Stanback takes inspiration from Orange County, Fla. middle school

At the literacy pep rally last week, A.L. Stanback Middle School literacy coach Joyce Gilbert played the following video, created by Ocoee Middle School in Orange County, Fla.:

Ocoee Middle School Gotta Keep Reading from Michael Cardwell on Vimeo.

Pretty incredible, right? Gets you all pumped up about reading.

Enjoy!

flood alert

Careful, everyone: Yesterday's and today's much-needed rain have brought with them an unwanted side effect in potential floods in Orange and the surrounding counties.

From the National Weather Service in Raleigh:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
346 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2010

...RISK OF FLASH FLOODING RAINS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY AND TONIGHT...

.A STRENGTHENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TO OUR WEST WILL MAINTAIN A
SUPPLY OF MOIST UNSTABLE AIR OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH
TONIGHT. MEANWHILE A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES ALOFT COUPLED WITH A
STALLED SURFACE TROUGH IN VICINITY OF THE YADKIN RIVER WILL CAUSE
PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH TONIGHT.

...

FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...ALAMANCE...ANSON...CHATHAM...
CUMBERLAND...DAVIDSON...DURHAM...EDGECOMBE...FORSYTH...
FRANKLIN...GRANVILLE...GUILFORD...HALIFAX...HARNETT...HOKE...
JOHNSTON...LEE...MONTGOMERY...MOORE...NASH...ORANGE...PERSON...
RANDOLPH...RICHMOND...SAMPSON...SCOTLAND...STANLY...VANCE...
WAKE...WARREN...WAYNE AND WILSON.

* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

* MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA HAS RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE AND
THREE INCHES OF RAIN SINCE LATE SUNDAY MORNING. AN ADDITIONAL
TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS MAY
OCCUR TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...MOST OF IT FALLING IN A RELATIVELY
SHORT TIME FRAME. THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL QUICKLY RUN OFF
FILLING CREEKS AND STREAMS TO BANKFUL OR POSSIBLY OUT OF THEIR
BANKS. ALSO THE POTENTIAL EXIST FOR WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL.
IF THIS OCCURS OVER AN URBAN AREA...FLASH FLOODING WILL QUICKLY
OCCUR.

* WHILE MUCH OF THE REGION HAS EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT
DROUGHT...THIS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL...ESSENTIALLY A MONTH'S
WORTH...IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...WILL QUICKLY RUN OFF. SOME
OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL MAY OCCUR EARLY THIS MORNING...MAINLY
ACROSS THE SOUTH AND EAST...AND AGAIN TONIGHT AS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CROSS THE REGION. SOME OF OUR MOST
RECENT FLASH FLOOD DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED WITH HEAVY RAIN EVENTS
IMMEDIATELY AFTER A PROLONG PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER. MOTORISTS
SHOULD AVOID KNOWN AREAS THAT FLOOD DURING HEAVY RAIN EVENTS
WHILE OUT AND ABOUT TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.