Education Notebook, April 3-9

NEVADA CONNECTIONS ACADEMY ANNOUNCES INFORMATION SESSIONS

Nevada Connections Academy, a virtual public school for students in grades kindergarten through 12, plans to host information sessions regarding enrollment for the next school year.

Information sessions are planned for 6:30 t0 8 p.m. April 3 in the Seven Hills Conference Center, 3215 St. Rose Parkway in Henderson, and 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 17 in the Holiday Inn Express near the 215 Beltway, 6220 S. Rainbow Blvd. A parent-to-parent session is planned for 4 to 5 p.m. April 4 at McDonald’s, 8120 S. Eastern Ave.

4-H SCIENCE DAY SET FOR APRIL 17 AT LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans to host 4-H Science Day from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 17 at the Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road.

Activities and demonstrations on rocketry, chemical reactions, electricity, geocaching, wind energy and more are planned, along with hands-on events.

CSN FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RETIRE

College of Southern Nevada Foundation Executive Director Jacque Matthews is scheduled to retire June 30.

Matthews has served the CSN Foundation since December 2004. Among her accomplishments is overseeing the creation of the Legacy of Achievement Awards, raising $4 million for students and programs.

MEDICAL CLINIC PLANNED AT BONANZA HIGH SCHOOL APRIL 5 AND 6

Remote Area Medical Clinic plans to host a clinic at 6 a.m. April 5 and 6 at Bonanza High School, 6665 Del Rey Ave. The organization provides free quality health, dental and vision care to those in need. This includes dental cleanings, fillings and extractions, eye exams, prescription glasses and medical consultations. The clinic is operated on a first-come, first-served basis with no eligibility required.

The organization is also looking for general volunteers to staff the event.

For more information, call Jennifer Salud at Care Coalition at 702-701-9135.

CSN PLANS SPRING CAREER FAIR APRIL 8

The College of Southern Nevada Career Services plans to host a Spring 2014 Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8 in the Charleston Campus Building D lobby, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 702-651-4700.

MARINELLO SCHOOLS OF BEAUTY TO HOST RAW TALENT SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

Marinello Schools of Beauty has announced its sixth annual Raw Talent Scholarship competition, in which high school seniors can win scholarships for up to $10,000 each.

Marinello plans to award 23 scholarships throughout 62 campuses. Applicants in each region will have the chance to win a $10,000 scholarship, $5,000 scholarship or three one-day professional beauty and wellness workshops valued at more than $1,000.

Candidates are required to submit an essay about how they plan to make a difference in the beauty and wellness industry. Essays may be submitted via mail or at marinello.com/highschoolscholarship. The second part of the application process includes a hands-on competition in which candidates will perform hair and makeup looks on models at their local Marinello campus.

The deadline for essay and photographs submissions is midnight April 28.

For more information, call 877-642-1085 or visit facebook.com/marinelloschoolsofbeauty.

ARBOR VIEW HIGH SCHOOL TRACK STAR TAKES FOURTH AT NEW BALANCE INDOOR NATIONALS

Arbor View High School track star Ivy Dobson took fourth place in the 200-meter dash at the New Balance Indoor Nationals March 16 in New York City. He also won All-America honors. Dobson has signed a full scholarship to run for DePaul University.

SUNRISE MOUNTAIN HIGH BASKETBALL TEAM VISITS DRESS FOR SUCCESS PROGRAM

Site coordinators from Communities In Schools of Nevada recently arranged for the girls basketball team from Sunrise Mountain High School, 2575 Los Feliz St., to visit the boutique-like setting of the Dress for Success Southern Nevada program. The program provided the team’s 16 members with dress clothes to be worn to school on game days.

DRI FACULTY TO MEET WITH MILLER ELsEMENTARY STUDENTS

On March 27, Dr. Albert “Yu-Min” Lin, 2014 Deert Research Institute Nevada Medalist, and DRI faculty members met with students from Miller Elementary School, 4851 E. Lake Mead Blvd., for an interactive presentation and tour.

Students showcased their versions of modern, non-invasive archeological tools and had hands-on learning about satellite imaging and unmanned aircraft systems and technologies used by Dr. Lin’s international research team to search for the tomb of Genghis Khan.

AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS STUDENTS RECEIVE BICYCLES, HELMETS AND LOCKS

The Patrick Kelley Youth Foundation handed out new bicycles, helmets and locks to underprivileged children in the After-School All-Stars Las Vegas program March 30 during its 11th Annual PK Bike Day.

The event was held at Piero’s Italian Cuisine, 355 Convention Center Drive. Students from West Prep Academy and Martinez, Squires and Sewell elementary schools gathered for lunch, outdoor activities and games. The students were specially selected by teachers and after-school site leaders for meeting guidelines in academics, school attendance and good citizenship and participation.

100 ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE BECOMES 1-GIGABIT SCHOOL

The 100 Academy of Excellence, 2341 Comstock Drive in North Las Vegas, recently received a donation from Cox Communications for a 1-Gigabit Internet connection.

EARTH DAY ART CONTEST OPEN TO STUDENTS THROUGH APRIL 11

Clark County School District students are invited to enter the fourth annual Earth Day Every Day art contest sponsored by Keep Las Vegas Beautiful in partnership with the school district’s Community Partnership Program and Republic Services.

Contest entries must be received by 4:30 p.m. April 11. An award ceremony is planned for April 26 at Town Square Las Vegas, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Cash prizes provided by Republic Services will be awarded to the top three students of each age group and their teachers. Submitted artwork from winners and runners-up will be part of a Youth Earth Day art display at Town Square and later displayed at Las Vegas City Hall, 495 S. Main St.

The theme is Earth Day Everyday. Each piece of artwork should include a title and a brief summary explaining the drawing. Artwork should focus on celebrating the Earth and depict ideas about how students can protect and preserve the planet. The contest is open to students in grades 4-12. Drawings must be two-dimensional, including paint, watercolor, marker, crayon, collage, photography or a combination. Entries must be 8.5 inches by 11 inches on 40-pound or heavier paper.

To enter the contest, label artwork with the student’s name, grade, teacher’s name, school, art title and description and send to: Attention: Cheryl Wagner, School-Community Partnership Program No. 145 c/o Western High School, 4601 W. Bonanza Road, Las Vegas, NV 89107.

Teachers are to be notified of the finalists by April 16. For more information, call Lisa Campbell at 702-229-5406 or email lcampbell@lasvegasnevada.gov.

STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL PLANNED FOR MAY 2 AT UNLV

The Las Vegas Student Film Festival plans to showcase films produced by local high school students on May 2. The festival is produced in conjunction with the UNLV Department of Film and the UNLV Short Film Archive. Local high school students are invited to submit their short films by April 12.

For more information, email lvstudentfilmfest@ gmail.com or visit facebook.com/lvstudentfilmfest.

CLARK COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION OFFERS DAY CAMPS FOR KIDS

Clark County’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering spring break day camps for children 6 to 12 April 14-18.

The cost is $15 per day or $70 per week per child. Activities vary at each location but include group games, arts and crafts, sports and recreational activities. Campers bring their own lunch and snacks (no food requiring refrigeration).

For the registration form or more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov. Parents should fill out the application and mail it or drop it off in person with payment to the center their children will attend. Camps fill up on a first-come, first-served basis. Mail-in registration is underway, and walk-in registration was to begin March 24 at participating centers.

Camps are being offered at the following centers: Desert Breeze Community Center, 8275 Spring Mountain Road, 702-455-8334; Hollywood Recreation and Community Center, 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd., 702-455-0566; Paradise Recreation Center, 4775 McLeod Drive, 702-455-7513; and Walnut Recreation Center, 3975 N. Walnut Road, 702-455-8402.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCES SCIENCE CHALLENGE

Cox Communications, Las Vegas hopes to discover Clark County high school students who are Stars of Science for its Science Challenge 2014. Students can participate in the challenge by creating a two-minute digital story (video) that shows “science at work” in one of three categories: applied science, natural science and health science.

The first-place participant in each story category will receive $1,000 plus $500 for his teacher and $500 for his school. Winners are set to be announced May 3 during the 2014 Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival at Cashman Center.

Entry deadline is April 15. For more information, visit coxstarsofscience.com.

EDUCATION NONPROFITS PLAN SPLASHDOWN FOR KIDS AT WET ‘N’ WILD

Communities In Schools of Nevada and After-School All-Stars Las Vegas plan to host a weekend of summer entertainment at their first Splashdown For Kids, set for April 26 and 27 at Wet ‘n’ Wild, 7055 S. Fort Apache Road.

Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit groups. Presale tickets are $20 at wetnwildlasvegas.com. Tickets at the door are $35. Children 2 or younger will be admitted free. For one-day tickets, use the promo code CISASASday.

For event sponsorship information, contact Brittany McCoy at brittanym@cisnevada.org or Ranna Daud at ranna@asaslv.org.

DETROIT CONNECTION PLANS SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS LUNCHEON FOR JUNE 1

Detroit Connection Inc. plans to host its 16th annual scholarship awards luncheon from 1 to to 4 p.m. June 1 at Cili at Bali Hai Country Club, 5160 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

The keynote speaker is scheduled to be basketball legend Spencer Haywood, and live entertainment is planned.

Tickets are $60. For more information, call 702-642-2628.

SONS OF NORWAY TO HAND OUT SCHOLARSHIPS

The Sons of Norway’s Vegas Viking Lodge is seeking applicants for its eighth annual scholarship for post-high school studies.

To be eligible, applicants must be of Norwegian descent, legal residents of Clark County or Alamo or a member of the Vegas Viking Lodge or a child or grandchild of a lodge member and at least a high school senior or ongoing full-time student.

The scholarship is at least $500. Last year the lodge gave away six $500 scholarships. Winners will be chosen based on grades, financial need, extracurricular activities and an essay expressing appreciation for their Norwegian heritage.

Applications must be postmarked by April 19. Applications are available at vegasviking.com/scholarship.html.

Tax-deductible contributions to the scholarship fund, including naming gifts, are welcome. To donate, mail a check payable to Vegas Viking Sons of Norway Scholarship Fund to treasurer Warren Halvorsen, 830 Kingston Springs Way, Las Vegas, NV 89123-3643.

For more information, call Suzan Sibert at 702-645-6666.

PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION KICKS OFF GIVING WITH PURPOSE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

The Public Education Foundation has kicked off its annual fundraising campaign, Giving With Purpose, with the goal to raise $300,000.

The nonprofit seeks to drive change and improve outcomes through educational programs that support early childhood learning and family engagement, scholarships and leadership.

For more information on the campaign, visit thepef.org.

PARENT-CHILD CLASSES PLANNED AT CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering a series of parent-child classes for children 3 to 5. The three-program series at the Cambridge Community Center, 3900 Cambridge St., features All 4 Kids, Family Storyteller and Little Books and Little Cooks.

All 4 Kids is a 12-week interactive program that focuses on activities to promote physical activity, healthy eating and living healthy at any shape or size. The program is set for Mondays and Wednesdays.

Family Storyteller is a six-week program that trains parents to play a role in early literacy development. Beginning April 7, each class will have parents and their children participate in reading and language activities together.

Little Books and Little Cooks is a seven-week program designed to promote healthy eating, family literacy, positive parent-child interaction and the child’s school readiness skills. Beginning June 25, each class will have parents and children learning about nutrition, reading children’s books and cooking and eating together.

For more information or to register, call 702-948-5942 or email all_for_kids@unce.unr.edu.

FREE PROGRAM TO OFFER HEALTHY LIVING TIPS FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND FAMILIES

All 4 Kids, a program of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, is offering a 13-week program for preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) and their parents. Families will be provided interactive experiences that promote healthful habits regarding physical activity and eating. Free materials will be given to families to continue activities at home.

Classes are taught in English and Spanish. The program is free and is scheduled to be offered at the Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave. in North Las Vegas, from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Space for the program is limited. To register, call 702-948-5942 or email all_for_kids@unce.unr.edu.

UNLV OFFERS CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES

The UNLV Office of Continuing Education is offering courses this spring and summer for those interested in personal or professional development.

Professional certificate programs include paralegal, legal secretary, medical assistant, design, public relations, nonprofit management, human resources, fashion design, grant writing, personal training and more.

Continuing Education also offers courses in language, cooking, music and recreation.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV offers student-led classes to more than 1,300 retired and semiretired adults.

For full course listings or to register, visit continuingeducation.unlv.edu. For a copy of the course catalog, call 702-895-3394.

SCHOOL DISTRICT RELEASES 2014 GRADUATION SCHEDULE

The Clark County School District has released its 2014 high school graduation schedule, which can be found at tinyurl.com/ccsdgrad2014. Graduations are scheduled June 2-14, most of them at The Orleans or the Thomas & Mack Center.