E – NEWS - Cuthbertson High School - Union County Public Schools

NC Honor School of Excellence
In This Issue
• This Week’s Events
• NC Honor School of Excellence
• New Teachers
• Schedule Changes
• UCPS International School
• Free Practice SAT
• Volleyball Team
• Cavalier Football
This Week’s Events
E – NEWS
Cuthbertson High School
1400 Cuthbertson Road, Waxhaw, NC 28173
Phone (704) 296-0105 Fax (704)843-3565 Website http://chs.ucps.k12.nc.us/
“Through rigorous academics, integrative technology, expressive arts, and
competitive athletics, the mission of Cuthbertson High School is to empower all
students to be leaders in a changing global community.”
Volume 1 - Issue 57 – August 23 rd – 29 th
8/23 – Open House 6:00 – 8:00pm (Drop-in)
8/23 – Volleyball @ Monroe @ 6:00pm (Varsity only)
8/23 – Boy’s Soccer @ Providence Day (JV @ 5:00pm and Varsity @ 6:00pm)
8/24 – Volleyball @ Weddington (JV @ 5:00pm and Varsity @ 6:00pm)
8/24 – Cross Country @ Chuck Morehead Park in Albemarle @ 4:00pm
8/25 – First Day of School
8/25 – Boy’s Soccer @ HOME vs. Forest Hills (JV @ 5:00pm and Varsity @ 6:30pm)
8/25 – Volleyball @ HOME vs. Berry Academy (JV @ 4:30pm and Varsity @ 6:00pm)
8/26 – Girl’s Tennis @ HOME vs. West Stanly @ 4:00pm
8/26 – Boy’s Soccer @ HOME vs. Weddington (JV @ 5:00pm and Varsity @ 6:30pm)
8/27 – Varsity Football @ JM Robinson @ 7:30pm
8/29 – Cross Country @ Providence Invitational, McAlpine Creek Park, Charlotte @ 9:00am
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• NC Honor School of Excellence
Through the hard work of our students and staff, Cuthbertson High School has earned the state’s highest
academic recognition as an Honor School of Excellence. CHS is the first High School in Union County to ever earn
this designation after only one year of operation. Our principal, Mr. Jackson shared, “I am so, so proud of our
kids and teachers. To bring students from three different high schools and to transfer teachers in from 10
different Union County high schools all together in one new learning community is a challenge for all involved.
To do so and achieve such success throughout each program and instructional area after only one year is
phenomenal! The credit goes to our amazing staff and incredible students who dared to believe that our school
would quickly establish itself among the best high schools in the country.”
• Meet New CHS Teachers
CHS would like to introduce our new staff members:
Dawn Dillner: Geometry Teacher
Mrs. Dillner graduated from Penn State and began her teaching career in Pittsburgh. She taught for almost 9
years before her husband was transferred to Virginia and ultimately Charlotte. During that time she was very
fortunate to stay at home with her two children Jada and Joey. She began teaching again five years ago at
Weddington High School and is excited to join the Cuthbertson High School staff by teaching her favorite
subject: Geometry. She is looking forward to an amazing school year!
Joyce Durham: Medical Science Teacher
Mrs. Durham graduated from WVU with a degree in nursing and has 27 years experience as a RN in various
nursing positions. Her prior experience in teaching has been 6 years at Parkwood High School in Medical
Science. She has enjoyed the opportunity to teach with some remarkable educators, learning so much from
them. She has also been blessed with great students that were eager to learn and willing to work hard, and she
has felt so much pride and pleasure from those students’ success. She looks forward to having those
experiences at Cuthbertson High. Mrs. Durham lives in Fort Mill, SC with husband Bob and have two wonderful
grown children, Matt and Jenny, and two of the greatest labs ever, Tucker and Tank.
“2009-2010 NC Teacher of the Year” Jessica Garner: Teacher Cadet and Spanish Teacher
This is Mrs. Garner’s 13th year as a teacher, and her 6th year in Union County Public Schools. She has taught
every grade between 4th and 12th in Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina. She received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Modern Foreign Languages from James Madison University. While living and teaching in Indiana, she
received her Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is
a National Board Certified teacher, and she has a passion for recruiting and training teachers and for helping
students achieve their goals. Mrs. Garner is excited to join the Cuthbertson staff, as she was out of the
classroom last year serving as an ambassador for North Carolina teachers, as she was the 2009-2010 North
Carolina Teacher of the Year. She serves as a teacher advisor on the State Board of Education, the co-chair of the
Governor's Teacher Advisory Committee, and serves on the State Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council.
Her husband, Nelson, is a teacher at Cuthbertson Middle School, and he is the men's and women's soccer coach
at Cuthbertson High School. They have two children, Sallie (6) and Margaret (4).
Denise Huntley: Math Teacher
Mrs. Huntley grew up in Union County and attended Piedmont High School. She graduated from Peace College
in 1986 with an Associate’s Degree and then from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988 with a
Bachelor's Degree. She started her teaching career 21 years ago at Parkwood High School, where she remained
until this year. She is overjoyed to begin a new journey at Cuthbertson High School and is looking forward to a
wonderful school year!
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Ashley Hurley: English Teacher
Ashley Hurley, English teacher, has 15 years of experience as an educator. A graduate from Union County Public
Schools, she furthered her education by earning a Bachelor’s degree in English from Appalachian State
University and a Master’s degree in School Administration from Gardner-Webb University. She resides in
Waxhaw with her husband, Scott, and their two boys-Jacob, a rising 8th grader at Cuthbertson Middle, and
Adam, a rising 4th grader at New Town Elementary School. Mrs. Hurley is extremely proud to be a Cavalier and
a member of the Cuthbertson High teaching and learning community.
Wendy Medlin: Earth and Environmental Science Teacher
Ms. Medlin is a Union County native. She graduated from Piedmont High School, and from there, she attended
NC State University where she obtained a BS in Animal Science and a BS in Science Education. She shows horses
competitively at the world and national level and is the assistant girls' varsity basketball coach at Cuthbertson
High School. Ms. Medlin enjoys being outdoors and learning new things and is thrilled to join the Cuthbertson
High School staff.
Kurt Miller: Guidance Counselor
Mr. Miller is new to Cuthbertson High School for the 2010-11 school -year after serving one year as a counselor
at Cuthbertson Middle School. Prior to moving to Charlotte, he was a high school counselor for two years in
Syracuse, NY. He received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 2003 and his masters at Syracuse
University in 2006. He extends his love for football from the football field to the coach’s box as he currently
works as the defensive coordinator for the football team at Cuthbertson. He has been happily married for over
seven years and is the proud father to a very dynamic three year old daughter.
Dr. Steve Nichols: Physics and Chemistry Teacher
Steve Nichols received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in chemistry from
Davidson College. Dr. Nichols joins Cuthbertson High School following a career in corporate research and
development that focused on polymer technology. A long time resident of Union County, he and his wife Iris are
active in their community and have held appointed and elected positions in The Village of Marvin. Their
daughter Malinda is a graduate of Sun Valley High School and a son Robert a graduate of Weddington High
School.
Chris Whitlow: Agriculture Teacher
Mr. Whitlow was an Agriculture Educator and FFA Advisor at Louisa County High School in Virginia for 8 years.
He comes to us by way of Cuthbertson Middle School where he was the ISS teacher last year. He served as the
Head Wrestling Coach for Louisa County High School for 6 years before becoming the head coach at Cuthbertson
last year. Mr. Whitlow is a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech in Agriculture Education.
• Schedule Changes
All schedule change requests have been reviewed and completed. There will be a table set up so that students
can receive their updated schedule at Open House.
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• UCPS International School
Cuthbertson High School has earned the honor of being named a UCPS International School, becoming the only
high school in the district to receive this distinction. The award was presented by Superintendant Dr. Ed Davis at
the World View Partners Workshop hosted by CHS on August 20, 2010. World View Partners is a statewide event
sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill drawing over 850 teachers, administrators, board members and community
members from 63 schools in seven counties. The purpose of the workshop is to encourage global education in
the classroom. To be named an International School, a school had to earn 75 points or more on a Globalization
checklist that included such items as hosting cultural awareness events, foreign language study, travel,
community service, and a globally rich curriculum. Kensington Elementary and New Salem Elementary were also
named International Schools.
• Free Practice SAT
CHS will host a free practice SAT exam on September 25th from 8AM – 12PM. This SAT practice exam is being
provided by Sylvan Learning Center and will be available to the first 50 students who sign-up. A follow-up
meeting with parents to review their student’s performance has been scheduled for September 30th at 6PM. All
students, particularly juniors and seniors, are invited to participate. Sign up will begin when school starts in the
Career Center.
• Volleyball Team Victories
Congratulations to the volleyball team for their 2-0 season start last week against Forest Hills and Providence
Day. Come support your Lady Cavaliers volleyball this week as they play against Monroe, Weddington and Berry
Academy.
• Cavalier Football
What a great opening for Cavalier Football on
Friday night. Mr. Rosene (pictured right),
Cuthbertson High School Spanish Teacher and
UCPS Teacher of the Year presented the game
ball. There were also many firsts for this
game which included breaking our school
record for the number of tickets sold at the
game- 2,053. This number did not include our
Booster Club members. Cuthbertson held
their own in the first-half of the game against
Weddington High School on Friday night with
a half-time score of 28 (WHS) – 21 (CHS). The
game ended at 54 (WHS) – 24 (CHS) in which
CHS broke their record by scoring the most
points in a game in school history. To help fill
the stadium with Cavalier spirit, the CHS Band did an amazing job. The band has doubled in size and wowed
the crowd with their Rock-n-Roll Theme half-time performance. Come support our football team as we travel
on Friday to JM Robinson.
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