Rooted Reflections

Welcome to Rooted Reflections, a special newsletter showcasing highlights from each school in the Hickory City Schools district. In every edition, we celebrate the incredible achievements, memorable moments, and inspiring stories from the past season. Join us in honoring our community's dedication, growth, and deep-rooted connection to our schools.

HCAM is proud to announce that the following students have received their college acceptance letters during the fall semester. Over $300,000 in scholarships were awarded.

• Lee A. – Michigan State University, ASU, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Rutgers Michigan State Scholarship recipient
• Janelle B. – Johnson and Wales, Scholarship recipient
• Adelaida F. – Wingate, Scholarship recipient
• Logan G. – Cape Fear Community College, Blue Ridge Community College
• Nora H. – Gardner-Webb, Scholarship recipient
• Grace K. – Catawba Valley Community College, Mitchell Community College
• Emory K. – ASU, WCU, UNC-G, Gardner-Webb, LRU
• Josepha K. – ASU
• Emery M. – ECU, ASU
• Maurny O. – WCU, ASU, ECU
• Micaela P. – WCU, LRU, Johnson & Wales, Campbell University, ASU, ESU
• Dayana R. – SCAD, UNC-G, ASU

Where can HCAM staff and faculty members get a delicious lunch for a great price, and have it served by a gracious culinary arts team? Here at HCAM of course!

HCAM’s Culinary Arts students prepared delicious meals for faculty and staff to honor Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Indigenous People Heritage, and Friendsgiving, as well as a scrumptious family dinner that warmed everyone up after Thanksgiving. HCAM Culinary Arts students planned the menus, took orders, prepared the meals, and served them with a smile. Look for recipes to follow on the HCAM social media soon!

We have the greatest students, staff, faculty, and Culinary Arts students here at HCAM! Go Hurricanes!

Our Hickory High Women's Basketball team volunteered at the Lunch with Santa event at the Ridgeview Recreation Center, helping spread holiday cheer throughout our district.

Team NC brought home the victory in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas! A special shoutout to Hickory High School’s Coach Joe Glass, Brady Stober, Jamien Little, and the Hickory High Marching Tornadoes for their outstanding selection and participation in this prestigious event.

Sebastian R. placed first and won his 50th match! Tornado Proud!

Grandview students have found many ways to give back and spread cheer this holiday season. Mrs. Noell’s class conducted a teacher snack cart fundraiser. They used the proceeds from the snack cart to purchase supplies to fill six Christmas boxes for Samaritan’s purse. FBLA collected toys and books for children in Western North Carolina. GSA created Christmas cards which will be delivered to nursing home residents when chorus visits to sing Christmas songs.

We were the top school in Catawba County for Castle of Cans food donations!!!!!

Our chorus students performed a wonderful concert on December 5th. Several students took part in All County Chorus: SunnyLeigh W., Annie S., Azeria F., and Naomi S.. Chorus students will also visit a nursing home on December 17th to sing for residents.

Band students also participated in All-County Band.

E. Bridges, E. Chang, W. Bill, M. Packard, L. Vegter participated in All-County Band.

E. Bridges made 1st chair tuba and beat out all the other middle school tubas in Catawba County.

E. Chang made 1st alternate and still beat more than half of the middle school trumpets who auditioned from Catawba County.

All County Orchestra Participation:

Asher J., Fatima G. L., Madison G. D., Hailey M., Maggie F., Melanie M., G., Naomi S., Natalia V., and Yaretzi F. V.

Students and teachers are enjoying a wide variety of clubs! GSA and FBLA completed holiday service projects. Mindfulness club is providing an outlet for students to regulate themselves in a sensory-friendly environment. Military Interest, Speed & Agility, and Jump Rope clubs provide physical activity. World Travelers and Multicultural clubs allow students to explore diversity and learn about the world. Each club demonstrates a connection to Global Leaders standards. It is impossible to explore each club here, but students and staff have embraced this new addition to Advisory time.

Congratulations to the 27 Northview Band students selected for the All-County Band, the 16 Northview Chorus students who auditioned and made it into the All-County Chorus, and the 16 Northview Orchestra students who were accepted into the All-County Orchestra!

It has been a joy to introduce our students to the idea of CLUBS once a month. Teachers and staff have gotten creative in making these groups extra special for students.

Local group UFO Disc Golf came through with flying colors, collecting and donating 30 plus discs to outfit our new Disc Golf Club!

A Donors Choose grant provided supplies for our Hand Lettering and Poster Design Club.

Ms. Snider, who has taught 3rd grade at Longview for 24 years, was the lead presenter at the La Cosecha National Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With the Center for Applied Linguistics out of Washington DC and NC state DPI, Snider presented on Embracing Multilingual Student and Family Voices in an Innovative Assessment Research Protocol.

This follows completing work with the state on creating assessment tasks that go along with the new Science curriculum standards with the M2Si research group.

Longview 5th graders are involved in an exciting environmental science project made possible through a partnership between Hickory City Schools, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG), and the North Carolina Forestry Department’s Urban and Community Forest Division.

Beginning in fall of 2024 and continuing throughout the year, they’re working alongside experts to develop a comprehensive Tree Planting Plan for our school grounds. With the guidance of a certified arborist and support from WPCOG staff, they’ll be exploring key environmental topics such as:

• How drones can help identify the best locations for tree planting
• The role trees play in reducing flooding
• How trees and soil work together to support a healthier ecosystem

The students will assess the trees currently on campus and make recommendations for new plantings, determining which trees should go where. Next year, our new fifth graders will take over by planting the trees outlined in this year’s plan and creating a maintenance plan to ensure they thrive.

This year, to celebrate how amazing our principals are, we organized a fun scavenger hunt! We hid 96 pictures of Mrs. Dagenhart and Mrs. Drum around the school. Classrooms worked together to count the pictures, and the closest guess won a prize. Congratulations to Ms. Mosteller’s first graders for finding the most pictures! We’re grateful for our incredible leaders and the unwavering support they provide to the students of Oakwood.

Our students had a blast dressing up and celebrating Superhero Day.

Oakwood Blue Jays had a great turn out for our rescheduled “Walk to School Day”!

Mrs. Kuba’s engaging lessons had Kindergarten artists explore Paul Cézanne-inspired pear paintings, showcasing creativity and attention to detail. Second graders embraced innovation through a vibrant shaving cream and liquid watercolor technique, blending art with sensory play. These projects highlight students' artistic growth and creative expression!

Through Mrs. Holt's thoughtful Donors Choose proposal, the class received a brand-new rug, creating additional space for whole-group activities. Students are thrilled to enjoy this welcoming and functional addition to their learning environment, made possible by her dedication and the generosity of donors!

Elizabeth Rollins attended the Conscious Discipline Institute for Birth to Kindergarten in Orlando, gaining valuable strategies to enhance her classroom and school environment. A highlight of the experience was hearing directly from Conscious Discipline founder, Dr. Becky Bailey!

Southwest Primary’s Little Lion Cub Pre-K’s playground now features a communication sign, donated by the Emberly Smile Charity. This thoughtful addition helps students practice communication skills during play and supports teachers in meeting their needs. Thank you for this generous contribution!

Congratulations to Viewmont Elementary’s fifth-grade students for graduating from D.A.R.E. on Friday, December 20!

Students from Mrs. Moreno, Mrs. Walker, and Mrs. Yang’s classes were asked to write essays about their experience with D.A.R.E. and share what they had learned. They completed the class and their essays and earned a t-shirt to wear at their graduation. Their D.A.R.E. Officer Josh Null shared during the ceremony that every child there was wearing a D.A.R.E. shirt because all of them finished their essays.

Congratulations to all our Spelling Bee Winners! Our 1st place winner, Sanaya P., and our 2nd place winner, Ella M., will represent our school at the district spelling bee on January 24th. GO Bears!

Thank you to the Hickory High School football team for visiting! From helping with the car rider line and greeting students off the buses to lending a hand in the classrooms, your presence made a huge impact.

A little visit from the greatest elf of all!

This past Halloween, our school was filled with playful spirits! Can you spot the ghostly figures engaging in a little mischief around the school? From sharing lessons to playing tag, these spirits are keeping the spirit of learning alive!

Thank you to the Rowes for serving our teachers with an awesome meal! A great family who makes some tasty smoked BBQ!

We held our first Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council meeting in October before the school board meeting! A big shoutout to the nine outstanding students selected by their principals to represent their schools and share their voices.

Before the school board meeting, our students proudly said the Pledge of Allegiance and introduced themselves to the board members. This council provides a unique opportunity for them to give input on the direction of our district alongside Superintendent Dr. Griffin. We look forward to hearing their insights and ideas!

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the talented students who submitted their artwork for the 2024 Hickory City Schools Holiday Card Contest! Your creativity and effort have truly brought the holiday spirit to life.

Congratulations to our winners:

Madison K. – Grandview Middle, 7th Grade (Cover Winner)

Marie H. – Hickory Career & Arts Magnet, 11th Grade

Camille M-S. – Hickory High, 11th Grade

Karina M. L. – Grandview Middle, 8th Grade

Arabella B. – Northview Middle, 8th Grade

Daen T. – Longview Elementary, 4th Grade

Aniston R. – Oakwood Elementary, 3rd Grade

Jazlyn H-C. – Southwest Primary, 2nd Grade

Sina M. – Viewmont Elementary, 5th Grade

Ruby C. – W. M. Jenkins Elementary, 5th Grade

We invite everyone to enjoy our official holiday card. Thank you for celebrating the artistic talents of our amazing students!

We had the privilege of celebrating some of the most inspiring members of our school community through the Fall 2024 Making a Difference Award! This award honors those who go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of our students, families, and colleagues. It was a day filled with joy as we visited each school, and it was made even more special by the presence of each winner’s family, who joined us to help surprise our honorees.

With Pajama Day adding to the excitement, here are our remarkable award recipients this semester:

🌟 Dr. Timothy Sims - Administrative Services

🌟 Leslie Weaver - Southwest Primary

🌟 Chelsea Hartness - Longview Elementary

🌟 Patti Palmer - Grandview Middle

🌟 Nicole Beam - Oakwood Elementary

🌟 Renata Sparks - Viewmont Elementary

🌟 Brandon Finger - Northview Middle

🌟 Adina Ruff - W. M. Jenkins Elementary

🌟 Cyrus Henson - Hickory High

🌟 Teresa Barrett - Hickory Career & Arts Magnet

View photos of all winners

Congratulations to these outstanding individuals for their unwavering dedication to making a difference each and every day!