by Courtney Price

The cast of “Children’s Letters to God,” from left, Stephanie Spittle, Kelsey Keeton, Zack Werder, Sam Eliason and Bruce Rohr, rehearse for the show, which runs Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19, at 7 p.m. (Courtney Price/DW photo)

DENVER – Sometimes it’s the simplest questions that prompt the most meaningful answers.

“Dear God, if you’re so famous how come you’re never on TV?”

“Dear God, who says ‘God bless you’ when you sneeze?”

Students in the advanced theater class at East Lincoln High School explore those simple, powerful questions in the musical “Children’s Letters to God,” which they’ll perform Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19, at 7 p.m.

The musical is based on the children’s book of the same name, written by Stuart Hample.

Stephanie Spittle, a student in East Lincoln’s advance theatre class, rehearses for the musical “Children’s Letters to God,” which the class will perform this weekend. (Courtney Price/DW photo)

“He polled children across the U.S. and asked them, ‘If you could ask God questions, what would you ask?’” chorus and drama teacher Brian McSwain said.

McSwain has had very little to do with directing this show. Instead, his 18 advanced-theater students handled everything from acting and directing to promotion and ticket sales.

The show follows five children ages 9 to 13 who are full of questions about the world. Each has a different problem and turns to God for answers.

“They have questions like ‘Why did my pet die?’ ‘Why am I the last one chosen for baseball?’ ‘Why are my mom and dad getting divorced?’” McSwain said. “There’s a lot in there on a lot of different levels, for adults and for children.”

Senior Becca Burgess is directing her second show. She said this performance presented a new set of challenges.

“Directing a musical is very different, especially since it involves choreography,” Becca said.

But working with her friends made things easier, she said.

Stephanie Spittle and Kelsey Keeton, who play Iris and Joanna, said fitting into their roles wasn’t a stretch.

“When me and Stephanie get together we sort of act like kids, anyway,” Kelsey said. “It didn’t really take much preparation.”

The magic of the show is seeing common personal problems as children see them.

“They ask very random questions that adults just wouldn’t ask,” senior Chelsey Green said.

Iris’ pet turtle Arnold dies during the song “Questions for the Rain.”

Iris asks, “Dear God, instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones you’ve got now?”

McSwain, who plays piano for the show, said he looked over several different scripts trying to find a family-friendly musical.

“I read through lots of plays, but I kept comparing every play I read to this one,” he said.

The show ends with what Becca said is her favorite song, “I Know.”

“It’s about you knowing that God is going to be there for you,” she said. “No matter what others say, you know.”

Ninth-grade A Honor Roll: Chelsie Bumgardner, Chase Caldwell, Stephanie Caldwell, Kirsten Camp, Ashley Cardenas, Andrew Cesmat, Brittany Cody, Teaira Collins, Tiffany Curles, Casey D’Amato, Allison Duemmer, Joanna Fletcher, Tessa Gardner, Bailey Garmon, Brittney Glover, Chapman Gordon, Ethan Gram, Kyle Hatley, Trenton Holland, Davis Huffman, Kaytlin Johnson, Jenna Kane, Madison Klein, Mikaela Kronk, Madison Long, Graham Lundgren, Charles Magro, Cooper Marshall, Jaxeli Martinez, Carleen McKenna, Jared Moore, Ashlee Myers, Johnathon Nodine, Samuel Nuhfer, Sarah O’Rourke, Luke Sain, Richard Sexton, Michael Smith, Matthew Stallings, Taylor Stamey, Aaron Studdard, Tabor Sykes, Elijah Thompson, Courtney Trickle, Benjamin Webber, McKenzie Weed, Zachary Wesson and Sydney Wilson.

Ninth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Austin Abernathy, Grant Allen, Nancy Arevalo, Kaitlyn Bailey, Nicole Barbieri, Ryan Barbieri, Jordan Barker, Cassidy Beal, Katrina Beal, Kristin Bernatzky, Jordan Bird, Arin Bolius, Benjamin Brooks, Hailey Byers, Kevin Capuano, Austin Cargile, Timothy Carswell Jr., Taylor Carswell, Connor Chroback, Devan Cox, Virginia Crooks, Megan Elmore, Alec Escobar, Patrick Fay, Nathaniel Fiorilli, Mollie Fleming, Cailee Franklin, Kendra Grigg, Benjamin Hager, Aleshia Harris, Hailey Helms, Patrick Holden, Jacob Holley, Abby Hord, Matthew Inman, Elizabeth Ivaniuc, Matthew Koe, Matthew Lawson, Jolea Little, Meredith Lowery, Evan Ludwig, Taylor Lynn, Kristopher Marrero, Kyra McAllister, Sarah McKee, Aaron McPeak, Macy Mitchem, Barret Myers, Ethan Odell, William Parker, Robert Perryman, Laura Poole, Katlin Pope, Lyndsi Pound, Mary Prunier, Lori Rabun, Victoria Rawlins, Robert Regan, Ryan Reiser, Connor Riker, Richard Roberson, Martin Robinson, Amber Rome, Paul Sabattus, Matthew Schenck, Ryan Smith, Molly Soden, Gabrielle Solomita, Nicholas Steele, Stephanie Sterling, Ethan Thornhill, Georgia Tobin, Alexis Trejo-Sanchez, Paige Varberg, Madison Warlick, Adam Wersching, Heather Wilson, Noah Woodard, Lindsey Wooten, Kathryn Yarbrough and Landon Yarbrough.

10th-grade A Honor Roll: Amanda Biondi, Alexandra Castro, Kathryn Champion, Hannah Edwards, Hannah Fritts, Christopher Garcia, Kaylyn Gideon, Jacob Gordon, Michael Gurdak, Arthur Hirst, Phillip Hunter, Kacey Jarvis, Eugene Kresge III, Shelby Lee, Kendell Magness, Brandon Marik, Cody Marik, Jonathan Marquardt, Allison McLeod, Corey McMurry, Morgan Moore, Joseph Nuhfer, Cristina Patton, Caitlin Potter, Benjamin Rayfield, Chase Schleider, Justin Sherwood, Aubrey Sigmon, Morgan Spence, Kelsey Thompson and Kristina Wilkins.

10th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Kelly Bailey, Linden Ballard, Kenneth Bass, Jessica Beal, Emily Berry, Ethan Bolick, Austin Borders, Jeremy Brotherton, Joshua Brown, Skylar Bruce, Bethany Bryant, Kandace Caskey, Kendall Caskey, Bethany Connell, Cannon Cooper, Anna Crosby, Jonathan Denton, Mary Denton, Sinclair Do, Lily Duvall, Antaijah Easter, Kalyn Elkins, Shelby Engborg, Christina Famulari, Celina Figueroa, Julianne Fisher, Katelyn Gibson, Amy Gilleland, Serah Haley, Megan Hall, Fallon Huffman, Brendan Johnson, Dylan Jordan, Emily Joyce, Hailey Kinsland, Michael Kovalchuk, Ryan Leitert, Joseph Leuelling, Joniah Little, Haley Lowman, Jayden Maddox, Bennett McDonald, Cassidy Miller, Hannah Miller, Sydney Miller, Taylor Minchenberg, Benjamin Newman, Kiley Parker, Krystopher Paschen, Ty Pauley, Karmyn Reep, Tanner Reynolds, Austen Rice, Nathaly Rivas Rivas, Erica Sain, Hunter Sain, Courtney Schleider, Ryan Shannon, Wesley Shaw, Hunter Sigmon, Erica Skinner, Abigail Smith, Alicia Smith, Grant Studdard, Lauren Voncannon, Christopher Wakefield, William Watt, Miranda Whitener, Stephanie Williamson, Leigh Wisham and Jeremiah Woodby.

11th-grade A Honor Roll: Caitlin Adams, Alexa Arndt, Anna Carswell, Kaitlin Chandler, Daniel Chase, Jacob Chase, Ashley Conley, Sara Coppick, Brielle Cornacchio, Courtney Craig, Brendan D’Amato, Morgan Ellis, Clayton Gannaway, Madison Gardner, Madeline Harrison, Lauryn Haynes, Laura Jeffcoat, Michael Johnson, Hannah Lackey, Leslie Leung, Ashley Lovelace, Virginia Melton, Patricia Moeller, Cohen Pirtle, Amanda Rantanen, Paul Regan, Kristen Richardson, Andrew Rigley, Michaela Roland, Andrea Smith, Sharla Sugierski, Anna Taylor, Kristen Vanderpool, Kayla Wallace and Zariah Wingate.

11th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Cody Acton, Brooke Anderson, Carlos Arceyut, Alexander Ashby, Sarah Ballard, Sierra Barker, Christopher Belk, Alexander Bernatzky, John Biondi, Cory Blake, Molly Bolick, Eric Bonacore, Christopher Boyle, Latya Brooks, Mallory Bruce, Shawna Bubacz, Brandon Burdick, Michael Burke, Courtney Capuano, Katy Cartner, Gabryella Cervantes, Nicholas Cesmat, Kayla Conway, Ashton Creech, Samantha Crooks, Josiah Daugherty, Steven Davignon, Scott Deluca Jr., Kierra Desmore, Christina Draper, Lindsay Gardner, Taylor Gram, Escher Griffin, Tyler Grove, Neely Hallman, Alidia Hannon, Justin Henson, Rebecca Hess, Nathan Hubbard, Sirkka Hunt, Jimmy Jacobs II, Haley Johnson, Jessica Keever, Reagan King, Benjamin Lineberger, Janet Lopez, Taylor Lowe, Garrett Mills, Collin Mladenik, Alyssa Mocilan, Jeremy Moore, Emily Moss, Joshua Mosteller, McKenzie Mull, Robert Muse, Karishma Patel, Evan Peaire, Arthur Re Jr., Katherine Reardon, Kayla Reep, Sean Robinson, Leah Saunders, Courtney Sigmon, David Spinner, Jacob Stegal, Brandy Sterling, Emily Sykes, Charles Thurston, Bobbi Tobias-Choser, Karissa Townsend, Haley Trent, Kellie Walker, Kaitlyn Walton, Destiny Williams, Dustin Williams, Kadrian Williams and Daniel Yount.

12th-grade A Honor Roll: Courtney Anderson, Jacob Ballard, Jorden Brittain, Joseph Carroll, Sarah Clarke, Kathryn Crisler, Kara Dellinger, Delainey Farris, Hayley Gibson, Megan Gibson, Madison Harkey, Crystel Hidalgo, Courtney Hilburn, James Jones, Joshua Killian, Madison Lambert, Michaella Lashley, Alaine Livernois, Joel Marquardt, Aaron Matson, Lacey Miller, Kaylee Miner, Savannah Nunnery, Neil Patel, Nicole Pehl, Taylor Penwarden, Joy Sabattus, Blake Saunders, Brandon Seelman, Jacob Smith, Miranda Smith, Andrew Stanley, Shelby Steele, Audrey Strock, Rebecca Taylor, Abby Wheeler and Sabrina Wilson.

12th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Shae Allison, Kayla Anderson, Oscar Arceyut, Lauren Armstrong, Jeremy Artavia-Lobo, Brandon Arthur, Robert Beal Jr., Garrett Beam, Brooke Bennes, Kevin Bish, Jesse Bollinger, Landon Bratt, Lynnzie Briggs, Jessica Brittain, Meghan Brooks, Mitch Brooks, John Brotherton, Bradley Caldwell, Miller Capps, Allison Carter, Brent Chapman, Kelley Checa, Justin Coffman, Danielle Craig, Katie Crooks, Andrew Davis, John Duggins, Alexa Eastin, Andrew Farkas, Savannah Fornshell, James Gay, Brannon Giles, Matthew Gilsdorf, Tania Guevara, Christina Haley, Payton Harris, Cheryl Ann Heckelman, Austin Henson, Elizabeth Hunt Dillow, Heather Hybarger, James Jenkins, Bailey Jones, Rya Joyce, Major Kay II, Jordan Keener, Luke Kirkland, Hunter Latshaw, Taylor Lawing, Landon Ledford, Melissa Lenentine, Daniel Leuelling, Joelle Little, Rebecca Locklin, David Matousek, Rachel McArthur, Erin McGuire, Brittany Mode, Matthew Mullen, Ashley Neesmith, Hanna Nixon, Breana Odum, Lillian Pauley, Kayla Pehl, German Perez, Sara Perrella, Jonathan Reeder, Allison Rice, Devin Ricker, Jeffrey Rikard Jr., Karen Rios, Amber Ritchie, Marvin Robbins, Dalton Robertson, Maggie Robinson, Raquel Rodriguez, Taylor Smith, Christopher Solano, Danielle Sparveri, Austin Stamper, Andrew Stidham, Wendy Stroud, Austin Suddreth, Alexandra Teeples, Trevor Threet, Amanda Torrence, Jaci Ulibarri, Andrew Underwood, Logan Walker, Amanda Wilkins, Tallah Wilson, Zana Wingate, Emily Wise, Logan Wooten, Stephanie Wooten and Eric Zimmerman.

North Lincoln DECA marketing students earned high honors at state competition and represented North Carolina at the international competition in Utah. The Board of Education recognized the group at its Wednesday, May 9, meeting. (Courtesy of Lincoln County Schools)

LINCOLNTON – With the school year’s end in sight, the Wednesday, May 9, Board of Education meeting was full of praise for students who have earned special honors and awards.

North Lincoln DECA heads to Utah

Students in the DECA marketing program at North Lincoln High School recently returned from the International DECA competition in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The board recognized eight North Lincoln students for DECA success at the state level:

• Sarah Clarke and Wendy Stroud earned first place in the state competition for their community service project “Black Out Child Abuse.” They represented the state in the international competition in Utah.

• Brannon Giles took first place in the state competition for her business operations project “Barking Buddies.” She represented the state in the international competition in Utah.

• Fallon Huffman, Matt Mullen and Cohen Pirtle earned third place in the state competition for their “Learn and Earn” project. They represented the state in the international competition in Utah.

• Gray Brotherton and Joey Royko placed fourth in the state competition in the business law and ethics management team category. They represented the state in the international competition in Utah.

• Jordan Keener and Ryan O’Rourke both earned fifth place in the state for their Sports Marketing Operations project.

• David Matousek and Joey Royko earned sixth place in the state public relations project competition.

Students earn internships

The board also honored two students for being selected for summer internships.

North Lincoln student Robert Moss was recently chosen for a six-week summer internship with Blum in Stanley.

Peter Maiale, a student at West Lincoln High, will intern with Siemens for six weeks this summer.

Rock Springs partners with UNCC

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte College of Education awarded Rock Springs Elementary School a $3,000 grant for professional development.

The school will partner with UNC Charlotte’s Professional Development School for two years as a part of a 15-school network to address educational initiatives. The network of schools hopes to train new, highly skilled teachers, enhance development of new and experienced teachers and help support teacher retention.

Lincoln County Park scholar

Zachary Fitzgerald, a senior at Lincolnton High School, will head to N.C. State University in the fall with one of the school’s top scholarships. The Park Scholarship is awarded each year to high school seniors who demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in education, leadership, service and character.

Fitzgerald’s scholarship is valued at $86,000. He plans to major in business with a concentration in finance.

Sixth-grade A Honor Roll: Anniston Alfaro, Lance Bailey, Connor Bain, Abigail Blackburn, Kassi Brittain, Jackson Cathey, Katherine Clements, Max Cogan, Abigale Conway, Payton Cook, Alyssa David, Teigan Deluca, David Diaz, Stephanie Drum, Kylie Dugan, Keara Dymes, Devin Fesperman, Samantha Grimaldi, Alyssa Hager, Skylar Harris, Katelyn Inman, Brittany Johnson, Luke Johnson, Mckenzie Jones, Matthew Jorgensen, Erica Joyce, Collin Kotek, Kara Lawing, Laney Marler, Alyssa McAfee, Matthew McMahan, Kathleen McNeill, Katelyn Mize, Rebecca Neurock, Branden Nuhfer, Loren Palmer, Noel Palmer, Andrew Patrick, Thomas Pewitt, Trace Pigg, Ethan Rhodes, Monica Sain, Karli Schappert, Morgan Sherrill, Avery Sigmon, Paige Smith, Nicholas Solomita, Grace Steffen, Lily Teseniar, William Thornhill, Imelda Trejo, Seth Waldron and Tyler Whitney.

Sixth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Charity Arnold, Brianna Avery, Andrew Ayers, Heather Baucom, Joseph Bertelsen, Bruce Bisson, David Borges Jr., Zackary Briggs, Caleb Brown, Colby Brown, Lauren Bruce, Hannah Burton, Jocelyn Cardona, Kenan Chronister, Parker Clay, Ryan Dolan, Bentley Earnest, London England, Justin Farabaugh, Brooke Ferrell, Dylan Fiorilli, Jenna Forristall, Katlin Fox, Rylan Franklin, Ryan Gannaway, Allison Goins, Katelyn Hallman, Joshua Harris, Brady Heavner, Allison Hedrick, Adam Henderson, Caleb Holley, Westley Hunter, Chandler Jones, Cory Jones, Anna Kinsland, Kaitlyn Klein, George Koschny, Matthew Lester, Tyler Lilly, Brennen Little, Lily Loeffler, Keleigh-Ann Luckman, Lizbeth Martinez, Chandler McCaslin, Adelyne McGinnis, Reed McRorie, Timothy Moody, Lawson Oakes, Sloane Pearce, Madison Perkins, Kelsey Renn, Ryan Repko, Evan Rhodes, Rachel Rios, Bryan Rogers, Casey Sawyer, Adam Seagle, Harrison Shaw, Makayla Sherrill, Jason Silva, Cameron Smith, Zackery Stamey, Orie Stoller, Mohammad Tahir, Ben Taylor, Makayla Townsend, Ashlynn Trout, Luke Van Aarde, Andrew Vargas, Joshua Wahab, Raygan Wall, Carson Watts, Kaelah Weaver, Matthew Weed, Katlyn Whitehouse, David Williamson Jr. and Matthew Zotsman.

Seventh-grade A Honor Roll: Autumn Arrowood, Rayanna Barney, Sarah Bartro, Chelsea Blake, Adeline Brady, Brittany Brady, Malorie Burgess, Reagan Cargile, Grace Clarke, Maisie Collignon, Thaddeus Creech, Sydney Davis, Lucas Depasquale, Austin Devine, Maddie Edwards, Justin Elchak, Nicole Escobar, Adanna Eziri, Cole Ferraro, Emily Griffin, Martha Henderson, Austin Hilburn, Abigail Holdsclaw, Madison Holmes, Sydney Horner, Alexis Johnson, Kellie Joyner, Jacob Kovalchuk, Sarah Lazorik, Katia Leach, Hannah Luke, Robin Martin, Matthew Moore, Rachel Nuhfer, Jenna Peterson, Jose Picado, Alexander Prunier, Mary Randall, Adison Riddle, Lauren Roewe, Caleb Sherrill, Katherine Sherwood, Colton Smith, Luigi Sorrento, Laura Taylor, Jessica Trejo, Jordan Ulibarri, Emilee Webber, Lauren Whitehouse, Jordan Whitley, Parker Wilson and Samantha Wilson.

Seventh-grade A/B Honor Roll: Roberto Ache, Madelynn Alyea, Mymacita Banks, Brandon Barboza-Vives, Nathan Barlow, Jessica Beal, Katie Beal, Grace Berry, Cody Black, Sheridan Burgess, Gabrielle Burke, Nicole Calvo Porras, Keegan Chit Khin, Joshua Comfort, Briana Correa, Cameron Crouse, Sarah DeGregory, Jon Devereaux, Aaron Digh, Nicolas Disabato, Alex Do, Braden Drennen, Avery Etheridge, Noah Farkas, Kelsey Fay, Camden Freeman, Shelley Friel, Kathleen Gamble, Makenzie Gibson, Caitlyn Griffis, Jessica Hampton, Nathan Hewitt, Scotty Holden, Chandler Houck, Rebecca Ivaniuc, Byron Jenkins, Joseph Kale, Morganne Kay, Olivia Keck, Thomas Keener, Cameron Keller, Savannah Knight, Elizabeth Lackey, Autumn Lange, Trevor Lewis, Coley Lippard, Karsyn Looper, Trinity Marlow, Kalee Measmer, Kelsie Mode, Callie Oakes, Nicole Orozco, Devin Orr, Karson Parker, Erin Potter, Johnny Putnam, Karalyn Ramsey, Joseph Reeder, Delanie Ricker, Christian Robinson, Billy Rogers, Ethan Rome, Nolan Saunders, Ricky Smith, Collin Stagner, Danielle Stallings and Samantha Yedder.

Eighth-grade A Honor Roll: Hannah Bain, Emily Beach, Amanda Bentley, Luke Carpenter, Stormy Carter, Emily Clay, Haley Courtney, Tanner Doss, Shannon Dunn, Gabriel Ellis, Emma Fiore, Jacob Haynes, Carley Huffman, Riley Jones, Christopher Jorgensen, Collin Labar, Jacob LeQuire, Maura McClain, Madeline McDonald, Taylor Myers, Haley Oakes, Sydney Roberts, Mattie Rudd, Madeline Sides, Amber Sigmon, Codey Sliwoski, Cole Snider, Catherine Stegal, Maggie Watts and Ian Yount.

Eighth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Alex Akers, Blake Anderson, Miranda Arndt, Mackenzie Avery, Andrew Beach, Macie Belk, Jack Bennes, James Biondi, Kaitlyn Blackburn, Rylie Bragg, Donald Broome III, Kyleigh Caldwell, Logan Caldwell, Samantha Cantrell, Ashley Carson, Emily Castro, Jordyn Connell, Heath Cosby, Xavier Cox, Tyler Dykes, Kristen Easterling, Robert Esquer, Jacob Fiore, Justin Gannaway, David Garcia, William Harkey, Morgan Holley, Darby Horton, Sarah Hunter, Laura Ialuna, David Ivaniuc, Shane Jarvis, Jordan Johnson, Mitchell Keener, Dakota Lamb, Cody Land, Adam Lineberger, Kaitlyn Luckman, Madison Lynch, Zachary McKinney, Tara Miller, Katelyn Moore, John Morra, Caroline Mosteller, Makenzie Neesmith, Hannah Nixon, Caitlin Pauley, Jayson Payne, Jeffrey Reep, Charles Reinhardt, Melissa Rincon, Adam Roewe, Sidney Russell, Jackson Schappert, Victoria Scott, Thomas Silva, Joshua Slate, Lydia Smith, Benjamin Stertzbach, Haley Teeples, Cody Teseniar, Tayler Tierney, Steven Tucker, Olivia Vaden, Kiesha Wilson and Carter Woodby.

Zach Jensen, known behind his equipment as DJ Baby J, will be the first student from East Lincoln High to be disc jockey for his own prom. (Courtesy of Zach Jensen)

Zach Jensen won’t be taking his date to East Lincoln High School’s prom May 12. She’s going with friends instead, and Jensen, a senior, may not even touch the dance floor.

But he will be at Charlotte’s Crowne Plaza Hotel an hour-and-a-half early and won’t leave until the last flower petal is swept away.

Jensen, 18, will be the party’s disc jockey, the first time East Lincoln has used a student in that role. Jensen wants a career in music – in production, or engineering – and he’s been creating music mixes and edging into the DJ business for about a year.

“The passion is there. It’s a cutthroat industry, and I know that he realizes that DJ’ing is only a fraction of what the industry has to offer,” said Edward Shouse, 23, who DJ’d the prom last year and who works at Butter NC, a nightclub near uptown Charlotte. “I give him advice here and there, and we exchange emails. I listen to his mixes and tell him, ‘That was awesome,’ or ‘That was not so awesome.’”

Jensen, who lives with his mom, Brenda, in Denver, said his classmates starting joking earlier in the school year about his supplying his electro/dubstep/hip-hop mixes for the prom. Then someone mentioned it to the prom committee.

“I talked to the principal, and we made an agreement,” said Jensen, who uses the stage name DJ Baby J.

Principal Tim Woody said the senior class approved of Jensen by overwhelming majority.

“We are excited to have a senior giving back to his senior class by serving as DJ for the 2012 ELHS prom,” Woody said.

Jensen’s buddy, senior Brian Trulli, shadows Jensen when he works, helping with set up and takedown and keeping the crowd off the sound system.

“I make sure people don’t go crazy, like get too close, or spill a drink on it, because he has very expensive equipment,” Trulli said.

When Jensen DJs a birthday party or other social gathering, it’s Trulli’s truck that totes the mixer, amplifiers and speakers. For East Lincoln’s prom, the pair also will bring a stage, fog lights and strobe lights.

“What I do is I start with a set-up list of songs, just a few, to see how the crowd reacts to each kind of genre,” he said. “I’ve always been around music, I just never found my main interest. Then I started getting into electronic music around October 2011, and it sparked my interest.”

Jensen has a SoundCloud account to showcase his mixes and can be found on YouTube. He’s looking at colleges that offer courses in mixing and mastering music, but hasn’t made a decision. “I never really knew what I wanted to do, but then I found it was music, and nothing else,” he said.

The segue will be his senior prom.

And as for that date? “I’ll see her before and after,” he said. “But if I can sneak a dance in there, I might.”

Want to know more?

Find out more about Zach Jensen’s music online at soundcloud.com/zach
jensen.

To contact him about DJ’ing an event, visit www.djbabyj.com and click on Booking.

Sixth-grade A Honor Roll: Samantha Bartlein, Amanda Berry, Celeste Borman, Abigail Campbell, Beck Classey, Caela Collichio, Grace Debaun, Taylor Dillingham, Leanna Ellis, Ryan Gilbert, Sierra Gilley, Emani Hall, Jillian Herrick, Chase Hines, Albert Holmes IV, Sara Kalinowski, Grace Kinsch, Leila Littleton, Jacob Lovingood, Ramiro Martinez-Jaime, Lindsay Mills, Kathryn Moolenaar, Grace Morris, Trinidy Napier, Scott Noftsger, Katherine Parsons, Cierra Patterson, Dimonte Patterson, Shelby Poole, Hunter Richards, Madison Ross, Carrie Simpson, Stonewall Sisk, Gillian Smith, Grace Smith, Emily Stolzenbach, Richard Stone, Kimberly Sullivan, Emillie Thee, Dylan Tierney, Isaac Walker, Riley Watkins, Bailey Willis, Taylor Wind, Madison Woodard, Jericho Yantz and Joseph Zimmerman.

Sixth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Blake Alexander, Justin Bennett, Nathanial Berkland, Jordyn Blake, Taylor Boswell, Taylor Buchanan, Tanner Burns, Crosby Carpenter, Megan Carroll, Michael Christman, John Collins, Morghan Cooke, Nicholas Crunden, Sebastian Cunningham, Caroline Danese, Mason Daus, Vincent Dechico, Savannah Deese, Noah Dellinger, Riley Dellinger, Ryan Dukats, Tatum Earwood, Senuri Fernando, Annika Gemberling, Robert Goodwin, Maggie Grey, Kaylee Guerra, Ashley Harrison, Colby Hilty, Amber Holcomb, Cameron Holland, Hunter Huffstetler, Parker Hurst, Mallie Jarrett, Alyssa Johnson, Destiny Johnson, Sara Kensler, Jordan Koman, Dylan Kraus, Kaylee Lancaster, Coleson Leach, Amanda Lee, Quinden Logan, Maria Lorezca, Jedi Lykins, Haley Maki, Ryan Matz, Caira McClain, Brian McGuirt, Hannah Mcgirt, Charlene Meyer, Sarah Michael, Grace Morris, Claudia Nixon, Madison Nulty, Evan Pawlowski, Sophie Pelletier, Savannah Peyton, Madison Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Johnny Pike, Kayleigh Pless, Brittany Renegar, Felicity Renegar, Ethan Runyan, Haley Schmidt, Chantz Scott, Coleman Sheppard, Sawyer Shultz, Presleigh Sintoni, Conner Smith IV, Ashley Smith, Bryant Sparks, Joseph Stephens, Jacob Sudduth, Heather Summerville, Carrie Suttle, Mary Tomberlin, Lucas Tucker, Emily Von Dohlen, Reagan Wallace, Miranda Wylie, Amberlee Xiong and Maddison Yates.

Seventh-grade A Honor Roll: Shelby Auvil, Hoke Ballard, Johnathon Biagi, Hailey Black, Ashley Blackwell, Nicholas Branch, Delanghy Burke, Alec Burleson, Danielle Colannino, Madison Cox, MacKenzie Cristino, Mikayla Cristino, Jacob Dallin, Jonathan Dellinger, Jerrik Graham, Joshua Greene, Alexis Griffin, Madison Hatfield, Katelyn Henning, McKenzie Kelly, Sinclair Killian, Autumn Koehler, Kali Krehnbrink, Mikayla Lockman, Allison Martin, Caitlin Mason, Frances Massey, Jacob Massey, Joshua Massey, Malinda Massey, Samantha Mozina, Shannon Osburn, Samuel Penninger, Hunter Riegel, Christopher Roberts, Claudia Sisk, Carolyn Smiley, Connor Smith, Noah Smith, Mary Wilson and Luke Zirkle.

Seventh-grade A/B Honor Roll: Evan Barrineau, Zachary Biagi, Kassi Birmingham, Allison Blalock, Savannah Byus, Justin Carver, Zackery Carver, Trevor Childers, Ryan Croat, Alyssa Dale, Savannah DeMao, Sally Dixon, Mary Douthit, Jacob Engbarth, Caitlin Estes, Natalie Forouzad, Hannah Hallman, Carrie Harmon, Sydney Hatfield, Jordan Helton, Zachery Hester, Jonathan Hoyle, Rebecca Hughes, Ashley Hunter, Keyuanna Jackson, Telejakalia Johnson, Mason Keziah, Anna Kotlinski, Emma Lambeck, Jennifer Lee, Shannon Luckman, Maria Martinez, Chandler Mateka, Taylor Michel, Austin Moore, Shannon Osburn, Joshua Parker, Sky Parra, Kaley Reel, Marsha Saine, Malik Shakir, Brooklyn Sikes, Jared Smith, Jordan Spicola, Cameron Stalvey, Cassidy Tetreault, Concepcion Thao, Savanna Thomas, Quinlan Thompson, Eboni Tinsley, Maeven Turner, Tori Tyner, Katarina Vanderbilt, Jesse Waldrop, Brittany Whitley and Lexie Windell.

Eighth-grade A Honor Roll: Erin Atkinson, Savannah Bennett, Taylor Braswell, Candace Burgin, Audrey Cardwell, Tyler Carver, Zackery Clark, Samantha Cook, Mackenzie Crocker, Sydney Dowdy, Kaelyn Edwards, Jaxson Floberg, Magdalyn Foley, Alyssa Fuller, Brendan Gallagher, Caroline Golightly, Mariah Graham, Hope Hanna, Madison Herman, Alix Howard, Macey Johnston, Daniel Kosmala, Rachael Lindsay, Lucas Marcinko, Raven McCorkle, Tyler McCutchan, Emily Michael, Nicholas Quigley, Kaitlin Shacklette, Brett Shanklin, Karilynn Smith, Kelsey Smith, Aylin Solorzano, Brock Sparks, Mallory Thrall, Jared VanHee, Madeline Woodie and Cristina Wylie.

Eighth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Elizabeth Antonio-Serrano, Alyssa Atwell, Robert Bacon, Coleton Banks, John Bennett, Cort Birmingham, Travis Bowman, Ryan Carsley, Dallas Carter, Caroline Childress, Issac Christenbury, Christopher Cox, Sammie Cunningham Jr, Matthew Davis, Cody Dillingham, Hayden Duggins, Sara Dunn, Tiffany Frye, Madison Geerken, Madison Gibson, Weston Gibson, Chrissah Glenn, Savannah Gunnels, Kristopher Harris-Pitton, Torey Haynes, Susan Hedger, Autumn Holt, Kassi Huffman, Andrew Jones, Brandi Jones, Asia Knox, Kassidy Kowchefski, Lucas Lambeck, Austin Linkous, Nicholas Loftin, Forest Lowry, Carly Manlove, Lydia Martin, Justine Martinescu, Daniel Mathis, Chase McElroy, Payton Mills, Daniel Mulcahy, Cindy Nguyen, Taylor Nichols, Heidi Parker, Tristan Pike, Nicholas Pless, Sophia Reiter, Luke Rogers, Alexzander Rudolph, Morgan Shipp, Carly Skerlak, Jessica Sowards, Blake Strupp, Jessica Thibault, Lea Thompson, Sarah Thompson, Colby Turner, Lauren VanHee, Amber Villanueva, Gabrielle Villarreal, Tyler Vinson, Christopher Vondohlen and Chandler Williams.

by Courtney Price

Newt Gingrich, presidential candidate and former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, speaks to students and parents at Lincoln Charter School in Denver. (Seth Mabry/DW photo)

DENVER – If your teacher told you to memorize the Declaration of Independence, you might work a little harder knowing you’ll recite it to a man who’s running for president.

Fourth-graders at Lincoln Charter School did just that Wednesday, April 25, when former U.S. House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich visited Denver. The students recited the preamble to the Constitution, Patrick Henry’s speech, the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address and all the presidents of the U.S.

“That was a remarkable performance,” Gingrich told fourth-graders afterward. “You should be proud of it.”

Taking a break from the national campaign-themed speeches, Gingrich, a former educator, avoided politics in his chat with students.

Instead, he encouraged students, teachers, parents and guests to dream big, work hard, learn every day, enjoy life and be true to yourself – points outlined in “5 Principles for a Successful Life,” which he co-authored with his daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman.

“I don’t care what you dream big about, but that you have the courage to think of a version of yourself that is bigger,” he said.

Newt Gingrich, a former history teacher, takes a few minutes to talk to the Lincoln Charter School Advanced Placement civics class during his visit Wednesday, April 25. (Courtesy of Melissa Lasarsky)

Gingrich pointed to the Wright brothers’ attempts to build the first airplane as a teachable moment. Failure is a part of success, he said.

“You’re going to find yourself learning all your life. The Wright brothers failed 500 times before they succeeded,” he said. “But notice they dreamed big, worked hard and learned every day. And they failed every day.

“Look at the people who do really well. At some point in their lives they didn’t (do well),” he said.

Gingrich also congratulated Lincoln Charter School for its success, particularly after noting photos of seniors and the colleges they plan to attend.

“You have a wonderful opportunity to go to a school that cares about who you are as a person,” he said.

Madeleine Tilley, Alex Proulx and Sara Santiago, all ninth-graders, said it was “really cool” to have someone like Gingrich take the time to talk to them.

“He was so inspiring,” Madeleine said. “He inspired us to dream bigger and work harder in school.”

The girls said they expect to be talking about the visit in their classrooms for a while.

“There’s so much to talk about,” Alex said.

She said she was most impressed by the fact that he spoke to her like she was an adult, not a child.

“He was talking to everyone in the room – students, parents and teachers,” Alex said.

State Republican Party Vice Chairman Wayne King said Lincoln Charter made for a great stop in Lincoln County.

“The folks at Lincoln Charter have done a fabulous job in making educational opportunities for young people,” King said. “I believe it’s important for people like Newt Gingrich to see how North Carolina has made great strides in education. They’ve had tremendous success.”

The second-grade team, the Problem Solvers, work out a math question.

DENVER – Lincoln Charter School hosted a Mini Mathfest on Saturday, April 21, welcoming students from Mountain Island Charter, Community School of Davidson and Pine Lake Preparatory School to compete in math challenges.

Here’s how Lincoln Charter students fared in team and individual competitions:

Second-grade teams:  The Super Solvers Team consisting of: Sam Shelton, Daniel Moazzami, Sidney Nance and Sujay Patel earned first place.

Fourth-grade individuals: Jacob Hawkins earned third place.

Fifth-grade teams: The Calculus 5 Team consisting of:Madelyn Heintz, Natalie Tilley, Nick Moyer, Regan Peterson and Zach Horton earned second place.

The first-grade team, which included Tyler Hebner, Kayla Rabalais and Olivia Lesniak, holds up their answers.

Fifth-grade individuals: Nick Moyer earned second place.

Sixth-grade teams: Kenny Schild, Grace Lasarsky, Jackson Law, Ashton Willis and Grant Swicegood won first place. (Photos courtesy of Mike Hartshorne)

First and second graders from Lincoln Charter, Mountain Island Charter, Community School of Davidson and Pine Lake Preparatory School compete in individual and team competitions.

The second-grade Problem Solvers team took first place. The team included, from left, Chandler Rabalais, Will Perryman, Francesca Cavallaro, Emma Lohri and Marina Nichols.

LINCOLNTON – Lincoln County Schools will ask county leaders for at least an additional $158,000 next school year.

Steve Zickefoose, assistant superintendent for business, told the Board of Education on Monday, April 16, that a state-mandated increase to state employee benefits will cost the school system $158,080. The state will not give the school system more money to pay for that increase, and with no independent source for generating revenue, the schools must choose to make budget cuts or ask for more money from the county.

After years of trimming bits from other parts of the budget, Zickefoose said it’s going to be tough this year to save all classroom positions.

“It’s going to eventually impact personnel. We’ve tried to keep that at an absolute minimum,” he said.

The $158,080 request only addresses the benefits increase. Zickefoose said he expects to need more money for utilities and fuel next year, and the school system could need another $185,000 to cover those costs.

Board Member Tommy Houser wanted to see all those costs passed on to the county.

“I wouldn’t be afraid to ask for what we need for our boys and girls,” Houser said. “(Commissioners) can’t do anything but say no.”

Instead the Budget And Finance Committee Chairman Bob Silver urged other board members to ask county leaders for just the $158,080, with the understanding that the district will return to ask for more once the state General Assembly passes the 2012-13 budget in the summer.

One of the largest unknowns in the budget is the cost for fuel. At the beginning of this school year, Transportation Director Eric Eaker reported the district was paying $3.02 per gallon of diesel fuel. By March that cost had risen to $3.39 per gallon. The state pays for about $2.71 per gallon.

Using roughly 7,500 gallons every eight to 10 days, Eaker said that cost adds up quickly.

“This is one of the areas where you’re going to pay for it,” Zickefoose said. “We will have to look for additional money.”

But without a more concrete estimate of the price of gas, Zickefoose and Silver want to only ask for the known costs upfront and return to the Board of Commissioners with another request after the state passes its budget. The school board approved that recommendation at its Wednesday, April 18, meeting.

Some areas of the state education budget that could cause changes or cuts in Lincoln County include:

• Teaching assistants: Overall the county will have to look at the possibility of eliminating 22 teaching assistant positions. Zickefoose told board members Monday that he’s identified ways to save 10 of those positions, but is still looking for ways to handle the others.

Hoyle said administrators are looking at the possibility of simply not filling positions when some employees retire. If that’s the case, the county will have fewer assistants for classrooms, but none of the current employees would lose a job.

• Children with disabilities: Lincoln County will receive less state money next year to help cover the cost of special needs education.

“We have fewer (disabled) students projected for next year than we have this year,” Zickefoose said. Fewer students means less money from the state – about $89,000 less. Coupled with the employee benefits increase, the department is looking at a shortfall next year of $161,000.

School administrators said they plan to meet with the special needs department to develop a plan.

• Driver education: The state reduced funding to Lincoln County by about $9,000 for the 2012-13 school year. Zickefoose said he’s still looking at options.

“It may come to having to charge for some of those services,” he said. “The state allows us to charge up to $45 per student.”

The county also has a part-time position for driver education, and the hours for that position could be adjusted.

Schools to recognize outstanding employees

Lincoln County Schools will honor Rock Springs Elementary School Principal Rhonda Harrill as Principal of the Year at a reception in May. Harrill’s peers selected her to receive the award.

The district will also announce the Assistant Principal of the Year, Bus Driver of the Year, Classified Employee of the Year, Counselor of the Year, Media Coordinator of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Volunteer of the Year at the reception.

Ninth-grade A Honor Roll: Sophia Bhalla, Danielle Fowler, Bethany Gass, Mary Beth Griggs, Madison Haney, Erin Hoover, Kyra Johnson, Katelyn King, Connor Kirkpatrick, Cole Prommel, Colin Ray, Nathaniel Scoggins and Madeleine Tilley.

Ninth-grade A/B Honor Roll: Jesse Cason, Betty Cavin, Tionte Conner-Fleming, Austin Cronin, Matthew Dodge, Caitlyn Edwards, Aimee Ethridge, Matthew Groff, Lindsey Hager, Megan Hawkins, Kayla Helms, Kaylea Hudson, Halla Jackson, Sarah Jarrett, Hailey Johnston, Caleb Kinley, Dakota Kuczenski, Jaylan Lewis, Kenneth Lowe, Emma McCranie, Payton Mensch, Brittany Miller, Anthony Padilla, Alexandra Proulx, Laurel Roser, Madisyn Simpson, Alyssa Smit, Jordan Taylor, Sabrina Twery, Bryar Westveer, Makenna Westveer, Jayson Wilkins and Abigale Yarber.

10th-grade A Honor Roll: Chase Ballard, Daniel Cary, Alexis Clark, Hannah Dent, Sidney Garman, Emily Gilbert, Victoria Jackson, Erin Marshall, Hunter Mullis and Madison Rex.

10th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Skye Allan, Veronica Allen, Kaitlynn Ashby, Evan Brown, Hayley Carpenter, Ethan Cato, Amanda Catoe, Lindsey Cline, Victoria Cobb, Anna Cunningham, Katherine Doyle, Ryan Ellis, Victoria Gibson, Leah Griffin, Katherine Hart, Christopher Hartman, Sarah Haywood, Christian Hilty, Angela Hoyt, Megan Itara, Ashton Johnston, Ashton Laney, Andrew Lappin, Pansy Lee, Jordan Miller, Ellen Minaudo, Kari Mullis, Caylon Nagy, Gabriella Padua, Malakai Partridge, Cynthia Perez, Kristen Schalk, Kaitlin Schreiner, Nicholas Stroupe, Brittany Uteck, Austin Wagner, Josie Weber, Bailey Welch, Austin Woodward, Emma Wright and John Christian Zientek.

11th-grade A Honor Roll: Macy Bell, Zachary Bluhm, Kaycee Gass, Natalie Green, Ryley Harbour and Jazra Standley.

11th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Maitland Allen, Hunter Baker, Kristopher Brown, Mary Canipe, Ashley Cline, Morgan Cook, Jordan Cummins, Asia DaCosta, Audrey Deese, Megan Depalmo, Hunter Dodson, Chase Eklund, Mark Fowler II, Taylor France, Katrina Gamble, Ashley Helms, Kayla Helms, Kailey Hinds, Jada Johnson, Elizabeth Joy, Logan Kendrick, Sarah Kenley, Rachel Leite, Joseph Redmond Jr., Christie Rhames, David Scoggins, Kaley Skantz, Breiyanna Stevermer, Seth Vanderwerken and Seth Whitener.

12th-grade A Honor Roll: Ryker Andrews, Matthew Doyle, Michelle Gavel, Cameron Lisy, Patrick Long and Quentin Williams.

12th-grade A/B Honor Roll: Genevieve Allan, Devin Browning, Victor Griffin, Emily Harrill, Emily Hawkins, Amanda Krawiec, Ashley Lanham, Laurissa Laudenslager, Carter Long, Kathryn McDonald, Eli McGalliard, Caitlin Mullis, Kersten Nagy, Tiffany Nelson, Diamelen Partridge, Nicholas Pezzeca, Hannah Plyler, Juan Santiago, Adam Stainback, Anna Suggs, Wayne Turner Jr., John Walsh and Taylor Wingate.