SCHOOL NEWS

Crismon Elementary
Sixth-graders in Janece Larson's class worked with Lisa Watkins' developmental preschool to make ornaments for our nation's Christmas tree. “It was a day of creativity and new friendships. Since the tree is from Arizona this year, they felt a special bond to each other and to their ornament project,” Larson said.

Jefferson Elementary
Pierre Dulaine, well-known dancer and instructor, taught fifth-grade boys and girls their first Dancing Classrooms lesson.

Dulaine’s program was made famous in “Mad Hot Ballroom,” a 2005 documentary, and a 2006 full-length feature film titled “Take the Lead,” starring Antonio Banderas. The program is designed to help young people with behavior, courtesy, self-respect, pride, grace and achievement.

Pierre Dulaine shows Jefferson students a “Karate Kid” move in his world-renowned Dancing Classrooms lesson.

Mesa High
Make your Thanksgiving reservation now for Mesa High Biotechnology Academy’s annual Smoked Turkey Roast fund raiser at 1630 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Turkeys must be dropped off at the Biotech Academy parking lot from 3 to 5:00 p.m. Nov. 25 and picked up from 6 to 7:30 a.m. Nov. 26. 

Turkeys must be thawed and unstuffed. The cost is $12 per turkey if it is wrapped three times in heavy-duty aluminum foil. A $5 charge will be added if it is unwrapped. Call Lacey Meadows, biotechnology paraprofessional, (480) 472-5794, to make your reservation and for more information.
 
Mountain View High
Christine Becker, business teacher, attended A Conversation With the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, sponsored by the ASU Alumni Association at the Arizona Biltmore.
 
Becker took O’Connor’s advice back to her students: “Be persistent. Don't give up. Keep going until you reach your dream." O’Connor added that to compete in today's job market, students must be creative and get their foot in the door somehow, perhaps by volunteering. Becker also came away with a treasured autograph in her copy of O’Connor’s book, “Finding Susie.”

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Christine Wilkinson and Christine Becker talk after the ASU event at the Arizona Biltmore. Wilkinson is senior vice president and secretary of ASU. She is also president of the ASU Alumni Association.

O’Connor Elementary
Order your Thanksgiving HoneyBaked ham or turkey now through Nov. 20 for pickup Nov. 25 on the campus at 4840 E. Adobe St., Mesa. Call (480) 472-7877 for information and an order form.

Porter Elementary
Angel Acosta Cruz, sixth-grader, opened the mail and found a report from President Obama. The class was participating in the Flat Stanley project. Children make a Flat Stanley (or a Flat Jessica) by tracing themselves on a large piece of paper and coloring the drawings to resemble themselves.

Flat Stanleys are sent to friends or relatives – or even the president. Those who receive Stanley take him wherever they go. Then they write to the students with a description of the places they visited. The project is named for the title character of a 1964 book by Jeff Brown. The lesson involves many subjects, including social studies, art and writing.

Red Mountain High
FFA service project
FFA members installed irrigation lines and filled a garden bed with compost at the preschool on their high school campus. They also created garden boxes at neighboring Salk Elementary. “These were great learning opportunities,” said Tyson Sorensen, FFA adviser.

“Now, their teachers will help the preschool and elementary students experience the fun and understand the importance of growing a variety of flowers, vegetables and succulents.

“FFA is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for leadership, personal growth and career success. FFA has been at Red Mountain High since it opened in 1988,”  Sorensen added.

FFA national competition
Red Mountain FFA represented Arizona at the national convention in October.

In nursery and landscape, Julio Rivera, Tori Payne, Brandon Walker and Jesus Lopez earned individual and team bronze medals.

In floriculture, Kelsey Clark, Ashley Myers, Holly Bennett and Laura Frear won a team silver medal. Kelsey and Ashley received individual silver medals; Laura and Holly, individual bronze medals.

Red Mountain won a 2-Star Award for excellence in chapter, community and student development. In addition, alumna Skye Robertson received her American Degree, the highest honor from FFA.

Tyson Sorensen, adviser, Skye Robertson, paraprofessional, and their FFA chapter officers accepted the 2-Star Award at the national convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

Rhodes Junior High
As a World Studies Academy, Rhodes develops partnerships with organizations such as the World Affairs Counsel of Arizona, through which the junior high hosts international visitors several times a year.

In October, Rhodes welcomed eight environmentalists from Syria on a U.S. Department of State trip via the International Visitor Leadership Program. They stopped by Rhodes to see how American schools teach environmental awareness and issues.

Activities included a school tour, classroom observations and a panel discussion on such topics as curriculum integration, sustainability, environmental awareness, pollution, resource protection, energy conservation, recycling, composting and landfills.

One afternoon at Rhodes was the only school visit on the Syrian itinerary Oct. 12-20. Throughout their stay in the United States, they learned about:

• raising environmental awareness among the Syrian general public
• how advocacy groups cooperate with local, state and federal governments
• the role of the media
• American society and culture

According to a U.S. Department of State overview, Syria is facing environmental challenges such as a decrease in natural vegetation, desertification, soil erosion, management of water resources, air pollution, marine water pollution, industrial waste, management of biodiverse areas and wildlife endangerment.

Nader Ghazi, Ayman Admad and Zuhir Hamdan chat with a Rhodes student about her Web design class and environmental sites on the Internet.

Salk Elementary
Fall 2009 grants and awards include:

• $50,000 from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Community for two tutors and an attendance program
• $1,350 from the Mesa Foundation for Educational Excellence for a SMART Board projector, a mentoring program and an after-school choir
• $1,000 from Walmart for teachers who serve on extra committees
• $25 from Costco for classroom use   

In addition, Stephanie Solis, fifth-grade teacher, was surprised by $1,000 worth of classroom furniture, equipment and supplies in Office Max’s Adopt a Classroom program.

Skyline High and Mountain View High
Business students at Mountain View High invited their counterparts from Skyline High to compete at Superstition Springs Mall. JC Penney, Sears, Styles for Less Arizona, Down East Basics and Westcor employees hosted and conducted the marketing events. 

The goal was for students to apply their knowledge and fine-tune their skills to prepare for district, state and international Distributive Education Clubs of America competitions later in the school year.

Skyline winners are:
- Restaurant Marketing: second, Melissa Collins; third, Nicole Larson
- Business Services: third, Carlos Hernandez
- Sports and Entertainment Marketing: first, Brody Swift
- Apparel and Accessories: first, Sabrina Rodriquez
- Automotive Services: second, Caleb Miller
- Retail Merchandising: third, Mercedes Flores

Mountain View winners are:
- Restaurant Merchandising: first, Cherish Clark; second, Eric Day
- Automotive Services: first, Kevin Ballentyne; third, Chaz Randall
- Apparel and Accessories: second, Andrew Perkinson; third, John Breyfogle
- Sports and Entertainment Marketing: second, Brandon Robertson; third, Eric McKay
- Business Services: first, Nate Bayless; second, Luke Helland
- Restaurant Marketing: first, Tessa Permadhy
- Marketing Management: first, Erin Allinder; second Daniel Day; third, Ricardo Luna

DECA is an international organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. Marketing classes are available in most high schools throughout the country and offer DECA as a co-curricular club. In addition to competing, DECA members conduct community service projects, host socials and attend leadership training conferences.

DECA advisers are Kathy Frommer, Mountain View, and Vicki Tolman, Skyline.
 
Stevenson Elementary
Each December, Gary Platt, music teacher, takes his Stevenson Stallion Choir and Band to perform at the Cielo Grande retirement community. Residents there nominated Gary for the Pay It Forward Contest sponsored by KPHO-TV. He was selected and featured on channel 5 Oct. 29. The station also donated $500 to the school’s music program.

Westwood High
FFA will sell a variety of poinsettias and amaryllis starting Dec. 1. Amaryllis are $10. Small poinsettias are $5; large poinsettias, $15. Call (480) 472-4590, or e-mail solarsen@mpsaz.org for more information or to place an order.

DISTRICT NEWS

Calendar
Nov. 24: School board meeting, 7 p.m., 549 N. Stapley Drive, Mesa
Nov. 15-21: American Education Week
Nov. 26-27: Thanksgiving break, no school

‘MPS Happenings’ TV show
“MPS Happenings” is a fast-paced show produced by the district’s Educational Television Department and anchored by high school students who cover the dynamic programs, people and places that make MPS special at every grade level. The November show features:

• the new Roar student magazine at Red Mountain High
• state-champion Westwood High cheerleaders
• Pierre Dulaine’s Dancing Classrooms program at Jefferson Elementary
• High Four Goals at Hawthorne Elementary – following directions; keeping objects, hands and feet to themselves; using positive language; and remembering the three R’s: ready, respect and responsibility
• Stevenson Elementary’s motto: “Respecful, Responsible and Safe”
• the Parent Involvement Community Center at Redbird Elementary
• Ishikawa Elementary’s Dragon Fest carnival
• family and consumer science classes
• the Community Health Education Connection for Kids (CHECK) Fair

“MPS Happenings” airs at 6 and 8 p.m. weekdays on channel 99. Watch on demand.

See state-champion Westwood Warrior cheerleaders practice on “MPS Happenings.” Then Ed-TV cameras follow them to the Marcos de Niza game. Chrystal Hernandez coaches the cheer squad.

Beat the Odds
Lincoln and Lowell elementaries earned Bronze Awards from Beat the Odds Institute for academic improvement. The awards mark major milestones in student achievement. Bronze status includes effectively implementing research-based leadership principles schoolwide, and receiving at least a “performing” AZ LEARNS label from the Arizona Department of Education for the 2008-09 school year.

Beat the Odds Institute, a nonprofit organization, is an initiative of the Center for the Future of Arizona. It offers training and support nationwide to help principals achieve better than expected academic performance in schools with mostly low-income, minority students.

School board awards
The school board and superintendent honored the district’s Employees of the Month and Volunteer of the Month at the Oct. 27 board meeting:

• Pattie Filsinger, instructional assistant, Zaharis Elementary
• Michael Garcia, English teacher and coordinator of the Advancement Via Individual Determination program, Mesa High
• Erin Reed, social studies teacher, Kino Junior High
• Yolanda Santillan, volunteer, Longfellow Elementary

Space missions
The district’s Space Integration Module program, a Boeing-MPS partnership, will be featured at the National Science Teachers Association regional conference in Phoenix in December. It will also be in the spotlight at the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston in February.

Colleen Howard, coordinator, and Karri West, specialist, are in charge of SIM, which features an orbiter, space station and mission control equipped with the latest technology. SIM provides sixth-graders throughout the district hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and math.