Education Notebook: School news and events for Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2015

Book drive success: A drive to collect enough books for the elementary school students at Clark County's 78 Safekey sites was successful thanks to the efforts of the Henderson and Summerlin Barnes & Noble stores, UPS stores of Las Vegas, Toys for Tots and Las Vegas-area residents. In late August, a book drive was launched to support a new literacy initiative with a goal of securing 3,000 new and gently used books, and 6,351 books were collected, as was $3,635.79 in rebates from the Henderson and Summerlin Barnes & Noble stores to be used for the purchase of more books. The County Commission recognized the Barnes & Noble and UPS stores at its Oct. 20 meeting, declaring a day for each of them in their honor.

Lights on Afterschool held: After-School All-Stars, in partnership with 21st Century Community Learning Center, hosted Lights On Afterschool at Von Tobel Middle School, 2436 N. Pecos Road, Oct. 22. The rally was one of more than 8,000 such events around the nation that day, the 16th 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.

School donation: Tronox, a Henderson manufacturing plant, donated $5,000 to benefit the Basic High School Robotics Team. This is the fourth year Tronox was the club's primary sponsor. The team, a longstanding club at Basic High School, 400 Palo Verde Drive, teaches students the engineering components of robotics and how to build robots through advanced production methods.

Restaurant opens school garden: Local restaurant Honey Salt partnered with Green Our Planet to provide an Outdoor Garden Classroom at Helen Marie Smith Elementary School, 7101 Pinedale Ave., with funds raised during the restaurant's annual Summer of Love campaign. Throughout the month of August, Honey Salt, 1031 S. Rampart Blvd., offered daily specials, in-restaurant promotions and a series of events that supported Green Our Planet. Together, all parties donated time Oct. 12 to break ground on the new garden, lay down soil, irrigate and plant a variety of vegetables and fruit to show schoolchildren the importance of sustainability and eating healthily.

Fossil Day celebration: Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Steven D. Ross joined students from Ward Elementary School, 5555 Horse Drive, to celebrate Fossil Day Oct. 14. More than 700 students had the opportunity to dig up bones and visit with paleontologist Dr. Josh Bonde. The Tule Springs National Monument is blocks from the school.

Dream Big Teacher Challenge: Across America, Farmers Insurance has set the stage for a national competition for 15 Dream Big Teacher Challenge finalists competing for one of six $100,000 educational grants to help bring their proposals to life. Through Oct. 31, America can determine which of these teachers will be among the six winners of the $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge, by voting online daily. Additionally, Farmers will announce up to six $100,000 educational grants in December to the two proposals with the highest vote count in its three operating zones in the Western, Central and Eastern United States. Western finalists include Laura Denue of Desert Pines High School with A Pathway from Garden to Table, a proposal to convert a classroom into a state-of-the-art kitchen and restaurant for students to learn food preparation skills and how to successfully operate a restaurant that will be open to all members of the surrounding community. To vote, visit thankamericasteachers.com.

4-H membership drive: The 4-H youth development program plans its annual membership drive during October. The program, offered throughout the Las Vegas Valley, focuses primarily on positive youth development and is open to all youths 5 to 19. Visit http://www.unce.unr.edu/4H/.

Scholarship applications sought: The Meadows School offers a private grant scholarship for five students entering kindergarten who are from underprivileged households, with all-expenses-paid tuition from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, amounting to nearly $260,000 per child by the time each one graduates. The scholarship deadline is Nov. 2. Call 702-254-1610.

Community awards: The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has begun its search for Nevada's top youth volunteers of 2016. The annual national awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, honors students in grades 5-12 who have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service. The top middle and high school volunteer in every state each receive $1,000, a silver medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for several days of national recognition events. State-level runners-up receive bronze medallions or Certificates of Excellence. Through Nov. 3, middle and high school students are invited to apply for 2016 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at spirit.prudential.com.

City National Bank accepting grant applications: City National Bank today announced that it is accepting applications for grants to support literacy and financially-based literacy projects at public and private elementary, middle and high schools in five states. Administered through City National's Reading is The way up literacy program, this year's program will award up to $75,000 in both literacy and financial literacy grants. Any full-time teacher, librarian or administrator at schools in the five states where the bank has offices is eligible to apply. Visit readingisthewayup.org.

Drawing competition to honor Leif Erikson: Las Vegas-area children in first through fifth grades are eligible to win $875 in gift cards for submitting winning drawings that depict Viking explorer Leif Erikson's legacy. The winning drawings must be submitted on 11-by-8½-inch or 11-by-17-inch paper using any medium. The winning students in each grade will win Walmart gift cards valued at $100, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place, respectively. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 14 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. The fourth annual contest, sponsored by the Vegas Viking Lodge of the Sons of Norway and Schoyen, should depict the Viking Leif Erikson and his men traveling to America. The four key traits of Erikson and his men should be incorporated into the drawings: imagination, vision, collaboration, and fearlessness. Visit leiferiksonday.com or email organizers at drawingcompetition@leiferiksonday.com.

Rogers Foundation scholarship: The Rogers Foundation announced it is offering $100,000 in scholarships on an annual basis to graduating seniors of the Clark County School District. The Rogers Foundation Achiever Scholarship is for students wishing to pursue higher education both within the state of Nevada and nationwide. The scholarships will support students attending any institution of higher education, including vocational or technical schools, community colleges or state universities. Scholarships include at least one $25,000 scholarship, multiple $10,000 scholarships and multiple $5,000 scholarships. For application criteria, application materials and other instructions, visit therogers.foundation/applicants/students.html.

Heart of Education Awards: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and The Rogers Foundation are planning the inaugural Heart of Education Awards to highlight deserving teachers in the Clark County School District. The awards focus on educators with at least three years of experience in the district who go above and beyond the classroom. Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 29, 2016. Nominations must have a name, contact information, a 500-word statement of commitment and a 200-word letter of recommendation. A celebratory evening with a red carpet, swag bags and entertainment is planned May 7, 2016, at The Smith Center. To nominate, visit theheartofeducation.org.

Host families sought for exchange students: International Experience USA, a nonprofit high school student exchange organization approved by the U.S. Department of State, is seeking host families in the Las Vegas Valley to provide room and board, help with transportation and provide emotional support to exchange students. The students provide their own insurance and personal spending money. Visit ie-usa.org or contact Carol Myint at 507-301-3615 or c.myint@international-experience.net.