Roanoke teacher is participant at summer workshop

Fishburn Park Elementary School teacher Matthew Newton was among the more than 100 educators from across the country and Canada to participate in Discovery Education's Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute.

According to a news release, the institute is a weeklong professional development and networking event that was held this summer in Burlington, Vt. The event features hands-on workshops to help teachers engage students and gives educators a chance to network and collaborate.

In a statement, Newton, who is a special education teacher at the Roanoke school, said he was honored to be selected to participate.

"Participating in this experience provided me a unique opportunity to connect with industry professionals and fellow educators and learn new strategies and techniques to keep my teaching skills sharp and further inspire and engage my students," he said in the statement.

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Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals are looking for the state's top youth volunteers.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created in 1995 to recognize students who volunteer.

The awards are given annually on the local, state and national level. State winners receive $1,000 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C.

"Prudential is proud to honor young people who contribute their time and talents to improving the communities around them," John Strangfeld, Prudential chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "We celebrate their service with hope that others will be inspired to follow their fine example."

Students in grades five through 12 who have made contributions to their communities through volunteer service in the past 12 months may apply.

Applications are due by Nov. 5 and can be found online at http://spirit.prudential.com and www.nassp.org/spirit.

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Maxine Austin-Casey is HopeTree Academy's new education administrator.

Austin-Casey, a former Salem City Schools teacher, has more than 30 years of experience in special education and degrees from Radford University and Virginia Tech, according a to news release from HopeTree Academy.

The academy serves at-risk youth who reside in one of HopeTree Family Services' programs and nonresidential students from the surrounding area. The academy provides alternatives for students outside of the traditional classroom setting.

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