Featured News Archive - May 2006
Urbana Middle School holds annual Student Of The Month Retreat
[featured 5/24/06 - 6/12/06]
About 115 Urbana Middle School students spent a sunny day at Crystal Lake Park for their annual leadership retreat on May 18. The students, who are the “Student Of The Month” awardees for the 2005-06 school year, spent the day listening to motivational speakers, playing games, engaging in a photo scavenger hunt and doing some role-playing activities.
One of the games involved passing a hula hoop around a circle while the students joined hands and couldn’t let go or break the circle (above).
The theme for this year’s leadership retreat was “Building Bridges,” and activities covered what kids can do to strengthen relationships in their environment.
Students Of The Month are chosen from each UMS team and are considered for good citizenship skills, exemplary behavior, academic performance and leadership among their peers.
UI President visits Urbana High School
[featured 5/10/06 - 5/24/06] 
University of Illinois President Dr. B. Joseph White visited with a group of C-U One-to-One mentor/mentee pairs on May 4 at Urbana High School.
Dr. White talked with the students about the importance of passion and how they should have enthusiasm about something in their lives. He encouraged the students to become more than they envision themselves being. He also said that they should not believe anyone who tells them they can’t or shouldn’t go to college.
Wiley fourth graders interact with New Orleans fourth graders and host May 5 fundraiser
[featured 5/1/06 - 5/10/06]
Wiley School 4th graders have been participating in a 6-week interdisciplinary inquiry project called "Hope Floats" since March 27. Wiley 4th grade student teacher Sara North has been videoconferencing with a 4th grade classroom at St. Bernard's Unified School in St. Bernard's Parish, New Orleans.
Both classrooms have been studying the same subjects together - science, math, geography and literature, and both classes are reading the book "Because of Winn Dixie" together. The students have shared with each other what life is like in both Central Illinois and New Orleans.
In the photo, WCIA Channel 3’s Judy Fraser teaches the Wiley and St. Bernard's 4th graders about hurricanes and tornadoes on Monday, May 1, via videoconference. In addition to explaining weather conditions and patterns and the difficulty in predicting where a hurricane will strike land, she talked to the New Orleans students about living in “tornado alley.”
Hope Floats Project Fundraiser at Pages for All Ages in Savoy will be this Friday, May 5, from 6 pm - 8 pm to benefit Katrina children attending St. Bernard's Unified School in New Orleans.
The Wiley School kids are raising money to provide each of the St. Bernard's Parish 4th grade students with a personal item they lost during Hurricane Katrina. The 4th graders are also learning to make pralines from a retired New Orleans school teacher who lives locally, which they will sell at Pages that night.
They will also raffle items donated by Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Harvest Bread Company and Rick Orr Florist, with more to come. The Wiley students have also made two "mini" Mardi Gras floats to raffle as well. Patrons at Pages can help the Katrina kids in two ways by visiting the book store: 1) purchase a book for them and 2) buy raffle tickets ($1 each) all week long when visiting the store.
For additional information about the Hope Floats Project, visit http://www.navigatenorth.com/ and click on the Hope Floats button on the right. Or click on the Hope Floats Blog to read posts from both classrooms.