OCS Connections
Join OCS in celebrating Native American Heritage Month in November!
2022, Issue 6
November 14, 2022
Welcome to OCS Connections, designed by and for the Orange County Schools community — students, staff, families, and community partners. Our goal is to connect you with news you need and celebrate the people who make OCS a great place to learn, work, and grow.
We love what you're reading...
Here are some of the books that our newsletter readers shared with us in the most recent survey. Thank you for offering these engaging, challenging, and inspiring book selections! Will you share your current read? Tell us why you selected it!
Nominate students and staff who REACH their maximum potential
Help us celebrate leaders and influencers who inspire our community from within! Use our convenient form to nominate students and staff who “REACH their maximum potential” (available in English or Spanish). This process is open to anyone who wishes to nominate OCS students or staff members for recognition based on their example of:
Resilience: They REACH deep down inside, face challenges, and sustain their effort
Equity: They REACH across barriers, empower others, expand opportunities
Achievement: They REACH higher and excel in academics, arts, athletics, anything (!)
Connections: They REACH out, build bridges, and connect schools and communities
Helping: They REACH and support those who seek and need timely assistance
Tell us about any OCS students (any grade level) or employees (any school or central services) who stand out as a model of character and REACH their maximum potential.
Please nominate them now... We look forward to celebrating REACH winners all year long!
Now for the news...
Congratulations Coach Fiona Cunningham, NCHSAA's NFHS Volleyball Coach of the Year!
Two years ago, Cedar Ridge welcomed Ms. Fiona Cunningham as the new Varsity Volleyball Head Coach. To say she has made her mark is a complete understatement, after leading the Red Wolves to a 3A State Title, a second regional final, and now earning NCHSAA's NFHS State Coach of the Year Award for 2022-2023!
Cunningham is a graduate of Chapel Hill HS and UNC-Asheville, who was recruited to Wofford College and ultimately transferred to UNC-Asheville.
Ms. Cunningham's most valuable play may be teaching sixth-grade math at A.L. Stanback Middle School.
Earning this award is just one way that Coach Cunningham has put OCS and Cedar Ridge on the national map. Another is sending six 2022 seniors (five shown here) to play at the next level, here in North Carolina and around the country.
Congratulations again Coach Cunningham and Cedar Ridge High School Volleyball!
Gabe Schmid of OHS Goes the "Extra Mile" to Earn 3A Cross-Country Championship
It takes a lot of effort to reach the top levels of cross-country or any sport as a student-athlete. Running the extra distance in training is one thing; tacking on an extra run for the championship is going above and beyond.
That's just how Orange High's Gabriel Schmid took the 3A Regional Final to reach the state championship a week later, where he took charge took home the trophy.
Click here to see Gabe Schmid's post-run interview with MileSplit after winning the 3A State Championship.
Congratulations Gabe and our cross-country teams who represented Orange County Schools well this year!
ICYMI: First-ever conference tennis championship for OHS
It's no small feat to win a conference title. But for OHS Lady Panthers Tennis, winning during a "rebuilding year" and taking the first-ever championship for OHS men or women make it all the sweeter!
Read more about this magical season at HillsboroughSports.com, and replay all the big moments on the Road to State with OHS Panthers Tennis on Twitter.
Melinda Fornes Leads the Way in NC Career Development, Wins State CIMC of the Year
Do you know what a CIMC does?
In CTE (Career and Technical Education), the Curriculum and Instructional Management Coordinator supports students and staff by sharing blueprints for courses, coaching teachers on essential state standards, and making sure students have accurate assessments and project-based measurements to guide them toward skills mastery and successful careers.
And our own Melinda Fornes has recently been named the NC CIMC of the Year! Mrs. Fornes is a capable leader who is ALWAYS there to support students and staff around Orange County Schools. Now we are proud that she will help support her peers and CTE teachers around the state for 2022-2023. Way to go Mrs. Fornes, and thank you for representing Orange County Schools!
Swim for Charlie is Making Waves for Second Graders
We are SO EXCITED about our partnership with the Swim for Charlie nonprofit water safety program and the Orange County SportsPlex. This year, the benefits extend to every second-grade student in every OCS elementary school!
So far, three OCS elementary schools have started or already completed this water safety program which has the power to save lives for many years to come: Central, Efland-Cheeks Global, and Grady A. Brown.
Click the heart logo to learn more about Swim for Charlie on their home page.
NC Education Corps Kickoff Brings Tutoring Help to OCS
"Thank you Orange County Schools, for giving your NCEC literacy tutors the best welcome! We are thrilled for this talented cohort to change lives by helping K-3 students learn to read."
Well thank you, NC Education Corps, for that shout-out and for working with OCS to bring early-grades literacy support to students and help active, committed members of our community find a great way to make a difference!
Here's what tutors are saying:
Johanna Johnson retired from OCS in 2019 after 30+ years in education, including Ms. 20 years at New Hope Elementary.
“I’ve retired three times in four years! I want to work…and I love reading! To be able to work part-time and have that flexibility and still be able to engage, and to be with children, and connect with families… It’s just very important to me.”
Calvin Ulrich is an artist and part-time tutor at River Park Elementary School. Pre-pandemic, he taught and tutored young children in art. Then he found himself doing art restoration by himself:
“I missed the kids and working with people in general. This is a good fit for me right now as I am starting to get back into teaching. I can still pursue art and work with kids and get back in the classroom–to see all the smiling faces and hear all the silly stories!”
BOARD Matters is a meeting summary to help inform you of actions taken by the Orange County Board of Education (not official minutes, which are posted here.)
The next regular meeting of the Orange County Board of Education is Monday, December 12, 2022 at the Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Special features include holiday arts presentations. Stay tuned for more details.
OCS Has An Insta!
Not much more to say here, but OCS has a new account on Instagram! After seeing so many student groups, teams, teachers, and more creating content on the platform, we are going there to meet you!
Follow Orange County Schools on Instagram at @OrangeCoSchools for the latest original content and shares from OCS schools, teams, and programs across our feed, stories, and Reels.
Tag us when you want us to find your best work!
While you're online, visit the new OCS School Nutrition Services Instagram account @OCSNutrition for videos, menus, and talks with our cafeteris staff.
The OCS “Social Scene”
Before you go...
Click photos below to see important and inspiring recent posts on OCS social media accounts. Stay tuned for more news in this area as our schools create more and more amazing moments all year long.
Our mission at Orange County Schools is to educate students in a safe, inclusive environment where we engage, challenge, and inspire them to reach their maximum potential. orangecountyfirst.com
Orange County Schools | 200 E. King Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278
(919) 732-8126 | orangecountyfirst.com
