Borton full of energy
Alexandra Holiman pedals the stationary bike to produce energy at Borton Primary Magnet School.
Students in Molly Reed’s first- and second-grade classroom at Borton Primary Magnet School are peddling a project that has changed the way they view energy production and use.
By riding a stationery bike in their classroom, they generate the energy needed to turn on light bulbs and small appliances. They’ve discovered they need to pedal longer and harder to turn on incandescent light bulbs compared to fluorescent bulbs. And they’re exhausted when they ride long enough to turn on a tiny TV, let alone get a picture to appear.
Even after seeing the effort needed to produce a small amount of energy, Eli Protas wasn’t daunted. “It would be awesome to power the entire school,” he said enthusiastically.
Read moreEEF offers liaison training, gives supplies
Teachers and staff who came to the Educational Enrichment Foundation training for the new School Liaison Program came away with donated school supplies, as well as information on helping the foundation support Tucson Unified Schools.
Citi Cards donated more than 12,000 pieces of needed school items. Jill Ronsman, a Sabino High School counselor, and Joslyn Withers, a community representative at Davidson Elementary School, came early and had their pick of pencils, notebooks, composition paper and other items.
"We can really use this," Ronsman said. "Everyone thinks we have everything we need, but we have a lot of kids who live on their own and are putting themselves through school. We have little kids who come with their moms to register high schoolers and we can give them supplies, too." Read more
Time for tutoring
By staying at school after the final bell rings to do their homework, freshmen in a Pueblo Magnet High School tutoring session are finding their grades are going up.
That was the intention of the sessions, said Saul Ostroff, a Pueblo counselor and teacher. He said that if students pass algebra with an A, B or C, they're more likely graduate from high school and go on to post high school programs that will prepare them a career or occupation.
Because 60 percent of freshmen get D's or F's in core subjects such as integrated science, algebra and English, it's important to provide help with homework, Ostroff stressed. At the tutoring sessions, no lectures are given nor extra work assigned. Instead, students finish their homework with the help of Jennie Elrod, a Pueblo algebra and sophomore teacher, Baltazar Alcantara, a Pueblo English teacher and Ostroff. All three took workshops on strategic tutoring from Maryann Judkins, a University of Arizona instructor. Read more
Keeper of all things Boop
If visitors didn't know better, they'd think Betty Mendez's name was really Betty Boop.
That's because her fellow Transportation Department employees have been overloading her office space with Betty Boop memorabilia for eight years. It's become a community project, almost a competition, to add to her supply.
Mendez, an administrative assistant, recalled the first donation. Emma Lopez, a bus driver, gave her a saucy looking, stuffed doll outfitted in a strapless red dress. "I thought it was pretty and really nice," Mendez remembered. "Then people started bringing more stuff. Some said they had a doll like the one I had, so they brought it in from their homes. It just kept going." Read more