Excellence in Education Schools achieve Standard of Excellence in reading, math
October 2012
PICTURE THIS: USD 250 Superintendent Destry Brown continued this year his tradition of taking a picture with every kindergarten student. The pictures and a letter from Mr. Brown were sent home to parents.
A Look Inside FROM THE COVER USD 250 schools achieve multiple Standard of Excellence awards in reading and math
•Students tour human body •PHS opens Dragon Gear store •PCMS tech/science gets makeover
•PHS to perform ‘Sweeney Todd’ •Pavement Poetry at PCMS •Magician takes on bullying
DISCOVERY
PHS science students search for new virus, enter global scientific community Science experiments are one thing. Getting the chance to become part of the global scientific community is quite another. This fall, students in Pittsburg High School’s Molecular Genetics course are getting to do both. As part of the University of Pittsburgh (Penn.) Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professorship Phagehunting Program, high school students across the country are on a quest to discover new phage, a type of virus that attacks bacteria. Scientists have estimated phage to be the most “numerous biological entities in the biosphere.” “The high diversity and relatively small genome sizes of these phages,” according to PLOS Genetics, “provide an ideal platform for introducing high school and undergraduate students to the research laboratory, isolating and naming novel viruses, and de-
termining their genomic sequences. The thrill of
students to engage in and pursue scientific
discovering new viruses and previously unidentified genes, coupled with ownership of individual phage projects, provides strong motivations for
research.” Jim Foresman, PHS science teacher, said participating in the Phagehunting program gives the students the
Continued on next page
opportunity to become part of the broader scientific world. “The really cool thing about this is that the research and data that our students put together and submit will be entered into a database that can and will be accessed by others as they continue to do research on phage,” Foresman said. “Our kids get to be a part of the professional scientific community, which is a unique and exciting opportunity.” The search for phage began with a soil sample from senior Josh Cook’s dog pen. “We wanted a soil sample from a place where we knew there would be a lot of bacteria,” Cook said. “I thought we might have some luck with something from that area.” Through a process that included filtering out the bacteria from the soil until they could isolate a single virus, the students discovered a unique phage that will now be submitted to the
PHAGE: Students get to name virus Mycobacteriophage Database at the University of Pittsburgh. “Maybe the coolest thing about that is that the students get to name it,” Foresman said. As Cook brought in the soil sample in which the phage was found, the naming rights go to
him. “I haven’t decided what I’ll name it,” Cook said. “I was thinking about going with a Latin name so I could seem professional. Most of the names in the database, though, are kind of funny. My class wants me to go with ForesDad-
dy. So, I guess I need to decide between professional and funny.” Regardless of the name, the experience has been the most interesting aspect for the students. “This is something that not a lot of high school kids get to do,”
Cook said. “To think about being 17, 18 years old and discovering a new virus is really cool. It’s surreal, actually. I think it’s amazing that our high school gives us these kind of opportunities.”
“To think about being 17, 18 years old and discovering a new virus is really cool. It’s surreal, actually. I think it’s amazing that our high school gives us these kind of opportunities.” -- PHS Senior Josh Cook
PICTURE THIS: Meadowlark Elementary School celebrated Grandparent’s Day by inviting the students’ families to the school for music, snacks and a lot of laughs.
Students take walk through human body It’s one thing to learn about the human body and all of its parts and systems. It’s quite another to see those parts and systems first-hand. That was the idea behind the Body Venture exhibit that was stationed at Lakeside Elementary School this fall. The walk-through exhibit represents the human body and how it operates, and it’s aimed at teaching students the importance of good health and nutrition. It also teaches students about the effects of bad habits such as smoking and eating too much fats and sugars. The exhibit remained in the Lakeside gymnasium for three days, and students from each of USD 250’s four elementary schools got the chance to visit and participate in the program. “This is a very important subject, especially for students in elementary school,” Veronica Ausemus, physical education teacher at Westside, said. “We want these kids to understand how the body works
and why it’s important to make good choices when it comes to eating and fitness. This exhibit takes what they learn in class to a whole new level. It’s fun, it’s different and it’s something the students get excited about.” The “Pathway to Life” tour featured stops at, among others, the brain, the mouth, the digestive tract, the heart and skeletal system. Each station was manned by a volunteer from various community organizations, including many volunteers from Pittsburg State University. For the students, the experience was something they can both learn from and to which they can relate. “That was awesome,” William Ridenour, Meadowlark fifth-grader said. “It’s so cool to learn about the body in that way. Our teachers and books can teach us a lot, but doing something like this makes it a little easier to understand.”
New PHS musical theatre class takes performing to new levels
With each performance, Greg Shaw likes to challenge his students. The Pittsburg High School theatre director wants the students to push themselves to new heights, to discover abilities and talents that they didn’t even know they possessed. “I believe in pushing the kids a little bit,” Shaw said. “I want them to tackle projects and shows that other students in other programs may not take on. I want them to perform beyond their known abilities.” This year, with the
creation of the new Musical Repertory Theatre class at PHS, the best of the best in the theatre and music programs are getting their chance to find out just how far they can push each other. “This class is like our AP (advanced placement) course,” Shaw said. “You have to audition to be in here, and you have to be placed in the class. These are the kids who excel at the highest levels and who want to challenge themselves to be even better. “We see this as a big step toward preparing
them for the university level theatre programs,” Shaw said. The course is team taught by Shaw and Susan Laushman, PHS vocal music teacher, as true musicals combine equal parts acting and singing. The first performance on the slate is “Sweeney Todd: The Demented Barber of Fleet Street.” The performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 24, 25 and 27 at PHS. “This is probably one of the top 5 most difficult shows,” Shaw said. “It’s hard material, and
Continued on next page
that is what we want to put in front of the students. We want to see what they’ve got.” For the students – only juniors and seniors are admitted in the class – the challenge is exactly what they were hoping for. “Playing Sweeney Todd is the role I’ve always wanted,” senior Kevin McNay said. “The power that he has and his mysteriousness makes him a very interesting character. This is a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to putting on this show.” Senior Kylie Wilber,
‘Sweeney Todd’ to be performed in late October who portrays Joanna, said putting on a musical is more challenging than a traditional play. She added, however, that it’s also more rewarding. “I’ve been in musicals since I was little,” Wilber said. “To me, singing is more personal. With traditional plays, it’s more about the text, more about the lines. Musicals give you the chance to sing the lines, to feel them. When you listen to the songs, you can connect more to the show.” Student Director Liza Erwin, senior, said she enjoys the “extra work” it takes to prepare a musical. “There is so much more work than with a regular play,” she said. “You’re acting, but you’re also singing. Sometimes you’re dancing. These are all things that you have to work on and merge together to make a great show. It really is a lot of fun. We like the challenge.” For one student in particular, the performance is taking her especially beyond her known abilities. “I am playing a male character,” Brittany Wilde, senior, said. “It’s interesting. I have a low voice, which is better than singing high for me. Plus, I
think I can make a pretty convincing boy. Overall, it’s just a lot of fun. We’re having a lot of fun with it, and I think we’re putting together something pretty awesome.” Adding to the challenge is the fact that many of the students involved in “Sweeney Todd” are also simultaneously preparing for the traditional fall play, “Dearly Beloved.” To be performed in November, the play is a light-hearted comedy about a dysfunctional Texas family. “The two shows couldn’t be more different,” Shaw said. “I think ‘Dearly Beloved’ is going to be the funniest piece we’ve ever done. This will be the first time we’ve done a legitimate musical and a legitimate play this close together. So, it’s definitely a challenge for the students, but it’s also an opportunity for them to improve themselves and rise to that challenge. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “We want the kids to see just how much they can accomplish when they push themselves and strive for greatness.”
Standard Bearers
Schools achieve Standard of Excellence Several USD 250 schools achieved Standard of Excellence during the 2011-2012 school year, according to information released in September by the Kansas State Department of Education. According to the KSDE, to receive a Standard of Excellence at the grade or building level, the building must meet Adequate Yearly Progress requirements in the “all students” group, and must meet a minimum requirement for the percent of students in the exemplary performance level and a maximum require-
ment for the percent of students in the academic warning performance level. George Nettels Elementary School achieved SOE in 5thgrade and building-wide reading and in 4th, 5th and building-wide math. Lakeside Elementary School achieved SOE in 5th-grade and building-wide reading and in 4th, 5th and building-wide math. Pittsburg Community Middle School achieved SOE in 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade reading and in building-wide math. Pittsburg High School
achieved SOE in building-wide math. “We are very proud of the accomplishments of both our students and staff,” Superintendent Destry Brown said. “Our staff and students at all of our schools work extremely hard every day to reach the highest possible levels of success.” Statewide, according to the KSDE, there were 3,081 Standard of Excellence awards presented in reading and 2,816 awards presented in math.
PHS opens online Dragon gear store During a DECA competition last fall, students at Pittsburg High School noticed something about the host school that not only drew their attention but also sparked an idea. “Blue Valley Northwest had a school store,” Isis Ruiz, PHS senior, said. “We thought that was really cool, and we started thinking about wanting one at our school.” After months of brainstorming, planning and strategizing, that idea has become a reality. The Dragon Gear online store – “Your source for Purple Dragons merchandise”-- went live at the start of the 2012-2013 school year. Products range from mugs and license plates to mouse pads and spirit sleeves. The web address is www.dragongear.co. The products are designed and printed by students at PHS. They can be shipped to the customers or picked up at the school. All transactions are conducted via PayPal. Ruiz, who serves as
the store manager, said the online store has many benefits for the students and the school. “This is a great way to draw attention to the school,” Ruiz said. “We would love to see more Purple Dragons stuff out in the community, and this is a great way to help accomplish that. It’s also a positive in that it helps raise money for DECA. Amanda Mitchell, 2012 DECA president, said running the store is also a “great learning experience.” “It’s one thing to learn about the business world and hear about how it’s done,” she said, “but it’s another when you actually do it. Having this store is giving us real-world experience, and it’s teaching us a lot about how things
work.” Linda Garrow, marketing teacher and DECA adviser, said she is proud of the students’ excitement for and dedication to the store. “One of the main things you want to do as a teacher is motivate students to work hard and do their best,” Garrow said. “With this store, the students are already motivated to succeed. The inspiration is already there, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness. It’s exciting to come to class and watch these students work.” Ruiz said the store continues to grow and more products will be available as it expands. “This is just like any other business,” she said. “We have the same goals and the
same expectations as any other business. This may be a school store, but it’s a real thing and something we take very seriously. “We’re hoping,” Ruiz said, “that our students, staff and alumni will get excited about this and get excited about having more Purple Dragons merchandise. This could really get bigger than any of us originally anticipated, which would be wonderful.” Jon Bishop, PHS principal, is already excited about the store. He purchased more than 200 T-shirts and gave them as gifts to every member of the PHS staff. “This is a great thing for PHS and for USD 250,” Bishop said. “I love seeing Purple Dragons shirts and mugs and flags all throughout the community, and this will put even more of those items around town. The students should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished and the impact this store will have on school pride.”
Pavement Prose Students express themselves with poetry, chalk The next John Keats may have gotten his start with chalk outside of Pittsburg Community Middle School. Students at PCMS took part in the 3rd Annual Pavement Publishing event last month, an activity that features students writing on the sidewalk original poems they developed in their Language Arts classes. Teacher Angela Lewis, who, along with former PCMS teacher Kristy Uttley, created the program, said the goal
is to show students the importance of poetry. “It is important for the students to realize they can do many things in life being able to write poems,” she said. “Song writers can make a lot of money writing poetry. That’s what music is, poetry. I feel it is a treat to be able to go outside and publish the work for the entire school to see. The students really seem to be involved with their piece of work. I believe it makes them proud to
see their name next to their original poem.” The students prepared for the Pavement Publishing event by studying figurative language, an important concept to understand while writing poetry. Students said the activity makes learning about poetry enjoyable, and it encourages them to write more on their own time. “We were able to write what we actually wanted to write about,” Karen Campbell said.
“It’s a cool feeling to express yourself in that way and to be able to do it outside your school for everyone to see.” Jordan Potter said the experience enhances the lessons learned in class. “It’s really cool,” he said. “We get to be outside and use chalk, which is a lot different than being inside, where we would normally just be using a pencil.”
Making bullying disappear
Magician brings positive message to Nettels Olathe-based magician Scott Henderson visited George Nettels Elementary School in September to help make bullying disappear from the school’s halls and the students’ hearts. Henderson brought to Nettels a magic show he developed that used various stories and tricks to teach the importance of anti-bullying efforts. The show is an expansion of one he had previously developed on peer pressure. “The main thing I want the kids to understand is that bullying is something that shouldn’t be tolerated, and that they have a big role to play in eliminating it,” Henderson said. “A show like this captures their attention, so I know they’re listening. Hopefully, they are taking away as much of the anti-bullying message as they are the neat tricks.”
Nettels Principal Andy Gottlob said Henderson’s show was a great way to talk about bullying and why it’s important to work to stop it. “You could tell the kids were tuned in to whatever Scott was doing and saying,” Gottlob said. “Something like this is a great way to spread the anti-bullying message, and I’m very glad that Scott was able to come here and help with that. This was a wonderful opportunity for our kids.” Henderson’s visits to Nettels and to St. Mary’s Elementary School were made possible through a grant from the Pritchett Trust.
PICTURE THIS: Arkansas musician Shannon Wurst performs for students at the Family Resource Center just hours before performing for the community at the Center’s annual Playground Party.
PCMS program brings science, technology together Cell phones. Texting. Laptops. iPads. Facebook. Twitter. These are all things that are becoming as common to a student’s life as eating and sleeping. Social media is no longer a fad. Cell phones are no longer just for adults. They are, more than ever before, a way of life for today’s youth. To help students succeed in today’s world of interactive, communication technology, teachers at Pittsburg Community Middle School
are embracing that technology and utilizing it in the classroom. “We’re changing how we’re teaching technology,” Caleb Boulware, 8th-grade technology teacher, said. “We want our students to be technologically literate. We want them to know not only how to get online, but also how to communicate effectively online. This is what we’re talking about when we talk about 21st century skills.” The 8th-grade science & technology course
at PCMS underwent a makeover over the summer, and the students are now reaping many of the benefits. The most obvious change is the removal of the module stations and the construction of a wall that separates the science side from the technology side. Eighteen computers line the walls on the science side of the room, as many of the lessons involve computer programs. “The physical appearance is obviously different,” 8th-grade
Continued on next page
science teacher Bob Kimzey said. “It was time to update the lab. The science side now looks more like a traditional science lab. Instead of modules or cramped desks, we have large tables that we can use for instruction and to conduct experiments. The wall does create a bit of sound and visual barrier, but we also kept part of it open so the students could have access to both sides.” While the two sections may appear separate, the aim of the
TECH/SCIENCE: Course features, promotes communication technology
changes was actually to better bring together the two subjects. “You look at what technology has done in the past 20 years, and it’s really become much more communicationbased technology,” Boulware said. “Everything today has to do with the Internet, web sites, graphic design, communication via cell phones, text and e-mail. Behind all of that is a lot of science, and we thought this would be a great way to show students how they’re connected and also to give them hands-on experience with things they are going to face outside
of school.” Lessons will cover topics ranging from web site design and Photoshop to renewable energy and robotics. Students will also use Powerpoint and public service announcements to present information. “The students will use multiple methods to present the information and data they gather,” Kimzey said. “That is what is so cool about the way we’re combining the courses. Students can be on the science side working on a project, then they’ll go over to Caleb’s technology side to put that information into some type
of presentation. That’s just one example of how these two concepts are intertwined.” One of the most vital aims of the program, Boulware said, is to teach concepts that are now and will be in the future relevant to the students. “We’re going to talk about wind and solar energy, because these are things that the students will be working with someday,” he said. “Those are examples of things that will continue to become more prevalent in society, and we want the students to have a basic understanding of that. We
want them talking about alternative energy, and we want them to get some hands-on experiences. By keeping things relevant and interesting, we keep them on their toes. We keep them thinking.” So far, the response from students has been positive. “They really love it,” Boulware said. “They understand what we’re trying to accomplish. They see why they need the science side, and they see why they need to the technology side. We think this is going to be a great step forward for this program.”
Pittsburg firefighters visited elementary students to talk about fire safety and prevention as part of National Fire Prevention Week.
Service Learning projects teach independence, creativity For students at Elm Acres Youth and Family Services, the 2012-2013 school year has been more than classrooms and textbooks. Various Service Learning projects have led them outdoors and into the community, where they are gaining valuable real-world experiences. “The idea is to take the school subjects and what they are learning and put them in situations where they’ll apply it in the real world,” Jessi Brown, Service Learning Coordinator, said.
Projects in September included making homemade modeling clay and sculptures with residents at Pittsburg’s Carrington Place. The students also made a sampler quilt as part of a study of the history and tradition of quilting in America. “The biggest concepts in this project,” Brown said of quilting, “are quality writing skills, following directions, making and following a plan, geometric patterns and accuracy in measuring.” The students have also made various items such
as hats, scarves, pajamas, pillows, blankets and stuffed animals to donate to TFI Family Services and CHOICES. “In order to make a number of those items, we have placed a collection box at each building,” Brown said. “We are collecting items that would normally be thrown away and upcycling them into usable items.” Of course, the students need a place to store all of their materials and equipment to make all of the items. To that end, another Service Learning project
has been the construction of an outdoor storage shed. Brown said that project has been as educational as it has been useful. “The students are really doing it themselves, so it teaches a lot about independence and problem solving,” she said. “These type of projects show a whole other side to the kids that we wouldn’t see if we just stayed in the classroom. They take a lot of pride in their work. They can look at this shed and say, ‘I built that.’”
On Par... The PSU men’s golf team spent an afternoon with the PCMS intramural golf team last month to give advice, provide a few pointers and to have a great time on the golf course.
Photo
Finish