High Performing Schools Workshops planned
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SAFETY ISSUES will highlight two community workshops for the East Valley School District. The district has scheduled the High Performing Schools Workshop community meetings in early February. People interested in participating need to enroll with the district before the workshop dates.
The first academic focus workshop is set to run 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Trent Elementary, 3303 N. Pines Road. This discussion will cover the newly created Certificate of Academic Achievement and how volunteers can help schools reach educational goals. Workshop participants will break into smaller groups to give input on two topic questions.
On Feb. 9, another workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Trent Elementary will discuss school safety. Those involved will discuss measures already taken, emergency preparedness, district maintenance and how to best use district funds to ensure safe schools in the future.
All participants for one or both of the workshops need to enroll. For more information or to register for a workshop meeting, call 924-1830.
Student puts selves on the map
Evergreen Middle School student Sean Curry has shown he knows some facts about the world around him. Last week, he won his school’s Geography Bee, placing him in competition for the national championship.
Curry, a seventh-grader, gave the correct answer of Israel for a tie-breaker question in the school-level competition against another finalist, sixth-grader Scott Bischoff. The question was, “In 2002, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved construction to begin on a controversial barrier in an effort to improve security in which Middle Eastern country?”
Curry now will take a written test. Up to 100 top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in their state Geography Bee on April 1.
The Jan. 13 Geography Bee at Evergreen had students answering verbal questions as the first round in the 17th National Geographic Bee. Thousands of schools around the nation participate.
The National Geographic Society provides an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state champions and teacher-escorts to participate in the National Geographic Bee championship May 24-25. The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and a lifetime Society membership.
“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek will moderate on May 25. The program will air on the National Geographic Channel, and afterward, on public television stations.
Anyone can brush up on geography with GeoBee Challenge, an online geography quiz at www.nationalgeographic.com /geobee. The National Geographic Society, which sponsors the Bee, is the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization.
Farewell reception for Craig Holmes
A farewell reception for outgoing Central Valley School District board member Craig Holmes is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at University High School, 12420 E. 32nd Ave.
Students, parents, staff and community members are encouraged to attend. Guests will be invited to voice their appreciation for Holmes’ 10 years of community service during an informal program scheduled at 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Holmes served as a school board member from 1995 to 2005. He resigned on Jan. 10. For more information about the reception, call 228-5405.
EV students honored for inspirations
Three East Valley High School students recently were awarded national recognition: the 2004 Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Special Achievement Award.
The students – John Marlow, Steven Tate and Emerson Fulton, also traveled to Washington, D.C., this past month to participate in the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium.
The students started the air quality project while they were eighth-grade students at East Valley Middle School. Now sophomores, they worked on the research under the guidance of EVMS teacher Shannon Stookey.
“I think ours was the first to involve students,” Stookey said, adding that the students did the project as an independent study. “Others were done by districts. The kids did all the research outside of school time.”
Superintendent Michael Jones heard about the Indoor Air Quality project through the American Association of School Administrators, working in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency. Jones received a $6,000 grant for the district’s research and encouraged a student approach to find low- and no-cost ways to improve indoor air quality.
Marlow, Tate and Fulton created a notebook with research and also presented ideas to the East Valley School District Board. One significant find was identifying a vacuum that more effectively cleaned carpets: a newer backpack model. Their report offered several other recommendations.