12 Young Authors Selected as Local Winners in PBS KIDS Writers Contest

12 Young Authors Selected as Local Winners of the PBS Kids Writers ContestTwelve young authors from West Virginia have been selected as local winners of…

12 Young Authors Selected as Local Winners of the PBS Kids Writers Contest

Twelve young authors from West Virginia have been selected as local winners of the PBS KIDS Writers Contest, which encourages children grades K-3 to celebrate the power of writing by creating and submitting original storybooks.

This year’s winners were chosen from 101 representing 16 schools.

This year’s winners created stories featuring tales of animals, friendship, and adventure. “Congratulations to all the students across the state who entered this year’s contest,” said Scott Finn, executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “All of the stories were entertaining, creative and unique.”

“Research shows that writing plays a key role in the development of early literacy skills,” said Debbie Oleksa, coordinator of education and outreach for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “The PBS KIDS Writers Contest leverages the reach and resources of public media to encourage kids to tap into these important skills. The positive response we receive from children, parents and teachers demonstrates that kids are indeed using public media and exercising their talents.”

2014 West Virginia Winners

Kindergarten

First Place: “The Fishing Adventure” by Remington Blair, Mineral Wells
Second Place: “The Name Game” by Isaac Blair, Mineral Springs
Third Place: “This is my Zoo” by Chloe Long, Tunnelton (Fellowsville Elementary School)

First Grade

First Place: “Building Metal” by Micah Evans, St. Marys (Belmont Elementary School)
Second Place: “The Sleepover” by Natalie Haden, South Charleston
Third Place: “The Ghost Train” by Olivia Hayes, Charleston WV

Second Grade

First Place: “The Day Sophie was Different” by Mailey Jackson, Morgantown
Second Place: “The Spiky Disease” by Nessan Mungovan, Martinsburg
Third Place: “The Legend of the Indian Tiger” by Harrison Whitfield, Daniels

Third Grade

First Place: “Prehistoric Fart” by Declan Mungovan, Martinsburg
Second Place: “The Big Storm” by Maya McKendall, Morgantown
Third Place: “The Farm on Mars” by Leigha Floyd. Barrackville

Each child who entered the contest receives a Certificate of Achievement. The winning authors will also receive prizes and a celebration party at West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Morgantown location on Sunday, July 13 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Download the Word document.

College Savings Event Planned in Charleston

School may be out or winding down in West Virginia, but state Treasurer John Perdue wants parents to think about investing in their children’s future education.

Perdue’s office is holding a free ice cream social on Thursday afternoon at the state Capitol’s north plaza in Charleston in recognition of 529 College Savings Day being held nationwide. Balloons also will be handed out.

State employees will offer information about West Virginia’s Smart529 college savings investment plan, which was established 12 years ago.

Concord Student Claims Sixth All-American Honor at National Championships

Concord University senior runner Shawnee Carnett claimed her sixth All American honor this past weekend. Although Carnett’s last steps in outdoor 800 meter came up a bit short of another national championship, her college track and field career makes her the most decorated athlete ever to hit the halls at Concord University, and Carnett defeated almost all of her competitors on someone else’s turf.

Concord University senior mid-distance runner Shawnee Carnett closes her collegiate career as just the 17th runner in NCAA Division II history to have won two 800-meter national championships. Carnett one of 12 800-meter competitors of all-time to have won national titles at both the indoor and outdoor national championship meets.

According to a release Carnett began near the back of the nine-woman field for the two lap 800-meter run at the 2014 NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships in Michiganan. As the race neared its second lap Carnett navigated her way towards the front of the pack, but was unable to pull out a win. She finished in second place. Still, Carnett says she has no regrets.

Shawnee Carnett and Coach Mike Cox on the podium from 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships

“It’s just been an incredible journey these five years so,” Carnett said. “I’m excited to be done because you know it’s stressful you know you’re always expected to do well. I’m excited and sad and happy.”

Carnett gives a lot of credit to head coach Michael Cox, who never let her quit.

“He made me into the runner that I am, a national champion,” she said. “The workouts are awesome and more importantly he believes in me which has been in the end is the biggest thing that’s made me who I am.”

Cox says Carnett kept a structured schedule and was a coach’s dream.

“We went through lots of ups and downs with everything but we just kept pushing,” Cox said, “kept believing. I knew she had in there I think she did too.”

“She just wants to win and she does everything the right way,” Cox said. “She tries everything to be right and she’s an unbelievably great athlete but just also just as equal if not better person.”

From the National Championships to regular season meets, Carnett has defeated her competitors on their own turf. Concord University has not had a home track meet since her freshman year, five years ago. The rubberized track is in desperate need of repair with large chunks of red rubber missing and easily flaking from the surface.

“It’s kind of sad you know because a lot of people have senior nights and stuff,” she said. “We don’t get to do anything like that.”

Running without the luxury of smooth rubberized track isn’t anything new. Carnett says the facilities at her Alma mater, Marion High School in Virginia, weren’t perfect.

“No matter what you’re obstacles are as long as you work hard you can make it work,” Carnett said.

Under new leadership, interim President Dr. Kendra Boggess, began in the Fall to support projects to raise funds to resurface the track.

Although she might have taken her last steps competitively at Concord, Carnett says she’ll always be Mountain Lion. She hopes to keep running with talk of even Olympic dreams.

CTCs Helping Students Get Out of Developmental 'Quicksand'

Community and technical colleges have started noticing a trend that’s consistent not just here in West Virginia, but across the country.

That trend: students who are enrolled in developmental courses when they enter a higher education institution are less likely to graduate.

“Thirteen percent of the students that go into developmental or remedial courses graduate, only 13 percent,” Chancellor of West Virginia’s CTC system James Skidmore told members of the state Board of Education during their May meeting.

Skidmore said 64 percent of first time community college students in the state test into developmental or remedial courses, meaning they aren’t ready to take on college level classes in English or math.

“What’s happening, they’re getting caught up in the developmental education process,” he said. “Some students have to take three levels of developmental, some students have to take one, some have to take two.”

“I refer to it as the quicksand of higher education. Students get in developmental and they never get out.”

Complete College America statistics show similar numbers nationally and the organization, of which West Virginia is a part, has come up with a method to reduce those numbers. Skidmore said West Virginia is looking to take that approach.

Instead of taking remediation courses which do not count for college credit, West Virginia community colleges will begin offering co-requisites. These are courses that count as a college level English or math class, but have additional support for the students that need it.

That support can come in three forms:

Bootcamps: a five week prep course to prepare students for college level classes
Additional Time: 45-minute tutoring meetings following each class or additional class sessions
Proctored labs: scheduled computer labs where students work on the areas the struggle in with a member of the college’s faculty

Each community and technical college across the state will choose which of the three models will work best for them based on the programs they offer and the types of students they attract.

Skidmore said colleges are not limited to one method, but they must have at least one for both math and English fully implemented by the fall of 2015.

Concord Students Work to Inspire Young Entrepreneurs

Concord University students are reaching out into the community to inspire young entrepreneurs. Earlier this week students from Melrose Elementary in Mercer County set up a lemonade stand on Concord’s campus.

The children sold fresh lemonade to University faculty, staff and students after months of marketing and preparing. The event is part of a nationwide effort sponsored by Google Entrepreneurs that started in 2007 to inspire youngsters by assisting with stands across the country.

Concord University Students initiated the project through its Entrepreneurship Club. Prep-work for the event was part of a fourth grade class project at Melrose that focused on marketing techniques. Concord students hosted the fourth graders’ opening day at the Athens campus to help ensure success.

Concord students also offered guidance and feedback the day of the event in hopes to inspire a future business leader.

While the lemonade was sold for play money, organizers says the fruits of their labor was the excitement for education.

More lemonade stands are expected to pop up across West Virginia in July as about 3,000 individuals representing more than 20 counties have already signed up to the national initiative this year.

Watch the 2014 West Virginia History Bowl

Teams of 8th grade students from around West Virginia faced off Tuesday in an academic bowl competition that focused on West Virginia history, literature, arts, architecture, geography and culture.

The questions for the history bowl are largely drawn from questions found in the Archives and History Quick Quizzes and Daily Trivia.

To learn more about the West Virginia History Bowl, check out the 2011 West Virginia Legacy program on the tournament from the West Virginia Library Commission Library Television Network.

You can watch the entire competition below. Click here for the full results.

For more information about the History Bowl, contact Matt McGrew at Matt.McGrew@wv.gov or (304) 558-0230.

For more information, visit the Official West Virginia History Bowl website.