Education Notebook, Dec. 18-24, 2014

Graphic design students from Las Vegas Academy, 315 S. Seventh St., are helping to spread New Year’s greetings by creating special motion graphics for the Stratosphere’s marquee.

Graphics created by three LVA students recently were selected as the winner in a design competition and are set to be displayed on the Stratosphere’s marquee on New Year’s Eve. This is the first time animation created by local students has appeared on the marquee.

This is the third design project created specifically for the Stratosphere by LVA students. The projects give students real-world experience in submitting designs, meeting with clients and presenting their final project. All student teams were a combination of second- and third-year design students.

The winning animation was created by Morgan Black, Lasca Stafford and Tara Tran. The Stratosphere presented each of the three winners with a one-year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. The winners and all those who submitted a design also received a Tower Pass good at the Stratosphere, tickets for Big Shot, X Scream and Insanity and a buffet for two.

PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION HOSTS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

The Public Education Foundation hosted the 2014 Southern Nevada Leadership Summit Nov. 19 at the Palazzo, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South. More than 100 leaders in education, business and government attended to discuss the topic Reflections on Poverty and Student Achievement.

“(The summit) brings together leaders from our community to engage with national thought leaders and stimulate ideas for practical solutions to the education issues our community is currently facing,” said Judi Steele, president of the foundation. “Poverty and student achievement is a critical topic that speaks to the needs of our community right now. More than 60 percent of students in Clark County School District are on free and reduced lunch plans. We need to encourage critical thinking on this issue and provide leaders with new ideas to help make a positive impact on the school system.”

For more information about the foundation, visit thepef.org

BLACK HISTORY ESSAY CONTEST PLANNED

The 36th annual Black History Month Essay Contest is planned through Feb. 6 for fourth-grade through high school students. In honor of Black History Month, youths are encouraged to submit an original essay, and the top three winners from each division will recite their essays at a banquet planned for Feb. 18 at the East Las Vegas Community Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave.

Essays are due no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at the community center. The elementary school division topic is Historical African-American Inventors in the 1800s (minimum 150 words, hand-printed or typed); the middle school division topic is Historical African-American Politicians (minimum 250 words, typed); and the high school division topic is Compare The Civil Rights Issues That People Face Today To Civil Rights Issues The 1900-1970s (minimum 400 words, typed).

For more information, call 702-229-1515.

STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM SEEKS AREA REPRESENTATIVES

World Heritage, a nonprofit student exchange program, is seeking volunteers to serve as area representatives in the Las Vegas Valley. World Heritage offers qualified students from around the world between the ages of 15 and 18 with the opportunity to spend a high school year or semester in the U.S. with a host family. Area representatives recruit and screen potential host families, supervise the exchange students, organize activities and provide support to host families, students and schools.

Compensation is offered. For more information, call 800-888-9040, email info@world-heritage.org or visit world-heritage.org.

NEVADA HOUSING DIVISION HOSTS ‘WHERE I LIVE’ ART EXHIBITION

The Nevada Housing Division hosted the annual “Where I Live” art exhibition and awards program Dec. 6 at The Venetian, displaying the artwork of 192 Clark County students in grades kindergarten through fifth.

The juried artwork featured illustrations of what “home” means to the students, who were asked to create a picture of where they live now or a picture of a make-believe place they would like to call home. Awards were given to 13 students for first, second and third place, as well as 10 honorable mentions.

CSN BEGINS OPEN ENROLLMENT

Open enrollment for all admitted students is underway at the College of Southern Nevada. In addition to popular core classes such as biology, math and communications, CSN is also offering courses on smartphone application development, IRS-certified tax preparation and the cultural origin of and fascination with zombies.

Classes for the spring 2015 semester are set to begin Jan. 20. Students are reminded that CSN no longer allows late registration except in unusual circumstances. All registration must be complete before midnight Jan. 19.

For more information, visit csn.edu.

CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM AVAILABLE AT VALLEY SITES

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas has announced locations for the 2014 Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federally funded program administered by Nevada’s Department of Agriculture to youths living in low-income areas. The academy, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd., is providing the free and nutritious after-school meals to anyone 18 or younger Monday through Friday.

The academy prepares about 500 meals a day for 14 sites. The following six sites are open to any child, with no registration required: Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St.; Fresh Wind Ministries, 3660 N. Rancho Drive; Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave.; Richard Steele Boxing Club, 2475 W. Cheyenne Ave., Suite 110; The Salvation Army Citadel Corps, 2900 Palomino Lane; and Stupak Community Center, 251 W. Boston Ave.

For more information, email zshah@theculinaryacademy.org or call 702-924-2102.

AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING AVAILABLE AT CIMARRON ROSE COMMUNITY CENTER

The Cimarron Rose Community Center, 5591 N. Cimarron Road, offers after-school tutoring in mathematics, science and reading to students in grades one through six. Weekly 30-minute sessions may be scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The cost is $45 per month during the school year (prorated for holidays). A licensed Clark County School District substitute teacher is the tutor. To register, visit the center or call 702-229-1607.

DISCOVERY CHILDREN’S MUSEUM AND SPREAD THE WORD PLAN BOOK DRIVE

The Discovery Children’s Museum, 360 Promenade Place, has partnered with nonprofit Spread the Word Nevada to host a book drive through Jan. 4.

The museum will collect new or gently used books targeting a pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade reading level, to be distributed to children in Southern Nevada. Anyone donating a book will receive $2 off museum admission.

The book drive is being held in conjunction with the literacy-based traveling exhibit “Storyland: A Trip Through Childhood Favorites,” which features seven beloved children’s books. It will be at the museum through Jan. 4.

For more information, visit discoverykidslv.org. For more information on Spread the Word Nevada, visit spreadthewordnevada.org.