Education Notebook, Nov. 6-12, 2014

AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS HOST LIGHTS ON AFTER-SCHOOL EVENT

After-School All-Stars, in partnership with 21st Century Community Learning Center and the Mazda Foundation, hosted Lights On Afterschool at Cashman Middle School, 4622 W. Desert Inn Road, Oct. 23. The rally was one of more than 7,500 such events held across the nation that day as part of the 15th annual Lights On Afterschool, organized by the Afterschool Alliance.

The event gave youths a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their after-school programs and to send the message that millions of kids need quality after-school programs. The event at Cashman featured student performances, speakers and dodgeball matches.

For more information about After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, visit asaslv.org or call 702-770-7601.

CORAL ACADEMY EARNS FIVE-STAR REWARD SCHOOL STATUS

Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, 2150 Windmill Parkway, celebrate the school becoming a Five-Star School Oct. 23. The ranking was conferred upon the academy’s elementary, middle and high schools, and the middle school received the exceptional Reward School designation.

The distinction is determined by the Nevada Department of Education. The Nevada School Performance Framework rates schools on a scale of one to five stars, with one star being the lowest rating and five the highest. A five-star school is considered a high-performing school in student proficiency and/or student growth on state assessments.

In addition to the five stars, the academy was one of 14 schools in Nevada to receive the Reward School recognition.

For more information about Coral Academy, visit coralacademylv.org.

WHITNEY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS PLANT TEACHING GARDEN

Students at Whitney Elementary School, 5005 Keenan Ave., planted fruits and vegetables Oct. 16 in the school’s Teaching Garden. The garden program was launched earlier this year with support from Johnson & Johnson and the American Heart Association’s Las Vegas Division. The program educates students on how to plant seeds, nurture growing plants, harvest the food and, ultimately, understand the value of good eating habits.

For more information about the Teaching Garden program, visit heart.org/teachinggardens.

DRIVE FOR THE KIDS PROGRAM RAISES FUNDS FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Chapman’s Las Vegas Dodge helped raise $1,080 in funding for St. Anne’s Catholic School, 1813 S. Maryland Parkway, with Chrysler’s Drive for the Kids program. The fundraising event took place Oct. 4 in conjunction with a Fun Fair. Participants earned a $10 contribution to the school on their behalf from Chrysler by taking a brief test drive in a Chrysler vehicle.

For more information on the program, visit drive4kids.com.

OPEN HOUSE PLANNED FOR CAPITAL ONE/JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT FINANCE PARK

Capital One Financial Corp. and Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada plan to host an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Las Vegas Library, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North, for sponsors, potential supporters and those seeking to volunteer in the efforts of Junior Achievement. Attendees will get to experience what more than 4,000 Clark County students will experience at its mock city, Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park.

Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park teaches students financial lessons applicable to everyday life, including personal financial management, career exploration by classroom instruction and active participation in a small-size simulated city. The program will run for 40 days.

To RSVP, visit jalasvegas.org/events/finance_park_rsvp.

NORTHWEST CAREER AND TECH PLANS FUN RUN/WALK FOR FUTURE TEACHERS NOV. 8

Northwest Career and Technical Academy, 8200 W. Tropical Parkway, plans to host the fourth annual Fun Run/Walk for Future Teachers from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 8. Funds raised will support future teachers through the Feature Educators Association’s College Scholarship Program.

Participants can choose a 3K, 5K or 10K (for runners only). Student performances by the school’s cultural clubs are planned throughout the event.

Registration is $20 for individuals and $15 for those on a team of five or more.

To register online, visit nwctahawks.net or active.com (search for FEA Fun Run).

TOURO UNIVERSITY ANNIVERSARY GALA SET FOR NOV. 9

Touro University’s 10th Anniversary Gala celebration is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 9. at the Keep Memory Alive Events Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 888 W. Bonneville Ave.

It will honor Sen. Harry Reid and other community leaders who have been instrumental in helping Touro University. The City National Bank chairman and CEO Russell Goldsmith is set to be the event’s keynote speaker.

The cost is $180. For more information, visit touro.edu.

LAS VEGAS ACADEMY TO HOST GALA NOV. 10 AT THE RIO

Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, 315 S. Seventh St., plans to host its second annual fundraising gala, Under the Big Top, at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Pavilion Ballroom at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road.

A silent auction and sideshow are planned, followed by dinner, a live auction and entertainment featuring stars from the Strip. Master artist Graham Knuttel is the 2014 Gala Honoree. Knuttel worked in collaboration with 13 students on “Fremont Street,” a landscape of characters and architecture painted to capture the essence of Las Vegas. A numbered and signed Artist’s Proof will be auctioned off during the gala in support of LVA. The canvas will be unveiled earlier in the week for the first time at The Knuttel Gallery, 3327 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Limited edition prints will be available for purchase with a percentage of the proceeds donated back to LVA.

Gala tickets start at $200. Entertainment only tickets are $50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lasvegasacademy.net or call 702-875-1477.

LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM

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 children 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, contact zshah@theculinaryacademy.org or 702-924-2102.

YES! PARTNERS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THINK CLEAN CONTEST

Yes! Air Conditioning & Plumbing is partnering with the Clark County School District-Community Partnership Program to raise water conservation awareness in schools through the Think Clean contest.

The contest encourages students in kindergarten through 12th grade to submit their best creative ideas on how to conserve water in the form of essays, drawings and models, showcasing what the impact would be on the community. Two winners will be selected in each category and rewarded with cash prizes. The first-place winners from the high school level will receive $250, the second-place winners from middle school $150, and the elementary school winners will receive third place and $100. In addition, Yes! will donate $100 to each of the winners’ schools.

Submissions will be accepted through Nov. 14. All entries must include a thorough explanation of the idea, the potential impact of the idea on the economy and community and how the idea can be implemented throughout the community. Projects must be submitted via email to toyesthinkclean@boltpr.com or mailed to Yes! Think Clean, 9731 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618.

For more information, email yesthinkclean@boltpr.com or visit ccsd.net.

ADELSON EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS TO HOST GALA NOV. 22

The Adelson Educational Campus, 9700 Hillpointe Road, plans to to honor activist, writer and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali at the 11th annual In Pursuit of Excellence Gala, scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 22 at The Venetian. Hirsi Ali will be honored with the campus’ highest recognition, the In Pursuit of Excellence Award, for her support of human rights and access to education for all people. She is the founder of the AHA Foundation, which works to protect and defend the rights of women and girls in the United States from harmful traditional religious and cultural practices such as honor violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Tickets are $250 or $125 for university students, educators, military personnel, retirees, nonprofit employees and Adelson Educational Campus parents. Corporate sponsorships and tables are available. Proceeds will benefit the school’s scholarship program to provide funds for students in need.

To purchase tickets or make a donation, visit adelsoncampus.org or call Davida Sims, director of development, at 702-515-8203.

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. Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays and from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays.

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.

STUDENTS INVITED TO ENTER LEIF ERIKSON DRAWING CONTEST

Children in grades one through five are invited to enter the Leif Erikson drawing competition sponsored by the Vegas Viking Lodge of the Sons of Norway. Drawings should depict the Viking Leif Erikson and his men traveling to America. The four key traits of Erikson and his men should be incorporated: imagination, vision, collaboration and fearlessness. Leif Erikson Day was Oct. 9.

Drawings must be submitted on 11-inch by 8½-inch or 11-inch by 17-inch paper using any medium. The winning students in each grade will receive Target gift cards valued at $100, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place, respectively.

Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 15 and mailed to the attention of Christian Schoyen, Leif Erikson drawing competition, 1930 Village Center Circle, No. 3-211, Las Vegas, NV 89134. All entries must include the child’s name, address, grade, home phone number and school.