EDUCATION: STAR LAB

First-grade students from Dennis Earl Elementary School in Turlock were able to stare in wonder at constellations inside of a Star Lab Planetarium on Thursday. Earl Elementary borrowed the planetarium from the Stanislaus County Office of Education for a one-day star lab.

Helping Hawks lend a helping hand

A group of about a dozen students from Delhi High School have stepped up to form a new community service club known as "Helping Hawks." The Helping Hawks, named after the school mascot, recently developed into a fully school sponsored club after several students served food at an area homeless shelter.

Donkey ball

Hilmar High School seniors donned their most outrageous outfits and brought their donkeys to school for the annual senior class basketball game. The senior fundraiser game has been held for more than 40 years in a row and helps pay for senior activities including a senior trip. This year the game set an all-time attendance record. The boys won the game, 28-26, thanks a buzzer-beater shot by senior ...

UNIVERSITY: WARRIORS HOMECOMING

California State University, Stanislaus students kicked it old school during the final day of homecoming celebration activities. Due to rain, the homecoming parade went from an outdoor float decorating competition, to an indoor shopping cart decorating contest.

TCHS junior accepted to West Point summer leadership camp

In the Truax family's case the saying "the apple doesn't fall from the tree" rings true.

EDUCATION: YOUNG ARTIST

Pitman High School junior Chole Littrell created a fine piece of art work, which is now displayed in the school office. The mosaic is made of broken pieces of colored glass and cement, carefully constructed to resemble the famous Beatles Abbey Road album cover from 1969. It took Littrell a month to carefully construct the pieces of glass. The young artist plans to pursue art as her major ...

NJROTC: PASS IN REVIEW

Turlock High's Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps received high marks during their Pass in Review ceremony on Tuesday. Capt. Wencesalo gave the Turlock NJROTC 9 out of 10 for performance.

EDUCATION: HONOR BAND

Four students from Pitman High School's band and orchestra were selected to the California All-State Honor Band and Orchestra. Marcelle Winkler, Andrew Grishaw (orchesta), Bryan Rosales and Brandon Crawford are scheduled to perform this weekend in the California All-State Music Education Conference at Saroyan Theater and the Fresno Convention Center. Pitman High Band Director Ruben Modesto said the four practiced almost every day for at least one hour ...

Keyes to Learning Charter students earn accolades, get head start on college

Rachel Segars has been getting a jumpstart on her college career, while earning credits for high school graduation. She took both Intro to Music and Marine Biology through California State University, Dominguez Hills while still in high school. High school senior Danae Johnson was recently accepted to Cal State Stanislaus and will enter with six college units after she took Intro to Art and Intro to Music while still attending high ...

Hilmar students mind their Ps and Qs

There were no elbows on the table or shoveling of food into mouths last Thursday at Hilmar Junior High's annual Etiquette Day event.

Budget committee recommends cuts to schools days, salaries

The Turlock Unified School District's Budget Advisory Committee will recommend the TUSD Board of Trustees cut salaries and reduce the number of days in the school year.

Playing games at Pitman

Who knew playing games such as Warhammer 40,000 or Yu-Gi-Oh could increase adolescent problem solving capabilities, analytical skills and even social skills?

Turlock Junior High extends learning day with after-school program

After-school programming at Turlock Junior High has taken a leap into the technology era with Wii game systems, flat screen televisions and the latest in video gaming technology.

TUSD continues eCademy public forums

Imagine a day when Turlock Unified School District students could have NetBook computers instead of paper textbooks. When the day of lugging around heavy backpacks filled with over-sized textbooks are gone. A day when students can do homework and participate in classroom discussions from practically anywhere they want, whenever they want. Well those days are just months away for TUSD's non-traditional students. <font ...

MJC, Cal State Stanislaus partner in Turlock education center

California State University, Stanislaus and Modesto Junior College announced on Wednesday a partnership which will see MJC offer classes on the CSU Stanislaus campus.

'Dinosaurs of California' topic of next MAPS public lecture

The Modesto Area Partners in Science will offer a presentation by Richard Hilton on "Dinosaurs of California" at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Forum 110 at Modesto Junior College, 435 College Ave. in Modesto. Professor Richard Hilton will discuss dinosaurs and other fossil Mesozoic reptiles found in California and the people involved in their science. Bones, originally deposited in sediments between 210 and 65 million years ago, have been discovered in the rocks of ...

TUSD restores library positions

The Turlock Unified School District is bringing back at least one victim of the recent budget cuts - library resources. On Tuesday, the TUSD trustees voted to restore hours to current library technicians and create three new positions. The "There's a combination of library technicians who are currently divided into the school sites and many of them work very few hours," said TUSD's Director of Human Resources Jason Maggard. "We wanted to ...

Class gives Hilmar students skills for success

Many high school students think that career planning happens once they have entered college. On the contrary, career planning is a process that begins during high school, a task that Hilmar High holds as a standard. Hilmar High helps junior and senior students get a jump start on finding their career path through the ROP Business and Marketing Course. Through this special course, students are taught how to produce a portfolio with a ...

Mountain View students collect pennies to save lives

Students from Mountain View Middle School learned a penny can go a long way through their participation in a fundraiser for patients who suffer from leukemia and lymphoma. For three weeks the school collected pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters and raised more than $400 for the Pennies for Patients organization, which helps with funding for scientific research through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Student Council Advisor Kathy Cook said students were excited ...

Earl students connect with elders through letters

Love was in the air at Cypress Assisted Living on Wednesday morning as third grade students from Earl Elementary greeted their pen pals with gifts in honor of Valentine's Day. The residents showed their affection in return by showering the students with candies, stuffed animals and other memorabilia. "The kids were extremely excited to meet their pen pals," said 3rd grade teacher Deserae Cook. "It was a good experience for them to go ...

Cuts continue for Denair schools

Valentine's Day was a somber event for the Denair Unified School District as it continued to process cuts for the 2013-14 school year. Trustees voted to cut 14 high school teachers' school hours, most for one period each. The elimination of hours will save the district $457,356, equivalent of 7.24 fulltime slots for the 2013-14 school year. "As board members, we understand that decisions that we make are going to affect a ...

TUSD moves forward with science, technology program

The Turlock Unified School District's plan to implement a program that will give students the leg-up they need in science and technology was approved by the Board of Trustees. Starting with the 2013-14 school year, the STEM program will be offered to 30 seventh grade students as an elective program at Turlock Junior High School. This systematic approach will integrate the content and skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics over the course ...

Local students turn imagined ag stories into award winners

One local student imagined how an ordinary egg journeys to the supermarket and eventually the breakfast platter. Another taught a city girl what it takes to live on a farm. Still another explained the importance of barn owls during harvest season. These three young authors won top honors in the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom's 18th annual "Imagine this&hellip;" writing contest. For Gratton Elementary fourth grader Morgan Gravatt, seeing her ...

Celebration of science

TUSD applies for USDA Farm to School grant

The Turlock Unified School District is looking to bring even more fresh fruits and vegetables to its students through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant. The district is applying for funds from the federal program, that, if granted, will help buy seed and supplies for a new farm being constructed at Turlock High School. Once fully implemented, the THS farm could potentially supply 10 to 20 percent of the fresh ...

A fun trip to the dentist?

Dozens of schoolchildren entered the First Step Dental office Friday morning; for some a first-time dental experience. The purpose of annual field trip day: make children more comfortable with going to the dentist and teach important dental hygiene skills. The Turlock dental office hosted the field trip as part of Children Dental Health Month and taught the importance of brushing and flossing, nutrition and a fun introduction of the dentist chair. "This ...

THS finalist for classroom makeover

When Turlock High School yearbook advisor Virginia Barr entered her classroom one morning in December 2011, she was surprised to learn that a flood had destroyed her entire classroom from the inside. "The torrent of water passed through me when I opened the door," said Barr. "Our books were covered in mold. Aside from losing files and computers, our students lost valuable time in completing their assignments. Our computers were filled with water. ...

Sacred Heart celebrates Catholic Schools Week

As parishes across the nation celebrate Catholic Schools Week, students at Sacred Heart School in Turlock marked the annual event with a jog-a-thon, open house, and musical presentation. From special masses to open houses, Sacred Heart found ways to mirror the National Catholic Schools Week theme of "Catholic Schools Raise the Standard. " This initiative seeks to ensure that these high standards are met at catholic schools across the country. "Catholic Schools ...

Science holds the key: STEM program to open at TJHS

With the onset of the recession and high unemployment rates, education is fundamental in succeeding in today's economy. The Turlock Unified School District is looking to offer a program that will give students the leg-up they need to compete in high-demand science and technology fields. The STEM program, a systematic approach that integrates the content and skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, will be integrated over the course of three years and ...

Turlock High principal moves to district office

Turlock High School students began 2013 with a few changes, as longtime principal Dana Salles Trevethan moved into a position at the district office and assistant principal Marie Peterson stepped up to lead in her place. On Jan. 10, Trevethan sent a letter to parents announcing her departure from Turlock High School and her move to the Turlock Unified School District under Superintendent Sonny DaMarto. "I will relocate to the district office ...