Recognitions and Accomplishments of staff doing great things in the Beaverton School District

StaffDistrict Goal:

WE Empower all students to achieve post-high school

success.

Collaborate

Embrace Equity

Expect Excellence

Innovate

April 2017

WHS senior accepted to seven ivy league schoolsWestview High School senior, Bryan Lee was accepted to Harvard...and Yale, and Princeton, and Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown, and Cornell. Not Dartmouth you ask? Bryan wasn’t accepted because he chose not to apply!

“I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Westview High School, to Principal Jon Franco, to Bryan’s counselor Patrick Baker, and all the teachers and coaches who have provided Bryan with the excellent education. We truly appreciate the opportunities to contribute to the Westview community, the guidance to make him a better person, the support whenever he needs it AND the strong recommendations,” says Sherry Li, Bryan’s mother.

Congratulations, Bryan, and good luck in all of your future endeavors!

Beaverton entrepreneurs compete in YEA shark tankEight young Beaverton School District entrepreneurs competed in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA) program’s Investor Panel, sponsored by the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce this month. The YEA program is designed to give middle and high school students a leg up in inventing their own start-ups.

Lele Yang, eighth-grader at Stoller Middle School, and chief executive officer of Athletic-Comfort, won an investment of $924 from a core of investors, and the opportunity to compete at the YEA! Saunders Semifinals in Rochester, New York. Her product is a compression sleeve to be worn by female volleyball players, with room for ice or heat packs.

Seven other Beaverton students competed at the Investor Panel; Suhani Koppolu, 6th grade, Highland Park Middle School, company name - Intraink Party; Ilyas Malik, 7th grade, International School of Beaverton (ISB), company name - Giftosweets; Cole Babin, 10th grade, ISB, company name - IndieNow; Amy Browning, 7th grade, Meadow Park Middle School, company name - Steam Dream; Katie Lee, 9th grade, Southridge High School, company name - Coffee Creation; Victor Li, 6th grade, Stoller Middle School, company name - Bluedragon Jewelry; and Jackie Zhang, 10th grade, Sunset High School, company name - Terracotta Tea.

BHS and William Walker ES awarded H.E.L.P. GrantsThree Beaverton High School teachers and one William Walker teacher were awarded H.E.L.P., the Charity Grants totaling $4,797.45.

Through its Gold Award winning grant program, H.E.L.P. (Helping Education with Love and Pizza), provides grants to U.S. based non-profit tax exempt schools and other entities to support educational programs. H.E.L.P. was born out of a desire to make a positive, long lasting impact on local communities. At Beaverton High School, three projects were awarded grants:

• Chemistry teacher, Anna Lee was awarded $1,020 for AP Chemistry lab equipment• Learning Specialist, Colby Neal was awarded $270 for Graphic Novels to promote reading interest• Spanish teacher, Zahidee Montes was awarded $320 for Reaching My Roots Spanish Literature for her

Spanish Literature and Composition I class

At William Walker, Kindergarten teacher, Chrissy Horne was awarded a $3,187.45 grant to fund bilingual books for three kindergarten and four first grade classrooms for students to check out and read at home.

A team of 11 Beaverton School District students worked on a five-week project with the Beaverton Downtown Association to develop strategies for the revitalization of Downtown Beaverton. The team surveyed downtown businesses and patrons, compiled the data and developed recommendations for revitalization.

The students included: Consuelo Espinoza, Jessie Lu, Natalie Perez and Adrienne Stauth from Arts &

Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA), Cindy Tobon Romero from Beaverton High School, Otelo Reggy-Beane from the International School of Beaverton (ISB), Christopher Guske, Isaac Lindberg and Maria Fernanda Toral Hernandez from Sunset High School, and Varun Akula and Vaishnav Gubba from Westview High School.

BSD students weigh in on Downtown Beaverton revitalization

Shout out to Conestoga MS LITT Shout out to Deborah Nystrom, Conestoga Middle School’s Library Instructional Technology Teacher (LITT), who has done a fantastic job promoting and supporting the District’s pilot of Read&Write, a digital literacy tool that helps students access and create text in a digital environment.

“Deb has been tireless in training staff and students at Conestoga on how to use the tool and created several troubleshooting guides for the benefit of the pilot group across the District in the last couple of months,” says Gabor Muskat, TOSA Future Ready Team and Teachersource.

BSD featured in Today’s OEA articleAn article in the Winter issue of Today’s OEA on music education in Oregon features the work the Beaverton School District has been engaging in to improve music programs. The article features an interview with Fir Grove Elementary School Music teacher Jennifer Mohr Colett and several photos of students in music classes at Fir Grove. Read the article today: Keeping the (Heart) Beat: Music education fuels student growth and success - and so much more.

ACMA wins Region I OBOB Competition, Bonny Slope ES & Stoller MS win state!

ACMA’s Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) team, Maybe Next Year, coached by Library Instructional Technology Teacher (LITT), Leann O’Rourke, won first place at the Region I Competition in March. The ACMA team battled the HS2 team in the final round and competed for the state title in Salem this month.

At the state tournament, the Stoller Middle School OBOB team, the Silver Tornadoes, coached by Humanities teacher Adrienne Gillespie reigned supreme and won first place.

In the Elementary division, Bonny Slope Elementary School’s The Flabbergasted Phoenix Dragon Wizards team won first place. The team was seeded as the #1 team after the pool play and won all five competitions leading to the championship. “The Flabbergasted Phoenix Dragon Wizards represented Bonny Slope well and we are very proud of them,” says Principal, Janet Maza.

Congratulations, Maybe Next Year, Silver Tornadoes, and The Flabbergasted Phoenix Dragon Wizards!

ACMA’s Maybe Next Year: Leilu Wasielewski, Aneres Radona, teacher Leann O’Rourke, Sarah Boser, Alaina Evans

Stoller’s Silver Tornadoes: Humanities teacher, Adrienne Gillespie, Sankalp Gaddam, Noopur Barve, Shrika Ganta, Anish Lagudu

Bonny Slope The Flabbergasted Phoenix Dragon Wizards, Sagarika Menon, Arunima Deval, Natalie McWilliams and Mina Bland with Principal Janet Maza and 5th grade teacher Nathan Traller.

Stoller MS chess team takes first place in stateCongratulations to the Stoller Middle School Chess team who won first place at the state Chess for Success Tournament last month.

Six students represented Stoller Middle School at the tournament: (left to right in the photo) Kushal Pai, Kule Liu, Colin Liu, Raj Kodithyala, Fedor Semenov, and Robert Bowden.

Beaverton HS Robotics team to compete in World Championship BeaverTronics, Beaverton High School’s Robotics team, and advisor, science teacher Heather Meiring are headed to Houston, Texas to compete in the FRC (First Robotics Competition) World Championship on April 19, 2017.

BeaverTronics started two years ago, in a parent’s garage, with four students, and the help of Westview High School’s Wildcats Team 1510. With a small grant from Daimler, they worked together to learn the ins and outs of the robotics world. While they didn’t compete that year, they managed to build a working robot and attend a few competitions as spectators.

Last year, BeaverTronics grew to 16 team members, managed to raise enough money to compete in their rookie season, and even advanced to the PNW District Championship along with other teams from Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They won

several awards in their local competitions, including the Rookie Inspiration Award, Highest Rookie Seed Award, and Rookie All Star Award. After their inaugural season, the team went hard to work on community outreach projects, extending their STEM knowledge to robotics teams in area middle and elementary schools via science fair and expo demonstrations, FIRST Lego League team mentoring, and even hosting a summer camp for 3rd-5th grade students in August 2016.

In this, their 2nd year, the team has grown to 26 students, and they are far better prepared. In spite of almost two weeks of delays from bad winter weather, the kids not only had the engineering design skills and organization to finish one robot, but managed to build a second practice robot so they could further develop and test their programming and driving skills before competition - all in 6 weeks.

BeaverTronics performed very well at their two local competitions in the Portland area, earning advancement to Spokane for the PNW District Championships and ultimately the FRC World Championship.

“Robotics is more than building a robot. It’s team building, design, cooperation, competition, machinery, camaraderie. It teaches kids as much about community as any varsity athletic team, and prepares students to be problem solvers in a technological world,” says parent volunteer Susan Bamberger. “These kids will be beyond tech ready; they are an inspiration for our future. Each and every kid has their own role - some have developed skills in machinery; some in design, others in driving, programming, marketing, fundraising and leadership. They have all built an amazing cooperative team that appreciates everyone’s very important role in this project.”

Congratulations, BeaverTronics and good luck at the FRC World Championship!

BeaverTronics Team: Students: Josh Bamberger (Team Captain), Noah Bamberger, Ian Barde, Rhiannon Briggs, Justin Chao, Josh Davies, Sebastien Franks, Jude Henrie, Emily Inman, Lolly Inman, Paige Kingsley, Nathan Koga, Emil Lytje-Dorfman, Maryam Mahmood, Lubna Mahmood, JD Martinez, Ryan Oldham, Takun Purba, Ileana Rea Martinez, Aila Reyes, Jason Simenson, Chanel Sturm, Sean Sullivan, Brennan Sullivan, Heather Switzer, Zoe Turner, Spencer Wiseman.Teachers: Heather Meiring and Dax BalzerTeam Sponsors: Daimler Trucks North America, DW Fritz, IRC Aluminum, BPS Robotics, Cascade Corp, Oregon Bolt, Inc., Offshore Milling Services, Inc., Lombard Bakery, Koeber’s

Team Mentors: Martin Bamberger, Bill Sturm, Kevin Koga, Brady Williams, Dave Inman, Mike Davies, Glenn Simenson

Parent Volunteers: Mary Inman, Susan Bamberger, Erin Sullivan, Cindy Sturm

Sexton Mountain ES walking school bus wins Public Health Ambassador Award

As part of National Public Health Week (April 3-9, 2017), Washington County Department of Health and Human Services honored significant contributions to public health in Washington County with the 15th Annual Public Health Recognition Awards.

The ‘Public Health Ambassador Award’ recognizes an individual, family or small group in the community who has raised awareness of public health issues, developed projects with a lasting impact, and/or influenced systems or policy changes. The award was presented to the Sexton Mountain Elementary Walking School Bus Program for engaging in a healthy and active lifestyle by walking at least one mile to school, practicing safe pedestrian skills, and arriving at school energized and ready to learn.

In the photo: Jim Hayhurst, Holly Heaver, Pippa, and Camden accepting the Public Health Ambassador Award for their dedication to Walking

School Bus. Congratulations, Sexton Mountain!

District Librarian selected as Lilead FellowDistrict Librarian, Jenny Takeda has been selected as one of 22 2017-2018 Lilead Fellows.

The Lilead Fellows Program is an advanced and intensive professional development program designed to empower, enable, and equip school district library supervisors to think differently and creatively about their library programs and to be effective and inspirational leaders for change in their districts. Conducted in part with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Lilead Fellows Program rounded up its first cohort in June 2016.

The Fellows Program will enable library supervisors to:• Look toward the future: Reflect on why school libraries exist and how they can

make a difference in learning communities.• Explore new ways to solve challenging problems: Work collaboratively with others and try new approaches.• Strengthen the profession: Document strategies, both successful and unsuccessful, in changing mindsets

about the role school libraries can play in changing lives.

Congratulations, Jenny!

Administration Office Spring Essentials Drive supports H.E.L.P. CenterThank you to everyone who donated to the Administration Office’s Spring Essentials Drive. The Beaverton H.E.L.P. Center’s essentials pantry cupboards were bare and staff at the Administration Office stepped up to help.

During the one-week drive, staff donated diapers, wipes, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry pods, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products. The supplies will support students and families who are experiencing homelessness.

Rock Creek ES & Springville K-8 participate in Architects in Schools programRock Creek Elementary School and Springville K-8 are participating in a program from the Architecture Foundation of Oregon called Architects in Schools. Teachers participating at Rock Creek include: Colby Hood, Jessica Neal, Katherine Fitzgerald and Mattie Sheik. Teachers participating at Springville K-8 include: Sandra Hoppenrath, Lixy Alcorta, Alexia Ross, Crystal Gassert and Terresa Cawthra-Cornelius.

Architects in Schools matches professional architects and structural engineers with 3rd - 5th grade teachers for a 6-week classroom residency at no cost to the school. The program is based on a curriculum guide that teachers and their partner design professional can incorporate into existing curricula to meet required education standards. The curriculum guide uses architectural and engineering concepts to help teach math, science, social studies, language arts and other disciplines,

includes sustainable design concepts and can incorporate the engineering and design standards.

In the fall, teachers applied to participate and work with the design professional matched to their classroom to present a residency that addresses existing classroom curricula. Students end their time with the design professional by creating final projects related to the focus of their residency. Students will have their design work on display during the First Thursday Artwalk in Downtown Portland on Thursday, May 4, 2017 at Pioneer Place and Ankrom Moisan Architects. Projects and classroom focuses include:• Engineering science standards teaching students

about the different structures, elements, and processes it takes to design and create a structure -specifically a bridge structure.

• Sustainability with architectural design - students were introduced to “What Is Green Building And Sustainability Design” discussing earth resources, the nature of materials currently in use, and our human behavior.

In addition, through Architects in Schools experiences, students learn:• That design is all around us and we make decisions every day that affect our environment• How the subjects they study in school directly apply to their life outside of school• That there are many people who create the spaces in which we live, learn, work and play and some examples

of their jobs, e.g., architects, landscape architects, structural engineers, contractors and urban planners• Skills that help them to work better in groups, to communicate their ideas• That designing and building spaces is a process not just a product

Students in Lexi Ross’s 3rd grade class at Springville K-8 collaborated and problem solved to figure out how to make a truss design using large pieces of wood, which they then connected to other trusses they created in the classroom.

Students in Colby Hood’s 3rd grade class at Rock Creek ES undertook a modelling exercise in “What Makes Structures Stand Up” and challenged to incorporate them into a design problem. Each of the 135 students, in all four 3rd grade classes, created a written “Program Document” for their individual Special Structure for special clients as well as a creative writing story about a day in the life of their new home from the perspective of the client. Using a shoebox as a project chassis, they then used modelling techniques to create their design, using constructed shapes and recycled materials.

BSD awarded Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the Beaverton School District its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended 2016.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full

disclosure: to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

In addition, an Award of Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to the Beaverton School District Business Office for preparing the award-winning CAFR.

Congratulation, Business Office team!

Architects in Schools continued“In our expedition, we are studying Portland’s famous bridges and we have partnered with four architects, from the Architects in Schools program, to guide our students into the design and engineering of what makes structures strong,” says Springville 3rd grade teacher Lixy Alcorta.

As part of the program, an architect leads several hands-on lessons that impresses upon students basic architecture design. Then, with the architect’s guidance, students collaborate in groups to design and build a truss bridge made of popsicle sticks. Students must consider the criteria for their bridges: length 20”-24”, width 5”-7”, cost of materials, and the best part--weight load--how much weight can the bridge hold before collapsing.

First students draw up their blueprints, then they get to work with only popsicle sticks, glue-all, and binder clips. Students face engineering challenges and look to their team to persevere and come up with solutions to their challenges. The resident architect is also there to offer sound advice and guidance.

Architect Guy Snyder works with students in Lixy Alcorta’s 3rd grade students on their bridges.

The Business Office Team who helped prepare the CAFR: (from left to right) Lori Morgan, Jessica Jones, Linda Hanson, Marci Davis, Gayellyn Jacobson, Jason Guchereau.

Stoller Science Olympiad team headed to the National tournament

The 15 member 2017 Science Olympiad State Championship winning team is Stoller Middle School’s Stoller Grey Matter. The Stoller Grey Matter team participated in 23 events against the top 15 middle school teams in Oregon winning 11 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals. The team will represent the state of Oregon and compete at the 2017 Wright State Science Olympiad National Tournament to be held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio May 19-20, 2017.

Teams from around the nation will represent their states at the highest level of academic achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math. The weekend will feature intense competition among 120 of the best Science Olympiad teams in the nation, striving for honors in events like Electric Vehicle, Disease

Detectives, and Hovercraft. Each of the 46 events requires in-depth understanding of rigorous science content, teamwork, and real-world problem solving.

The team is coached by Raghu Mandyam and Diptha Shrinivas along with several parent volunteers and teachers from Stoller middle school.

Congratulations, Stoller Grey Matter and good luck at the national competition.

Stoller Grey Matter with their medals and trophy: First Row [Left to Right]: Reetesh Sudhakar, Durga Desai, Khushi Mishra, Manan Chand, Rishab Mandyam, Gregory Feng, Rishabh Sharma, Vatsal Parikh, Kanthimathi Karumbunathan, Sanika Deosthali. Second Row [Left to Right] : Asst. Coach Raghu Mandyam, Sanuhi Achar, Pranav Mandyam, Eshani Jha, Shashank Meka and Coach Diptha Shrinivas (Adhira Malladi, Eric Kim - not pictured)

Executive Administrator for High School/Options Schools, Mike Chamberlain, joined the Aloha High School leadership team for llama day.

Rojo the therapy llama visited Aloha HS in support of Juliette, their 2017 Sparrow. Students and staff gave a small donation for the opportunity to kiss and cuddle Rojo.

The Sparrow Program allows schools to adopt a medically fragile student from the community. Sparrow Clubs exist to set the stage for simple, yet heroic, acts of kindness in schools and youth culture by empowering kids to help kids in medical need.

Through community service and a variety of fundraisers Aloha High School’s goal is to raise $10,000 for Juliette.

Aloha HS cuddles Rojo the llama in support of a sparrow

From left to right: Wendy Rider, Greg Therrien, Ken Yarnell, LaKisha Clark, Rojo, Mike Chamberlain, Caan Zarosinski, Chris Sinner.

The Beaverton School District recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups. It is the policy of the Beaverton School District that there will be no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital status, age, veterans’ status, genetic information or disability in any educational programs, activities or employment.

BSD students fare well in the Scholastic Art & Writing CompetitionTwenty-two Beaverton School District students were awarded the highest honors in the national 2016 Scholastic Art and Writing Competition.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have grown during the last 90 years to become the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for

creative teens in the U.S., and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers.

Below are the Beaverton School District students honored in this years competition:

Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA):Isabel Kristensen Silver Medal - Photography - Casa AmarillaNatalie Luquin Silver Medal - Art Portfolio - Jolie LaideAkio Sato Silver Medal - Painting - WaverLauren Vennes Gold Medal - Photography - Tangle Teaser

International School of Beaverton (ISB):Ashley Kim Silver Medal - Drawing & Illustration - Warm sunshineNina Spellman Silver Medal - Painting - Routine (brush, floss, wash)

Beaverton High School:Skyler Moore Silver Medal - Drawing & Illustration - Blue Flowers

Southridge High School:Kaycie Bauer Silver Medal - Digital Art - Self PortraitKylie Fernandez Silver Medal - Drawing & Illustration - Nina (#2) Gold Medal - Drawing & Illustration - Nina (#3)Cameron Kays Gold Medal - Drawing & Illustration - Amalfi CoastKris Murray Gold Medal - Painting - UprootedCory Nguyen Silver Medal - Dramatic Script - Blessed are those who MournNicholas Rex Gold Medal - Photography - Lonely Boy Silver Medal - Photography - GothamAngie Woolery Gold Medal - Ceramics & Glass - gauteovan Silver Medal - Painting - carne

Stoller Middle School:Hannah Kim Silver Medal - Drawing and Illustration - Bedroom

Sunset High School:Labiba Amyeen Silver Medal - Design - Drag Me DownLucy Gordon Silver Medal - Poetry - Aesop’s MacbethTessa Plumb Silver Medal - Art Portfolio - We Connect Silver Medal - Design - “A Cut Above Chocolate” PackagingKaden Profit Silver Medal - Art Portfolio - Hidden FormsMarissa Willke Silver Medal - Photography - Delicate

Westview High School:Maya Hooper Silver Medal - Drawing & Illustration - MaskIremayowa Olopade Silver Medal - Painting - Self Posterization