Education Notebook: School news and events for July 2-8, 2015

UNLV HOSTS THREE-DAY COLLEGE BOUND PROGRAM

The Dawson-UNLV Honors College Bound Program hosted 38 high-achieving students who will be high school freshmen in the fall for a program June 17 and 18 that allowed them to experience working on high-tech equipment in the areas of robotics, drones, biomechanics, graphic design, library science and anthropology.

Experts from The Alexander Dawson School, 10845 W. Desert Inn Road, and UNLV were on hand to talk about the program, and UNLV Honors College students helped chaperone the experience, which included a two-night stay in UNLV dorms.

The Alexander Dawson Foundation helped sponsor the program at a cost of $275 per student.

The Dawson College Bound Program is a long-term initiative that provides academic enrichment and mentorship to high-achieving youths, with a goal of bridging their paths from middle school to selective high schools and colleges. It is funded by the Alexander Dawson Foundation and coordinates with the Clark County School District Partnership Office.

BOYD GAMING PLEDGES $2.5 MILLION TO UNLV HOTEL COLLEGE

Boyd Gaming Corp. recently announced it is pledging $2.5 million to support the expansion of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV. The company will partner with UNLV to help build a new state-of-the art academic building.

“Boyd Gaming has been a valued partner of the university for decades,” said UNLV President Len Jessup. “We are grateful and appreciative of the investments the company has made in our institution over the years. Their support of the hotel college will further elevate the program and help attract students who will become future leaders of the industry.”

ENGELSTAD FOUNDATION PLEDGES $10 MILLION FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The UNLV School of Medicine scholarship drive has wrapped up months ahead of schedule and raised twice as many scholarships as targeted, as Kris Engelstad McGarry, trustee of the Engelstad Family Foundation, made a $10 million pledge toward student scholarships.

The gift will cover 100 full four-year scholarships: 25 for the school’s 2017 charter class and 25 for each of the next three entering classes. Each scholarship is an estimated $100,000.

“The UNLV School of Medicine is one of the most important developments in the history of higher education for Southern Nevada,” said Engelstad McGarry. “We want to help students fulfill their dreams of becoming a doctor, while at the same time helping our community.”

The UNLV School of Medicine launched its 60 by 16 scholarship drive in April to cover the tuition for all 60 students in the charter class. In less than 60 days, the school received commitments from local businesses, physician groups, families and community leaders to fund all 60 scholarships needed for the school’s charter class, plus 75 more. In all, the school raised $13.5 million for 135 scholarships.

UNLV is seeking accreditation to admit a charter class of 60 students in fall 2017, with expansion to 120 students within four years of the school’s opening.

FALL SAFEKEY REGISTRATION TO OPEN JULY 27

Registration for fall 2015 Safekey is set to open at 7 a.m. July 27 at the Safekey main office, 416 N. Seventh St.

Office hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Registration is $20 per child’s account, per school year and $7 for a morning pass and $10 for an afternoon pass.

Payments can be made at recreation.lasvegasnevada.gov, by calling 702-229-3399 or in person at the office. The program is a prepaid service. Financial assistance may be available for qualifying families. Hours vary

per site, and not all sites offer a morning program.

For more information, call 702-229-3399.

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY OF NEVADA ENROLLING STUDENTS

The Leadership Academy of Nevada is expanding and has added a limited number of seats for the 2015-16 school year. It focuses on developing principled leaders through delivery of a liberal arts education using cutting-edge technology. It offers instruction to students in grades six through 12 throughout the state.

Regularly scheduled enrollment information meetings are held online and in Las Vegas so parents and students can learn more.

For meeting dates, times and locations, visit lanv.org.

SPARK! POETRY WRITING & RECITATION COMPETITION TAKING ENTRIES

Clark County high school students are invited to submit original poems for the Vegas Valley Book Festival’s Spark! Poetry Writing & Recitation Competition. Modeled after the national Poetry Out Loud competition and the Scholastic Writing competition, the contest will have students reciting their poetry during the book festival that is scheduled for Oct. 17.

The first-place prize is $300, second place is $200 and third place is $100. Students are asked to present three original poems to be judged by a panel consisting of poets, authors, educators and other community members. Panelists will use scoring guidelines to assign numerical values to the evaluation criteria.

Three presentation rounds are planned. Students who register through Sept. 30 will be eligible to present one poem in the first round. The top six will present in the second round, and the top three in the third round will determine first, second and third place. Scores will be cumulative. Students must present the poems they submitted on their registration form.

For guidelines and a registration form, visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org. For more information, contact Maryjane Dorofachuk, Nevada Arts Council arts learning coordinator, at 702-486-3738 or mdorofachuk@nevadaculture.org.