D9 Connection

On Monday, I attended the Board of Commissioners Work Session for the presentation of the WCPSS Budget. On Wednesday, I celebrated the seniors at Vernon Malone College and Career Academy. Their individual graduation ceremonies were awesome. Later that evening, I attended the Green Hope Signing Day Event. It was exciting to see student athletes officially making their college commitments. On Thursday, I attended the Wake STEM Early College High School graduation. Then I visited the Connections Academy for their End-of-Year Celebration. That evening, I attended the WCPSS Future Teachers Signing Event. Thursday was full of excitement and opportunities to recognize students for their hard work. This week as a Board, we had the following meetings: Student Achievement Committee and Safety and Security Committee. At the Monday, May 24th Student Achievement Committee Meeting: Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent for Academics; and Michele Woodson, Senior Director, K-12 Curriculum Development; p

On Monday, I started the week with a D9 Connection Virtual Meeting. On Friday, I visited West Cary Middle. At the beginning of my visit, Mr. Slechta, an Orchestra Teacher, Math Teacher, Instructional Facilitator, and more, was presented with the WCPSS Employee Excellence Award. It was terrific to hear about all he does for the West Cary Middle School Community. Friday evening, I attended Cary High School's Spring Musical (streamed), " Bright Star ." Wow! The students were simply incredible! This week as a Board, we had four meetings: Finance Committee, Work Session, Board Meeting, and Policy Committee. At the Tuesday, May 18th Finance Committee: Dr. AJ Muttillo, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, presented the compensation incentives for non-certified and certified staff in support of the Summer Learning Program. To view the presentation, click here . To watch the recording of the May 18th Finance Committee, use this link . At the Tuesday, May 18th Work Session

On Monday, I visited East Cary Middle and Adams Elementary. It was great to see students learning about vertical angles, utilizing a graphic organizer to write a paper, and working hard on element projects and more. On Tuesday, I attended the Hometown to Hometown Virtual Event in support of the  Save the Music Foundation  a 501(c)(3) that helps students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of music. Millbrook High School received a Save the Music/Song Farm Grant. On Thursday, I hosted the final Board Advisory Council meeting for District 9 this school year. This week as a Board, we had one meeting: Facilities Committee. At the Wednesday, May 12th Facilities Committee: Elizabeth Wakeford, Senior Administrator, Planning & Construction; provided a detail presentation about building to core capacity versus adding mobile units following construction at Fuquay-Varina Middle. Building to core capacity is a more efficient and cost-effective way to accommod

On Sunday, I started my week hosting a D9 Connection Meeting. On Thursday, I attended "Adolescent Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19," presented by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This event not only had professionals sharing information, but a dynamic student panel. Hearing directly from students about the impact of remote learning and current events was powerful. Later on Thursday, I had the honor of celebrating the artistic talent of WCPSS students at the 2021 Gifts of Gold held at Crabtree Valley Mall. It was a fun event with students, families, art teachers, and members of the public. On Friday, I had an eventful visit at Briarcliff Elementary. I was able to go room to room with members of the PTA and Principal Nelson. School staff were all provided a sweet treat (a bundt cake and drink). Thank you to all school staff as we wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: W