently, it shall transmit that determination in writing, along with supporting information, to the county superintendent of schools.
K. Describe school/student performance.
L. Describe school curriculum.
M. Describe the status of the school in meeting the school strategic plan.
N. Describe the status of the school in meeting the county strategic plan.
O. Describe the status of your PTO and how it functions with the school.
P. What other information, comments or suggestions do you have for improving your school?
V. Adjournment.
WV Lawmakers Pressing Ahead on Education
Legislators are not done trying to improve West Virginia’s public schools following the passage of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s wide-ranging proposal.
The House Education Committee has crafted and endorsed several follow-up measures within the last week.
One unanimously passed to the Senate late last week tackles the audit of the state education system that spurred this session’s reform drive.
This bill focuses on seven different audit findings.
Those include the study’s call for better career and technical training, and for shifting more power to county districts and their schools.
The measure would have a House-Senate oversight committee regularly press the state Board of Education and its department for signs of progress in these areas.
Several other House Education follow-up bills are scheduled for votes on passage this week.
Graduate Course Targets K-12 Teachers Interested in Entrepreneurship
West Liberty University has won a $65,000 grant to develop a new 15-hour online certification program in entrepreneurship.
The graduate-level course is tailored to the interests and schedules of West Virginia K-12 teachers who want to introduce entrepreneurship into their classes.
The grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation will fund the program from May through August, pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission.
The foundation will pay tuition and fees for the first 10 students.
The courses are part of the master of arts in education program.
The West Liberty Center for Entrepreneurship will measure the outcomes in the classroom.
This fall, undergraduates and a West Liberty faculty member will visit the participating teachers’ classrooms to evaluate how they are incorporating what they learned into lessons.
Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center Teacher of the Year 2012-13
G-LtE™: Coalition Facilitator
Was talking with the Coalition Facilitator last week about the inter-county governance bill Boggs and Walker said they’d sponsor. The lady doesn’t bandy her name all over the place and seldom takes any credit but I thought we should all know about the phone calls and letters she has sent out to legislators and school board Presidents to try and get this done for the past year, that’s why they asked her opinion. She told me Boggs office had called last week to say they were still working on the bill and it was in the Education Committee for further work before it was brought to the floor from committee.
Main reason I want this public is because I heard through the grapevine that Simmons and his sidekick went to Charleston this week to see Boggs. Was it for a photo op? Did Blankenship send them in his place? We were told last Coalition posting here that his opinion (and others) were asked and should have been. The Coalition Facilitator never claimed to be the only one and told us so. If we see photos and a letter come out on the subject you’ll know what I’m saying here is true. Armour made a smart comment to her on last meeting video about working with the Legislators and that’s what made me start checking into what’s really going on. Mrs. Hurley takes a lot of guff for standing up Will they really have nerve enough to take all the credit here? We ought to be glad for anybody willing to work to make things better for Gilmer County children. There sure aren’t many from what I see.
I want to know how Simmons claims he speaks and acts for the Gilmer County Board of Education without asking all the members if they want him to represent them anywhere. No board members say they voted for him to go down there and speak with the Delegate. Mrs. S was right; he can be a pompous arse. That last meeting of the Linn school committee to pick a mascot, school name and school colors says a lot. Shouldn’t that be done by the students? Wouldn’t that be a great opportunity to get the Troy and Alum Bridge students together and do posters, talk about how they feel and get them to know each other a little bit before they get thrown in the building together? Maybe an assembly, maybe a picnic, a poster contest, anything to make the transition a little easier. Seems to be it’s only who leads the band that’s important around here, not the music being played.
The Facilitator also showed me in the SBA minutes about the Crooked Run School that the SBA said Blankenship has to have a wetland study and core boring done before they will even fund that site. How much will that cost besides buying 74 acres that’s not needed to build an elementary school? Why would Blankenship even spend our money to get land for a high school he says might be 10 to 15 years down the road? The location will add a lot to transportation costs and how efficiently will they get high school students over to the Career Center the Governor says is so important or to the college for track for instance? How much more money do we have? How early will the elementary kids have to be picked up and dropped off to get the high school in on time? Are they really going to make the parents bring them out to the main road? Where are those attendance area reports? Who knows what we’ll need 15 years from now? None of it makes any sense for Gilmer County and none of it does anything for the children. Just thought you should know.
~~ Author on File ~~
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES - 04.01.13
Target: Early Childhood Reading Grants
Target Early Childhood Reading Grants promote a love of reading and encourages young children to read together with their families by supporting programs such as after-school reading events and weekend book clubs.
Maximum award: $2,000.
Eligibility: schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations.
Deadline: April 30, 2013.
href=“https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants/early-childhood-reading-grants” title=“Target: Arts and Culture in Schools Grants”>Target: Arts and Culture in Schools Grants
Target Arts and Culture in Schools Grants help schools and nonprofits to bring arts and cultural experiences directly to K-12 students.
These programs must have a curriculum component.
Maximum award: $2,000.
Eligibility: schools and nonprofit organizations.
Deadline: April 30, 2013.
ING: Unsung Heroes
The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards.
Maximum award: $25,000.
Eligibility: full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school.
Deadline: April 30, 2013.
NCSS: Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award
National Council for the Social Studies Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award aims to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of innovative social studies a reality.
Grants will be given to assist classroom teachers in developing and implementing imaginative, innovative, and illustrative social studies teaching strategies; and supporting student implementation of innovative social studies, citizenship projects, field experiences, and community connections.
Maximum award: $2,500.
Eligibility: Full-time social studies teachers or social studies teacher educators currently engaged with K-12 students; NCSS membership required.
Deadline: May 01, 2013.
Dozens Indicted in Atlanta Cheating Scandal
Juwanna Guffie was sitting in her fifth-grade classroom taking a standardized test when, authorities say, the teacher came around offering information and asking the students to rewrite their answers. Juwanna rejected the help.
“I don’t want your answers, I want to take my own test,“ Juwanna told her teacher, according to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
On Friday, Juwanna — now 14 — watched as Fulton County prosecutors announced that a grand jury had indicted the Atlanta Public Schools’ ex-superintendent and nearly three dozen other former administrators, teachers, principals and other educators of charges arising from a standardized test cheating scandal that rocked the system.
Former Superintendent Beverly Hall faces charges including conspiracy, making false statements and theft because prosecutors said some of the bonuses she received were tied to falsified scores. Hall retired just days before the findings of a state probe were released in mid-2011. A nationally known educator who was named Superintendent of the Year in 2009, Hall has long denied knowing about the cheating or ordering it.
During a news conference Friday, Howard highlighted the case of Juwanna and another student, saying they demonstrated “the plight of many children” in the Atlanta school system.
Their stories were among many that investigators heard in hundreds of interviews with school administrators, staff, parents and students during a 21-month-long investigation.
According to Howard, Juwanna said that when she declined her teacher’s offer, the teacher responded that she was just trying to help her students. Her class ended up getting some of the highest scores in the school and won a trophy for their work. Juwanna felt guilty but didn’t tell anyone about her class’ cheating because she was afraid of retaliation and feared her teacher would lose her job.
She eventually told her sister and later told the district attorney’s investigators. Still confident in her ability to take a test on her own, Juwanna got the highest reading score on a standardized test this year.
The other student cited by Howard was a third-grader who failed a benchmark exam and received the worst score in her reading class in 2006. The girl was held back, yet when she took a separate assessment test not long afterward, she passed with flying colors.
Howard said the girl’s mother, Justina Collins, knew something was wrong, but was told by school officials that the child simply was a good test-taker. The girl is now in ninth grade, reading at a fifth-grade level.
“I have a 15-year-old now who is behind in achieving her goal of becoming what she wants to be when she graduates. It’s been hard trying to help her catch up,“ Collins said at the news conference.
The allegations date back to 2005. In addition to Hall, 34 other former school system employees were indicted. Four were high-level administrators, six were principals, two were assistant principals, six were testing coordinators and 14 were teachers. A school improvement specialist and a school secretary were also indicted.
Howard didn’t directly answer a question about whether prosecutors believe Hall led the conspiracy.
“What we’re saying is, is that without her, this conspiracy could not have taken place, particularly in the degree that it took place. Because as we know, this took place in 58 of the Atlanta Public Schools. And it would not have taken place if her actions had not made that possible,“ the prosecutor said.
Richard Deane, an attorney for Hall, told The New York Times that Hall continues to deny the charges and expects to be vindicated. Deane said the defense was making arrangements for bond.
“We note that as far as has been disclosed, despite the thousands of interviews that were reportedly done by the governor’s investigators and others, not a single person reported that Dr. Hall participated in or directed them to cheat on the C.R.C.T.,“ he said later in a statement provided to the Times.
The tests were the key measure the state used to determine whether it met the federal No Child Left Behind law. Schools with good test scores get extra federal dollars to spend in the classroom or on teacher bonuses.
It wasn’t immediately clear how much bonus money Hall received. Howard did not say and the amount wasn’t mentioned in the indictment.
“Those results were caused by cheating. ... And the money that she received, we are alleging that money was ill-gotten,“ Howard said.
A 2011 state investigation found cheating by nearly 180 educators in 44 Atlanta schools. Educators gave answers to students or changed answers on tests after they were turned in, investigators said. Teachers who tried to report it faced retaliation, creating a culture of “fear and intimidation,“ the investigation found.
State schools Superintendent John Barge said last year he believed the state’s new accountability system would remove the pressure to cheat on standardized tests because it won’t be the sole way the state determines student growth. The pressure was part of what some educators in the system blamed for their cheating.
A former top official in the New York City school system who later headed the Newark, N.J. system for three years, Hall served as Atlanta’s superintendent for more than a decade, which is rare for an urban schools chief. She was named Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2009 and credited with raising student test scores and graduation rates, particularly among the district’s poor and minority students. But the award quickly lost its luster as her district became mired in the scandal.
In a video message to schools staff before she retired in the summer of 2011, Hall warned that the state investigation launched by former Gov. Sonny Perdue would likely reveal “alarming” behavior.
“It’s become increasingly clear that a segment of our staff chose to violate the trust that was placed in them,“ Hall said. “There is simply no excuse for unethical behavior and no room in this district for unethical conduct. I am confident that aggressive, swift action will be taken against anyone who believed so little in our students and in our system of support that they turned to dishonesty as the only option.“
The cheating came to light after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that some scores were statistically improbable.
Most of the 178 educators named in the special investigators’ report in 2011 resigned, retired, did not have their contracts renewed or appealed their dismissals and lost. Twenty-one educators have been reinstated and three await hearings to appeal their dismissals, said Atlanta Public Schools spokesman Stephen Alford.
APS Superintendent Erroll Davis said the district, which has about 50,000 students, is now focused on nurturing an ethical environment, providing quality education and supporting the employees who were not implicated.
“I know that our children will succeed when the adults around them work hard, work together, and do so with integrity,“ he said in a statement.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is responsible for licensing teachers and has been going through the complaints against teachers, said commission executive secretary Kelly Henson. Of the 159 cases the commission has reviewed, 44 resulted in license revocations, 100 got two-year suspensions and nine were suspended for less than two years, Henson said. No action was taken against six of the educators.
WV Senate Passes Free Lunch Bill
West Virginia is trying to be the first state in the nation to give free breakfast and lunch to every child in the state’s schools, kindergarten through 12th grade.
The state Senate unanimously passed a bill Friday that would create public-private partnerships to fund the expanded lunches.
The bill also attempts to increase participation in the current meal programs which would bring the state more federal funding.
Every county board of education will set up foundations to solicit private donations.
The bill stipulates that every dollar in donations must be used to buy food, not for administrative purposes.
As money becomes available, free meals will be provided for every elementary school child with hopes that the program can be expanded to all students.
No additional state funds will be used.
WV Governor: A GREAT EDUCATION
During my service as your governor and as your longest serving senate president, I have had the great privilege of working on some very important legislation. Over the years, we’ve passed bills that have kept our children safe, cared for, and opened the door to better opportunities through education. And now, I will soon be signing a landmark education reform bill. Working together, we forged consensus making student achievement the foundation of changes to directly improve our education system. These changes are real and will make a difference in the lives of our children.
All the parties involved in the crafting of this legislation shared one belief: they all believed our kids deserve the very best education possible. And by working together, a bill was passed that will help ensure our children are better prepared for their future.
The legislation will make sure all children are taught by great teachers-like those who have been described as, “well ahead of the curve in implementing the latest instructional strategies,“ and “always going above and beyond for students.“ We will support National Board Certified Teacher recertification, provide loan forgiveness to those educators willing to teach in critical need areas, and give our schools and teachers the power to determine the type of professional development training they need to best help students.
We’re empowering our teachers to assist with the hiring process. Teams of faculty member will help choose the new teacher who can best meet their students’ needs. We’re providing local school boards more flexibility to work with their communities to schedule a school calendar that meets their needs and the mandatory 180 instructional days. Our schools will no longer be judged on tests alone, we’re now going to include other factors like graduation rates and vocational and technical class completion. These changes put our kids first.
We aren’t done with education reform, but we have made significant progress. I’ve also asked the State Board of Education to address other facets of our system’s shortcomings and to encourage a strategically planned use of technology and digital learning in the classroom. I will soon issue additional executive orders to focus on other education related issues. Please know I plan to continue on the path to getting our kids an education that makes them competitive for their future careers.
Developing a system that provides children with a great education requires a team effort. I’m very grateful to the coalition of education leaders at the legislature, in the State Board of Education, in our teachers’ unions, business community, and in every hometown across our great state. Senate Bill 359 is a symbol of a collaborative effort and enhanced opportunities to come for all West Virginia children.
Attention Gilmer Schools Coalition Members and Concerned Citizens of Gilmer County, Good News!
Delegate David Walker informed us that legislation first started by himself and Delegate Boggs on the governance of inter-county schools has been passed from the Education Committee by unanimous vote and is moving forward from that committee.
Also, an additional bill is in progress to set the standards for a clear exit plan after state intervention.
More information will be provided when available.
~~ Facilitator, Gilmer Schools Coalition ~~
West Fork Conservation District Speech and Poster Contests Held
Supervisors Tim Butler and Jane Collins would like to announce the results of the annual Speech and Poster Contests.
School contests were held on or before March 08, 2013.
Gilmer County’s Contest was held March 15, 2013 at Gilmer County High School and the District Contest was held on March 22, 2013 at Robert Bland Middle School in Weston, WV.
Poster Contest results were as follows:
Level I (k-1) –
• Morgan Putnam from Sand Fork Elementary School
• Layna Moyers from Glenville Elementary School
• Kamden Fox from Troy Elementary School
* Layna’s poster went on to win first place at the county and second place at the district contest.
Jane Collins and Tim Butler, West Fork Conservation Distrit Supervisors,
with Hannah Sanders, Rhea Finley, Chase Steele, and Taylor Whitehair.
All were school speech winners.
Not pictured: Bryant Winkle.
Level II (2-3) –
• James Mohr from Normantown
• Autumn Moyers from Glenville
• Trinity Bancroft from Sand Fork
• Hunter Helmick from Troy
*Autumn’s poster went on to win first place at the county and second place at the district contest.
Level III (4-6) –
• Cheyenne Moore from Normantown
• Kaylene Snyder from Glenville
• MacKenzie McCord from Sand Fork
• Tiffany Cole from Troy
*Kaylene’s poster won first place at the county and district contests.
Level IV (7-9) –
• Janeeva Jenkins from Gilmer County High won first place at the school, county, and district contests.
Level V (10-12) –
• Alexandra Taylor won first place at the school and county contests.
The results of the Speech contest were as follows:
Level I (4-5) –
• Hannah Sanders from Glenville
• Rhea Finley from Troy
• Bryant Winkle from Sand Fork.
* Hannah won first place at the county contest and second place at the district contest.
* Rhea won second place at the county contest.
County Poster Contestants were, in no particular order:
James Mohr, Cheyenne Moore, Layna Moyers, Autumn Moyers,
Kaylene Snyder, Morgan Putnam, Trinity Bancroft,
MacKenzie McCord, Kamden Fox, Tiffany Cole,
nd Janeeva Jenkins.
Not Pictured: Alexandra Taylor and Hunter Helmick.
Level II (6-8) –
• Taylor Whitehair from Troy
• Chase Steele from Glenville
* Chase won at the county contest and got second place at the district contest.
* Taylor won second place at the county contest.
Level III (9-12) –
There were no entries this year.
All first place school winners for both poster and speech contests receive $10.00.
First place at the county contest will receive an additional $25.00.
Second place speeches win $15.00 at the county contest.
First place poster winners receive $100.00 at the district contest.
Second place poster winners receive $50.00 at the district.
First place speech winners at the district contest receive an additional $200.00.
Second place speech winners at the district contest receive an additional $100.00.
Posters also move on to a state and possibly national contest.
Gilmer County has had several state winners over the past few years and even a National winner.
Gilmer County Supervisors Butler and Collins are very proud of our students and congratulate them for their hard work. Parents and teachers who helped are also appreciated.
Many thanks also go to the Board of Education and administration who help make this contest happen.
Special thanks also go to our volunteer judges June Nonnenberg and Kim Jones for their help at the county contest and Francis Fitzwater and Willa Jane Loftis who volunteered to judge at the district contest in Weston.
Troy Elementary Students Studying American Civil War
Students at Troy Elementary School in Gilmer County, WV currently studying the Civil War in 4th and 5th grades.
“We received a traveling trunk from Gettysburg National Military Park. It included activities about music, photographs, and literature from that era”, said Tracy Arnold,
Troy Elementary School teacher.
Mrs. Arnold’s fourth/fifth grade class
“The trunk also included a Union Soldier’s uniform, which we could use to dress one of the students.”
4th- grader Ally Frymier is outfitted as a Union soldier
Dr. Tommy Smith is an Interpretive Park Ranger with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District Burnsville Lake
He dressed as a Civil War soldier and informed the students
about the items a soldier would take with them
Dr. Smith and Troy 4th, 5th, and 6th grades
Ally Frymier dressed as a Union soldier
C-GCC: Skills USA 2013
On Saturday March 23, 2013 the Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center took 17 students to Putnam County to compete in the West Virginia state Skills USA competition:
• Alex Taylor - Technical Computer Applications (Gold Medalist)
• Justin Mowery - Computer Maintenance
• Adan Ullom - Extemporaneous Speaking
• Rick Allen, Violet Smith, Emily Krugman - CSI
• KeeKee Dimascio - Commercial Baking
• Taylor Baxter - Culinary Arts (Gold Medalist)
• Raymond Atkinson - Welding
• Richard Dorsey - Welding Sculpture
• Douglas Parsons - Masonry
• Adam Abel - Plumbing
• Alex Perrin - Welding (Post Graduate)
• James Kautz - Automotive Services
• Nick Brodeur - Criminal Justice
• Bradley Cook - State Officer Candidate
• Megan Thacker - Voting Delegate
Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center Student Competitors and Advisors
(BR, L-R): Paul Parsons, Doug Parsons, Bryan Sterns, Richard Dorsey, Adam Abel, Alex Perrin,
Nick Brodeur, Justin Mowery, Adan Ullom, Jon McCormick, Carl Collins
(FR, L-R): Sarah Luczak, James Snyder, Ray Atkinson, Alex Taylor, Violet Smith, KeeKee Dimascio, Cody Kautz,
Emily Krugman, Rick Allen, Taylor Baxter, Megan Thacker, Brad Cook, Annette Benson, Mike Jackson
We are excited to announce that two of our competitors:
• Alexandra Taylor in Technical Computer Applications and,
• Taylor Baxtor in Culinary Arts
received Gold Medals at the State level and will be competing in Nationals representing the Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center.
We are very proud of all of our competitors’ efforts, determination, and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Please be sure to congratulate these students in being selected to compete at the state level.
Rick Allen and Violet Smith-CSI
Doug Parsons- Masonry
Bryan Sterns, Alex Taylor, and Jon McCormick after Alex won her Gold Medal
Taylor Baxter on stage receiving her Gold Medal from Culinary Arts
Richard Dorsey’s Ornamental Welding
Justin Mowery- Computer Maintenance
Ray Atkinson- Welding
Cody Kautz- Automotive
Normantown Elementary Honor Roll - 3rd Nine Weeks – 2012-13
Normantown Elementary School Honor Roll, Grades 4-6, 3rd Grading Period 2012-13
4th Grade
4.0
Eve Mohr
3.2 - 3.9
Shayla Bourn
Logan Canfield
Aidan Harubin
Sara McCumbers
Grace Morris
Gavin Roberts
5th Grade
4.0
Clifford Miller
Grace Wellings
Hunter Lemon
3.2 - 3.9
Savanna Garcia
Natalie Hale
6TH Grade
4.0
Madison Mohr
Delainee Roberts
3.2 - 3.9
Marshall Cottrill
Nathan Leasure
Cheyenne Moore
Austin Pritt
Donald Smith
Matthew Snider
Sierra Wood
WV Young Writers’s Contest Winners
Gilmer County Schools proudly announces their winners of the West Virginia Young Writers’ Contest
Madison Mohr (6th grade) daughter of Jeremiah and Miranda Mohr,
Normantown Elementary School
Kathrine Phares (1st grade) daughter of David and Jessica Phares,
Normantown Elementary School
Tara Evans (11th grade) daughter of Kevin and Traci Evans,
Gilmer County High School
Trevor Wright (10th grade) son of Willard and Virginia Wright,
Gilmer County High School
Avery Brown (4th grade) son of Fred and Jennifer Wilson
Troy Elementary School
Tyler Moore (8th grade) son of Brian and Lisa Moore
Gilmer County High School
WV Senate to Vote on Bill Forcing School Administrators to Serve as Substitute Teacher
The West Virginia Senate will vote on a bill that would require certain school administrators to serve as substitute teachers.
The bill would exempt county superintendents but would require any other administrator with a teaching certificate to substitute teach three days per year.
The bill’s sponsor Senator Larry Edgell said that there are three purposes to the bill.
Most importantly the bill would help address a critical shortage of substitute teachers in rural districts.
It would also save money by reducing the number of substitutes that the state must hire.
And Edgell said that it will help administrators to see the practical effects of their policies playing out in the schools.
Both major West Virginia teachers groups support the bill.
The Senate will vote on the bill on Wednesday.
WV Schools to Mark West Virginia Birthday with Summer Camp for Social Studies and the Arts
The West Virginia Department of Education in collaboration with other state agencies is commemorating the state’s 150th anniversary with a student summer camp that celebrates social studies and the arts.
This West Virginia Ambassadors Camp will be a week-long event conducted at the University of Charleston June 17 through June 21, 2013.
Campers will stay on the UC campus during the week while they learn about West Virginia history as well as participate in classes taught by West Virginia artisans.
“As both an educator and parent, I believe that we cannot afford to overlook the significant and dramatic effect social studies and the arts have on student achievement,” said state Superintendent Jim Phares. “Research shows that the study of the arts can have a positive effect on student performance, while the study of social studies leads to a well-informed and civic-minded citizenry. This camp will allow our students to experience both.”
County superintendents have been invited to work with the middle schools in their area to select two ambassadors as well as two alternates per county to participate in the program. The students are to be eighth graders during the 2012-2013 school year. Students selected to participate are expected to return to their home counties and serve as ambassadors. Activities throughout the year following the camp are to include presentations at school-wide assemblies, scheduled classroom events at local elementary schools and the creation of an exhibit at county commission buildings.
During the camp, students will spend a day at the West Virginia Capitol Complex, where they will participate in a mock Legislature, tour the state museum, capitol, state archives and state library. In addition, the arts experience will include hands-on art projects as well as a workshop with the West Virginia Dance Company and dress rehearsal with the Charleston Light Opera Guild.
The ambassador program is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, the Sesquicentennial Commission, the City of Charleston, the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, the West Virginia Power baseball team, the University of Charleston, and various other state agencies and non-profit organizations.
For more information, contact Joey Wiseman or Jack Deskins in the Office of Instruction at 304.558.5325.
FSU: Three Students Awarded Presidential Scholarship; Gilmer County Student Competed As Finalist
For the fifth consecutive year, three West Virginia high school seniors have been named as recipients of Fairmont State University’s premier academic scholarship, the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship.
The following students have been selected as scholarship winners:
• Jacob Buckland, the son of Michael and Pamela Buckland, is a student at Shady Spring High School in Raleigh County. He plans to major in Pre-Pharmacy at FSU.
• James Jesmer, the son of Mark and Anita Jesmer, is a student at Bridgeport High School in Harrison County. He plans to major in Architecture at FSU.
• Kyndra Lantz, the daughter of Donnie and Sherry Lantz, is a student at Robert C. Byrd High School in Harrison County. She plans to major in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Math at FSU.
Students from 19 counties in West Virginia were selected as finalists for FSU’s most prestigious scholarship.
Jessica Jones of Glenville, who attends Gilmer County High School, was among the finalists.
“Fairmont State University offers many opportunities for high-achieving students, including our three scholarship winners. I look forward to welcoming them to our campus community,” said Dr. Maria Rose, FSU President. “At FSU, we take seriously our commitment to give our students exactly what they need to be successful in our changing global economy. Fairmont State University is a place where teaching and learning matter and every student can ‘be First.’ By ‘be First,’ we mean FSU provides students with chances to create their own ‘firsts’ based on their personal goals. All students should have the chance to expand their horizons.”
The competitive scholarship covers tuition and fees, room and board and a $1,000 textbook stipend. This is the fifth year that the scholarship has been offered. The three scholarship winners will be honored at various FSU Academic Awards Celebrations. The high school of each of the winners will be presented with a plaque featuring its student during the school’s spring awards assembly.
The McClain Scholars will receive priority registration for Orientation and will be extended an offer for membership in the Honors program. FSU’s Honors program provides a place for students to increase their ability to think critically and to communicate effectively, as well as travel in the U.S. and abroad.
“The Office of Admissions and Recruitment is very pleased with the highly qualified candidates this year who interviewed for the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship, our top scholarship,” said Amie Fazalare, Director of Admissions and Recruitment. “I would like to personally thank Deidre Dillon with the organization of the interview process for each candidate and all of the faculty, staff and admissions counselors who assisted with the interviews.”
To qualify, students must be current high school seniors who live in West Virginia, have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5, and an ACT composite of 26 or SAT composite of 1190. They must also be PROMISE Scholarship recipients.
Charles J. McClain Scholars were chosen based on their academic qualifications, community service activities, leadership involvement, a 450-word essay and personal interview. Students who receive the Scholarship must maintain a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA and must maintain their PROMISE Scholarship eligibility. FSU awards are renewable for three years. The deadline to apply for the Charles J. McClain Scholarship is in February each year.
For more information, visit www.fairmontstate.edu or call 800.641.5678 or 304.367.4892.
For more information about scholarship opportunities at FSU, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/finaid/funding/scholarships.
GSC Accounting Students Offering Free Tax Return Assistance - Mondays (1:00-5:00) Thru 04.15.13
The Department of Business at Glenville State College is once again offering free assistance for filing your basic federal and West Virginia income tax returns through an IRS program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Free File. The free service is available to anyone who would like assistance with filing their 2012 income tax returns.
The GSC Department of Business partners with the Internal Revenue Service through the college’s Accounting 399 course. GSC Associate Professor of Business & Accounting Cheryl McKinney, who is a CPA, is the Coordinator for the GSC VITA Free File site. GSC senior accounting majors Racheal Fetty of Spencer (Roane County), West Virginia and Melissa Pursley of Mineral Wells (Wood County), West Virginia, who are IRS certified, assist qualifying low to moderate income people (generally those making $57,000 or below and under 57 years old) who need help preparing their basic Federal and West Virginia income tax returns. The VITA Free File experience is the IRS’ new ‘self-service’ option that is available to those with basic computer skills. Taxpayers will actually be preparing their own returns at a computer with assistance as needed from trained GSC accounting students. Once completed, federal and state returns may be electronically filed.
The Department of Business at Glenville State College is once again offering free
assistance for filing your basic federal and West Virginia income tax returns
Taxpayers may choose the TurboTax, TaxSlayer, H&R Block, or TaxAct (new this year) programs based upon eligibility criteria. Each program has varying qualification requirements. Once an account is created at the GSC site, it may be accessed from anywhere if additional information is needed before filing. One distinguishing characteristic of VITA Free File is that qualifying taxpayers may electronically file both federal and state returns at no charge. However, if you access one of the software programs directly without first going through the VITA Free File site, there will be a charge for the state return.
Those who wish to receive this free tax assistance from the GSC VITA Free File site should bring: a copy of their 2011 tax return, if available, wage and earning statements (Form W-2) from all employers, interest and dividend statements (Form 1099), any other relevant information or forms relating to income and expenses, social security cards for taxpayers and dependents, if available, and bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit/direct payment, if desired.
Also, students and anyone who received financial aid and/or paid tuition and fees must have a copy of the Tuition Statement (Form 1098-T) provided by the school before your tax return can be completed. Those who cannot locate that document must request a duplicate copy or find it on their EdNet account. Form 1098-T should be in hand upon arrival at the GSC VITA Free File site so assistance can be given in a timely manner. Students may also be able to deduct additional costs including required textbooks.
The GSC VITA Free File site is located in Room 309B of the Heflin Administration Building (the Ernie Smith Computer Lab). The VITA Free File program allows for multiple taxpayers to be assisted simultaneously.
The site is open on Mondays from 1:00 – 5:00 PM through April 15, 2013.
The Glenville State College Department of Business has now been offering free tax return assistance to campus and community taxpayers for over seventeen years.
For more information about the GSC VITA Free File program, contact Cheryl McKinney at 304.462.6263.
GSC Students Plant Chestnut Trees on Reclaimed Surface Mine
On Saturday, March 09, 2013, twenty student volunteers from Glenville State College (GSC) joined forces with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and planted 625 chestnut trees including 475 potentially blight-resistant American chestnuts on a reclaimed surface mine in Nicholas County.
TACF’s potentially blight-resistant American chestnuts are the result of thirty years of careful breeding and research by TACF’s scientists in an effort to restore this native tree. “This type of hands-on service learning is an important component in our GSC curriculum. The students learned about the Forestry Reclamation Approach, American Chestnut restoration, and were given a tour of a surface coal mine,“ said Brian Perkins, GSC Assistant Professor of Forestry. He commended the students for volunteering for the planting event even though it took place during their spring break.
The GSC students teamed up with The American Chestnut Foundation to plant
seedlings to reforest the reclaime d land.
“The chestnut planting taught me a new method of planting trees and allowed me to participate in an important experiment alongside the current employees of my field of study,“ said Brice Little, a junior Forest Technology major from Marietta, Ohio.
Tyler Karp, a junior Education major from Weston (Lewis County), West Virginia also enjoyed the planting. “This was a great experience and way to meet new people. It was also very exciting to get the chance to learn about the American Chestnut Foundations activities and to be part of one of their many plantings,“ he said.
The planting in Nicholas County is part of a large-scale, multi-year project by TACF to reforest 12 reclaimed mine sites throughout five states (Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) funded in part by a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Over three years, Approximately 250,000 seed lings, including more than 14,000 blight-resistant America chestnuts will be planted by TACF and project cooperators on a total of 360 acres. This project is the largest planting of potentially blight-resistant American chestnut trees in the Foundation’s history and marks a milestone in the restoration of this once dominant native tree.
Volunteers from the West Virginia Chapter of TACF, Glenville State College, NRCS, Society of American Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service participated in the March 9th planting event. ACI Eastern prepared the land using the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a method that was developed by the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative. The Forestry Reclamation Approach leaves the surface material loose which promotes healthy root development leading to increased survival and growth rates of trees and increases water infiltration. ACI Eastern’s Senior Environmental Engineer, Keith O’Dell said, “ACI Eastern has been working to reclaim lands in a way that will provide future generations with productive forestland for environmental and economic benefits and we are proud to be a part of this restoration effort.“
GSC student volunteers (L-R) Tyler Karp, Broc Benner, and Myriah Baird spent
a sunny March day helping plant trees on a reclaimed surface mine.
Michael French of TACF agrees. “This NRCS grant is allowing us to demonstrate how chestnuts and high value hardwoods can return mine sites to a healthy forest, and also improve water quality and wildlife habitat.“
Pardee and Curtin Realty allowed TACF to implement this project on their property. “We fully support the effort to get chestnuts reintroduced throughout the eastern hardwood forests,“ said George Curtin.
Once the mighty giants of the eastern forests, American chestnuts stood up to 100 feet tall and numbered in the billions. They were a vital part of the forest ecology, a key food source for wildlife, and an essential component of the human economy. In 1904, a blight accidentally imported from Asia spread rapidly through the American chestnut population. By 1950, it had killed an estimated four billion mature trees from Maine to Georgia. Several attempts to breed blight resistant trees in the mid-1900s were unsuccessful.
In 1983, a dedicated group of scientists formed The American Chestnut Foundation and began a special breeding process, which in 2005 produced the first potentially blight resistant trees called Restoration Chestnuts 1.0. Now assisted by almost 6,000 members and volunteers in 23 states, the organization is undertaking the planting of Restoration Chestnuts in select locations throughout the eastern United States as part of the Foundation’s early restoration efforts.
In May of 2009, faculty members from the Glenville State College Land Resources Department were joined by Dr. Bob Paris, a plant geneticist with The American Chestnut Foundation, for the planting of a chestnut orchard on GSC property. It was the first chestnut orchard in West Virginia. Over one hundred seedlings donated by TACF were planted in a field on property used by the GSC Land Resources Department. The orchard includes a variety of chestnut strains including: 100% American chestnut, 75% American chestnut and 25% Chinese chestnut, 87.5 % American chestnut and 12.5% Chinese Chestnut, 15/16 American chestnut and 1/16 Chinese chestnut. “This orchard at Glenville State College is our first in West Virginia. It will be used for testing and research of The American Chestnut Foundation’s breeding program. We hope it will help increase public awareness of the effort to restore the American chestnut,“ said Dr. Paris at the time. The chestnut trees in the GSC orchard have grown to be six to seven feet tall.
TACF is a 501(c) 3 conservation organization headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. For more information on TACF and their work to restore the American chestnut tree, contact Paul Franklin at (828) 281-0047 email: “pfranklin@acf.org”. Or visit www.acf.org.
For more information about the GSC Forestry Program, contact Perkins at “Brian.Perkins@glenville.edu” or 304.462.6373.
C-GCC: Lucas Beall Receives SMAW Welding Certificate
Lucas Beall attending Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center just received his SMAW welding certification.
Carl J. Collins the Welding Technology Instructor at Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center said, “Lucas is a first year student who has showed remarkable skills and work ethic in my program. I am very proud of his hard work and dedication.”
WV Senate Bill Would Increase Full-Time Students’ Tuition
As West Virginia colleges and universities try to account for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s 7.5% budget cuts, a bill in the state Senate would let six of them change how they calculate tuition.
The bill would create a pilot program that lets those schools charge tuition by the credit hour rather than by the semester.
It would likely result in significant increases in tuition for full-time students, and decreases in tuition for part-time students.
The bill was requested by Pierpont Community and Technical College which has pledged to reduce tuition rates if the bill passes.
Up to two other community colleges and three four-year colleges could participate in the program.
If they did not correspondingly reduce tuition rates, the changes would mean substantial tuition increases for full-time students.
G-LtE™: Gilmer County High School Is Rotten to the Core
Gilmer County High School is rotten to the core. There is constant bullying and harassment of both students and teachers.
Teachers are bullied to make grades for certain students.
Students that have very little are ignored and bullied.
Most of the bullying comes from the “special” students at GCHS.
The administration does not run the school, the counselors do. They do what they want, when they want (especially if it regards their children and close friends).
As a parent, my child has told me numerous times he has been made fun of by the “special” students.
All these students better have all “A’s” or there will be hell to pay.
So many cover-ups with grades and illegal doings.
Stand up to the “special” people because our children are being cheated.
~~ A GCHS Student’s Parent – On File ~~
Gilmer County Resident Student Teaching for GSC
Jacob Nathaniel Wolfe is currently completing his student teaching internship for Glenville State College.
Wolfe is student teaching in Physical Education (PreK-Adult) and Health Education (5-Adult) at Normantown and Troy Elementary Schools with teacher Amy Chapman and at Gilmer County High School with teacher Waylon Kincaid.
Janet Bailey is his GSC supervisor.
He is the son of Gary and Brenda Wolfe of Glenville, WV.
Upon successful completion of his student teaching internships, Wolfe will receive his degree during the 139th Glenville State College Commencement ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013.
The Saga Continues: Questions about West Virginia Education Bureaucracy Linger
Bureaucracy emerged as a major culprit in a wide-ranging audit of West Virginia’s education system, but the legislation passed last week at the request of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin focuses mostly on other targets.
Approved Friday by the House, Tomblin’s proposal tackles another big audit topic: inflexible school policies. The plan rewrites laws on educator hiring and transfers, and frees up counties to plan calendars that provide 180 days of student instruction.
But several lawmakers questioned whether the legislation preserves a system that deprives classrooms of needed funding by keeping money at the state level. House Republicans tried without success to deepen cuts to the state Department of Education, with one of the five failed GOP amendments in advance of Friday’s vote.
House Minority Leader Tim Armstead challenged the bill’s focus while citing the audit’s findings. Calling for more resources devoted to schools and county districts, the study found that only Alaska had more state-level education employees when measured against students.
“What screams out of this audit, in almost every page, is that we are spending most of our resources, most of our energy, most of our effort in our educational system too far at the top,” said Armstead, a Kanawha County Republican. “We have an extremely top-heavy system.”
Released in early 2012, the audit report counted one state department staffer for every 419 students. Compared with its five neighbors, West Virginia has four times to 11 times as many state-level employees when measured against student populations. Even after excluding department staff assigned to correctional facilities and such settings as the Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney, West Virginia would still rank in the Top 10 for state-level employees, the report said.
“We need to shift the focus from Charleston to the local level and reduce the number of bureaucrats that control our educational system,” Armstead argued during Thursday’s amendment debate.
While Armstead’s proposal was rejected 44-52 — nearly along party lines — the vote was the closest among the five of the GOP amendments. Among other arguments, the majority Democrats cited how the Senate Education Committee had added mandatory cuts in the bill. The department must trim personnel spending by 5 percent during each of the next two budget years.
Department officials estimate that will shave $2 million off its annual budget by the second year. They noted that the personnel cuts exempt classroom positions but do apply to the practice of hiring recently retired educators as temporary contract employees, offering another way to reduce staff.
The department had begun heeding the audit’s call to cut its ranks in advance of Tomblin’s ongoing push to improve public schools. Before her abrupt November firing as state schools superintendent, Jorea Marple had identified 30 vacant positions, which then remained unfilled unless deemed critical.
The Board of Education’s response to the audit estimated that this step would reduce annual spending by $1.2 million.
The board also has continued another process begun under Marple, to reorganize department offices and programs around goals instead of whether their funding comes from federal, state or other sources. That has allowed the department to consolidate several upper-level jobs, the board’s audit response said.
But the board was criticized by some lawmakers earlier this month when it voted to create a new executive post, director of operations, at an annual salary of $104,000. During the Senate’s review of Tomblin’s bill, state schools Superintendent James Phares explained that this new administrator will act as a go-between for the board and the department.
“So you need a liaison between the two?” asked Senate Majority John Unger, D-Berkeley. “I thought you were the liaison.”
Critics of the department’s size also have questioned the decision by Tomblin and the board to shift some of its duties to the Regional Educational Resource Agencies. President Judy Hale of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia is among those who consider these regional agencies another layer of bureaucracy.
Left largely unmentioned this session, meanwhile, is local-level bureaucracy. The board noted in its December response to the audit that of the 55 county school systems, 28 have fewer than 4,000 students. Of those, 14 have half that number and four are at or below 1,000 students.
“The system of 55 local county boards of education and all the associated administration has been the third rail of educational politics, but the Board has determined that a meaningful dialogue surrounding this issue must occur,” the audit response said.
Braxton County Resident Student Teaching for GSC
Three students from Braxton County are currently completing their student teaching internship for Glenville State College.
Kelsey Neel-Metz is student teaching in Early Education (PreK-K), Elementary Education (k-6), and Special Education (K-6) at Burnsville Elementary School with cooperating teachers Joyce Hamrick and Megan Facemire.
Shelly Ratliff and Tara Cosco are her GSC supervisors.
She is the daughter of Tracy Cutlip of Daniels and Hubert Neel of Clarksburg.
She and her husband Cord reside in Burnsville.
Nancy Mulhare, Kelsey Metz, and Rachel Morrison
Nancy Marie Mulhare of Sutton is student teaching in Elementary Education (K-6) at Flatwoods Elementary School with teacher Donna Warner and in General Mathematics-Algebra I (5-9) at Braxton County Middle School with cooperating teacher Mary Moyers.
Shelly Ratliff and Joseph Wood are her GSC supervisors.
Mulhare is the daughter of Laura and Joseph Green of Little Birch.
Rachel Renae Morrison of Sutton is student teaching in English (5-Adult) at Braxton County Middle School with Teacher Chris Locke and at Braxton County High School under teacher Lisa Vaughan.
Dr. Shara Curry and Melody Wise are her GSC supervisors.
Upon successful completion of their student teaching internships, these students will receive their degrees during the 139th Glenville State College Commencement ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013.
GED Classes Are Available In Both Gilmer And Calhoun Counties
Calhoun County classes will be held at the Career Center on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Gilmer County classes will be held at St. Marks Church on Wednesday from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM. (St. Marks is located one mile from Glenville; across the street from the new fire station.)
There will be no GED classes the week of April 01-05, 2013.
Classes will resume on April 09, 2013.
Call Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center at 304.354.6151 for more information.
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