Inside our schools: Parent volunteer teaching Spanish to CCS students

Around Continuous Curriculum School, students have a new communication tool.

Thanks to a parent volunteer, CCS students in two classrooms are learning Spanish vocabulary and pronunciation once a week. CCS parent and former teacher Kathryn Rosenbaum began the regular lessons in Spanish in August.

She works with teacher Dawn Brand‘s first-grade class for about 30 minutes as well as 45-minute sessions with sixth- and seventh-grade students of teacher Estella Cordes.

“I have students already conjugating verbs and with good vocabulary,” said Rosenbaum, who previously taught English and Spanish at the high school level. She now volunteers and helps run a co-op preschool. Her son, Jarom, is a first-grader in Brand’s class.

Rosenbaum is not the only parent volunteer with a teacher background to support language education. Her friend, Julene Osborn, has volunteered to offer Spanish vocabulary, songs and games at Chester Elementary for a few years.

This year, Osborn will continue working once a week with Chester’s second-grade classes and one fifth-grade class. She taught Spanish for one trimester at University High and coaches U-Hi girls’ tennis. At Chester, Osborn has always worked with her own childrens’ grade level classes.

“I’ve been working with these fifth-graders since they were in kindergarten,” Osborn said. “They say when you teach them younger, the more they retain.”

Meanwhile, CCS teachers have reported overhearing students whispering and talking Spanish to each other in the hallways. CCS is a choice school in the East Valley School District, located in a wing of Skyview Elementary.

“I’m grateful the teachers and parents are letting me do this,” Rosenbaum added. “CCS is the perfect school for parent involvement.”

CVSD administrators honored for service

Two Central Valley School District administrators received the Special Recognition Award from the Washington Library Media Association. Assistant Superintendent Lise Louer and recently retired administrator Carol Peterson were honored at the WLMA annual awards reception held this week in Yakima.

Louer and Peterson were nominated by the media specialists in the district’s elementary schools for the award, given to professionals or paraprofessionals who have provided outstanding service and support to the library media program, in order to achieve a school’s instructional goals.

Students earn Advanced Placement honors

Several Spokane Valley students have earned the AP Scholar designation, recognized by the College Board for exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

The Students took AP Exams in May 2007 after completing the courses. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on AP exam performance.

At Central Valley High School, Suzanne Miller qualified for the national AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Eight CV students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Brandon Campbell, Nathan Damiano, Kimberly Gering, Austin Long, Suzanne Miller, Laura Murphy, Ian Shatto and Keri Wendt.

Twelve students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. The students are William Bernbaum, Christopher Burdick, Brittany Carter, Camille Carter, Anna Daines, Joshua Dunn, Ashley Johnson, Dana Kearnes, Kayla Lockhart, Michael Moore, Maria Naccarato and Jessica Willard.

Twenty students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Marissa Bertel, Kali Clark, Whitney Cutrone, Brigitte Delgadillo, Brian Donnini, Matthew Edlin, Brooke Ford, Kyrie Geisler, Amber Jackson, Jie Jiao, Gavin Johnson, Kristin Molter, Tyler Murphey, Nicholas Nelson, Bridget Reilly, Rusty Shellhorn, Austen Szott, Randall Tabor, Amy Wang and Ryan Whitehead.

At University High School, 18 students received the recognition as AP Scholars:

David Almeida, Jessica Arter, Kyle Bielen, Alexandra Campbell, Charlie Coffin, Jennifer Conne, Morgan Garratt, Stephanie Haskins, Philip Herma, Shane Hetrick, Thomas Knudsen, Bradley Maier, John Mann, Erika McCorkle, Mitchell Palmquist, Nicholas Riordan, Matthew Stephens and Brittany Vens.

Three U-Hi students were designated AP Scholar with Honor: Lara Curtis, Megan Stearns and Stephen Thompson. For AP Scholar with Distinction, four students were recognized: Leslie Berkseth, Aaron Bestick, Jared Lollar and Stephanie Smith.

At Gonzaga Prep, students from the Spokane Valley who were honored include:

AP Scholar with Distinction Award – Amanda Connell; AP Scholar Award – Benjamin Allen of Spokane Valley, Sean Greany of Veradale, Mickinzie Lopez of Veradale and Jenna Sandvig of Spokane Valley.

East Valley High School also announced the achievement of students: AP Scholars – Lauren Matisin and Brian Reidy; AP Scholars With Honor – Casey Harris and Brian Stamer.