Staff Kudos March 2018
Recognitions & Accomplishments of staff doing great things
Women in Construction - Staff Spotlight: Jessica Pavelka, Project Manager
You might say that design and construction is in Jessica Pavelka’s blood. Her dad is a general contractor, her mom, a civil engineer. It’s no wonder that, as a young girl, Jessica used to design houses for her dolls. “I was more interested in making the houses than actually playing with the dolls,” she says. Now a project manager for the Beaverton School District, Jessica has moved on to bigger things, like building schools.
Jessica grew up in a small town in Minnesota. After changing colleges a few times, she settled on the University of Arizona’s Architecture Program. The climate was too hot and dry in Arizona, and Minnesota was too cold to move back to, so Jessica and her husband moved to the Portland area.
Jessica started working with an architecture firm where she worked on designing nursing homes. “You get kind of pigeon-holed into the design of a certain type of building. Once you know the codes, no one else wants to learn them, so you tend to stay on that same type of building,” she says.
The Great Recession actually set Jessica on the path to construction management. She was laid off in 2009 for about a year and a half. During that time, she decided to go back to school, taking construction management classes at Portland Community College. “I found that I didn’t like the design side as much. I was more interested in how things are put together, space planning and how to communicate those designs so that people understand,” says Jessica. After being hired back at the architecture firm, she realized she needed a change. A friend told her that the Beaverton School District was hiring for a project manager.
Jessica got the job and her first project for the District was the renovation at the Capital Center. She also worked on the Sunset High School Title IX project and theater upgrades. Jessica spent the last two years of her career as the project manager for the building of Sato Elementary School. She says her architectural background came in handy. “It was nice to have that background because I was able to guide the architects in the direction we wanted to go and give them suggestions, as opposed to them giving us options and we react.”
Construction management gives Jessica the opportunity to use her architectural background to solve problems and create spaces. She encourages students interested in design and art to take classes like wood shop and drafting. Says Jessica, “You learn how things go together and you learn what you enjoy just by trying something different.”
Westview student wins 4th place in Regeneron Science Talent Search
Westview High School senior, Muhammad "Shahir" Rahman placed 4th in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Science Talent Search alumni have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science.
Students are selected based upon their scientific research and also on their overall potential as future leaders of the scientific community.
Last year, Regeneron became only the third sponsor of the Science Talent Search, with a 10-year, $100 million commitment. Regeneron is a company founded with the goal of transforming lives through science and its most important and social commitment has been to support the development of highly engaged, well-trained and innovative young thinkers.
Westview High School
A Smart Burn/Spill Proof “SAFE” Microwave That Spares the Salad: A Novel Application of Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithms and Machine Learning for Real-time Thermodynamic Modeling
Finalists were selected from a pool of highly qualified entrants based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders. The finalists traveled to Washington, D.C., from March 8-14, where they underwent a rigorous judging process and competed for more than $1.8 million in awards. They also had the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
As a finalist, Rahman was awarded $25,000. At the competition, he was awarded fourth place and $100,000!
Congratulations, Shahir, and good luck in all of your future endeavors!
Stoller MS sweeps Chess For Success Tournament
The Stoller chess team is comprised of Roshen Nair, Fedya Semenov, Kushal Pai, Kyle Liu, Egan Wong, Arnold Yang.
The team achieved the perfect score, five win in five rounds, during the state championship tournament. This is the 4th consecutive state champion for Stoller Middle School.
Jacob Wismer teacher to be a published author
Mostly the Honest Truth is a middle grade novel, ages 8 to 12, which tells the story of eleven-year old Jane Pengilly. After an accident with her father, Jane is taken to Three Boulders, a non-traditional foster home, where she waits for him to get out of rehab. There, she discovers secrets about herself and the true meaning of family. The novel is slated for publication in early 2019.
"Writing and children's literature have always been an important part of my life. After teaching for nine years, I took time off to be home with my children. During that time, I began writing short stories, puzzles and articles for children, some of which were printed in children's magazines and educational publications. I started writing novels during this time as well, and acquired a literary agent who began submitting my work to publishing houses. It has been a very long journey, but I'm so thrilled that all the hard work has paid off. I'm constantly inspired by my students. Their work and their personalities fill me with ideas and the determination to balance my teaching and writing careers," says Jody.
Jody is currently in her 18th year of teaching. This is her third year teaching third grade at Jacob Wismer. Prior to that, she worked with the BSD Elementary Science Team and subbed throughout the District.
Mostly the Honest Truth is currently going through the process of copy edits, cover art, and page design.
Beaverton students win big at Beaverton-Hillsboro Science Expo
The Expo, co-chaired by Dr. Susan Holveck Science TOSA for Secondary Schools, brings together 161 students from more than 10 schools in the Beaverton and Hillsboro school districts to compete for scholarships, cash awards, and the grand prize: an all-expense paid trip to the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May 2018. "We have a very strong science research program here in Beaverton and this is largely due to our science teachers who support students in this work," says Dr. Holveck.
The Intel ISEF, a program of Society for Science & the Public (the Society), is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for on average $4 million in prizes.
Intel ISEF unites these top young scientific minds, showcasing their talents on an international stage, where doctoral level scientists review and judge their work.
Three BSD students qualified for the ISEF:
- Anwesha Mukherjee, Westview High School: "A Novel Approach Machine Learning Algorithms to Recognize Emotion From Speech to Aid Social Interaction"
- Rohan Ahluwalia, Westview High School: "Automatic Detection of Lipohypertrophy in Insulin Dependent Diabetics"
- Lauren Li, Westview High School: "Characterization of AAP Dependency in AAV Capsid Assembly"
Several other BSD students won awards at the Expo. Click the document below to see the list.
Steve Baer named OACSNP Excellent Teacher
Congratulations to Transition teacher Steve Baer who was recognized by the Oregon Association of Vocational Support Needs Personnel (OACSNP) with their Excellent Teaching Award. The award recognizes individuals that inspire, educate, and empower transition across Oregon.
In his nomination, Todd Nicholson, Administrator for Special Programs wrote: “Steve is a natural leader and continually strives to advance the field of transition services toward a system that works for everyone - especially students with disabilities who have historically been underserved and marginalized. Steve has made significant contributions toward enhancing post-school success for students by successfully identifying and proposing curriculum modifications to help students better understand their needs.
Steve’s community advocacy for people with disabilities reaches beyond the school day and is unparalleled in our region. With determination and tenacity, Steve has organized a multi-agency effort to screen a documentary film with the end goal of increasing job opportunities for all people with disabilities –not just our students.
Without a doubt, Steve is a leader within the Community Transition Program and Beaverton School District."
Steve was nominated for the award by Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, The Beaverton Chamber of Commerce, Beaverton School District Administration and others. The recognition was made during the awards banquet earlier this month. Heidi Dirkse-Graw made the presentation. In accepting the award, Steve recognized the contribution of his co-teachers, Transition Program Assistants and community partners is making the Beaverton Community Transition one of the best in the Oregon.
Congratulations, Steve!
Beaverton School District wins CoSN Community Leadership Award for Digital Equity
Student access to robust digital tools is key to their success as 21st century citizens. Yet many students from economically disadvantaged families have limited access to these tools both at school and at home. Closing the gap will require a broad approach involving schools and communities working together. CoSN created the Community Leadership Award for Digital Equity to encourage and recognize those districts that are working to eliminate inequities and narrow the access gap.
Members of the BSD Digital Equity Team, Steve Langford, Matt Hiefield, Jordan Beverage, and John Peplinski traveled to the CoSN National Conference in Washington, D.C. to receive the award.
"When considering all of the initiatives that we are undertaking, the main replicable actions revolve around educating community and building alliances," says Matt Hiefield, Future Ready Team and Teachersource Curriculum Developer, and member of the Digital Equity Team. "Building a grassroots team with representation from around the District specifically to study digital equity issues is important."
Watch the video (above) to learn about the Beaverton School District's efforts to close the digital divide.
Aloha HS student's ceramic artwork selected for National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition
Allison is also eligible for several prestigious scholarships and awards. This is the highest possible distinction for a Ceramics student to win. Congratulations, Allison!
Hazeldale ES awarded $4,300 technology grant
The grant will be used to enhance inquiry-based learning and inclusion through coding. “This grant will allow us to do some unique things at Hazeldale,” said Ryan Hoxie of the Future Ready Team.
Hoxie and his team approached the SCC (Social Communication Classroom) classrooms earlier in the year with the goal of teaching programming skills. Students in the SCC began on Scratch Jr. an introductory programming language that enables young children to create their own interactive stories and then move to Lego Robotics.
Armed with these newfound skills, the SCC students began to share their knowledge with students from the general classroom. “The experience has been a positive one and something we wanted to build upon at each of the grade levels,” says Colin Laing, 5th grade teacher and technology specialist for Hazeldale.
This grant makes it possible to have dedicated technology at each of the grades levels while providing the SCC students shared experiences with their peers. The primary SCC and 5th grade students from Hazeldale will be hosting a booth at iX18 at Aloha high school on March 21st from 5 to 8 in the evening.
Superintendent Grotting visits Automotive Technology Training Program Open House
National Automotive Technology Education Foundation (NATEF) standards are taught through the basic curricular units of Engine Performance, Brakes, Steering, and Electrical. Students who successfully complete the course have the opportunity to obtain college credit and obtain scholarships for an industry training program or a community college program. Transferable college credit is offered through Portland Community College.
The magnet program is open to high school students across the District.
Communications & Community Involvement Department
Email: melissa_larson@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: www.beaverton.k12.or.us
Location: 16550 SW Merlo Rd., Beaverton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeavertonSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @beavertonSD