March 1999 News Archive
Wednesday, March 17, 1999
Sixth Grader to Participate in State Level of the National Geography Bee
Question: The terms "active," "inactive," and "extinct" apply to what geographical
feature?
Question: What country is entirely inside the city of Rome?
Question: In April 1999, the Nunavut territory will be carved out of Canada’s Northwest Territories. What
people will govern it?
Eli Krispi, a sixth-grade student at Washington Elementary School, provided the winning answers to these questions during the final round of his school’s rigorous Geography Bee, held in January. As a result, Eli has been invited to participate in the State level of the National Geography Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and Bank One. The competition will take place at Cosumnes River College on Friday, April 9, 1999, in Sacramento, CA. The winner from each state and territory will move on to the national level of this competition, which will take place on May 25-26 at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, DC.
Eli is preparing for the State level competition by reviewing a world map, geography books, and monitoring the National Geographic Society’s Internet site. Each day, five different Geography Bee-type questions are posted on the Gobee Challenge section of that Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com.
Eli isn’t limiting his interest in geography to books, maps, and Web sites. For now, he is looking forward to sightseeing and touring the Capitol during his visit to Sacramento. After that, his travel wishlist includes visits to Florida, Greece, Israel, and Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Eli’s winning answers to the questions listed above are (in order): a volcano, Vatican City, and The Inuit Tribe.
Peabody Students Put on their Thinking Caps
A team of nine Peabody Charter fifth-grade students won first place in the Tenth Annual California 5th/6th Grade Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl. With a winning score of 1,223 points, Peabody Charter’s team aced the computerized competition held on Thursday, February 25, 1999. Two hundred two teams from private and public schools throughout the State participated in the event.
The competitors were asked 100 questions covering history, geography, mathematics, literature, science, the arts, and popular culture. Their computerized responses were scored for speed and accuracy.
The winning team members were Melissa Aiello, Sean Barnwell, James Carson, Ryan Feeney, Jazmin Smith, Zac Smith, David Vasquez, Cameron Reid, and Gillian Nugent. The team will receive a trophy and ribbons.
Lottery to Select Santa Barbara Community Academy Students
Santa Barbara Community Academy registrations have exceeded the number of spaces available. Thus, a lottery will be conducted on Friday, March 19, 1999, at 3:00 p.m. in the Board Room, Santa Barbara School Districts Administration Center at 720 Santa Barbara Street.
Approximately 225 applications were received. A total of 160 spaces will be available in grades K-3. There will be two classes per grade level, 20 students per class.
For additional information on the lottery, contact Tim Quiroz, principal of the Santa Barbara Community Academy, 963-4331.
La Colina Students Present A Walk Through the Middle Ages
On Friday, March 19, 1999, two classes of La Colina seventh graders will present the second annual living history exhibit. A Walk Through the Middle Ages is the culminating event in a unit of study. The students have researched their topics and created museum exhibit displays. A Walk Through the Middle Ages provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned by teaching to elementary students who attend the event. A Walk Through the Middle Ages will take place from 10:00-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Students will engage their young audience members in such topics as: Daily Life in a Castle, the Power of the Catholic Church, Growth of Cities, and Food of Peasants and Food of Nobility. Eighth-grade students who participated in the project last year will serve as docents at this year’s event.
An important element of this project is the parent participation. Parents supported students in many phases of the the project. They helped to paint background scenes, sewed brightly colored banners, and made costumes. One parent, Laurel Lyle, will cook and serve an authentic Middle Ages meal on trenchers, bowls made of bread. Karen McGaw painted a watercolor image that will be printed on t-shirts and posters.
This project is the result of an Impact II grant idea funded by the Santa Barbara News-Press in 1998. Students involved in this integrated unit of study are members of English and social studies classes of teachers Kurt Bergthold, Jose Marquez, and Janet Goode.
La Colina Junior High School is located at 4025 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara. Specific information on A Walk Through the Middle Ages can be obtained from Janet Goode, La Colina Junior High School.
All City Honor Band 1999
Young musicians from throughout our local public schools will gather on Tuesday, March 9, 1999, for a performance of the All City Honor Band. The performance will begin at 7:00 p.m. It will take place in the La Cumbre Middle School auditorium. La Cumbre Middle School is located at 2255 Modoc Road. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.
The concert will include performances by more than 250 elementary, middle/junior high, and senior high school students from the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts. For the ninth consecutive year, Dr. Charles Wood, Santa Barbara City College music instructor, will return to the podium as guest conductor.
Highlights of the evening will include a medley from the Wizard of Oz, performed by elementary school students; selections from Les Miserables, performed by middle/junior high school students; and concert band music performed by students from Dos Pueblos, San Marcos, and Santa Barbara High Schools.
Will Winn Honored by the National Science Teachers Association
Will Winn, eighth grade science teacher at Goleta Valley Junior High School, has been selected to receive the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) 1999 Distinguished Teaching Award. He will travel to Boston to receive the award during the NSTA National Convention, March 25-28, 1999.
The National Science Teachers Association, based in Arlington, VA, selected Mr. Winn based on his ability to demonstrate effective planning skills, teach to an objective, motivate students, demonstrate proficiency in science education, participate in professional growth activities, and his ability to practice and demonstrate acceptable safety procedures.
Will Winn is recognized locally as an enthusiastic, exceptionally talented science teacher. In addition to his outstanding teaching skills, another of Winn’s strengths is curriculum alignment. He has lead the articulation efforts between the Goleta Union School District (GUSD) and Goleta Valley Junior High School (GVJHS), which receives GUSD sixth-grade graduates. The purpose of the articulation efforts is to assist elementary school teachers on how to plan appropriate and effective science activities so that students are prepared to immediately participate in junior high school science activities. Also, since 1994, he has served as a member of the Science Partnership for School Innovation. In that capacity he has taken an active role in the movement to align K-12 science education to the State of California science standards. Similarly, another area of involvement is his work in a project to coordinate the science curriculum at three junior highs and one middle school in the Santa Barbara High School District. According to GVJHS Principal David Cash, "This group is working on preparing an exit exam covering the year’s science curriculum that is aligned with the District and State standards. This effort will ensure equality in science education, regardless of which junior high school a student attends in our District."
Mr. Winn’s ability to engage students is not lost on his colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He is regularly invited to participate in the University’s Science Credential training program, demonstrating successful teaching techniques to future teachers. Dr. Lynnette Cavazos of UCSB summed up the qualities that have made Will Winn a successful candidate for the 1999 Distinguished Teacher Award: "Will is a dynamic teacher who is dedicated to making science understandable, relevant and unforgettable for all students."
Santa Barbara High School Dons Kick Off Community Service Requirement with D.O.N.S. Day
On March 24, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Santa Barbara High School will provide an opportunity for students to learn about volunteer opportunities in local non-profit organizations. On that day, the school will host its first D.O.N.S. Day, an acronym for Doing Outstanding Non-profit Service. The event will be held in the school cafeteria.
D.O.N.S. Day supports Board of Education policy that requires students to perform 60 hours of community service to graduate from high school. (Administrative Regulation 6143.2) This Board regulation affects current freshmen and sophomores (the requirement is being phased in slowly, eventually reaching all students).
More than 30 local charitable organizations are expected to participate in D.O.N.S. Day. Participating organizations include the American Lung Association, Boys and Girls Club, Braille Institute, Council of Christmas Cheer, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Santa Barbara Animal Shelter, Santa Barbara Special Olympics, Santa Barbara Urban Creeks Council, SPARKLE, Story Teller, and Transition House. They will set up tables and displays to inform more than 1,000 students of volunteer opportunities. With a "passport" in hand, students will travel from table to table, gaining information about volunteer opportunities and having their passports stamped. Students with a minimum number of stamps on their passport will be eligible to enter a raffle, where they have a chance to win prizes.
Bill Dodson, Community Service Coordinator at Santa Barbara High, summarized event expectations when he noted, "We feel that D.O.N.S. Day will give local non-profit organizations a chance to show the good work they do in our community. We also see this event giving our students a view of how to help people. We are excited about D.O.N.S. Day and look forward to it becoming an annual tradition."
Santa Barbara High School is located at 700 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara. For additional details about D.O.N.S. Day, call Bill Dodson at 966-9101, extension 227.
Bank of America Awards
The following Santa Barbara High School seniors were selected as Bank of America Plaque Winners for outstanding records of performance in a general study area: Ben Shelton, applied arts; Mariko Crane, fine arts, Karen Bachman, liberal arts; and Andrew Fisher, science and math. They will go on to compete in the regional level for scholarship awards up to $2,000.
Students recognized as Certificate Winners for excellence in specific areas of study are: Luci Frazier, art; Aaron Clark, business, Jonathan Hoffer, communications; Achal Oza, computer studies; Amisha Zuber, drama; Tobias Warner, English; Maria Guevara, ESL; Krista-Anne Hallock, foreign language; Rafael Perez, trade and industry; Jonathan Wentzel, math; Micah Elconin, music; Laura Sickafoose, science; and Katherine Flaster, history/social studies.
The Bank of America Achievement Awards Program was established more than 50 years ago. The competition beings in January and February when more than 15,000 California public and private school seniors are selected as outstanding students by faculty committees at their school site. More than 11,500 students are selected as certificate winners and more than 3,200 students are selected as plaque winners.