Debora Collins This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. DailyProgress.com - Raising the bar

   www.dailyprogress.com/news/arc - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/23/2002   Last Visited: 9/23/2002

   "There are some kids that are doing a nice job, and there are some kids we're worried about," said Debora Collins, Yancey's principal.
   
   Keeping hopes high, she said, is the school's primary goal.
   
   "That will come as people feel more positive about the success we're having," Collins said.
   
   Yancey has struggled to ensure pupils' academic success over the years. The school was singled out last month as the only one in Albemarle County not fully accredited through the Standards of Learning tests.
   
   Third-graders in particular had trouble, with less than 50 percent passing tests in English, math, history and science.
   
   In the first three subjects, pass rates fell more than 10 percent since last year.
   ...
   That's why Collins, the former principal of Red Hill Elementary, was placed at Yancey two years ago. Before, talk of friction among parents, teachers and administrators was common.
   
   Now, with several new teachers and the start of a new year, everyone seems happier.
   
   ...
   Collins instituted ELT at Red Hill, carrying the idea with her to Yancey when she saw that students' days were continually interrupted when they were pulled out of class for gifted and remedial education.
   
   Now, students who need speech therapy, for instance, or those in the gifted program leave class during ELT, while the students left back in class take on other projects.
   
   Third-graders are assigned an oral-history project, which will involve interviews with long-time Yancey residents.
   
   The Yancey Yarnspinners, a storytelling group for children, puts pupils in the spotlight, sometimes telling traditional tales at other schools.
   
   ...
   "They're very confident about this," Collins said. "It's spilling over."
   
   Students also are learning about computers, starting with kindergartners working on graphs.
   
   The computer work is designed to help students meet SOL requirements, but also to reach beyond the exams.

2. 2. DailyProgress.com | Nelson County names Collins superintendent

   www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/4/2003   Last Visited: 6/5/2003

   His wife, Debora Collins, is principal of Yancey Elementary in Albemarle.

3. 3. Scottsville, Virginia Chamber of Commerce

   www.scottsvilleva.com/newslett - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/9/2001   Last Visited: 6/30/2004

   Debora Collins, Principal