WPS News features: Employee Inside Information:
School Highlights: Points of Pride:
Twenty-eight students receive 99% Awards
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| Photo by Susan Arensman |
Twenty-eight middle and high school students were recognized by the Board of Education during the 99% Awards ceremony for the third quarter on April 2. The 99% Awards recognize students who are making a contribution to their school by receiving good grades and having at least 90% attendance, but who may not be getting the recognition they deserve for doing the right thing.
During the ceremony, principals, counselors or teachers shared stories about each of the recipients and why they were honored with the award.
Front row from left: Stacie Hadley, Southeast High School; Robert Dohle, South High School; Kelly Helms, Wilbur Middle School; Rocio Macias, Brooks Technology and Arts Magnet; Kayla Chrisman, Northwest High School; Jasmine Ford, Heights High School; Chaniece Cook, Truesdell Middle School; Isaac Reyes, Pleasant Valley Middle School; Vanessa West, Metro-Boulevard Alternative High School; Helena Rattler, Jardine Diversified Leadership and Technology Magnet
Second row from left: Prince Ukpong, Northeast Magnet High School; Esther Kim, Curtis Middle School; Elizabeth Le, Hamilton Middle School; Taylor Benjamin, Hadley Middle School; Jorge Alday, Metro-Midtown Alternative High School; Brittany Johnson-Flores, Marshall Middle School; Kyle Irwin, Mayberry Middle School; Estela Piedra, Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet
Back row from left: Walter Hicks, North High School; Brandon Friesen, Robinson Middle School; Justin Autrey, Blackbear Bosin Academy; Krystal Scheidt, West High School; Marcus Adams, East High School
Not pictured: John Carter, Stucky Middle School; Sam Khander, Allison Traditional Magnet Middle School; Curtis Palmer, Mead Middle School; Mimi Thoumsavath, Coleman Middle School; Sammy Tracy, Metro-Meridian Alternative High School
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Three receive National Achievement Scholarships
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| Lateece Griffin |
Three high school seniors are the recipients of National Achievement Scholarships. Lateece Griffin, West High School; Kennedy Turner, Heights High School and Jade Clark, East High School, each received a scholarship worth
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| Kennedy Turner |
$2,500. Griffin and Clark plan to study medicine and Turner plans to study law.
The National Achievement Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, provides scholarships to promising African-American youth across the country. Semifinalists must perform well on the PSAT and SAT, have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed by their principal, must write a
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| Jade Clark |
self-descriptive essay and demonstrate participation in school and community activities.
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McLean students celebrate science
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| Bailey Martin, fifth-grade student at McLean, demonstrates her experiment to make a pickle glow (lower right) for the school's Science Celebration. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Students at McLean Science and Technology Magnet showed off their science skills during the school's Science Celebration. Students in all grades had the choice of doing an experiment, making a model or creating an invention. The students had to write down their idea and their findings once the experiment was finished. The projects were on display on March 29, allowing all students to see what their schoolmates had done.
The students' displays came in a wide variety. One discovered that flowers given water grew better than ones given energy drinks, but not by much. One student studied brain injuries. One student experimented with different cleaning solutions to find out which one cleaned pennies the best.
Fifth-grade student Bailey Martin researched how to make a pickle glow on the internet. She learned that by placing electrodes in the pickle, the sodium would burn and the pickle would glow.
When asked why she choose to make a pickle glow, she responded, "I just wanted to do something with a pickle."
Awards were given in each classroom and included the Principal's Choice Award, Parents' Choice Award, Most Scientific and Classmate Favorite.
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Northwest students explore the future
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| A Northwest High School student uses a remote to control a robot at the FutureLab exhibit. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Students at Northwest High School received a sample of future science and technology with FutureLab on April 2. The traveling exhibit is designed to get students excited about science, technology and math. The goal is to have students consider careers in those fields by showing them what the future will bring.
FutureLab has four pavillions for the students to explore: Deep Space, Life Sciences, Robotech, and Nano Tech. The students participated in interactive activities including controlling robots, moving a Mars rover across the terrain, using nanotechnology to cure someone with a virus and learned about how to map the human genome.
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Allison students make hats for Franklin students
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| Photo courtesy Allison |
Students at Allison Traditional Magnet had a special gift for kindergarteners at Franklin. The seventh-grade FACS classes made Cat in the Hat hats for the students. Four students, Renae Robertson, Savana Bieniek, Sara Loesing, and Allison Stukey, along with Allison's librarian Susan Perkins, delivered the hats on March 29. The seventh-grade students also read a book by Dr. Seuss to the kindergarteners.
"It was great fun," said Perkins. "The kindergarteners really, really like the hats!"
The special gifts wrapped up activities for Read Across America month, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the joys of reading.
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Meetings will answer new health plan questions
Employees are invited to learn about the changes in the district's health plan, as it transitions administration to Coventry Health Care. On Feb. 12, the Board of Education approved Coventry Health Care of Kansas to act as third-party administrators for the district’s self-funded health plan.
The meetings will answer frequently asked questions about the district's health plan and will explain what employees need to do to ensure there are no gaps in their pharmacy or medical coverage.
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Tuesday, April 24
North High School lecture hall
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
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Wednesday, April 25
School Service Center cafeteria
2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
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Thursday, April 26
North High School lecture hall
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
For more information, call 973-4581 or email riskmanagement@usd259.net.
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PDC looking for employee representatives
The Professional Development Council (PDC) is looking for employees to serve as representatives. The PDC is a group of certified and classified personnel in the Wichita Public Schools involved in planning, developing, implementing and operating the district's staff development plan. The PDC establishes the standards for evidence or documentation to be accepted for the awarding of professional development points that can be used for renewing an educator's license. Much of the information used by the PDC in awarding points is from MyLearningPlan.
Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month from September to May. Council membership requires a commitment to attend and is compensated at the district's current in-service hourly rate. Members are selected or elected from the group they represent.
The following vacancies need to be filled:
• Teachers
3-year elementary term
3-year secondary term
For more information, contact Paul Babich, United Teachers of Wichita, at 262-5171. The application form is posted on UTW’s website, www.utw-ks.org. Applications are due by April 12.
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Faflick receives State Award of Merit
Bill Faflick, Athletic Director, has received the 2007 National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association State Award of Merit. The award recognizes leadership and long-term contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local and state levels. The State Award of Merit recognizes an athletic director in each state and the District of Columbia.
Faflick received the award in March.
DECA students participate at state conference
Students from six high schools participated in the Kansas DECA Career Development Conference on March 5 - 6. Nine qualified to represent their schools at the International Conference in Orlando, FL.
East – Rob Freeman, Marketing Management; Shireen Ohadi-Hamadani, Apparel and Accessories Marketing; Andy Tang, Automotive Services Marketing.
Heights – Tarika Chappell, Quick Serve Restaurant Management; Paul Jenlink and Chatney Osborne, Sports and Entertainment Marketing.
Northwest – Christie Shofler, Restaurant and Food Service Management; Amanda Babcock and Karen Sanchez, Business Law and Ethics Management Team Decision Making; Paul Aelmore and Daniel Hankins, E-commerce Management Team Decision Making; Keely Hazelton and Emma Link, Hospitality Services Management Team Decision Making; Hunter Ketcherside and Aaron Shurtz, Sports and Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making; Taylore Eisenhauer and Ashley Ryan, Taylor Metzger and Anna Schmidt, Travel and Tourism Marketing Management Team Decision Making; Taylor Metzger, Anna Schmidt and Christie Shofler, Creative Marketing Project; Laquize Bassey and Aaron Shurtz, Public Relations Project; Ashton Dierking and Cassie Johnson, Business and Financial Services Research Event; Paul Aelmore and Daniel Hankins, Retail Marketing Research Event; Hunter Ketcherside, Entrepreneurship Participating-Independent Business; Ryan Kellenbarger, Entrepreneurship Participating-Franchising Business; Laquize Bassey and Ashley-Ann Cavazos, Apparel and Accessories Marketing.
South – Tida Khim and Satish Patel, E-commerce Business Plan; Andy Kim and Saida Sosa, Advertising Campaign; Bryan Porter, Technical Sales Event; Saida Sosa, Hotel and Lodging Management.
Southeast – Dominique Walker, Apparel and Accessories Marketing; Christina Chandavong, Khiry Cooper and Dominique Walker, School-Based Enterprise
West – Joyce Molnar and Jaime Valverde, Buying and Merchandising Management Team Decision Making
Bob Freeman, Shahab Namdar, Christie Shofler, Amanda Babcock, Karen Sanchez, Tori Deatherage, Christina Chandavong, Joyce Molnar and Jamie Valverde qualified to compete at the International Career Development Conference, April 28 - May 1.
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Heights and Robinson groups perform at convention
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| Heights Jazz Band |
Heights High School's Jazz Band and Robinson Middle School's 7th and 8th Grade Girls Choir were selected to perform at the Kansas Music Educator's Association convention at Century II. The two groups submitted audition tapes and were selected from entries across Kansas. The groups performed in-between the convention's workshops.
Heights' Jazz Band is directed by Kim Vogt and Robinson's 7th and 8th Grade Girls Choir is directed by Nick Charvat.
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| Robinson 7th and 8th Grade Girls Choir |
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