View CV schools during open house tour Tuesday

AN OPEN HOUSE TOUR of six Central Valley elementary schools is scheduled Tuesday evening. The Central Valley School District planned the 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. tour with free bus service under a dual role: for people to view students’ achievements and to see first-hand how educational facilities are used, relating to March 14 ballot items.

On March 14, Central Valley residents will be asked to consider two school funding issues. The district is seeking voter approval of a three-year school programs and operations replacement levy and a $55.2 million construction bond.

The election will be all vote-by-mail with ballots mailed during the third week of February.

Central Valley residents attending the tour can see three schools recently remodeled: South Pines, McDonald and Adams elementary schools.

The three other schools on the tour – Greenacres, Opportunity and Ponderosa elementaries – are the next scheduled for full renovation, pending voter approval of the proposed construction bond. The proposed bond also would pay to build two new schools.

Visitors attending Tuesday’s tour can go to a nearby school listed below and board a yellow school bus and go to another school. Buses will run continuously in a free shuttle service between the following open house schools:

“Greenacres Elementary, 17915 E. Fourth Ave.

“Adams Elementary, 14707 E. Eighth Ave.

“Opportunity Elementary, 1109 S. Wilbur Road

“McDonald Elementary, 1512 S. McDonald Road

“Ponderosa Elementary, 10105 E. Cimmaron Road

“South Pines Elementary, 12021 E. 24th Ave.

“In addition to learning more about the achievements of our youngest students, visitors will get a first-hand view of the comprehensive facilities improvements recently completed in three Central Valley elementary schools, with the generous support of our taxpayers,” said Mike Pearson, superintendent, in a district press release.

“Tour participants will also have the opportunity to view the three elementary schools scheduled for full renovation if voters approve the construction bond proposed on the March 14 ballot.”

For more information about the open house tour, construction bond or replacement levy, visit www.cvsd.org or call 228-5400.

Hoops for Heart at VC

Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Valley Christian School will soon be taking shots at heart disease and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. On Friday, the school will hold Hoops For Heart, with students playing basketball and practicing the game’s skills to raise funds for the American Heart Association.

VCS eighth-grader Brittany Froese serves as honorary representative for this event. Froese is a heart patient with a permanent pacemaker and continues to encourage her classmates to help support Hoops For Heart.

Also through VCS, art students will present an exhibit of their current work at Barnes & Noble near the Valley Mall Feb. 2-16. From perspective drawings to mixed media abstracts, art students in grades 7 through 12 welcome the public to check out their work.

Science at Progress Thursday

Progress Elementary will hold a science fair night for the public on Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Members of the community are invited to see science projects assembled by many of the 280 students at the school.

School organizers also have expanded the night’s activities to include a silent auction to benefit a fifth-grade trip to the Chewelah Peaks Learning Center. Progress Elementary is at 710 N. Progress Road.

Cheer squad competes in Florida

For the third year in a row, Valley Christian’s varsity cheerleaders competed in a national cheer competition in Orlando, Fla., during the first week of January. The by-invitation-only event features squads from across the nation.

This year’s squad includes Robert Zakheim, Michaela Dixon, Cody Hershberger, Kealan Gilmartin, Josh Dixon and Matt Pelletier.