Amazing local teacher finalist in national science competition

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Published on Monday, 20 May 2013 14:16

Whether you like science or not we think you will love the video created by our own Mrs. Huddleston and her class at Sandridge Junior High.  We recommend you watch until the end of the video to see the bloopers.

If you enjoy the video please don't forget to support her and the class by voting for a job well done.

Here is a link to her video and the vote on a Science WoRx page on Facebook.

https://offerpop.com/Contest.psp?c=255644&u=450821&a=202991206406825&p=309748015660&rest=0&v=Entry&id=v14308

Fox News also posted a story that you can read below.

http://fox13now.com/2013/05/19/teacher-finalist-in-national-science-competition/

Retiring Faculty and Staff of 2013

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Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 10:54

Winners of District Art Show Announced

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Published on Monday, 13 May 2013 13:25

The Weber School District Art Show is an annual event that allows students to submit their work and to receive awards backed by monetary support from the Weber School Foundation. This year, the Art Show was held at the Eccles Art Center in Ogden, Utah and ran from April 14 through April 30. Awards were given to the following individuals in the following categories.

Junior High School Awards

BEST OF SHOW

B. Kendel         “Parrot”     Snowcrest Jr.

BLACK & WHITE

1^st - R. White - Snowcrest Jr.
2^nd - C. Kunz - Orion Jr.
3^rd - R. Ferrin - Snowcrest Jr.
4^th - K. Woodring - Snowcrest Jr.
HM - H. Johnston - Orion Jr.

COLOR MEDIA

1^st - B. Milne - South Ogden Jr.
2^nd - B. Bailey - Snowcrest Jr.
3^rd - B. Gray - Orion Jr.
4^th - S. Van Orman - T.H. Bell Jr.
HM - J. Ficklin - North Ogden Jr.

PAINTING

1^st - H. Johnson - T.H. Bell Jr.
2^nd - A. Taylor - Wahlquist Jr.
3^rd - R. Brown - Wahlquist Jr.
4^th - H. Lagerquist - Orion Jr.
HM - B. Peterson - Wahlquist Jr. 

3-DIMENSIONAL/SCULPTURE

1^st - K. Jacobson - Roy Jr.
2^nd - A. Pulver - Roy Jr.
3^rd - M. Foster - Orion Jr.
HM - H. Christiansen - North Ogden Jr.         

SPECIAL ECCLES COMMUNITY ART CENTER AWARD

K. Woodring “ Lion” Snowcrest Jr. High

HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

BEST OF SHOW

M. Hartvigsen    “Second Chance”   Weber High

BLACK & WHITE

1^st - R. Brown - Bonneville High
2^nd - G. Garcia - Fremont High
3^rd - L. Musgrave - Weber High
4^th - S. Helton - Fremont High
HM - C. Peterson - Fremont High

COLOR MEDIA

1^st - K. Chambers - Weber High
2^nd - H. Nguyen - Fremont High
3^rd - M. Osterhout - Fremont High
4^th - A. Albrechtsen - Weber High
HM - M. Ostberg - Bonneville High

Painting

1^st - M. Hartvigsen - Weber High
2^nd - L. Musgrave - Weber High
3^rd - C. Larsen - Weber High
4^th - C. Herrera - Fremont High
HM - M. Calder - Weber High

PHOTOGRAPHY/COMMERCIAL ART

1^st - A. Jorgensen - Weber High
2^nd - T. Bond - Roy High
3^rd - D. Saxer - Fremont High
4^th - F. Perkins - Fremont High
HM - H. Tree - Fremont High

SPECIAL ECCLES COMMUNITY ART CENTER AWARD

L. Musgrave “Essence” Weber High

POTTERY

1^st - T. Hansen - Bonneville High
2^nd - P. Trejo - Bonneville High
3^rd - D. Steiner - Weber High
4^th - T. Stephens - Fremont High
HM - K. Wahlen - Fremont High

3-DIMENSIONAL

1^st - C. McKenna - Fremont High
2^nd - T. Stephens - Fremont High
3^rd - A. Edmunds - Weber High
HM - M. Hampel - Weber High
HM - M. Patino - Fremont High

SUPERINTENDENTS PURCHASE AWARD

M. Hartvigsen “Second Chance” Weber High

Public Invited to North Park Elementary Groundbreaking

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Published on Monday, 13 May 2013 08:32

The Weber School District is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the rebuilding of North Park Elementary School in Roy. The ceremony will be held on May 15, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. at 4000 South 2175 West, just north of the present building. School, district, and local governmental officials will be present. The public is invited to attend.

The original elementary school was built in 1955. North Park Elementary is the second school to be built with the bond that passed in 2012. Both North Park Elementary and Wahlquist Jr. High will open their doors to students in the fall of 2014.

New Administrative Appointments Announced

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Published on Friday, 03 May 2013 14:00

At the school board meeting held May 1st the following new administrative changes were announced for the 2013/14 school year:

Elementary Principals

• Mary Jo Williams (Midland)
• Laura Wright (Farr West)
• Mike Skeen (Pioneer)

Elementary Principals Transferred to Different Schools

• Dave Wallace (Majestic)
• Shelly Roberts (Roy)
• Lori Jo Rasmussen (Washington Terrace)

High School Assistant Principals

• Michele Parry (Fremont)
• Matt Williams (Roy)

Junior High Assistant Principals

• Rob Lake (Rocky Mountain)
• Rich Murray (South Ogden)
• Lenn Ward (T.H. Bell)

Secondary Interns

• Sherry Patton (Bonneville)
• Alicia Mitchell (Roy)

Elementary Interns

• Diane Rockwood
• Katie Amsden
• Riko Reese (.5 Intern; .5 Elementary Teacher)

Curriculum Specialists

• Rebecca Okey (K-6 Literacy)
• Sheri Heiter (Testing & Assessment; Secondary Math)
• Matt Patterson (K-12 Science)

We congratulate every one of these outstanding administrators for their dedicated service and leadership and wish them the very best as they prepare for these new assignments.

Tanya Tremea Named Weber School District Teacher of the Year

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Published on Friday, 03 May 2013 07:28

Tanya Tremea, a first-grade teacher at Riverdale Elementary, was awarded Weber School District's Teacher of the Year Award this week. Tremea graduated from BYU and received her master's degree from Grand Canyon University. She has taught first-grade at Riverdale Elementary for twenty-six years. Tremea fell in love with teaching early as she can recall playing school as a child as says that she knew then, that she loved teaching.

Tommy Lee, principal of Riverdale Elementary, says, "Tanya does all those little things that you wish every teacher did. She stays in touch with all her parents, sends positive notes home regularly, individualizes instructions whenever needed, and makes teaching and learning personal to every student and family."

According to Lee, everyone at Riverdale Elementary loves Tanya for her positive attitude and her willingness to help. "All the wonderful things Tanya does in the classroom are mirrored in the school. She is a professional colleague that is always willing to help all and lives by the saying 'if you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all.'"

This is put to use in her classroom everyday as she teaches her students that everyone is special. She wants to make sure her kids understand that if they think they can, then they can and reminds them of this regularly. "First grade is so important. If they don't love school and have a positive attitude when they leave me then they've got a long road. I want them to have a strong foundation and set them up, as much as I can, for success for the rest of their lives."

Watching for the moment a student understands something new, is a favorite part of teaching for Tanya. She says that it's the most exciting part of what she does. She genuinely loves her students and it shows. Lee says, "Everyone feels like they are her favorite."

Clair Widdison Named Weber School District Classified Employee of the Year

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Published on Thursday, 02 May 2013 15:45

Clair Widdison, life-long resident of Hooper, was named to represent Weber School District as the Classified Employee of the Year for 2013. Clair, a custodian, says that he was shocked when finding out he won because, "We have so many other really great classified employees." Widdison has worked with the district since 2004, first at Club Heights Elementary School and now at Country View Elementary.

Melissa Copeland, principal of the school, says, "I want my school to be loving of kids. That's how they learn. In a world of uncertainty and all the different things going on, if we can portray love and safety in our environment, they will want to be here." Clair, who has a background as a fireman/EMT, but changed careers to be with his family more, agrees. He says, "For so many years we would go on calls of kids getting hurt and accidents, kids being abused, all this negative, so it's nice to be here and see some positive with kids."

Clair says his favorite part of his job is taking care of the outside of it and making sure it looks nice but also getting to spend time with some of the resource kids and help them in their day. He says he also loves watching all the students in the school grow and mature from the time they are in kindergarten until they leave sixth grade. "It's just really fun. I don't know quite how to word it, but I just really enjoy it. They are just really great kids."

Mrs. Copeland, in her letter of recommendation for Clair, recalled a time when she found him doing something out of the ordinary for a custodian. "When I got up to go out to do after school walker duty, Clair was sitting in the office; listening to a 2nd grade student read his book. Now how many custodians have you seen take the time to listen, off the clock, to a student read? This is typical. He loves our kids!"

According to Mrs. Copeland, the kids give that love back to him because he talks to them in a respectful way, is a hands-on custodian and above all, is a great example. The faculty and staff love him because he takes the time to meet with each of them personally to go over all of their needs and is always on budget. He is a friend to everyone. Mrs. Copeland stresses that all of this does not just stay in Country View Elementary. "He's not fake," she says, "this extends into the community where he volunteers and has lots of friends and is a great example."

Program Offers Students Hands on Career Experiences

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Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 11:53

Carley Herrick, recent state Sterling Scholar in Business and Marketing Education, is one of 140 high school seniors participating in the Work Based Learning Program in Weber School District. The program allows students to gain real-world work experience in the field they desire to make a career out of. They devote approximately three hours every other day during school, work as an intern at a pre-approved business, and earn elective credit from their school.

Herrick recently told Jeff Meyer, the district's work-based learning coordinator, that she feels she would not have won State Sterling Scholar in her category if she had not had her internship at the Weber County Attorney's Office. Meyer says these internships are resume builders, but also help make it easier for students to achieve their career goals.

In a recent Work-Based Learning Newsletter, Demi Ybarra of Weber High School is highlighted, showing the success of internships like hers. "Demi interned the last semester of last year and her story (like so many) involved several people opening doors. It started with Michele Barker, from the IHC in Salt Lake, making it possible for Demi to take an EKG class which ordinarily has just college medical students and doctors enrolled (not high school seniors). By taking and passing this class it launched her status from about 300 on a list to number 1 or 2 in terms of job applicants. She passed the test (it's very rigorous) while at the same time interning at McKay-Dee Hospital under Chad Tucker. Well, a job came open at McKay that summer and before Demi was even a freshman at Weber State she had a job as an EKG Technician at McKay-Dee Hospital."

Meyer says students who participate in the program tend to be the go-getters. These are high school seniors who have taken the pathway classes related to their desired profession. They know where they want to go in life, have goals set, and use this program as a means to achieve those career goals. For more information on getting involved with the Work-Based Learning Program, students can contact their school facilitator.

Weber High School - Quincey Pearce
Fremont High School - Kelly Harlan
Roy High School - Dayna Thompson
Bonneville High School - Emily Okerlund

Science Day Held at Valley Elementary

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Published on Friday, 19 April 2013 12:00

Science can be fun! Proof of that statement was seen at Valley Elementary in the form of a complete day of nothing but science. Alan Wheelwright and Lori Hogge, two involved and energetic parents from the Valley Community Council, took the lead in organizing an outstanding and authentic learning experience by organizing an army of volunteer presenters complete with supplies. Presenters included college professors, health care professionals, museum/community center staff members, home business owners, the local fire department, and other valuable community members and teachers.

Every student was able to attend five different science related lessons through the day. Students from 3rd through 6th were allowed to choose from approximately 30 classes, registering online. With registration complete, schedules filled out, and volunteers in place students moved from class to class. One of the benefits of having so many class options was being able to limit class sizes. The average class size was around 14 students. Having small class sizes with field experts is possibly the biggest reason the Science Day was such a success.

Valley Elementary would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the many people who made the event successful including the professionals, volunteers, teachers, and students. The Valley PTO should also be thanked for funding the event. Alan and Lori did an outstanding job organizing the event and are already planning for next year. We hope this becomes a tradition at Valley as it is an amazing example of so many people working together for the benefit out our children.

Bonneville Students Learn the Importance of Seatbelts

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Published on Monday, 25 March 2013 07:00

On March 19, Bonneville High School students spent their lunch periods having fun learning about seatbelt safety thanks to a program Zero Fatalities sponsors called, "Don't Drive Stupid." Eliza Bingham, a peer leader for Bonneville, has been working with her adviser, Julie Mattson to help bring "Don't Drive Stupid" to her school. Mattson says Bonneville does two activities for "Don't Drive Stupid" each month.

This month, one activity was bringing a "Seatbelt Convincer" to the school. The "convincer" simulates a five mph car crash for students sitting in pretend metal cars with seatbelts on. Many kids were surprised at what, even this slow of a speed, it feels like to be in an accident. Many responded with comments such as, "Ouch!" or, "That was only 5 miles? It felt like more than that.

State Trooper Eric Prescott says that the idea behind the "convincer" is to get kids to think a little bit more about their actions before getting behind the wheel. According to Prescott, this age group makes up about 14 percent of the driving population but is responsible for approximately 27 percent of crashes. What's worse, one in five will be dead before the age of twenty-five from not wearing a seat belt. "Basically," Prescott states, "we are losing too many people from not wearing seatbelts. Good choices in automobiles start with choosing to wear a seatbelt. Kids can then choose to drive the speed limit and make sure their friends are also buckled up."

This is one reason Mattson and Bingham wanted to bring "Don't Drive Stupid" to their school. Mattson and Bingham agree that this program, and all the different activities that go along with it, get students thinking about the potential of what can happen when they are in a car if they don't take the precaution of wearing a seatbelt.  Bingham says she wants her fellow students to know the facts and that a tragic accident could happen to anyone at any time because as she says, "There are a lot of kids who think it will never happen to them and they don't realize what damage can be done."