| |
Students choose from a variety of independent
studies, including subjects such as mechanical engineering,
Spanish, German, French, chemistry, robotics, and microscopes.
Students also take part in teacher-led science experiments, from
dissections, to NASA simulations, to roller coaster physics.
Additionally, students work together in teams and learn
collaborative strategies in order to complete Odyssey of the
Mind challenges. The Ashland SIGNET program also implements the
Hands-on-Equations program to teach fourth and fifth graders the
fundamentals of algebra. Over a period of two years, students
learn to manipulate simultaneous equations and to solve
problems involving integers. Students who complete the program
before the end of the two-year period begin a pre-algebra course, followed
by an introduction to Algebra I. |
 |
| |
When students are placed in SIGNET, they remain
in the program throughout high school. There is no need for
reevaluation in middle school.
The Ashland SIGNET teacher is Mrs.
Kimberly Mayne. Mrs. Mayne attended
Emory and Henry College in Abingdon, VA where she double-majored
in PreK-8 Education and Mass Communications and minored in
Creative Writing. While in college, she put her left foot to
good use as left fullback on the women’s soccer team. She also
worked in the Writing Center, wrote for the school paper, and
worked as a personal trainer. In 2002, she began her first
job in Forest, VA as a third grade teacher. After two
years, she moved back to Northern Virginia and taught third
grade for an additional two years. She enjoys being back in Prince William
County, where she was raised. As a child, Mrs. Mayne attended
Pattie Elementary, Graham Park Middle School, and Hylton High
School. She also enjoyed acting in many children’s musicals,
such as The Sound of Music, Annie, and Fiddler on the Roof.
Mrs.
Mayne began working in gifted education in 2006 and was given the
opportunity to create Ashland’s site-based SIGNET center.
She was married on May 4, 2007, and enjoyed a
relaxing honeymoon in Jamaica. In 2007, she received her
Master’s of Arts in Education from George Mason University. In addition to
teaching, she enjoys making time for family, fitness, hiking,
travel, and learning about interior decorating on HGTV. Click
the image below to email Mrs. Mayne. |
