Students, Alumni, Parents Visit
Legislators on Capitol Day 2015: Quest for Additional State Funding
Continues
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| On Capitol Day, students discuss the eight different foreign languages they have studied at MLWGS with Delegate Riley Ingram (62nd District). |
Potential changes to the outdated formula for distributing state
funds to Governor's Schools topped the agenda last week when 75 MLWGS students,
six alumni, and current parents met with legislators and aides during Capitol
Day 2015. MLWGS public education
advocacy club, EduPAC, recruited students to attend legislative meetings and
organized appointments with the 27 legislators whose districts feed into MLWGS.
Capitol Day is an annual event sponsored by the Friends of Virginia's
Governor's Schools (FOVGS).
This year marked the first time that MLWGS alumni, a growing local constituency and
force in MLWGS Advocacy, participated in Capitol Day. Thanks to Bryce Lyle '99,
Alana Gavrilis '96, Alicia Amos '97, Alex Guzman '07, Chris Wootton '03, and
Emily Thomason '07 for taking time from work to meet with current students and
legislators at the Capitol.
A special thanks to EduPAC student leaders and faculty sponsor
John Wilkes as well as parent chaperones Lisa Aaron, Anne Hayes, Catherine
Ingrassia, Marianne Macon, Laura O'Brien, Rupali Pendse, Roma Radford, and
Sarah Saunders for making the Capitol Day field trip possible. Thanks
also to alumni parent and former PTSA President Mary Phillippo Parker for
organizing the event statewide for FOVGS, and to current parent Paula Chambers
for assisting.
Although the funding formula study was completed and sent to the
chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance on October 1, 2014, the
General Assembly has taken no action in response to the study. The Department
of Education is continuing to conduct cost analysis of select funding options.
Capitol Day participants urged legislators to support ongoing and timely review
of Governor's School funding options by the Department of Education and
Secretary of Education. The goal is to have a revised formula and additional
funding in the Governor's budget by the end of 2015.
The study recognized the added costs of full-time
programs like Maggie Walker and found that the current formula “does not
adequately reflect the actual costs of operation and the programmatic and
staffing needs of the programs.” Click here for a copy of the funding formula study. Any member of the
school community interested in advocating for a revised state funding formula
should contact Laura O'Brien, prable@comcast.net or
Marianne Macon, mnmacon@gmail.com with
PTSA Advocacy.
MLWGS DIRECTOR Participates in Inaugural
Summit of
Selective Public High School Leaders
Convened by Cooke Foundation
Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Director Dr. Jeff McGee joined
school leaders and experts from across the country last week at a two-day
summit located outside of the nation’s capital to identify solutions to close
the excellence gap—the troubling disparity in academic performance between
lower income and higher income students at advanced levels. “Closing the
Excellence Gap: Advocating for High-Achieving, Low-Income Students” on February
5-6 was convened by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which offers the largest
scholarships in the country to high-performing students who have financial
need.
Dr. McGee was personally invited by the Cooke Foundation to
collaborate with more than 100 other principals of selective high schools as
well as leaders of organizations such as the National Consortium of Secondary
STEM Schools, researchers focused on high-achieving, low-income students, other
scholarship providers, education advocates, and John B. King, Jr., senior
advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, to learn about
cutting-edge research on and share and identify best practices for supporting
high-achieving, low-income students.
At this landmark event, a new organization of these principals
formed, called the Coalition of Leaders for Advanced Students Success, with an
agenda to support and advocate for high-achieving students with financial need.
“We are leaders in our communities who have a stake in nurturing
talent wherever we find it and regardless of a student’s economic status,” said
McGee. “It is understood that in order to remain competitive as a region,
state, and nation we must continue to develop talent, yet high ability learners
(regardless of economic status) and the schools that serve them have largely
been ignored in federal and state fiscal dialogue. This summit
underscored the fact that Maggie Walker Governor’s School is committed to being
part of the solution.”
“I wanted to bring these school leaders together to discuss how to
better support high-performing students with financial need because I know the
high caliber of their leadership and of the education provided at their
schools,” said Harold Levy, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke
Foundation and who is a former chancellor of New York City Schools. “This
summit confirmed my belief that these leaders have excellent insights to offer
policymakers at all levels of government to benefit high-ability students from
low and moderate income families.”
Join the Foundation Events Committee!
Do you like to organize events such as receptions and
fundraisers? Does working with other MLWGS
parents to pull off fetes for grandparents or incoming freshman parents float
your boat? How about hosting the mentors
who work with MLWGS students when they visit on Senior Showcase day?
If these sound like the sort of activities you enjoy, then the
Governor’s School Foundation Event’s Committee could use your talents! The
Committee is looking for energetic and enthusiastic volunteers to assist with
events such as these. No prior
experience needed – just willing hands and your creativity.
If you would like to learn more about the Foundation Events
Committee, please contact Laura Lewis, Interim Development Officer, at laura.lewis@governorsschoolfoundation.org
or (804)354-1566.
CLass of 2015 Announcements
Senior Letter
The Class of 2015 Senior Letter is currently being worked on,
and students/parents should expect to receive it in early March. This
letter will provide details for remaining senior-related events along with
pertinent information regarding graduation and end-of-year checkout.
Caps, Gowns, and Announcements
Seniors paid for their caps and gowns with their annual student
fees in September, and orders for graduation announcements were collected in
November. Herff Jones will be delivering all of these items in early
April.
Graduation Tickets
After three years, graduation is returning to the Altria Theatre
(formerly the Landmark Theatre). As the seating capacity is significantly
larger, students should expect to receive 13 tickets to share with their
families. These tickets will be distributed later in the spring, and requests for
additional tickets can be made then. Please remember that a graduation announcement
is not a ticket. Only those with tickets will be allowed into the theatre
for the ceremony. Graduates do not require a ticket.
This is an exciting time for our seniors! Please don’t
hesitate to contact the class sponsor, Kerry Sheppard (804-354-6800 ext. 3304; ksheppard@gsgis.k12.va.us), if you have any
questions.
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
Future
Leaders Forum for Young Women: Capital One is pleased to offer the ninth Future Leaders
Forum for Young Women on Saturday, March 21, 2015. This full-day event
welcomes 300 young women in grades 9 through 12 to our Richmond campus, where
they will participate in activities designed to inspire, encourage and build
their leadership skills. Students can see Ms. Davis to pick up an application.
Applications are due by February 27, 2015.
The
Summer Institute on Leadership and Public Service is a multiple week
program dedicated to teaching leadership skills through a number of classroom
and hands-on settings, including a leadership curriculum, internships, and
problem-solving exercises all the while focusing on a specific theme especially
relevant to the greater Richmond community. The program is sponsored by St.
Christopher's School and will take place from July 6 to July 25. Interested
juniors can contact Ms. Davis for more information. Application deadline
is March 16th.
Call for words and sentiments from senior artist For
Portrait of Bear O’Bryan
Carrie Hamilton (’15, Chesterfield) has
agreed to create a portrait of Bear O’Bryan for permanent display within the
school. In the message below, Carrie is requesting material in the form of
words from MLWGS students.
I’m a senior in Art V here at Maggie Walker Governor’s School and I will be creating a text-based portrait of Bear O’Bryan. I hope to make the image out of your memories of Bear, from a simple anecdote to something he taught you that really stuck with you. I need a lot of words, so please contribute anything you’d like to say about him. The link below will take you to a Google Form through which you can submit text. The illustration here is an example of how I use text to create images, a portrait of my brother made of lines from his favorite movie.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/136OuS9lMxpgQhUhwzUy13r3SZTr4HBTsub5vKLwV4U0/viewform?usp=send_form
Thank you so much, Carrie Hamilton
SOPHOMORE CLASS TRIP
On March 6, the Sophomore Class is
headed to Washington, DC! The students will tour the Capitol and
participate in a discussion at the Newseum! It will be a great day and a
chance to visit resources that are so close!
Buses will leave from the school PROMPTLY at 7:30am and students will return at 6:00pm.
Permission slips were distributed at the Sophomore Mandatory meeting on Thursday, February, 5th and were due back by close of day, February 11th. Please return the forms to the folder outside Ms. Parker's office in the Counseling Department on the third floor.
If you did not get your form or need a new form, please contact Mrs. Kitchens at richmondkitchens@yahoo.com.
MLWGS STUDENTS Participate in Band and Orchestra Performances
Maggie Walker participants in District 1 Honor
Band (left to right): Zachary King (Hanover, ’15), 1st Clarinet,
Symphonic Band; Samarth Kishor (Henrico, ’17), 2nd Alto Sax, Concert Band; Benjamin Campbell (Powhatan, ’16), 1st French Horn, Symphonic Band. The
concert was January 31, 2015 at New Kent High School.
Maggie Walker participants in Central Regional
Orchestra: (left to right) Andrew Shin (Henrico, ’18), 1st Viola, A Orchestra; Ben Hamilton (Chesterfield, ’18), 20th Violin 1, A Orchestra; Anisha Sharma
(Henrico, ’18), 10th Viola, B Orchestra; Catherine Qian (Henrico, ’18), 16th
Violin 1, A Orchestra; Jake Holweger (Henrico, ’18), 3rd Bass, B
Orchestra. The concert took place February 7, 2015 at Deep Run High
School.
Ladies’ Night Out: Salad Days — Buy Your Tickets Now!
Come enjoy your "Salad
Days" with MLWGS moms and female faculty and staff at the annual PTSA
Ladies’ Night Out. This year’s theme is a Shakespearean expression
referring to a youthful time of idealism and innocence! We will be
serving hearty salads along with bread, desserts, wine, and soft drinks at this
event open to all female parents, staff, and friends of MLWGS. Last year
85 women attended this lovely evening, talking and eating with old and new friends.
While the event takes place in May, tickets are being sold THIS WEEK as a “Buy
It Now” option from the Night of the Dragon Auction catalog. This
year Ladies’ Night Out will take place on Wednesday, May 20 from 7:00 to
10:00 p.m. at the home of Mary Michael and Rich Schweiker (parents of
Richard and Claire) in historic Windsor Farms. Tickets cost $35. We
encourage you to buy tickets for MLWGS teachers too! To purchase your ticket to
this PTSA fundraiser, go to www.nightofthedragon.com, click on the Buy it Now section
to find Ladies' Night Out. For more information contact Yvette Conte at contefamily5@msn.com or
Kristin Lyons at clyons1@comcast.net.
Men’s Night Out
Ladies can't
have all the fun...New this year is the first Maggie Walker Men's Night Out!
Mark your calendar for Friday night, March 27 and enjoy pizza,
adult beverages and viewing of the March Madness basketball games at the
home of Bob and Liz Blue located at 7501 Riverside Drive, Richmond, VA.
The fun starts at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are $35.00 each.
To purchase your ticket, go to www.nightofthedragon.com,
and then go to the Buy it Now section, and you will find them listed under
Men's Night Out. For more information contact Melissa Shaw at scraphappyme@aol.com.
NIGHT OF THE DRAGON "BUY IT NOW" OPEN TO ALL--PRICES CUT!
Looking for a great way to support MLWGS and get something back in return? Check out the " Buy It Now" section of the Night of the Dragon website. A number of great items available are still available - and yes, you can purchase these items even if you aren't attending the auction. But hurry - deadline for purchase is 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 19!
