Alamance-Burlington School System

📣 Spread the word: the ABSS Job Fair is this Saturday, April 13th, at Highland Elementary! it will open at 9 AM and go until 12PM. We are excited to welcome anyone looking to start a new career in ABSS. Many positions are available. Schools will have tables set up and our talented staff is available to greet you and answer your questions. See you there!

📚✨Our Media Specialists totally deserve a shoutout on National Library Workers Day! Sure, they'll help you find the perfect book, but they also collaborate with teachers, model tech skills, and think outside the box to engage inquiring minds. From cozy story nooks to cutting-edge resources, they maintain an incredible space just brimming with opportunities to learn and grow. Thanks for all you do! 🙌 #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

Let's give a huge round of applause 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 to the exceptional Southern Alamance High School - SAHS Patriots Career and Technical Student Organization! At the recent State Leadership Conference, all 39 competing students placed in the top 5 in their respective events - an incredible achievement. 🏆 We're overjoyed that 15 teams have qualified for the national competition in Seattle this summer by securing 1st or 2nd place finishes. These outstanding students will proudly represent ABSS on the national stage. Additionally, Olivia Davis was elected 1st Vice President of North Carolina FCCLA for 2024-2025 - wow! These remarkable results reflect the robust #ABSSCTE programs and the hard work of our students and dedicated advisors!

🌟Teacher of the Year Finalist Feature: Grayson Coleman from Hillcrest Elementary School Ms. Coleman embodies the qualities of an outstanding educator. She approaches teaching with passion, dedicating herself fully to serving her students and colleagues each day. Her focus is on nurturing the whole child and providing a supportive learning environment. In these photos, we see Ms. Coleman working closely with her students, guiding them to identify characters, themes, settings, and story elements. She knows how to keep them engaged and support them every step of the way. #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

🚨Just a little over a week until our Job Fair at Highland Elementary! Explore exciting opportunities in education that can make a difference. Your rewarding career starts with ABSS! We'll be open 9 AM to 12 PM - can't wait to see you there. 👋

This week is National Assistant Principals Week and we want to express gratitude to all our exceptional assistant principals. These dedicated leaders play vital roles ensuring our schools operate smoothly and effectively each day. Thank you for all you do! #NationalAPWeek

Under Mr. Miller's guidance, the 7th and 8th graders in Southern Alamance Middle School CTE Education Technology classes combined woodworking, CAD design, craftsmanship, and math to create awesome cornhole boards, cutting boards, model bridges, and sheds! 🛠️ Through this hands-on experience, the students acquired valuable skills like: 🪚 Woodworking basics: Material selection, cutting techniques, joinery, sanding & finishing 💻 CNC router operation: CAD design, carving intricate designs, precision & calibration 🎨 Artistic skills: Design aesthetics, image carving, working with colors & textures 🧩 Problem-solving & adaptability: Troubleshooting challenges, adapting to variations ⚠️ Safety awareness: Proper tool usage, wearing protective gear Experiences like these provide an excellent foundation for future careers in manufacturing, engineering, and the skilled trades!

Sewing a Quilt of Memories 🧵💕 Last month, we highlighted the Quilt & Sew Forth Club of Twin Lakes Community who have been coming to Eastlawn Elementary to share their quilts, the stories behind them, and to teach sewing skills to the students. While there, the fifth-grade students worked alongside them to create a special quilt, inspired by their recent reading of "The Patchwork Quilt" by Valerie Flournoy. Fourth-grade classes have also created quilt heart wall hangings for the Twin Lakes residents that are sure to bring many smiles! Cindy Farmer FOX 8 is producing a story about this, scheduled to air next Monday at 7:15 AM and Thursday at 5 PM. We'll post it on our page too! We're so proud of our students for being so patient, respectful, and eager to learn from our Twin Lakes #ABSSCommunity friends!

Attendance is the scoop at Alamance Burlington Early College at ACC! Their hard work paid off with the Most Improved Attendance for Specialty Schools award and a ssssssss-weet ice cream celebration. 🍦 Way to go, ABEC cobras! 🐍 🏆🙌

It's Arts in Our Schools Month, and we are celebrating the incredible arts educators in ABSS! 🎨🎭🎸 Our visual arts, music, theater, and dance teachers are the heartbeats of creativity on our campuses. Through painting, drawing, photography, band, choir, acting, and choreography, they open up whole new horizons for our students to explore their passions. Thank you to our talented arts faculty for sharing your expertise and nurturing the next generation of artists, musicians, thespians, and dancers. Join us in celebrating these incredible educators during #ArtsInOurSchools Month!

What an incredible achievement for the Western Alamance Middle School Battle of the Books team, securing an impressive second-place finish at the Region 5 Competition! 📚🏆 Your hard work, dedication, and love of reading have paid off. These students read 20 books throughout the year and prepared by spending many hours immersed in the stories, memorizing key details. During the competition, they have to identify the books based on extremely specific questions, naming the title and author as the answer. Special thanks to Coach Paige Ysteboe, Media Specialist, for her leadership and support! #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

Congratulations to Gunner from E.M. Holt Elementary School for his participation and Honorable Mention at the North Carolina State Fair held at NC State University. His project - How Strong is Your Roof? Testing the Pull Through Strength of Asphalt Shingle Lines - is very impressive and we're so proud of him for representing ABSS at this level. #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

Officer Moore does a lot for Turrentine Middle School - keeping the campus safe, interacting with students, coaching, and playing the piano for chorus classes! 🎹 He's one talented SRO and we're so thankful for all he does. The story is live now thanks to FOX8 and Burlington Police Department. https://youtu.be/pewXQrdhsQY

Rise and shine! ☀️ It was an early start for these Walter M. Williams High School DREAM Team and International Baccalaureate students as they greeted Grove Park Elementary car riders, then went into classrooms to read a story. Our young Bulldogs enjoyed the visitors! #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

For many years, Sgt. Chad Laws has served as a dedicated D.A.R.E. officer, 👮‍♂️ positively impacting students' lives. To thank him, the Alexander Wilson Elementary School 5th grade team decided to honor him by crafting a special quilt using D.A.R.E. shirts from past years. With a little white lie, they lured him to campus and surprised him with the gift in front of the students in the cafeteria. This quilt is not just a collection of old shirts, but a tapestry woven with memories, gratitude, and the profound impact one person can have! Thank you, Sgt. Laws, for all you've done for our schools. 💫

Haw River Community Park was packed for a very special occasion - the Haw River Elementary School Fifth Grade D.A.R.E. Graduation organized by School Resource Officer, Sgt. Ellis. It was a beautiful day to honor our students' hard work and commitment to staying safe and making smart choices. 🏆 The ceremony was attended by proud students, staff, families, and esteemed guests. We were honored to have SRO Ellis, Chief Public Defender Ricky Champion, Representative Stephen Ross, and Haw River Mayor Kelly Allen share their words of wisdom. The Haw River Police Department also came out to show their support. Each graduate received a well-deserved award, and one student from each class was recognized for their outstanding essays, receiving special D.A.R.E. goodies. After the ceremony, our students enjoyed a delicious lunch, complete with celebratory cupcakes, followed by an exciting game of kickball with Sgt. Ellis on the pitcher's mound! We're incredibly proud of our D.A.R.E. graduates and their commitment to staying drug-free and making positive choices. Congratulations to all! 🎓💯 #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

🌟Teacher of the Year Finalist Feature: Kristin Adams, Eastern Alamance High School For 17 years, Mrs. Adams has been teaching Math at Eastern - all from the very same classroom. Currently, she teaches Math 3, Math 3 Honors, and AP Calculus. Her dedication and passion for mathematics shines through in every lesson. As an exceptional math teacher, Mrs. Adams combines deep subject matter expertise with an engaging teaching style that supports every student's learning journey. She welcomes each student with a smile and conveys confidence and passion for what she teaches. One of Mrs. Adams' innovative strategies is using a deck of cards to pair students up for review activities. After modeling a few problems, she prompts the partners to work through the remaining examples together, creating an interactive learning environment where peers can question and support each other. With her talent for breaking down equations step-by-step, Mrs. Adams empowers students to master mathematics. We're proud to celebrate this exceptional educator! #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

🌟Teacher of the Year Finalist Feature: Linda Gruener, First Grade Teacher at Highland Elementary An effective elementary teacher possesses patience, strong communication abilities, and creativity to engage young learners. They have excellent classroom management skills and the flexibility to adapt to diverse student needs. Above all, a commitment to professional growth and a genuine passion for teaching are essential qualities - all of which Ms. Gruener at Highland Elementary exemplifies. Today, she led an engaging lesson comparing schools Then and Now, using visuals, examples, and continual assessment to solidify her students' understanding. With an engaging scavenger hunt mid-lesson and an independent activity, Ms. Gruener's creativity and expertise were on full display! We're lucky to have such a dedicated teacher helping shape young minds at Highland. #StudentCenteredFutureFocused

🌟 This weekend, the Southern Alamance High School - SAHS Patriots Student Council shined bright at the NCASC State Convention. From listening to inspiring speakers and participating in leadership workshops, to running in elections and giving back through community service projects, the students were involved with a lot of awesome work. 🔥 This is big - SAHS Student Council was recognized as a State Honor Council. Moreover, seniors Katie Graves, Emerson Smith, and Addison Sutton were inducted into the NCASC Hall of Fame for their outstanding leadership and contributions. 👏. Additionally, Junior Emma Smith has been elected as the NCASC Central District Chair. Southern Alamance will host the Central District Conference later this fall, showcasing their excellence in leadership and hospitality. Congratulations to the SAHS StuCo team! Keep soaring to new heights! 🚀

🏆 Hunter Safety Success! 🏆 Our Southern Alamance Middle School and Southern Alamance High School Hunter Safety teams had an outstanding showing at the recent district tournaments! Middle School: 🥇 The team took 1st place overall, winning rifle and hunter skills! They were runners-up in archery and shotgun. ⭐ Michael Edmunds - 1st individual test score ⭐ Asher Nance - 1st individual overall High School: 🥈 The FFA Red team placed 2nd overall, winning archery! They were also runners-up in rifle and hunter skills. ⭐ Sam Nance - High score senior individual 🥉 The FFA White team earned 3rd overall and the Sportsmanship Award! They placed 2nd in shotgun and hunter skills. 💪The FFA Blue team took 8th overall and is gearing up for the state tournament in April! Congratulations to all our hunter safety teams on this amazing district performance! Best of luck at states!