Education notebook: Mercer hosting education reform forum
Mercer University's Tift College of Education will host its second annual Fall Forum on Education at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Medical School Auditorium.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature Tom Bordenkircher, state director of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships in Georgia, as well as a panel of Middle Georgia elementary, middle and high school teachers.
The theme for this year's forum is "Teacher Education Reform: Where are the Teacher Voices?" Bordenkircher and the panel will be speaking on the role of practicing teachers in teacher education reform in Georgia. A reception will follow the panel discussion.
SOUTHWEST HIGH HOSTING PAIR OF EVENTS
Parents and students are invited to a workshop to learn about how the Georgia Milestones test will be formatted and proctored, how it will be assessed and how it will affect student promotion to the next grade level. The workshop is set for Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. at Southwest High School, located at 1775 Williamson Road in Macon.
On Saturday at 8 a.m., the Southwest Alumni Association and Southwest Magnet High School and Law Academy Family Engagement Team will host a pancake breakfast scholarship fundraiser and health fair at Southwest. The fair will provide information about diabetes, breast cancer and Sickle-cell disease. Breakfast tickets are $5, and the community is invited. The scholarship fund supports future Southwest graduates.
GMC COMPETES IN NATIONAL COMPETITION
Three Georgia Military College Prep School Raider teams recently competed in the 2015 U.S. Army Junior ROTC National Raider Competition in Molena. The male team competed in the All-Service Raider Challenge on Nov. 6. The Female and Mixed Teams competed in the U.S. Army National Raider Championship on Nov. 7 and 8. The competitions hosted about 80 teams and 1,100 cadets, challenging them mentally and physically in five events: physical team training, 5K team run, cross country rescue (team carries a 125 lb. litter and weighted ruck sacks through a course 1.2 miles long), rope bridge (team sets up a bridge with rope to cross a creek) and gauntlet (team carries multiple heavy items through a course of obstacles & varying terrain).
GMC's Mixed Team (male and female) came in first overall, earning the title of 2015 U.S. Army National Raider Champions in the Mixed Team category. Members of GMC's National Championship Team are Emma Mercer, Mark McCabe, Becky Vaughn, Will Caldwell, Chase Sheffield, Abigail Kirkland, Zach Spiler, Nick Trussell, Sara Bloodworth, TJ Johnson, Allie Kauzlarich and Aaron Kirkland.
HOUSTON ADMINISTRATORS RECEIVE AWARDS
The Georgia Association of Middle School Principals recognized two Houston County school system assistant principals at the Fall GAMSP Conference held this month in Savannah. Dusty Dykes of Thomson Middle School was honored as the 2014-2015 GAMSP Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Georgia. Arthur Billings of Feagin Mill Middle was named the GAMSP District 11 Assistant Principal of the Year for 2015-2016.
FPD SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CHINESE SCHOOL
First Presbyterian Day School recently signed a sister school agreement with the Guangzhou Xiehe School in Guangzhou, China. The agreement officially opened the doorway for the exchange of ideas and information between the two schools. The goals of a sister school agreement are to promote international and cultural understanding, develop collaborative learning experiences and provide opportunities for contact and interaction between the school communities.
For more immersive learning opportunities, FPD and the Xiehe School will introduce international student and faculty exchange trips to the respective countries for up to 10 students and six teacher from each school annually.
WINDSOR FRESHMAN NAMED VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
The local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals named Channing Guest of Macon as its teen volunteer of the year for 2015. Channing is a freshman at Windsor Academy and for the past two years has been a dedicated volunteer at the Museum of Arts and Sciences Mini Zoo, where he leads educational sessions and helps care for more than 70 animals. He also volunteers his time with Jay's HOPE and spends one week each summer working and interacting with children diagnosed with cancer. As the 2015 award winner, Channing will receive a $100 cash prize, and AFP will contribute $100 to Jay's HOPE Foundation in his honor.
Telegraph writers Oby Brown and Jeremy Timmerman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 10:07 PM with the headline "Education notebook: Mercer hosting education reform forum ."