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Categories:
Outreach
The Hill Center goes to Nashville
The 2010 Council for Exceptional Children's Conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee, April 21-25, 2010 and The Hill Center was there to promote their fine work. Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, Tim McKenna, exhibited at the conference which was attended by 6500 people from around the globe. This was a great venue to share information with attendees about outreach efforts that The Hill Center offers. A special thanks to all who stopped by the booth and hope to see you next year in Washington, DC.
Posted by tmckenna at 12:00 AM | Link | 1 comment
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Hill Center Parents
Hill Center Students
Hill Center Students have work displayed at Durham Library
Hill Center teacher, Sue Duncan, recently participaterd in the the Nasher Art Museum's Teacher Advisory Council. One of the many benefits from this experience was that her class was asked to work on a project that is now being displayed at the Durham Public Library. The students did research papers and presentations on Chinese animals. Congratulations to Sue and her class on this fine accomplishment.
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Hill Center Parents
Hill Center Students
Hill Students achieve success outside the classroom
Congratulations to Chloe Akers who received a score of 95 out of 100 points on her dress and presentation at the NC Family Community Career Leaders fashion event. Chloe was awarded a gold medal and was runner-up for going to Nationals in her category, Fashion Design 1.
Drew Patrick and his high school teammates won the local competition of Odysesy of the Mind. They will now move on to compete in the world finals which will be held in Michigan later this summer.
Awesome job!!!
Posted by tmckenna at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
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Hill Center Parents
Hill Center Students
Final tally for Haiti Relief Project
With stupendous effort by students, parents, faculty, and staff of the Hill Center, we collected hundreds of items to send to Haiti.
Collected 159 bars of soap
181 large tubes of toothpaste
173 toothbrushes
$240.30
140 gallon zip lock bags
9 already assembled Health Kits
Collected and purchased (with donated money) 132 combs
124 nail clippers and files
124 hand towels
133 washcloths
oodles of band aids
Upper School Students assembled 124 complete Health Kits on Friday, February 12, so we have sent 133 kits to the people of Haiti.
Extra items are being sent on to be used by another organization that is making Health Kits for Haiti, and some items are being given to organizations that serve the homeless in the Triangle.
Posted by tmckenna at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
Categories:
HillRAP
Brunswick County Teachers Abuzz over HillRAP
I would like to say that this program is a godsend. The kids literally RUN to my room for their HillRAP. They feel as if they are the chosen few. With the oral drill, they love the expectation of answering in complete sentences instead of being allowed to use elem. gibberish. They love the competition of timed fluency, always striving to do better. The stories are interesting and the follow-up activities using all modalities make it even more exciting. For ex. they are looking forward to making their OWN garden mural. As for me, I would love to use this program with all of my children. Children need and love the structure and the expected. They don't like the unknown. Also, the fast pace doesn't allow for boredom or down time, pitfalls of education. As for professional growth, it has helped me tremendously with organization and data keeping.Long live the HILL!!
Rea Ehling, Southport Elementary
Several students approached me to inform me that Hill Rap is helping them. One in particular is an ESL fifth grade student. About a month ago, he told me that the "rules" were helping him in class and that his teacher told him that she could see an improvement in his ability. This student really struggles in class and is making progress and feeling good about it. I have seen a difference in his fluency as well. This has in turn affected his comprehension. I really enjoy teaching Hill Rap. I am currently working on my M.E.D in Reading and many of my papers have gone right along with the methodology of Hill Rap and proven research. I think this is a great program that will make a huge difference in our students reading ability and teacher's ability to teach reading! I have learned a lot from this program!
Erika Currin
Hill Rap Interventionist
Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary
Waccamaw School
My students love coming to HillRAP because they receive individualized instruction and support in an environment that is safe and nurturing. They literally chart and SEE their progress on a daily basis as they master word lists and graph their fluency rate, all kept in a personal notebook, giving them ownership of the process. (They also want to know when "that lady" is coming back to make sure we are following the HillRAP commandments).
Dave Morris, Union Elementary
HillRAP Reading works! I have teacher's who have come to me and wanted to know how it works. They are able to tell a difference in the student's work, especially oral questioning. They are willing to answer questions with confidence in class. Classroom teachers want to come in and observe what is going on because the students are going back and telling them that they like what they are doing in my class. That in turn, makes me more confident in what I am doing and willing to let them come in to listen. I am more organized than ever. There is still a lot to learn but with help of the supportive Hill Center staff and my supervisor I am well on the way to a wonderful year.
Mary Helen Hinson, Shallotte Middle
Kristin- As a middle school HillRAP instructor, the most important result of this program to me is the increased self-esteem and self-confidence my students exhibit as a side effect of their improved reading and comprehension skills. After years of not being good readers, they are starting to believe that they can be successful! They take this program very seriously, especially my eighth graders, and seem to see it as one last chance to learn to read better. Thanks for a chance to express my appreciation for this program.
Charlene Ward , South Brunswick Middle
I have seen the confidence of students improve and thus their performance in their classrooms improve. One 4th grade teacher commented that a HillRAP students' fluency had improved a lot. Also, as a HillRAP teacher, I am now ready to be a winner on Wheel of Fortune!! I think I am more capable of figuring out those letter combinations!
Ramona Parker, Supply Elementary
The opportunity to work in a 4:1 ratio with students who have shown little response to other methods of teacher reading is amazing. The little successes that I see daily and the long-term changes in their reading ability has been very validating. These students are excited to come to reading class and think that reading is fun, they want to keep reading more and push themselves to higher levels. This program also makes me more reflective in my teaching practices as I am constantly looking at what skills students have opportunities to grow in and where they are mastered. It's a way of thinking that makes every day rewarding.
Quotes from my students:
"It's fun!" "It makes us read better" ~Xavier B.
"Making Connections helps you read because you have to read sentences and figure out answers" ~Amir F.
"It's fun!" "It's educational, I want to learn more." ~Saul A.
"Helps us sound out words." "We get smarter by learning." ~Justin M.
Lindy Hilton, Jessie Mae Monroe
I am using HillRAP as a reading intervention for some of my EC students. I was considering discontinuing due to several scheduling conflicts and I didn't know if it was benefitting the student. The very next morning his regular ed teacher came to me and said that she was amazed at the progress he has made! She stated "he actually read on grade level...I didn't think he would ever do that." I decided that the group should remain....it was great getting a fresh dose of motivation!
Ashley Mintz, Town Creek
Most of us know that young children come to school with a variety of experiences and with unique developmental levels. When those essential aspects of reading are presented in the school setting, some children are simply not neurologically or developmentally ready to acquire those basic skills necessary to become proficient readers. The beauty of HillRAP is that those essential aspects of reading are presented to students in a wonderfully organized system at a time when they are better able to assimilate and utilize the concepts.
I have been impressed with the progress of my former Exceptional Children students, who seemed to be exclusively "whole word" learners, as they have become more and more proficient with phonemic awareness and phonics skills. My two English as a Second Language students, who have often missed those beginning instructional pieces, exhibit more confidence as they experience success in a classroom situation with peers, perhaps the first time. But maybe the most noteworthy are those students who have not been behavior problems or received special services. When I input the Skill Tracking information for individual students, I am reminded of how far these students have come since the beginning assessments in August.
During the very first week of the program, one of my students said to me, "This is my very last chance to make it." When I think about it,that is what HillRAP is all about-providing students the opportunity to succeed.
Toni O’Keefe, Southport Elementary
I am seeing a growth in confidence with my students in HillRAP. They are gaining more confidence using the rules and vocabulary we have worked on in class. One student said he used the word "austere" in another class and his teacher rewarded him for using such a great word!!!!!!! Of course, using all of this knowledge in daily life is the goal!
These students are also enjoying the small class size - they get lots of individual attention. The repetitive nature of the class is good - the students know what to expect each day. And they continue to work on skills until they master them. Since the components of the class are based on assessments, the students are working on the correct level and practicing skills that they need to work on. Therefore, they are having more success and making more progress.
Ruth Thompson, Leland Middle School
I feel HillRAP is a wonderful, structured program. My students are enjoying it. I even received a Christmas card from a student , (an 8th grader), who thanked me for being her HillRAP teacher. She stated that she can tell she is reading better, and that she gave the HillRAP program the credit for this.
Nancy McLaughlin, SBMS
Posted by tmckenna at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
Categories:
Hill Center Students
Hill Center Student, Courtney Morsberger, Volunteers for a Great Cause
Christmas Spirit Fills Rescue Mission Daycare
Reprinted from Durham Herald Sun
By Keith Upchurch
DURHAM -- Love is in the air at the Durham Rescue Mission's Good Samaritan Inn.
It's the love for others that's motivated a Chapel Hill family to say no to themselves and yes to children who have fallen on hard times.
Mike Morsberger, his wife and two daughters decided to "adopt" a five-room day care at the center for homeless mothers and their children this holiday season, rather than spending the money on Christmas presents for themselves. And to hear them tell it, their giving was a more precious gift to themselves than presents under a tree could ever have been.
"When my wife and I were looking for some kind of special service project during the holidays to involve my daughters in, it was just a natural that we would pick the mission," Morsberger, a Rescue Mission board member, said as he applied a fresh coat of paint. "Now the girls are involved, and it's bringing us a lot of joy. It really is."
The family painted the five-room day-care center, installed new carpeting, curtains and blinds and added games and furniture for the children, who use the center while their mothers attend class at the mission, located off Interstate 85.
And their generosity was contagious. When they went to Frazee Carpets and Interiors to buy the carpet, the owner decided to donate $500 worth of it to the cause.
"Now, we'll have carpets that match the newly painted rooms," Morsberger said.
For his daughter, 18-year-old Courtney, the project was a labor of love.
"I feel great about it, especially because it's for kids," she said. "And I love kids. I actually want to be an elementary school teacher."
The East Chapel Hill High School senior said it was worth giving up some Christmas presents to make others happy.
"Everyone who has come in [from the mission] has been so thankful and nice, and helped out if they could. They just seem to be really excited about it."
Carla Peake, the day-care director, said the gift is one she'll never forget.
"We have never had anything like this for our day care before," she said. "Everything was just kind of drab. And the children that come through usually have been through so much as it is.
"It's kind of traumatic, coming into a new place, and they're just here with people they don't know."
She said the atmosphere has changed completely.
"They have painted bright, fresh colors," she said. "It's warm and relaxing. They're creating a reading corner. It's goi ng to have big, fluffy pillows so that an adult can sit with the children and read."
"It's unbelievable," she said. "I think I'm as excited, if not more, than the kids. It's absolutely going to be beautiful. I'm so grateful."
Peake tipped her hat to the Morsbergers.
"They are really amazing people," she said. "Their generosity is coming straight from the heart."
Thanks for reading!
The Herald-Sun - Trusted & Essential
Posted by tmckenna at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
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Outreach
Grand Opening Celebration a Huge Success
Appeared in The Herald-Sun October 15, 2009
By Matthew E. Milliken
DURHAM -- The Hill Center threw a housewarming party on a cool, rainy Wednesday afternoon.
The center, which is devoted to helping K-12 students with diagnosed learning disabilities or attention-deficit disorders, was celebrating the opening of its new Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center. The 15,000-square-foot building is linked to the Hill Center's 11-year-old headquarters at 3200 Pickett Road and is meant to extend the organization's outreach programs.
While the Hill Center runs a half-day school for about 140 challenged learners -- the students spend the rest of their time at their regular public or private schools -- much of its efforts are focused on training others in the methods that the organization has successfully used since its founding in 1977.
'With the Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center, we have the opportunity to open a new chapter in our mission of transforming children with learning disabilities into confident learners,' Brad Brinegar, chairman of the Hill Center's board of directors, told a group of perhaps 100 donors and partners.
Howard Lee, the former Chapel Hill mayor and state senator who is now executive director of the governor's Education Cabinet, spoke for about 25 minutes on the Hill Center and education in North Carolina. He said that he has long supported and will continue to promote public education partnerships with the Hill Center.
Lee was full of praise for the Kirby-Horton building. 'I am just blown over by what I am seeing here in the form of this facility,' he said. 'I think this is just wonderful.'
The education official also called the new teacher training center, which cost $4.6 million and was funded by private donations, 'equal to any corporate training center I think I've seen anywhere.'
The new building features touch-sensitive SMART Boards, which can project computer presentations, and Internet-capable cameras. The cameras can be used for videoconferences or to record training sessions for future use.
After Lee's talk, visitors were free to wander the facility and watch the technology in action. One room featured a live videoconference with a teacher who is using Hill Center methods at a school in El Salvador.
The center also has 'replication sites' in Greenville, Wilmington, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Geneva, Switzerland.
That's in addition to numerous public school partnerships.
When two Durham public school teachers were asked whether they have seen Hill Center methods help their students, one waved her hands to convey adulation and mock worship.
'We love it, we love it,' said Linda Jones, who started learning the Hill Center approach in 2003. 'We have seen improvements in their reading and also in their [end-of-grade] scores.'
'When you give them that boost in reading, we notice their math scores going up,' said Cynthia Webb, noting that many standardized math tests involve word problems.
Jeanne Huntley is an assistant superintendent with the Carteret County school system. Struggling Carteret students taught with Hill Center programs have progressed two or three grade levels in the space of a year.
'We have seen incredible growth of students,' Huntley said. 'But more importantly are the anecdotal response that we get from families of first-time readers -- even for high-school students.'
'They've been with us all along the way,' Lisa Kittrell, Carteret's elementary education director, said of Hill trainers. 'They come back, they model, they work with our teachers whenever they have questions, which is different than a lot of other training that you get.'
Katherine Mabe is implementing Hill Center methods in Brunswick County schools. She was thrilled by a recent videoconference between teachers in her district and the Kirby-Horton center.
'It was very exciting,' Mabe said. 'So we're already seeing the benefits, and we're going to put in some sessions where we can continue that. We're going to try to do it at least once a month.'
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Outreach
Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center Opens!!!
The Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center is officially open. The new facility opened its doors on August 3rd, as staff members moved into their offices and preparations began for the first workshop in late September. The official grand opening ceremony will take place on October 14th. To view pictures of the new facility, click on the photo album link located on the left side of this page.
Posted by tmckenna at 9:52 AM | Link | 0 comments
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Hill Center Parents
Summer School Kicks Off with Record Numbers
The 2009 Summer School Program is in full swing with a record number of students. This years class is made up of 68 students in grades K-8 from throughout the triangle. They are not only taking in all the great academic instruction, but making friendships that will last a lifetime. Many of these students are returning from previous summers and some will join us in the fall.
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