Local business gives teachers money through grant program

Two years ago GDI president Grant Davis started the "Adopt-A-Teacher" grant program. But in two years Davis said he has only received a grand total of two requests for funds.

Learning about space

Walnut Elementary Education Center celebrated "Space Week" this week. Space week started 15 years ago to commemorate astronaut Alan Sheppard's first U.S. manned space launch. Students at Walnut learned about aerodynamics, flight control and design, and rocketry. Fifth grade teacher Bret Sutterley said Space Week is now done in conjunction with California Standardized Testing to loosen up what can be a tight atmosphere on campus.

Renaissance kid

Pitman High School Principal Rod Hollars has worked in education for decades and has never seen a child so young and gifted as Kohl James.

School district dealing with Sacramento failures

After months of trying to work out problems with legislative Republicans, Gov. Jerry Brown called off budget negotiations on Tuesday.

TUSD school communities raise funds for sixth grade camp

Where there's a will, there's a way. In a remarkable display of cooperation, dedication and commitment all nine Turlock Unified School District elementary schools raised enough funds to send every single sixth grader to Foothill Horizons camp in May.

Wakefield students have ‘no excuses’

There is a simple theory that if you tell kids over and over again they are unlikely to succeed because they come from bad neighborhoods and are growing up in poverty, they will do exactly what society tells them to do, which is fail.

Cancer doesn’t keep Osborn student down

If you ever get a chance to meet Adham Hamza it will be hard to forget him. He has that much personality. He has been known to literally talk non-stop for hours and the whole time he will have a smile on his face and unrelenting enthusiasm for wherever his creative mind takes him.

Julien students blast math at competition

A group of sixth-grade students from Julien Elementary in Turlock recently competed in the Stanislaus County Math Blast. More than 200 sixth-grade students from across the county participated in the event.

Hilmar student earns dairy scholarship

Modesto Junior College student and Hilmar resident Karessa Mann was selected as a 2011 scholarship recipient by the Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA), a national milk marketing cooperative.

Crowell principal earns top honors

Before Linda Alaniz became principal of Crowell Elementary School in Turlock five years ago, there was a slight disconnect between parent, teachers and administrators. While the school was functioning, it wasn't doing so at its highest level, according to numerous parents and teachers on campus.

Local students excel at Occupational Olympics

The 26th Annual Stanislaus County Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition was held Wednesday at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock. More than 800 students from county high schools participated in 23 competitive events. In addition to the events 54 business and industry representatives exhibited and spoke to students during the Career Expo.

Turlocker named Middle School Teacher of the Year

Turlock resident Jeanne Hartman, a resource specialist teacher at Empire Elementary K-8 School in Empire, was recently named the California League of Middle Schools' "Middle School Educator of the Year."

Junior high rallies ‘Just for Jeremiah’

About a month ago Turlock Junior High School seventh grader Jeremiah Coghill started feeling ill. He was weak, had random nose bleeds, and was sleeping 20 hours a day and he had lost 15 pounds.

Pentathlon athletes bring home top honors

Denair Middle School seventh-grade students were big winners at The Stanislaus County Academic Pentathlon, held last Saturday in Modesto. The Pentathlon is a one-day, five-event competition for county seventh and eighth grade students. After weeks of coaching, studying and preparation, students gather and are tested on their knowledge in literature, math, science, social science, speech and essay writing. Other local seventh grade winners included Sarah Reedy (TJHS- silver ...

CSU system faces drastic cuts in enrollment, employees

The California State University system will likely enroll at least 10,000 fewer students and cut employees to meet a $550 million funding gap, according to a report delivered to the CSU Board of Trustees Tuesday.

Local students get Ag Edventure

Earl's Cardoso earns Teacher of the Year honors

Dennis Earl Elementary third grade teacher Michelle Cardoso strives to take her students' learning beyond the classroom and into the community. And it's her drive to go beyond the expected that earned Cardoso the title of 2013 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year for the K-3 grade division. "I truly had no idea that I would be the one to receive the award," said Cardoso. "It definitely was the cherry on top ...

Walnut teacher earns county's top education honors

Jamie Garner, a sixth grade teacher for the Discovery Math Science Program at Walnut Elementary, has long been a treasured educator to her students. Now, Garner's exemplary teaching has also earned her the title of 2013 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year for the 4th-6th grade division. "It's because of the school that I am in this position," said Garner. "I love teaching here because we are given so many opportunities to do ...

Warrior Day 2013

California State University, Stanislaus students celebrated the end of another year at Warrior Day on Friday. This annual campus party was almost canceled last year due to concerns about alcohol sales and consumption. In 2012, a scaled-down, student-only event was put together at short notice. On Friday, the event was back in full-force - although still sans alcohol. A series of bands played at the outdoor festival and students were able to get ...

CSU Stanislaus interim president may soon become permanent

An open forum was held at California State University, Stanislaus on Monday to discuss the potential permanency of Interim President Joseph Sheley. University students, trustees and department heads evaluated Sheley's performance, pointing out both the good and areas in need of improvement throughout the campus. Much of the university's tribulations over the past few years arose from system-wide budget cuts implemented due to lack of funding statewide. Like many other California universities, CSU ...

More cuts in store for Denair schools

Denair Unified's new interim superintendent didn't pull any punches during Thursday's board of trustees meeting, calling for even more cuts to help fix the district's financial problems. He also, however, rescinded previous teacher lay-offs that didn't "make sense" to him. "The district will get back to where it was," said Interim Superintendent Walt Hanline. "It'll be back. In order to that we're going to have to suck it up and make the cuts." ...

Playground to parking lot

While students across Turlock have been enjoying the warm spring weather during recess and physical education time, students at Julien Elementary have been watching the bulldozing of their playground. The Julien construction plan, which includes the creation of a new parking lot, is a point of contention between a group of parents and Turlock Unified School District administration. In 2006 the district authorized spending $9.9 million for a series of modernization projects, with ...

Sacred Heart students learn the pioneer way

Fourth and fifth graders at Sacred Heart Elementary School will take a step back in time to the pioneer days as part of the Yosemite Environmental Living Program. During an overnight visit at Yosemite on May 20, students will confront the problems of the pioneers by performing tasks such as cooking, blacksmithing, spinning, candle dipping, covered wagon packing, square dancing and craft making - all without electricity. "Through this program students will discover ...

Local dairywoman donates $1 million to UC Merced

When it comes to educational opportunities, Turlock native Margo Souza believes that it is better to give than to receive. The 74-year-old former president and CEO of Turlock's Circle H Dairy Ranch Inc. donated $1 million to UC Merced in an effort to create leadership initiatives for Merced's diverse student population. In April, the school pledged to establish the Margo F. Souza Leadership Center within UC Merced's Office of Student Life. The ...

TUSD prepares for shift in classroom instruction

As public schools across the country transition to the new Common Core Standards, which will change the way math and reading are taught nationwide, the Turlock Unified School District is already adopting the approach by building a foundation for a better tomorrow for its students. On Tuesday, the TUSD trustees were presented an overview of the district's Common Core Transition and Implementation Plan, changing the way students will learn in the classroom. CCS ...

Proposed smoking ban passes at CSU Stanislaus

A proposed mandate to ban smoking passed with 69 percent in California State University, Stanislaus' recent Associated Students Inc. elections. The elections are voluntary, so although it may seem that the mandate passed with flying colors, the ballot may not accurately represent the entire student population. Not everyone chooses to vote for student government. "I didn't even know it was up for a vote," Alicia Sablan (junior, Political Science) said. "I would've ...

Career Fair puts Pitman students on the right path

Pitman High School junior Trevor Knudsen came to the 4th annual Career Fair on Wednesday with pressing questions about his future. Knudsen, along with hundreds of other students, left with a better understanding of what types of jobs and educational opportunities are available thanks to the 25 businesses, colleges and agencies from the Central Valley that attended the event. "I learned about all the different careers and pathways I can take once ...

Passion for music

The piano notes that flow from Neve Foresti's fingers tell the story of a young woman whose passion for life centers around music. At her short 13 years of age, Foresti, a resident of Denair, has achieved musical excellence and will soon put her abilities on display as she will be attending the prestigious Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy. The program will involve intense musical study for three weeks in July, with ...

Running for Boston

Even though Boston is 3,000 miles away, the victims of the recent marathon bombings are in the minds and hearts of the students at Osborn Two-Way Immersion Dual Academy. Over 750 students from Osborn participated in a jog-a-thon on Friday to raise money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Osborn students raised $3,000 for The One Fund Boston, set up by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to ...

Denair students Picnic for Earth

Over 300 students from Denair Elementary celebrated everything 'green' on Tuesday by holding a Picnic for Earth in honor of Earth Day. As part of the "All Hands on Earth" campaign, an organization that is celebrated worldwide, Denair took the pledge to spend the entire month of April learning about the importance of nature and its impact globally. "Picnic for Earth is about coming together to celebrate nature," said Denair Principal Fawn Oliver. ...