Education Notebook, May 7-13, 2015

FIFTH-GRADERS GET FINANCIAL LITERACY COURSE

Communities In Schools of Nevada and Nevada State Bank celebrated their continued partnership April 24 with a check presentation and financial literacy course for fifth-graders at Mountain View Elementary School, 5436 Kell Lane.

Nevada State Bank donated $25,000 to CIS of Nevada and CIS of Northeastern Nevada, strengthening a longstanding partnership. Representatives from the bank also donated their time to offer a financial literacy lesson for the students.

For more information about CIS of Nevada, visit cisnenv.org.

UNLV HONORS COLLEGE GETS SCHOLARSHIP BOOST

The UNLV Honors College has received a $1 million gift from the Bennett Family Foundation to provide scholarship support to more than 150 Honors College students over the next four years, allowing the college to recruit, support and retain some of Nevada’s top academic talent.

The gift will fund scholarships for new and returning students. A mentorship component will ensure that new students can learn the ropes of college life and academic success from upperclassmen.

The Bennett Honors Mentor Scholarship will be open to 30 Honors College upperclassmen each year for the next four years. Recipients of the $5,000 scholarship will be partnered with first-year Honors College students. The structured mentor program promotes first-year student success and retention and instills leadership principles in upperclassmen.

In addition to the mentor scholarships, the Bennett Family Honors Scholarship will fund $2,000 scholarships for 12 incoming freshmen each year over the next four years.

For more information about the Honors College, visit unlv.edu/honors.

THE MEADOWS SCHOOL NAMED FIFTH-MOST CHALLENGING PRIVATE SCHOOL

The Washington Post named the The Meadows School, 8601 Scholar Lane, the fifth-most challenging private school in the U.S. April 19 and and the No. 1 school in Nevada, public or private.

Schools were chosen through an index formula using this ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. The Washington Post’s Challenge Index was designed to identify schools that have done the best job in encouraging the general population of students to take college-level courses and tests.

In 2014, 162 Meadows students sat for 434 AP examinations. The school’s AP pass rate — the number of students who received a score of three or above on the exam — was 87 percent, compared to 51 percent in Nevada and 59 percent nationally.

For more information, visit themeadowsschool.org.

THE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION OPENS NEW CAMPUS

The Public Education Foundation hosted a grand opening celebration April 24 for its new campus at 4350 S. Maryland Parkway.

The foundation promotes early learning and parent engagement programs, facilitates leadership development, works to increase high school graduation and college access, and provides teachers with resources to support high-quality instruction.

During the celebration, student musicians from Clark, Durango, Foothill, Green Valley, Silverado and Valley high schools and Las Vegas Academy performed, and photography and digital art from students was on exhibition in the foundation’s art gallery. The robotics team from Hyde Park Middle School demonstrated how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs are taking hold in public schools.

For more information on the foundation, call 702-799-1042 or visit thepef.org.

CORAL ACADEMY PLANS DEBATE TOURNAMENT

Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, 1051 Sandy Ridge Ave. in Henderson, planned to its second annual middle school debate tournament April 25, with more than 60 sixth- through eighth-grade students from 10 area middle schools set to participate.

Topics were selected by students and were set to include benefits versus risks of genetically modified organisms and mock Congressional debates.

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

ENGINEERING FIRM INVITES AT-RISK STUDENTS INTO OFFICE

For a twist on its annual Bring Your Kid to Work Day, local engineering firm JBA Consulting Engineers opened its office to five at-risk students who wrote essays about their interest in engineering and won the honor to visit April 23. The eighth-grade students participate in the I Have a Dream Foundation of Southern Nevada, which tutors and mentors disadvantaged students.

JBA’s Take Your Kid to Work Day is in its seventh year. The program is designed to show students a day in the life at an engineering firm and educate them on the industry.

HENDERSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRINGS PROGRAM TO BASIC

The Henderson Chamber of Commerce hosted its I CAN BE (Integrating Career Academies by Networking Business and Education) program April 9 at Basic High School, 400 Palo Verde Drive. The program lets freshmen know they have career choices and encourages them to plan their high school classes around those choices. The 16 career clusters were represented by a variety of business owners, city officials, firemen, policemen, transportation, distribution and logistics companies. More than 50 Henderson Chamber members volunteered to speak and mentor the approximately 600 participants.

POLICY INNOVATION LAB INVESTS IN LAS VEGAS’ PAY FOR SUCCESS PROJECT

The Policy Innovation Lab at the University of Utah is investing $600,000 in new ways to give back to the community, with six governments in the Intermountain West selected to receive funding and technical support to advance and evaluate innovative models of success.

The city of Las Vegas was among those selected to participate in the inaugural Innovation Fellowship Program. It will receive assistance in assessing the feasibility of implementing a Pay for Success project in early education and school readiness. The city seeks to increase access to high-quality early childhood education programs, along with wrap-around services for at-risk youths. It is working collaboratively on the project with the state, Clark County and local nonprofit Children’s Advocacy Alliance. The Lab will provide the city with funding for staffing and other capacity needs and provide technical support for the feasibility analysis. It will also provide in-depth technical assistance to select service providers in the community.

For more information about the Policy Innovation Lab, visit policyinnovationlab.org.

NEW LABORATORY OPENS AT UNLV APRIL 23

The Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV opened its Drones and Autonomous Systems Laboratory, 1325 E. Flamingo Road, April 23. Lincy Professor for Unmanned Aerial Systems Paul Oh discussed the future of international robotics and his team’s journey to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Challenge Finals.

For more information, visit drc-hubo.com.

MOB MUSEUM OFFERS DISCOUNT FOR TEACHERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT IN MAY

The Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave., is offering teachers buy-one, get-one free admission through May 9 in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. May 10-16, law enforcement professionals will receive the offer for National Police Week.

All Nevada residents receive buy-one, get-one free admission after 1 p.m. Tuesdays.

For more information, call 702-229-2734 or visit themobmuseum.org.

UNLV SCHOOL OF MEDICINE LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE

The UNLV School of Medicine has launched its 60 by 16 scholarship drive to cover tuition costs for the 2017 charter class. With each four-year scholarship estimated at $100,000, school officials are seeking $6 million for the program.

The school has already received 13 scholarship commitments from local businesses, physician groups, families and UNLV administrators. The number increased to 38 when the Engelstad Family Foundation announced its contribution of an additional 25 scholarships.

When fully operational, the school will create approximately 8,000 jobs, boast an annual economic impact of more than $1 billion and drive close to $60 million in annual revenue for the state. The scholarship program will help the first class to graduate with little or no debt.

The school will teach a diverse group of future Nevada physicians how to work in health care teams, apply new technology and develop treatment solutions for diseases of the present and future. UNLV plans to admit a charter class of 60 students by fall 2017, with expansion to 120 students within four years of the school’s opening.

For more information, visit news.unlv.edu.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING SET FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Partners in Policymaking plans to offer leadership training for people with developmental disabilities, parents and family members. The training is designed to teach the power of advocacy and change the way people with disabilities are supported, viewed, taught, live and work. The program will provide information about issues and policies related to disability and develop participant competencies to become more effective in influencing policy development at all levels.

Parents of children with developmental disabilities and adults with developmental disabilities are encouraged to apply. Classes are planned from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. once a month through August at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road. Participants are expected to commit to all classes or complete makeup assignments. Remaining dates are: May 16, June 20, July 19 (in Reno) and Aug. 15. Participants will receive a stipend to help with child care and transportation costs.

For more information or to apply, visit nced.info/pip.