Craven Community College (Craven CC) has been recognized as one of the best colleges offering online learning in North Carolina by the Community for Accredited Online Schools.
As a leading resource for campus and online learning, the site released its annual ranking for the 2018-19 school year, honoring Craven Community College for its excellence in online learning.
Craven CC was ranked No. 4 on the list 44 two-year colleges in North Carolina offering online programs.
“We wanted to highlight schools like Craven Community College who are providing exceptional online education experiences for their students,” said Doug Jones, CEO and Founder of the Community for Accredited Online Schools. “These schools continue to uphold rigorous accreditation standards and show an overall commitment to maximizing student success.”
To qualify, schools must be regionally or nationally accredited, hold a not-for-profit status in the United States and offer at least one online degree. Schools were then ranked based on their quality, affordability, flexibility and degrees granted to their students.
Go here For more information on Craven CC’s online learning ranking and further details on the methodology used to rank each school.
Founded in 1965, Craven Community College is part of the North Carolina Community College System. With campuses in New Bern and Havelock-Cherry Point, Craven CC serves about 3,200 curriculum students and more than 10,000 continuing education students each year. The college offers a wide range of associate degree and certificate programs, as well as college transfer courses, career and occupational offerings, partnerships with four-year universities, specialized workforce training options, developmental studies and basic skills classes. The Lifetime Learning Center and Adult Enrichment Program offer lifelong learning opportunities. Craven Early College High School programs are available on both campuses. Craven CC is also home to Public Radio East, one of the few community colleges nationally with this distinction. For more information about the college, visit www.cravencc.
The Community for Accredited Online Schools (AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org) was founded in 2011 to provide students and parents with quality data and information about pursuing an education that has been certified by an accrediting agency. Its community resource materials and tools have been featured by over 1,000 schools and universities and span topics such as college accreditation, financial aid, and online learning resources. Its annual school rankings feature higher education institutions that offer excellence in online learning programs.
Partners In Education and Craven County Schools, Craven Smart Start and Newspapers In Education, are providing an opportunity for our community to donate books for Craven County Schools’ media centers and classrooms. The Book Drive will take place Nov. 5-9.
The drop-off locations are: Craven County Schools Central Services/Partners In Education at 3600 Trent Road, Craven Smart Start at 2111-F Neuse Blvd., AlphaGraphics at 3731 Trent Road, Century 21 Zaytoun-Raines at 312 S. Front St., and the Sun Journal at 3200 Wellons Blvd.
Brandy Popp, PIE Fund Raising Committee Chair, said, “The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of our children is to increase their access to print. Communities ranking high in achievement tests have several factors in common: an abundance of books in public libraries, easy access to books in the community at large, and a large number of classroom books per student. Commit yourself to increasing student reading achievement and literacy in Craven County by giving to our Book Drive.”
Popp said, “Last year, through the generosity of our community, Partners In Education was able to donate thousands of books to our classrooms and media centers and to Craven Smart Start. Based on this success, Partners In Education is recruiting the help of all our community partners so that we are able reach more students this year. Please think of books for all of our school children, PreK-13.”
The donated books will be made available to Craven Smart Start and Craven County Schools teachers for their classrooms at a Book Giveaway.
Partners In Education is an education foundation that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
For more information about this event, or how you can support PIE, contact Darlene Brown, at 514-6321, or at Darlene.Brown@Cravenk12.org. Visit the PIE website at www.CravenPartners.com to learn more about this program and others offered by Partners In Education.
Since 1988, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence.
The impact of the 2018 tropical systems in North Carolina wasn’t confined to coastal areas. Near the state’s geographical center, the route of N.C. 42 through Carbonton runs under floodwaters from the Deep River on Sept. 18, in eastern Chatham County, near Lee and Moore counties. Courtesy of the N.C. Department of Transportation.
CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS | Hurricanes Florence and Michael caused school districts in their paths to miss several days of school. The state is helping districts avoid official penalties, but educators across the state are divided about the long-term wisdom of losing so many days of instruction.
As school districts recovered from Florence, Gov. Roy Cooper signed legislation Oct. 3 to grant calendar flexibility to schools in districts with federal disaster declarations. This allows the districts to waive up to 20 days of absences if they choose to. That choice isn’t necessarily automatic.
According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, 30 counties have been federally declared for both individual assistance and public assistance, and 11 counties have been declared for public assistance only. School districts located in counties with either of these types of declarations can take advantage of the waiver policy. Although the legislation originally applied to those affected by Florence, it also covers districts with declarations due to Michael.
Valita Quattlebaum, chief communications officer for New Hanover County Schools, said her district will be using this waiver in addition to creating a new calendar to recoup days. Hurricane Florence heavily affected the coastal district’s schools and means of transportation, she said.
“We were out 17 days,” Quattlebaum said. “We had to get our buildings cleaned up, we had to clear up debris and make our campus safe enough for students to go into. We had repairs to do, get rid of damaged furniture, things that had gotten wet.”
Due to the projected forecast of Hurricane Michael, Craven County Schools will be closed Thursday, Oct. 11 for students and staff of the eight schools that reopened this week, along with Early College Campuses. Officials will monitor the situation before deciding whether school should be closed Friday, as well.
Students and staff of the 15 other school sites that had not yet reopened due to continuing issues from Hurricane Florence will remain closed..
Schools affected by the Thursday closure are Oaks Road Academy, Creekside Elementary, Ben D. Quinn Elementary, Bridgeton Elementary, Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary, Grover C. Fields Middle, New Bern High, and West Craven High.
Custodians and maintenance staff are asked to report as normal unless contacted by their immediate supervisor.
Central Office Staff should plan to report if safely able to do so.
District officials will continue to monitor the storm during the next 24 hours and share any updated information regarding Friday as soon as possible.
Gov. Roy Cooper directed $25 million from the North Carolina Education Lottery Fund on Tuesday to speed repairs to K-12 public schools damaged by Hurricane Florence.
“Students need to get back to learning and educators need to get back to teaching, but many school districts can’t afford the repairs schools need,” Cooper said. “The lives of thousands of students, teachers and families are on hold and they need our help to recover.”
While many schools have reopened since Hurricane Florence struck last month, seven North Carolina school systems remain closed, keeping more than 130 schools out of operation and nearly 90,000 students out of class.
Just four of Craven County’s 23 public schools were open for class on Monday. Three schools in Jones County will have to be entirely rebuilt.
Several affected school districts have depleted most of their contingency funds and need immediate financial assistance to repair roofs, flooring and electrical wiring, eradicate mold and mildew and replace furniture to get schools reopened.
The emergency funds will be administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Priority will be given to district and charter schools in Brunswick, Craven, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Robeson counties that have immediate repair needs and are not currently in operation.
Some of the repairs should be reimbursable by federal disaster recovery funds. Transferring the money now gives schools quicker help and allows them to retain contractors to speed repairs.
In an emergency called meeting of the Craven County Board of Education on Thursday, an appropriation of $3.5 million was approved for damage repairs, school climate stabilization, and restoration and remediation services for our schools.
Superintendent Meghan Doyle said that this expenditure will not cover the full damages of Hurricane Florence to Craven County Schools.
“We continue to make progress and are happy to say that we are beginning the transition back to school,” the district said in a news release.
Craven County Schools has completed the process of testing air quality samples at all 23 of its school sites by an external industrial hygienist. Based on the results, six school sites are cleared for students and staff to safely return to campus on Monday, Oct. 8. The schools are:
Ben D. Quinn Elementary
Bridgeton Elementary
Grover C. Fields Middle
New Bern High (except Vocational Area)
Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary
West Craven High
Based on the air quality reports, nine schools have been partially cleared and once these buildings are restored and cleaned thoroughly they will be re-tested again. They are:
AH Bangert Elementary
Brinson Memorial Elementary
Creekside Elementary
Havelock Middle (ECE Wing has been cleared)
HJ MacDonald Middle
JT Barber Elementary
Oaks Road Academy
Trent Park Elementary
W.J. Gurganus Elementary
Once the air quality samples are reviewed and safely cleared, these campuses will be released for school to start back. Crews will be working throughout the weekend to remediate the impacted areas be prepared for future announcements for these sites
Eight other school sites have not been cleared and will need remediation by external companies contracted to complete the work in an effective and efficient manner. Funds for this work will come from the Board of Education fund balance appropriation made at Thursday’s meeting. The schools requiring greater detail to be cleared to safely return back to school are:
Arthur W. Edwards Elementary
Graham A. Barden Elementary
Havelock Elementary
Havelock High
James W. Smith Elementary
Roger Bell New Tech Academy
Tucker Creek Middle
West Craven Middle
“We appreciate the patience and understanding our school families and the community as we anxiously work to get our facilities at a safe level for all to return,” the district said in the news release.
“Craven County has never experienced a storm of this magnitude and while the structural damage to our facilities does not appear to be great on the outside, the length of power outages at each site combined with moisture and humidity is a direct correlation to the air quality on the inside.”
The tentative goal date for all facilities to be operational is Monday, Oct. 15.
Hurricane Florence ripped through portions of Eastern North Carolina, dumping historic rainfall on Craven County. Thousands of homes were flooded.
As families rebuild, many will likely be unable to afford to replace school supplies lost due to the flooding.
“You feel kind of helpless. Because you think about your students, who are your family, and you’re like ‘What can I do to help?’” said Craven County Schools Teacher of the Year, Katy Chadwick.
Chadwick was born and raised in Craven County. She attended UNC Wilmington and began her teaching career in Craven County. She said, “People like Antoinette Boskey, an active community member, have been reaching out to me about how they can help, so Darlene Brown, executive director of PIE, and I put our heads together and said we need to do this for our students.”
Brown said, “We just held our Stuff the Bus event, so I guess we are re-stuffing our buses. So many of our students are homeless, and the best thing we can do for them is to get them back into a routine of attending school with the supplies they will need. PIE is pleased to support our teachers and our students.”
School supplies can be dropped off between 9 a.m.– 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the ABC Central Office, 3493 Martin Drive, New Bern, NC (loading dock available) or at Craven County Sheriff’s Office, 1100 Clarks Road, New Bern (contact Investigative Sgt. Mike Sawyer, msawyer@cravencountync.gov or 252-636-6643 for drop off information).
You can also donate money on line at www.CravenPartners.com. If you would like your supplies to be dedicated to a certain school, please indicate that in the comments section when you donate online. A school supply list can be found on the PIE website. Some suggested items are:
Backpacks
Earbuds or headphones
4GB (or larger) flash drives
Pocket folders with brads (any color)
Composition notebooks
Blank copier paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches)
Graph paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches)
Notebook paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches)
No. 2 pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Pencil bags
Blue, black, and red ink pens
Glue sticks
Glue bottles
Highlighters (any color)
Colored pencils (12-pack)
Colored markers (not permanent)
Rulers (30cm, wooden)
Index cards (3 inches by 5 inches, 100 count, lined)
Three-ring binders
Post-it notes
Pkgs. of dividers
Scotch tape
Colored construction paper
Clorox or Lysol wipes
Tissues
Hand sanitizer
For more information about this event, or how you can support PIE, contact Darlene Brown at 514-6321, or at Darlene.Brown@CravenK12.org. Visit the PIE website at www.CravenPartners.com to learn more about the programs offered by Partners In Education.
Partners In Education is the local educational foundation that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
Looking for the perfect way to have a delicious pancake breakfast before visiting Santa in Bear Plaza, taking in some shopping, and enjoying the many activities happening during the holiday season in beautiful, historic downtown New Bern?
Pancakes for PIE at Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, 235 Craven St. Breakfast will be served Saturday, Dec. 15, from 7-10 a.m. to benefit Partners In Education, the local education foundation for Craven County Schools. Morgan’s will be festively decorated for the holiday season and is the perfect setting to start your day with pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit cup, orange juice, coffee, and water. All this for just $7 per adult, and $5 for children 12 and under. Reservations are not required as this is a pay at the door event. Debit, credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted. In order to expedite seating, please have checks or cash ready.
Where & Who: Morgan’s, 235 Craven St., Downtown New Bern
What: Pancakes for PIE – Delicious pancake, bacon, sausage, fruit, orange juice, coffee & water breakfast for $7/adult, $5/children 12 and under
When: Saturday, December 15, 7-10 a.m.
Why: To benefit Partners In Education, the local education foundation for Craven County Schools
Don Brinkley, PIE Board Presiden, said, “This event is open to the public and is an excellent opportunity for our community to show their support for Craven County Schools. Morgan’s is generously donating all proceeds from the breakfast to PIE, who will use the funds to support our local schools through PIE grant programs. Serving our pancakes will be Morgan’s staff along with PIE volunteers consisting of teachers, school staff members, and community supporters.”
Brandy Popp, Chair of the PIE Fund Raising Committee, said, “It is so very giving of Adam and Candice Simmons and their employees to provide the staffing, food, and venue for this event. We all know Morgan’s dishes up excellent food and our volunteers are always up for serving some ‘PIE’! We are absolutely thrilled Morgan’s is hosting Pancakes for PIE and we encourage everyone to bring the whole family and spend the day in beautiful downtown New Bern! We have sent a special invitation to Santa and we are hoping he will be on hand to share holiday cheer.”
To learn more about other events taking place in downtown New Bern this holiday season, go to the www.VisitNewBern.com and www.BearyMerryChristmas.com websites and plan your family Christmas activities!
Partners In Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Local Education Foundation that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
Since 1989, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence.
Looking for a way to have a pancake breakfast before visiting Santa in Bear Plaza, taking in some shopping, and enjoying the many activities happening during the holiday season in downtown New Bern?
Join Pancakes for PIE at Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, 235 Craven St. Breakfast will be served Saturday, Dec. 15, from 7-10 a.m. to benefit Partners In Education, the local education foundation for Craven County Schools. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit cup, orange juice, coffee, and water will be served in a festive setting. The price is $7 per adult, and $5 for children 12 and under. Reservations are not required as this is a pay-at-the-door event. Debit, credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted. In order to expedite seating, please have checks or cash ready.
Don Brinkley, PIE Board president, said, “This event is open to the public and is an excellent opportunity for our community to show their support for Craven County Schools. Morgan’s is generously donating all proceeds from the breakfast to PIE, who will use the funds to support our local schools through PIE grant programs. Serving our pancakes will be Morgan’s staff along with PIE volunteers consisting of teachers, school staff members, and community supporters.”
Brandy Popp, chairman of the PIE Fund Raising Committee, said, “It is so very giving of Adam and Candice Simmons and their employees to provide the staffing, food, and venue for this event. We all know Morgan’s dishes up excellent food and our volunteers are always up for serving some ‘PIE’! We are absolutely thrilled Morgan’s is hosting Pancakes for PIE and we encourage everyone to bring the whole family and spend the day in beautiful downtown New Bern! We have sent a special invitation to Santa and we are hoping he will be on hand to share holiday cheer.”
To learn more about other events taking place in downtown New Bern this holiday season, go to the www.VisitNewBern.com and www.BearyMerryChristmas.com and plan your family Christmas activities.
For more information about Pancakes for PIE, or other programs offered by PIE, contact Darlene Brown, Executive Director, Craven County Partners In Education, at 252-514-6321 or www.CravenPartners.com.
Partners In Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Local Education Foundation that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
Since 1989, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence.
As school begins, school supply lists are made available to students and parents, but not all students are able to arrive the first day of school with the items required to put them on the road to success; some parents simply can’t afford to purchase the items needed.
To assist those students, Partners In Education (PIE), in partnership with Craven County Schools, will have bright yellow school buses and colorful totes set up in front of the three Walmart stores in Craven County on August 25, 2018, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (New Bern – 3105 Dr. M.L. King, Jr., Blvd. and 2915 Neuse Blvd., and Havelock – 566 U.S. 70).Generous shoppers can donate school supplies for students who have been identified as in-need by their school counselors and principals.
Volunteers from the schools and our community will be on hand and honking the horn of the school bus each time a donation is made as a way of showing thanks.
A shopping list will be available the day of the event, is currently available on the PIE website at www.CravenPartners.com, and is listed on the individual schools’ websites.
For those who can’t make it to the event, many businesses have agreed to be drop-off locations, and will collect items until Tuesday, August 21.They are:
Havelock Chamber of Commerce at 201 Tourist Center Drive,
BB&T at 375 S. Front Street,
Century 21 Zaytoun-Raines at 312 S. Front St.,
Wells Fargo at 401 S. Front St.,
Sound Bank at 1801 S. Glenburnie Rd.,
Edward Jones Investments – Dan Roberts at 301 S. Front St.,
Toyota of New Bern at 5010 U.S. Hwy 70 East
Craven County Schools at 3600 Trent Rd.
Accidental Artist at 219-A Craven St.
Rankin & Fiume at 608 McCarthy Blvd.
Last year, through the generosity of our community, Partners In Education received $32,000 in donations and was able to assist students in all 25 schools. Based on this success, Partners In Education is recruiting the help of all our community partners so that we are able to reach even more students this year.
For more information about this event, or how you can support PIE, contact Darlene Brown at 514-6321, or at Darlene.Brown@CravenK12.org. Visit the PIE website at www.CravenPartners.com to learn more about the programs offered by Partners In Education.
Partners In Education is the local educational foundation that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
More than 700 educators, business leaders, and elected officials filled the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center on Tuesday afternoon for the sold-out Partners In Education Spring Luncheon.
The annual event helps raise money for Craven County schools through PIE grant programs.
The organization, Partners In Education is the local education foundation for Craven County Schools. PIE awarded more than $170,000 through a variety of grants and programs during the 2017-18 school year, PIE President Ervin Patrick said.
Dr. Cecil Staton, Chancellor of East Carolina University, served as keynote speaker.
John Bircher, attorney with White & Allen, and a 1988 graduate of West Craven High School, served as the emcee of the event. Bircher said of Dr. Staton that he was pleased to welcome Dr. Staton to Craven County. Bircher explained, “East Carolina University has a world class College of Education, and we are proud that Dr. Ervin Patrick, PIE president, recently received his doctorate from ECU College of Education.”
Bircher said Dr. Staton comes to ECU from the University System of Georgia where he served as Vice Chancellor for Extended Education and as interim President of Valdosta State University. Previously, he served as associate provost, assistant professor, and university publisher at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and on the faculty of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia.
He also served for 10 years as a Georgia state senator representing the state’s 18th District, and chaired the appropriations sub-committee responsible for the state’s $2 billion annual investment in public higher education.
Dr. Staton is a native of Greenville, South Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Furman University, a Master of Divinity with Languages and Master of Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford in England.
After Dr. Staton spoke, it was announced that PIE would offer a one-time grant of $3,000 to Craven County public school principals for the 2018-19 school year in Dr. Staton’s honor for speaking. The focus of the grant will be STEM, at Dr. Staton’s request.
Several awards were given during the luncheon:
The Cheryl Marteney Memorial Volunteer Leadership Award serves to honor a volunteer who has made significant contributions through volunteer work with Craven County Partners In Education. This was awarded to Barbara Dotter, PIE volunteer.
The PIE Outstanding Leadership Award honors outstanding leadership and significant contributions to education by school administrators. This award went to Deborah Langhans, Chief Academic Officer of Craven County Schools and Dr. Ervin Patrick, PIE president and Director of Human Resource Services.
There were three PIE Excellence Awards. The award honors an individual or company for demonstrating a commitment to working with PIE to promote student achievement and educational excellence. This award went to Jason Jones, County Commissioner; B/S/H/ Home Appliances; and Wells Fargo.
The Distinguished Alumni Award honors Craven County Schools graduates for their contributions to the community, their profession, and PIE. This award went to Patricia Rammacher and Michael Raines, Century 21 Zaytoun-Raines.
Entertainment for the event was provided by Havelock High Jazz Band and West Craven Middle School #BucketRage.
Republican’s school safety plan makes some temporary changes, while giving lawmakers time to assess what else might be needed.
Education NC | Republican lawmakers announced at a press conference last month $35 million in school safety grants that made their way into the revised 2018-19 budget.
The one-time money is meant to temporarily address school safety needs while the state gathers more information on what districts and schools require to protect students.
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step,” said Rep. David Lewis (R-Dunn). “I think this is an ongoing process.”
Image courtesy: NCGA Republicans
The school safety plan stems from work performed by a committee on school safety that came into existence following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida and met regularly prior to the short session.
Governor Roy Cooper has his own school safety plan in his budget proposal. It amounts to a total of $130 million, including $65 million for making buildings safer and $40 million for additional personnel. Legislative Democrats also floated a similar plan yesterday.
But Republican lawmakers say it is too soon to know exactly how much money is needed. Part of the ongoing process going forward will be getting reports from districts sent to the state Department of Public Instruction so that legislators can understand what schools require. Rep. Linda Johnson (R-Kannapolis) said additional recurring money needs to be added to the budget in the future.
“Because the issue came up at the time that it came up, and the amount of effort that had to go into it, this is not the end, this is just the beginning,” she said.
The Republicans’ plan also includes between $30 and $90 million in new federal funding for student health, but that will not come until the second year because North Carolina needs a Medicaid State Plan Amendment before it can start collecting the funds. Essentially, the money will come from reimbursements from Medicaid for services the state is already providing.
Today during a special announcement at New Bern High School, Steve Tapley was named the new head football coach.
Prior to his arrival at New Bern, Tapley coached the offensive line for four years while serving as the Run Game Coordinator, Offensive Coordinator, and Assistant Head Coach under Ron Turner at Wilkes Central High School in Wilkesboro, N.C.
During those years several Eagles posted record numbers. In each season an Eagle rusher gained more than 1,000 yards, with three players gaining more than 2,000 yards rushing.
In their most productive season, the Eagles gained over 3,000 yards on the ground while giving up only 6 sacks in 189 passing attempts. Wilkes Central laid claim to back-to-back outright conference titles in 2016 and 2017. The Eagles earned a spot in the NCHSAA playoffs each of his four years on staff.
“Coach Tapley is an extremely knowledgeable football coach with experience on both sides of the ball”, Turner said. “He cares about his players’ growth as young men as well as football players. He has been a big part of our success at Wilkes Central and will be missed.”
Tapley spent the 2013 season at his Alma-Mater, Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kansas), serving as the Co-Offensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, and Receivers coach for his former coach, Manny Matsakis. Both the Special Teams and the Triple-Shoot Offense posted impressive numbers during his stay. The 2013 Swede Punt Return unit averaged an impressive 15.9 yards per return, ranking them #3 nationwide. The offense rushed for nearly 2000 yards and had an average of 13.6 yards per completion.
In 2012, Tapley coached offensive line and linebackers at Kestrel Heights School in Durham, N.C. His input helped to modernize the offense and special teams units, while securing college scholarships for two players from a program in only its second year of varsity competition.
Before moving to Durham, Tapley served as the Defensive Coordinator at Topeka West High School in 2011 where he also served as the school’s Head Wrestling Coach. Under his leadership the Chargers qualified three wrestlers to the KSHSAA 5A State Tournament.
Tapley began his collegiate coaching career at Bethany College (KS) in 2004 as the team’s Linebacker Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. The Swede defense ranked in the top 5 nationally in passing yards allowed during the 2004 season. In 2005 he coached the Offensive Line.
His coaching career began at Royal Valley High School in Hoyt, Kansas as the Offensive and Defensive Line Coach under Tom Barta in 2001. In 2003 the Panthers secured a berth in the KSHSAA 3A State Playoffs.
A native of Holton, Kansas, Tapley was a three-sport letterman and chosen as the most outstanding male athlete of his class. He received all-league recognition as an offensive lineman his senior season. Tapley played collegiately at Emporia State University as a linebacker and deep-snapper. Tapley earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Bethany College in 2006. He has two children, Seth and Spencer.
Connor Yungbluth, of Wake County, studies Mandarin Chinese through the North Carolina Virtual Public School.
After a regular school morning at Middle Creek High School in Cary, senior Connor Yungbluth, 16, takes his online Mandarin Chinese course at home through the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS).
When Yungbluth moved from New York, he wanted to continue the language studies he had begun there, but the local school in Wake County didn’t have a Chinese teacher. His curriculum is part of the blended, individualized instruction that virtual school in North Carolina can provide.
In the afternoon, Connor takes two online courses through Wake Technical College to prepare for his future in engineering or medicine.
Other students who have benefited from NCVPS include special needs populations, students who would like to attend the N.C. School of Math and Science but are not offered advanced courses at their school, students in rural areas, and a gymnast.
While the NCVPS may be unfamiliar to many North Carolina residents and not every school system cooperates with its program, the state has the second-largest virtual public school system in the country, with enrollment climbing from 17,000 at inception in 2007 to 58,000 students across the state today. Only Florida has higher enrollment in its comparable program.
North Carolina teachers developed the 150-course curriculum, which is aligned to state high school graduation requirements.
Lack of progress on North Carolina students’ test scores is “frustrating,” state superintendent of schools Mark Johnson said this week.
North Carolina students’ scores on a national test aren’t showing recent improvement, though they are better than 20 years ago. Angie Newsome/Carolina Public Press
A nationwide evaluation of educational achievement in fourth- and eighth-graders found that scores for North Carolina students largely remained stable between 2015 and 2017, but went down in some areas. Scores for poor students and minority students also lagged significantly behind other students.
“Teachers in North Carolina are working hard, and our state has made strong investments in early grades,” Johnson said in a Department of Public Instruction press release.
“While it is frustrating for educators and state leaders to see incremental progress instead of general success, we have spearheaded efforts to ensure that all funds invested by our state actually benefit teachers and students. Also, with new leadership at DPI, we have been reevaluating how those funds can best be used to support teachers and to improve students’ outcomes.”
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tracks student test scores in reading and math and state participation and is a requirement for states to receive federal aid.
Scores for fourth- and eighth-grade students in reading and eighth-grade students in math remained unchanged since the 2015 evaluation, according to data DPI released this week.
Looking for the perfect way to have a delicious pancake breakfast before visiting Santa in Bear Plaza, taking in some shopping, and enjoying the many activities happening during the holiday season in beautiful, historic downtown New Bern?
