The Substitute Teachers Association of Wake County will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at Red, Hot and Blue, 6615 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh. RSVP to stawakecounty@gmail.com.

Apex High to present musical

Apex High School’s Peak Players will present the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1; and Thursday, March 7, through Saturday, March 9. A special “Raise the Curtain” fundraiser show will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2. All proceeds will go to new theater curtains and hardware. For tickets, visit www.apexdrama.com.

Vote for favorite books

In March, Wake County Public Libraries will participate in a statewide election to choose the 2013 North Carolina Children’s Book Award winners. School-age children may vote for their favorite book from a list of nominees in two categories: the Picture Book Award and the Junior Book Award. Children who read a minimum of five titles from the lists may cast a ballot at any Wake County public library. The winning titles will be announced in April.

For a list of 2013 nominees, visit www.wakegov.com/libraries/kids.

Mills Park family night

Mills Park Middle School will host its Mills Madness Family Night from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. Friday, March 1. There will be a students and faculty basketball competition; performances by the Lyric Ensemble, jazz band, Spotlight Theatre and the Leaping Leopards; an art show; games; raffle baskets; food and face painting.

StreetSafe driving program

Green Hope High School will host the StreetSafe Life Saving Driving Experience program from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Road, Cary. The nonprofit program offers a hands-on driving session taught by police and fire personnel designed to make teens safer and more responsible on the road. Registration is $30. Parents are required to attend the first hour of the program, and students must have some driving experience. To register, click on “Enroll Now,” then “Life-Saving Driving Experience” and scroll down to “Green Hope High/ Cary, NC” at www.streetsafeus.com. For information, call 910-612-9030 or email kim@streetsafeus.com.

Grace Christian School students win at spelling bee

Grace Christian School hosted the ACSI District 3 Spelling Bee on Feb. 8. Students competed in first through eighth grades, with each of the six participating schools sending four spellers for each grade. The top four spellers in each grade received awards. Grace students won 18 of the 32 grade-level awards.

Grade-level winners in the fifth through eighth grades competed in a “spell-off.” Of the 16 spellers who qualified, nine were students from Grace Christian School. Additionally, the school claimed the top four spots from the spell-off and will send the following four students to the regional competition in Atlanta: Morgan Duer, eighth grade, first place; Sami Lane, seventh grade, second place; Ryan Kelley, seventh grade, third place; and Timothy Edwards, sixth grade, fourth place.

The top four winners at the regional spelling bee will participate in the ACSI National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

Chesterbrook Academy awarded five-star rating

Chesterbrook Academy in Cary, an early child care development and education center serving children ages six weeks to 5 years, has received a five-star rating from the North Carolina Star Rated Licensing Program. The five-star rating is the highest rating given by the program to a child care facility in North Carolina. The star rating is based on an official state evaluation that assesses all eligible child care facilities on staff education and program standards.

Athletic Hall of Fame dinner

The Middle Creek High School Athletic Hall Of Fame induction dinner will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the McKimmon Center at N.C. State University. Tickets are $25 each and are available at the Middle Creek High School front office, through the Middle Creek High School Stampede Club website or from any Stampede Club member.

Teen Poetry Contest

Wake County Public Libraries will host the annual Teen Poetry Contest for young aspiring poets from Friday, March 15, to Tuesday, April 30. Teens in grades six through 12 are invited to submit up to three original poems for the contest. A winner will be announced in early May in each of four categories: sixth grade, seventh-eighth grade, ninth-10th grade and 11th-12th grade. Winner will be honored with a reception and a trophy and invited to read their winning poems. For online submissions and entry guidelines, visit www.wakegov.com/libraries/kids.

Holly Grove PTA

Holly Grove Elementary School is seeking nominations for next year’s PTA executive board. Nominations are being accepted for president, first vice president, vice president of membership, vice president of services, vice president of fundraising, vice president of communications, treasurer and secretary. You can nominate yourself or someone you know. Email hgptacommunication@yahoo.com.