Class Notes 11.27.14

+ School district earns AP honors

Orange County Public Schools is one of 547 school districts in the United States and Canada honored by the College Board with placement on the fifth annual AP District Honor Roll, for increasing access to AP course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

Placement on the honor roll indicates the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for the opportunity of AP.

OCPS made the honor roll in the inaugural year, 2011, then again in 2013, and now this year.

“Receiving this recognition for the third time in four years is a clear indication of the tremendous work of our teachers and the incredible effort of our students,” Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said. “We are extremely proud.”

“The devoted teachers and administrators in this district are delivering an undeniable benefit to their students: opportunity,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of AP and Instruction. “When coupled with a student’s hard work, such opportunities can have myriad outcomes, whether building confidence, learning to craft effective arguments, earning credit for college or persisting to graduate from college on time. We applaud your conviction that a more diverse population of students is ready for the sort of rigor that will prepare them for success in college.”

Inclusion on the hono roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2012 to 2014, looking across 34 exams.

To be eligible, districts must:

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large districts (OCPS is in this category), at least 6% in medium districts and at least 11% in small districts;

• Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by African-American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and

• Improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2014 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2012, unless the district already has attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.

+ West Orange singers earn all-state honors

Six students in West Orange High School’s Chorus Department have been invited to perform as part of the all-state choirs at the Florida Music Educators Conference in January 2015 in Tampa.

Students from around the state of Florida prepared over a period of months and were tested by the Florida Vocal Association on music theory, ear training and music sight reading, followed by a vocal quality audition of assigned repertoire. 

Sydney Adams-Farley and Gabrielle Carrion were named to the Senior High All-State Women’s Chorus, while Megan Hernandez, Nicole Carrion, Trista Sinex and Pragati Adesh were invited to the Senior High All-State Concert Chorus.

+ Local heroes visit SunRidge Elementary

Kindergarden students at SunRidge Elementary School loved learning all about the life and work of firefighters Nov. 19 during Orange County Public Schools’ Great American Teach-In.

This annual event allows members of the community to come to the school and share information and excitement about their chosen career.

Kindergarten students were excited to hear about the lifesaving techniques of firefighters of Engine 24. Other grade levels enjoyed presentations including a local author, an engineer, an artist and area home builders, who shared a mathematical lesson in developmental design.

To be part of next year’s event, contact Jennifer Hayes, (407) 656-0809.

+ Windermere hosts annual civics lesson

Third-grade students of Windermere Elementary took a walk to the Windermere Town Hall to learn about the town’s government, police department and fire department. It took two mornings to accommodate all eight of the classes in half-day sessions during which they learned about their community.

A project that started out as an experiment in educating students about their government and civics eight years ago evolved into an annual event that provides a foundation for the students’ involvement in government. The students also had an opportunity to meet the local leaders in their community.  

They were greeted by Windermere Mayor GaryBruhn, who provided them with a history of the town and then discussed how the town functions and the services that are provided. They then heard from Windermere Police Chief DavidOgden and Ocoee Deputy Fire Chief TomSmothers. That was followed by a presentation from Windermere Town Manager RobertSmith.     

Then the classes were given presentations on the equipment used, and they were able to hold a police officer’s protective vest, sit in the front of a police vehicle, look at all of the life-saving tools the fire department uses and learn what a day in the life of a firefighter is like. And after a full morning of learning, they visited Allen’s Creamery for a snack before heading back to school.

“Every year, our students tell me how much they enjoy learning about their town and its government, and I believe they learn a lot from these field trips,” Bruhn said. “They ask some very good questions, and when I ask questions of them, I’m amazed at how much they already know.”