Congratulations to the students who earned top spots in this year’s spring FCCLA competition.

Culinary Arts: bronze- Samantha Buya, Jamie Jarvangsanti, John Duong

Entrepreneur: silver- Dale Riechert & Brandon West

Chapter Showcase Manual: bronze- Davi Booth & Amy Hoon

Chapter Showcase Display: silver- Cassie Anfinson & Haley Cetwinski

Chapter Achievement: Gold Medal- Thunderbird HS FCCLA for setting and completing yearly goals

$1000 FCCLA scholarship: Haley Cetwinski

$500 FCCLA scholarship: Davi Booth

Sandra Day O’Connor HS Senior Excels in Advanced Media Productions

In photo: Chris Cunningham, Media Productions Instructor; Rachel Hillis, Student of the Month; Debbie Holland, DVUSD CTE Director; Patricia Resetar, Assistant Principal

Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) presents Rachel Hillis, a senior at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in the Deer Valley Unified School District with the CTE Student of the Month award. West-MEC honors exceptional students in Career and Technical Education (CTE) each month with the student of the month award.

Chris Cunningham, advanced media productions instructor at Sandra Day O’Connor nominated Rachel for the honor.

“Rachel is a success in all her endeavors and her work shines above all the rest,” said Cunningham. “She has the ability to take disparate concepts and utilize them in a unique way.”

Currently enrolled in advanced media productions, Rachel successfully integrates classroom principles into several projects across her high school campus.

The daughter of stop motion animator, Rachel first experienced video production through claymation. Since then, Rachel has become a wunderkind of media, creating video montages for O’Connor feeder schools, daily anchoring her high school’s morning announcements and creating videos for her internship at the Deer Valley Unified district office.

Her appreciation for the program is simple. “CTE gives you a lot of freedom as a student, “ said Rachel. “In advanced media productions class I can express my ideas and I help choose the direction of my projects. That doesn’t happen in some of my other classes.”

After completing her internship at the district office in July 2010, Rachel will pursue a degree in video production at Glendale Community College North.

The West-MEC CTE Student of the Month Program encourages CTE instructors to nominate a student that stands out in their CTE course. CTE courses prepare students to embark on a career in a variety of industries. Nominations submitted by CTE teachers consider a student’s academics, attitude, class attendance, leadership, and respect towards peers and teachers.

Local Valley businesses including: Phoenix International Raceway, The Orcutt Winslow Partnership and The Sundt Companies donated funds to support the West-MEC CTE Student of the Month. Monthly winners receive an award plaque and a $50 gift card to Best Buy.

If you build it, they will come. Vague and disarming, much like the idea of handing off some random blueprints to students and expecting them to create the 8^th wonder of the world: welcome to the SkillsUSA Arizona Championships.

Members of Peoria High School’s SkillsUSA Building Trades program took first place in the Team Build competition held at the Phoenix Convention Center on April 12-13, 2010 advancing them to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Competition.

The Team Build event is the pinnacle of the Building Trades competitions. When the teams first arrive at the contest, they are given blueprints; that is all. Then, as a group, they must construct a wall system.

Consequently, two of the members build a block/masonry wall, one installs plumbing, and one connects the electrical. The structure is strictly scored on dimensions, square and nail placement, angles, electrical and plumbing code, etc.

Peoria High School seniors: Michael Foote, Reyes Ruiz, Dalton Habecker, Marcus Jimenez, will be traveling to Kansas City in June to compete at the National level in the Team Build event.

The skills and accomplishments of these talented students are a credit to the dedicated Career & Technical Education (CTE) staff at Peoria High School, specifically Mr. Oscar Olivas.

Eighty sixth-grade students from Arrowhead Elementary, Campo Bello Elementary, Echo Mountain Intermediateand Palomino Intermediate are participating in the STEMester of Learning. The Community Education Department applied for a Youth Service Learning grant in July 2009 and each school was awarded a grant. Since the project began in January, the students have been spending two hours per week, after school, working on their project. The Community Resource Center (CRC) is the official STEMester construction site. The students are learning about landscape architecture, sustainability, water retention areas and the importance of working as a team. Join the STEMester students on April 22 at 5:30 p.m. for the ribbon-cutting event and celebration.

The FEA chapters at Peoria, Kellis, Greenway and Sunnyslope win the Gold Chapter Award with Greenway taking the title of ‘Chapter of the Year’.

Hannah on left; 1st place essay contest

A special congratulations to Peoria student, Hannah Heivilin, FEA Student of the Year and runner-up, Haley Sheahan from Greenway.

Other Winners Include:

RECRUITMENT & MARKETING PRESENTATION & DISPLAY

- Fayth Meadows, Erin Thomas Willow Canyon

- Isaac Hurguy, Sjoukje Scoustra, Brandon Swiers Greenway

SERVICE PROJECT PRESENTATION & DISPLAY

- Lorena Segovia, Sierra Perkin, Deanna Rood Sunnyslope

APPLICATION, RESUME, & INTERVIEW

- Ashley James Centennial H.S.

- Desirae Smith Peoria

- Sydney Potton Estrella Foothills

BLOG

- Keila Moreno Navarrette Greenway 1st

- Elizabeth Fernandes Independence 3rd

E – PORTFOLIO

- Haley Sheahan Greenway 1st

- Abigail Acosta Greenway 2nd

- Suzana Thompson Sunnyslope 3rd

CHAPTER MULTI-MEDIA SCRAPBOOK

- Genesis Peterson Peoria 1st

- Chelsey Bockay Cactus 2nd

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO LESSON

- Haley Sheahan Greenway 1st

- Jessica Ann Matteson Sunnyslope 2nd

- Kella Moreno Navarrette Greenway 3rd

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

- Haley Sheahan Greenway Master

- Hannah Heivilin Peoria Master

- Katie Lowry Greenway Master

- Keila Moreno- Navarrette Greenway Master

- Kassandra Panzica Raymond S. Kellis Excellence

- Tiffanie Tatlow Raymond S. Kellis Excellence

- Ismael Saldana Cactus Merit

- Julie Scalise Mountain Ridge Merit