THOMASVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

Thomasville City Schools Honors Teacher of the Year

5/23/2019

Thomasville City Schools Teachers of the Year: Anne Myers, Kristen Strasser, Barbara Grave de Peralta, Casey Dyksterhouse, Jennifer Shiver, and Cassidy Cook.

Acting Superintendent Daniel Oldham presented Barbara Peralta with the title of 2019-2020 Thomasville City Schools Teacher of the Year.

Scott Sterling of Big Oak Advisors distributed awards to the teachers and shared the audience his inspiration for wanting to help honor teachers in the district.

Thomasville City Schools named Barbara Grave de Peralta its 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year at the May Board Meeting and recognized the Teachers of the Year from each school in the district.
Big Oak Advisors sponsors the Teacher of the Year program for district. Scott Sterling presented each honoree with plaques and a $400 monetary award for the school levels and a trophy and a $600 monetary award for the district level. Additional business supporters awarded the teachers: Thomasville YMCA will provide three months free membership for each school level teacher and one year free membership to the district level and Papa John’s Pizza will provide one free pizza each month for the entire year to each of the teachers.
As the Thomasville City Schools Teacher of the Year, Peralta will be able to drive a Jeep Wrangler graciously provided by Stallings Motor Company during the months of August through December. The keys will be presented to Peralta on August 2, 2019, at a back to school assembly. Peralta will also receive a “Teacher of the Year” ring, courtesy of Josten’s.
Peralta is a Registered Nurse and has taught healthcare science at Thomasville High School for 13 years. Additionally, Peralta has been the Health Occupations Students of America advisor for 12 years. During that time, she has served as the Past Chair of the HOSA Board of Directors and was selected as HOSA Advisor of the Year in 2018. Peralta’s primary focus for her students is to nurture their academic and lifelong success. She believes there is no better feeling than when former students keep in touch to say, “Thank you for the encouragement.” That is what teaching is all about: the success of students following their dreams.
Casey Dyksterhouse is the Scholars Academy Teacher of the Year. Dyksterhouse has worked with the Thomasville City Schools Drama Program since 2011. She has directed many large drama productions over the years and led region and state champions in GHSA One Act Competitions. Her first priority as a teacher is to establish a trusting relationship with her students; only then can the real work of teaching begin. Dyksterhouse wants to empower her students with the skills and tools to ask questions, search, explore, and find their own way of working, in order to discover more about themselves and humanity. She is an exceptionally skilled drama teacher who naturally has the compassion and relational skills to make others feel valued and important.
Kristen Strausser is the MacIntyre Park Middle School Teacher of the Year. Strausser has been teaching for 10 years and loves teaching language arts to help kids grow and learn to love reading and writing. She considers all of her students to be amazing, academically and personally, and holds high expectations for each of them. She believes it is her job to inspire her students to succeed and works diligently to help them meet their learning goals. Her hope is to have a positive impact on her students academically and help them become well-rounded individuals.
Anne Myers is the Harper Elementary Teacher of the Year. Myers is a special education teacher who is innovative and has a passion for students. During her 3.5 year career Myers has been an advocate for special needs students. She recently wrote a grant to provide biking, exercising, and new playground equipment for Harper students. Myers represents the personal and professional attributes that is representative of all Harper teachers. She has gone above and beyond her responsibilities as a classroom teacher and has positively impacted the people around her.
Cassidy Cook is the Jerger Elementary Teacher of the Year. Cook joined the Thomasville City School System in 2010 and is a 2nd grade teacher at Jerger Elementary. She finds ways to engage and challenge her students in their learning and in her classroom community. Supporting individual students, as well as teaching students to support and encourage each other, has become a priority for her over the years. Cook is a leader among her peers and has a cheerful personality and knack for organization. She has gracefully managed traumatic challenges by setting an example of her strong faith for her students and their parents.
Jennifer Shiver is the Scott Elementary Teacher of the Year. Shiver has been a 4th grade reading and science teacher at Scott Elementary for 5 years and is finishing her 10th year as an educator. She is passionate about instilling a love for reading in her students and strongly believes that literacy is the foundation for all learning. Shiver finds her inspiration through working with other teachers and constantly challenging herself to find new ways of reaching diverse groups of learners. She wants each of her students to experience the satisfaction of learning, even if the process of learning is sometimes tough. Shiver says there is nothing better than seeing a child proud of him or herself after learning takes place.

Max White Achieves Perfect ACT Score

5/22/2019

Max White, son of Tim and Sheila White and a junior at Thomasville High School Scholars Academy, earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36.
Only around two-tenths of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2018, only 3,741 out of more than 1.9 million graduates who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.
The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. The score for ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.
In a letter to the student recognizing this exceptional achievement, ACT CEO Marten Roorda stated, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. Your exceptional scores will provide any college or university with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.”
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the US.

White Awarded Prestigious UGA Foundation Fellowship

5/22/2019

Thomasville City Schools is pleased to announce that Thomasville High School and Scholars Academy Class of 2019 senior Claudia White has been selected by the University of Georgia Foundation Fellowship Selection Committee as a Foundation Fellow for the Class of 2023.
The University of Georgia Foundation Fellowship is the most prestigious honor awarded to its incoming first-year students. The Fellowship provides a stipend of $12,300 per year, renewable for a total of four years of full-time undergraduate study at the University. This stipend, combined with the Zell Miller Scholarship (currently worth $9,552 per year), is designed to approximate the typical student’s cost of attendance at the University. White will also receive a $614 housing supplement the first year.
In addition, Foundation Fellows enjoy unique access to generous travel-study grants ($9,000), research/conference grants ($1,750), group travel-study (valued at $18,400), faculty dinner-seminars, book discussions, and other special programs. White is eligible to renew the Fellowship for up to a total of eight semesters/terms of funding from the University of Georgia Foundation Fellowship.
White’s personal, academic, and extracurricular credentials are truly outstanding. The University of Georgia is confident that White will find that the its institution offers exceptional opportunities and challenges to enhance her college education. In addition to the Fellowship, White has also qualified for membership in the University Honors Program. Honors students and faculty have long attested to the unique value of the University Honors Program, which is recognized as one of the best in the country.

THS Alumna to Speak at Baccalaureate

5/17/2019

Thomasville High School will honor its graduating Class of 2019 at a Baccalaureate Service of interfaith prayer, music from the Scholars Academy String Quartet, and inspirational words from THS Class of 1998 alumna Mary-Cathryn Mooney Kolb.
Kolb is a native of Thomasville and has had the entrepreneurial bug ever since she was a kid. After graduating from THS and studying communications at Southern Methodist University, Kolb was a first hire at TOMS Shoes and later Director of Sales at SPANX. Kolb, intrigued by the idea that thin little yarns that support and shape bodies could also be turned into high-tech performance fabrics, formed the kernel of the idea to revolutionize the cooling fabric industry with brrr°. Last year, Kolb was named Business Person of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in recognition of brrr° and its sales records with retailers using the brrr° cooling technology including NIKE, Southern Tide, Joseph A. Bank, Bed Bath & Beyond and Gilliz Fishing Apparel.
Kolb attributes her success to Thomasville’s tight-knit community where people help each other and truly want others to succeed.
“It’s where I learned fundamental values like kindness, respect, hard work, and how to dream big,” said Kolb.
Kolb contends that the kind of accountability and sense of duty in the Thomasville community is something that children raised in the anonymity large cities don’t have the pleasure of experiencing.
As a successful entrepreneur, Kolb wants to impress upon the Class of 2019 her advice which is to think carefully about the sacrifices and the grit that one needs to turn an idea into an actual company with expenses and budgets and employees.
“Then take a deep breath and jump in with both feet and own it and do it,” said Kolb.
With an appreciation that there are various pathways to success, Kolb hopes every student makes the mark on the world that is right for them.
“For some people, that means going to college and starting a professional career. For others, that might mean taking over a family farm or business. Others might want to work for a non-profit, or enter law enforcement or the armed services. Others might have no idea what they want to do, and that’s okay too,” said Kolb.
She hopes to instill the idea that students need to find their ‘thing’ that is inspiring, rewarding and fulfilling.
“You will know it when it happens, and it feels amazing,” said Kolb.
Kolb has stayed connected with Thomasville as her education and career has taken her all over the world.
“Keeping in close touch with my hometown is what led to this invitation to speak at the THS Baccalaureate, which made me incredibly proud,” said Kolb.
Senior Class President Taylor House will give the presiding introduction, followed by the invocation by Valedictorian Claudia White. A scripture reading will be given by Salutatorian Mason Wilson and the responsive reading will be led by National Honor Society Secretary Morgan Savatgy. Special thanks will be offered by Senior Class Vice President LaTatyana Hadley and closing remarks will be given by Scholars Academy Director Jeanene Wallace and Thomasville High School Principal Dr. Shannon Norfleet. House will conclude the ceremony with a benediction.
Baccalaureate will be Sunday, May 19 at 5:00 p.m. at the MacIntyre Park Auditorium.

HOSA Advances to International Leadership Conference

5/16/2019

by Destini Butler

Thomasville High School is set to compete in Orlando this summer at the HOSA International Leadership Conference after coming in 3rd place in Public Health against hundreds of schools in Atlanta at the State Leadership Conference.
Sierra Perkins, Renderea Perkins, Brenae McCray, Zaria Meeks, Samantha Althoff, and Camryn Williams make up the award-winning team. The team is advanced to the International Leadership Conference by performing a phenomenal skit about how to prevent school shootings.
“The process of making it to where we are today was fun. Every Wednesday after school and on Sundays we would meet up, work hard to come up with ideas, and improve the skit to make it better,” said Althoff.
“It feels amazing knowing that I’ll be going to ILC this summer after doing Public Health for two years in a row. With all the hard work that we’ve put in to our skit, I honestly felt like we deserved this opportunity,” said Meeks.
HOSA, also referred as “Future Health Professionals,” is an organization that gives students the guidance to become future health professionals and experience and knowledge from interacting with other students around the world.
THS Health Occupations instructor, Barbara Grave de Peralta serves as the advisor of the organization. Peralta expects her students to learn more about the medical field and to learn how to use their social skills to later reflect in their future occupations.
“I would like for my students to understand that HOSA isn’t all about the medical field. It is all about meeting new people and learning ideas from other schools that could be used at our school,” said Peralta.
HOSA is an open organization that anybody can join; students don’t have to be in Peralta’s class. This helps out students that are interested in a future in the health profession, but not be able to schedule into Peralta’s class.
The organization starts off each year going to conferences such as the Fall Leadership Conference and the State Leadership Conference to learn, compete against other schools, and simply enjoying meeting new people from around Georgia. Students choose an event that they would like to compete in and gain knowledge from of their event. Part of the experience is knowing how competitive these competitions can really get. Events at the State Leadership Conference are: Public Health, HOSA Bowl, and Health Care Display. Throughout the school year, members work hard after school in Peralta’s room to work on their events and practice them in front of their peers for better judgment.
“I participate in HOSA because I love the experience of learning something new every year and getting prepared for the competitions,” said Malaysia Baker.

Harper Elementary AVID Explores Thomas University

4/29/2019

Harper Elementary 5th graders toured Thomas University as a part of the AVID program. Tour guides from Admissions, Clarissa Gibbs and Daphne Forehand, gave the students a brief introduction and then proceeded to the auditorium where they received a presentation on Geocach by Elizabeth Harrell and Leslie Cooper. Students learned how to use GPS systems to locate items/locations in an exciting and adrenaline-pumping scavenger hunt around the entire campus. Students and staff learned more about a local institute for higher learning while having fun.

Harper Forensics Career Exploration

4/26/2019

Harper Elementary 4th grade students engaged in Forensic Science hands-on learning activities at Southern Regional Technical College. One of the mandatory career pathway lessons is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), which has an emphasis on Forensic Science and the types of careers for Forensic Scientists. Students connected their learning to a "mock crime scene." SRTC Criminal Justice Instructor Karen Murray graciously opened her doors to allow students to come in and put their skills to the test, as they entered a "crime scene" to try to find evidence to solve the crime. Students were provided a glimpse of how criminal investigators view the crime scene to look for clues and evidence. Murray was knowledgeable and related the task to the students’ career pathway. SRTC Assistant High School Coordinator/ Recruiter Laura Kelly spoke with the students about programs available at SRTC and the Dual Enrollment program to encourage them to aim for college courses while in high school. Harper has a growing relationship with community partners to give students exposure to using academic skills in everyday life.

Top Math Winner at VSU Sonia Kovalevsky Days

4/25/2019

Pictured: Amanda Nelson, Kaitlin Kasper, Molly Novak, Clara Clifton, McKenna Willis, Caroline Hiers, and Kristina Perry.

Thomasville City Scholars Academy students, under the guidance of Amanda Nelson, participated in the annual Sonia Kovalevsky Days at VSU. Kaitlin Kasper captured 1st place in the SK Days Math Contest.
Sonia Kovalevsky Days (SK Days), an annual event hosted by Valdosta State University's Department of Mathematics in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, is held in honor of Sonia Kovalevsky, the first woman to ever earn a doctorate in Mathematics.
The purpose of Sonia Kovalevsky Days (SK Days) is to inform female high-school students about the many career opportunities available to them in mathematics and related fields; encourage them to take as many advanced mathematics and sciences courses as possible to better prepare them for college related fields of study; and to encourage them to pursue interests in careers that are still mostly dominated by male students. SK Days offers workshops and discussions focused on STEM related topics - science, technology, engineering, and math - and is an important component of VSU's commitment to help increase the number of women pursuing mathematics and science fields in post-secondary study and beyond.
Kovalevsky attended classes and lectures whenever permitted, and in 1874, earned her degree in absentia from the University of Gottingen, after writing three complete dissertations. Sonia won the prestigious Prix Bordin prize in 1888 for her memoir, On the Problem of the Rotation of a Solid Body about a Fixed Point. Awarded a lifetime chair in mathematics appointment at Stockholm University, as well as membership in the Russian Academy, Sonia still was not offered coveted teaching positions at Russian universities nor was she allowed to attended Russian Academy meetings.

Hands-On Biomedical Science with Interventional Cardiologist

4/23/2019

Interventional Cardiologist Clay Sizemore, M.D. hosted Jamie Gammel’s Scholars Academy Biomedical Science class for an awesome experience in the Cardiology Department at Archbold Memorial Hospital. Various members of Dr. Sizemore's team talked the students about their training and education as well as current responsibilities in their careers. Students toured the Cardiology Department where they were able to watch a cardio catheterization procedure and an echocardiogram. At the end of the field trip, Dr. Sizemore created three fictional patients, and students volunteered to portray the characters complaining of different types of chest pain. Students then had to guess the diagnosis of each character. Right above: Karley Jenkins, Madison Beasley, and Sydney Deutsch handle the actual equipment that would be used an angioplasty and stent insertion. This catheter would be inserted in the artery of a patient and a balloon inflated on the end to open up a blocked vessel. A stent would then be inserted to keep the vessel open. Left above: Andrew Geyer, Carson Cochran, and Colin Refroe wear costumes as they take part in diagnosis scenarios.

Thomasville High Scholars Academy Named AP Honor School

4/18/2019

Thomasville City Scholars Academy celebrated all things related to Advanced Placement on April 8 & 9, 2019, to recognize Thomasville High School’s recent designation as an AP Honor School by the College Board in four categories: AP Challenge, AP STEM, AP STEM Achievement, and AP Humanities.
AP Challenge Schools (44 named) are schools with enrollments of 900 or fewer students and students testing in four of the core areas (English, math, science, and social studies). AP Humanities Schools (142 named) are schools with students testing in the following AP courses: at least one English course, two history/social science courses, one fine arts course and one world language course. AP STEM Schools (200 named) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses. AP STEM Achievement Schools (128 named) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses and at least 40% of AP math and AP science exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods named 230 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools in Georgia for 2019.
“It’s essential that we offer a robust set of opportunities to Georgia students, and Advanced Placement is an important part of that,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “I congratulate the educators and leaders who worked to create strong AP programs in these 230 Georgia schools, ultimately connecting students with high-level coursework and the opportunity to gain college credit.”
To celebrate and to continue to promote Thomasville City Schools’ AP program, Advanced Placement teachers received bags full of treats to share with their AP students and also an AP Trivia Quiz for them to fill out and return in class.
AP U.S. History, AP European History, and AP Psychology teacher Erin White created and then scanned the quizzes to determine the highest scoring from over 400 quizzes scored. The overall winner was Max White with a score of 11/15.
Some interesting national and local facts about AP appeared on the quiz, and answers were later shared with students.
• What are the most frequently forgotten items? A snack was #1 most forgotten item with 39% of students not bringing one. Not only was it the item students regretted forgetting most, but of the students who brought snacks, many commented that they did not have enough. Out of the students who remembered snacks, 15% wish they had brought more.
• When were the first AP exams given? The first exams were given in 1956.
• What are the most popular AP exams nationwide? #1 AP English Language and #2 AP US History (both over half million exams), #3 AP English Literature, #4 US Government and Politics, and #5 Calculus AB.
• Which exams have the highest pass rate nationwide? Top 6 in order are Chinese, Spanish Language, AP Seminar, Studio Art, AP Calculus BC, and Macroeconomics.
• Which exams have the lowest pass rate nationwide? Top 5 in order are AP Physics, US Government, AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, and AP U.S. History.
• What is the highest number of AP classes a THS student has taken? Two seniors at THS have each taken 15 AP classes.
• What was the mean score on all nationwide AP exams in 2018? 2.89.
• What portion of students in Georgia public high schools are enrolled in AP courses? Just over 1/3 are in AP classes.
• How many College Board AP courses exist? There are currently 38 AP courses that high schools in the US may choose to offer.
• How many exams did Thomasville City Schools order for 2019? THS has ordered 347 exams this year.
• What are the most popular exams at THS for 2019? AP Psychology - 44, AP U.S. History - 41, AP World History - 37, and AP English Language - 36.
• How many Thomasville City School students are taking AP exams in 2019? 159 students at THS are taking AP Exams.
White thanked her fellow teachers for everything all that they do.
“Whether they teach AP classes or not, all of our teachers are an important part of preparing our students for success on these exams,” said White.
AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high-school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008. This recognition began with three categories: AP Access and Support Schools; AP Challenge Schools; and AP Merit Schools. AP STEM and AP STEM Achievement categories were added in 2011, and the AP Humanities category was added in 2015.
Georgia’s public-school class of 2018 is ranked 16th in the nation for the percentage of students scoring 3, 4, or 5 on at least one AP exam during high school, and 13th in the nation for AP participation.

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