Calvert - County Times

7 Thursday, August 23, 2012The Calvert GazetteSpotlight OnBy Sarah MillerStaff WriterDowellWelcomesStudentsCalverton Welcomes New TeachersCalverton will be seeing several new faces this year, onboth sides of the teachers desk.Photo by Sarah MillerHead of School Spencer Taintor addresses new teachers.By Sarah MillerStaff WriterWhile students, staff and teachers geared up for thefirst days of school this week, another group was gettingready for the busy time of year – county and local PTAorganizations.Fall is the season most PTAs undergo several changes,from members coming and going to officers stepping downor changing positions, said county PTA Vice PresidentSherry Mervine, also a member of the Southern MiddleSchool PTA. She said she will soon be a member of AppealElementary School and Patuxent High School PTAs. It istypical for parents to be involved in schools their childrenattend, Mervine said.County level and local level PTAs are completely separateentities, Mervine said.The county level PTA is a conduit to get informationfrom the state PTA to the local PTAs at individual schools,said county PTA Vice President Stuart Miller. He said theyAlong with a number of students coming into the CalvertonSchool, nine new teachers school wide will be learningthe ins and outs of the school. While nine doesn’t sound likea lot, especially when spread across lower, middle and upperschool, Admissions and Marketing Director Amy Brady saidit’s an unusually high number for the school because the turnoverrate is very low.Lower School Head Mary Margaret King agreed withBrady, saying it’s typical for teachers to come to Calvertonintending to stay several years. Normally, teachers only leavebecause they “move, marry or have a baby,” and often comeback as soon as possible.King herself has been with Calverton 32 years, and managedto retire for a year before being called and asked to comeback to work.She said the teachers are typically experienced classroomveterans who have demonstrated creativity, perseveranceand a good attitude. Each new teacher this year fits thatbill.“We’ve got the best of the best this year,” King said.County PTAs Ready for Schoolhold monthly meetings to discuss hot topics about schoolsand education, and issues that affect students in the classroomand out. Everyone on the county PTA board is also amember of a local PTA organization.Each school level PTA is a separate non-profit entity aswell, Mervine said, and the county PTA is an organizationby itself. Three voting representatives from the county PTAare sent to state PTA functions and meetings, Mervine said,though anyone is welcome to attend the county and statelevel meetings.Another difference is that local, school based PTAswork with students while the county PTA works “a lot morewith adults,” she said.One of the most challenging PTA positions? Treasurer.According to Miller, treasurers have to go through specialtraining about taxes for non-profit organizations and all theins and outs of book keeping and using money from fundraisers.Taxes alone can be an arduous process, Miller said.“Your head’s spinning by the time you finish it,” hesaid.Teachers were brought in early to get their schedules, fillout forms, and for orientation to the Calverton curriculum,which is different from the Common Core Curriculum thepublic schools will be implementing.Challenges facing new Calverton teachers include learningabout the Calverton tradition and all the little things thateveryone takes for granted, but King said students and theircoworkers will help them.One tradition new teachers will learn about is the Calvertonhandshake, where teachers shake their students hands asthey enter and leave the classroom as a sign of mutual respect.“It’s hand to hand, eye to eye and heart to heart,” Kingsaid.There is also a Halloween parade, a fall festival and anannual auction, all parts of the Calverton tradition. There isa back to school picnic Aug. 27, and classes begin Aug. 28.Ready or not, summer has come to a close and school isin session.sarahmiller@countytimes.netEven for non-treasurer members, PTAs can entail a lotof work. Mervine said local PTAs put together fundraisersfor their schools regularly. Money from the fundraisersgoes back into the schools through a number of venues.Sometimes they are used to purchase materials or programmingfor kids that normally wouldn’t be in the school budget,or to help kids pay for field trips. Exactly how fundsare utilized is determined by the local PTAs, Mervine said.Involvement in the PTA has a number of benefits.Parents get “first hand, hot off the presses knowledge,”Mervine said, in addition to access to various resources.The local PTA has even brought in speakers for parents –from food service employees to discuss nutrition to SheriffMike Evans to talk about school safety.Anyone interested in joining the PTA should attend thePTA open house Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Huntingtown HighSchool from 6-8 p.m. Each local PTA will be welcome toset up a table at the open house, Mervine said.sarahmiller@countytimes.netFreshman Orientation Culminatesat Harpers FerryBy Sarah MillerStaff WriterPhoto by Corrin M. HoweDuring “Greet Your Seat” day at Dowell ElementarySchool, pre-k student Anastasia Cahill and third graderSarina Cahill greet Principal Jennifer Young the day beforeschool started.The beginning of a new year can be a nerve wrackingtime for students, and for incoming high school freshmen itis even more stressful – new school, new faces, new teachersand the knowledge that the next time they go to a new schoolthey will be heading for the next stage in their lives.At the Calverton School, 25-30 percent of the approximately25 freshmen are brand new to the school while therest have risen up with their classmates from middle and elementarygrades.The freshman class this year is average, with as many as45 and as few as 14 freshmen starting together in past years,said college counselor and English teacher William Wright.Because classes are so small, it’s important for all ofthem to get along, so Calverton takes them on a trip in beforethe first day of school for freshman orientation.Wright, who was one of the chaperones on the trip, saidthe day was for getting to know the school and new teachers,while working on team building activities during a day ofwhite water rafting at Harpers Ferry.He said the activities during their orientation are meantto encourage team building and “unit cohesion.”Photo courtesy of Amy BradyRising Calverton Freshmen go white water rafting at Harpers Ferry.“We really emphasize students lifting each other up,”Wright said.Even white water rafting is a team building exercise saidbecause everyone needs to work together and it becomes impossiblefor individuals to keep to themselves.“They laugh together, which is one of the best ways tobond,” Wright said.Parents of incoming freshmen also go through orientation,Wright said. They learn about admissions, Calverton’sexpectations and materials, and other details they will needto know.Wright said there will be a back to school night andmore team building activities for the freshmen in the comingweeks, and he welcomes all the new students to Calverton.sarahmiller@countytimes.net