Extra Credit: Martin Murphy MS students participate in History Day
Apr 2, 2009 - Staff Reports
Front row, from left to right: Brandon Rossi Bost, Kelly Pearman, Emerald Nguyen; Middle row, from left to right: Ciana Moreno, Michelle Nguyen, Madison Goyette, Elline Sumagaysay, Christine Popescu; Back row, from left to right: Shahriar Bastami, Marissa Lewis, Cole Foreman, Taylor Melody, David Faulk.
Martin Murphy Middle School students make history at the Santa Clara County History Day Competition
Under the dedicated leadership and instruction of Martin Murphy Middle School history teacher Gaby Tennant, 13 advanced history eighth graders competed at the Santa Clara County History Day Competition held March 29 at San Jose's Kelley Park.
The students who competed in this year's county competition are Brandon Rossi Bost, Kelly Pearman, Emerald Nguyen, Ciana Moreno, Michelle Nguyen, Madison Goyette, Elline Sumagaysay, Christine Popescu, Shahriar Bastami, Marissa Lewis, Cole Foreman, Taylor Melody and David Faulk.
Emerald Nguyen, Kelly Pearman and Brandon Rossi Bost won the Group Documentary Award and will compete at the state level. Marissa Lewis won the Individual Exhibit Award and will also compete at the state level.
The History Day Competition is a chance for students to develop critical thinking, research and writing skills.
This year, the Santa Clara County Office of Education had ten schools participating with 73 different projects.
This was the first time that Martin Murphy participated in the National History Day competition.
Newly English proficient students honored during ceremony
In the first ceremony of its kind in Morgan Hill Unified School District, 174 students were celebrated for earning a re-classification, from being "English language learners" to "fully English proficient."
The ceremony was Monday evening and featured keynote speaker Gary Soto, author of popular children's books.Britton Middle School student Sandra Arellano, 12, said she was proud of her accomplishment.
"My brother pushed me to get better at knowing English," she said. "Now I have a better chance at going to college."
Board of Trustees President Don Moody was on hand, and applauded the students for becoming bilingual. Each principal presented his or her students with a certificate for their achievement during the ceremony.
Last year, 94 students were re-classified as English proficient. There are 2,062 English learners still in the district.
Three students from Crossroads Christian School in Morgan Hill win the annual Gilroy Elks Lodge essay contest
Crossroads Christian School in Morgan Hill is proud to announce that Patrick Gustafson (8th grade), Chris Bezanson (7th grade), and David Rees (7th grade) were three of the six winners of this year's Scholarship Americanism Essay Contest sponsored by the Elks Lodge in Gilroy.
According to Tony C. Rivellini, Gilroy Lodge Committee Chairperson, 687 essays were submitted from Gilroy and Morgan Hill students. This year's theme was "What Freedom Means To Me."
"We were thrilled to hear that three of the winners were from Crossroads Christian School," said Robin Bezanson, Chris's mother. "Tony Rivellini, Warren Blakley, and all the Elk Lodge members were so welcoming and supportive of all the students. We are grateful to them for providing such a wonderful experience for our children."
"These boys are a wonderful example of the excellent quality education that the staff here at Crossroads works so hard to provide," said Mr. Matt Diehl, Crossroads Christian School Principal. "The staff and I are so proud of their accomplishments and plan to recognize them again in our end of the year awards ceremony."
Each of the students received a $100 U.S. Savings Bond from the Elks Lodge in Gilroy.
Teens experiencing layoffs, reduced hours, forced frugality, according to national poll
Fourteen percent of U.S. teens aged 15 to 17 years old report the need to contribute financially to the family budget, one-third of all teens report less job availability, 53 percent of teens surveyed say they're choosing activities that cost less money and more than 50 percent say they talk about the economy with their friends, according a new poll released today by Junior Achievement and The Allstate Foundation.
Now in its tenth year, the Junior Achievement/Allstate Foundation Teen Personal Finance Poll is an annual, financial IQ pulse check for U.S. teens.
"The results of this poll demonstrate a strong need for increased financial literacy-teens are indicating feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about the economy and its effect on their lives", said Jack E. Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA. "Possessing and using sound money management skills can help young people feel more in control of their futures. Regardless of the state of the economy, Junior Achievement programs teach students how to budget, save, invest and use credit wisely; we're proud to partner with The Allstate Foundation to increase financial literacy for future generations."
"The survey results underscore the importance of teaching young people money management skills as early in life as possible," said Vicky Dinges, assistant vice president for public social responsibility at Allstate. "The Allstate Foundation's support for this kind of education could not be better timed."
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