NE LS O N C OU NTY H IGH S CH O OL

Spring Newsletter
Now that a difficult winter is behind us, our teachers and students are working extremely hard to make up
valuable instructional time. As I visit classrooms, I see students who are engaged and actively involved IN SI DE THIS IS S UE:
in their own learning. Our teachers are dedicated to promoting excellence as they prepare our students to
become skilled, responsible, productive and enlightened citizens who contribute to society – both in their Guidance Information 2
own communities, and beyond.
Cross Country 3
Our FFA students continue to excel in their competitions, both state-wide and nationally, while Band and Chorus 3
our NCHS Building Trades and Automotive Technology students earned their Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) cards during the fall. Many of our Health and Medical Sciences Building Trades and 3
students recently passed the Virginia Certified Nurse’s Aide exam, and are currently preparing for Automotive Technology
their second school-wide Blood Drive which will be held in April.
French 3

The Band and Chorus students (24) were selected for All District Honor Ensembles for 2009-2010, and Health and Medical 3
the Concert Band was awarded a Superior rating and two Excellent ratings, as well as a Superior rating Sciences
for Sight Reading performance. The Advanced Drama class and the Band presented an outstanding
performance of Peter Pan over the weekend of March 12-14. Service Learning 4
(continued)
Our Athletic teams lost many valuable weeks of practice and competition due to the inclement weather. Science 4
However, they are working diligently to represent NCHS well in our Spring athletic events.

As you can see, our days (and nights) are full, and we invite you to join us for all of our end -of-year
activities as we move quickly toward our fifty-fifth NCHS graduation ceremonies at 9:00 a.m. on Satur-
day, June 5th.

Emma Wardlaw,

Principal

NCHS: SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAM

Service Learning, an approach to education that ties community service to classroom instruction and reflection, is a rapidly
growing movement in American education. Nelson County High School's "Home, School, and Community Relations Committee" is
pleased to announce the inception of a Service-Learning Program, which will be offered to high school students next year, the 2010-2011
academic year.

Research and development began this past fall. Various high schools, which already have a Service Learning Program in
place, were contacted and data was studied. Of integral importance was information shared by Western Albemarle High School, under
the supervision of former Nelson County High School (NCHS) principal, David Francis. He arranged for information exchanges from
staff members: Caroline Bertrand-Career Specialist and Melissa Hankins-Testing Director.

To ascertain a level of support, meetings were held with NCHS student government groups and suggestions were offered to
customize the program to meet Nelson County’s unique needs. Next, surveys were conducted with students, parents, and
faculty. Results of the surveys indicated universal support from these people who will be most involved. With these results tabulated
and evaluated, program design began.

By 2000, 68 percent of all schools in the United States offered some form of service learning. Research indicates that the
benefits to students (and community) are indisputable.

Continued on page 4
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Guidance News
School Counseling
The NCHS School Counseling Department has met with students to register for the upcoming school year. Course
selections are based on diploma requirements as well as your child’s preferences. Please refer to page 14 of the
Program of Studies for course change regulations. Changes will only be made under these circumstances. Students
should also select four alternate course choices. Careful consideration should also be given to alternate course
choices, as students could get their alternate course choice.

Student and parent input is very important. Please carefully review your child’s registration form and have them
return it to the NCHS School Counseling Department as soon as possible. Although we strive to satisfy students’
course selections, some changes cannot be made due to graduation requirements and/or schedule conflicts.

Important Information
We would like to welcome Ms. Jalyn Stahl, career coach from PVCC. Students are invited to set up appointments with Ms. Stahl to
discuss career planning and exploration.
May 1 SAT registration deadline is March 25. June 5th SAT registration deadline is April 29. You may register at
www.collegeboard.com
June 12th ACT registration deadline is May 7. You may register at www.act.org.
The placement test for seniors interested in Piedmont Virginia Community College and students interested in Dual Enrollment courses
will be administered on March 30-April 2. Students must apply to PVCC before taking the placement test at www.pvcc.edu
SAT Prep sessions will be offered during April for Juniors taking the May/June SAT. Interested students should see Ms. Elmore in the
school counseling office. Complete details will be available at the Junior College and Career Night.
Current juniors and their parents are invited to attend the Junior College and Career Night on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30pm in the
NCHS Library. The session will answer questions about options after high school, career exploration, college applications, SAT and
ACT and financial aid. Students will have the opportunity to register for the May SAT after the presentation.
The Academic Awards Ceremony will be held Monday, May 17 at 7pm. This ceremony is in recognition of students receiving depart-
mental and organization awards, scholarships and other achievements. We encourage all students and their families to attend, particu-
larly students who have applied for scholarships, as scholarship recipients will be announced that evening.

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINES
Seniors are strongly encouraged to apply for scholarships. Applications are available in the school counseling office.

The following Scholarship deadlines are approaching:

1. Virginia Credit Union Scholarship- March 31 10. Stedman Allen Gray- April 2
2. Montebello Scholarship- March 31 11. Good Neighbor Pharmacy- April 13
3. Virginia King Scholarship- March 31 12. Zion Baptist Church- April 13
4. Central Virginia Electric Coop- April 1 13. Edd and Evelyn Martin- April 14
5. CVILLE Track Club- April 1 14. The Monroe Institute- April 16
6. Ronald Wood Memorial- April 1 15. Rockfish Masonic Lodge- April 16
7. Smyth Foundation- April 1 16. Blue Ridge Scholarship- April 16
8. Nelson County Education Foundation- April 1 17. NCHS Class of 1981- April 21
9. Martin Luther King Memorial- April 2 18. Virginia and Donald Farmer- April 22
19. Nelson United Methodist Church- May 1

ALL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS MUST BE TURNED IN TO GUIDANCE NO LATER THAN 9 AM ON

THE DATE THEY ARE DUE.
S P R I N G N E W S LE T T E R P AGE 3

Recycle and Help

The Cross Country team has some exciting news! We’ve joined the Global Re-Source Funding program. This program allows us to send
in empty inkjets, toner/laser cartridges, used cell phones, iPods, laptops, digital cameras, and GPS devices. These items would normally
be thrown away, so this is our chance to help the environment and earn money for the Cross Country team.
Every day, a large number of these items are discarded and sit in America’s landfills. They will never decompose, and the cell phone and
iPod batteries can leak toxins into the environment! Yet every day massive amounts of our natural resources are depleted man ufacturing
new ones.
You can help break this cycle by recycling. Join in this effort today and do your part to save the environment and help supp ort Nelson
County Cross Country. Donation boxes are located at the Nelson County High and Nelson County Middle Schools.
Thank you in advance,
The Nelson County Cross Country Team

News from Band and Chorus

Twenty-four Nelson County music students were selected for All District Honor Ensembles for 2009-2010. All District Band Honor students
who were selected were Grace Mawyer for the Symphonic Band; and Elizabeth Alderfer, Kelsie Collins, Emily Mays, Macon Rowley, and
Thomas Taylor for the Concert Band. Unfortunately, the February snow storms forced the event to be canceled, but the student s were
awarded their certificates and medals.

Students that were selected for All District Chorus were Annie Saunders, Taylor Kesler, Kat Somers, Anna Bell, Kelsie Collins, Katie Wood,
Kayla Giles, Christina Druen, Megan Robles, Hannah Helbert, Raquel Iniesta, Jeffrey Ludovissy, Dominique Ross, Malcolm Stewart, Trevor
Saunders, Michael Vest, and Daniel Dennis.

The students journeyed to Monticello High School on Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20 to prepare for a wide varie ty of out-
standing choral music for the public All District Honor Chorus Concert that was presented on Saturday afternoon. The students all had a
wonderful experience rehearsing with fabulous guest conductors. Nelson students won two of the six solo spots that were awarded for the
concert. Daniel Dennis was featured with the mixed chorus and Kat Somers sang a solo with the Women’s Chorus.

The All District Chorus Event traditionally ends with the announcement of students that were selected for the All Virginia All State Chorus.
All District junior and senior chorus students were eligible to audition for the All State Group during the All District weekend.

For the fifth consecutive year, a Nelson County chorus student was selected for All State. This year’s honoree is senior Katie Wood. Katie
will travel to Tyson’s Corner, Virginia to participate in the All State event on April 20, May 1, and May 2. Congratulations, Nelson County
music students, for your outstanding accomplishments.

News from Concert Band

The Nelson County Concert Band traveled to Monticello High School on March 6, 2010 to participate in the District 13 Band Festival.
Despite four very brief rehearsals, including one at 7:30 a.m. on the 6 th, the band was awarded one Superior rating and two Excellent ratings
from the panel of judges for the prepared music. The band was then awarded a Superior rating for their sight reading performance.
The band’s success was quite extraordinary, considering that the band class ended at the conclusion of the first semester and almost all
scheduled extra rehearsals leading up to the festival were canceled due to the weather. Great job, band! All of the Nelson County bands have
scored no lower than Excellent ratings in all competitions during the past eight years. The Marching Governors have won numerous first place
trophies at competitions and have brought home over 250 trophies since 2002.

OSHA Qualifications
Approximately fifty NCHS Building Trades and
Automotive students earned their Occupational
Safety and Health Administration 10 hour qualifica-
tion cards. This qualification is often required in
industrial employment. We are very proud of the
students earning this qualification. This is the first
time that this has taken place at Nelson County
Public Schools. This course is normally taught on
the job or at the community college to adults at a
substantial cost to the individual. These students
took advantage of a great opportunity and were
very successful.
epals.com
The French students are talking to other students in the world using technology.
They use www.epals.com to talk to students in classrooms in French speaking
countries. We are now talking to people in Reunion, Algeria, and France. French
students have introduced themselves by sending us a DVD and Algerian students
have sent us a wonderful cultural pack including their flag, a scarf, a cookbook and
a palm tree seed. We are gathering together things that represent the U.S. to send
back to them.
Health and Medical Sciences
Congratulations to the following Health and Medical Science students who
recently passed the Virginia Certified Nurse Aide exam: Rachel Johnson, Megan
Williams, Melanie Martin, Karis Tucker and Tyrah Stewart! These students
worked very hard to achieve this goal and we are very proud of them!

Nelson County High School
Principal: Emma Wardlaw
6919 Thomas Nelson Highway
Lovingston, Virginia 22949
Phone: 434-283-8317
Fax: 434-263-5987
E-mail: mfleckenstein@nelson.k12.va.us
Our Mission:
We educate students to become skilled,
responsible, productive, and enlightened students
who contribute to society.
Our Vision:
Empowering generations through excellence in
education.
Flip Camera Fun!
This semester, science students have
been making up raps, skits, and new
lyrics to contemporary songs about
what they are learning. Thanks to the
Wintergreen Nature Foundation, they
can now record these events to watch
and to share with fellow students and
faculty. Through a yearly educational
grant, Wintergreen Nature Foundation
provided the Nelson County High
School science department with 4 Flip
Video cameras. Among many things,
students have enjoyed watching each
other rap about photosynthesis and
cellular respiration, and have recorded
a skit about the population problems of
Easter Island. Last year WNF pro-
vided the science department with hand
held GPS units. This new equipment
has provided other ways for students to
experience science! Thank you WNF!
Keep up with class
assignments, sports events,
and other important
information by visiting us at
www.nelson.k12.va.us
Continued from page 1
Some of the benefits of Student Learning Programs are:
Students who volunteer in the community tend to do better academically than those who do not
volunteer.
Students involved in service work enhance feelings of self-worth and self-image.
A network of potential working opportunities is often established through volunteer work.
Employers who see volunteer work on a résumé are 73 percent more likely to hire that person
over someone with no volunteer experience.
Volunteers are less prone to depression and more inclined to feel a greater sense of purpose.
Communities with the highest volunteer rates have lower crime rates and higher education
rates.
The benefits to organizations receiving volunteer assistance are obvious. Service Learning
Projects bring together teachers, students, parents and organizations who improve the
quality of community life.
Leadership skills are improved through service work.
Learning objectives for social studies encourage the teaching of values such as citizenship and
civil responsibility.
Nanci Tessier, a College Admissions Director, states, “We’re looking for a commitment to and a
passion for, an activity outside of the academic setting…” She suggests gaining this
through “school activities, work experience, or community service.” Obviously, service
learning would enhance students’ college resumes.
Service learning increases students’ motivation, engagement, and school attendance.
Service learning can lead to new perspectives and “positive life style choices and behavior.”
High school students who engage in quality service learning programs showed increases in
measures of personal and social responsibility, communication, and sense of educational
competence.
Students perceive themselves to be more socially competent after engaging in service learning.
Opportunities for students next year will be three-fold:
Option One: Enables incoming ninth graders to begin their service learning and accumulate
fifty hours of certified service over their four year high school careers. Completion of this
requirement will earn the student a Board of Education Diploma Seal of Excellence in
Civics Education.
Option Two: Will enable more ambitious students, as incoming ninth graders, to accumulate
100 hours of certified service over four years. Completion of this requirement will earn the
student a Presidential Volunteer Service Award and recognition at graduation ceremonies.
Option Three: Will enable eleventh grade students to earn points on their final grade in United
States History by completing a minimum of ten hours of service (tenth grade students
taking Humanities will also have this option available to them).
At the beginning of the next school year, all students will be apprised of these options and
instructed on how to participate. The registry of service placements will include over 100 options.
There are a variety of options in order to meet each student’s strengths, interests, and
aspirations. Options include, but are not restricted to, local churches, local emergency responders,
the Nelson County Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Nelson County Historical Society, NCHS
Athletic Department, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Almost Home, and many
more.
Students will further be encouraged to create a suitable placement of their own, if our registry
does not meet his or her needs. All students will have flexibility of schedule, but each will be
responsible for his or her own transportation.
We trust that each parent will join us in our enthusiasm and excitement for this innovative
program. We encourage you to discuss this with your child and make every effort to get him or her
(as well as yourself) involved in what could be a very beneficial endeavor. After all, this is where we
all live; this is our community. The Service Learning Program will give NCHS students valuable
real-world career and college skills, and most of all, it will improve Nelson County, the place we all
call home.