McDougle names interim principal
McDougle Elementary Assistant Principal Nathan Hester has been named the school’s interim principal.
McDougle Elementary Principal Tekeisha Ford left the district last week after accepting the principal’s job at Burton GeoWorld Elementary Magnet School in Durham Public Schools.
Prior to his work at McDougle, Hester served as assistant principal of Ephesus Elementary from 2003-06 and as a French teacher at Ephesus from 1997-2002. He holds a bachelor’s degree in French education from UNC and a master’s degree in school administration.
Elmo’s to support local education
Beginning September 4, Elmo’s Restaurant at Carr Mill Mall will donate 10 percent of its sales on the first Tuesday of each month to local education.
Funds will support teaching awards in math, science and foreign language and teacher grants, including projects for English language learners.
Donation dates are September 4, October 2, November 6, December 4, January 8, February 5, March 4, April 8 and May 6.
District SAT scores highest in the state
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools students posted the highest SAT scores in the state this year, despite a 12-point drop from 2006 scores.
Students averaged a reading and math composite score of 1185, down four points from last year’s all-time high of 1189. Chapel Hill-Carrboro scores do, however, remain above state and national averages: North Carolina students averaged 1004, while the national average was 1017.
Including the new writing portion of the test, the district’s composite was 1757, down from last year’s 1769.
Reading scores dropped from 588 to 581, while math scores increased from 601 to 604. Writing scores fell from 580 to 572.
Student participation in the SAT increased from 93 percent to 96.8 percent of eligible students in the district.
East Chapel Hill High students averaged 1193, while Chapel Hill High students scored 1176. In 2006, Chapel Hill High students averaged 1202; East Chapel Hill High students, 1175.
Scores varied widely across different ethnic groups in the district. Asian students averaged 1285; white students, 1202; Latino students, 1081; and black students, 901.
Latino and black students scored higher than the state and national averages for their ethnic groups.
Books for Carrboro Elementary students
All Carrboro Elementary School kindergarten students received both an English and Spanish copy of the children’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar on the first day of school this year.
Students received both copies of the book regardless of whether they are enrolled in the school’s dual-language program. Parents received handouts detailing the importance of modeling positive reading habits at home and reading aloud to children of all ages, and strategies to improve literacy for students and parents.
The program was funded by a grant from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation. Carrboro Elementary has found funding through a variety of sources in order to keep the program in place for the next four years.