ABSOLUTE EXCELLENCE BY 2012 DATES AND TIMES: Newton School News V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 7 M A Y 5:30 Freshmen Registration A New Edition To Our School May 6th @ By: Mya Banks May 6th @ 6:30 Parent Night May 31st snow make-up day (Memorial Day) June 3rd EOC testing starts June 10th Graduation National Honors Society Members: Melinda Wagner Sara Hall Valerie Leath became part of the Newton School in July of 2009. She started her career in schooling, because she believed she could help make a difference in young people’s lives. She has always loved young people, and has always wanted them to achieve in school and make the world a better place. Mrs. Leath’s biggest dream was to become a school administrator. I guess you can say her dream came true, because she was a principal for fifteen and a half years. Her dream job as a child, however, was to be an accountant; she says it was because she liked math. Achieving a good education seems to be her greatest achievement. She has a Mrs. Leath posing for the camera Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction as well as School Administration. Outside of school, Mrs. Leath likes to walk, ride bikes, roller skate, and loves 2 0 1 0 to go shopping. She also enjoys working in the community, as well as her church. Her favorite childhood memory would be roller skating in her neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. R&B is her favorite type of music. Robin Thicke, Marvin Gaye, and Luther Vandross are some of her favorite artists. Her favorite food is lasagna, and she also likes other Italian foods. She also enjoys reading, Maya Angelou being her favorite author, but her favorite book is Marley and Me. Let’s not forget that Mrs. Leath is a proud parent of one child, a daughter named Christina. Christina is a lawyer in Jasonville, Florida. Nat Glynn Sarah Toomey Colin Beard Bi-Lingual Books Amanda Shuford By: Tiffany Black Nicole Cook Miss Huertero’s Spanish II class was assigned a project. Partners were to create a children’s bi-lingual book. The book had to include many things, including area landmarks, government Briannen Ary Allison Todd leaders, money, artist, athlete, city, and historical figures. After the books were completed, Miss Huertero arranged a trip to an elementary school for the authors of the books can read them to the children. Some students wrote a fairytale story and others wrote diaries. Action or love stories were written also. Most of the Spanish II students worked constantly to finish the book on time. The books turned out very creative and unique. PAGE 2 Newton School Student In India By: Kelsey Caldwell Amanda and her mom enjoying India’s customs “Special Olympics is a day for kids who don’t have the chance to stand out and show how gifted they are,” -Jessica Crespo Amanda Shuford and her parents got the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime to India. They toured and visited sites there, met many people, and made friendships along the way. Three couples that are in the Rotary Friendship Exchange team came to the United States on Monday, April 26, 2010, and will be coming to Catawba County on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. While they are visiting Catawba County they will be staying with Amanda and her family. The couple that is staying with Amanda is the family that hosted them while they were in Vapi, India. They are Dr. Vikas Jain and his wife Aditi Jain. Dr. Vikas is an orthopedic surgeon while Aditi owns and operates a preschool in India. While they are in Catawba County, they will be visiting Rotary Projects, such as the Corner Table and Computers for Kids. Dr. Vikas will also be able to visit Carolina Orthopedic, while Aditi will visit Montessori Children’s House of Newton, a school that uses many of the same techniques that her school does. Also while they are in Catawba County, the Shufords will be taking them to dinner and on a boat ride on Lake Hickory. They are also coming for a quick tour of The Newton School! Amanda said she would go back to India to visit the people because they were nice and hospitable, but the expense for airfare and other activities that require money are “outrageous”. Helping The Special Olympics By: Melina Verdugo Twenty volunteers from the Newton School helped with the Special Olympics on Friday, April 30th. Special Olympics are an opportunity for our students to help others participate in enjoyable events. There are many fun events that can fit each and every participant. Activities like softball and the basket toss take place. Races and water balloon throws also are a big part of the Special Olympics. Many forms of entertainment occur, also. Participants have opportunities to receive face paintings and to join in on karaoke. Many people who have volunteered at the Special Olympics in previous years mentioned that it can help build character traits, like patience. “Special Olympics is a day for kids who don’t have the chance to stand out and show how gifted they are,” said Jessica Crespo. The Special Olympics are a great experience for people who volunteer. Hands On Science For NCMS By: Katie Cochran Carly Gaglia and Sarah Van Horn teaching students about the On April 13th and 14th, a group of students from the Newton School volunteered to help out with the science festival sponsored by the Catawba Science Center. The event was held at Newton-Conover brain NEWTON SCHOOL NEWS Middle School all day on both days. All the middle school students rotated through six different stations, doing hands -on activities to learn about the human body. The stations focused on subjects such as the human eye, brain, heart, ear, and mouth. “Most of the students seemed pretty interested and asked a few questions,” says Kelsey Caldwell, a sophomore who volunteered for the event. Even though the event focused on teaching the middle school students, the volunteers learned as well, and saw through a teacher’s perspective. Overall, the students learned lots of new and interesting information about the human body, and the volunteers learned being a teacher isn’t as easy as it seems.