Schools receive awards for academic achievement
Spokane Public Schools’ Regal and Garfield Elementary and Evergreen Elementary in the Mead District are three of nine schools in Washington state to receive Title 1 Academic Achievement Awards.
Achievement Awards are given to Title 1 schools that have successfully achieved adequate yearly progress for three consecutive years in mathematics and/or reading in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
All three schools earned the award for their work in reading. The award comes with $10,000 to be used for professional learning, curriculum purchases or program development.
Mead Superintendent Al Swanson credits strategies employed over the past nine years for Evergreen’s success.
Initiatives such as a before-school tutoring program, lunch buddy program, neighborhood homework club, summer school and partnerships with Eastern Washington University have resulted in 94 percent of students meeting or exceeding the state standards in fourth grade.
Regal Principal Mallory Thomas said she and her staff will decide in January how to use the award money. “The funding is intended for team, collaborative use. We’d like to extend our work there and maybe blend some other funding for some nonfiction materials to help support what we’re already doing,” said Thomas.
At Garfield, the money will be used for professional development, with the staff deciding together how to use it to promote student learning.
“It is testimony to a great deal of focused, intentional work by a very dedicated staff, and students achieving at the highest level possible for each,” said Garfield Principal Joann Ekstrom.
The money needs to be allocated by next November.
Students named music groups
The following high school students were chosen to participate in the 52nd annual Washington Music Educators Association All-State bands, orchestras, choirs and jazz ensembles.
Rogers High School: Shannon Brown, symphonic choir.
North Central: Ashley Delzell, Deva Duffey, Maureen Haven, Shane Henning and Chris Hensz, symphonic choir; Brenna O’Malley, Tairra Sitek and Chelsea Wordell, treble choir and Maggie Capwell, wind ensemble.
Shadle Park: Elizabeth Korsmo, concert band; Andrew Claar and Logan Steele, symphonic choir; Leah Christianson and Christy Kuntzmann, treble choir.
Gonzaga Prep: Son Ca Vu, wind ensemble; Ryan Foster, Adelle Goettel and Ann Freeman, concert band; Ryan Fuchs and Jedd Breckenridge, mixed choir; Mattie Naccarato, Ambre Rypien and Beth Albrecht, treble choir; Julia Keefe, jazz choir; and Matt Malek, symphonic choir.
The students were chosen based on recorded auditions done in September. More than 3,000 students auditioned for positions in one of the bands, choirs or orchestras.
Christmas tree recycling
North Central High School seniors are disposing of Christmas trees to raise money for their senior all-nighter, an after-graduation party hosted by the senior class parents.
For $5, trees may be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, Jan. 1, 7 and 8 at the school parking lot at Howard and Maxwell, or at the Albertsons parking lot, 9001 N. Indian Trail Road.
For $10, trees will be picked up. Call 326-0182, Monday through Jan. 7, to schedule a date and time for pickup.
Hungry win in North-South rivalry
The results are in for the food drive challenge between Brentwood Elementary on the North Side and Mullan Road Elementary on the South Side. This year, the third, was the tie breaker.
Brentwood students collected 9,118 pounds of food, and Mullan Road students collected 5,954 pounds.
Collin Hayett, a sixth-grader at Brentwood wrote, “The food drive is for those people who don’t have what we take for granted every day. This food drive has really meant a lot to me. I think those people that we have helped will really feel loved this holiday season. Our school took on Mullan Road School. They put up a good fight. They do have fewer students than we do, so we had to average pounds per student. In the end we gave it our best, and we have collected thousands of pounds for the needy.”