Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and StubHub Gift $100,000 in Instruments to Three Metro Schools

StubHub to host concert at Exit/In this Friday to support donations like these

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Metro Schools continues to bolster music education in Nashville, this time thanks to 102 musical instruments donated by the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and StubHub. Hunters Lane High School, I.T. Creswell Arts Magnet Middle Prep and Isaac Litton Middle Prep each took delivery of a truckload of free instruments late last month, coming to a combined total of nearly $100,000.

“We are so grateful to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation for its continued support of our young musicians,” said Laurie Schell, director of Music Makes Us for Metro Schools. “This marks the second year in a row we have received instruments from the Foundation. They are truly one of our most valued musical partners.”

The donations from Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation were made possible by StubHub and its Next Stage concert series, which will be coming to Nashville Friday, June 13. In addition to a $250,000 initial grant from the StubHub Foundation (a corporate advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation), StubHub is donating 100% of the proceeds from each show to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Friday’s show will feature emerging rock group Grouplove at the Exit/In. Tickets for this intimate show are only $40; doors are at 8 p.m.

“Few places can rival the city of Nashville in what it has contributed to music fans,” said Emma Leggat, StubHub Head of Corporate Responsibility. “Partnering with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to support

New Leadership for Department of English Learners

Executive director Kevin Stacy brings years of international and language experience

Nashville, Tennessee - Metro Schools has hired a veteran and internationally minded educator as Executive Director of the Department for English Learners (EL). Kevin Stacy will lead the support for students and families who do not speak English as a first language. He will oversee work in the International Student Registration Center, English Language Development Curriculum and Instruction, and Translation Services.

Stacy’s career in language education began humbly: he worked in a home with a group of Nashville’s earliest Kurdish refugees in the early 1990s to teach them English. This experience ignited a lifelong passion for education and working with the international community that led him to teach in Cheatham County Schools and Williamson County Schools, as well as at Welch College and schools in China and Uzbekistan. These experiences gave him an in-depth awareness of cross-cultural relationships, and provided a richer understanding of linguistics through his personal language learning experience.

Stacy has been with Metro Schools since 2010, starting as a district coordinator of English Language Development (ELD). He was later promoted to the director position of ELD Curriculum. Since November 2013, he has served as the department’s interim executive director.

He graduated from Welch College with a bachelor’s degree and earned a master’s in teaching English and intercultural studies from Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. Stacy later earned a master’s in educational leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

His long-term relationships with the international community, cross-cultural experiences, expertise in ELD Curriculum, knowledge of the MNPS programs, and years of providing services for English Language learners will support the department in learning from the past and being prepared for the future.  Stacy’s vision is to inspire and support students, families, teachers and the Nashville community to be innovative in working together to emerge as a national model in the achievement and success of English Learners.

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is the nation’s 42nd largest district, preparing more than 83,000 students to excel in higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the first choice for Nashville’s families, Metro Schools is committed to providing a high quality education to every student. The district is earning a national reputation for urban school reform, its commitment to social and emotional learning and rising academic achievement, and currently ranks in the top 27 percent of districts in the state for academic performance. Its new strategic plan, Education 2018: Excellence for Every Student, sets the goal of becoming the nation’s top performing urban school system by 2018. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit www.mnps.org.

Hillsboro High School Counseling Earns National and State Honors

Counselors run a “model program” to help students plan for a bright future
Nashville, Tennessee - Affirming the faculty’s dedication to students’ academic, career and personal development, Hillsboro High School picked up two major awards from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and Tennessee School Counselor Association (TSCA).

Hillsboro is the second school in Tennessee and one of just a handful of schools in the country to ever earn the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation. This is an honor given only to exemplary counseling programs that reach every corner of school life and make data-driven decisions to improve education for all students.

“This year’s RAMP honorees have shown their commitment to students and the school counseling profession,” said Jill Cook, assistant director and RAMP coordinator for ASCA. “This designation distinguishes these schools and encourages school counselors nationwide to continue to strive for success.”

“We are so pleased with the work of the school counseling department at Hillsboro High School,” said Nicole Cobb, executive director of school counseling services for Metro Schools. “The counseling team is ensuring that all students have access to a rigorous academic experience that will prepare them academically, socially and emotionally for college and career. They help students plan for a bright and fulfilling future. They serve as a model not only for other Metro schools but schools across the state of Tennessee and the country.”

For his support of these vital efforts, Hillsboro assistant principal Craig Hammond is the Tennessee School

Students can move ahead this summer at Virtual School

Registration is now open for 2014 Summer Success Program
Nashville, Tennessee -  MNPS Virtual School is ready for summer, but there will be no vacationing. Virtual School is proud to announce the 2014 Summer Success Program, and enrollment is now open for students in grades 8-12.  The program is a great way for students to catch up or get ahead in their high school coursework.  Even eighth grade students enrolled in the program can earn a high school credit.

During the Summer Success Program, students known as v-learners will take courses taught by highly qualified teachers. Summer enrollment is limited to a half-credit (0.5) course.  Students completing a half-credit course with high percentage can continue with the program and will be allowed to enroll in another half-credit course. This course will must be completed during the remainder of the summer session. Incoming and outgoing eighth graders may enroll in the summer success program and take a course for advanced high school credit.  Eighth graders will need check in with their school counselor before enrolling. Out-of-county students are allowed to apply, as well.    MNPS Virtual School is offering 10 courses this summer, courses including:


·         Economics/Economics Honors

·         Personal Finance

·         Sports & Entertainment Marketing

·         United States Government/United States Government Honors

·         Physical Education I & II

·         Lifetime Wellness

·         Spanish I

·         Spanish II


To enroll in the 2014 Summer Success Program, visit vlearn.mnps.org.  Registration fees can be paid online or on site at MNPS Virtual School located at 4805 Park Avenue, Suite 300, Nashville.

About Virtual School
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is proud to offer students the opportunity to take one or more online high school v-courses while enrolled at their zoned schools or to enroll on a full-time basis with Virtual School and earn their high school diploma completely online. Our school is the first public virtual school in the state and the leading virtual schooling option for students. Moreover, our school is the first virtual school in the world to adopt the Academies Model offering career and academic themes to v-students in a highly personalized virtual learning community. To learn more, visit MNPS Virtual School.

Parents and students exercise school choice on Selection Day 2014

Selection results available first at the event, online later
2014 is a banner year for choice in Metro Schools.

o   84 schools on the Optional Schools Application, including charter schools for the first time

o   16,400 applications (up 4% from 2012)

o   6,400 students applying

o   73% of applications submitted online

This is real school choice, with thousands of parents and students deciding which school is best for them – in 2012, 80% of students who applied to three or more schools got one of their choices. But the opportunity to choose isn’t over yet. Selection Day 2013 is this week.

Parents come to Selection Day to see their acceptance status and start making their final decisions. This year there is even more incentive to come in person: results will be available first at the Martin Center and posted to the website by noon. District staff and school officials will also be on hand to answer questions and talk with parents about making their decisions.

WHO:           Parents, students, Student Assignment and other district staff

WHEN:       Saturday, January 11 at 9:00 a.m., with online results available on MNPS.org by noon.

WHERE:     Martin Professional Development Center

                      2400 Fairfax Avenue, 37204

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is the nation’s 42nd largest district, preparing more than 83,000 students to excel in higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the first choice for Nashville’s families, Metro Schools is committed to providing a high quality education to every student. The district is earning a national reputation for urban school reform, its commitment to social and emotional learning and rising academic achievement, and currently ranks in the top 27 percent of districts in the state for academic performance. Its new strategic plan, Education 2018: Excellence for Every Student, sets the goal of becoming the nation’s top performing urban school system by 2018. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit www.mnps.org.