Leeper Receives Inclusion in Music Education Award
November 23, 2020

Ms. Claire Leeper has been selected as the JMU School of Music's 2020 recipient of the Dr. Alice M. Hammel Inclusion in Music Education Award. The award is named for Dr. Alice M. Hammel in honor of her rich and varied contributions to fostering inclusive music experiences through which all learners can be supported, challenged, and grow. The Dr. Alice M. Hammel Inclusion in Music Education Award is presented to individuals who consistently demonstrate commitment to supporting and facilitating music learning and music making among persons in often-marginalized populations through: 

• Developing adaptive, accommodative, and flexible pedagogical practices to support all persons;
• Pursuing scholarly inquiry into issues of difference, diversity, and inclusion that positively impacts the lives of all persons; and
• Engaging with and in music learning and making communities to advocate for accessible and meaningful musical experiences for and with all persons to create, perform, and respond to music.

As a professional Music Educator in the field of Band, and through her innovative work in teaching music to students with Special Needs, Ms. Leeper exhibits all of the above characteristics and more. Through her dedication to our profession and her tireless commitment to creating and ensuring music making opportunities for all students, Ms. Leeper exemplifies a true passion for her chosen profession, and all of her students, and as such, we believe that she is truly deserving of being the recipient of this award.

-Written by Dr. Lisa Maynard, James Madison University

Harrisonburg Teachers Receive Economic Education Awards
October 28, 2020

Bethany Everidge has been named 2020 Outstanding Economic Educator for Region V by the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

Michaela Minore and Cesar Gonzalez have won the top prize statewide in economic education competition for a project developed at Skyline Middle School.

In “Career and Personal Finance (Online Learning Modules),” students explored potential future paths, the education and skills needed for each path and the financial rewards.
The prize carries a $1,000 cash award and will be formally presented by the competition’s sponsor, the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

“This project did a great job of helping students see alternative futures,” said Dr. William C. Wood, director of the JMU Center for Economic Education, which conducts teacher training in economics and personal finance locally. State judges were amazed at how rigorous the unit was especially given the need to shift to a fully virtual course at a moment’s notice given the impact of COVID-19 and the quarantine.

Minore and Gonzalez collaborated to produce and deliver both English and Spanish language versions of the project.

Second prize statewide was also won by a local entry, an in-school project by the third grade team at Bluestone Elementary School in Harrisonburg. The third grade team members were Eileen Hernon, Kimberly Boronat-Garcia, Peyton Erb, Sarah Rodgers, Laurissa Kennedy, Ashley Switzer and Erica Park.

In “Third Grade Scarf Factory,” students worked to make and sell scarves for a good cause in a two-week cross-curricular service-learning project. State judges applauded the scaffolding used by the Team to build up to a successful market utilizing key economic concepts and terms.

Both of these award winning lessons illustrate the great work being done by local schools to teach economics and personal finance and improve the financial futures of the local students.

Sneller Receives VAST RISE Award in Chemistry
October 21, 2020

Harrisonburg City Public Schools is pleased to announce that Mr. Erich Sneller, Harrisonburg High School teacher, has been awarded the Recognition In Science Education (RISE) Award in Chemistry by the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST). Mr. Sneller teaches Chemistry to HHS Governor’s STEM Academy students and has also been central in the planning of summer STEM experiences. In addition, he started the first ever Spanish-speaking Environmental class at HHS last year, adding the dual language program to the high school.

According to VAST, RISE Awards “are presented to spotlight the excellent work done by science educators across the Commonwealth. They recognize service to science education in the individual's school, school system, and the VAST district in which they work.”

“In STEM Chemistry, Erich integrates the ‘doing of science’ with the concepts in the Virginia Standards of Learning for Chemistry,” says Myron Blosser, HHS Governor’s STEM Academy Co-Director. “His students’ ideas are met with approval and encouragement. Erich wants his students to feel they are a part of the dynamic flow of knowledge in science, sharing their findings to add to the body of knowledge of science and move it forward.”

Mr. Sneller was recognized at the October 20, 2020 HCPS School Board meeting and will be recognized at the Virtual VAST Professional Development Institute in November.

HHS Student Advances to Poetry Out Loud State Competition
March 5, 2020

Congratulations to HHS student Safiyyah Ogundipe for advancing to the Poetry Out Loud state competition. She recited one of her poems and was recognized at the March 3, 2020 School Board meeting. Fellow HHS student Samuel Rooker placed as a runner-up at the regional competition. Congrats to both!

HHS Marching Blue Streak Band Wins Multiple Awards
October 1, 2019

In just two weeks of competition, the HHS Marching Blue Streak Band has received two Grand Championships, two 2nd place finishes just .15 behind 1st, and are undefeated in class in Visual and Color Guard! 

On September 21, they competed in Class AAAAA at Stuarts Draft High School's Blast in the Draft and received the following awards:
1st Place Music AAAAA- highest score of the day 
1st Place General Effect AAAAA- highest score of the day 
1st Place Drum Major AAAAA- 2 points from highest score of the day
1st Place Color Guard AAAAA- highest score of the day 
1st Place Percussion AAAAA- - highest score of the day 
1st Place Class AAAAA
GRAND CHAMPION, score of 88.3- Highest overall score out of 20 bands.  (4th time receiving this award at Stuarts Draft!) 

They then traveled south to Salem, VA for the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative Blue Ridge Regional Competition to compete in Group V.  They received the following awards:
1st Place Visual 
1st Place Color Guard
2nd Place Percussion (1 point from 1st)
2nd Place General Effect (2 points from 1st) 
2nd Place Music (2 points from 1st) 
2nd in Class (.15 from 1st) 
4th Overall (.15 from 3rd (host band)/ .73 from 2nd (last year's state champion)/ 2.8 from 1st (nationally ranked band) 

On Saturday, September 28, the Marching Blue Streak Band competed in two competitions. 

They started the day traveling to Riverbend High School's Emerald Classic to compete in Class AAAA.  At Riverbend they received the following awards:
1st Place Music AAAA- highest score of the day 
1st Place Visual AAAA- highest score of the day
1st Place Color Guard AAAA- highest score of the day 
1st Place Percussion AAAA- - tied highest score of the day 
2nd Place General Effect AAAA- tied 2nd highest score of the day 
1st Place Class AAAA
GRAND CHAMPION, score of 85- Highest overall score out of 18 bands.  

They then traveled to Herndon, VA for the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative NOVA Regional Competition to compete in Group IV.  They received the following awards:
1st Place Visual 
1st Place Color Guard
1st Place General Effect 
2nd in Class (.15 from 1st) with a score of 84.4
6th Overall out of 28 bands! 

HHS Art Teachers Recognized by The Council for Art Education
September 25, 2019

The Council for Art Education has recognized Harrisonburg High School art teachers Jauan Brooks and Kelley Shradley-Horst for their contributions to Youth Art Month. The Commonwealth of Virginia received an Award of Excellence and, as co-chairpersons of Virginia’s Youth Art Month Committee, Brooks and Shradley-Horst were specifically named for the honor. “Harrisonburg is fortunate to have leaders in the classroom like Jauan and Kelley who value the opportunities for not only our students but for students across Virginia to create and share their voices through the visual arts,” said J.R. Snow, Fine Arts Coordinator for Harrisonburg City Public Schools. “The visual art team of Harrisonburg City Schools is proud to participate in Youth Art Month and to be part of this Award of Excellence for the Commonwealth of Virginia." CFAE annually recognizes Youth Art Month programs across the country. To be eligible for this honor, each state submitted documentation of its Youth Art Month programs and activities, noting Observances, Funding, Participation, Community Support, Special Materials, and Proclamations. Recipients will be recognized during the 2020 National Art Education Association (NAEA) Convention, March 26 - 28 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nolley Named Virginia's Outstanding Economic Educator for 2019
September 19, 2019

Andrea Nolley, librarian at Smithland Elementary School, has been named Virginia’s Outstanding Economic Educator for 2019 by the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

The award was presented September 18 by Lynne Stover and John Kruggel of the JMU Center for Economic Education. Nolley was nominated by the Center and selected by a judging panel for the statewide organization. In determining the award, judges cited her work with the classroom Mini-Economy, the local Global Entrepreneurship Marketplace Fair, and civic education. They were especially impressed with her outreach to teachers throughout Harrisonburg to involve more classrooms in economic education.

“Financial literacy is a vital factor in breaking cycles of poverty and simply giving every child a chance to thrive in a world where we routinely face important financial decisions,” said Dr. Michael G. Richards, Superintendent of Harrisonburg City Public Schools. “Ms. Nolley recognizes and promotes the importance of economic education, and she is very deserving of this honor.”

Nolley was featured in the 2000 video, “Money Matters: The Role of Money in an Economy,” which premiered at Court Square Theater before being provided to elementary schools across Virginia. Nolley was shown using a simulated classroom economy to teach about local financial policy.

Nolley taught at JMU’s summer institutes in economic education, using her classroom experience to inspire participants. “Andrea is a super teacher trainer,” said Dr. William C. Wood, head of JMU’s economics department and director of the Center for Economic Education. “She had instant credibility with teachers because she had already successfully delivered everything she was teaching.”

Support for teacher training and the Mini-Economy is provided locally by Shenandoah Valley Economic Education, Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes economic literacy.

Sabarre Appointed to Governor's STEM Education Commission
August 5, 2019

Amy Sabarre, Director of STEM Education, has been appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to the Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education Commission. Her appointment was among many announced by the Governor’s office on Friday.

The First Lady of Virginia, Pamela Northam, will chair the Commission. Its members were selected for their expertise in a variety of areas, including education, industry, and the workforce. According to the Executive Order issued by the Governor in July to establish the Virginia STEM Commission, the purpose of the Commission is to align STEM education efforts around the state and work to develop a statewide STEM plan.

Ms. Sabarre has been a STEM educator for 16 years and is recognized as a leader of STEM education throughout the state. As a member of the Commission, she will have the opportunity to communicate the components that have made the HCPS STEM program such a success and advocate for improved STEM education for students throughout the Commonwealth. “I hope to share with the Commission the philosophy of Integrative STEM education that we embody in HCPS,” said Ms. Sabarre. “My goal has always been to see that students across the state of Virginia, no matter their zip code, have access to high quality STEM educational experiences.  I am honored to share our successes so that we can impact change at a state level.”
 

HHS Teacher State Finalist for National Teaching Award
August 2, 2019

Harrisonburg High School teacher Myron Blosser has been selected as a state finalist for the 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award — regarded as the nation’s top honor for mathematics and science teachers — recognizes teachers who develop and implement high-quality instructional programs that improve student learning in mathematics and science. Blosser is one of only five Virginia secondary teachers to be chosen as state finalists.

Blosser teaches Biology and Biotechnology and is Co-Director of the HHS Governor’s STEM Academy. He is a well-respected educator who has shaped science instruction throughout the Shenandoah Valley. In 1994, he created the Shenandoah Valley Biotechnology Symposium, an annual event that he continues to be involved with 25 years later. The Symposium gives high school students throughout the Shenandoah Valley the opportunity to participate in hands-on genetics experiments and to interact with high-profile scientists such as Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, who provided last year’s keynote address.

“Mr. Blosser’s contributions to the advancement of science education have few parallels,” said Patrick Lintner, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. “He is constantly innovating, and he maintains the highest expectations for himself and his students."

The five Virginia finalists will be recognized by the state Board of Education during its October business meeting in Richmond.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching program is administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House. A national review committee will review the applications of the 2019 finalists, and the 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching awardees will be announced by the White House. 
 

HCPS Educators Attend Education Equity Summer Institute
July 19, 2019

This summer, educators from Harrisonburg City Public Schools attended the Virginia Education Equity Summer Institute, held July 9-10, 2019 by the Virginia Department of Education. The conference featured special guests such as Mr. Atif Qarni, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Honorable Bobby Scott from the U.S. House of Representatives, and Mr. Rodney Robinson, National Teacher of the Year, among others.

Mr. Robinson challenged the audience to be aware of the dangers of a single narrative, to encourage students to write their own and to take a careful view of the concept of equity. He also set the tone of the conference by asking the participants to be introspective and become further aware of their "blind spots" - of what they do not see when they view the world. In speaking of the "invisible tax on teachers of color," he asked everyone to be an accomplice in the tough work of dismantling racial and socioeconomic inequality, rather than an ally, so that we may truly work alongside each other. 

The breakout sessions ranged in topics, with presentations on the school-to-prison-pipeline, disparities that begin in early childhood, the impact of poverty, relationship building with parents and newly arrived families, supporting LGBTQ+ students, improving social emotional learning of all students, and how school nutrition can achieve educational equity. 

On the last day, a special panel of youth leaders from across the state, representing the "I'm Determined" and "Girls for Change" programs, shared their experiences with the audience of 500+ participants. The student voices were rooted in their experiences with disabilities, racial and gender inequality. 

Equity is at the forefront of our work in Harrisonburg City Public Schools. As stated in the presentation by C. Mansfield and S. Curwood, "Equity in education requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success and that personal and social circumstance do not prevent students from achieving their academic potential." Educational leaders and teachers in HCPS are continually striving to identify and remove barriers to equity so that ALL students can reach their full potential.

Written by Sylvia J. Whitney Beitzel

HHS Students Present Research at VJAS Symposium
May 23, 2019

One May 22, 2019, seven students represented Harrisonburg High School at the 2019 Virginia Junior Academy of Science Research Symposium. They submitted their formal papers in February, and were accepted to present their research at the VJAS symposium, which is itself a significant honor. The level of work presented at VJAS represents some of the top high school science and engineering work in the state of Virginia. The papers the students submit are 10-12 pages long and must cite at least three peer reviewed sources for their background research. Students who have their papers submitted then travel to the symposium to present a 10-minute presentation in front of three judges who have backgrounds in the field being presented. The judges then have two minutes to question the presenters.  The merits of the written paper and the oral presentation are combined to determine the award levels.  

Our students received the following awards:

Tucker McGrath and Fernando Posada earned an honorable mention in high school engineering category for their project "Reducing Lithium Ion Battery Fade in Phones." This project was conducted in the dual enrollment engineering course at HHS and involved the design and creation of a battery-operated phone case engineered to cool the battery operating the phone in order to reduce its temperature during prolonged operation and thus extend its useful life.

Christa Cole, Andrea Fox, Noah McIntire, and Hannah Miller earned third place in high school environmental science category for their project "Lead Toxicity and Its Risk to Wildlife and Humans through Fragmentation." This project was conducted in the biotechnology applications course at HHS using radiography at the Wildlife Center of Virginia and involved the study of lead fragments in organs donated by local hunters from harvested deer this last hunting season. This was done in partnership with the Virginia Wildlife Center in Waynesboro and Heartland Veterinary in Harrisonburg.  It examined how lead from bullet fragmentation affects potential lead toxicity in raptors and animals scavenging on the organs typically left in the field.

Jadelin McLeod won first place in high school engineering category with her project "The Comparative Tensile Strength of Two Chainmail Weaves." Jade completed this project independently. In this project, she created chainmail using two different weaves or patterns and then subjected them to pulling forces to measure their tensile strength. Additionally, she analyzed the manner in which the two weaves deformed and failed under this stress. Jade was also awarded a $500 prize for the excellence of her written paper in addition to her first place finish.

The recognition these students received represents Harrisonburg High School's highest finishes in the five years we have had students participating. Last year, Jade McLeod received honorable mention for her research on South Asian tadpoles and two years ago Sarah Jackson received an award from the Speleological Society of Richmond for her work with fossils.

Congratulations to these students who have put so much effort in and out of class to reach this level of academic accomplishment!

Harrisonburg High School Envirothon Team Places 4th in State

May 21, 2019

Over the weekend, the HHS Envirothon team placed 4th at the state competition held at the University of Mary Washington. This is the highest ranking the HHS Envirothon team has placed in a decade! During the competition, the team earned some of its best results to date, placing in the top three in several categories, including a first place finish in the Wildlife category. The team also placed 2nd in Aquatics, 4th in Forestry, and 4th in Soil Science.

The competition consisted of 18 high school teams who completed five content tests and gave a presentation on a special topic, which was "Agricultural Technology." During the stations, students answered questions, worked with tools, got into a soil pit, examined living and preserved wildlife and aquatic organisms, identified skulls, and identified a living snake!

The HHS team placed 1st overall at the local competition, which covers Harrisonburg and Rockingham and Page counties. They also placed 2nd overall at the area competition, which includes the northern valley and Augusta County.

Students on the state team included Alex Neufeld, Nathan McIntire, Iris Cessna, Jill Yoder, and Noah McIntire. Team members who participated in the local and area competitions and were alternates for state competition are Jenine Hamdan and Luna Fulgueiro-Fuchs. Their instructor is Adam Goble.

Envirothon is sponsored by the water conservation districts and Dominion Energy. 

Students examine soil layers at the local competition.

Harrisonburg High School Student is VHSL Journalist of the Year

May 6, 2019

From VHSL: Nyah Phengsitthy, editor-in-chief of The Newsstreak newspaper at Harrisonburg High School, is the Virginia High School League’s 2019 Student Journalist of the Year and Charles Savedge Scholarship recipient.

Phengsitthy leads and mentors a large staff at Harrisonburg, and calls her work “a one-of-a-kind experience.”  “I am who I am today because of what I’ve learned in journalism,” Nyah says of her experience.

Phengsitthy’s teacher and adviser, Valerie Kibler agrees.  “What amazes me about Nyah is the calmness with which she approaches her job when she’s working with younger students.  She thrives in stressful situations.  She takes the time to patiently teach them what they need to do to improve their writing.”

Kibler saw potential in Nyah at an early age.  “She joined the Newsstreak staff as a freshman.  We quickly learned she was one of our most responsible journalists.  Her writing was really strong and she developed her own style at an early age, something that many writers never find.”  Nyah recounted a particular story in this way.  “…the investigative piece resulted in increased awareness about a huge issue.  This led to a meeting with the superintendent where we discussed ways the school could help educate students much earlier.”  Kibler praised Nyah as “probably one of the smartest and most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life.  I don’t think I’ve ever taught someone as well-rounded as Nyah Phengsitthy.”

In addition to her work on the school newspaper, Nyah finds other outlets for her writing and design talents in the community.  She designs a quarterly 8-page newsletter for Bluestone Elementary School, writes and covers events for the Harrisonburg Education Foundation, and has put on numerous Journalism Middle School Workshops.  Under her leadership, Newsstreak has continued to receive accolades; First Amendment Press Freedom Award – 2016, 2017; NSPA Online Pacemaker Finalist – 2018 (winner), 2019; and CSPA Crown Finalist – 2018.

“I didn’t know room 444 {Newsstreak headquarters} would change my life,” Nyah muses.  “Journalism won’t end for me when I graduate in June.  I know I’m meant to tell stories.”

Phengsitthy excels academically overall, performing in the top 10% of her class at Harrisonburg, and intends to enroll at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2019.  “Because of journalism, I make a difference,” Nyah says.  The three-judge panel of journalism experts charged with making the selection this year certainly agreed. 

About the Charles Savedge Scholarship / Student Journalist of the Year Award

Named in honor of the celebrated publications adviser who was affectionately known as “Mr. Yearbook,” the award began in 1991 when Jason Roop, editor of Style Weekly magazine in Richmond, was the first recipient.  Each year, VHSL member schools may nominate one candidate for consideration.  Complete applications will consist of a one-page, typed, double-spaced essay written by the student which describes the significance that participation in publications has had in her/her life; a journalism-specific resume to include staff involvement and leadership positions, internships conferences attended, awards received, etc.; two samples of work that best represents the student’s journalistic abilities and contributions to student or community publications; and a letter of recommendation that addresses the student’s contributions to publications and the qualities that best describe the nominee. 

Strickler Receives National Recognition as Yearbook Adviser

May 2, 2019

Last week, Harrisonburg High School’s Mary Strickler was named Balfour’s National Adviser of the Year at the National High School Journalism Conference in Anaheim, CA. This honor is given to only one yearbook adviser in the country. Ms. Strickler has been a teacher and yearbook adviser at HHS for 37 years.

During her tenure as adviser, the yearbook, Taj, has achieved national rankings with All-American honors and Gold Medalist rankings from Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Press Association, and Virginia High School League. In addition, the yearbook has twice been named Best of the Best by Balfour, an honor given to the top 1% of high school yearbooks in the country. 

Strickler is also a four-time winner of the Colonel Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence in Journalism, which is the highest state recognition given by the Virginia High School League. This award is given every six years, so the four wins represent 24 years of sustained excellence.

Mr. Mike Parker presents Ms. Strickler with part of the award, a Tiffany apple, in Downtown Disney while Yearbook Representative Ms. Tami Stalcup looks on.