Gordon began the annual project eight years ago as a way to make her students feel like they were contributing to something good. “We want to turn a bad day in America into a helpful day for others,” she said. “This is especially significant to this year’s class as they were all born in 2001.” This year’s event is being taught as part of an American history lesson.
“People think 8 and 9 year olds are typically considered too little or too young to contribute, but they love being a part of this project,” Gordon pointed out.
And the students work hard to put it all together. The third graders go into each classroom and discuss the project ahead of time with other students. They leave a handmade poster and a grocery bag as a reminder. Then on 9/11 they take dollies and wagons from room to room to collect the food.
All of Simis’ students participate in the annual drive resulting in several thousand cans for the hungry. All food is donated to the Interfaith Cooperative Ministries, a non-denominational service that provides to the needy. The students usually collect enough items to fill half of IMC’s truck.
Osborn Elementary School District
Student will dance in ‘Nutcracker’
Fifteen Clarendon and two Osborn Middle School students from the Osborn Ballet Program were selected for children’s parts in Ballet Arizona’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
Fifth grader Emilio Markov was selected to play “Fritz,” a role he has worked toward since he danced in the opening party scene last year. Three boys were selected to dance in the opening party scene this year: Ethan Hernandez, Udith Karthikeyan, and Isaiah Medina.
In addition, 11 students were selected to be soldiers and understudies: Dawn Urlaub, Stefania Cruz Rubio, Cinthya Sierra, Estaphany Nava, Priscilla Trinidad Roman, Anna Barajas, Angelica Garcia Aragon, Lorena Jasso SolÛrzano, Larissa Morris, Mathilde Rispoli and Mayra Vel·zquez. And two students were selected to be Angel understudies: Elvira Garcia Aragon and Dionne Brown.
The group will be rehearsing every Saturday to prepare for the performances, which begin in early December. Ballet Instructor Camden Lloyd is pleased that so many students who worked so hard last year to earn the privilege to audition were selected. Osborn Ballet Program students will be learning from both sides of the curtain—some for the third time!
Development screenings offered
Parents who live in the Osborn School District and have concerns about their 2 1⁄2- to 5-year-old child’s development are invited to participate in free screenings. Children will be screened in developmental areas, including: cognitive, language, motor, self-help, and social.
Screenings are Oct. 16 at Montecito, Nov. 20 at Longview, Jan. 8 at Solano, Feb. 12 at Encanto, March 19 at Montecito, and April 16 at Longview. Screening will take approximately 15-30 minutes.
Call Becky McNany for an appointment or for more information: 602-707-2017.
Middle schoolers join Wake Up! Club
Osborn Middle School has partnered with the Phoenix Police Department to bring the Wake-Up! Club to the Osborn community.
Wake-Up! Club offers middle school students the opportunity to develop, plan, and implement community service projects and exposes them to positive experiences with law enforcement and other community leaders.
To find out more about the Wake-Up! Club, visit http://phoenix.gov/ POLICE/wakeup1.html.
Phoenix Union High School District
Students honored for AIMS scores
Camelback’s 3rd Annual AIMS Celebration was held Sept. 24. The tradition has been that teachers serve as waiters for this event wearing black and white.
This year’s celebration honored 92 students who passed all three as sophomores, 20 who exceeded one or more and 7 who exceeded all three, which is a new school high. In addition, the school recognized 32 sophomores who met the AIMS Science and 11 who exceeded the Science AIMS.
Spartans take first at meet
The Spartan Boys Cross Country team opened its season at the Chandler Invitational Sept. 12 with a first-place team trophy. The team scoring counted the top runner in each age bracket race (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior).
Gabriel Gomez finished ninth in the freshman race; Omar Guillen was fourth in the sophomore race, and Eric Zuza won the junior race.
Going into the senior race, Camelback was tied for first with Gilbert Highland, with Nelson Guillen having to beat the Highland runner for the title. The two were even most of the race before Guillen made his move in the final 250 meters and edged Highland by three meters.
“Yes, the boys did it. They beat all the established programs,” Coach Jay Edelson said. “The boys brought home the first-place†trophy, the first one won in something like 30 years at an invitational meet.†I am very proud of these young men.”
Central marching band heads to Japan
The Central High Marching Bobcat Band has been invited to Japan for a musical exchange with Sister City school Kotogaka High School in Himeji, Japan, but the band needs to raise $100,000 (or $2,000 per band student and chaperones) to get there.
Students have held car washes, and parents have donated funds, goods, time and labor for sales at football games. A crafts fair was held Sept. 26 and a show featuring Native American comedians and culture observers James and Ernie is scheduled for Oct. 9 in the Central Auditorium.
Band director Jaime Johnston is also promoting the Arizona Education Tax Credit, which allows tax credits of $200 per person, or $400 per couple for donations directed to the Central Band.
Sonja Noble is president of the Band Boosters. If you are interested in helping the band get to Japan, contact Johnston or Noble at jjohnston1@phxhs.k12.az.us.
Washington Elementary School District
Foundation presents art show, auction
The Washington Education Foundation is hosting its inaugural Creative to the Core Dollars for Schools Art Show and Auction from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Sheraton Four Points, 10220 N. Metro Parkway East.
Artwork from local artists and framed student artwork from each of the 32 schools within Washington Elementary School District will be on display 5-7 p.m. Enjoy the works of art while being serenaded by student musicians. There also will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. An auction of the artworks will begin at 7 p.m.
The community is invited to this fun evening of the arts. Come support the students of the Washington Elementary School District. For further information, visit http://www.wesd foundation.org or e-mail wesdfoundation@cox.net.
Cardinals Prep kids learn CPR skills
The American Heart Association has teamed up with Cardinals Charities, the Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy and the City of Phoenix Fire Department, to kickoff a special CPR instructional program for 7th and 8th grade students.
Through the use of the CPR Anytime kit, students will each be given their own mini blow-up mannequin and instructional DVD and workbook. Phoenix Fire personnel will facilitate the training.
The program, called Heartbeat of Arizona, will teach students across Maricopa County the skills needed to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in only 22 minutes. In all, 43,000 students are expected to go through this training.
On Sept. 22, students at the Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy were the first in Maricopa County to be trained with the CPR Anytime program. The campus is located at the Royal Palms Middle School on the corner of Butler and 19th avenues. Cardinals Quarterback Kurt Warner, along with his wife Brenda and the Cardinals mascot, were on hand to help train the students. Brenda is a nurse, and with seven children and a swimming pool in the back yard, Kurt—who is learning CPR himself—emphasized the importance of knowing these lifesaving skills.
Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan commented, “Not only are we empowering children in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest, we are bringing that knowledge into the home, where the majority of these kinds of emergencies occur.”
The American Heart Association has found that only 6.4 percemt of sudden cardiac arrest victims survive because the vast majority of those witnessing the incident are people who do not know how to perform CPR. Recent studies have shown that students as young as 9 years are able to successfully and effectively learn basic life support skills including AED [automated external defibrillator] deployment, correct recovery position and emergency calling. A critical component of the program is that after kids learn CPR in the classroom, they then take the CPR Anytime kit home to share it with family and friends.
Heartbeat of Arizona is made possible by funding from Phoenix area businesses including the Cardinals Charities, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Aetna. More than $1 million dollars is needed to sustain the program over the next three years.
Private and Charter Schools
Brophy student and newspaper honored
The Brophy student newspaper, The Roundup, recently received praise from the National Scholastic Press Association, one of the largest high school journalism associations in the country.
The Roundup was named as a finalist for the national “2009 Newspaper Pacemaker” award, which is the highest award the NSPA gives publications and recognizes student papers for overall excellence and essentially setting the pace for everyone else.
Matt Stanley, Brophy class of 2009 and the 2008-09 co-editor in chief, was named one of six finalists for the NSPA National Sports Story of the Year Award for his article, “Brophy set to join new region” in the December 2008 edition of The Roundup. As a finalist, Stanley wrote one of the six best sports stories in the county last year.
First-place winners will compete for a $1,000 cash prize. Stanley currently attends Wake Forest University in North Carolina and recently started writing for that school’s student newspaper.
Winners for each of these categories will be announced Nov. 14 at the NSPA Fall Convention.
AmeriSchools teacher plans explorations
Middle school students at AmeriSchools Academy, 1333 W. Camelback Road, are planning a trip to Tucson with trip to the Biosphere and the Tucson Air and Space Museum in November.
Teacher Amy Gurtler is coordinating this trip along with the annual trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute in March. All students are eligible for both trips if they meet the criteria in behavior and academics.
For more information about the school, call 602-532-0100 or visit http://www.amerischools.org/camelback.html.
Bourgade holds open house
Parents of eighth-grade students from any public or private school, or home-schooled students preparing for high school in 2010, are invited to attend “Eighth Grade Day” at Bourgade Catholic High School on Friday, Oct. 23.
The day’s events begin with registration at 9:15 a.m., followed by an assembly, student-led campus tours, classroom visits and a pep rally in the gymnasium, ending around 1:10 p.m.
If your student attends a Catholic elementary school, check with the teacher or principal to see if the eighth-grade class is scheduled to come as a group. All other individuals may register by calling Mary Ann Burns, marketing representative, at 602-973-4000, ext. 169.
Also, mark your calendars for Bourgade’s annual Open House, set for Sunday, Nov. 15.
BCHS is located at 4602 N. 31st Ave., just west of the I-17 and a quarter mile south of Camelback Road.
Xavier golfers receive accolades
Three Xavier College Prep golf team members—Laura Berman, Kimberly Kim, and Kaira Martin—have been named to the Girls All-America Team. In addition, golf team members Katerina Ruzickova and Sarah Schmelzel have been awarded Girls Players of Achievement.
This is the fifth year of the awards program, sponsored by the NHSGCA for boys and girls high school golf, which honored 18 boys and girls as All-Americans and Players of Achievement. Nearly 140 players have been recognized through this program. The awards are based on playing ability, academics, community service and extra-curricular activities.
“Xavier is so proud of these players because they have worked so hard to achieve these honors,” said Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, CMAA, Xavier’s Vice Principal for Activities and Athletics. “This award recognizes their leadership on and off the green.”
The NHSGCA Awards are selected by section representatives of the National High School Golf Coaches Association. The awards are based on playing ability, academic performance, and involvement in community and other extra-curricular activities.
Xavier has had several graduates to honored by NHSGCA including Katie Allare 2008 Girls Golf Player of the Year. Allare, along with fellow Xavier grads Cheyenne Woods and Margarita Ramos and Xavier sophomore Kaira Martin, were named to the 2008 NHSGCA Girls All-American Team. Woods also was named to the All-American team in 2007.
Xavier College Preparatory, located at 4710 N. 5th St., is twice recognized as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and recognized nationally for academic excellence by the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Arizona Interscholastic Association awarded Xavier its prestigious Blue Cup Award (2006) for excellence in scholastics, athletics and activities.
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