Honors Research Classes Compete at the Region II Science and Engineering Fair

On Friday March 23, almost 30 students from the Honors Research 1 & 2 classes competed at the 2012 Region II Science and Engineering Fair held at the University of South Carolina. Additionally, the group of students was afforded tours of the USC Graduate Research Science Center and Riverbanks Botanical and Zoological Park. The Research Advisors are extremely proud of the immense preparation shown by the students and the manner in which they represented the Dutch Fork community at this prestigous event. Awards winners will be announced next week with a presentation ceremony scheduled for Sunday April 1.

Art and Essay Contest Winners

By: Allison Norwood, English Teacher

In the second annual art and essay contest, four Dutch Fork students garnered top awards. The theme for this year's contest was One Billion Hungry in the World. What is your Role? Of the 139 art entries, freshman Bradie McKay won 3rd place and an iPod touch. Of the 431 essays submitted, freshman Mendy Harris won Honorable Mention and a $25 prize; sophomore Glenn Bertram won 3rd place and an iPod touch; and sophomore Christopher Pittman won 1st place and a trip to Turkey. Mendy and Bradie are students of social studies teacher Regina Dilley and Glenn and Chris are students of English teacher Allison Norwood.

In addition to Chris's trip to Turkey, Allison Norwood and District Superintendent Stephen Hefner also won a trip to Turkey.

At this point, all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place state winners will compete in the Southeastern contest. Winners will be announced in a couple of weeks.

To learn more about the South Carolina Dialogue Foundation and see a list of all the winners and the winning entries, go to their website for more information.

Help Needed for HSAP Testing

HSAP testing is April 17 -19. We need lots of volunteers to help:) If you would be willing to help, please contact the guidance department today at 476-3305. Thank you in advance for your willingness to serve our students!

New Geography Honors Course

Dear Students and Parents,

After much consideration, and with input from teachers, parents and students, the leadership of the three high schools in School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties has decided to offer Geography Honors as an alternative to Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography and College Prep World Geography for the 2012-13 school year.

This class will meet the requirements for the World Geography State Standards and will be taught at the honors level. The course is designed to meet the needs of students who may not be quite ready for an Advanced Placement course but who want a more challenging 9th grade social studies experience. This honors course will prepare students to take more challenging courses in 10th, 11th and 12th grades.

In order to complete your student’s schedule we need to know your preference by March 30, 2012. If you would like to take Honors Geography in lieu of CP World Geography or AP Human Geography, please visit our webpage at http://www.lexrich5.org/DutchForkHS.cfm and click on the Honors Geography Course Request Change link. Once you click on the link, follow the steps and submit your request on line. This information will be automatically sent to your student’s counselor who will make the necessary changes.

We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to our students and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Technology Students Place at State Competition

This past Friday, the Technology Student Association (TSA) participated in state competitions at the University of South Carolina. Dutch Fork High School received 3rd place overall!!!

In the individual TSA competitions, the following students were recognized:

Michael Sherman - 1st place in prepared presentation
Nick DeBessonet - 1st place in desktop publishing
Tyler Deese and Jessica Otis - 1st place in problem solving challenge
Bria Burgess and Megan Hinton - 2nd place in fashion design
Alexus Hancock, Aaliyah Bond and Imani Whitaker - 2nd place in architectural model
Wyatt Pearson and Parth Patel - 2nd place in manufacturing prototype

We are extremely proud of these students and their sponsor Mrs. Sondra Suarez for their outstanding work.

Silver Screen Report Partners with Carolina Springs Elementary

The staff of Dutch Fork High School's broadcast, "The Silver Screen
Report," welcomed 10 fifth grade students from Carolina Springs Elementary School's broadcast program this week. Each elementary school student was paired with a member of the Silver Screen staff who worked with them on interviewing, capturing and editing video, and setting up lights and a green screen. The elementary students will be featured on the March 9 episode of "The Silver Screen Report."

Dutch Fork Journalism Students Earn Top Honors!

At this weekend's Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) convention and competition, Dutch Fork High School's journalism programs earned numerous awards and accolades.

Revelations, DFHS' literary magazine, earned an "Excellent" rating and adviser Russell Young was chosen as one of three South Carolina representatives for SIPA's Advisory Council.

The Renaissance, DFHS' newsmagazine, earned a "Superior" rating. Renaissance Co-Editor-in-Chief junior Collyn Taylor was elected Vice President of SIPA's executive board and senior reporter Morgan Holton completed her tenure as the board's Member-at-Large. Additionally, Morgan served as an emcee for the SIPA talent show and was chosen to introduce keynote speaker and WIS-TV anchor Judi Gatson. Morgan was also instrumental in planning the regional convention and developing its theme: "Courage to Connect."

The Silver Screen Report, DFHS' weekly broadcast, also earned a "Superior" rating. In individual broadcast competitions, seniors Richard Lipkin and Austin Lewis won the "Best of Convention" award for sports reporting and junior Alex Cone won the "Best of Convention" award for news reporting; senior Tyler Bloedel earned an "Honorable Mention" for videography. In the Broadcast Anchor competition, senior Daniel Kyre won first place.

Amy Medlock-Greene, adviser of The Renaissance and The Silver Screen Report, completed her tenure as SIPA's Vice Chair and was elected to serve a two-year term as Chair of the regional organization. She also taught a pre-convention workshop in Final Cut Pro.

The Legacy, DFHS' yearbook, earned an All-Southern rating and adviser Deborah Gascon was also selected to represent South Carolina on the SIPA Advisory Council.

Additionally, DFHS alumna Kelsey D'Amico, a junior Visual Communications major at the University of South Carolina, was awarded the Jacobs-Daughtry scholarship for continuing education.

SIPA, a 15-state regional organization for scholastic journalists, hosts its annual convention in Columbia during the first weekend in March. Throughout the weekend, students attended hands-on classes covering software such as Adobe's InDesign and Photoshop, and enhanced their journalistic skill set through attending sessions about photography, videography, design, reporting, and news, sports and feature writing. They also learned about media law and ethics, and explored methods for expanding their coverage online and integrating social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and tumblr into their publications.

To learn more about the organization, visit http://www.sipa.sc.edu/.

Dutch Fork Teachers Attending AP Reading Sessions!

At Dutch Fork High School, the Advanced Placement® Program is growing by leaps and bounds each year. A large part of that success is attributed to the growth and development of teachers in those specific content areas. Each June, AP teachers and college faculty members from all across the country assemble to evaluate and score the free-response sections of the AP exams. Last year, over 11,000 AP teachers were selected to become readers. Through this experience, teachers are able to:

1. Exchange ideas with other teachers and AP Development committee members
2. Collaborate with teachers from all across the country
3. Score the exam responses from AP high school students
4. Practice how to use a rubric consistently, which provides valuable knowledge for scoring their own students' essays

It is an annual tradition that Dutch Fork teachers are among the fortunate ones that are selected. This year, we have six teachers that have been selected by the CollegeBoard® to be readers and table leaders. They are as follows:

Stephen Cox -  AP World History "Table Leader"

Rhoda Wilson - AP Statistics

Laurie Humphrey - AP Government and Politics "Table Leader"

Carol Jackson - AP English Literature and Composition

Regina Dilley - AP Human Geography

Robert Barron - AP United States History

We are extremely proud of these teachers as they are continuously working towards perfecting their instructional practices. As an end result, our scores will incrementally improve each year.

By: Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Assistant Principal for Instruction