|
| | Please visit the Levy 2014 page for more information. |
NEW SCHOOLS HAVE
NEW NAMES
| |
Pasco's new elementary schools will be named after prominent women of science.
At the board meeting Dec. 10, the Board of Directors voted in favor of the names Rosalind Franklin STEM Elementary School, Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School, and Marie Curie STEM Elementary School for Elementary #13, Elementary #14, and Elementary #15, respectively. |
BEST OF THE WEST: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
| |
The 14th annual Best of the West wrestling tournament will take place Dec. 20 and 21 at Pasco High School.
The annual tournament offers an opportunity for wrestlers from the tri-state area to compete and brings greater public awareness to the sport, according to Kerr.
Organizers are looking for volunteers to keep score, run the clock, and contribute time, food dishes, or money for the hospitality room.
For more information please contact Sandra Kerr at 509-543-6742 ext. 5139. |
WHITTIER ELEMENTARY VIP DAY
| |
Please click the image to view a photo gallery.
Very important parents and very interested patrons shadowed third, fourth, and fifth grade leadership students at Whittier Elementary on Dec. 5 during the school's first VIP Day event.
Traditionally, VIP Days have taken place at the District's three high schools. The event gives parents and community members a chance to see what a typical day in the life of a student is like, meet staff and administrators, and learn about the District.
At Whittier, guests attended classes with students as well as touring the campus and viewing the site of Elementary #15.
Chess Elementary will host the next VIP Day on Jan. 30. For more information please contact Gracie Valle-Chimal at 543-6743 or gvalle@psd1.org. |
|
| |
Please click the image to view a photo gallery of the event.
More than 730 seniors from Chiawana, New Horizons, and Pasco High School gathered at the TRAC Dec. 2-6 for another successful Enterprise experience. The event is a business simulation which requires students to work in teams, also called companies, to create new products and operate businesses. The companies are mentored and judged by a cadre of District employees and hundreds of volunteers from the community. |
STEVENS MIDDLE SCHOOL
SUPER FIT
Please click the image to view a photo gallery.
Stevens Middle School held its Super FIT (Friday is Terrific) celebration of the year on Nov. 15, a school wide event for all sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students who passed all of their classes first quarter. For the first time ever more than 800 students joined in the festivities.
"We were excited about having so many students participating in Super FIT," says Assistant Principal Jeremy Fox. "Students work hard in order to be successful, and Super FIT is one opportunity that we provide for our students at Stevens to let them know that all their hard work is worth it."
The event featured fun activities including a superhero theme, snacks, games, manicures, and a photo booth. The school's PEAK!, or Partners in Educating All Kids, Partners ConAgra-Lamb Weston, Apple Valley Dental & Braces, and PARR Lumber were on hand to provide prizes and support. | |
|
|
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
FROM THE PASCO SCHOOL DISTRICT
Just a reminder that schools will be closed Dec. 23 - Jan. 3 and re-open on Jan. 6.
The District Office will be closed the week of Dec. 23-27 and Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. |
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION FOR CHAMPS
Please click the image to view a photo gallery from the game.
The public is invited to a celebration honoring the 2013 State Football champion Riverhawks Dec. 20 from 5-6 p.m. in the Chiawana High School Student Mall.
At 5:30 p.m. there will be a brief ceremony. City of Pasco officials will present a proclamation and there will also be recognition for Coach Steve Graff who was named the Washington State Football Coaches and Seattle Seahawks Coach of the Year.
Players will be on hand to sign autographs, take photos, and to visit with community members about their winning season and championship game.
The win was the first football state title for CHS though Head Coach Steve Graff has led the team to three league championships in five years. As Pasco High football coach, Graff has taken a team to the state championship game four previous times, bringing home three state titles for Pasco High in 2998, 2000 and 2003.
But, as Graff is quick to point out, he hasn't done it alone. Graff has a committed coaching team, as well as several volunteers, many of whom he worked with at Pasco High. Four of his assistant coaches played for him as Bulldogs at PHS. "He never takes the credit," says CHS Athletic Director John Cazier. "It's really a team effort, and he's built a cohesive group of coaches over the years who work exceptionally well together."
Graff also puts the credit-and the responsibility-for success directly on his students. Whether on the field or in the weight room, he makes it clear to students that the level of commitment they make will determine their own outcome.
"We set expectations for them," says Graff. "We make it pretty clear up front. And, when the majority get on board and make that commitment, we see the positive results." Those expectations include off-season training and weight lifting during the summers.
Graff says one of the biggest rewards is seeing how his players grow not only as athletes, but as young adults. "They leave the football program not only bigger, faster, and stronger, but having dealt with the ups and downs of being an athlete," he says. "They learn work ethic, teamwork, and perseverance."
And that is exactly what they did on Dec. 7. Congratulations to the Riverhawk athletes and coaching staff on a fantastic season! |
|
REGIONAL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
 | |
Valerie Aragon |
Twain Elementary School Principal Valerie Aragon was selected as the 2014 Distinguished Elementary School Principal of the Year for the Lake Wallula region representing Southeast Washington. The award, which is sponsored by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) and Elementary School Principals of Washington (ESPAW) was announced on Dec. 4. With this honor, Aragon will be a candidate for the National Distinguished Principal Award.
"Valerie has demonstrated her passion and commitment to Pasco students as well as her significant skills in improving student achievement in several Pasco schools. We are very pleased that she was nominated and selected by her colleagues for this award. It is well-deserved," says Superintendent Saundra Hill.
This is Aragon's third year as principal at Twain Elementary. Previously, she served as principal of Whittier Elementary School for seven years and as assistant principal of Stevens Middle School for two years. She also was an assistant director of Special Services for a year. She began her career in the District in 1996 as a Special Education teacher at Stevens Middle School. She has taught for the migrant night school and the extended day school program at Pasco High School. She was also a teacher trainer for several years. |
|
TEACHERS MATTER
Please enjoy this video of Whittier Elementary students talking about teachers who are important to them.
 | |
Teachers Matter - Whittier Elementary |
|
|
AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK
Pasco School District highlighted music education the week of Nov. 18-22, in honor of American Education Week. Please enjoy this article featuring Pasco High School Music Teacher Matthew Polk.
MATTHEW POLK: INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY EXPAND STUDENT MUSIC OPTIONS
 At a national music conference last summer Pasco High School Music Teacher Matthew Polk couldn't help but brag a little about music in Pasco schools.
"We have a legacy of excellent traditional music programs in Pasco, but we also excel at offering alternative music programs, such as mariachi and guitar, to appeal to a wide range of students," says Polk.
Polk began the guitar program at McLoughlin Middle School eight years ago and then moved to Pasco High School where he launched a program with "four beat-up guitars." Today there are thriving guitar programs at every middle and high school in the District. His musical innovation carried into his position at Pasco High School where he has developed an acclaimed Mariachi ensemble. This year the ensemble has added folklorico dancers that Polk hopes will become the "color guard" for their "band."
An accomplished musician in his own right, Polk's role in developing Pasco's guitar programs has been recognized by his peers regionally and nationally. He currently serves as Northwest Region representative of the National Guitar Council for the National Association for Music Education. He has been in communication with teachers across the country working on curriculum and advocating for raising academic rigor for guitar classes to the level of all music classes. "Our program in Pasco serves as a great example of how to achieve that rigor. Our students aren't just good Mariachi players, they are good musicians who specialize in Mariachi," he says.
Lately Polk has been focusing on the science of music, or specifically how music and art education will be manifested at Pasco's new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) elementary schools as he serves as a member of the planning team.
Unlike more traditional bands, Polk's role in Mariachi and guitar is one of facilitator rather than director, he says. "With all of the students playing the same instrument they have more responsibility for creative input, rather than me imposing it on them," he says. Polk sees music programs at the new schools following this model. "These are the kind of skills that are important to technology and science - being innovative, creative and able to think outside of the box," he says.
Students will work more with composition and student-driven performance. "I have great respect for the classics, but students are creating music on iPads right now," says Polk. "We have to have one foot in each world to remain relevant."
As Polk notes, the link between music and math dates back to Pythagoras. "He's best known for the Pythagorean Theorem in math, but he is also responsible for how we tune our instruments today," he says. "Leonardo Da Vinci was better at science because of his art and better at art because of his science, and Einstein said he did his best thinking when he was playing the violin. There is something that happens in the brain when you are engaged in art and music. It's not only fun, but it actually stimulates the brain so ideas can occur." |
|
SALUTING STUDENTS
Chess Elementary School deaf education students sign the pledge of allegiance at the board meeting Tuesday. Pictured are (back row, left to right) Leo Figueroa, Jesus Chavez Lara, Yovany Barragan, Salia Sheehan, Yanesy Barragan, and Osiris Barragan, and (front row, left to right) Alejandro Vargas Flores, Omar Barragan, and Madison Crosby.
Students from Chess Elementary School's deaf education program presented the flag salute at the board meeting on Dec. 10. They were accompanied by Principal Wendi Manthei and ASL translator Jeannine Winters. Jesus Chavez Lara, Yovany Barragan, Salia Sheehan, Yanesy Barragan, Osiris Barragan, Alejandro Vargas Flores, Omar Barragan, and Madison Crosby are among the District's 26 deaf and hard of hearing students. Chess Elementary serves deaf students from preschool age through sixth grade. Some attend only the deaf education classes of teachers Amber Havers and Anthony Bishop, while others are mainstreamed into general education classrooms with an interpreter. |
|
|
