September 19, 2011

For coverage information contact Tiffany Woods, Director of Public Relations for Roanoke City Public Schools, at tdwoods@rcps.info or 540.853.2905.

September 21
EVENT: Congregations in Action Hosts Volunteer Fair
LOCATION: Grandin Court Baptist Church
DATE/TIME: September 21, 10 a.m.
DETAILS: Congregations In Action or (CIA) hosts a volunteer fair at Grandin Court Baptist Church in an effort to recruit more mentors and tutors for Roanoke City Public Schools. CIA is a volunteer organization made up of churches that adopt schools in the city and provide them with additional support to meet student needs. School administrators, CIA representatives and community members will be attending the event.

September 23
EVENT: RCPS Students Share How the Western Virginia Education Classic Influenced Their Decision to Return to School and Graduate
LOCATION: Elmwood Park
DATE/TIME: September 23, 10:30 a.m.
DETAILS: As the RCPS graduation rate continues to rise, some RCPS students share with city and school leaders how the WVEC game changed their lives and decision to graduate. Total Action Against Poverty (TAP) is a dropout retrieval program that receives funding from the WVEC annual football classic fundraiser. The William Fleming drum line and Patrick Henry cheerleaders will be on hand to cheer students on as they share their personal stories.
This year’s WVEC game will be held on October 29, 2011 at William Fleming High School. Virginia University at Lynchburg will play Lincoln University at 1 p.m.


EVENT: Greater Raleigh Court Civic League Announces New Grant for RCPS Teachers
SCHOOL: Virginia Heights, Fishburn Park, Grandin Court and Wasena Elementary Schools
DATE/TIME: Application deadline November 18, 2011
DETAILS: The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League is looking to build community by supporting teachers and community schools. Two different awards will be offered to teachers in the following specified schools:

-Virginia Heights Elementary
-Fishburn Park Elementary
-Grandin Court Elementary
-Wasena Elementary

The first award is a $500 scholarship for a teacher who has gone above and beyond in instilling the values of neighborhood and community in their classroom.
The second award is a $1,000 classroom grant for teachers to use to implement creative and sustainable ideas/programs to benefit students.

Applications are available on the RCPS website.


EVENT: Grandin Court Elementary in the Running to Win $150, 000
SCHOOL: Grandin Court Elementary
DATE/TIME: Voting Deadline October 6, 2011
DETAILS: Grandin Court Elementary is one of the top contenders to win $150,000 in the US Cellular Calling All Communities Competition- but they need more community support! Grandin parents and staff members are urging people to stop by their local US Cellular Store to pick up a registration number and then vote for Grandin. Once you have registration number, you can vote for your favorite school every day until October 6th. The school with the most votes will win $150,000 and the next 17 schools with the most votes will receive $50,000 each to spend any way they see fit to benefit their students. More details are available at http://www.uscellular.com/callingallcommunities .

October 3
EVENT: Woodrow Wilson Middle Strings Instructor Jeff Midkiff, Headlines at Jefferson Center
SCHOOL: Woodrow Wilson Middle School
DATE/TIME: October 3, 8 p.m.
DETAILS: Woodrow Wilson Middle School strings instructor Jeff Midkiff, performs with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre (Civic Center) on Monday, October 3rd. Midkiff is a talented composer, mandolin virtuoso, fiddler raised on bluegrass and a professional clarinetist. He will be performing traditional mountain music and a new concerto for mandolin and orchestra.

Tickets are available at the RSO Box office by calling: 540-343-9127 or by going to www.rso.com
There is a 20% discount for teachers and faculty in the Roanoke City Schools and children tickets are $9.00.