Focus on TUSD - October 2007

Awards and Recognition

Steele Elementary earns employer award
Steele Elementary School, 700 S. Sarnoff, has been chosen by one of the State Vocational Rehabilitation Offices as their Employer of the Year. Every year, each office in Districts 2 and 6 chooses an employer who exhibits outstanding work in hiring and supporting staff with disabilities.

Principal Dan Erickson and other Steele representatives have been invited to attend the 21st Annual Client and Employer Award Ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the El Pueblo Center Campus in Tucson. Local legislators have been scheduled to present the awards.

Borton Primary teacher earns scholarship award
Sara L. Ruopp, an exceptional education teacher in the ABLE Preschool at Borton Primary Magnet School, has been given a College of Education 2007 Erasmus Circle Scholarship Award. Ruopp is pursuing a master's degree in Severe and Multiple Disabilities through the College of Education's SERP Graduate Program at the University of Arizona.

Erasmus Circle Scholars are recognized for showing promise in their area of studies and research. Winners each receive a $500 scholarship earmarked for research, travel, books and/or tuition. Funding comes from the Erasmus Circle Patrons and Erasmus Circle Boosters.

"Being named a College of Education Erasmus Circle Scholar is a great honor," Borton Principal Teri Melendez said.

GEAR UP chooses middle school songwriting winners
Students from five TUSD middle schools have won recording sessions at the University of Arizona in the Mission to Mars Songwriting Contest sponsored by the Tucson Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) project. Their original songs will become part of the GEAR UP "Mission to Mars" CD.

TUSD winners are Itzayana Leyvak, Hohokam; Nicolas Dominguez, Roskruge Bilingual; Bailey Gray, Safford; Keyerah Bates, Valencia and Clarissa Carrasco, Utterback.

These students and one member of their family will join GEAR UP staff, faculty and graduate students from the University of Arizona College of Science in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, from Oct. 26-28 at the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans to learn more about the relationship between oceans and planets.

The students are part of the GEAR UP six-year college readiness program that seeks to significantly increase the number of under-represented students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education

Erickson wins Silver Apple award
Christy Erickson, a Gale Elementary School teacher, was one of eight Arizona teachers who won a Silver Apple Award from 3TV and Sylvan Learning in September. She received the award this year after one of her first-grade student from last year wrote a winning essay about her.

Erickson received a Silver Apple and $500 for her classroom. She is working on her National Certification this year.

Teaching American History Grant recognizes participants
Teachers and partners participating in TUSD's Teaching American History Grant will be honored at a reception on Monday, Oct. 29, from 6-8 p.m. at Naylor Middle School.

The grant has provided professional development opportunities for teachers to increase their knowledge of American history. Twenty-four seventh- and eighth-grade teachers representing 21 TUSD middle schools became involved after the U.S. Department of Education awarded TUSD the grant in July 2006.

The grant has sponsored two summer institutes, a series of American History seminars, materials and training from the Teachers' Curriculum Institute and four all-day content development sessions for lead teachers.

A Web site -- http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/ushistory/ -- has been created to showcase lesson plans created by participating teachers and activities sponsored by the grant.

At the recognition reception, Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer will welcome the audience. Dr. Karen Anderson, a UA Department of History professor; Kyle McKoy, the Education Programs Coordinator of the Arizona Historical Society and Yancey Wells, a Naylor Middle School social studies teacher, will discuss their participation in the grant program.

Lisa Long, director of the Curriculum and Instruction Department, and other TUSD administrative staff will help recognize the teachers and organizations involved with the grant.

Pueblo and University high schools earn AP grants
Two TUSD Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers have each received $5,000 Action Research Grants from the Arizona Department of Education to support their Advanced Placement pilot classes.

Maria Bicknell of Pueblo Magnet High School is piloting an Advanced Placement (AP) program in banking and financial services with AP macro economics.

James Madden of University High School is piloting the AP computer science course that he has integrated into his CTE classes. He will be the leader for five pilot programs, including Pueblo, as well as high schools in Chandler, Dysart and Gilbert in the Phoenix area.

Safford student wins art prize
TUSD students took top honors in a recent contest sponsored by the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Society of Design Administration, an affiliate of the American Institute of Architects.

Daniela Pastor, a sixth-grade visual arts student at Safford Magnet Middle School, took first-place for her Rain Forest Design. Her teacher is Karen Mitchell.

Teams that won were:

• Tucson Children's Museum category: First-place, Valencia Middle School, Pink Panther team, and third-place, Roskruge Magnet Middle School, PAL Designs team.
• Resourceful Water Exhibit category: First-place, Roskruge, LMS Designers team, and second-place, Roskruge, The Lucky Charms team.
• Alternative Energy Exhibit category: First-place, Valencia, Severo Mart team and second-place, Roskruge, Triumph Builders team.
• Construction/Building Space Exhibit: Second-place, Valencia, Slipknot team.
• Green Growing Garden Space: First-place, Roskruge, Ecology Experts team; second-place, Roskruge, Rancho Builders team, and third-place, Roskruge, Garden Springs team.

Ellen Abrams is the teacher who led the Roskruge teams and Job Botson led the Valencia teams.

To celebrate the new Tucson Children's Museum design, students competed by constructing their buildings from business cards, glue and toothpicks. The winning designs will be showcased at the Tucson Public Library's Main Branch through Saturday, Nov. 17, and at the Tucson Children's Museum from Dec. 10-20.

SkillsUSA Photo students elected officers
Several Sahuaro High School students in the SkillsUSA Photo program were elected to regional offices at the Arizona Fall Leadership Conference on Monday, Oct. 1, at the Phoenix Civic Plaza. Sophomore Courtni Wisniewski was elected vice president; sophomore Rebecca Lizarraras, secretary, and Freshman Tyler LeHane, treasurer. They join senior Angel Wilder, the regional president, and senior Christina Gee, the state secretary.

Sahuaro teacher Michael Halfmann, who is a member of the Arizona SkillsUSA board of Directors for Region 6, is the students' advisor. He said, "These students did a great job preparing to run for office, and I look forward to having a dedicated, hard working team for this year's events."

SkillsUSA is Arizona's largest student organization and one of the largest student organizations in the country. A partnership of students, teachers and industry, it works to ensure America has a skilled work force. Students learn leadership skills and compete in technical areas.

Arizona has six high school regions and Tucson is in Region 6, which covers southeastern Arizona.

Lander to receive Outstanding Alumni Achiever Award
Chyrl Hill Lander, the District's director of Communication & Media Relations, will receive the 2007 Outstanding Alumni Achiever Award from the University of Arizona Black Alumni Club at a Homecoming reception/dinner on Friday, Nov. 2, at Dunbar Auditorium, 325 W. Second St.

Lander was hired by TUSD in June 2006. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the UA, with a major in journalism. She enjoyed a 13-year career at the Arizona Daily Star as a reporter, editor and designer. She was executive director of the National Affordable Housing Training Institute in Washington, D.C. from 1994-1997. Prior to joining TUSD, she was an adjunct instructor in the Department of Journalism at the UA.

The Gamma Alpha Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity will receive 2007 Henry "Hank" Ryan Community Service Award at the same event.