April 17, 2008

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Los Alamitos gets hooked on Project Cornerstone’s ABC Reading Program

By Shana McLean Moore
Staff Writer

The students and staff of Los Alamitos Elementary School kick-started the school’s participation in Project Cornerstone’s ABC Reading Program last week when guest author Karen Burnett visited the school for an interactive presentation of her popular children’s book, “Simon’s Hook.”

Author Karen Burnett explains how to remain a free fish to Los Alamitos student Andrea Winters.

The new program is run by ABC Parent volunteers, or Asset Building Champion Parents, who are trained by Project Cornerstone to read children's literature and lead classroom activities related to bullying prevention and promoting positive peer interactions. One of the program’s major goals is to create a common language within the entire school community around the issue of peer abuse.

Dressed as Grandma Rose, the wise and kindly neighbor in the story, Burnett got the students’ attention early by greeting them in a fishing vest and carrying a fishing pole with a super-sized paper hook dangling from it. Burnett promptly explained that she was fishing for boys and girls who couldn’t resist taking her bait, so she could teach them a valuable lesson in the process.

The type of bait Burnett used was no ordinary worm or fly, but rather the types of words the children encounter on the playground that often send them running away in tears, feeling like victims. Burnett’s aim is to provide them with tactics that will help them avoid being hooked by unfriendly classmates again.

Burnett’s strategies come from more than 20 years of experience as an elementary school counselor and a lifetime of experience as a natural storyteller. She finally decided to put some of these stories on paper in 1999 and founded her own publishing company, GR Publishing (or Grandma Rose Publishing). “Simon’s Hook,” her first published story, was followed by three additional children’s books. Her latest project, “Choose Your Life: a Travel Guide for Living” is a read that is as relevant for adults as it is for teens.

The author chose a handful of volunteers to help her reenact the story of Simon, a boy who was picked on by his peers because of an unfortunate incident involving his hair and a missing piece of chewed gum. When Simon’s sister helped him remove it with scissors, Simon wound up with an unconventional hairstyle that his peers teased him about. Grandma Rose saw Simon pass her house in tears and asked him why he was so upset. When Simon explained what had happened, Grandma Rose grabbed her fishing pole and explained the concept of choosing to be a free fish by never taking the bait offered by the mean kids.

Second grader Travis Varni had the chance to play the role of Simon at one of the assemblies and found Barnett to be “funny and kind like a real grandma.” The students in the audience giggled as Varni and their other classmates demonstrated what it looked like to be hooked, with stamping feet and whiny cries. They then role played different ways they could take the pleasure out of the bully’s attempts to hurt them by demonstrating indifference by giving a minimal reaction, agreeing with the insult, changing the subject, making a joke or simply staying away.

The message came through loud and clear to first grader Chloe Clevenger who said: “I loved the assembly. I learned ‘Don’t take the bait!’”

Chloe’s mom, Lisa Clevenger, parent coordinator of the newly formed Project Cornerstone committee, was thrilled to see the message get through to the primary grade students as well as the students soon leaving for middle school.

“Karen was a dynamic speaker with powerful messages that are important for all of our students to hear. With the ongoing problems of teasing and verbal abuse, it is important for children to learn the tools and language to handle these situations,” said Clevenger. “Karen delivered her messages and these skills in a relevant, accessible and fun manner. We couldn't have asked for a better way to start the ABC program,” she added.

PTA President Lynne Wach agreed. “The author did a great job of involving the kids in her presentation. I am hopeful that the lessons stick with the kids the next time someone tries to get them to take the bait, and helps other kids remember not to go fishing for trouble."

For more information about Project Cornerstone’s programs for Bay Area youth, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

Simonds holds fifth annual Science Fair

It was quite a scene as 28 judges gathered in the evening on Friday, April 11 to judge Simonds Elementary School’s fifth annual Science Fair. The judges experienced great difficulty deciding on the winners, especially because some remember elementary science being nowhere near as sophisticated as it is now.

For the first time, the fair was held at the Almaden Community Center. A total of 97 students designed and developed 71 projects from all six grades at the school. The volunteer judges included parents, community members and local high school students.

Winners in the three upper grades received ribbons. In third grade, Kylie Domingue and Laney Zettle entered a lemon-powered doorbell and won first place. Second place went to Alyssa Tom and Nicole Tom, who grew salt crystals and Anna Ostrowski placed third with her project about lights and plants.

The fourth grade first-place winners Sonya Huang and Katy West built thermometers while Sahana Bansal took second place with her project on floating heavy objects. Two projects tied for third place, Abby Cundall’s project was preserving flowers and Ross Graham and Brian MacInnes did their project on the physics of roller coasters.

Two projects tied for first place in fifth grade, Neil Bhagat whose project was disinfectants and bacteria and Ankita Ramakrishran whose project was strawberry DNA.

Noah Smith and Thomas Spencer took second place with a project dealing with weight distribution and momentum and Ethan Hu and Calvin Nguyen won third place with electricity conductivity.

Bank of America honors high school seniors

Bank of America has selected 32 outstanding high school students from the San Jose area as finalists for its annual Achievement Awards program.

The 32 high school seniors will compete in the finals of Bank of America’s 60th annual Achievement Awards program, a rigorous half-day oral and written competition to recognize outstanding high school students held April 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. The students will compete in four general study areas: applied arts, fine arts, liberal arts or science and mathematics.

The San Jose event is one of 10 competitions held across California. In all, 320 students statewide will vie for $280,000 in prize money. Finalists were selected from more than 15,000 competitors statewide based on outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements. San Jose finalists include Laura Bischoff, Santa Teresa High School; Tuyen Nguyen, Oak Grove High; Leila Haghighat, St. Francis High School; Rachel Treat, Branham High School; Anjali Thakkar, Presentation High School; and Elizabeth Peterson, Leigh High School.

Since 1948, more than one million California students have participated in Bank of America’s Achievement Awards, winning more than $9 million. First-place winners receive $2,000, second- and third-place winners each receive $1,500 and $1,000 respectively, and the remaining competitors receive $500 each.

Simonds Elementary named 2008 California Distinguished School

San Jose Unified School District announced last week that George W. Simonds Elementary School will be recognized by the California State Department of Education as a 2008 California Distinguished School at the Distinguished School Awards Ceremony May 16 in Anaheim.

“I was honored to be able to join the excitement as these dedicated educators learned their schools earned this coveted title,” said Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction when he announced the 343 distinguished schools. “From their stories, it became clear that they share a school wide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance.”

“Simonds is a thriving community where all stakeholders are involved,” according to SJUSD officials. “Students are actively engaged in their learning, parents are present in all 27 classrooms working with students either individually or in small groups and teachers provide an innovative instructional program with measurable benchmarks, creating a learning environment that challenges all students. All personnel at Simonds are vested in the success of their students. This climate creates an environment for learning, where all children can succeed, according to the district.

Seeking School News

Do you have a school event to promote? Know of a student who has done something amazing or a teacher who has gone above and beyond what is expected of them? We’d like to hear about it. Drop us a line at newsroom@timesmediainc.com or send us a fax at (408) 494-7078.