Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

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www.jeffcopublicschools.org May 2015 Vol. 8 No. 1 A Jeffco Schools Publication Our Mission To provide a quality education that prepares all children for a successful future. Jeffco Public Schools is home to over 86,000 of Colorado's fin- est students. Step inside one of our 155 schools and you will see a staff dedicated to building a bright future for every student. Our staff is supported by a com- mitted school board, involved parents and a caring community that combine to provide a qual- ity education that prepares all children for a promising future. Jeff co Schools Colorado-based company Blue Star Recyclers has taken on a dual mission: recycling e-waste in a responsible manner and creating jobs for young adults with special needs to help them gain independence. Blue Star began working with Jeffco Schools a year and a half ago, training and employing Jeffco Schools special needs students in the disassembly of electronic components that need to be recycled. Two of those employees-in- training are Jeffco grads Jesse Penton (Columbine ’12) and Daniel Staggers (Arvada West ’14). Jesse and Daniel are paying their dues on the line while hoping to join the team as full-time employees. Blue Star brought Jesse and Daniel in to help with a project made possible by another Colorado- based company, electronic case maker OtterBox. Jesse and Daniel are helping prepare material for recycling from OtterBox cases that were overruns or defects. “The OtterBox program gives us an opportunity to bring guys in… at a base level as they progress on that line,” said Blue Star CEO Bill Morris. “It gives us potentially an opportunity to hire from within as opposed to just putting out a blanket call to the general public.” This type of project is the perfect fit for special needs students like Jesse and Daniel. “What we discovered about seven years ago was that people with autism and some other intellectual disabilities have an innate talent for the systematic and repetitive disassembly of electronic components and the sort of repetitive work that goes into recycling which is separation, staging, sorting, cleaning different things. They’re very good at it, but more importantly, they really enjoy the work,” said Morris. Jesse and Daniel are enjoying the work, and Blue Star employees enjoy having them as part of the team. “I get a lot of gratitude for having the opportunity to work with these guys.... I really take a vested interest in helping them gain some independence in their life, as well as teaching them whatever job skills that they could potentially gain from us,” said Blue Star Production Manager Robbie Rappolo. Jeffco is hoping to develop a program similar to one operated by Cherry Creek Schools, where the district’s e-waste is recycled by the district’s special needs students and grads who are trained on campus before coming to work at Blue Star once they are ready. The program has been successful for Blue Star. Since they began this program, they’ve had no turnover, no absenteeism, and no lost time due to accidents. Once Jeffco develops the program similar to Cherry Creek’s program, a lot more students like Jesse and Daniel will have the opportunity to join Blue Star’s team and learn job skills that will help them gain further independence in their lives. Morris will certainly be excited to take on more students and grads as he said, “they’re the best part.” Watch the JPS-TV story: http://bit. ly/1wWrVVo Bright Stars at Blue Star Recyclers NASA has been constantly monitoring the health of its astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). A common problem they found was that carbon dioxide bubbles formed around the astronauts as they slept, which left them feeling disoriented and gave them headaches. To solve the problem, NASA reached out to high school students for help through the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH). Students at Warren Tech took up the challenge. Warren Tech STEM Instructor Nate Olsen has helped lead a team of talented students this year in developing a C02 scrubber for the space station. “This is a real world problem, and we’re doing real world situations in [solving] it, prototyping it and testing it for human use,” said Olsen. There are two different designs Jeffco Rocketeers Are Ready for Zero G Continued on page 6

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Transcript of Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

Page 1: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

www.jeffcopublicschools.orgMay 2015 Vol. 8 No. 1 A Jeffco Schools Publication

Our MissionTo provide a quality

education that prepares

all children for a

successful future.

Jeff co Public Schools is home to over 86,000 of Colorado's fi n-est students. Step inside one of our 155 schools and you will see a staff dedicated to building a bright future for every student. Our staff is supported by a com-mitted school board, involved parents and a caring community that combine to provide a qual-ity education that prepares all children for a promising future.

Jeff co Schools

Colorado-based company Blue Star Recyclers has taken on a dual mission: recycling e-waste in a responsible manner and creating jobs for young adults with special needs to help them gain independence. Blue Star began working with Jeffco Schools a year and a half ago, training and employing Jeffco Schools special needs students in the disassembly of electronic components that need to be recycled.

Two of those employees-in-training are Jeffco grads Jesse Penton (Columbine ’12) and Daniel Staggers (Arvada West ’14). Jesse and Daniel are paying their dues on the line while hoping to join the team as full-time employees. Blue Star brought Jesse and Daniel in to help with a project made possible by another Colorado-based company, electronic case maker

OtterBox. Jesse and Daniel are helping prepare material for recycling from OtterBox cases that were overruns or defects.

“The OtterBox program gives us an opportunity to bring guys in… at a base level as they progress on that line,” said Blue Star CEO Bill Morris. “It gives us potentially an opportunity to hire from within as opposed to just putting out a blanket call to the general public.”

This type of project is the perfect fi t for special needs students like Jesse and Daniel.

“What we discovered about seven years ago was that people with autism and some other intellectual disabilities have an innate talent for the systematic and repetitive disassembly of electronic

components and the sort of repetitive work that goes into recycling which is separation, staging, sorting, cleaning different things. They’re very good at it, but more importantly, they really enjoy the work,” said Morris.

Jesse and Daniel are enjoying the work, and Blue Star employees enjoy having them as part of the team.

“I get a lot of gratitude for having the opportunity to work with these guys.... I really take a vested interest in helping them gain some independence in their life, as well as teaching them whatever job skills that they could potentially gain from us,” said Blue Star Production Manager Robbie Rappolo.

Jeffco is hoping to develop a program similar to one operated by Cherry Creek Schools, where the

district’s e-waste is recycled by the district’s special needs students and grads who are trained on campus before coming to work at Blue Star once they are ready. The program has been successful for Blue Star. Since they began this program, they’ve had no turnover, no absenteeism, and no lost time due to accidents.

Once Jeffco develops the program similar to Cherry Creek’s program, a lot more students like Jesse and Daniel will have the opportunity to join Blue Star’s team and learn job skills that will help them gain further independence in their lives.

Morris will certainly be excited to take on more students and grads as he said, “they’re the best part.”

Watch the JPS-TV story: http://bit.ly/1wWrVVo

Bright Stars at Blue Star Recyclers

NASA has been constantly monitoring the health of its astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). A common problem they found was that carbon dioxide bubbles formed around the astronauts as they slept, which left them feeling disoriented and gave them headaches. To solve the problem, NASA reached out to high school students for help through the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH). Students at Warren Tech took up the challenge.

Warren Tech STEM Instructor Nate Olsen has helped lead a team of talented students this year in developing a C02 scrubber for the space station.

“This is a real world problem, and we’re doing real world situations in [solving] it, prototyping it and testing it for human use,” said Olsen.

There are two different designs

Jeff co Rocketeers Are Ready for Zero G

Continued on page 6

Page 2: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

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www.jeffcopublicschools.org2 | May 2015 Jeffco Schools Quarterly

The students at Bear Creek K-8 always look forward to Tuesday mornings because that’s when Mr. and Mrs. Z visit. The Z is for Zachman, but “Z” is a lot easier for the kids to say.

Mr. and Mrs. Z, also known as Bob and Kathy, are retired Jeffco music educators who have never lost their love of teaching. They call their weekly visits to Bear Creek their “kid fi x.”

Mr. and Mrs. Z started volunteering ten years ago after a Bear Creek K-8 teacher asked if they would come back and teach music to the kids. Before their second act as volunteers, Mr. and Mrs. Z devoted nearly 50 years combined as music teachers.

Both are well known throughout the Jeffco Schools music community, especially at Arvada West, where Bob spent 18 years strengthening a marching band legacy that still stands to this day.

“I’ve continued to help various band directors when they call and ask for assistance,” said Bob, who also mentors his grandson’s band at Cherry Creek Liberty Middle School.

With all of their accomplishments, and their own grandchildren to track, you’d think they had earned some time to themselves; however, these two are compelled to do more than just sit back and take it easy.

“When you retire, for some people, that can be a problem because they don’t have it fi gured out .... For all of us, we need a purpose in life and a reason to get up in the morning,” said Bob.

“For us, I think it’s the rewards,” said Kathy. “The sense of helping and fostering a love for music in kids

and helping them become more profi cient.”

For Mr. and Mrs. Z, teaching music is more than just teaching kids about scales, notes, and arrangements. They believe there are as many reasons to volunteer as the thousands of students they’ve taught over the years.

“I used to say to my kids, ‘I’m trying to teach you how to live. Music is the vehicle. I’m not trying to turn you into a professional musician’,” said Bob. “‘The object here is I want you to appreciate the arts and to know how hard it is to gain a level of experience and profi ciency on your instrument so that you will continue to support the arts.’”

The lessons students learn from Mr. and Mrs. Z help in other areas of the classroom, as well.

“It uses both sides of your brain. Studies have been done that show kids that are involved in music are more successful in school, do better on tasks,” Kathy said.

Students and teachers love having Mr. and Mrs. Z visit.

“She’s a blessing. That sums it up as both a parent and a co-worker. The enthusiasm, the love of music and the love of the students that she brings to these children and these former students…is very evident,” said Bear Creek K-8 Kindergarten Teacher Arlene Karika.

Mr. and Mrs. Z are enjoying their volunteer work so it’s likely they’ll continue to share their love of music with students for years to come.

Watch the JPS-TV story here: http://bit.ly/19K4Ry1

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Page 3: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

www.jeffcopublicschools.org May 2015 | 3Jeffco Schools Quarterly

It’s not every day that you get to ride a fire truck to school, but that’s just what happened to Arvada West High School ninth-grader Solana Suarez. The Arvada Fire Protection District gave her the unusual lift as a way to recognize her calm, cool reaction to a recent in-home emergency.

Solana’s mother is a diabetic and she was experiencing low blood sugar. Diabetics with blood sugar levels that are too high or too low can quickly face complications without rapid and appropriate treatment.

“She was lying in bed, and I gave her Glucagon, which is a sugar shot, and then I called 911 just to make sure she was alright,” Solana explained. “It’s better to stay calm than to freak out.”

Some Arvada West students did double takes as the diminutive Solana stepped from the fire truck onto the sidewalk in front of the school before she hurried off to math class. “It was cool,” Solana said. “I’ve never been inside a fire truck before.”

Besides the early morning ride, the Arvada Fire Protection District awarded Solana their Citizen Hero award “for bravely activating the 911 system and giving aid in the time of need.”

A free publication for parents and residents of Jefferson County, the Quarterly is published in partnership with Colorado Community Media. The school district's Com-munications Services staff provides the articles, photos and graphics in an effort to keep the community informed with news about Jeffco Schools. Citizen comments about the publication are welcome.

Colorado Community Media provides layout, sells ad-vertisements, prints, and distributes the publication at no cost to the school district.

Photography courtesy: Lorie Hirose and Jack Maher, Jeffco Schools.

Jeffco Public SchoolsCommunications Services1829 Denver West Drive, #27, Golden, CO 80401303-982-6808 | 303-982-6816 Faxwww.jeffcopublicschools.org Email: [email protected]

Colorado Community Media303-566-4100 | www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.comPublisher of the Arvada Press, Golden Transcript, Lakewood Sentinel and Wheat Ridge Transcript

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A Super Celebration for the Super CarThe Wheat Ridge High School

Super Car rolled into the school’s gym for an assembly to celebrate the Farmer’s first-ever win at the Shell Eco-Marathon earlier in April. The celebration was the culmination of months of hard work by the students in the STEM class at Wheat Ridge High School.

“It was great for all of our students. They’ve worked so hard the last eight months…and it was great to have our partners with UCD here because they helped us out, as well. We have a great partnership, and it all came together with everybody,” WRHS STEM/Engineering instructor Chuck Sprague said of the celebration.

Students began working on their hydrogen fuel car this past September, in partnership with the University of Colorado Denver, which included creating the design, making molds, and putting in electronics. Once the car was complete, they took it for test runs in the school’s parking lot, in preparation for the trip to Detroit to compete in the Eco-Marathon.

Once in Detroit, the students faced some challenges, including finding a fuel cell to replace one that just wasn’t working right. They finally found a cell in the Czech Republic and had it shipped to Detroit just in time. The next challenge was passing inspection. It took some modifications, but the third time was the charm and the car was ready to hit the test track.

All that hard work paid off, and

the team took first place in their category. This was a remarkable accomplishment, especially for a high school team. Cars are typically designed, built, and entered into the Shell Eco-Marathon by college seniors

“We wanted to place, but as we went on and we worked more and more, we realized how hard it is to place. It’s just amazing,” said WRHS STEM student Jacqueline Pedlow on the team’s

victory.The victory has just barely sunk in,

yet these enterprising students are already planning ahead for next year’s competition.

“The students have already talked. We’re going to do two cars next year,” said Sprague. “We’re going to do a prototype and also an urban concept car. We’ve already started designs for that.”

With their first attempt a success

and experience under their belt, it

wouldn’t be surprising to see these

students back in the winner’s circle

again next year.

“We’re thinking it’s going to be

great!” said Pedlow.

See the JPS-TV version of this story

here: http://bit.ly/1GXhVvW

The WRHS Super Car drives past the American flag during a school assembly celebrating its performance at theShell Eco-marathon.

Arvada Fire Protection District Honors Arvada West 9th Grader

Arvada West 9th Grader Solana Suarez poses with members of the Arvada Fire Protection District shortly after getting a fire truck ride to school.

Page 4: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

Belmar Elementary School’s library hasn’t changed much over the years. In fact, in the 12 years that sixth grade teacher Chris VanderBloeman-Garcia has been at Belmar, she couldn’t recall a time that the library had been remodeled.

That changed when Librarian Kyle Walker approached Principal Meredith Leighty about giving the library a facelift. Leighty had a better idea. She decided to make the library remodel a service project and surprise Walker.

Walker is the librarian for two elementary schools, and Leighty arranged for him to be at his other school for a week in order to allow enough time to complete the remodeling. Everyone at the school was really excited. Teachers, staff, and parents donated time after school to help clean, organize, and paint. One

parent, who owns a painting company called Ventura Maximilliano, offered his company’s services, as well.

“I’ve been here really late, but I don’t mind, and we’ll probably be here through the weekend putting everything back together, because we want it to be perfect on Monday,” said Leighty before the big reveal.

The next Monday, Walker returned to Belmar Elementary. When he walked into the library and saw all the hard work that teachers, staff and parents had done, he just stood in shock. Everyone’s hard work paid off as the library looked amazing.

The surprise also worked. Walker had absolutely no idea the remodel was happening, but he was excited and thankful.

“The atmosphere here in the library is so crucial, and to come in and see kind of a shabby place…that’s a shabby

atmosphere. So, creating this kind of an atmosphere…this is a magical atmosphere now,” said Walker. “This is what the library should be…it’s what

we need.”

Watch the JPS-TV version of this

story here: http://bit.ly/1xeYP3E

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www.jeffcopublicschools.org4 | May 2015 Jeffco Schools Quarterly

The Surprise of a Lifetime at Belmar Elementary School

The Ralston Valley High School choir spent their last afternoon before spring break began in the vocal music room, getting in a last bit of practice before a very special performance.

The Ralston Valley choir traveled to Italy over spring break, along with Bear Creek High School and Arvada West High School, where they each had the opportunity to perform several times,

including at St. Peter’s Basilica.“That’s a really cool opportunity for

kids and it’s going to be fun to see them in that light,” said Ralston Valley Choir Director Jeff Talley.

Performing at the Vatican is pretty impressive, but even more so considering the choir performed acapella, because there was no piano or other instrumentation during the service.

The Vatican trip was part of a package Talley booked through a tour company, which was not only a special experience for the students, but for Talley, as well.

“I get to conduct a choir at the Vatican, and not many people get to say that,” Talley said.

Students and their families paid for the trip themselves, which was a bit expensive, but it was an amazing whirlwind tour of Italy.

Talley didn’t know if the Pope would be in attendance for the performance, but either way he knew it would be incredible.

“If he is, how cool would that be? And if he isn’t, how cool is it that you

get to sing at the center of a worldwide church in such a beautiful place,” Talley said.

The Bear Creek High School Choir Program performed at High Mass on March 21st in St. Peter’s Basilica and other locations around the country. They also did several impromptu performances in restaurants, other churches, and even on the plane ride.

“The entire whirlwind trip is something we will never forget. It was such an incredible experience for all of the singers and family members that were able to go,” said Bear Creek Choir Director Nathan Payant.

Approximately 87 Arvada West High School students made the trip to Italy, as well. Members of the Instrumental Music Group and Choir, directed by Craig Melhourn and Chris Maunu, performed around the country. Their fi nal concert was held at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Arvada West also performed a combined concert with Bear Creek in Cerreto Guidi, a 16th century Medici villa.

Watch the JPS-TV story here: http://bit.ly/1G59iSl

Vatican Bound:Three Jeff co High Schools Perform in Italy

Page 5: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

www.jeffcopublicschools.org May 2015 | 5Jeffco Schools Quarterly

Every year, approximately 1,600 Colorado students apply for the Boettcher Foundation’s prestigious scholarships. However, after a rigorous application process, only 40 exceptionally-qualified high school graduates receive a full ride to any university in Colorado.

Meet Sarina Phu, the Standley Lake senior and academic phenom that earned one of the Boettcher Foundation’s 2015 scholarships.

What is your cumulative GPA?Last semester it was a 4.8, but it’ll probably be a

4.7 after this semester.

What are your favorite classes? Which ones have been the most rewarding?

That’s hard; I really enjoy all of my classes! I guess History and English. I enjoy history because it is still applicable to today. I’m in Mr. (Jeremiah) Corragio’s 20th Century World History class right now, and we’ve been covering wars like World War I, World War II, and Vietnam. Mr. Coraggio is really knowledgeable, and he shows you how we’re still using the diplomatic tactics we used in those wars.

I really like English, too. I’ve always loved reading, even since I was a kid. As a reader, I like to see if I can empathize with the characters in the books. Right now, I’m in Mr. (Dave) Cohara’s class. He’s a good teacher because he helps you reach conclusions without giving you the answers.

What was your favorite book this semester?

“The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway.

Why did you apply for the Boettcher? I didn’t even know about it until my councilor

told me! It came up while I was applying to colleges, so I thought why not?

Where will you attend college?I have committed to DU (University of Denver).

What do you want to major in?I was initially undecided, but I’m thinking about

International Studies and pre-med coursework.

So you want to double-major?Yes, International Studies and something like

biology, chemistry, or bio-chemistry.

What do you want to do with those degrees?

The dream would be to work with Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, or the United Nations. I want to be able to travel, but also help people in Colorado and around the world.

What do you do to take a break from studying?

I was on the swim team; that was a lot of fun. Right now, I’m teaching myself to play guitar. I’ve been practicing for about a year. I also like hiking and hanging out with my friends.

Can you tell me about your family?I have two younger sisters. My parents are

immigrants. My mom is Vietnamese, and my dad is Chinese, but he’s from Cambodia. I was born here though.

What have you learned from your parents?

My parents are really hard-working people. They taught me that opportunity is everywhere, and you just have to work hard and earn everything. I learned that being successful at school was a priority, but my parents are also very supportive and want me to find a balance between work and having fun.

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Interview with Standley Lake HS student and Boettcher scholar Sarina Phu

Page 6: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

www.jeffcopublicschools.org6 | May 2015 Jeffco Schools Quarterly

Arvada K-8 P.E. Teacher Alicia Knickerbocker got a little break from teaching when Superintendent Dan McMinimee filled in for her. McMinimee’s temporary sub job was part of a special reward from the American Heart Association.

“Today, Mr. McMinimee is coming to sub for me because I got his incentive reward for having the highest increase in money raised for Jump Rope for Heart from last year to this year,” explained Knickerbocker.

Jump Rope for Heart is a program sponsored by the American Heart Association to promote physical education, to teach children about heart disease, and to fundraise for cardiovascular disease research, stroke research, and health education.

To encourage participation among Jeffco Public Schools, McMinimee offered to recognize and reward three schools for outstanding achievement in these American Heart Association programs, and substitute teach P.E. classes at each school.

Arvada K-8 increased donations by 426 percent. Superintendent McMinimee also rewarded the school with a $1,000 addition to the P.E. budget, to help keep students healthy all year long.

McMinimee, a former P.E. teacher, got students moving with fun games that incorporated exercise. Both the students and the Superintendent enjoyed this special day.

“Kids are just so fun to be around, and I mean just the excitement and the wiggles they got. It’s just a great time,” said McMinimee.

While everyone was having fun, they were also learning about the importance of being active and staying healthy.

“The biggest thing is to make sure that kids are understanding how to take care of their own heart”, said Janeen McDonald from the American Heart Association. “Learning how to stay healthy by jumping rope and doing other things, and then also understanding how to help others

that may have sick hearts.” McMinimee also taught a class at

Parmalee Elementary, which had the highest number of students participate in Jump Rope for Heart,

and at Mitchell Elementary, which raised the most in total donations for the program this year.

Watch the JPS-TV version of this story here http://bit.ly/1ED39aN

Meet Your New P.E. Teacher

Jeffco Schools Superintendent Dan McMinimee leads a group of energetic students through their paces while subbing as a P.E. teacher at Arvada K-8.

O’Connell Middle School students had the opportunity to see history come alive when Civil War reenactors, Justin Rousselot and Norman Hughes, visited O’Connell to share their Civil War knowledge.

“This is just a method of teaching by actually seeing or experiencing what’s going on,” said Hughes.

The lesson began inside the school, where Hughes and Rousselot also shared Civil War artifacts with the students. The class, then, moved outside, where the real fun began.

Hughes and Rousselot brought two Civil War-era field cannons to O’Connell. Students helped clean, load, and fire the cannons, which

were actual cannons manufactured in 1861 and used during the Civil War. Not only was it a unique opportunity for students to see how these cannons operated, but it also helped them learn what the artillerymen had to go through during the war.

“When I was in middle school, we didn’t have people come out, so it’s

really nice to be able to teach these kids that this is what it was like. This was history,” said Rousselot.

The students really enjoyed the experience, especially making the connection to what they were learning in class.

“I was excited because this ties in with our unit, and it allows us to have first-hand experience of what happened in the Civil War,” said eighth-grader Lorenzo Reyes.

O’Connell History Teacher Pamela Greene learned a few new things from the experience, as well.

“I’ve learned a lot as a history teacher. I thought I’ve always known a lot about the Civil War, but they’ve actually profiled Civil War soldiers to make their characters authentic…I’m learning a little bit more about the life of a true soldier,” Greene said.

It was certainly a great experience that students and teachers won’t soon forget.

Watch the JPS-TV story here: http://bit.ly/1O4nDzA

Cannons at O’ConnellO’Connell Middle School students react as two Civil War era cannons are fired during a living history lesson.

created by two Warren Tech classes, but both have down-to-Earth applications, including improving indoor air quality in homes and offices by filtering out C02.

Both designs have been tested on what’s called the “Vomit Comet”, a specially outfitted NASA Zero Gravity aircraft, to see how the designs operate in weightlessness. You have to be able to stomach roller coasters for this ride, and these Warren Tech students say they’re good to go.

“We had a huge safety briefing we had to go over, to make sure

we knew how to deal with all the different situations that can occur in a microgravity environment… [For example,] the cilia in your ears get disoriented, so you don’t know which way is up and which way is down,” said Morgan Hays, and Evergreen High School/Warren Tech senior.

As these students prepared for their Zero G flight, a second set of Warren Tech whiz kids who work out of Lakewood High School have been working on another project for NASA. These students have successfully tested and built a hydroponics plant growth chamber, which was launched

on the SpaceX Rocket, headed to the ISS to undergo 120 days of testing.

These students have a second experiment, a vortex pump that will improve the cooling system on the ISS.

“The design on there now is just a conventional centrifugal pump, where it has a blade spinning inside of a little container that pushes the water around. Ours is a little different. It’s a combination between the centrifugal pump, and, then, a piston pump that you’d find on hydraulics,” explained Austin Casey, a Lakewood High School STEM student.

The experiments both groups of students are working on provide the chance to get real-life, hands-on experience working with NASA. It’s also preparing them for a potential future career in the aerospace industry. Colorado ranks second in the nation with more than 400 aerospace companies, meaning a world of opportunity awaits these talented students.

Watch the JPS-TV stories here: h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=lzsuvvJN9bY and here: h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=HAt3Kfbh5n8

RocketeersContinued from page 1

Page 7: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

www.jeffcopublicschools.org May 2015 | 7Jeffco Schools Quarterly

Students, parents, and teachers had the opportunity to travel around the world at Mitchell Elementary School’s annual Multi-Cultural Night and Heritage Festival. Mitchell families from 13 different countries set up tables, dressed in their countries’ traditional clothing, and shared a little bit about their culture with the rest of the Mitchell community.

Each “traveler” was given a passport to stamp from each country they visited on their whirlwind trip around the world. Countries they visited included Thailand, China, Brazil, France, and more. At each stop, travelers also had a chance to taste the cuisine, which was a favorite for many students. One of Denver’s favorite food trucks, Quiero Arepas, was also on hand to share its delicious food.

Mitchell is an ideal place to host this evening of world travel since its students hail from at least 13 different countries, and speak about 20 different languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Chinese. International families from nearby Colorado School of Mines also shared their culture with the Mitchell community.

“It’s very important for us to learn about new cultures and different places. It’s our similarities that bring us together, but it’s our differences that help us grow,” said Mitchell ESL Teacher Jane Hampleman.

It may have been a short trip, but it went a long way in sharing the diverse cultures represented in Jeffco Schools.

Watch the JPS-TV story here: h t t p s : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=OsFr0t449J4

Passport Please:Mitchell Elementary Students GoAround the World in One Night

Families set up booths to share their culture with the rest of the Mitchell Elementary community at the Multi-Cultural Night and Heritage Festival.

Page 8: Jeffco Schools Quarterly May 2015

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Most times outside Jeffco schools, you’ll see school bus yellow at the start and end of each class day. That was not the case at Bell Middle School last week, where C-SPAN red was the only thing in sight.

More than a bus, this mobile television studio came to Bell as part of some special recognition for Colorado’s only winners of C-SPAN’s StudentCam competition. It’s a video documentary contest that encourages kids to think critically about issues in their community and nation. This year, students in grades sixth through twelfth created short video documentaries based on the theme “The Three Branches and You.”

“It’s a huge honor. Six thousand kids were in this competition and they were one of a hundred that were selected, so we couldn’t be happier,” said Brian VanVoorhees, an eighth grade history/STEM teacher at Bell Middle School who worked with the students on their documentaries.

Students Alexa VanSchaardenburg, Ethan Cranston, Olivia Bohl, Angelee Davis, and Jacob Fettig created the winning videos from Bell. Alexa and Ethan won 3rd place for their video called “Marijuana in Colorado – The Road to Ruin or Reward,” which explored the impact of legalization of marijuana in the state. Olivia, Angelee, and Jacob won honorable mention for their entry that asked the question, “Should Space Exploration and Travel be Publicly Funded?”

They competed against 2,280 documentary entries. Almost 5,000 students representing 45 states, as well as Washington D.C., and Taiwan took part in the competition.

The winning students were excited about C-SPAN’s visit to Bell.

“I’m really honored that they came out with the C-SPAN bus and did this whole ceremony,” said Ethan

Cranston, an eighth-grader at Bell. It was more than just

congratulations, however. The bus was opened up for tours, too, and the students soon learned the mobile television studio doubles as a C-SPAN learning center. The bus is equipped with touchscreen computers, where students could watch videos and answer trivia questions.

The documentaries, which earned

the students cash prizes, were done through Bell’s STEM program.

“They represent STEM so well in this kind of authentic assessment where they can be creative and show critical thinking,” said VanVoorhees.

The next C-SPAN StudentCam competition gets underway in September.

Watch the JPS-TV version of this story here: http://bit.ly/1GGeRnV

Not Your Average Bus Stop

Bell Middle School student documentary filmmakers pose in front of C-SPAN’s mobile tv studio following a ceremony honoring their work.