The Waukee City Council approved purchase agreements on a total of 160 acres of land north of Hickman Road and east of 10th Street in Waukee. The purchase agreements are integral in the efforts to build both a second high school within the Waukee Community School District as well as a City of Waukee-owned sports complex. Both the Waukee City Council and Waukee Community School District’s Board approved a 28E agreement on May 9, meaning the two entities will be collaborating on this project.

“We often team up with the school district on big projects in an effort to utilize funds in the most efficient way, such as the new Joint Transportation Facility that’s currently under construction,” said Waukee Mayor William F. Peard. “We assessed the needs of both students and community members. The district knows it’s outgrowing its original high school and we know there’s huge resident demand for more outdoor recreation spaces. This is a win-win.”

Approximately 2/3 of the land will include the new high school building, parking, track, four ball fields, practice fields and a pond. The City’s 1/3 portion of the property will include 12 softball/baseball fields and parking. One of those fields is being held as a potential field to serve individuals with disabilities, should the need and support be identified in Waukee.

With the 28E agreement and purchase agreements approved, the framework is set for the second high school and sports complex project. The tentative timeline is as follows:

• Summer 2016: Joint site master planning process begins
• Spring 2017: Joint site master planning process completed
• Early 2018: School bond referendum takes place for the new high school
• Spring 2018: Construction on the site begin
• Spring 2021: Softball/baseball fields open (tentative
• Fall 2021: Second high school opens to students

With an expected opening year of 2021, students who are currently in grades 4-6 could be the first to attend the second high school.

“The school district has been watching enrollment projections and planning, knowing that a second high school would eventually be needed. Identifying the site for the proposed school was the first step. Facility design, programming and boundary decisions will all be part of the work over the next several years for this major undertaking. Community and staff input will be an integral part of that work,” said Waukee Superintendent Dr. David Wilkerson. “Partnering with the City of Waukee will create economies for both entities, sharing in certain development costs in an effort to most efficiently use taxpayer dollars.”

A lot of discussion and planning has gone into this joint initiative, and City and district leaders say it would not be happening without the support and flexibility of the current landowners. The land will be sold by the Edward J. Broderick Family Trust and Norma R. Broderick, as well as, the William J. and Joanna M. McCarthy Family.

The Waukee Band Parent Organization (WBPO) is pleased to announce that Celebration in Brass will be on Sunday July 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at Waukee Stadium. This event serves as one of the major fund-raisers for the WBPO which helps support the approximately 1,400 students involved with instrumental music in the Waukee District. Come see and hear some of the most talented musical athletes in the U.S. as seven Drum & Bugle Corps compete this night. There are current Waukee band students that will be performing with two of the corps this night. Local ticket sales begin Friday June 3, 2016 at the Waukee Hy-Vee and Ingersoll & Valley West Mall Chocolaterie Stam locations.

To download more information click here.

Waukee Middle School “Celebrated the Arts” in the month of April with activities in advisory, classroom connections, field trips and co-curricular activities. The 7th grade band kicked off the celebration by performing for all students during advisory.

During the week, students also explored the benefits of instrumental music by watching videos and participating in a variety of activities.

The next week’s advisories had the chance to participate in acting and improvisation activities. The 7th graders saw a dramatic performance titled “I Have a Dream” at Des Moines Performing Arts. The 7th grade musical “Captain Louie, Jr.” was presented on April 14th and 15th and involved over 40 students. A group of ELP students also explored the life of Shakespeare and celebrated his birthday in preparation for seeing the group Improvised Shakespeare at DMPA on April 28th.

The WMS art teachers led the school in creating heart art pieces modeled after artist Jim Dine’s work. The hearts have been displayed at WMS.

Dance was next explored in advisory through movement activities, a 6th grade dance and videos about different dance styles. The 6th graders worked with guest artist Kathleen Hurley in PE as a part of their dance unit. The 6th graders saw a performance by modern dance group Body Traffic at DMPA on April 20th.

“We are truly blessed to live in an area where people are truly passionate about the arts, so that they can share their experiences with us,” commented physical education instructor Heidi Morse, who hosted Ms. Hurley.

The monthlong celebration concluded with the celebration of vocal music and learning about the benefits of singing in a choral group. The final performance of the month was the 6th/7th choir concert on April 28th.

This month of celebrated arts gave the WMS community a chance to explore a variety of arts activities together in a fun, uplifting environment. Activities and events for the month were made possible through work by the whole WMS staff as they were coordinated, directed and supported specifically by the following staff members: Deb Dunn, Mary Crandel, Brenda Doud, Hannah Ludwig, Sarah Schaefer, Ashley McGrath, Stephanie Jansa, Susan Wouters, Susan Hope, Andrea Baldwin, Heidi Morse, Michelle Anthoney, Shelly Schauefele, Brian Carico and Adam Shockey.

Due to Dallas County being in a tornado watch until 10pm, we are canceling tonight’s South Middle School 7th Grade Dance. We do not want families on the road with the possibility of dangerous weather.

Students from Callanan and Harding middle schools in Des Moines and Waukee and South middle schools in Waukee gather for a unique 7th grade Leadership Academy, co-sponsored by Drake University.

Waukee Community School District and Des Moines Public Schools joined together with Drake University’s Robert D. and Billie Ray Center for a first-of-its kind 7th grade Leadership Academy.

The team of 42 students from Waukee Middle, South Middle and Des Moines’ Callanan and Harding middle schools were chosen mostly through teacher recommendations.

“They weren’t necessarily the loudest students,” Callanan principal Dawn Stahly said. “They’re mostly the quiet leaders who have the potential to influence others and lead in their schools and community.”

The academy’s first meeting in November at Waukee focused on leading in the community. This month saw the students return with ideas for improvement in their own schools, following meetings with students and administrators at their home schools. The idea was to collaborate with their new leadership academy friends and come up with a plan to solve their home school’s challenges – from using social media appropriately to disruptive students.

“We’re empowering kids to think about their own problems, and how they can solve them and be advocates for themselves and others,” said Stahly.

Thirteen-year-old Jordan Bohn-Wright, of Callanan Middle School, said the biggest challenge at her school is too much chaos in the hallway ending in horseplay.

“Occasionally, students just trying to get to their classes get pushed around,” she said. “We’re considering limiting the minutes between classes and placing monitors in the hallways.”

Despite common leadership skills and school challenges, the students from the city and the suburb are learning about the differences between them, too. Harding Principal Joy Lindquist led a tour of Harding classrooms, telling the future leaders to note how the students and classrooms were alike and different from their home schools.

Story first published by Des Moines Public Schools.

co-sponsored by Drake University.

• Elementary
• Grades 6-7
• Grades 8-9

Brookview Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Eason Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Tuesday, August 30, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Grant Ragan Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Friday, September 9, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Maple Grove Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Shuler Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Walnut Hills Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Thursday, September 8, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Waukee Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Thursday, September 15, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Woodland Hills Elementary

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Friday, September 9, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

South Middle School

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Waukee Middle School

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Prairieview School

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Thursday, August 25, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Timberline  School

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Friday, September 16, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

Waukee High School

• School photos will be taken for purchase and for the yearbook Thursday, August 25, 2016.
• To download a LifeTouch order form, click here.

An informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 30 in Mrs. Snicker’s room (305) from 3:10 to 4:00 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to learn about the justice system and to use acting skills.

This morning power and phone lines were down for about 45 minutes at Waukee Elementary, Timberline School, Prairieview School, South Middle School, Waukee Middle School, Waukee High School and District Office.

The power outage was caused by technical issues with a MidAmerican Energy substation. MidAmerican Energy responded and restored power as soon as possible. Phone lines may still be down while our system finishes rebooting.

Schools affected are operating on a adjusted schedule. Lunch will be served and school will be dismissed at the normal time.

The Waukee High School auditorium flooded with 550 Timberline, Prairieview, Waukee Middle School and South Middle School German students on Friday, Sept. 9, in anticipation to see Germany’s “Bill Nye the Science Guy” Jo Hecker.

Hecker has authored several books including his series “Hecker’s Wizard’s Kitchen – Experiments for Kids”. Hecker took experiments from his books and brought them together into his interactive science show, which he has performed nationally and internationally for the last 12 years.

“The most important factor for deciding what experiments to bring is if it will fit in my suitcase,” Hecker said. “The experiments involving fire are the most popular so I always try to make sure and bring those.”

Through his interactive, high-energy presentation, students learned about what materials can conduct electricity, what fire needs in order to burn, why voices sound different in audio recordings and much more. Hecker demonstrated a variety experiments on stage, from pressing a stethoscope to the heads of students as they ate to show how it sounds in their heads when they chew to holding a lighter to a balloon long enough to make it pop into a small mushroom cloud.

“It was so cool. I really loved his experiments,” said George Willenvobg, who participated in Hecker’s last experiment. “I especially liked the one where he lit the balloon and it exploded.”

Willenvobg was just one of the students who had the opportunity to be on stage with Hecker. Throughout the presentation, Hecker selected many eager students to be involved.

Teachers were also involved in the show, including South Middle School German teacher Danielle Taha.

“I really liked his demonstration on electricity and how he used the stethoscope at the beginning,” said Taha, who was part of one of Hecker’s stethoscope demonstrations. “It was very intriguing.”

Hecker said he enjoyed the energy and eagerness to participate that Waukee students displayed during his presentation.

“The students have curious minds and have fun,” Hecker said. “I was also very impressed by the school. It is well-equipped and full of nice, helpful people. I’ve felt at home here.”

Waukee WILC Facility

Waukee Community School District’s Board of Education approved the renaming of its innovative professional learning program (Waukee CAPS) to Waukee Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX). Also naming the new facility the Waukee Innovation and Learning Center (WILC) and labeling the network of K-12, college and business opportunities as the Workforce Innovation Network (WIN) on June 8. Waukee APEX will be a part of the comprehensive educational experience provided for students at Waukee High School. Waukee APEX is not a second high school, trade school or vocational program. Waukee APEX will provide students with the opportunity to deeply explore professions of interest through a problem-based, inquiry learning method. For more information click here. The Waukee Board of Education approved the Waukee CAPS facility schematic design at the October 27, 2014 meeting. The work is slated for a June 2016 completion date.

• Painting and interior finishes are on-going throughout the building.
• Some mechanical and electrical rough-ins remain.
• Mechanical equipment startup is underway.
• Approve Change Order #6 – (add), 6 items – owner requests, plan omissions, design changes in the amount of $35,425.04  (Action Item)

[See image gallery at www.waukeeschools.org]

High School – CCTV

• Project is mostly complete with the exception of a two cameras at the stadium.
• Board will be asked to Approve Substantial Completion (Action Item)

High School – Additional Parking

• Project is mostly complete.
• Board will be asked to Approve Substantial Completion and Approve Change Order #1 – (add), 1 item – design changes related to grading and storm sewer in the amount of $1,100.00 (Action Item)

Bus Facility/Central Receiving

• Site grading/utility work is on-going.
• Concrete paving is on-going at various locations of the site.
• Floor slab for the Transportation Facility is complete with structural steel underway.
• Footings are complete at the Ops Bldg. with pouring of the floor slab underway.
• Approve Change Order #2 – (deduct), 2 items – owner requests in the amount of $5,081.00  (Action Item)

Elementary #9

Waukee Community School District approved a land purchase agreement for a ninth elementary building at the May 9, 2016 Board of Education Meeting. The new elementary school will be located in Urbandale west of Alice’s road between Meredith and Waterford. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2017, with the building opening in the fall of 2019.

• Nothing new to report.

Second High School

The Waukee City Council approved purchase agreements on a total of 160 acres of land north of Hickman Road and east of 10th Street in Waukee on May 16, 2016. The purchase agreements are integral in the efforts to build both a second high school within the Waukee Community School District as well as a City of Waukee-owned sports complex. Both the Waukee City Council and Waukee Community School District’s Board approved a 28E agreement on May 9, 2016, meaning the two entities will be collaborating on this project.

Approximately 2/3 of the land will include the new high school building, parking, track, four ball fields, practice fields and a pond. The City’s 1/3 portion of the property will include 12 softball/baseball fields and parking. One of those fields is being held as a potential field to serve individuals with disabilities, should the need and support be identified in Waukee.

With an expected opening year of 2021, students who are currently in grades 4-6 could be the first to attend the second high school.

• Toured 4 high schools in the KC areas, lots of good information was gathered.
• Heading to the Twin Cities next.

[See image gallery at www.waukeeschools.org]

Elementary #8 – Grant Ragan

A special election was held on February 4, 2014 for the sale of $18.9 million in general obligation bonds to fund construction of a new elementary school at the intersection of Dartmoor and Douglas Parkway in the city of Waukee and HVAC upgrades at Brookview Elementary School. The bond referendum passed with a 92% yes vote. The work is slated for a June 2016 completion date.

• GC working on final punch-list items.  On track to bring Final Acceptance to the Board in October.

Eason – Main Entry Reconfiguration

• Project is mostly complete with some outstanding punch-list items to complete.
• Board will be asked to Approve Substantial Completion and Approve Change Order #1 – (add), 9 items – owner requests, plan omissions, unknown conditions and design changes in the amount of $14,751.73  (Action Item)

Brookview – Re-roof project

• Board will be asked to Approve Final Completion (Action Item)

Admin – Main Entry Reconfiguration/Office Remodel

• General construction work is mostly complete.
• Most of the new furniture has been delivered and installed.
• Painting and carpeting of remaining areas will continue over the next few months.

Waukee Middle School– Main Entry Reconfiguration

• Project is mostly complete.
• Final installation of door hardware and card access is self-performed and will be complete in the next two weeks.

Waukee Middle School Music Leaders

The Waukee Middle School music leadership advisory created their annual banner to be put on display in the Fine Arts Hallway.

During their time as musician leaders, students learn basic conducting patterns to lead classmates through warm-ups, how to begin rehearsals, and how to present themselves in positive ways in front of groups of people. Students learn to not only develop leadership skills, but develop their skills as a musician as well.

“I love being a leader. I especially like being up in front of everyone and hearing all the different instrument sounds come together,” said 6th grader Zoey Lohse. “The banner was really fun to make and I’m looking forward to the T-shirts we’re going to be getting.”

Lohse was chosen as a student musician leader through recommendation by her 5th grade band teacher. 7th graders become student musician leaders by going through a leadership application process.

“I really like playing in the band and getting to know people by being a leader,” Lohse said. “We also get to play for assemblies and other events.”

Student musician leaders will have the opportunity to perform at the Annual Veteran’s Day Assembly, Barnes & Noble Night in December and at a couple area Retirement Centers. Leaders also visit 5th grade bands and perform in small group ensembles for them.

6th Grade Music Leaders:

• Burggraaf, Zachary
• Campbell, James
• Eubanks, Christian
• Foell, Keegan
• Gallagher, Natalie
• Giles, Anna
• Jones, Carter
• Lohse, Zoey
• Shane, Austin
• Sindelar, Joshua
• Stadtlander, Sydney
• Walter, Abigail

7th Grade Music Leaders:

• Baskin, Adam
• Flug, William
• Klaiber, Emily
• Lachenmaier, Holden
• Parkins, Lauren
• Rippin, Peyton
• Sample, Sara
• Svendson, Jace
• Vanukuri, Varshitha
• Wood, Jali

Advisors:

• Dunn, Deb
• Crandell, Mary

Attention artists, actors, filmmakers, and Disney enthusiasts!

Don’t miss your chance to meet the real Tinker Bell! Margaret Kerry, the reference model for Disney’s Tinker Bell, will be visiting Waukee. The Waukee Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Motion Picture Association, and WHS Theatre will be hosting “Tinker Bell Talks” at Waukee High School Auditorium. Margaret will speak on life in Hollywood, becoming an actor and regale us with tales of her time on beloved shows such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Lone Ranger, and The Three Stooges. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of Margaret’s autobiography Tinker Bell Talks! Tales of a Pixie Dusted Life will be available for purchase.

The event will be held on Monday, October 17th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the WHS Auditorium. Little pirates and pixies can come in costume for a unique photo opportunity.

Waukee Middle School ambassadors gathered in front of Waukee Middle School on Wednesday, September 28, donned in yellow and holding up encouraging signs during a “Happiness Sprinkle”.

The Happiness Sprinkle project brings people together to “sprinkle happiness” all over the world. Signs held up announced encouraging messages to students that morning, telling them “go for peace” and “live your dream.”

Ambassadors held up signs from 7:25 a.m. until 8:20 a.m. while kids arrived at school.

Choruses of “huzzah!” and live music rang throughout the Waukee Middle School cafeteria on Friday, October 21, during the school’s annual medieval festival for 7th graders.

During the festival, students performed prepared skits in front of their peers dressed in Waukee Warrior colored medieval garb. Teachers donned in robes and dresses helped move the event along, distributing snacks and water to excited students between skits.

“This is my second year teaching here, and I’ve never seen something quite like this take place at a school,” said world language teacher Michele Brandenburg. “Many of the social studies teachers are the ones who put this event together and make it succeed every year.”

After skits and snacks, students broke out into group activities in different parts of the school. The students had the opportunity to sign up prior to the festival for which group they wanted to participate in. Group activities included art, performance, medieval games, and more.

Waukee Middle School 7th graders Emily Klaiber (clarinet) and Ben Avilez (bassoon) were selected to participate in the SCIBA (South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association) District Honor Band Festival held on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. The rehearsals and evening concert were held at Ankeny Centennial High School.

Klaiber and Avilez were nominated based on their skills, which met the high standards of SCIBA. These standards included the ability to play technically accurate scales, play in tune, adaptability and learning the music individually. Approximately 150 7th grade students were selected to participate from the entire South Central Iowa District.

Klaiber and Avilez had three weeks to prepare the music on their own time with occasional assistance from Waukee Middle School band instructor Mary Crandell. Rehearsals on the day of the concert were held from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. The concert that evening started at 7:00 p.m., where Klaiber and Avilez played their set for 20 minutes. The ensemble performed the pieces “Avenger March”, by Karl King; “And Then There Were Drums”, by Larry Neeck; and “Let the Spirit Soar”, by James Swearingen.

The concert consisted of three different bands that each played 3-4 selections: the blue band, which included all auditioned 8th grade students, the white band, which included half auditioned 8th grade and half nominated 7th grade students, and the red band, which included all nominated 7th grade students. Klaiber and Avilez performed in the red band and the entire concert lasted for about 90 minutes.

Klaiber and Avilez were thrilled to have the opportunity to play as part of SCIBA Honor Band and they look forward to more chances to present their skills in the future.

Emily Klaiber (left) and Ben Avilez (right)

Waukee Middle School students will bring the color and flair of the circus to the Prairieview Theatre Arts Center on Thursday, December 15, at 7:00 p.m. for the 6th grade play titled ‘Under the Big Top’.

Students worked long and hard during November to perfect their performance. The play provides multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their creative abilities by acting out scenes they wrote themselves during the first half of the play. The second part of the play will include folktales laced with a circus twist.

“Students brainstormed ideas of things that could happen at a circus and then they worked together to write the first part of the performance,” said drama teacher and play director Sarah Schaefer. “We had costume crew members who have designed and made the monkey tails and the ears for the goats. Students also designed the makeup for the animals and other characters.”

Student actors have been and will continue to rehearse 2-3 nights per week up until the final performance date. Crew members – which include students in charge of sound and light operations as well as stage managers – meet once per week, but will increase their number of meeting times as the performance date draws closer.

“This is a great show for small children and families, as there is a lot of activity,” Schaefer said.

Tickets are now available online here and they will be sold at the door. Contact Sarah Schaefer at sschaefer@waukeeschools.org with questions.

Performers include:

Ringmaster                Carson Parker

Dog                            Payton Strobel

Cat                             Macy Davis

Donkey                       Haley Bryan

Baby Goat                   Mikayla Gabrielson

Sister Goat                 Amanda Marchese

Big Goat                      Laden McDonald

Troll                             Kylee Lapham                                                                                                                                  

Fisherman                   Caleb Allison

Ethel                          Rhea Brahmarouthu

Magic Fish                 Liz King

Waukee South Middle School (SMS) sixth grader Arun Dixit and seventh grader Mrithuul Madanprasad, tied for first place with perfect scores in the morning section and tied for second place in the afternoon section at the Central Iowa Youth Chess Tournament on December 10. The Tournament was held at the Grimes Community Complex. Both are members of the SMS Chess Group ran through Waukee Community Education.

SMS sixth graders Hunter Waugh, Prabhas Sunkara, Abhi Kayithi, seventh grader Sai Rayasam and 30 students from the surrounding area competed in the tournament.

SMS Chess Group met every Tuesday morning from 7:15 to 7:55 for 10 weeks in the fall. They practiced by sharing tactics with one another and matching up more advanced players with beginners.

“We follow the ladder system, where kids challenge each other and try to be their best. It’s so much fun to see them engaging in a healthy competition,” said instructor Upasna Gaur.

The individual tournament was open to all players ages 19 and under, with a section for adults and friends to play with no cost. It was also a no elimination game meaning all players played all games. Medals were awarded to all participants and trophies to the top five for each section.

The 2017 Drake Chess Club Iowa State Chess Association (IASCA) Mini-Qualifier State level tournament will be held January 14 at Drake University. Any student can apply for entry. Unlike the previous tournament, the IASCA tournament is a team event meaning the students will play as a team against different schools. The entry fee is $25 online and $30 at the door. Awards for the first place finisher are $100 and a trophy, second place $75 and third place $50.

This spring Waukee Community Education is partnering with Youth Enrichment League will offer Chess and Chess Tournament for opportunities for students in grades K-5. For more information about Waukee Community Education or to register online, visit www.waukeeschools.org/commed/.

Since the 2015-16 school year, Waukee has been building an updated website for the Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX) classes. The website design takes a modern approach, recognizing the innovative class style that APEX is. The website was launched over winter break.

The new website design is a fresh spin off the previous site and caters to the needs of the students. There is a section designed for student blog posts where they are able to share their experiences and allow students who are thinking about the class to gain more insight into what APEX is all about. Aside from the student blogs, the site offers detailed information about each class, economic sector and business partnership opportunities.

The new website will provide students with the tools they need to become confident in their decision to join APEX. Even after students are involved, they are able to stay connected and find out about other projects across the economic sectors. Modernizing the website caters to the minds and values of the students, along with the APEX collaborative learning approach.

Visit the new website at: waukeeapex.com

About APEX

Through a collaboration between education, business, and the community, Waukee Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX) develops highly skilled, adaptable, global innovators and leaders. Waukee APEX draws on the expertise of business partners to bring real-world experience to high schoolers. Through passion-based learning, authentic projects, and experiences, students add value to business partners while exploring career possibilities identified by economic trends within our metro area and state.

Recently, Nu Alpha Gamma Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International announced the 2016-2017 winners of their annual Literacy Grants. Eight out of the 12 winners were Waukee teachers, and each received awards up to $125.

Waukee 6th grade teacher Christina Schmitt from South Middle school was a recipient of the $125 grant that will be used for supplies to help her improve the literacy program in the 6th grade Language Arts classrooms.

Brookview kindergarten teachers Linda Warman, Barb Mullenbach, Jen Johnson, Kate Virgil, Sarah Schrodt; South Middle School 7th grade Language Arts teacher Erica Beals; and Maple Grove first grade teacher Desiree Miller were all winners of a $40 stipend.

Schmitt’s project to improving the 6th-grade Literacy program at her school was to purchase Scholastic magazine subscriptions for the students. Purchasing these subscriptions means the classes will gain access to online materials such as videos connected to the articles, audio versions of the article, texts at different reading levels and reading/writing prompts and activities that support the Common Core Curriculum.

“This grant will impact literacy in the classroom because the magazine articles are high-interest, current and relevant to 6th graders”, Schmitt said. “It will also allow me to differentiate to meet the variety of needs in my classroom.”

Each 6th-grade team at South Middle school will receive 13 magazines for each of the 12 issues.

“I feel excited to be a recipient of the grant. Due to prior experiences using Scholastic magazines in the past, I know they can be used to practice a variety of literacy skills and are engaging to students,” said Schmitt.

The Nu Alpha Gamma Chapter consists of retired and current women educators who work or live in Dallas County. Its mission is to “promote the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.”

“We recognize that literacy is very important to attaining excellence in education and one of our missions is to assist all educators in facilitating literacy,” said Nu Alpha Gamma.