In the days leading up to the first day of school, the staff of Rockefeller Elementary "hit the street" to meet and greet the neighbors and spread the word about the school. Teachers, instructional assistants, specialists and even custodians volunteered to knock on doors in the apartments and homes in Rockefeller’s attendance zone to remind families about the start of the school year and to invite their neighbors to volunteer at the school.
“We felt it was important to introduce ourselves to our neighbors and to welcome our students back to Rockefeller," said Rockefeller's new principal, Janice Wilson. "It establishes a tone of mutual respect to start the year and to build positive community relationships.”
The success of the day was evident in the many happy hellos and the exchange of handshakes and hugs from current and former Rockefeller students and parents.
Gene Williams, Science Specialist, and Charlotte Cook, Young Astronaut Specialist at Carver Magnet Elementary, recently traveled to Silverthorne, Colorado, to attend a special conference. Key Issues: Bringing Environmental Issues to the Classroom is a national teacher training institute that provides middle-level educators with the process, skills and confidence to investigate current environmental issues with their students using the Keystone Center's non-biased framework. The framework brings the process of inquiry to the study of environmental issues. They returned with innovative ideas to implement into their current lessons.
Mr. Williams and Ms. Cook attended the Key Issues Institute on behalf of 3M Little Rock.
At the annual conference for the Arkanasa Association of Educational Administrators, LRSD Associate Superintendent for Human Resources David Hartz was named the Administrator of the Year by the Arkansas Association of School Personnel Administrators. Hartz accepted his award at the annual breakfast where he was recognized for his work in the area of Human Resources as an educational leader. Hartz has worked in various positions in education in both Arkansas and Texas.
Dr. Sally Ride (center of photo), America’s first woman in space and a professor of astrophysics, invited six Little Rock School District elementary teachers to La Jolla, California, for an intensive four-day workshop of hands-on science and math activities. Only 100 educators were invited from around the country. The focus of the annual Sally Ride Academy is to encourage all children to be interested in math and science and to raise interest, especially in minorities and girls, in science and technology.
Jennifer Webb, Science Lead Teacher, attended the Sally Ride Academy this year with Gene Williams (Carver Magnet), Charlotte Cook (Carver Magnet), Tianka Sheard (Booker), Lisa Lollar (Fulbright), Lisa Mack (McDermott & Brady) and Kim Romain (Otter Creek).
The teachers learned that 80 percent of the jobs in the future will require knowledge gained through science and math education. By not providing a solid background in these subjects, Dr. Ride believes that we are channeling a majority of children to basic wage jobs in the future.
"In our culture, science is perceived as something that men do," said Dr. Ride, who views herself as a role model. "It's essential for girls to see examples of women in whatever career they want to pursue. I'm an example of someone who was a pretty normal 10-year-old girl who grew up to be an astronaut."
NASA launched a series of space missions while Ride was in elementary school. She recalls that every kid in her class wanted to be an astronaut and fly rockets.
"When I was growing up, science was cool...we need to make science cool again."
Deborah Rookey, an 8th grade student at Mann Arts & Science Magnet Middle School, was selected as a Semifinalist in the 2010 Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge. She is the only student from Arkansas to be honored in the competition this year.
The 47 semifinalists were selected based on their science communication skills exhibited in a short video explaining the science behind issues such as preventing the spread of germs, ensuring food safety and sun protection. Videos were evaluated by a panel of judges on creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability and overall presentation.
Deborah submitted a 2-minute video on wind-resistant structures. Her video noted how the Central Arkansas area has seen an increasing risk of high-wind events, and she demonstrated how structures that are not well anchored to a foundation are more susceptible to damage. She also highlighted Newton's Laws of Motion and explained how friction and inertia are at work in high-wind events.
Each semifinalist will receive $250 and a prize package including a plaque honoring their science teacher or mentor. Deborah’s science teacher at Mann is Wendy Welch. The top ten finalists, who will be announced in August, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete in the Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge finals in October. The winner will receive $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds ($25,000 cash value), the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and a trip to the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, MN.
“We are extremely pleased with the quality and ingenuity exhibited by the 2010 Young Scientist Challenge entries,” said Bill Goodwyn, President of Global Distribution and CEO of Discovery Education. “These semifinalists have demonstrated their ability to successfully communicate a variety of scientific ideas, and Discovery Education, together with our partner 3M, is pleased to recognize their outstanding efforts.”