This Student Has Been ‘A Blessing’
`I will remember you, will you remember me?”
The words of a popular Sarah McLaughlin song take on special meaning when sung by a group of tearful sixth-graders to a special classmate who will be leaving the group to go his own way.
Sunrise Elementary student Christopher Naccarato is developmentally disabled. When his classmates of six years graduate and go on to Evergreen Junior High School, Chris will go to Horizon.
At a graduation party last Friday night, students honored Chris with a song, a scrapbook, and lots of hugs and tears.
“A lot of kids don’t know how lucky they are.” said Sheri Daschbach, Chris’s aide for six years. “Our kids do - because of Chris. He’s just a blessing.”
Educators and parents alike feel the children in Chris’ class are sweeter, more compassionate and open because of knowing Chris.
“When we brought Chris here the principal said, `You know he will be here for six years. It doesn’t matter what he does or what he can’t do,”’ said Sharon Naccarato, Chris’ mother.
“And she meant it. It didn’t matter … they said, `It’s OK,’ and they always loved him.”
As a gymnasium full of 11- and 12 year-old boys and girls wept freely and without shame, it was clear that to them Chris has indeed been “a blessing.”
Author visits accelerated readers
A festive banner hung in the library of Bowdish Junior High School on Friday welcoming local author Chris Crutcher.
Signs along the wall read “Congratulations accelerated readers” and “Pizza!”
One hundred twenty five students selected from Central Valley’s junior high school accelerated reader program met for a lunch celebrating the end of the program’s inaugural year. Crutcher was on hand to answer questions and read from two of his eight published young adult books.
“I try to tell the truest story that I can tell and let the kids come away with what they do,” said Crutcher, who also works as a therapist. He read a selection from his book “Stotan!” that described a young boy’s bravery while living with an abusive parent.
“I hear stories every day in my work,” he told the students. “But I filter them all through my imagination. Imagination is key to fiction writing.”
The kids in the audience listened closely and asked questions about the stories behind each of his books.
“I’ve read four of his books,” said Katie Weller, a seventh grader at Greenacres Junior High School. “I love to read, I read every single day for at least two hours.”
While the accelerated reader program benefits students like Weller, it is also targeted at reluctant readers, said Kathy Bjorklund, Bowdish’s media specialist who coordinates the program.
“It gets kids reading who have not read before,” she said.
Under the accelerated reader program, certain library books are marked with a hot pink tab. After students finish reading a marked book, they can take a test about the book on the computer. The computer awards points based on the student’s performance on the test.
As the kids rack up points, they win awards that range from candy treats to certificates from Barnes & Noble bookstore.
The program seemed to be working for Tanya Gray, also a seventh-grader at Greenacres.
“I haven’t read any of (Crutcher’s) books,” she said. “But after hearing him today I am excited to start.”
Russian teacher in Spain
West Valley High School’s Russian language teacher won a Fulbright grant to teach in a classroom abroad next year.
But she won’t be teaching in Russia - she’ll spend the academic year in Spain.
Merrie McIvor, who also teaches Spanish at the high school, will pack her bags and head to Madrid at the beginning of the school year. She will be teaching English as a second language to Spanish students.
“It’s an honor for Mrs. McIvor to be selected,” said Assistant Superintendent Sharon Mowry. “It will enrich her so that when she returns from Spain she will have more knowledge to pass on to her students.”
Spanish teacher Victoria Contreras de Vera will take McIvor’s place in the West Valley classroom. She will be arriving on August 4.
“We strive to expose our students to diversity.”
Inspirational at North Pines
Ninth-graders Jeremy Fleck and Mandy Waco have been named the Most Inspirational Choir Members at North Pines Junior High School.
“Jeremy is always right there when I need help,” said Deb Short, choir teacher at North Pines. “He’s always taking things home to work on, or working on things after school.”
In additional to being the top fund-raiser for the Children’s Miracle Network drive, Waco sings duets and solos for the choir. She has also performed in recent district-wide musicals.
The awards were presented last Thursday.
Teachers win technology grants
Valley teachers will be hitting the books this summer to study up about computers.
As part of a grant each won from the Gates Teacher Leadership Program, 21 area teachers will attend a week-long training seminar, where they will learn about the latest technology and software.
After completing the session, the teachers will receive up to seven computers for their classrooms, a laptop computer for their instructional use and a computer projector.
The Valley winners are:
George Gessler of East Farms Elementary; Loriann Howe, Stephanie Koch, Chris Russell and Julie Scott of East Valley Middle School; Sandy Shay of Mountain View Middle School; Charlene Beiber of the Continuous Curriculum School; Rick Purcell of Trent Elementary; and Craig Johnston and Stephanie Sander of Progress Elementary.
Becky Amend of South Pines Elementary; Chris Donaldson of Greenacres Junior High; Sue Lennick of Liberty Lake Elementary; Loyd Stallings of Opportunity Elementary, Michele Eickerman of Chester Elementary; Diane Isherwood of Broadway Elementary, Tammy Campbell of Blake Elementary; Jill Moll of Greenacres Elementary; Jan Boyd of Sunrise Elementary; and Dave Harton and Marta Reiner of Adams Elementary.