Staff Kudos June 2017
Recognitions & Accomplishments of staff doing great things
BSD Seniors awarded ABSA Scholarships
Katja Berger - Southridge High School
Most Influential Teacher: Jeremiah Hubbard
Southridge High School’s Katja Berger is captain of the Track and Field Team and an accomplished scholar. She is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate and has taken 12 AP or IB courses. Her weighted G.P.A. is 4.380. She will attend college at Northeastern University in Boston and enroll in the exploratory program. She wants to become a teacher in order to be able to inspire the next generation to be the kindest and most conscientious generation. Every weekend since her freshman year, she has been inspiring children as a volunteer at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Katja said, “I hope one day to impact a student’s life as much as my teachers have impacted mine.”
Alexander Sampson - Aloha High School
Most Influential Teacher: Tafi Etchart
Aloha High School’s Alexander Sampson has volunteered at the Bonnie L. Hayes Small Animal Shelter and run the AHS concession stand. In these experiences, he has learned the value of cooperating with others and contributing to the community. He has taken nine AP courses and earned a 4.306 weighted G.P.A. Alex recalled visiting his brother at college and realizing that he could see himself attending college someday. This fall, he will enroll at the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College and pursue coursework in Physics and Mathematics. As he contemplates his future career, Alex hopes to find a job that does not feel like a job and to maximize his impact on the world.
Shareef Achekzai - Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA)
Most Influential Teacher: Kevin Bennett & Joel Morello
ACMA’s Shareef Achekzai is Student Body President and serves as the school’s representative on the Beaverton Student Advisory Committee. He has taken three AP classes at ACMA and earned a 3.347 weighted G.P.A. Shareef’s fondest memories of high school involve his interest of filmmaking - a passion he will follow with career goals of directing television advertisements. Shareef said, “When making films, I am able to be a team player while being a leader at the same time. It is an art form that truly allows me to explore my creativity and challenge myself.” Shareef will be the first in his family to attend college when he enrolls at the University of Oregon, majoring in Marketing and Advertising.
Zubaidah Alrubaye - Aloha High School
Most Influential Teacher: Sandra Boe
Zubaidah Alrubaye, from Aloha High School, participated in Newspaper Club, National Honor Society, and has coordinated book drives for Head Start students as part of the Advanced Health Careers Program. She has taken five AP classes and maintained a 3.681 weighted G.P.A. Zubaidah will enroll at Portland State University this fall and pursue studies that prepare her for a career as an Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter. Zubaidah is excited about the opportunity to have a career where she is able to help others in the community and interact with patients. She said that she appreciates the advice offered to her by an Aloha teacher who told her to follow her heart, rather than money, in deciding on a career.
Satchel Phillips - Sunset High School
Most Influential Teacher: John Scheeler
Satchel Phillips from Sunset High School is a volunteer coach in the school’s youth baseball program and has held leadership positions in the football and baseball programs. In reflecting on his leadership in baseball, Satchel said, “I have learned in this position that I am able to hold myself and my teammates accountable while making sure the players and coaches are always on the same page. At Sunset, Satchell took five IB or Dual Credit courses and earned a 3.660 weighted G.P.A. This fall, he will be the first in his family to attend college when he enrolls at Oregon State University to study Business. He is looking forward to volunteering in Corvallis and Beaverton during his college years.
Cedar Park MS Structured Routines Center performs The Wizard of Cedar Park
Students in Pauline Lee's Structured Routines Center (SRC) at Cedar Park Middle School put on a play. The 30-minute play was titled The Wizard of Cedar Park.
Students worked hard beginning in March, learning their lines, learning about the stage, learning how to communicate with others, listening to one another, acting, wearing costumes and makeup. They also participated in multiple dress rehearsals for staging.
There were two culminating performances for families, students, staff, and the community. "Nearly all the students were able to perform independently and remembered their lines and cues!! It was a wonderful experience," says Pauline.
In total, there was a cast of 16 which included students from the Structured Routine Center (SRC), one each from the Social Communication Classroom (SCC) and the Emotional Growth Center (EGC). Special Education Program Assistants and Instructional Assistants acted as makeup artists, costumers, script coaches, stage crew, and cast wranglers. They included: Nancy Hatfield, Prachee Bhatnagar, David Waldrip, Emily Kiernan, Summer Jelly, Janet Roth, Lakshmi Sajeev, Viveka Bavineni, and Luke Sahnow. Drama teacher, Andra Royse also supported the production with the assistance of Cedar Park teachers Carolyn Farran and Katelynn Hitsman.
"We are grateful that our students' parents fully supported this ambitious endeavor by providing costume pieces and advertising our production. Several Cedar Park Middle School staff and staff from across the District attended the performances," states Pauline. "These fantastic students learned patience, flexibility, listening skills, sharing responsibility, working in a group, listening to one another, what a play is versus a movie, speaking loudly, and learned out to cope with their anxiety."
Employee Service & Retirement Awards (ESRA)
10 Year Honorees
Aloha-Huber Park K-8
Scott Drue
Human Resources
Erica Marson
Information Technology
Steven Langford
Andrew Stenehjem
Jacob Wismer Elementary School
Joan McFadden
Kinnaman Elementary School
Erika Heslin
McKinley Elementary School
Annie Pleau
Meadow Park Middle School
David Furman
Sato Elementary School
Charli Hagseth
Springville K-8
Jennifer Vanderschuere
Vose Elementary School
Melissa Holz
20 Year Honorees
Mountain View Middle School
Kelly Bordwell
30 Year Honorees
Custodial Services
Laurette Byrnes
Southridge High School
James Healy
Retirees
Aloha High School
Suzanne Clark
Michael Halbrook
Stuart Kearsley
Conestoga Middle School
Sharon Hope
Maintenance
Robert Hazeltine
Lee Chi-Young
McKinley Elementary School
Shelagh Fitzgerald
Merlo Station Community School
Kathleen Ford
Nancy Ryles Elementary School
Linda Bargmann
Anne Young
Rock Creek Elementary School
Lori Meeks
Sunset High School
Ann Marie Ames
Michael Quinn
Terra Linda Elementary School
Jennifer Sanford
Terrill Van Orman
Westview High School
Rob Casteel
Rick Cook
Westview High School wins National History Bowl
Jonathan Tran won 1st place in all around history, and Grace Tran won 2nd place in U.S. History.
Congratulations, Westview!
*Will Fritzler is also on the team but did not attend the National Competition.
BSD students compete at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The Intel ISEF 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.
All of the BSD student and chaperone travel expenses to this event were paid for with a generous grant from Intel.
The students representing the Beaverton School District were:
Aditya Sivakumar, 17, in grade 11, Beaverton High School with a project titled, "A Geometrical Analysis of Harmony and Counterpoint in Music Using Quotient Orbifolds".
Arjun Somayazulu, 17, grade 11, Westview High School with a project titled, "Influence of Sub-Cellular Protein Localization on Cellular Growth Rate".
Stuti Garg, 17, grade 11, Westview High School with a project titled, "Rescue of Nucleotide DNA Repair Deficiencies to UVB and Solar-simulated Irradiation by Pyrimidine Dimer Glycosylases and UV Endonucleases".
*Stuti was awarded the $1,500 Second Award in the Microbiology category.
Rohan Wagh, 14, grade 9, Sunset High School with a project titled, "A More Durable and Portable Microbial Fuel Cell that Utilizes Native Plant Based Activated Carbon Electrode and Carbon-Platinum Catalyst".
Divya Amirtharaj, 15, grade 10, Westview High School with a project titled, "Mobile Real-Time OCR for Visually Impaired Individuals".
*Divya was awarded the $500 Fourth Award in the Systems Software category.
Aditya Jain, 16, grade 12, Westview High School with a project titled, "A Novel Pan-Cancer Approach to Quantify Tumor Mutational Burden and Clinical Data Predictors for Immunotherapy Response towards Personalized Medicine".
* Aditya was awarded the $1,000 Third Award in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Beaver Acres ES process first Online New Student Registraion
Pam commented on how easy the process was and is looking forward to processing more students this way, “Finally got my first one in! I just completed the process and was amazed how easy it was.”
Jim Newton delivered her flowers as a special treat for being the first person/school to process a student through the online module with no paper. "This is a big milestone accomplished through a lot of work in the IT Department to make this happen," says Jim.
Sunset HS students create Spanish books for Barnes Kindergartners
Via FaceTime, the classes met to discuss some of the "favoritos" among Kindergarteners, which ultimately determined the topics and content of the books. Once published, students from Sunset traveled by bus to Barnes to meet their Kindergarten buddies in person and present them with their new Spanish books.
In response, the students at Barnes were excited to share some of their own published writing in Spanish with their new big buddies. It was an experience that everyone involved will always remember. The high school students were inspired by how much Spanish their little buddies knew, and the Barnes students were swept up in the simple joy of having the "big kids" they look up to take the time to give them a gift and share their love of reading.
*Submitted by Carol Baltazar
BSD students earn College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships
- Dante DeSimone, Southridge HS: Arizona State University Scholarship
- Arthur York, Westview HS: Oregon State University Scholarship
- Benjamin Bricken, Westview HS: Arizona State University Scholarship
- Sohui Cheon, Sunset HS: Northeastern University Scholarship
- Shail Rutvij Sesai, Sunset HS: University of Utah Scholarship
- Nikita Farhaj, Westview HS: Baylor University Scholarship
- Kathy Guo, Westview HS: Arizona State University Scholarship
- Cassandra Larimer, Westview HS: Brigham Young University Scholarship
- Grace Potter, Beaverton HS: Oregon State University Scholarship
- Sneha Shah, Westview HS: Oregon State University Scholarship
- Yijun Shao, Westview HS: University of Southern California Scholarship
- Louise Smith, Sunset HS: Harvey Mudd College Scholarship
- Jason Tai, Westview HS: Oregon State University Scholarship
- Ina Wang, Sunset HS: University of Southern California Scholarship
- Allen Yan, Westview HS: Baylor University Scholarship
- Alexander Yao, Westview HS: University of Southern California Scholarship
Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
Congratulations to all BSD National Merit Scholar winners!
Future Ready at Five Oaks Middle School
Recently, she and a science teacher set up a mini golf course in the Five Oaks Media Center and had teams of students programming their Spheros to navigate the course. The lesson was highly engaging with lots of programming, trial, and error.
Stoller Middle School MATHCOUNTS Team represents Oregon at National Competition
The Stoller Middle School team, coached by math teacher Manny Norse won both the Regional and State MATHCOUNTS competitions for the 6th year in a row!
The top four finalists from the State Competition advance to the National Tournament to represent the state of Oregon. Three of the four team members were from the Beaverton School District - two from Stoller Middle School, one from Meadow Park Middle School and one homeschooled student from Beaverton. (Pictured left to right: Noah Walsh, homeschooled, Brian Xu, Gopal Goel, Stoller Middle School, and Coby Tran, Meadow Park Middle School)
Nationally, the Oregon Team placed 7th which is the 2nd best that Oregon has ever done (the best was 4th place). The national contest was broadcast live on ESPN. Mr. Norse is already thinking and planning for next year’s competition so if there are any students that are interested, please contact him directly.
I.T. Department shares the love at the Oregon Food Bank
In total, they packaged more than 5,500 pounds of food which translates to each of them helping to provide more than 100 meals for those in need. The entire group felt that it was worthwhile and important to give back to our community are planning on volunteering again in the future with the Oregon Food Bank. "It felt great to be a part of a worthy cause as well as the opportunity to discuss hunger and homelessness with my son, Sam, the youngest member of the photo," commented Peter Sinclair.
"It was a blast. No shop-talk, just being together, sharing stories, and working to help those in need. In two hours we helped process close to 6,000 pounds of orzo! Very rewarding experience overall, We will do it again for sure," says Chief Information Officer Steve Langford.
Students across the District participate in the SpED Track & Field Meet
Coordinated by Greg Lukshaitis and the District's Motor Development Team, the meet offered every participant the opportunity to run a 100-meter race, and the choice of 15 different activity stations including: soccer ball kick, tennis ball throw, ring toss, archery, long jump, limbo, disc golf, javelin throw, giant beach ball volleyball, hula hoops, bean bag toss, crafts, face painting, hammer throw and bubbles.
Students in Katie Robinson's sports marketing classes volunteered to run the activity stations.
Every athlete received a gold medal and had a great day!
Westview 10th grader wins 2017 Teen Summer Reading Art Contest
Elena received a $150 gift certificate to Powell’s Books and her art will appear on all countywide Teen Summer Reading publicity this summer.
This is the eighth consecutive year that Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) has encouraged teens to capture the spirit of summer reading through their creative art. Thirty-seven pieces were submitted to the public libraries in Washington County during the months of January and February.
Congratulation, Elena!
Portland Timbers Stand Together Week brings community partners together
Volunteers raked and leveled the playground bark chips, weeded the interior and perimeter playground and blacktop area, and cut back massive overgrowth that impeded the perimeter walking path.
According to one volunteer, "It was a great community partnership event, with everyone in high spirits despite the drizzly weather. The playground looks brand new and I'm certain the kids will notice immediately."
"Our McKay community was highly appreciative of the work done at the Timbers 'Stand Together' community event. Staff noticed and appreciated the clean yard, raked playground and all the weeding that was done. Students were happy to be able to run around the track and not get caught by overgrown bushes. Community support like this helps students and staff feel valued and cared about by our community. We are very thankful for our community partners! Thank you Timbers, KPTV and Enterprise Rent-A-Car for bringing your big hearts to our little school," says Principal Erin Kollings.
The Stand Together Week also supported projects at Highland Park Middle School. Volunteers moved and revamped the school's MakerSpace to the front of the library from the rear corner, prominently showcasing the area. Students now see it immediately upon entering which peaks curiosities and causes them to inquire how they can get involved.
In addition, bookcases were moved, new bookcases were assembled, vinyl wall decals were added, and a 'green screen' was painted for filming & animation. This summer, once books are re-shelved, there are plans to integrate the wall shelves into the library space and add floor electrical so the 3D printer can be in the center without cords across the floor.
Westview Science Olympiad team goes National
The 15-member team includes: Benji Chiu, Divya Amirtharaj, Gokul Kolady, Grant Chen, Justin Bao, Justin Yang, Mahadevan Subramanian, Medha Prakash, Mukund Madhusudan
Nishit Mishra, Pranay Sharma, Prashanth Gopinatth, Shahir Rahman, Srikar Tallapragada,
and Anushka Naikwawar.
Two-three member teams represent the team as a whole in 23 different category events.
Congratulations, Westview!
Oak Hills Virtual Field Trip to Country Music Hall of Fame
The “Words and Music” project features a 10 lesson unit that helps students sharpen their skills on everything from vocabulary, how to choose a topic and inspiration, naming the parts of a song, theme, message, rhythm & rhyme, creating strong images, and using the five senses to make their music accessible to the greatest number of people.
The school will also receive a recording of all of the lyrics selected and songs performed.
Eight BSD teachers to participate in training for teachers of English Language Learners
Eight Beaverton teachers were selected to participate in the program:
- Kelly Cowgill, Barnes Elementary School
- Lauren McCartney, Meadow Park Middle School
- Saulo Hernandez Jimenez, Vose Elementary School
- Vincent Samatowic, Meadow Park Middle School
- Megan Poole, Meadow Park Middle School
- Kerensa Brougham, Meadow Park Middle School
- Floricel Negrete, Vose Elementary School
- Shosanna Halmon, Barnes Elementary School
Participants had to apply and answer key questions such as
- What experiences have you had interacting with English language learners?
- Describe any formal or informal education-related leadership roles you have taken on within your building, district, or professional organizations.
- Why are you interested in earning an ESOL endorsement?
- How does diversity impact K-12 schools?
- What does it mean to be a culturally responsive educator?
Participant essays were rated by three district reviewers and OSU reviewers. Then, OSU grant managers made final decisions on the selection for the cohort based on these ratings and the number of ELLs these teachers currently serve. The grant covers the tuition for their English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement which is about $10,000 per teacher.
The goal of the program is to improve educational outcomes for students who do not speak English proficiently when they enter school; these students are considered English learners. English learners face an achievement and opportunity gap that means they are less likely to complete school and go on to higher education, said Karen Thompson, an assistant professor in OSU’s College of Education, who is leading the project.
The number of English learners in Oregon has grown dramatically over the last 20 years and now makes up about 10 percent of the state's Kindergarten through 12th-grade population. But most Oregon teachers do not have specialized training or certification to work with English language learners; the state only recently began requiring newly-licensed teachers to have some basic competencies for working with these students.
Teachers who participate in the new grant project will have the opportunity to earn either an endorsement for teaching ESOL or a dual-language specialization for teaching students in two languages, Thompson said.
The grant funding will be used in part to cover teachers’ tuition. Teachers will take courses via Oregon State Ecampus, the university’s online education division. Each district will have a facilitator to provide support and hold in-person discussions with program participants.
Westview HS Unified Soccer Team has a successful season
Senior Ryan Kistler has coached the team the past two years. Ryan plays soccer on the Westview High School team during the regular season in the fall, and will play at Linfield College next year. "It was a challenge being the head coach. I had to organize practices, transportation and make sure everyone had paperwork in. I did, however, learn how to communicate and how to really work with the ALC kids," says Ryan.
"I will be attending Linfield College next year. I’m hoping after I get everything under control that I will go to the nearby McMinnville High School and try and get a Special Olympics team going there."
Pictured below: back row: (left to right) Ryan Kister, Lauren McClees, Michayla Sponsel, Amsilley Siagian, Nick Younkins, Takumi Jankovski, Felipe Fuke, and Akiva Wickramartna
Front Row: (left to right) Eddie Hughitt, Allyson Hooge, and Chris Jones.
Stoller Middle School named a Common Sense Certified School: Digital Leadership
Thanks to Sarah Blattner, Library Instructional and Technology Teacher (LITT), also a Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Certified Educator, Stoller Middle School is now recognized nationally as a Common Sense Certified School: Digital Citizenship. Sarah developed the Digital Citizenship curriculum that was implemented by Stoller's science/math enrichment teachers, building-wide. The curriculum covers topics like understanding our digital footprints, netiquette, online safety, cyberbullying, privacy, intellectual property, and savvy searching. The curriculum is structured around four learning pathways, specifically: Digital Footprint, NetSmarts, CopyCat, and Savvy Searcher.
According to Sarah, digital media and technology are evolving at a dizzying pace, both unlocking extraordinary opportunities and posing real risks for young people. Students are using the immense power of the Internet and mobile technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways never before imagined, both in and out of the classroom. But issues that emerge from this 24/7 "connected culture," such as cyberbullying, privacy lapses, and uncertainty about which information to trust online, are surfacing both in schools and at home.
Stoller Middle School sees these as teachable moments. They believe that digital citizenship skills have become essential for students in the 21st century, especially in schools like theirs that are using technology to transform learning. That's why they are committed to teaching their students how to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly.
Sarah will be a presenter at the National Council of Teachers of English 2017 Conference, which will be held in St. Louis, MO in November. She will lead a session on using Common Sense Media's resources for embedding digital citizenship into the daily curriculum.
Congratulations, Sarah and Stoller Middle School!
Living History Day at Aloha HS honors local veterans
Superintendent Don Grotting welcomed the veterans and students. Aloha students greeted the veterans with an impressive Honor Guard as they entered the school. Students in history classes had the opportunity to visit with the veterans about their experiences.
Social studies teacher, Vince Kirnak, supported by social studies teachers Scott Baker, Brian Bakanec, and the Social Studies Department coordinated the event. Business teacher, Jeff Smith from Sunset High School organized the honor guard.
Veterans were split into rooms, each room having representatives from all eras. Students rotated in 20-minute intervals and connected with several vets from different wars. Breakfast and lunch were provided by the Aloha High School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Community partner, Black Rock Coffee donated coffee for the event.
Sunset High School Honor by Listening honors local veterans
Honor by Listening hosted local war veterans for an inter-generational oral history opportunity. Veterans were welcomed to the school by Sunset’s Honor Guard holding American flags in formation.
Students had the opportunity to talk with the veterans to get a sense of what it’s like to serve during wartime and to learn life lessons. The event fosters inter-generational communication, and also allows students to grapple with how history is remembered and written. The event also fosters wonderful connections within the community that live on for years.
Watch the KATU feature below:
BSD Bands rock it!
The Southridge High School Wind Ensemble received 3rd place at the OSAA 6A State Band Championships.
The Meadow Park Middle School Marching Band earned a 1st place rating for the 5th year in a row at the St. John's Parade last month. Highland Park Middle School also won 1st place. Whitford Middle School and Mountain View Middle School earned 2nd place ratings.
Sunset High School Marching Band won 1st place in the In-State Open (100 or more) category at the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Aloha High School won 2nd place in the In-State Division A (99 Members or Less) category.
Congratulations!
Southridge HS Wind Ensemble
Meadow Park MS Marching Band
Sunset HS Jazz Band
BSD Rebels for a Cause recognized by Governor Kate Brown for tobacco prevention achievements
The award, a Douglas Fir tree to be planted at Beaverton High School, symbolizes every Oregonian’s right to breathe clean air free from dangerous tobacco smoke.
Rebels for a Cause was founded in partnership with Providence School Outreach in 2010, approximately 20 BSD students are currently Rebels.
Beaverton students honored as winners of 2017 Creative Expression Contest
The Creative Expression Contest is an opportunity for all K-12 Beaverton students to show their understanding of the importance of acceptance and human rights by sharing their feelings, opinions, experiences and ideas in a creative style. Entries could be in the form of essay, poem, spoken word, song, music, poster, drawing, collage, any art or craft medium, film, dance, or any combination of these. This year's winners include:
Elementary School:
First place: “Poem for the Dreamers,” Lucy Genck, Chehalem Elementary, 4th grade
Middle School:
First Place: “Being Black,” Celia Castillo-Torres, Arts and Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA), 7th grade
View all of the winning entries on the Creative Expression Contest webpage.
Construction Updates
Mountainside High School
Sato Elementary School
Vose Elementary School
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