Blowing Rock My Hometown
Page 16
June 2013
A SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
Blowing Rock School takes advantage of wealth of local resources BY JEFF EASON editor@blowingrocket.com
I
t’s one thing to claim that your town has good schools, it’s quite another thing to prove it. Last August, Blowing Rock School was named an Honor School of Excellence for the third consecutive year. It was the only school in Watauga County to receive the state’s highest award. Why does Blowing Rock School, which includes grades kindergarten through eighth, continually rank among the state’s best each year? The reasons are many, but it begins with teachers and staff who are bright, dedicated and eager to give students the tools to succeed in the classroom and in life. Class sizes are relatively small at Blowing Rock School, allowing plenty of opportunities for individualized instruction. The school also takes advantage of its proximity to Appalachian State University by utilizing ASU student teachers, who are in turn rewarded with valuable on-the-job training. During the summer months, many of Blowing Rock School’s students attend the Mountaineer Summer Reading Program, a collaboration between ASU Athletics and the university’s Reich College of Education. Speaking of reading, Blowing Rock School can lay claim as the place where the Operation Mama Gaye Book Program began. Blowing Rock School alumna Wendy Estes and Kim Hartley started the program several years back as a way of honoring their late mother, Gaye McDonald. Operation Mama Gaye holds events and raises money to make sure that every student in the school can purchase their own books. Now in its fifth year, Operation Mama Gaye has given more than 6,000 books to students in North Carolina and Alabama. Another resource that is unique to Blowing Rock School is its relationship with the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM). BRAHM’s Young at Art Program is an outreach program designed to augment the art curriculum of students from kindergarten through second grade at the school. Each class is treated to a monthly art class at the museum. In addition to the formal education the students receive at Blowing Rock School, they are also introduced to how volun-
This past spring, students at Blowing Rock School pose for a photograph to celebrate the Operation Mama Gaye Book Fair. For the past five years, Operation Mama Gaye has provided more than 5,000 books for students in North Carolina and Alabama.
Photo submitted teerism can be a positive force in their community. This past school year, 7th and 8th graders in the school’s Beta Club volunteered at the Watauga Humane Society. The school’s Junior Beta Club spent time this past spring cleaning up the Gwen Tyrie Memorial Garden, located in the center of the school. Tyrie was a Blowing Rock School third grade teacher who taught for 23 years before passing away in 2002. Ensemble Stage Company, the local professional theater company, regularly puts on its productions at the Blowing Rock School Auditorium. The company also works with the school to coordinate summer theater camps for children and anti-bullying plays during the school year. Blowing Rock School’s Parent Teacher Organization is one of the more active such groups in existence. They continually work with the school to ensure that resources are the best in the county and that event such as Spring Fling and the Halloween Festival run smoothly and provide plenty of fun for the kids. When students from Blowing Rock School eventually graduate from Watauga High School in Boone, they are eligible for the Blowing Rock Community Foundation’s scholarship program to help them attend colleges, universities and trade schools. For more information, call Blowing Rock School at (828) 295-3204.
Find the best agents in town at this address:
BLAIR & ASSOCIATES
www.coldwellbankerblair.com
828-262-1836 2408 HWY. 105, BOONE, NC