NCTS: How do my choices impact my community?

Congratulations Phebra! You are the NCTS Student of the Month!

Guest Speaker: Adult Education Director, Todd Delay

Adult Education Director, Todd Delay shared his response to the NCTS MYP unit question:

How do my choices impact my personal development. 

Mr. Delay spoke to NCTS students about the cause and effect relationship between their choices and consequences. Delay inspired students to make decisions that will result in positive consequences.

"He talked about the Boomerang Effect that we are talking about in English. The Boomerang Effect is when you do something good and then something good comes back to you." -Kordell 

"Mr. Delay talked about his mentor and how we need mentors to keep us on the right track. I am going to talk to my mentor more often." -Cordell 

"I really liked the part where he talked about how we will all go through challenging stuff. He told us that we will just have to keep our head up and face the challenge in a way that is good. I liked that part." 
-Yemi

"He said that we should find a mentor. I have a mentor. I just need to be more mindful and talk to him more." -Cameron

"He said he works with adults who didn't earn a diploma and now they are struggling to try to get an education. We don't have to be like that. We can make decisions now to take a path that will lead us down a successful path. Everyone's path is different; it all depends on a person's choices." -Victoria

"He reminded me that it is important to know what I want to be in life and make a plan now, while I am in high school. I want to start to reach my goal to be an RN now, while I am in high school."
-Ronshae

NCTS October Student of the Month

NCTS Rosie Winners

Congratulations Asia & Gabby!

Both students received awards at the NCHS Information Center (Library). Asia & Gabby earned gift cards and free books during this semester's monthly Rosie Reader drawings. Asia read Clean, the story of five teens facing their addictions and bonding in rehab. She said it was the best! Gabby is an avid reader and has enjoyed reading several books from the library this year.

Next time you are at the IC, browse the Eliot Rosewater collection. Once you read a Rosie book and complete the form found inside the book, you too could be a Rosie winner! 

Guest Speaker: NCHS Basketball Coach, Mr. Mitchell

Coach Mitchell shared his response to the NCTS MYP unit question:

How do my choices impact my personal development. 

"Mr. Mitchell taught me that whenever bad things happen in life, you should use these experiences to become stronger! Don't quit and work harder! Now, I will try to become more successful." -Xavier 

"I learned not to let the bad things that happen in life affect me or determine the type of person I am going to be. I will not shut down, even if tragedy strikes." -Alex

"I learned to forgive but not forget. Once you move on with life, you can look back and realize how much better you have become." -Jodecie

"I learned that holding everything in doesn't solve anything, but it forms stress and anger instead. It is important to find a person who you can talk to so they can help you." -Ronshae 

Who will be November Student of the Month?

Field Trip: Decision House 2013

NCTS students attend field trip to seek answers to their MYP unit question:

How do my choices impact my personal development?

Field Trip Reflections by Kourtney & NCTS Classmates

 I went on a journey yesterday, not just any old, boring journey.  It was a field trip that taught me about life. Phebra explains, “I would recommend this field trip because some young adults are unaware of how their decisions will lead them to a path that they might not like.”  The field trip taught us that we will have our ups and downs, but we will still have to get back up, be active, and enjoy life. 

The field trip started with a live drunk driving crash scene. It showed a teenage boy who decided to go for a drive late at night, after he had been drinking. As we sat on the bleachers and watched, red, blue, and white lights from real fire engines, police cars, and ambulances reflected on our faces.  It all seemed real as the actors shouted words, blood splattered, and the emergency workers tried their best to revive the teenage boy that the drunk driver killed. We watched as a police officer tested the driver for alcohol and drugs. We watched as the police officer took the boy to jail. Then we got to see the trial and see the judge sentence the boy to 20 years.  Of course, this was just actors in a play, but it felt real, especially since the actors related the acting to real life statistics.  Tally recalls, “I learned that teenagers who start using alcohol and drugs between the ages of 13-19 are more likely to become addicted.”

The plays felt so real that I even cried during the next play.  In the next play a father raised his hand to his son and slapped him. He told his son that he would never amount to anything.  The next scene showed the young boy passed out on the floor with an orange prescription bottle in his hand; he had overdosed.  We learned that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens, according to Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics.

During today’s performances, I learned that no matter how I feel, I need to treat others with kindness.  Even when I am feeling so mad that my face is turning red, I need to be nice and kind.  Tally shares, “I learned how important it is to make good decisions.”  Now, I ask you, at the end of the day, who is in control of making your decisions? You!

To learn more about Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics, go to: 

 http://redifoundation.org/the-show/proven-results/ 

or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stand-Up-Change-Teen-Statistics/13585429648

Jimmy John's Teaches Students How to Obtain a Job in Today's World

MYP Unit Question:  How do my choices impact my personal development? 

Students learned about Jimmy John’s motivating real-life story.
 They related Jimmy John's life lessons to their own lives.
Inspired, students learned the power behind their choice to persevere and never give up.  

"A lot of high school students are like Jimmy John, and they experience the same life lessons. From today's presentation, I took out that I should not depend on others, but if I need the help I should be open-minded and be willing to take it." -Phebra

***IB Learner Profile Recognition:  Open-Minded! 

"Jimmy John's story taught me that I should not give up on life."  -Jocara

"Just like Jimmy John, I will be really successful!"  -Ronshae & Victoria

"Now, I am doing great in school. Just like Jimmy John, when I was younger, I was all play & no school. Now, I am looking forward to college." -Joy

Tomorrow's Guest Speaking Event: Jimmy John's will talk to NCTS students about real world skills and help students obtain the job they want!

Who will be our next NCTS Student of the Month?

Another Enjoyable Day at the NCHS Library!

 Friendly Reminder:  Students are required to read one book of their choice each quarter.  

Bring your books to class tomorrow, and we will reserve some time to dive into our new library book :)

Field Trip Opportunity!

Would you like to go on the Decision House 2013 field trip?

If so, remember to turn in the completed form below by Friday, October 18. 

Remember to have your parents sign the form before you turn it in. 

September Student of the Month

Congratulations Tally! 

NCTS Book Recommendations

While reading library books, students visualized characters' lives and questioned characters' motives.  Students' investigative questions and creative imaginations led to the character interviews below.  Read the interviews to discover the interesting lives found in the pages of these NCHS library books. 

By Anjayla

By Cordell 

 By Kordell 

By Marcus

By Mychaela 

 By Phebra 

By Tally 

 By Victoria 

By Yemi 

In addition, 100% of NCTS students are meeting our MYP Essential Agreements! Woot Woot! 

Field Trip Coming Soon!

August Student of the Month

Congratulations Kourtney! 

Mrs. Achgill Visits NCTS English Classes

NCTS students understand that visualizing their reading material helps them

engage, personalize, and comprehend texts. 

Mychaela explains, "Visualizing makes the story feels real.  

You actually really get into the story, and it feels like you are living it."  

In addition, students practice visualizing because they know that when they visualize 

their reading material, they are more likely to finish the reading assignment.  

Kourtney shares, "If you really get into visualizing, it feels like you are watching a movie 

that you don't want to turn off." 

To support students' visualization skills, Mrs. Achgill led students through a 

Sketch to Stretch lesson. While Mrs. Achgill read a passage from a book, 

students sketched the visual images that they pictured in their minds.  Trenton reflects, "Visualizing turns the book into a movie and makes it easier to analyze." 

NCTS Attends JELCC Field Day

Reader's Theater with Mrs. Achgill, NCHS Information Center Department Chair

Today, Mrs. Achgill visited NCTS English classes to support students' current MYP Unit:  How Do My Choices Impact My Personal Development?

  

With Mrs. Achgill's guidance, students transformed into actors as they participated in Reader's Theater and acted out the novel, ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table.   

Eager to share their own personal narratives, students shared their essays with Mrs. Achgill during writing conferences. 

Mrs. Achgill, thank you for providing NCTS an entertaining and literary experience! 

Who Will Be Our September Student of the Month?

Challenge Education Awards

Congratulations! 

Communicator Awards:  Kourtney, Rodney, and Saleeth

Leadership Awards:  Kordell, Phebra, and Alex 

During the challenge education course these students showed excellent communication and leadership skills. With their guidance, the entire NCTS team accomplished the challenges. 

Thank You, Light Cafe!

The NCTS Team Accomplishes the Challenge Education Course!

While participating in the Challenge Education Course, NCTS students practiced teamwork, communication, perseverance, and problem-solving skills.  Students exercised these important life skills as they accomplished a series of challenging tasks. 

"The games were challenging. Once we began to listen to each other and communicate effectively, 

we were able to complete the games. We discovered that teamwork and communication 

are the keys to completing the challenges." -Asia

"The games took a lot of perseverance and teamwork.  At first, we were not getting along or helping each other. Then, we started to encourage each other, and we started to do a lot better."  -Alex

"As long as we worked as a team, the games were not challenging at all. We just kept trying to help each other.  We were able to finish the games because we acted like a team." Xavier

"Communicating was a challenge for us, but we overcame the challenge by creating game plans.  In conclusion, we all had good ideas, and we were able to put our ideas together 

to come up with a solution." -Cordell

"We contributed our personal strengths to the games. I was able to offer my communication skills to help my team.  By communicating verbally and with hand gestures, I was able to help my team members line up on a balance beam in order of their birthdays." -Sidney

"My favorite game was when we lined up on the balance beam in order of our birthdays. This was hard because most of us couldn't talk and some of us were blindfolded.  This game took a lot of different communication skills."  -Jodeci

Guest Speakers: NCTS Alumni

 

"NCTS alumni told us they miss being in NCTS. They told us that we will miss it too, next year.  I think I will too." -Kourtney

 

 

"Alumni students told us to do all of our work, be on time, and take advantage of the help." -Asia

 

 

"The alumni told us to take advantage of the help we get in NCTS. They said that this will help us more than we are aware of right now."  -Kordell

 

 

"I remember that the alumni told us that NCTS is a good way to start off our freshmen year of high school.  They said we should be happy we are in this program because not everyone gets to have this opportunity."  -Xavier 

Thank you, Mrs. Achgill!

NCHS Librarian, Mrs. Achgill provided students a "buffet" of books. 

Mrs. Achgill led students through a group activity that allowed students to 

"taste" a variety of books.  Ultimately, every student found a book to devour! 

"I like my book, If I Grow Up, because I can picture everything I read about in this book.  It's like I have a movie going on in my head."  -Marcus

"I like the book, I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher. It is the story from the movie, Blind Side. I like the book because it is from Michael Oher's point of view.  I recommend this book to football fans because you get an inside look on Michael's life before he was drafted." -Cordell

"My book, Tyrell, is a very gripping drama that makes you interested in the main character from page one!" 

-Alex

"I would recommend Tyrell to males who like books that talk about real life struggles and how to get out of the situations." -Raven 

"The Purge is interesting because it relates to high school and the challenges that people face.  I recommend The Purge to other freshmen because it is about a student who is trying to fit in with school, sports, and friends." -Mychaela

Welcome Back to School NCTS Alumni!

Essential Agreements

NCTS students and teachers worked together to create Essential Agreements. Using post-it notes, students expressed their academic and behavior expectations.  Based on these student-driven expectations, the NCTS team created six Essential Agreements that all 

students and teachers agree to honor this school year.  

Who will be our NCTS student of the Month?

NCTS Visits the NCHS Information Center

What did we learn at the IC?

We can visit the IC during study hall. We just need to get a pass from one of our academic teachers. 

We can visit the IC during lunch :) 

The After School Learning Center is open from 2:50-4:15

We can visit the IC before school; it opens at 7:00 a.m.