Story links to this year's conference, regional and state track and field championships. The Southeast Raleigh girls and Knightdale boys were 4A champs, while the Cedar Ridge boys and Carrboro girls were 2A champs.

N&O All-Metro Team: 15 boys, 15 girls make the all-area team
N&O Indoor Track Male Athlete of the Year: Jon Beyle, East Chapel Hill
N&O Indoor Track Female Athlete of the Year: Tyra Lea, Wakefield
N&O Outdoor Track Male Athlete of the Year: Marquavious Johnson, Knightdale
N&O Outdoor Track Female Athlete of the Year: Grace Morken, Carrboro

The Wake County school system is taking some more steps to address the concerns raised by Eastern Wake residents that not enough is being done to help schools in their area.

As noted in this article Wednesday in the Eastern Wake News, the school system will conduct curriculum audits at Hodge Road Elementary, Knightdale Elementary, East Wake Middle and Knightdale High School. The audits, which Wake will hire an outside company to perform, would cost between $15,000 to $20,000 per school.

These audits were proposed by Deputy Superintendent Cathy Moore at the Oct. 11 meeting of the school board's student achievement committee.

Wake County school administrators highlighted Thursday the various programs that are in place to provide unique academic offerings to the district's schools.

Historically, the magnet schools program has been the way that Wake schools have been beefed up academically. But during Thursday's school board student achievement committee meeting, staff highlighted the STEM schools, the Global Schools, early colleges, Renaissance Schools, K-8 academy, career academies and Title I program.

In a perhaps symbolic decision, the magnet programs office has been renamed magnet and curriculum enhancement.

Is the Wake County school system letting Knightdale's schools down?

As noted in today's article, speakers at Tuesday's school board meeting complained that the school system has not done enough over the years to help improve the academic situation in Knightdale. The words got both harsh and impassioned.

At the same time, school administrators and board members say they're trying to find ways to help schools in the town.

Six Wake County schools will benefit from a new education program launched by LEGO Education that will promote the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concept.

LEGO Education North America and the Education Blueprint Association are giving the Wake County school system two $40,000 grants with the district providing a matching $80,000. Wake is receiving two of the 14 regional centers for the LEGO Smart Schools program.

The money will allow three Raleigh schools (Combs Elementary, Centennial Campus Middle and Athens Drive High) and three Knightdale schools (Hodge Road Elementary, East Wake Middle and Knightdale High) to receive special hands-on programs from LEGO.

More details about what the schools will receive will be unveiled at a presentation this morning at Combs.

Garner's boys and Southeast Raleigh's girls made a statement by backing up their Greater Neuse River 4A Conference regular-season basketball championships with conference tournament titles.

But Garner's didn't come easy, needing a buzzer-beater to defeat Clayton. Read the story on both games by clicking here.

Photo gallery from boys title game between Garner and Clayton

Photo gallery from girls title game between Southeast Raleigh and East Wake

*Updated thru Thursday's games*

Here's a condensed recap of today's press conference held by Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata.

Tata said his staff will work through the weekend to be able to present at Tuesday's school board meeting the impact of making adjustments to the feeder patterns. He didn't go into specifics but said they're addressing some areas of concern that have been raised.

Tata said they'll also present info on the feasibility of making changes such as raising student achievement over proximity in the selection process and setting aside 15 percent of the seats at the high-performing regional choice schools for applicants from low-performing areas.

The girls golfer of the year in the Greater Neuse River Conference is Smithfield-Selma's Brittany Talton.

East Wake puts seven players on Greater Neuse all-conference soccer team.

Southeast Raleigh quarterback David Washington is named the Greater Neuse 4A Conference football player of the year.