Thursday, September 6, 2007
Detroit Schools Win Awards in the Academic Games Leagues of America Competition
Schulze Elementary, representing the Detroit Schools, has won several awards, in this year's Academic Games Leagues of America Competition. The elementary school had several teams competing in the Academic Games Leagues of America Competition. Both team and individual awards were given for performance. The teams have won state awards at the Michigan League of Academic Games competition held in Grand Rapids and the Academic Games Leagues of America Competition held in Eatonton, Georgia. Three teams received awards in the state level, Team Unbelievable, Team Unpredictable, and Team Small Wonders. Team Unpredictable members were Kiara Chatman, Tierra Holland, Toria Holland, Ahmed Patterson, and Chaves Wesley. Team Unbelievable members were D'Lante Boyce, Dantez Boykin, Anesha Hamlin, Royal Maxwell, and Bhe'Anna Thomas. Team Small Wonders' team captain was Kambria Chatman.
Team Unpredictable is the State Champions in the Wff n' Proof Game, First Place in the Elementary Division in the On-Words Game, Third Place in the Elementary Division in the On-Sets Game and Honorable Mention in Propaganda. Team Unbelievable won Second Place in Elementary Division for the On-Words Game and Team Small Wonders won First Place in Elementary Division for the Minor Equations Game. Team Unpredictable went on to compete and win several awards at the Academic Games Leagues of America Competition. They won team awards in the following: Second Place in On-Sets Game and Wff n' Proof Game, Third Place in Propaganda and Overall Math, and Second Place in Best Overall Team in the Elementary Division. Team Unpredictable' team members also received some individual awards. In the Wff n' Proof Game the First Place Individual winner was Tierra Holland and the Second Place Individual winner was Chaves Wesley. The Detroit Schools are proud at how well they were represented.
Academic Games Leagues of America
The Academic Games Leagues of America is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 to encourage and conduct academic games competition at the local and national level. There are currently state chapters in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Detroit Schools is an active member in both the state and national organizations. The academic games are designed to create situations where students must attempt to outthink each other in the fields of mathematics, language arts and social studies. Game types include games Equations On-Sets, and LinguiSHTIK require a kit in which cubes are rolled and played on a board and games Presidents, World Events and Propaganda involve students answering questions read by a central reader.
The Crocket Career Technical Center Competes at the Michigan State Health Occupations Students of America Conference
Twenty-one students from Detroit Schools participated in and competed in the Michigan State Health Occupations Students of America Conference held in Traverse City. The students represented Detroit Schools in competition involving various health related competitive games with students form other Michigan State Health Occupations Students of America groups. Health Occupations Students of America is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of ACTE. HOSA provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition exclusively for secondary, postsecondary, adult, and collegiate students enrolled in HSTE programs. Awards won by Detroit Schools' students include: Tellyah Kennedy in Category II Health Occupation Skills Events; Pricilla Hill, Devonte Glass, Deangalo Jones, Lisa Jenkins, Shellee Shepherd, Candace Johnson, and Kamesha Smith in Category II Individual Leadership Events. Detroit Schools proved to be quite strong at this year's Michigan State Health Occupations Students of America Conference.
Las Vegas Schools Open New Schools and Hire New Teachers
New Schools Equal New Hires
Las Vegas Schools have ten new schools opening for the 2006-2007 school year. Nine are brand new schools, while one is a replacement of Rancho High School. This is part of a long term plan to meet student population demands and create modern facilities. The schools opening in August are six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The new elementary schools are Hayden Elementary, Schorr Elementary, Steele Elementary, Thompson Elementary, Ward Elementary and Wright Elementary. The middle schools are Johnston and Tarkanian and the high schools are the new Legacy High School and the replacement Rancho High School. All these new schools create the need for more teacher and support staff. With this in mind Las Vegas Schools is engaging in a very active recruitment process including holding a recruitment fair this summer to be held at the Desert Rose Adult High School. In the area of academic staff Las Vegas Schools are hiring over one thousand new staff and teachers. But academic staff are not the only ones needed to keep a school running. These new member schools of Las Vegas Schools are also in need of bus drivers, transportation aides, vehicle mechanics and substitute food service workers.
The New Rancho High School
The newest edition to Las Vegas Schools is the placement of the old Rancho High School. The new design may seem surprisingly familiar to the students. The new Rancho High School is based on the same design used in most suburban shopping malls. The new 330,000 square foot school was built on the site of the former schools athletic field. The old school will be torn down later in the school year. The new Rancho High School follows a two story mall design and the total building cost was around $75 million. The money came from the Las Vegas Schools $3.5 billion capital improvement plan approved by voters in 1998. The new design did cause a little concern but it actually creates a very functional and friendly space which can add to the success of a school. The Rancho High School principal plans to divide the school into four distinct sections each with its own assistant principal and student services. These sections will possibly be divided based on grade level or program type. Rancho High School is well known for its magnet programs that aim towards the medical and aviation fields. These magnet programs will have new offices and special facilities on the new Ranch High School campus. The ROTC will also have a new area. The Rancho High School ROTC is one of the largest in the U.S. and the facility will be able to accommodate over five hundred students. The Ranch High School replacement is part of a long term replacement plan by Las Vegas schools. The plan was to replace five existing schools Sunrise Acres Elementary, Wendell Williams Elementary and Rancho High School are the first three with Booker Elementary and Virgin Valley Elementary to follow.
Rancho High School is Second to Have Mall Design
Rancho High School is the second Las Vegas School to have the mall design. The first was at Buffalo and Grand Teton. The mall design creates a new and unique space that provides natural light and fresh air to the classrooms while creating a more secure environment than a conventional school design. Both the current principal and the president of the construction company building the new school are former Rancho High School graduates, who are extremely pleased with the modern replacement.
Long Island Schools Improve in the 2005-2006 School Year
Long Island Schools Meet State and Federal Standards
Long Island Schools had over 30 schools not meet the New York State Standards for the 2004-2005 school but this year the number of schools rose dramatically. Schools that succeeded this year that had not last year include East Hampton, Ronkonkoma, Mineola, and Valley Stream. The Long Island Schools' ratings were based on New York's expectations of a school's test scores and graduation rates. These standards were met in part because of many Long Island Schools have greatly improved their education methods and instructional opportunities for those students with learning disabilities. Several Long Island Schools did not attain the required state scores from their special education students last year. During the 2005-2006 school year more teachers and paraprofessionals were hired throughout all Long Island Schools which allowed students with disabilities to be in inclusion programs and have smaller class size. A lot of these changes have been inspired by the No Child Left Behind Act that required Long Island Schools to raise the mathematics and language arts scores of all students with emphasis placed on specific student groups including whites, blacks, Hispanics, the poor and the disabled. The students in these groups should achieve higher percentages of success every year with the goal being 100% proficiency by 2014. Currently around 83% of all New York schools meet the academic requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Among the Long Island Schools that did not meet standards last year that did succeed this school year include: Comsewogue High School, Center Moriches High School, Ronkonkoma Junior High School (Connetquot), Walter G. O'Connell Copiague High School, East Hampton High School, Eastport-South Manor High School, Harborfields High School, Hauppauge High School, G.W. Hewlett High School (Hewlett- Woodmere), Hicksville High School, Huntington High School, Island Trees High School, RJO Intermediate School (Kings Park), Lindenhurst Middle School, Long Beach Middle School, Newfield High School (Middle Country), Mineola Middle School, Oceanside High School, Saxton Middle School (Patchogue-Medford), South Side Middle School (Rockville Centre), Joseph A. Edgar, Intermediate (Rocky Point), Roslyn High School, Sachem High School North, Pierson High School, Floral Park High School (Sewanhaka), New Hyde Park High School (Sewanhaka), Sewanhaka High School, Walt Whitman High School (South Huntington), Southold High School, Ward Melville High School (Three Village), Valley Stream Central High School, and Westbury High School.
Seniors in Long Island Schools Win New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship
New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship awards a $4,000 scholarship to one senior at every New York high school paid in $1,000 increments each year for university study. This year Long Island high schools in Suffolk School District and Nassau School District had one senior from each high school receive a New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship. To be eligible for the New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship students must meet the following requirements:
Scholarships can only be used toward the cost of attendance at a New York State accredited college, university, community college or trade school; At least a B average, based on seven semesters of high school; Experience in extracurricular and community activities; Demonstrated leadership skills; and Parents/Guardians are not employed by the New York Lottery or one of its contractors
The following requirements must be met by the awarded student in order to keep the New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship: Attend a New York State accredited college, university, trade school, or community college; Maintain full-time student status; Maintain at least a B cumulative average, as determined by school; Do not accept full-cost-of-attendance scholarship from another source; Provide program administrator with proper transcripts/documents to confirm eligibility; and Complete studies within five years of high school graduation date.
