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District dedicates Blackbear Bosin Academy

Native American dancers perform during the dedication ceremony of Blackbear Bosin Academy.

The Wichita Public Schools officially dedicated Blackbear Bosin Academy during a special ceremony on Dec. 14.  The Board of Education voted to rename Alcott Academy to Blackbear Bosin Academy in June. The name was chosen to honor the local Native American artist whose sculpture, “Keeper of the Plains” stands at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers and is a symbol of the city.

“It is an honor to have this school named after one of Wichita’s finest community members,” said principal Toby Martin.

“It is wonderful that Wichita still honors my father and the work he has done,” said Blackbear Bosin’s son, Niles, during the ceremony.  Bosin told the students about the importance of getting an education, and telling them, “Success is not just what you accomplish; success is how you live life and how you feel about yourself.”

Before the dedication, a “cedaring” took place outside the school. This is a traditional Native American ceremony which cleanses and blesses the building. Cy Ahtone, who performed the ceremony, explained the significance of the ceremony to guests and talked about the good wishes that would be brought upon the school.

Clockwise top left, Superintendent Winston Brooks, principal Toby Martin, Niles Bosin and student Marina Witt unveil the portrait of Blackbear Bosin that will hang in the school that bears his name. Photos by Susan Arensman

As part of the dedication, Native American drummers and dancers performed. Student Marina Witt read an essay she had written about the life and legacy of Blackbear Bosin. Sarah Skelton and Shirley Jefferson, Board of Education members, and Truman Ware and Susan Seal, both friends of Bosin, spoke to guests as part of the dedication. Superintendent Winston Brooks, Niles Bosin, Martin and Witt unveiled the portrait of Blackbear Bosin that will hang in the school.

In April, the Board approved a plan to move the Alcott Academy program to the vacant Price Elementary site, located at 6123 E. 11th St. Alcott Academy didn't receive any upgrades with the bond issue and the facility didn't meet the needs of students and staff. Price-Harris Communications Magnet moved into the Harris campus as a result of the school's bond issue project, leaving the Price site vacant. With Alcott moving to the Price site, a committee was formed to consider a new name for the school. Board of Education President Sarah Skelton headed the committee and said the decision to name the school after Bosin was unanimous.

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Twenty-one schools earn Standard of Excellence
Twenty-one schools have received the Standard of Excellence, the state’s highest honor, from the Kansas Department of Education. The honor is based on the percentage of students who score exemplary on the state assessments. The schools have received 56 Standard of Excellence Awards by grade-level or building- wide.

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East student wins WSU’s McGregor Scholarship

Drew Tedlock, right, pictured with Wichita State University President Donald Beggs, received the McGregor Scholarship for outstanding academic merit. Photo by Susan Arensman

Drew Tedlock, senior at East High School, was awarded the Lenore N. McGregor Scholarship from Wichita State University. The McGregor Scholarship is awarded for outstanding academic merit. Tedlock will receive $42,000 from WSU. Tedlock was also a finalist for WSU’s Gore and Barton scholarships.

Tedlock plans to study international business and economics, with possible minors in French and German. He hopes to study at the Berlin School of Economics, which has an exchange agreement with WSU, while he’s pursuing his undergraduate degree.

Tedlock is a member of the National Honors Society, and wrote a 50,000-word novel as part of National Novel Writer’s Month. He has interests in art and photography and sells greeting cards that feature his photos in many places around Wichita.

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District receives two grants for safe rooms
The Wichita Public Schools received two grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to build safe rooms for the new Earhart Elementary and the new K-8 school that will be located at 2201 E. 25th Street North. FEMA recently approved $140,700 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding for the design and construction of a tornado shelter for Earhart and $178,000 for the new K-8 school building.

Both the new Earhart and the new K-8 facility in northeast Wichita will begin construction Spring ‘07 and will welcome students in the fall of 2008.  

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Gift helps twelve schools get playgrounds

A Colvin prekindergarten student rides a slide on the new early childhood playground equipment. Photo by Susan Arensman

Twelve schools have received or will receive playgrounds for prekindergarten students because of a $100,000 gift from Lowe’s. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Colvin Elementary on Dec. 12 to thank Lowe’s for their generous gift, to recognize the volunteers who helped build the playgrounds and to allow students to play on the new equipment for the first time.

“All you have to do is look at these beautiful children to know that your work is appreciated,” Superintendent Winston Brooks said. “We appreciate those who devoted dollars and volunteer hours for this project.” 

Lowe’s employees, AmeriCorps volunteers, QuickCrete representatives, School Service Center workers and school volunteers put together age-appropriate playground equipment for prekindergarten students at Colvin, Caldwell, Clark, Cessna, Lincoln and Spaght. Playgrounds at Chisholm Trail, Cloud, Payne, Stanley, Woodman and White will be built next semester.

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Earhart and Colvin learn about clean water

Colvin students test the water filter they created. Photo by Susan Arensman

Students at Earhart Environmental Magnet and Colvin Elementary participated in a special hands-on experiment sponsored by DuPont.

The students were asked to make a water filter with cotton balls, sand, coffee filters and other materials. Student teams were allowed to put the items into a plastic bottle in whatever order they chose. They then poured a mixture of water, oil, dirt and food coloring into their filters to see how well they worked.

The students were excited to see the water flow through their filters. Most teams were able to catch the dirt and the oil in their filters, but the food coloring came through. The lesson the students learned is that there are items in water that may be difficult or impossible to see. With current water purification techniques, those items can be removed before the water reaches their home.

The visit was part of Science in the School Day, an initiative which teams up DuPont field engineers to visit schools and help students explore the science. The goal is to encourage students to consider careers in science and engineering.

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Kelly helps students do holiday shopping

Photo by Lacey Cruse

Students at Kelly Liberal Arts Academy shopped around for friends and loved ones at the school’s Reindeer Lane the week of Dec. 4. The store had items ranging from $.25 - $15 and allowed students and families to do their holiday shopping early.

This event was made possible through JT Enterprises.  The school receives 25% of all sales and profits will help the PTA sponsor field trips. Reindeer Lane brought in $2,100 for the school.

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Choices Fair is January 9
The 18th annual Wichita Public Schools' Choices Fair will be held January 9, 2007, 5 – 8 p.m. at Century II Exhibition Hall. Representatives from magnet schools, elementary, middle and high schools, special programs and a variety of district offices will be available to visit with parents about the educational options they