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Norbel School Promotes Responsibility and Awareness on Earth Day 
Elkridge- On Thursday April 22, the students will celebrate Earth Day with a variety of events and activities. The lower school, which includes grades one through eight, recycled used egg cartons to make planters and planted a wild flower garden on the school grounds. The High School hosted a 3 R discussion; reduce, reuse and recycle. They then spent the afternoon outside cleaning up the school grounds. Norbel's science teacher, Mr. Edwin Guevara explained Norbel's teaching philosophy, "Students learn best when they actively participate in the learning process. Classroom lessons about the environment are important but "hands on" activities, like planting a garden, are the real classroom." Mr. Guevara added, "The "hands on green" activities also build pride and a sense of community, which are vital to the students overall development." 
Norbel is a non-profit school located in Elkridge, Maryland. Norbel educates bright students with learning challenges and provides a strong foundation for students to develop into well-rounded and successful individuals. Norbel teaches citizenship and requires students to become responsible community members. Students take ownership of their community when they participate in activities like taking care of the school gardens and grounds. The Earth Day "green" lessons are wonderful examples of Norbel's educational philosophy of building community responsibility, environmental awareness, and teamwork. A win-win for all involved. For more information, contact Krys Renzi. To learn more about Norbel School visit www.norbelschool.org. Norbel School in the Howard County Times On November 5, 2009, the Howard County Times published an article about Norbel High School's student newspaper, The Norbel Spy. Congratulations to Mrs. Nancy Feldman, newspaper advisor, and the entire Spy staff on this recognition! 
Read the full article in .pdf format here! Norbel School in the Examiner Please read Meredith Bower's article on schools for children with Dyslexia in the Baltimore Private School Examiner. Norbel is mentioned as a school where children can receive support for Dyslexia as well as other disabilities. The article states: Norbel's educational and social framework is continuously adapted to meet the students' individual needs. Students come to understand their own learning style, how to take advantage of their strengths and how to self-advocate. Students with learning differences quickly learn that these differences are not barriers to success, but rather traits that they must embrace in order to succeed in school and life.Thank you, Meredith, for including Norbel in your article! Read the full article here: LOMBARDI'S WAY: Educating for a Difference ~
March 28, 2009 On Friday I had the distinct privilege to speak to the high school students at Norbel School during their career day. Norbel for those who aren’t aware, is a private, non-profit school serving children in grades 1-12 with average to gifted intelligence. Some have speech and language disabilities while others are challenged by specific learning differences. In some cases disorders stem from autism. 
The theme of my presentation centered upon the pursuit of dreams and attacking life with passion. I encouraged the kids to take their education seriously and to enjoy their days at Norbel. I reminded them that education provides career options but when they finish school and choose a career path choose one that you love so much that you’d do it for free. Combining talent with passion is a recipe for success.We’ve heard it before that excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude and what better way to have the right attitude than to pursue something that you love? Naturally with the pursuit of excellence there are obstacles that stand in the way. These obstacles are wide ranging because we are all not built the same. Norbel recognizes this and as a result they advance their students in less traditional ways as they prepare them to tackle life’s challenges. 
One of the students asked what I would recommend to someone who lacks the confidence to pursue their dreams. In an instant, thoughts raced through my mind during my momentary pause. I thought of this special school, its special students and this young man whose eyes told me that he really needed the right answer. And then for some inexplicable reason I thought of John Harbaugh and his own set of obstacles that he faced entering the 2008 season. That pause hung like an eternity! We’ve all had experiences when a split second played out like slow motion in our minds only. This was one of those moments for me. I eventually responded to the boy and encouraged him to set achievable goals – to take baby steps. I asked him to envision his goal at the top of a ladder and to get there he needed to attack the ladder one rung at a time. Perhaps early on he should take his time with that first rung and with newfound confidence, attack the second and third and so forth. Soon, those baby steps graduate to leaps and bounds and before long soaring confidence and esteem combine to bring achievement within reach. This morning I awoke with that boy on my mind again. I hope that in a small way I reached him. I hope he finds the courage to take on that first rung and ultimately his goal, his dream. My goal yesterday was to inspire and hopefully make a difference in the life of one child. It remains to be seen if I was successful. I can tell you that even if I didn’t inspire I was inspired. These children with their interest, attentiveness and questions managed to inspire and challenge me. They forced me to reflect upon other things and events that emotionally moved me and touched my soul. One such event was Jimmy Valvano’s speech during the 1993 ESPY Awards (video below). Take 11 minutes and watch Jimmy and absorb his message. It will resonate with you forever just as yesterday afternoon will for me. I want to thank Krys Renzi, Krystal Henderson, Sharon DellaRose and the entire staff of Norbel for inviting me into their unique and beautiful world of learning. Your credo, “Educating for a difference” couldn’t be more appropriate or true. Your students are fortunate to have you and all of us will be fortunate when you unleash those graduating students upon the world. I know. I am speaking from experience. Tony Lombardi is founder of and a contributor to http://www.profootball24x7.com/. To view Mr. Lombardi's original article, please visit http://www.profootball24x7.com/column_view.php?cid=1&id=3340&view=archive. |
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