Briefs October 16, 2008 Christine Parr County Teacher Of
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What’s Good in Education - Briefs October 16, 2008 A Publication of the William S. Hart Union High School District Vol. IX, No. 7 Christine Parr County Teacher of the Year Honoree Christine Parr, an English language development teacher at Placerita Junior High School, has been selected as one of 16 Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year, representing the profession’s “best of the best” in the largest honors competition for educators in the state. Selected by her peers at Placerita, Christine was chosen to represent the Hart District in County competition. L.A. County’s winners automatically advance with other county titlists from around the state to the California Teachers of the Year competition this fall. The state is scheduled to announce its five co-winners in November, and one of those state co- winners will be chosen to represent California in the National Teacher of the Year contest next spring. Christine was featured in an interview on NBC’s Telemundo Spanish-language station featuring her work with English learners and their families. Aronsky Named Business Teacher of Year Jeffrey Aronsky, business teacher at La Mesa Junior High School, has been named California Middle School Business Educator of the Year for 2007-08 by the California Business Education Association. Aronsky was selected for his outstanding and innovative contributions to business education both in his classroom and on the state and local levels. He brought the Stock Market Game to the Hart District over five years ago and has many local schools participating in the program. The game exposes students to the real business world while reinforcing math, reading, social studies and science skills. Aronsky will accept his award at the association’s annual conference in Napa this November. Aronsky also received the honor in 2005-06. Virtual Enterprise ‘Employees’ Trained Students in the new Virtual Enterprise class offered by the Hart District’s Regional Occupational Center joined more than 200 of their counterparts from across the state for a Virtual Enterprise student training recently at California State University, Bakersfield. Students attended sessions on creating a business financial plan, virtual banking, success in business structure, human resources, the corporate business plan and marketing. Acoustic Cakes & Apparel, the class’s new Virtual Enterprise company, will host a grand opening 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Golden Valley High School. The class operates as a company, creating a business and marketing plan and producing a virtual product which is then sold and traded with other Virtual Enterprise companies around the world. Classified Employees Honored Congratulations to the Hart District’s Classified Employees of the Year. Honorees include Sam Browning, Academy of the Canyons; Erica Galicia, Administrative Center; Rachel Villa, Arroyo Seco Junior High; Carol Kaericher, Bowman High; Donna Hettema, Canyon High; Sherrie Bagaus, Career Visions; Kathy Eiben, Early College High School; Beth Combs, Golden Oak Adult School; LeNette Moore, Golden Valley; Mick Canale, Hart High; Joe Mullin, La Mesa Junior High; Bill Sanders, Placerita Junior High; Patti Johnston, Rancho Pico Junior High; Patty Tucker, Rio Norte Junior High; Lorie Pecsi, Saugus High; Elaine Bingham, Sequoia Charter; Laura Shay, Sierra Vista Junior High; Kim Wilczynski, Valencia; and Mary Walsh, West Ranch. The recipients, selected by their colleagues at each site, received engraved awards and will be honored at a tribute luncheon Nov. 5 at Robinson Ranch. Man Pageant Raises Funds for Ugandan School Members of the Invisible Children of Uganda Club (ICU) at Valencia High School used a two-phase approach recently to raise funds and awareness for the plight of children in Uganda. More than 1300 Valencia students attended a series of morning assemblies featuring a documentary on students who traveled to Africa to participate firsthand in the rebuilding of Ugandan schools. The local ICU club earned more than $900 with a Man Pageant and is raising funds by recycling at football games, making and selling duct tape wallets and Uganda- themed holiday boutique items, and collecting change. Funds will be donated to ICU’s School to School program, which is currently working to restore latrines at a school in war-torn Uganda. The club also contacts legislators and is planning a demonstration in the campus quad to call attention to the plight of children and schools in Uganda. Peer Counselors Learn How to Lead Saugus High School Peer Leaders is a program in which secondary students are trained to help other students. The basic goals of the program are to help students become more sensitive to the needs of their peers and to help create a supportive and caring school atmosphere. Students learn skills that include being a good listener, helping others feel comfortable socially, helping others make decisions without giving advice, and communicating sensitive issues in a caring manner. After students have finished the training program, typical assignments involve orienting new students, assisting disabled students, and providing friendship and sociability to isolated or neglected students. Counselors Gail Gasbarro and Dan Blanchfield are advisors for the program. La Mesa Family Fun Night Draws Record Crowd More than 600 students and family members attended the recent Fall Family Fun Night at La Mesa Junior High School. The annual event is both a fund-raiser and a family outing, and this year drew the biggest attendance ever. Students and their families and even alumni came together for a night of cotton candy, hot dogs, bounce houses and games of all sorts. Teams sponsored booths that featured math and science games, eco-awareness games, and opportunities to have fun with teachers and staff. La Mesa PTSA also sponsored a booth and added to their membership. History Becomes Real for Golden Valley Students A group of students selected from history classes at Golden Valley High School recently took advantage of a special opportunity to visit the Reagan Library in Simi Valley to experience a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit. The original handwritten Emancipation Proclamation was on display for five days, along with some of Abraham Lincoln's personal effects and a photographic timeline of slavery through the ages. Students got to explore the exhibit and the rest of the library, including the Air Force One showcase. In order to attend, students wrote an essay about what this field trip would mean to them personally, and five to seven students from each history classroom were selected for the trip. Bus transportation and admission were provided by the Reagan Library through a scholarship program. Hart, Saugus Orators Represent District at ACSA Katherine Stradling from Saugus High School and Jasmine McElwee from Hart High School have been chosen to represent the SCV Administrators Association in the annual oration contest sponsored by the Association of California School Administrators, Region XV. The two participated in finals this week where competition was tough for the top $1,000 prize. Although the two local speakers weren’t selected for the final three, they represented the Santa Clarita Valley well and will receive a cash prize for their efforts. The contest required students to deliver a speech based on the banquet theme, “Celebrate the Hero Within.” Art Students Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month Art and Ceramic students at Arroyo Seco Junior High School have prepared an exhibit celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Using critical thinking, writing and life science, art students created Oaxacan wood carvings and the ceramic students created Metapec suns. The work will be on exhibit at the school through the end of the month. Art teacher Adrianna Berge is coordinating the program. Day Raises Career-Technical Education Awareness More than 100 Hart District teachers attended the first Career Technical Education Awareness Day sponsored by the Hart District, College of the Canyons and the SCV School & Business Alliance. The program is the successor to Educators in Industry, which in the past has taken teachers to local businesses to learn what industry is looking for in its high school graduates. The new format brings business people to the educators and included keynote speaker Sharon Huntsman, executive director of the California EDGE Campaign: Education, Diversity and Growth in the Economy. COC hosted the full day program, which encouraged local schools to take a serious look at career technical education as a way to serve future needs of both students and the economy. Rio Norte Artists Create Masterpieces in Chalk Eleven art students from Rio Norte Junior High School joined professional and amateur artists to create masterpieces in chalk during the Santa Clarita Street Art Festival. Rio Norte’s students did two six-by-eight foot paintings depicting work by Ron Burns, a successful commercial painter/illustrator. The students chose the pictures from a variety of images that were pre-selected by art teacher Daryle Bibicoff, and spent some four hours creating the work on pavement. Festival visitors were able to enjoy the paintings during a recent weekend. Rio Norte artists included Billy Gilbert, Megan Marindelcampo, Lauren Rosena, Danielle Baltau, Fiona Wright, Angela Flores, Cami Shipley, Hannah Ketenjian, Britney Byrd, Morgan Hollar and Melissa Kraidman Arroyo Seco Runners Club Growing Students in the Runners Club at Arroyo Seco Junior High are combining fun and fitness as they run two days a week after school. The club is drawing some 20 students a day, double the number that participated last year. The club runs in the neighborhood near Arroyo Seco, including Santa Clarita and Central parks, nearby businesses, and paseos above the school. Several star runners in the cross country and track programs at Saugus High School have come from the Arroyo Seco Runners Club, another benefit to the group. Club members run with advisor Jenny Ridnor and sometimes are joined by Saugus High alumni who are runners.