The Herald Sun March 14, 2006

HEADLINE: Public education to be celebrated

DURHAM -- The Celebration of Education, Durham's annual event for business leaders, community members and educators to honor public education, will be held at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center, 201 Foster St.

The Durham Public Education Network will present three people with the Josephine Dobbs Clement Award for their leadership in improving public education in Durham.

This year's recipients are James M. Schooler Sr., former Durham public education principal, and James and Beth Maxwell, longtime Durham public schools volunteers.

Schools that met or exceeded the accountability standards for the 2004-05 school year will also be honored. More than 30 schools will be presented awards for their progress and excellence.

Three schools will receive the Closing the Gap Award, which honors growth in reading, writing and mathematics among at-risk students.The schools are community models for improving student achievement and making significant progress toward closing the achievement gaps, officials said.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $30 each and are available at the door or by calling 683-6503, ext. 228.

Come on out to TTA bus 'roadeo'
If you think driving a car on Interstate 40 is challenging, just imagine being behind the wheel of a 40-foot bus.

Triangle Transit Authority drivers will put their skills to the test Saturday morning at the TTA's inaugural bus "roadeo."

The free event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking area of the old EPA facility at the corner of T.W. Alexander Drive and N.C. 54. Fans are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

Using industry criteria, the judges will score drivers on the test track competition in several categories including turns, stopping, smoothness of operation and personal appearance. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Golden Corral on N.C. 55 in Durham.

Winners in each category will compete at the N.C. Public Transportation Roadeo on April 29-30 in Wilmington.

Finance planning topic at NCCU

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Genworth Financial Inc. will host the Pan Hellenic Financial Fortitude Challenge on Saturday in Durham to educate people on how to build personal wealth and financial security.

The session is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the School of Education building on Cecil Street at N.C. Central University. It is open to sorority members and their family and friends.

Topics will include goal setting, financial planning, budgeting, debt management, investments, retirement planning, insurance and homeownership as a way to create wealth.

Genworth Financial is an insurance holding company with more than 15 million customers in 24 countries.

Delta Sigma Theta, the nation's largest black sorority, conducts programs to promote human welfare.

For more information, contact Bernadette Watts of Delta Sigma Theta at 544-5947 or bernadette.watts@verizon.net; or Terry Souers, Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance, at 846-4459 or terry.souers@genworth.com.

Stoner photos chosen for show

Photographs by Ellen Stoner, an opticianry instructor at Durham Technical Community College, have been chosen for the N.C. Community College System President's Art Exhibit, which opens Thursday at the system's headquarters in Raleigh.

Stoner, a photographer, submitted a montage of four photos of a flower, showing it in different stages of blooming. The montage had been on display at Durham Tech's library.

This is the third year that Stoner's work has been selected for the juried exhibit. Her work will remain on display for a year in downtown Raleigh in the Caswell Building. In addition, one of

Stoner's photographs of rocking chairs from the President's Art Exhibit last year is on loan this year to the N.C. Department of Insurance. Stoner recently exhibited her work at the Chapel Hill Women's Center's 22nd annual juried art show and sale.

Her work is currently on display in the Durham Art Guild's animal photography exhibit through April 2. Her work is available at Through This Lens on East Chapel Hill Street in downtown Durham.