05. Good News Report
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Submitted by jenny_hunter on Fri, 12/15/2017 - 11:02am
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Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship
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Action
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Excellent Educators
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Information
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Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students
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Discussion
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Operations and Support
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DRS Works Against Bullying
Last year, students in the Davidson River School Rebound Program partnered with Brevard College to showcase the film REJECT, a documentary video on bullying and social isolation:
http://rejectfilm.com/official-trailer/. The film delves into the physiological impact on the brain when people are bullied/rejected and elaborates on the social/emotional impacts. Jeremy Gibbs, Sheila Mooney, and Alice Wellborn were part of the discussion panel. On November 7, Davidson River presented the film at the North Carolina Association of Alternative Educators (NCAAE) Conference and hosted the director of the film for a panel discussion with Jess Webb and student Alex Padilla. Alex, an 11th grader at DRS, spoke to the audience in support of the film. It was a powerful and effective discussion of the damage people feel when they are bullied and rejected. Davidson River plans to further the fight against bullying and its harmful effects through professional development and viewings of the film with its students. Davidson River Taiko also performed at the NCAAE conference that day.
DRS Grant Award
Expect for things to get a bit “squirrely" at Davidson River School this year. Jennifer Speckman recently was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arboretum to classify squirrel populations in the area. Her students will work with science students in Noelle Fehn's classes who are in their second year of a grant from the Arboretum to track bird populations and migration. Congratulations to these grant winners!
New Mural at Davidson River
Davidson River School is proud of its newest school-wide project, a new mural that emphasizes diversity and tolerance. The students and staff worked collaboratively to design and paint the mural during the week of December 4 under the direction of artist-in-residence Nachin Bone. The residency was sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Peterman and is a great addition to the building.
Leaders Are Those Who Lead
Like many districts, Alamance County Schools had a problem with drivers passing stopped school buses when kids were getting off them, so they recently installed longer stop arms signs on 25 of their buses. In a local news story, Robert Geyer, President of Bus Safety Solutions and inventor of the longer stop arms, was asked about the effectiveness of these arms. In his interview, he pointed to Transylvania County Schools, where all 35 of our buses have the arms. On the day passed buses were counted, the number of drivers who went around stopped buses went down from 16 to 2, in just two years. Congratulations to the TCS Transportation Department for leading the way in school bus safety.
Digital Learning Showcase Grant
The State Board of Education has approved a Digital Learning Initiative Showcase Grant for Transylvania County Schools in the amount of $40,874.68. This was a competitive grant process. The grant will allow us to showcase highly effective practices for digital teaching and learning. The TCS Step It Up Showcase will also provide professional learning for other schools in our region through a demonstration model. In receiving the grant, consideration was given to districts and charter schools aligning work to the NC Digital Learning Competencies and one or more of the following: micro-credentialing, personalized learning, digital literacy skills for students, or innovative partnerships with Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs). The showcase will take place at Brevard High School on June 13. Transylvania educators who are interested in presenting at the showcase may submit a proposal by January 12, 2018 at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6VsK5HNTZn32mHNieQdtP0qSJq8kTIV0GmoJgAJrvm-RNeg/viewform. Selected presenters will receive a $300 stipend, as well as an all-expense paid trip to the NCTIES Technology in Education Conference in Raleigh. Congratulations to Cathy Zandecki and Vera Cubero for developing and submitting a winning grant.
BMS Wins Robotics Regionals
On December 2, Brevard Middle School’s First Lego League Robotics Team competed at the regional qualifier in Cherokee. Teams were judged on the performance of their robot, its mechanical design and use of effective coding, their teamwork, and on their project. The BMS team invented an alarm to help prevent frozen pipes. Out of the nearly fifty teams present, Brevard Middle was named the overall champion based on their outstanding performance in the previously mentioned categories. They are moving on to the state tournament on January 20 in Greensboro. Congratulations to the BMS Robotics Team and teacher Justin Ausburn.
TCSEF Mini-Grants Awarded
The Transylvania County Schools Educational Foundation has again made $18,000 available for grants to TCS teachers, out of nearly $23,000 given to classrooms and alumni. We appreciate very much their fundraising efforts with the annual Taste of Transylvania and the work of the Grants Committee, which evaluates upwards of 50 proposals per year. The Grants Committee made their recommendations for the following projects to be funded in 2018-2019, with all these due for completion between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.
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Name
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School
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Total Request
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Award
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Title
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Stephanie Ramsey
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RHS
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$980.95
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$980.95
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Anatomical Models for Learning
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Jessica Whitmire
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BHS
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$1,183.00
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$1,183.00
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The Right Tools for the Job
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Hale Durant
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BHS
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$557.15
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$557.15
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Microscopes and Microscope Cameras for Veterinary Assisting and Science Courses
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Sarah Rhymer
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BHS
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$652.00
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$652.00
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Portable Poultry Netting
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Kristi Clark
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PFE
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$300.00
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$300.00
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Main Street, PFE: a Hands on Economics Project for 2nd Graders
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Amy Schoenacher
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RHS
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$236.83
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$236.83
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It's the Little Things
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Katrina D Ronneburger
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BHS
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$648.15
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$648.15
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Frame a Dragon
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Arami Bolick-Moore
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DRS
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$139.80
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$139.80
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Using Gaming Technology to Engage At-Risk Students
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Heather McNeely
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RHS
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$798.00
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$798.00
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Growing the community
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Jennifer Speckman
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DRS
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$816.55
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$715.05
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Yearbook Supplies
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Deanna Campbell
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BES
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$800.00
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$800.00
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Muddy Sneakers
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Kimberly Moore
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TCH
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$551.98
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$551.98
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Real World STEM Challenges
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Jeanne DeJong
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BES
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$270.37
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$270.37
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Tinker Thinkers Toolbox
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Kimberly Moore
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TCH
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$425.86
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$425.86
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Cue the Robots!
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Jessica Webb and Mandy Blake
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DRS
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$430.98
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$430.98
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Encouraging a Sense of Community at DRS
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Lisa M. Pauer
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BES
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$500.00
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$500.00
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World Peace Game Facilitator Training
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Noelle Fehn
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DRS
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$660.00
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$660.00
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Aquaponics Garden Kit
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Elizabeth Ballard
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RMS
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$335.58
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$335.58
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Hand Tools for Art
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Carrie Norris
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BHS
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$1,260.00
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$760.00
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SLIDE into High School! Every MINUTE Counts!!!
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Elizabeth Ballard
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TCH
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$522.69
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$522.69
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Makey-Makeys for Makers
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Alyse Hollingsworth
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BES
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$599.96
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$599.96
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Buzzing Around BES with Bee-Bots
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Hayley Leland
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BES
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$670.01
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$670.01
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Growing Plants and Young Minds!
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Ashley Dickson
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BMS
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$349.56
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$349.56
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When Reading Gets Real!!
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Renee Compton and Michelle Ridenour
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BES
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$355.25
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$355.25
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Tisket a TASKet
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Hayley Leland
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BES
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$538.02
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$538.02
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Creation Stations
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Amy Schoenacher/Sarah Justice
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RHS
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$712.00
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$712.00
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Chihuly
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Carol Martin
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BES
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$460.81
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$460.81
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It Just Makes Sense
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Leigh Hyett
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BES
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$1,231.20
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$615.60
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Leveling the Playing Field
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Linda Carrillo
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RMS
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$600.00
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$600.00
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The W.A.Y. (The World Around You)
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Peggy Bayne
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RES
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$795.00
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$795.00
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Bright Star Touring Theatre Summer Tour
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Sean Parrish
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BHS
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$1,008.23
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$600.00
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Gallery Frames and Pedestals
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Barbie Higdon
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RES
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$456.12
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$228.00
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Pedaling Our Way to Better Focus and Learning
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Outstanding WIOA Business Partner Award
Congratulations to Transylvania County Schools Career & Technical Education Department for being named as an Outstanding WIOA Business Partner at the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board Recognition Luncheon on December 7 at the Blue Ridge Community College Conference Center. Transylvania County Schools CTE was nominated by Jason Chappell, NCWorks Director, for outstanding use of career center services through Blue Ridge Community College and the NCWorks Career Center.
For more good news from Transylvania County Schools, please visit us at:
Twitter: twitter.com/transylvaniasch ǀ Flickr: flickr.com/tcsnc
Instagram: Instagram.com/transylvaniaschools ǀ YouTube: youtube.com/tcsnc
Smartphone App: Transylvania County Schools on Play Store and iTunes
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/transylvaniacountyschools
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