Future Interior Design Specialists

On Friday, March 23 students from Mrs. Huffman's and Mrs. Millsaps's classes went on a field trip. Interior Design 1 and Interior Design 2 students visited Paul Schumacher homes in Charlotte, NC. 

Students were able to see and work in the design studio, where they learned about layout and different house plans. This experience directly correlated with classroom learning related to floor plans, design and color scheme. 

Students also had the opportunity to learn about innovative ideas being included in new homes today. Students toured a variety of model homes and critiqued the different examples. 

The interior design courses are part of the Family and Consumer Sciences cluster of the ACHS Career and Technical Education program.  

Full Throttle Leadership - NCASC Convention Held at ACHS

Over the weekend of March 16-18, ACHS is hosting the NCASC State Convention. The North Carolina Association of Student Councils was founded in 1926 as an organization to promote student leadership and give students opportunities to interact with the democratic process and engage with other student leaders across the state of North Carolina. 

ACHS student council members, with guidance from adviser Kim Brown, organized activities for the convention. Students from across the state arrived at ACHS on Friday, March 16 and participated in skills sessions, aimed at improving leadership skills and promoting school programs, and council meetings. 

Full Throttle Leadership was the theme for this year's convention. Attendees were even welcomed by NASCAR drivers Harry Gant and Rex White. It was exciting! Alexander Central now holds the record for hosting the most NCASC State Conventions, all under the guidance and leadership of adviser Kim Brown.  

What Makes a Question Essential?

Teachers at AC are using essential questions to guide student learning. An essential question is a question that lies at the heart of a unit. They are being used in all subjects to stimulate thought and focus student attention. 

Most essential questions are not intended for an easy answer and most cannot be answered following one day of instruction. Instead, these questions encourage students to analyze content from a variety of activities and synthesize the information in order to answer the question. 

Often, essential questions encourage students to think of additional questions or connections to prior knowledge. Notice that these questions are different from questions asked during instruction because they capitalize on an overarching theme for several days of instructional activities. 

Essential questions are helpful for students because they are a visual reminder of the learning goals. When students see a question, they know what to do. They are working to answer the question. Based on curriculum standards, the essential questions represent the big idea that students will learn when a unit is complete.