FOURTH GRADE CLASS IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA WINS THE SOUTH REGION OF THE NATION IN NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLS, DISNEY'S PLANET CHALLENGE

Class Project "Don't Be Mean - Go Green" Earns National Top Five

FORTSON, GA - May 18, 2010 - Disney announced Pam Wetherington's fourth grade class at New Mountain Hill Elementary (NMHE) School as one of four regional winners in the United States representing the South in the inaugural Disney's Planet Challenge, a project-based learning environmental competition for fourth through sixth grade classrooms. A sixth grade class at Iowa's Mediapolis Community School won the grand prize.

Thousands of classrooms in all 50 states enrolled in Disney's Planet Challenge, which is just in its first year as a national program. Since fall 2009, classes across the nation have been hard at work on environmental projects of their choosing. They spent months collecting data, conducting field research, coming up with solutions for problems, promoting community involvement and documenting their efforts along the way.

"It was such a tough decision for our judging committee to make. So many of the projects submitted exhibited environmental solutions grounded in science and teamwork," said Dr. Beth Stevens, senior vice president, Environmental Affairs for The Walt Disney Company. Winners were chosen by a judging committee made up of scientists, environmental experts and educators including representatives from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and WestEd K-12 Alliance.

Wetherington's class, located in a small rural community in west central Georgia, chose for their project to make their school more environmentally-friendly. The students:

• Researched the school's current environmental policy to determine benchmarks as to where they were starting and if it was a viable project

• Interviewed school and county leaders responsible for the most waste-producing areas

• Wrote informational and persuasive essays on why people should be concerned about the environment - used this work as presentations to schoolmates and teachers as to why the school should "go green"

• Created a weekly recycling program for the school which includes collecting, sorting, measuring and graphing on a weekly basis; the students used this data to create their own daily math challenges (To date, the students have recycled 1,515 plastic containers, 617 cans, 1,112 Styrofoam, and 901 lbs. of paper.)

• Wrote and recorded the song "We Will Recycle" to the tune of "We Will Rock You" • Constructed artwork fashioned into a chandelier with recycled plastic bottles from the weekly recycling pick-ups

• Presented findings to the Harris County Board of Education

• Planted a "Celebration Garden" to remind future NMHE students of the importance of this project and the future of our planet

"As a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental education here in Harris County, Callaway Gardens was excited to mentor and partner with Mrs. Wetherington's class on this project," said Rachel Crumbley, public relations manager of Callaway Gardens. "We are thrilled for the students' success and know that the ripple effects will continue for many years."

The four regional winners will be honored with a $2,500 grant for the classroom teacher, certificates of recognition, Disney prize packages, NSTA memberships and more. Also, the students received an advance, private screening of the Disney movie Oceans that was released on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

"I am very thankful that this project has sparked an environmental change in my students' attitudes and habits," said Wetherington. "In addition to the environmental benefits this project promoted, the students were able to master each content area using project-based learning."

"The students tackled a problem that all of us know is important but can't seem to make ourselves do anything about," said Garnett Ray Jr., NMHE principal. "They are setting a great example for our entire school and are continuing to spread the idea to their families, friends, and community. This project has taught the students valuable lessons about our environment, and it also has provided many opportunities for them to advance academically."

Disney's Planet Challenge promotes project-based learning and provides tailored lesson plans customized to reflect the curriculum standards of each state and grade level (grades 4-6). Disney's Planet Challenge for the classroom, together with Disney's Friends for Change: Project Green for everyday life, are cornerstones of Disney's focus to provide the youth of today with the knowledge and resources to positively impact the environment for future generations.

About Disney's Planet Challenge Disney's Planet Challenge enrollment for the 2010/2011 school year is open now at www.disney.com/planetchallenge and will soon be expanded for middle school classrooms.

On March 28^th, 2010 Creekside School was awarded its foundational accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). This announcement was awarded by the AdvancedED Accreditation Commission, a national panel, which reviews and acknowledges schools and districts. This accreditation validates the efforts of Creekside's faculty and staff which opened a brand new school while maintaining a path toward best practices and national school improvement standards.  

During this process, Creekside's teachers worked in a number of ways to implement research-based reform efforts and establish quality school programs. In fact, both the faculty and staff established a mission statement, a quality assurance program, and a well defined system to monitor and track student  achievement. The accreditation is valid through June 30, 2015. Congratulations to the Creekside faculty and staff for its work to lay such an important benchmark for our district and our community!

Each year Harris County students compete for the opportunity to represent their school in the Annual GaETF Technology Fair in Macon, Georgia. Of the more than 27 students that competed in the Fair this winter, four County students won State honors for placing in the top three in their respective categories. Congratulations to the following students for their accomplishments.

The Vision Project is a joint venture of the Georgia School Boards Association and the Georgia School Superintendents Association to engage stake holders from every sector of the community.  The goal of the project is to create a single vision and speak with a single voice on behalf of the public education for the students enrolled in the public schools in our State.  

To become a part of the conversation visit  www.visionforpubliced.org .

Artwork from the Harris County Elementary Schools is on display in a special exhibition at the Columbus Museum on Wynnton Road in Columbus, Ga. The artwork will be in the Barbara Pound Gallery of the museum throughout the month of January.  Approximately 100 students in grades K-5 from Mulberry Creek, New Mountain Hill, Pine Ridge, Park and Creekside schools have their paintings, drawings, and prints exhibited.

Students were honored with a special showing on Thursday, January 14th
from 5:30 - 7:00 in which parents, friends, and faculty attended.  The art teachers for the schools are Cathy Chambless, Virginia McCullough, Juanita Barrow, Charles Earl and Florence Barnett.

See more images here.

Congratulations to the Harris County Carver Middle School Tiger Football Team for their undefeated season and the 09-10 Middle School Football Championship.     

Congratulations to the students from New Mountain Hill, Park, and Pine Ridge Elementary Schools who represented Harris County when they participated in the Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus on November 6-7.  They rehearsed and performed with their peers from around the state at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center in Morrow, GA.

Participants were as follows:

Students in Mrs. Everson's Ellijay Tribe proudly raised the American flag at Creekside School on Veteran's Day.  The flag raised by Parker Stowe and Jonathan Funston has been flown over Iraq during combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Ellijay Tribe students expressed gratitude for the commitment, dedication, and resolve of all US soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, past and present, for their unshakable resolve to keep our country safe!

We would like to congratulate New Mountain Hill for being named as a 2009 recipient of a Diverse Power Grant. The four thousand seven hundred dollar grant will allow NMHE to purchase needed digital technology equipment to enhance student achievement. In addition, the New Mountain Hill Media Center recently received a Target Early Literacy Grant. This money will be used to fund family literacy programs which the library promotes. Thank you Diverse Power and Target for supporting our local schools!

Pictured: Garnett Ray, Principal and Christina Badowski, Media Specialist, New Mountain Hill Elementary