August 27th, 2009 by admin

The Money Times - Draped in a flowing red gown, the 18-year-old Stefania Fernandez became the 58th winner of the title. Since this was the second consecutive win for the country, Fernandez was crowned by her predecessor Dayana Mendoza, another Venezuelan beauty.

Fernandez defeated finalists from Puerto Rico (Mayra Matos Perez), Dominican Republic (Ada Aimee de la Cruz), Kosovo (Droga Ganusha), and Australia (Rachael Finch) to earn the crown for 2009.

Miss China, Wang Jingyao, was named Miss Congeniality

and Miss Thailand, Chutima Durongdej, won Miss Photogenic.

The Latin American country Venezuela, famed for its beautiful women has established itself as the beauty capital of the world. The nation has bagged 6 Miss Universe titles, 5 Miss World titles, and 4 Miss International titles.

Perks with the Title
Besides the prestigious title, Fernandez will be bestowed with a New York City apartment for the year of her reign along with living expenses. In addition she is entitled to a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy Acting School; a vacation for two in the Bahamas, and a well stocked wardrobe including jewelry.

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Congratulations The 2009 Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez won our $100,000 Acting for Film scholarship to our Acting School in New York City.

August 27th, 2009 by admin

In a time of shrinking funds and cuts to crucial programs, the best way to support your students’ healthy development is by focusing initiatives where they are needed most. How do you do this? First, get the data.
ASCD’s recent podcast, Data: What We Don’t Know May Hurt Us, features several school leaders’ work leveraging data for continued school climate improvement. Carmen Dixon, a principal from Iowa, shares specific strategies she’s used to integrate data into decision-making and Jacquie Netwon, a principal from Canada, shares how she’s connected students with the data to engage them in school climate improvement. Click here to listen to an mp3 of the blog. (Right-click the link to save it to your desktop.)
Two questions raised during the podcast were how to obtain the data, and why data is so crucial to decision-making. To speak to the first point, the best way to get rich, relevant data is through school climate assessment. A positive school climate is linked to improved academic achievement, reduced bullying and violence, improved grades and test scores and reduced teacher attrition and dropouts – not only is school climate assessment the best step for improvement in any of these directions, it’s also the smartest way to target your programs and initiatives for maximum impact amid major budget cuts.In a time of shrinking funds and cuts to crucial programs, the best way to support your students’ healthy development is by focusing initiatives where they are needed most. How do you do this? First, get the data.
ASCD’s recent podcast, Data: What We Don’t Know May Hurt Us, features several school leaders’ work leveraging data for continued school climate improvement. Carmen Dixon, a principal from Iowa, shares specific strategies she’s used to integrate data into decision-making and Jacquie Netwon, a principal from Canada, shares how she’s connected students with the data to engage them in school climate improvement. Click here to listen to an mp3 of the blog. (Right-click the link to save it to your desktop.)
Two questions raised during the podcast were how to obtain the data, and why data is so crucial to decision-making. To speak to the first point, the best way to get rich, relevant data is through school climate assessment. A positive school climate is linked to improved academic achievement, reduced bullying and violence, improved grades and test scores and reduced teacher attrition and dropouts – not only is school climate assessment the best step for improvement in any of these directions, it’s also the smartest way to target your programs and initiatives for maximum impact amid major budget cuts.
Our school climate survey, the CSCI, measures the nationally-recognized 12 essential dimensions of school climate across the 4 core categories essential to positive youth development - safety, relationships, teaching and learning, and the environment - and provides schools with a complete understanding of their particular strengths and needs. When schools administer the CSCI, they get a comprehensive, customized report filled with broad overviews, in-depth findings, information based on sub-group data (grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, etc), and recommended guidelines to help target programs and services for maximum impact — all within 2 weeks after completing the surveys. The goal of the CSCI is to provide educators with comprehensive, reliable data that can be easily used to guide school and district-wide improvement.
Why is using data so crucial? First, it provides your school with an internal baseline needs assessment so you can learn what’s working and what’s not working at both the broad level (ex. rules and norms) and at the specific level (ex. student-to-student bully prevention efforts). This baseline data can validate your anecdotal understandings about elements of school life, giving you grounding for eliminating the tried and tired program and launching what’s new and necessary. Consistently using an assessment tool, like the CSCI, enables you to prioritize, plan and assess initiatives on a yearly basis in an easy and efficient way.
Second, data speaks for itself. It provides your leadership team with a common dialogue and understanding about the reality of school life, so you don’t have to waste time debating subjective theories.
Third, it also serves as a springboard for building community. When you administer a perception-based survey, not only do you learn from student, staff and parent perspectives, you also show them how integral their experiences are to decision-making and change. When you them in the process, you’re also promoting student participation, developing school-home-community partnerships and creating a collaborative plan for improvement. (On a related note, you’re also establishing a data system to track achievement and effectiveness, a major component of Race to the Top.)
From my conversations with educators, the most relevant reason right now is that using data to inform decisions saves them from wasting money, time and effort on projects that don’t work or, worse, are irrelevant.
How will you use data this year to maximize your efforts? What is your school’s approach to making data-backed decisions for school-wide improvement and how has this process benefited your students, staff and parents in the past?
And for more about using data to plan for improvement, check out these resources:

Developing Action Plans for School Success: this article covers best practices on how schools can use data and work together to set and reach goals
School Improvement Process: learn about data-backed planning for improvement
Follow one school through the 2-yr process of using the CSCI to prioritize, plan and create signficiant change:

Educators in Action: Improving School Climate as Building-Block for SEL Initiative
Importance of School Climate and SEL

August 27th, 2009 by admin

Mom has been going through the basement shelves and office area, clearing things out and getting rid of what we no longer need. In the process, she came across an old book published by our homeschool association with a compilation of writings by local homeschool students. Lo and behold, there I was – in print! I have no recollection of this, but apparently I submitted a couple of my poems for this project. It’s been kind of fun to scan the collection and see other familiar names that contributed their creative efforts.

Those who submitted their poems and stories ranged in age from about seven to twelve, and I was eleven when I wrote these two poems – technically my first published work. I’ve always enjoyed poetry and the art of rhyme. These are rather contrived, I know, but hey, you have to start somewhere!

Jesus is with Me
I once was a person just as plain as can be,
But then I met Jesus, and now I can see.
I want to listen to all His commands,
And then it will be time to take my stand.
I want Him to be with me all of my life,
Through laughter and pain, excitement and strife.

My Lord
God is my protector and my shield
Against enemies in the battlefield.
Though the enemy may cry,
No god of theirs is nigh.
Some of them may flee,
But my Lord is still with me.
In the middle of the field the enemy lay,
But I sat up to pray,
For the battle was not won by a sword,
The battle was won by the Lord!

August 27th, 2009 by admin

Posted by BEN BEAUMONT - Here’s a look at the first few speakers coming to the Clinton School next month. Follow the link at the bottom for the full list. As always, these events are FREE and open to the public. RSVP by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Matthew Dowd, chief campaign strategist for Bush-Cheney 2004
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
–Dowd has been a campaign strategist in races throughout the country. In 30 years, Dowd has worked for Democrats and Republicans, most recently serving as chief strategist for President George W. Bush in 2004.

Suzanne Siskel, director of philanthropy, Ford Foundation
Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– A visiting scholar at the Clinton School’s Center on Community Philanthropy, Siskel has been with the Ford Foundation since 1990, working in rural poverty and development in both Indonesia and the Philippines before becoming director of philanthropy.

Julia Sweig, “CUBA: What Everyone Needs to Know”
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
- The director of Latin America studies for the Council on Foreign Relations, Sweig will discuss her new book about Cuba’s political structure, relationship with the United States and role in the global community.

Richard Smith, “Lincoln at 200: The Presidential Standard”
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– A nationally recognized authority on the American presidency, Smith will give a lecture titled, “Lincoln at 200: The Presidential Standard.” He has served as director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Center, the Gerald R. Ford Museum and Library and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Sam Tanenhaus, “The Death of Conservatism”
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– New York Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus will discuss his new book, “The Death of Conservatism,” which argues that today’s conservative party has lost its way and needs to rediscover its roots.

CLICK HERE for more.

August 23rd, 2009 by admin

If you are pursuing a career in filmmaking one of the most difficult questions to answer is if film school is worth it? Many young filmmakers find difficulty in weighing the time and money spent on film school vs. pursuing a career in filmmaking on their own without school?

First of all, if you have a camera and desire to make films, congratulations! YOU ARE A FILMMAKER. No need for any form of school or college.

Filmmaking is an art, a creative process. A painter needs no certificate or training to create, just a brush, paint and canvas. A filmmaker only ever really needs a camera, film, and editing suite to make films; and because of the development of modern technology almost anyone can afford the equipment and learn how to use it fairly quickly. Plus, with the advent of YouTube you can distribute your film to the world in a day. On the other hand, to master the use of the camera, film and editing suite, as well as the distribution and sale of your film you will need a lot of practice and instruction.

Most painters did not just pick up a brush and start painting masterpieces. They apprenticed professional artists, received some form of formal training and painted for years before they produced their best works. Most filmmakers need the same which you can get from a film school.

Top film schools provide professional instructors and the opportunity to gain real world experience writing, shooting, directing and editing your own films.

So ask yourself this, have you already mastered filmmaking or feel you are on your way? If the answer is yes, then the answer to is film school worth it is no. You don’t need film school.  If you are already creating great films, you just need to learn how to produce your films; which there are classes for that as well.

If you have not yet mastered filmmaking and feel that attending a film school would help you grow as a filmmaker and speed up the process, then the answer is yes. Film school is worth it if it brings you closer to making your masterpiece.

Now the next step is finding the best school for you and enrolling in film school.

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Fun Fact: There are 968 film schools!

August 23rd, 2009 by admin

If, as the Bible says, “the invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,” (Romans 1:20) then why do so many people – even Christians – reject the biblical account of creation? How is it that seemingly intelligent people adopt absurd theories of the origin of life and remain blinded to the obvious understanding that the very existence of that which is attests to the existence of its creator? There are many who debate this issue much more effectively than me, but let me present one perspective that has been impressed on my mind lately. Imagine the following scenario with me.

A young couple is expecting their first child. They have purchased a home and are delighted that the room that will become the baby’s room has a colorful mural painted on one wall. They marvel that it is perfectly suited to the color scheme they have selected for the room. Soon the baby is born, and as he grows they spend much time in the room – rocking him to sleep, playing with toys, listening to music, etc. Of course, the mural is observed and is ever-present in the day’s activities, but it is never discussed. Until the child hits the stage of curiosity, that is. Then, of course, he must know “why” about everything!

The parents do their best to provide understandable answers for their boy, but when he asks where the mural came from, they merely respond that it has been there since they moved in. Someone in the distant past painted it, but they don’t go into detail about the artist or the work. The boy accepts the answer without further question. His mental capacities do not yet permit him to analyze information or form hypotheses; he is merely gathering information. Nevertheless, this information forms the framework for his view and understanding of life.

Time passes all too quickly and the first day of school arrives. The parents enthusiastically tell their son about all the great things he will do and learn, and hug him goodbye with a reminder to be good and listen to his teachers. And listen he does. He sees and hears new things all the time; his teachers seem to know the answers to everything! As he learns to read, he is fascinated to find that many books contain pictures of rooms with murals similar to the one on his wall. But the authors of these books explain the phenomenon much more fully: over a period of time, the natural dyes in the wood and brick of the houses seep through the walls to form the images that now adorn them. Aha! His parents had thought that someone painted the murals, but this explanation is much more complex and intriguing. Plus, his science lessons explore the properties of wood and brick and how long it would take them to seep through sheetrock to form images; his spelling lists contain words pertaining to houses and murals; his language assignments sometimes require him to do research on other murals and write about them. In short, the gap of knowledge that formerly existed concerning the mural in his room has been neatly filled and he is given no cause to doubt the veracity of the claims he is now led to believe.

The boy has been led to believe an aberration of what is true and naturally understood, not because it is a more plausible explanation, but because nearly everything in his experience and education has been designed to lead him to that belief. Why should he not believe something that to us seems so silly and obviously not in touch with reality? Indeed, the absence of any intentional instruction to the contrary by his parents has left the understanding gap wide open to be filled by all manner of absurdities.

The earliest years of a child’s life are rife with opportunities for building on the clear and natural understanding of creation and the world God created – an understanding that is in harmony with reality. In his excellent article, It’s Never Too Early, Ken Ham discusses specific ways that they did this with their children. He also highlights the shocking statistic that “before college, over 80% [of young people in the church] were ‘already gone’ from the church in their hearts and minds.” I have yet to read his new book, Already Gone, but I think it is safe to point out that few parents realize that godless philosophies permeate our government education system. This is something that I address in more detail in my book, Pajama School – stories from the life of a homeschool graduate, based on things I observed when I was teaching in our local schools. If there is one thing that our public schools do well, it is provide an environment where students “learn” day-in and day-out to live their lives completely divorced from God.

Psalm 10:4 declares “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” The converse of this, then, is that “The righteous, through the humility of his countenance, will seek after God: God is in all his thoughts.” Parents have the incredible responsibility and privilege of providing an environment for their children where they can grow in righteousness and humility and a constant awareness of God. This is first modeled and then instilled throughout the daily course of the life of a family. Perhaps some evaluation is in order. Are your thoughts full of God? Are your children’s thoughts full of God? Do you see Him in every facet of life? Do they see His handiwork in the creation that surrounds them? Do they recognize His work in history and in the daily events that transpire?

Yes, it takes conscientious effort to sift through the philosophies and theories of our day and throw out that which is false and inconsistent with reality. But the only way we can do this is if we are working from a framework of truth – a framework that can be effectively built conversation by conversation as parents instill truth in the hearts and minds of their children. And if parents consistently do this with their children beginning at a young age, they will find the task much simpler because they are merely affirming what God has created us to clearly see and understand.

August 23rd, 2009 by admin

Posted by BEN BEAUMONT - The Clinton School Class of 2011 recommended reading list is out, and the Associated Press has featured the tradition in a story on their national wire. CLICK HERE to view recommended reading from the 36 members of the class.

The list continues a tradition that started when Dean Skip Rutherford asked the 2nd Clinton School class to choose one book that they would want others to read. Here’s an excerpt from the AP story:

David Watterson of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., chose “Bowling Alone,” by Robert Putnam, a book that details the growing isolation that people are experiencing from family and neighbors, and how there is hope for changing the trend.

“The book was in a lot of ways really eye-opening for me,” she said.

CLICK HERE for the full article.

August 21st, 2009 by admin

Below is an interview from the Fay Observer of  former New York Film Academy Los Angeles Acting Camp student Alexis Raiford.

Age: 14
School: Rising freshman at Cape Fear High School
Accomplishments: Two-time winner of Fayetteville’s Junior Top Model, the current “Face of Sandhills Modeling Inc.” and was a recent participant in the New York Film Academy Acting Camp in Orlando, Fla.

How long have you been modeling? Since I was 11. I love the designing part of it, but my favorite thing to do is the acting. I’ve been doing theater since fourth grade, when I moved here from Miami.

Speaking of acting, how was the New York Film Academy camp? I went for three weeks. It was really fun. I plan on going back. I got a $1,000 scholarship to go. And I got three college credits, one for every week I was there. I got to film a few short films.

What short film did you get to be in? One of my favorite films was when I got to play the detective who lost her job and then tries to catch a bad guy. But she then gets caught in the act when the bad guy got away.

What did you learn while you were there? I learned a lot. The biggest thing I learned was probably to be on time. If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late, and if you’re late, you’re fired. And we learned stage combat, which was really awesome.

Have you participated in any local theater productions? I do plays at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. I was the Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland” last year in the summer. I was also in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” I did that two years in a row. I did “West Side Story,” and I did “The Lion King” at Cape Fear, right before school got out.

So what do you plan to do once you graduate high school? I want to be an architect. I really love the creativeness of it. I’m looking at going to the University of North Carolina or North Carolina State. But for my high school years, I’ll be taking theater every year. I’m going to be doing the plays in in the theater program, too. In the future, I see myself in acting and also with my job as an architect.

- Jessica De Vault

August 21st, 2009 by admin

So sorry for the long silence here on the Pajama School Blog. I’ve been out of town all month, and ended up taking a break from the blog as well. I returned home last night and have spent most of today feverishly trying to catch up with everything that didn’t take a vacation while I was gone.

Earlier today, when I ran a few errands around town, I could hear it in the air. The sound of the end of summer. The sound of school. It was eerily quiet and the streets seemed motionless as I felt the absence of the children who occupied the outdoors all summer. They have all gone back to school.

As I sit here working at home, though, relishing the breeze blowing through our open windows, I realize that the ebb and flow of our lives continues much as normal. Naomi sits behind me, diligently working away at one of her self-initiated projects. Joey is hanging out in his room, absorbed in a book. Noelle is doing some research for me in preparation for a new endeavor she and I are getting ready to begin. And so on. Learning is integrated into life. We don’t watch the clock and pack up our books and turn off our minds at a designated hour. We don’t cross off days on our summer calendar, bemoaning the arrival of an official school start date.

Yes, this is certainly a more unconventional approach, and no, we haven’t always been so carefree, but now that all of us kids that are still living at home are older and can take responsibility for our own learning, we are expected to do just that. Mom and Dad instilled in us and modeled for us a love of learning. They trained us to think through various problems  and issues, and then to apply ourselves to gain understanding and find solutions. And perhaps most of all, they raised us outside of the schooling paradigm. We don’t ever really go “back” to school…because we’re always in “school”!

So…in honor of not going back to school, I’ve decided to offer a special sale on my book, Pajama School – stories from the life of a homeschool graduate. Through the end of August, you can receive a 25% discount on your purchase when you enter the code: NBTS when you checkout at SibroPublishing.com! If you’ve been meaning to get a copy, but have been putting it off, now is the time – this is the most I’ve ever discounted it before! And just to make the deal even sweeter, if you make a note on your order that you’d like an autograph, I’ll be happy to personally sign your copy of the book!

August 21st, 2009 by admin

Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD - Today is President Clinton’s 63rd birthday. On his 58th birthday — August 19, 2004 — a time capsule was placed in the center of celebration circle in front of the Clinton Presidential Library. It is scheduled to be opened on August 18, 2104 with the artifacts to be displayed on August 19, 2104.

People were asked to write what they hoped the world would be like in 100 years. Thousands of messages were received and are included in the time capsule:

Among them are:

“My hope is that you are now living in a world of peace and that you have been inspired by President Bill Clinton to continue his goal in making a better world for all peoples. Wishing you all a spectacular birthday celebration on August 18, 2104.” — Boston, Massachusetts

“I hope your world is a fully integrated global community systematized to benefit every person. I pray it is free of conflict, weapons and war, but rather endowed with environmental protections, bountiful harvests, good health care for every global inhabitant, with freedom and human rights for all.” — Las Vegas, Nevada

“I hope and pray that this earth’s food supply is adequate and so distributed that no child goes to bed hungry.”– North Little Rock, Arkansas

“It is my hope that the world continues to look at America as a guiding light for peace and social justice.” — Chicago, Illinois

“My dreams for the future are for a return to the peace and prosperity we had during the Clinton Administration.” — Jamestown, New York

“I hope that space travel will be just as common occurrence as air travel is today.” –Columbus, Mississippi

“I hope the Razorbacks are still doing well. Go Hogs.” — Mena, Arkansas

“May future generations, along with today’s, appreciate and embrace President Clinton’s heartfelt desire for racial, ethnic and religious harmony throughout the world.” — Hot Springs, Arkansas

“May you manage the differences among you more wisely than we did.” — San Diego, California