20 Prairie students earn AP Scholar awards

Twenty students at Prairie School have earned AP Scholar awards in recognition of their  achievement on AP exams.

    The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program gives students the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both. The board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance.

At Prairie School,  one student, Yijing Xin, qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Four students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5. These students are Hasan Bader, Tatiana Barry, Sarah Danielson and Yijing Xin.

Five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25: These students are Matthew Adamczyk, Fiona Lochtefeld, David Sanchez, Nikhil Sethi and William Cody Spencer.

Eleven students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams with scores of 3 or higher. They are Hannah Brown, Patrick Cornelius, Akhil Jayaprakash, Meredith Johnson, Olivia Main, Margaret Mawn, Gretchen Neubauer, Anastasia Rab, Daniel Ringwalt, Alice Tollaksen and Meghan Wallner.

RUSD homecoming schedule

Here are the dates for Racine Unified's 2010 Homecoming events:

Horlick High School

Oct. 11-16		Spirit Week
Thursday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.		Bon fire at the Quarry
Friday, Oct. 15 at 11:30 a.m.		Assembly
Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.		Football Game vs. Case at Hammes Field
Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.		Homecoming Dance

Case High School 

Wednesday, Oct. 6		Powder Puff Football Game & Bonfire
Friday, Oct. 8		Assembly & Football Game vs. Bradford at Hammes Field (7 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 9		Homecoming Dance, 7-10 p.m.

Park High School

Sunday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m.		Powder Puff Football Game at Park Bowl
Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.		Football Game vs. Case at Hammes Field, tailgating 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.		Homecoming Dance in the “Pit” and Girls Gym

                                                                                   

Two RUSD Seniors are National Merit Semifinalists

Case High School senior Shannon Kelly and Park High School senior Nicholas Sytsma are 2010 National Merit Semifinalists. Of the 1.5 million entrants across the country, approximately 50,000 students with the highest PSAT scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Only 16,000, approximately one-third, of these students are named Semifinalists. They will now go on to compete for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $36 million. National Merit Finalists will be named in early 2011. They are chosen based on their academic records, endorsements and SAT scores, as well as essays and school and community activities. Congratulations to Shannon and Nicholas!

City receives $200K grant for after-school programs

The city announced Monday it received a $200,00 grant to run an after-school program for at-risk youth and their families.

The program, called "EXCEL," begins Oct. 4. It's a partnership with the Racine Unified School District's Lighted Schoolhouse Program. It will concentrate on helping kids catch up in school and learn to read, and focus on the physical, intellectual, and emotional needs of the students.

“This is just another example of why Racine is rapidly becoming known as the City of Partnerships,” said Mayor John Dickert. “This particular partnership allows us to send a loud and clear message that after-school is not about preventing bad behaviors. It is an opportunity, a basic human right for all kids.”

The EXCEL program is free for families.

Open houses will be held from 5-7 pm this Thursday, September 30 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 1134 Martin Luther King Drive, and the Dr. John Bryant Community Center, 601 21st Street.

The Tyler-Domer Community Center, 2301 12th Street, will also be a part of the program when it begins in October.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children to register for the program during the open houses.

For more information, call Leisa Hill-Driver, John Bryant Community Center Director at 262-636-9236 or James Wilson, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Director at 262-636-9445.

St. Catherine’s High School Graduate Maxwell Lehman Named AP Scholar

Maxwell Lehmann, a 2010 graduate of St. Catherine's High School, was named an AP Scholar by the College Board.

The AP Scholar Award is earned by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 (out of 5) or higher. The College Board’s AP program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school. Students can also receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18-percent of the nearly 1.8 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to earn an AP Scholar Award. Lehman is currently a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago.

Along with Lehman, 14 other St. Catherine’s High School graduates from the Class of 2010 took a total of 24 AP exams in the following subjects: Calculus AB, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Spanish Language, Microeconomics, Biology and Studio Art. Congratulations to the following Angels for their commitment to engage in academic rigor by participating in the AP Program:

Mackenzie Chaffee (Wisconsin-Madison), Nicholas DeMatthew (Marquette University), Sean Franklin (University of Waterloo, Canada), Brandon Guarascio (Wisconsin-Parkside), Jennifer Hawes (Wisconsin-LaCrosse), Tara Lovdahl (St. Norbert College), Kevin Majowski (Marquette University), Samuel Miles (Wisconsin-Madison), Dana Namowicz (Marquette University), Randall Neu (Marquette University), Ana Celia Nunez (Wisconsin-Parkside), Elizabeth Pettit (Santa Clara University), Rachel Smetana (Loyola University) and Nicholas Steeves (Wisconsin-Madison).

Gateway provies another option for GED seekers

Gateway Technical College in October will begin offering a new, 10-week GED course at its three main campuses, to provide one more option for qualifying students to complete the program in a more traditional classroom setting.

Courses will be offered in the afternoon for those needing to brush up on key skills prior to taking the GED test. Students interested in enrolling in this structured framework course need to request a proficiency level test which will determine whether they are eligible to be placed into the course.

A state grant for adult workers paid for the added courses to be held. Tuition for Wisconsin residents is free – a Wisconsin photo ID is required – but an accompanying textbook for the course needs to be purchased.

Classes will be held on the Racine, Elkhorn and Kenosha campuses. Check with individual campuses to determine the specific start date. For more information, go to the campus adult learning center or contact:

• Kenosha, (262) 564-2200
• Racine, (262)  619-6200
• Elkhorn, (262) 741-8200

UW-Parkside honors 2010-11 Racine County scholorship winners

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside recently honored Racine County students who received scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. The scholarships are supported by area businesses, organizations, university departments, and individuals. Recipients and their scholarships are: 

Burlington

Dana Calamia, Joseph R. & Viola A. Dumesic Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Jacob Elsen, Frances M. Bedford Endowed Scholarship for Music, The Beat Scholarship in Music
Melissa Thornton, Milos Pre-Health Scholarship (Thank you, Dr. Lewis)

Franksville

Jenna Stengert, Robert Toeppe Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in the School of Business and Technology
Andrew Wensing, CNH Endowed Scholarship

Racine

Kyle Bahr, Blake R. & Marie E. Children Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Juan Barreto, Stepping Stones Jestina Pearson Memorial Scholarship
Maegan Birkland, Ilene Levin Scholarship
Winston Bohorquez, UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation Scholarship
Katelyn Breitzke, Dr. Norbert Wielenberg Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Kathryn Brownell, UW-Parkside Music  Dept. Scholarship
Vanessa Chuchara, Ralph L. Jaeschke Memorial Endowed Math, Physics, and Computer Science Scholarship

Jimmy Collins, Patricia A. Jenkins Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Holly Decker, UW-Parkside Music Dept. Scholarship
Christopher Dunn, Mabel B. Duncan Memorial Endowed Geography Scholarship
Peggy Fergus, Ruth Hall Memorial Scholarship
Mohammed Fredericks, Brian John Martin Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Jasmine Howell, UW-Parkside Music Dept. Scholarship
Dominica Jaramillo, UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation Scholarship
Harley Jupp, William & Anna Lipman Endowed Scholarship
Bradley Karas, Lillian James Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Chase Kilpatrick, UW-Parkside Music Dept. Scholarship
Cassandra Kimberlain, Blake R. & Marie E. Children Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Britney Koleske, Janice M. & Carl L. Tomasek Scholarship
Paul Koleske, UW-Parkside Music Dept. Scholarship
Allison Krezinski, Rollin Jansky Scholarship in Art
Samantha LaVassor, UW-Parkside Small Print Exhibition Scholarship
Cathryn Leighton, Goldstein-Clark Endowed Scholarship in Nursing
Daniel MacDonald, Unico Memorial Scholarship
Roberta MacDonald, Unico Memorial Scholarship
Anna Meier, McConnell-Robinson Endowed Scholarship
Nehad Museteif, CNH Endowed Scholarship
David Nicpon, UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation Scholarship
Ana Nunez, Howard C. & Joan Olson Scholarship
Alicia Pirozzolo, Janice M. & Carl L. Tomasek Scholarship
Ashley Riendeau, Student Leadership Scholarship
Laura Schulz, Charles & Dolores Zaionc Family Scholarship
Nicholas Simonsen, UW-Parkside Music Dept. Scholarship
Brittany Smith, Student Art Club Scholarship
Julissa Smith, UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation Scholarship
Alex Tompsett, Julius and Alice Goldstein Endowed Scholarship in Art
Janell Topczewski, Katharine E. Jensen Memorial Scholarship
Stephanie VanSwol, UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation Scholarship
Julian Vaszily, Ralph L. Jaeschke Memorial Endowed Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Scholarship
Megan Williams, Janice M. & Carl L. Tomasek Scholarship
Siu Lung Yuen, Norville and Betty Kent Scholarship in Computer Science
Nicole Zach, Kim B. Adriano Scholarship in the School of Business & Technology
Stephen Zambo, Alice M. Hamele Memorial Scholarship in Economics

Sturtevant

Jessica Dickman, Ben & Ellie Chemerow Scholarship
Lauren Graf, Reinicke Athens Inc. Scholarship
Taylor Paap, Blake R. & Marie E. Children Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Waterford

Julianne Frey, Julius and Alice Goldstein Endowed Scholarship in Music

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside congratulates these scholarship students.

Applications for 2011-2012 academic year scholarships are accepted through Feb. 1, 2011. To learn more about applying for or sponsoring scholarships, call Cynthia Jensen at 262-595-3245, access jensen@uwp.edu by email or visitwww.uwp.edu keyword: scholarships.

2010: An EPIC Education for St. Lucy’s

A group of teachers and students at St. Lucy Parish School recently began live testing of their new 1 to 1 laptop program, rolling out to all 8th grade students in a few short weeks. Teachers, students, staff, and parents alike marveled on Day 1 at the wondrous new opportunities provided by the 1:1 program.

This new program provides an assigned laptop to each student for use 24 hours a day. Each netbook has been pre-configured with a suite of tools designed to integrate with existing solutions like SMARTboards, enhancing education through more interactive learning techniques.

Many benefits are expected as a result of this new program, including the ability to quickly gauge student comprehension in real time. In addition, these students are learning valuable computing and presentation skills that will prepare them for the future and carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Even though teachers left training with homework to do, creative juices were flowing with new ideas on how to leverage the technology in a wide variety of ways, from interactive 3D mapping, to collaborating with classrooms around the world using streaming voice and video. They are all looking forward to generating enhanced course content utilizing the advanced technology now available to them.

A few parents attended training with their students as well. Within the first few minutes of experiencing some of the tools being provided, they were amazed at just how powerful the platform can be and how one idea leads to 10 more, offering literally limitless educational opportunity for the students.

So just how did this program go from idea to reality? Initially, the idea was presented to the school committee by the principal. After much discussion, it was determined a technology panel would be formed. The St. Lucy Parish School EPIC (Electronic Programs for the Innovative Classroom) committee was formed to engage innovative teaching strategies at all grade levels. From the start there were many strong supporters who donated much time, talent and effort to get the project off the ground, as well as key private donors providing financial assistance. The committee was guided by Nick Preuss, owner of FuzeData Inc. Through his recommendation of key technologies used in a budget friendly manner, to his donation of time, effort, and technology components, Preuss has played a key role throughout.

For the EPIC committee there was a great sense of achievement in watching the 21st century technology come to life and exceed everyone’s expectations. Seeing it in action makes the 18 months of planning and preparation pay off in a big way, knowing the students will receive the very best education possible. At this time, the EPIC team is currently evaluating the next several stages of advancement for this program, as well as additional technology based tools for use in the primary grades. To this extent, we will be adding SMART Slates for the younger students in 2010. Future plans will include programs geared to raise student achievement scores, starting with math. These new innovative technology programs once again renew how deserving St. Lucy Parish School is to be labeled as an exemplary school by the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

St. Lucy Parish School has some limited enrollment slots available in grades K3 through 8 at this time. For enrollment or to make a donation please contact St. Lucy School at 554-1801 ext. 212.

St. Lucy’s Parish, Faculty, and Families hope you will join them at the EPIC Event fundraiser hosted by St. Lucy’s School on September 11th beginning at 4PM for a family picnic, raffles, tricycle racing, Klement’s sausage races, and outdoor movie showing (weather permitting). Proceeds from this event will help fund additional technology upgrades at St. Lucy Parish School.

UW-Parkside offers 'ACT' help; 4-week class starts Sept. 25

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside Precollege program is ready to relieve the anxiety high school students may feel about the American College Testing (ACT) exam. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 25, the university offers a series of four classes designed to help students with the important aspects of the ACT.

Classes start with an in-depth examination of the test's English component followed by separate sessions on reading (Oct. 2) and math (Oct. 9). The classes conclude Oct. 16 with science reasoning. During each session, instructors offer proven test taking tips. Classes run from 9 a.m. to noon in room D137 of Molinaro Hall.

This course benefits students who are taking the test for the first time or those who are retaking it to improve their scores.

Cost of the ACT sessions is $140 which covers all four classes. Advanced registration is suggested with onsite registration available the morning of Sept. 18.

For more information, call the UW-Parkside Precollege Office at (262) 595-2176.

Point Zero Intuitive Painting Workshops scheduled

Two four-week Point Zero Intuitive Painting Workshops will be offered by Create Inner Joy Studio beginning Sept. 17. They will be taught by Amy Sprague Champeau, a licensed psychotherapist and creativity coach.

The Point Zero method, developed by Michele Cassou, uses painting as a tool for self-discovery and for exploring the spiritual dimensions of the creative process. Champeau, a former graphic designer and artist, discovered this method ten years ago, read Cassou's book, "Life, Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression," and has been studying intensively with her. Champeau has been offering classes and workshops in Racine since 2002 and was recently selected as a master teacher of the process.

Point Zero Intuitive Painting Workshops are for people who want to make creativity a part of their life and who are searching for what is authentic in themselves. In the workshops, participants learn to:

• Experience the joy and playfulness of spontaneous expression;
• Dissolve unnecessary negative patterns and conditioning;
• Face and break through creative blocks;
• Listen to their inner self;
• Give themselves permission to live and create with more freedom;
• Uncover their unique painting style;
• Discover the power of creative expression.

Each session is three hours with the first and last half-hours focused on understanding creativity and the creative process and the middle two hours devoted to painting. Ms. Champeau works with each student individually. Beginners are welcome. Paintings are never judged, displayed or critiqued. All materials are provided. There is no need to be particularly talented, inspired or gifted. Creativity is available to everyone.

Two workshops are scheduled this Fall, on Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, at Create Inner Joy Studio, 102 10th St. Cost is $150 for one workshop; $285 for both.

• Workshop #1 – Sept. 17, 24, Oct. 1 and 15.
• Workshop #2 – Oct. 22, 29, Nov. 5 and 19.
• Evening sessions are available if there is enough interest.

For more information or to register, contact Amy Champeau or call 262.635.9355.