Gateway, Iowa Celebrate No Place for Hate Designation

Congratulations to Iowa Elementary School and Gateway High School for recently earning their No Place for Hate designations for the second and third consecutive years, respectively.

• Read the YourHub story.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN AURORA PREP SPORTS, 5.17-5-22

AURORA | A look at some of the key games and tournaments in Aurora prep sports from May 17-May 22:

• The Class 5A-1A state track meet opens May 17 and runs through May 19 at Jefferson County Stadium, with events beginning at 8:30 a.m. all three days. Vista PEAK makes its state debut with a handful of 3A individual qualifiers, while nine of Aurora’s 10 5A schools have at least one individual or relay team in the mix.

• Read the Aurora Sentinel story.

Joshua Garza is one of 42 teens to receive the 2012 Arapahoe County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Award, created to recognize students who overcome adversity. He is a senior at Aurora Central High, enrolled in KidsTek's Cisco networking class.  Josh is one of only two students currently earning an 'A' in the class.

• Read the KidsTek story.

To see more photos, visit http://on.fb.me/IUCMjT.

Iowa Elementary School recently celebrated its No Place for Hate designation.

Congratulations to Iowa Elementary School and Gateway High School for recently earning their No Place for Hate designations for the second and third consecutive years, respectively.

Iowa celebrated its success with a school wide ceremony. The Bears completed one year of anti-bias and anti-bullying programs, which included forming a coalition, adopting a resolution pledging to create a more inclusive school and implementing a number of projects promoting respect for differences. Projects completed this year include the construction of cultural artifacts, letters of encouragement and art work about Iowa’s unique differences.

Gateway also held a school wide assembly, parading their pride about having so many different cultures within the school. Students participating in the assembly performed songs and dances representing various cultures. The Sign Language Club also performed a sign language translation of the song “Give Me Your Eyes.”

Said Gateway English Language Acquisition Teacher Leader and event MC David Gates, “I really hope that the students see No Place for Hate as a philosophy that lies deep in the hearts of everyone at Gateway, rather than just a banner, a T-shirt or a pin.”

Students Dieumeuse Bordin, left and Brandon Thomas perform at Gateway's No Place for Hate ceremony.

Cops clubbing with kids just par for the course

AURORA | When middle school students meet a police officer, they often fall into two groups: the fascinated and the intimidated. Aurora police Officer C.J. Renaud, who worked as a school resource officer before becoming a recruiter for the department, said she saw those two groups often. If kids are going to trust police officers and feel comfortable around them, they have to get past those feelings, Renaud said. “At this age it’s crucial, it’s crucial that we break down any barriers,” she said. Breaking down those barriers is one of the goals of a new program that teams Aurora police with local middle school students in the classroom and on the golf course. Police officers spent six weeks this school year teaching golf to students at Columbia Middle School and Mrachek Middle School. Last week, the instruction culminated with a golf tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Course in Denver.

• Read the Aurora Sentinel story.

Hauser and the class used Skype, the popular voice-over-Internet Protocol service, to meet and discuss the particulars about her book, "The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens." The students read her book prior to the chat session, and many of them were able to relate to the content. Hauser fielded questions about her inspiration to write the book and told the class of some of her own life experiences.

Some students also submitted some of their own writings to Hauser, and she offered feedback during the session.

APS students who participated in internships during the second semester this school year recently celebrated their success during the Sponsor Appreciation Ceremony at the Professional Learning & Conference Center. Students from Aurora Central, Gateway, Hinkley and Rangeview high schools stood tall as they put a resounding exclamation point on their most recent professional development. Parents, staff and APS Board of Education members showed their support as the honorees reflected on their experiences and future plans. Pickens holds one appreciation ceremony per semester each year.

• Read the YourHub story.

Aurora students honored in annual ceremonies

The Aurora City Council honored more than 450 students from 93 schools in Aurora in April through its fourth annual Aurora Scholars program.

• Read the YourHub story.

TCAP reading results reveal trends

Nearly three-fourths of Colorado third-graders are reading at grade level, a slight increase that matches the highest proficiency mark achieved in the past ten years, according to results released Wednesday. Results of the first administration of the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program, which is replacing the Colorado Student Assessment Program as the state shifts to new academic standards, show 73.9 percent of third-graders scored proficient or advanced.

• Read the Education News Colorado story.