Competition teaches Arete Prep students team building
BY MEGHAN MCCOY
Students from Arete Preparatory Academy did not advance in the U.S. Department of Energy Office Regional Science Bowl, but they did walk away with a great team-building experience.
“It’s a great chance for kids to get involved and meet friends and work as a team together,” said Rebekah Kienenberger, Arete Preparatory Academy lead science teacher and grant writer.
“It’s something that our students really enjoy.”
Three Arete Prep teams—one middle and two high school— competed in this year’s Regional Science Bowl.
are correct, they are then asked a bonus question for which the students have 20 seconds to collaborate as a team to answer.
Kienenberger said it was inspiring to watch the 12 high school students work together to answer a geometry question. The kids learned to communicate with one another and solve questions.
The questions touch upon physical, life and earth sciences, astronomy, energy, chemistry and math.
“A lot of times, when we go to the competition, people take it really seriously,”
Kienenberger said.
“This year we were just in the first round of competition,” said Kienenberger, who has coached the team for four years. “Last year they did well and happened to move onto the second round.”
The regional competition includes science and math trivia with short answer and multiple-choice questions. She said the students have 5 minutes to buzz in and answer the questions. If they
“Unfortunately sometimes they are kind of poor sports. It’s all about fun and enjoying it and being a good team together. For our students, it is a chance for them to do something fun related to science outside of the classroom.”
Kienenberger said each year the teams gain more students. They are recruited at the beginning of the school year via fliers, announcements and conversations in classes.
Helping hands
As part of its Junior Bronze Award Project, Girl Scout troop No. 1656 raised funds and collected books to supply a book cart for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital 22-bed inpatient unit at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Recently, the girls delivered the three-tiered book cart to the unit. They were able to collect
enough books and raise enough money to supply the cart with two Nooks, crayons, markers and other writing utensils and more than 250 board books, reading books and activity books. The Phoenix Children’s inpatient unit at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is incredibly grateful for the support from troop No. 1656, according to a press release. The girls’ generosity will be appreciated by many patients and their families.
• Rigorous and Engaging Curriculum Aligned to Common Core Standards
• Highly Qualified and Dedicated Teachers
• Data Driven Instruction
• Physical Education, Art and Music Classes
• School Wide PBIS - Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Program
• National School Lunch Program
• After School Extra - Curricular Mustang Clubs
• Free All Day Kindergarten
• Kindergarten Readiness Program for Four Year Olds
• Small, family-oriented campus
• Active PTO and Community Involvement
The Girl Scout in troop No. 1656 include, from left, Kate Newman, Ava Pace, Angelina Vargas, Olivia LaFleur and Miranda Vail. Submitted photo
STUDENT CHRONICLES
Is the student in your family doing something special? Share it with us. Send the news to christina@gilbertsunnews.com.
Forest Schulke presented a project titled “Investigation of Stroke Volume Response to Incremental Exercise in Cyclists of Varying Fitness Levels” during The Fort Lewis College School of Arts and Sciences’ annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Symposium in April. Student participants were selected by their departments to represent the best undergraduate research and performances done at Fort Lewis College this year. The presentations can be seen on the Fort Lewis College You Tube channel via the archived live streams of the Morning & Afternoon sessions. The college is located in Durango, Colorado.
Of the nearly 9,600 graduates who walked across the stage during San Diego State University’s commencement ceremonies recently, only a select group earned recognition as honors graduates including Erika Vignoli, an alum of Gilbert High School. She earned a degree in political science and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Debora Pereira graduated from the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions with a Doctor of Pharmacy during Creighton University’s commencement ceremonies on May 16 at CenturyLink Omaha. More than 1,700 degrees were conferred during the morning and afternoon ceremonies.
Kateri Poarch participated in commencement exercises on May 16 at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Poarch earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education. The ceremony featured Dayton Moore, vice president of baseball operations and general manager of the American League Champion Kansas City Royals, as the commencement speaker.
The honor roll lists for Graceland University’s 2015 spring term have been announced, and Austin Harper has been named to the dean’s list. Meanwhile Braden Austin was named to the president’s list. Graceland University is located in Lamoni, Iowa.
Allyson Dell’Amico was named to Fort Lewis College’s dean’s list for the Spring 2015 semester. Dell’Amico’s major is mathematics. Fort Lewis College is in Durango, Colorado.
Williams Field students, chamber team up for Orbital video
Nolan Skowronek was among 200 students recognized at University of Jamestown’s 109th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, at the Jamestown Civic Center.
Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, has named Sarah Nohemi Kreiser to its president’s list for the spring 2015 term. Schreiner University is an independent coeducational liberal arts university related by choice and covenant to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Kristin Jarzab was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Jarzab is pursuing a degree in psychology at ASU.
The Gilbert Chamber teamed up with Williams Field High School for a studentproduced video to provide an inside look at Orbital ATK as part of the chamber’s Partners in Progress initiative. Partners in Progress is a program of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce designed to facilitate a healthy business environment for the growth, expansion and retention of businesses. As such, the program works to bring together business and education by identifying opportunities for students to gain experience within the workforce and educators to access the resources needed to support workforce readiness within their classrooms.
In August 2014, video broadcasting faculty member Jason Karcher and a team
Learning Foundation performs at Disneyland Resort
Members of Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Charter School became stars of their own Disney show on April 15 when they entertained resort guests at the Hollywood Backlot Stage at Disney California Adventure Park. The group traveled from Gilbert to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim to take part in the Disney Performing Arts program. Dance, vocal and instrumental ensembles from all around the world apply to perform each year as a part of Disney Performing
Arts at both the Disneyland Resort in California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Once selected, they are given the opportunity to perform at the resort for an international audience of theme park guests. Millions of performers have graced the stages of the Disney parks in the more than 25-year history of the program.
For more information, visit www. DisneyPerformingArts.com or call (800) 603-0552.
SPARK App League competition ends with tourism app submissions
Gilbert will soon be getting a new tourism mobile app, thanks to high school students participating in the third annual SPARK App League. The competition is hosted by the Town of Gilbert in partnership with ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and is sponsored by Google.
The competition kicked off in January, as teams of high school students from across the state were given 11 weeks to submit a mobile application using real data and design elements related to Gilbert tourism. More than 250 students participated. Fifteen final submissions were judged on various elements including code and design. Google software engineer and SPARK App League judge Jessie Chavez said the competition is one of a kind.
“I think this competition is awesome compared to others because we’re actually bringing such a wide array of students from many different schools and have a strong mentorship team from the university partner,” Chavez said. “It’s really nice that Gilbert has brought everybody together.”
The overall winner was a team from Foothills Academy College Prep. Team members Brendan Saliba, Devynn O’Donnell and Ryan Kundrata participated in the competition as part of their school’s tech club.
“I was not expecting to meet someone from Google so it really inspired me to do more competitions like this, and hopefully work for Apple or Google or somewhere in Silicon Valley,” Ryan said.
As the competition continues to grow, teachers are incorporating it into their curriculums and afterschool clubs. Larry Balog, tech club sponsor at Foothills Academy, said they will definitely participate again next year.
“I just can’t thank them enough because the students get the exposure and it’s a great experience,” he said.
To learn more about SPARK App League, view contest entries and see how to get involved, visit www.sparkappleague.com. Follow the organization on Twitter, @ SPARKAppLeague, and Instagram, sparkappleague.
of three students at Williams Field High School volunteered to produce a video to highlight a specific field of work and to investigate the skills and training required to work within that industry.
“We were excited when the students selected Orbital ATK,” said Kathy Tilque, president and CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce.
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For an inside look at Orbital ATK, visit the chamber’s video library at www.youtube.com/GilbertChamber or by direct link at https://youtu.be/ sTSOUUVTxzk.
“This video provides an opportunity for the future workforce to hear straight from the source the types of credentials and soft skills that lend themselves to working at Orbital ATK; a company that employs more than 250 people in Gilbert and 12,000 jobs globally.”
Williams Field High School’s video production students Nick Bugeja, Jamie Barentine and Aidan Adair, submitted the video featuring Rick Kettner, senior director of engineering at Orbital ATK.
“Orbital ATK is a strong advocate for and a sponsor of the Partners in Progress initiative,” Tilque said. “Our town is fortunate to have such a corporate beacon in our community.”
Introduced in 2011, Partners in Progress is a program of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce designed to facilitate a healthy business environment for the growth, expansion and retention of businesses. The program was conceptualized under the leadership of strategic foundational partners including Arizona State University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and the Town of Gilbert. The Gilbert Chamber is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 650 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations and representing more than 52,000 employees. The chamber works to lead the business community by providing programs and services and by partnering in relationships that strengthen the business climate in Gilbert.
ORBITAL FROM page 32
The Soundsations are no strangers to performing in front of crowds.
Seton valedictorian heading to Gonzaga
BY TRACY HOUSE
William Hietter thought it was pretty exciting to be the Seton High School Class of 2015 valedictorian. The 17-yearold Gilbert resident attended Seton all four years of high school, coming from Dobson Academy.
Hietter was chosen as valedictorian after applying and submitting an essay. He explained the essay was about why he wanted to give the speech, why he deserved it and how he exemplified the character of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
“I thought it would be fun to be able to give a speech on graduation night, and then I had a lot of fun writing it,” Hietter said. “My classmates were telling me to do it, so that was always good to hear.”
In his speech to his 118 classmates, Hietter said the focus was, “Don’t worry so much about these accomplishments; worry more about building relationships with teachers and fellow students. I feel like those go farther than awards go.”
basketball season. I would get home from practice around 9 o’clock, eat dinner and do homework. But, I’d rather be doing that than sitting at home.”
After working four hard years in high school, Hietter is planning to work parttime this summer and will be heading to Spokane, Washington, to attend Gonzaga University to study civil engineering. He said his interest stems from “My grandpa who was a civil engineer, and I get to be outside a lot.”
Hietter said he received three scholarships and a grant from Gonzaga. “One of them was the Trustees Scholarship, based on test scores and grades.
The second was the Gonzaga Entrepreneurial Scholarship, which I had to write an essay for, and the third one was the Joseph M. Cataldo SJ Scholarship, and I had to write another essay for that one.”
Mesquite students qualify for debate tourney
BY ALISON STANTON
In June, three recent graduates from Mesquite High School in Gilbert will travel to Dallas, Texas, to compete at the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament.
Benjamin Silva and Lazarus Tate qualified for nationals during the recent Arizona District National Speech and Debate Qualifier at Thunderbird High School. Cynthia Tran was named to the national team later. Two students from Desert Ridge High School in Mesa also qualified for nationals: Amani Shirif and Devin Dye.
In all, 45 students from 15 different schools qualified to compete at the national tournament, which will be held June 14 to June 19. More than 225 students from 24 schools competed in the qualifier.
The Arizona District also honored several community members at the qualifier for their dedication to speech and debate activities. Dana Humbert, a Mesquite High School speech and debate team parent, won District Volunteer of the Year.
Benjamin qualified for the national speech and debate tournament in United States Extemporaneous Speaking.
Benjamin, who joined the speech and debate team as a sophomore, said the event involves being given a question related to current events or news, and having 30 minutes to compose and memorize a 7-minute speech about the topic.
“We have access to think tanks and news stories that will help us to answer the topic,” Benjamin said.
His winning question asked if the United States’ strained relationships with Israel will improve our country’s relationships with other Middle Eastern countries.
Benjamin, who went to the national tournament last year, said he was “really surprised” to qualify again this year.
“Extemp is not my event; I had done it once as a sophomore but then didn’t touch it again until this year. But my coach encouraged me to do it and I practiced it a lot,” he said.
Lazarus qualified for the national tournament in Dramatic Interpretation, an event that requires memorizing and performing a 10-minute script from a book.
“It tells a beginning, middle and end, so
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WIn addition to being chosen as valedictorian, Hietter graduated with a 4.0 GPA, unweighted, and played golf, basketball and baseball for all four years at Seton. “It was a lot of fun because I got to participate in a lot of sports because it was a smaller school,” he said. “It was definitely one of the benefits.”
Balancing sports and academics was difficult, Hietter said. “Especially during
All the essay writing paid off for Hietter. “It took about three hours to write the essay, but the scholarship was worth it. It was a good outwardly wage. A good use of my time.”
He was also the recipient of the New American University Scholar President’s Award from Arizona State University and the AP U.S. Government and Politics Award of Excellence, according to information provided from Seton. The graduate is excited about going away to college in August, but said, “I’m a little bit scared. It’s going to be cold.”
e are committed to educational excellence in a safe and secure environment. Our bold, New “Early College—Early Career” philosphy allows Desert Hills students to earn up to 60 college credits while still in high school. This approach to achievement has been shown to give students a dramatically improved opportunity to graduate from high school ready for life. It’s a fast-tracked, solid foundation to prepare you for college, to advance in the military or to pursue skilled post-secondary job training.
William Hietter at the podium giving his valedictorian speech to the Seton High School Class of 2015. Photo by Greg Herriman
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it’s the whole story,” he said.
He performs a story about Ray Charles that talks about his childhood, how the musician became blind, and how he adapted to his visual impairment.
Lazarus, who went to nationals last year, said learning that he would get to attend again was a “moment of validation that all of my hard work paid off.”
“I worked hard all year to go to nationals, and so this is a second chance for me to go even further,” he said.
Cynthia is looking forward to competing at nationals in World Schools Debate. During her four years on the speech and debate team, Cynthia has also competed in many other events, including Dramatic Interpretation, Lincoln Douglass debate and Impromptu.
Like Benjamin and Lazarus, Cynthia is also looking forward to traveling to Texas in June.
“A lot of people would be opposed to having to do so much work after graduating, but it’s my last chance to be able to participate in high school debate, and there is really nothing like high school debate.”
Humbert said it was quite a surprise to learn that she was named District Volunteer of the Year. She has been the “team mom” for the last three years, performing a variety of duties like securing donations from local businesses, judging at tournaments, and making sure that the tournaments held at Mesquite High School run smoothly.
In this time of budget cuts, it’s good to know that Legacy Traditional School is committed to giving our students the benefits and rewards of a quality, well-rounded education. One that focuses on all areas of academic study, including music, art, physical education, extracurricular activities and clubs. In fact, where some schools are cutting, Legacy Traditional School is adding programs that enhance the education of our students. To learn more, contact us today!
that Legacy Traditional School is committed to giving our students the benefits and rewards of a quality, well-rounded education. One that focuses on all areas of academic study, including music, art, physical education, extracurricular activities and clubs. In fact, where some schools are cutting, Legacy Traditional Schools is adding programs that enhance the education of our students. To learn more, contact us today!
In this time of budget cuts, it’s good to know that Legacy Traditional School is committed to giving our students the benefits and rewards of a quality, well-rounded education. One that focuses on all areas of academic study, including music, art, physical education, extracurricular activities and clubs. In fact, where some schools are cutting, Legacy Traditional School is adding programs that enhance the education of our students. To learn more, contact us today!
Cynthia said World Schools Debate is a mixture of Lincoln Douglass and Public Forum debates as well as Extemporaneous Speaking. Each team of composed of five students and unlike other forms of debate, competitors are not allowed to use laptops or pre-written constructive cases.
“I think it is really neat, and it really helps me develop these skills to be able to thoroughly prepare for potentially ambiguous debates as well as to be able to impromptu arguments without having to read right off of a piece of paper,” Cynthia said.
Humbert originally volunteered to help the team as a way to spend more time with her daughter TaylorRae, a senior who has been on the team all four years.
“I was not expecting the award at all, and what I have done has been such a joy and pleasure and a real labor of love,” Humbert said.
Cassie Alber, the speech and debate coach and an English teacher at Mesquite High School, said Benjamin, Lazarus and Cynthia are all devoted speech and debate students who spend a lot of time in class and at home working on mastering their crafts.
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