Education notebook

Las Vegas Prom Closet, a nonprofit group that collects new and gently used prom dresses and accessories for local high school students in need, is collecting prom dresses, jewelry and dress shoes through Saturday.

Drop-off locations are at: the concierge desk at Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South; (Best Kept Secret) Boutique, 1930 Village Center Circle, Suite 4; Princesa at The Boulevard Mall, 3528 S. Maryland Parkway; and Meadows Mall, 4300 Meadows Lane; the Humana Guidance Center in Henderson, 1000 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 720; Humana in Summerlin, 8975 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100; and Dr. Pat Simone’s Henderson office, 70 N. Pecos Road.

Dresses are to be distributed to students from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 24 at HELP of Southern Nevada, 1640 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 100. The event is open to all high school students showing valid student ID.

CROSSING GUARD ESSAY CONTEST OPEN TO ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

The Clark County School District is accepting submissions through April 11 for the My Favorite Crossing Guard Essay Contest. Students in first through fifth grades are eligible to participate.

Winning students and their teachers will receive prizes to be determined. Crossing guards in the winning essays will be recognized at a September event.

Two available topics are: "Who is your favorite crossing guard and why?" and "Why are crossing guards important and how can they help students?"

Essays must be one page or less, typed or handwritten. A small drawing can be included on the page but is not required. The back of the page should include the student’s name, teacher’s name, school, grade and crossing guard’s name.

Entries must be submitted through school mail to Cheryl Wagner, School-Community Partnership Program, location 145.

For more information, contact Wagner at 799-6560.

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST UNDER WAY

The Clark County School District is accepting submissions through April 12 for its 45th annual photography contest.

Categories include architecture and cityscapes; animals or living things in nature; people, candid or fashion; special techniques or computer manipulation; and unclassified for anything not fitting into other categories.

Entries may be sent through school mail, location code 012, or dropped off at the district’s communications office, 5100 W. Sahara Ave.

For more information, contact Michele Nelson at 799-5304.

Prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in each category. A Canon Rebel T3 camera will be awarded to the overall best photo.

Student entries can be unlimited. Entries must be original photos taken by the student. Previous years’ submissions are ineligible. Photos must be a minimum of 5 inches by 7 inches and a maximum of 11 inches by 14 inches. All submissions must be mounted on an 11-inch by 14-inch board.

Each photo must be clearly labeled on the back with the student’s name, school, grade, teacher or adviser name, photo category and title.

DARNELL ELEMENTARY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN

Darnell Elementary School, 9480 W. Tropical Parkway, is accepting applications for its full-day, tuition-based kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year. The full-day program is set to run from 9 a.m. to 3:21 p.m. Monday through Friday and is $375 per month. Children must be 5 years old by Sept. 30.

Registration runs through April 27. For more information, call 799-6630.

EDUCATION INFORMATION FAIR SET AT DOOLITTLE COMMUNITY CENTER

Clark County School District students in grades eight through 12 and their parents or guardians are invited to a free Higher Education Information Fair and workshops planned from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St.

Representatives from regional colleges, universities, military and trade schools will be available to discuss preparing middle and high school students for the future. Participants will be able to take 45-minute workshops on the following topics: testing and admissions, financial aid, academic advising and college life. Light refreshments will be provided.

Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the center. For more information, call 229-6374.

MARTINEZ, CUNNINGHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TO HOST FREE MEDICAL CLINICS

Clinics in Schools will offer free immunizations and medical services for uninsured children through March at Martinez Elementary School, 350 Judson Ave., and Cunningham Elementary School, 4145 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

Clinics at Martinez are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, Friday, March 20, 23, 27 and 30; and from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday and March 28.

Clinics at Cunningham are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Monday, March 22, 26 and 29; and from 1 to 5 p.m. March 21.

No appointments are necessary, but a limited number of children can be seen each day. Parents are asked to bring any immunization records. For more information, call 770-7611.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS OF NORWEGIAN DESCENT

The Sons of Norway’s Vegas Viking Lodge is accepting applications for scholarships for high school seniors of Norwegian descent. The number of scholarships awarded will be based on funds available from upcoming fundraisers and private donations. Four scholarships of $450 were awarded last year.

Winners will be chosen based on grades, financial need, involvement in extracurricular activities and an essay. Applications are available at vegasviking.com/scholarship.

Contributions to the scholarship fund also are being accepted. For more information, contact Suzan Sibert at 645-6666.

MEDICAL SKILLS FOR LIFE INSTITUTE GIVING DISCOUNTS ON TUITION

The Medical Skills for Life Institute is offering 10 $5,000 and $500 tuition grants to the first 20 students who enroll and are accepted through June 30 for the medical assistant or phlebotomist program.

For more information, call 645-7900 and ask for the admissions department from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit www.medicalskillsforlife. com.

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION SPONSORS STUDENT ART CONTEST

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada invites students in Clark County to submit artwork celebrating Earth Day that may be displayed on a commission bus for up to a year.

Students in sixth through 12th grades can submit artwork about Earth Day and the commission’s sustainability initiative, Quicker, Cleaner, Greener. Students are encouraged to feature images of transit, carpooling, bicycling and walking. The commission will select two winners, scheduled to be announced April 19.

Artwork must be unique, colorful and submitted in a horizontal format on 11-inch-by-17-inch paper. Markers, colored pencils and paint are acceptable. Black and white, photography and glitter will not be accepted.

All entries should be delivered to the commission’s administrative offices, 600 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite 350, Las Vegas, NV 89106, attention: Aileen Pastor. The entry deadline is Wednesday.

For more information, call 676-1735 or email Pastor at pastora@rtcsnv.com.