In 11 schools around the county this semester, the Tulare County Office of Education’s Network for a Healthy California (Network) and Three Rivers artist Nadi Spencer are creating engaging visual reminders of the importance of good nutrition and physical activity. Network staff members work with school site personnel and Ms. Spencer to develop murals that are unique to each site. Using a bold and colorful palate, Ms. Spencer has begun creating large works of art that communicate each school’s commitment to healthy eating and daily physical exercise.

The murals have been funded by the Network, which is a program of the California Department of Public Health, with support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They encourage students, families and staff to make healthy choices. “We are thrilled to have this mural here at Kings River,” said Superintendent/Principal Sherry Martin. “Its vibrant colors enliven our multipurpose room and make a positive statement about healthy lifestyles.”

Of the mural projects, Network coordinator Nani Rowland said, “When our surroundings are positive and energizing,

our attitudes change for the better.” To read more, visit www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

May 2013

Network helps schools make prominent statement about healthy foods and physical activity

Murals make big, healthy impact on schools

T H E N E W S L E T T E R o f T H E T U L A R E C O U N T Y O F F I C E o f E D U C A T I O N

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(top photo) The recently completed mural at Rocky Hill Elementary in Exeter is a depiction of the school’s garden and contains portraits of several students and staff. (lower photo) Artist Nadi Spencer speaks with Kings River students about the development of the mural at their school.

Community organizations using outdoor education site for meetings and trainings

SCICON gains popularity as retreat destinationEleven hundred acres of beautiful oak trees, mountain views, wildlife, streams and solitude.” The description of the SCICON outdoor education program sounds like it would work to lure businesses, civic groups, and youth organizations looking for a place to hold a retreat. Fortunately, it has!

Thanks to the efforts of SCICON administrator Rick Mitchell and conference specialist Peyton Ellas, more companies and organizations are headed to SCICON this year to hold their special meetings and events. School-based programs, scouting troops, music groups,

church camps, family reunions, company leadership teams, and couples looking for an alcohol- and tobacco-free wedding event are finding the combination of nature and state-of-the-art facilities makes SCICON the perfect place for their events.

On weekends during the school year, the campus is available for conferences and retreats from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. To read more, visit www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Team creates multimedia teen pregnancy prevention program for middle school audience

UPHS wins big at Step Up Youth ChallengeA team of students from University Preparatory

High School (UPHS) won the “Best Overall”

award in the high school portion of the annual Step

Up Youth Challenge, which concluded April 25

with a red carpet awards ceremony at the Visalia

Fox Theater. The UPHS students, along with

teams from five other high schools and 13 middle

schools, worked October through April to identify

a community need and create a program to address

that need.

UPHS students developed a multimedia teen

pregnancy prevention program. The program,

which was designed for middle school audiences,

is performed on stage. To read more, visit www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

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May 2013

Tulare and Fresno County schools share instructional models at recent Curriculum Council

Project Based Learning successes highlighted Each month, the Instructional Services Division holds a Curriculum Council meeting, inviting administrators and curriculum leaders from districts throughout the county to discuss a particular instructional topic. The topic of the April council meeting was Project Based Learning (PBL). Facilitated by Joy Soares, the new staff development and curriculum specialist for Project Based Learning, the meeting featured presentations by administrators, teachers, librarians and students representing Tulare and Fresno county schools. Individually, the presenters showcased how they have implemented Project Based Learning on their campuses.

Cindy Brown, Student Pathways director from the Porterville Unified School District highlighted the career-related academies the district has developed at each of its high schools. Porterville now offers nine academies, including law enforcement, business, health, engineering and others. In addition to their academy studies, students take core subjects of Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Science that have been designed to closely integrate with their career-related courses.

Using graphs, Ms. Brown showed how students enrolled in an academy at the district’s comprehensive high schools (Porterville High, Granite Hills, and Monache) scored better on the high school exit exam (CAHSEE) and on the California Standards Test (CST) than their general education counterparts. While students in the academies come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, they are successful in the project based learning environments “because they are engaged,” said Ms. Brown. “Plus, we are seeing excellent attendance and virtually no discipline referrals.”

Several groups of students from the Clovis-based CART (Center for Advanced Research and Technology) program presented their PBL experiences. Business teacher Patrick Beggs explained that one of his classes worked on a marketing project for China Peak Mountain Resort. China Peak CEO Tim Cohee contacted the school, challenging the students to develop an outreach program to fifth-grade students in the Fresno/Clovis area.

To read more, visit www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Read more at www.tcoe.org

(top photo) CART (Center for Advanced Research and Technology) student Jazel Palma speaks about her experience conducting a marketing study for China Peak Mountain Resort. (lower photo) Porterville Unified Student Pathways Director Cindy Brown shares the success the district has had in integrating Project Based Learning into their career academies at each high school.

(photo 1) Jeanette McDonald recently joined the Human Resources Division as the new Credentials/Retirement Analyst. Ms. McDonald comes to the Tulare County Office of Education from Lindsay Unified, where she was director of Personnel Services for nearly 10 years. (photo 2) Gabriela Ceballos was recently selected from 84 other applicants as the 2013 College Night Scholarship recipient. Gabriela is a senior at Harmony Magnet Academy in Strathmore and a member of the school’s student council, Key Club, volleyball, track and basketball teams. She was also active in her community and served as a counselor at SCICON. She plans to attend UCLA in the fall, working toward a career as an OB/GYN. (photo 3, l-r) University Preparatory High School (UPHS) students Uriel Saldivar, Alan Lewis and Michael Toomey are shown competing in the NorCal State Science Olympiad last month. The UPHS team was the top scoring Tulare County high school team at the competition. (photo 4) Conan Palmer, media developer for the Impact Center (home of the Peña Planetarium and the History Theater), has been named as the program’s new supervisor. Mr. Palmer replaces supervisor Sara Sutton, who retired in April. Since joining the program in 2008, he has innovated the projection systems at the center, as well as the the theater inside the new Tulare County History of Farm and Agriculture Museum. (photo 5) Eighth-grade student Jose Hernandez, of Los Tules Middle School in Tulare, is pictured with County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak at the annual Math Super Bowl competition. Jose was the top eighth-grade student in the large school category. The top eighth-grade student in the small school category was Karina Gonzalez from Washington Elementary (Lindsay). The top large and small school seventh-grade students were Jonathan Camarena of Cherry Avenue Middle School (Tulare) and Brandi Borba of Rockford School (Porterville). The Math Super Bowl, now in its 40th year, attracted over 650 middle school students from throughout the county. (photo 6) Rawhide Baseball team members have been visiting schools this month as part of a partnership with the CHARACTER COUNTS! Program. Players have been speaking to students in large and small settings, encouraging them to follow their dreams and make healthy choices. Pictured (l-r) are Conrad Flynn, Steven Rodriguez, Patrick Schuster and Keith Hessler at Sundale Union School. At a presentation at Golden West High School, pitcher Seth Simmons told athletes, “I was told I wouldn't start in college and I was told that I wouldn't get drafted, but I still believed in my heart. Don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough.”

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For more events, programs and meetings, visit our online calendar at www.tcoe.org/CalendarOfEvents

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University Preparatory High School Info. Night6:00 p.m., COS, Sequoia Bldg., Room 1, VisaliaFor information, call John Kelly at (559) 730-2529

Robot Riot9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., 7000 Doe Avenue, VisaliaFor information, call Dr. Glenn Williams at (559) 651-3047

Battle of the BooksMay 15: Middle Schools (grades 6-8), 8:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.May 22: Elem. Schools (grades 4-6), 8:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.TCOE, 7000 Doe Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Beth Olshewsky at (559) 651-3042

Arbor Day9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Mooney Grove Park, VisaliaFor information, call Dr. Glenn Williams at (559) 651-3047

Basic HeartSaver CPR Class(for TCOE and School District Employees)4:00 - 6:00 p.m., School Health Conference Room, 7000 Doe Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Kathy Johnston at (559) 651-0130

Slick Rock Film Festival9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Fox Theater, 300 W. Main, VisaliaFor information, call Adam Valencia at (559) 651-0155

Special Services Graduation (for Visalia and North County area students)10:00 a.m., Education Ctr., 2637 W. Burrel Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Linda McKean at (559) 730-2910

University Preparatory High School Graduation7:00 p.m., College of the Sequoias Theater (Visalia)For information, call John Kelly at (559) 730-2529

Special Services Graduation (for Tulare area students)10:00 a.m., City of Tulare Youth Center, 948 N. “H” St.For information, call Linda McKean at (559) 730-2910

Special Services Graduation (for Porterville area students)10:00 a.m., L.B. Hill Learning Ctr., 1051 S. Plano, PortervilleFor information, call Linda McKean at (559) 730-2910

Valley Life Charter School Promotion/Graduation 2:15 p.m., Auditorium, 3737 W. Walnut Ave., Visalia For information, call Lori Lackey at (559) 625-8527

La Sierra Military Academy (LSMA) Graduation7:30 p.m., LSMA, 1735 E. Houston Ave., Visalia For information, call Anjelica Zermeño at (559) 733-6963

SCICON Summer Academy - Session 1(for students entering grades 6-8)SCICON Campus, SpringvilleFor information, call (559) 539-2642

Summer Institute for Tulare County School Administrators8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Edison Energy Education Center, 4175 S. Laspina St., TulareFor information, call Marlene Moreno at (559) 733-6302

SCICON Summer Academy - Session 2(for students entering grades 6-8)SCICON Campus, SpringvilleFor information, call (559) 539-2642

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Tulare County Board of Education

News Gallery CommitteeEditor: Robert Herman, Public Information OfficerContributors: Marlene Moreno, Jennifer Fisher, Lorena White, Shelly DiCenzo, Charlene Stringham, Joy Soares, Kim Rice, Paula Terrill, Peyton Ellas, Nani Rowland, John Kelly and Tara Williams. The News Gallery is published monthly with the exception of double issues printed for July/August and December/January. If you would like to receive The News Gallery, visit www.tcoe.org/GetTheGallery or contact Jennifer Fisher at (559) 733-6172, or at jenniferf@tcoe.org.

Three middle schools from Tulare County received the Bonner Center’s 2013 Virtues and Character Recognition Award from California State University, Fresno for their exemplary character education programs. The honorees were Mulcahy Middle School (Tulare), Green Acres Middle School (Visalia) and Divisadero Middle School (Visalia). Tulare County CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator Kelley Petty, reports that Tulare County schools have received over 60 awards since the program was founded in 1996.

Construction has begun on the expansion of the Phyllis Wall Museum at SCICON. The addition, which is due to be completed this summer, will nearly double the exhibition space. This will allow SCICON the opportunity to display more of its f ine natural history collection and to accommodate the growing number of students visiting each year.

Nearly 200 student-produced films have been submitted to the Slick Rock Student Film Festival. The films will be judged this month with the top films in multiple middle and high school categories earning a “Premiere Cut” designation. The numerous Premiere Cut films will be shown May 18 at the Visalia Fox Theater beginning at 9:00 a.m. and extending into the afternoon. The awards ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:00 p.m. Beginning May 13, a schedule of Premiere Cut showings will be posted at www.slickrockfestival.org.

Educational Resource Services is launching a new student event this month — Robot Riot. The event, scheduled for May 11 and open to students in grades 4-12, is designed to test the skill of students in maneuvering Mindstorm LEGO Robotics through nine competitions, such as tug-of-wars, sumo battles, soccer games, dances, mazes and races. For more information, contact Dr. Glenn Williams at (559) 651-3047.

May 13-17 is Bike to Work week in Visalia. For a list of the week’s activities, call Nani Rowland at (559) 651-0130, extension 3720.

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools: Jim VidakPresident: Celia Maldonado-Arroyo, Trustee Area No. 1; Vice President: Joe Enea, Trustee Area No. 5; Trustees: Debby Holguin, Trustee Area No. 2; Tom Link, Trustee Area No. 3; Judy Coble, Trustee Area No. 4; Chris Reed, Trustee Area No. 6; and Patricia Hillman, Trustee Area No. 7

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