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Health & Fitness

Annual Awards Dinner Toasts Top Teachers: Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Excellence in Education

The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Outstanding Educational Program Awards Dinner.

The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the business community and educational boosters gathered to toast innovative and remarkable educational programs in Carlsbad schools at the annual Outstanding Educational Program Awards Dinner.

More than 200 people attended the awards ceremony, held Friday, May 4 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Winners were announced in four categories, which included 11 finalists. The winners are:

 

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Best Arts Program

Carlsbad High School — Orchestra Program

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Teacher: Marina Hall

The CHS Orchestra program aims to be more than a class at school – it connects students to music in a personal, meaningful, lifelong way.  Performing a variety of music (from Mozart to Coldplay) proves to students that music is an integral part of their well-rounded identity.  Performing at a variety of venues (from concerts at the CAC & Carnegie Hall to demonstrations for Preschool & Elementary classes) exposes students to the broad audiences they have an opportunity to entertain.

 

Entrepreneurial Program

Jefferson Elementary – JR Business Expo

Teachers: Robin Knox, Rae Merritt, Eileen Peer and Norma Rathgaber

The JR Business Expo allows second graders to learn their Social Studies standards of basic economics and mapping skills by “adopting” a business in the Carlsbad community and learning all of the ins and outs of running it, from marketing to mapping it to showcasing it at the Junior Business Expo? Teams write letters to local businesses to invite partnerships.  The teachers schedule a visit.  During the visit, the students receive a tour, ask questions, and get a hands-on work experience.  To organize what they learn, groups develop display boards to tell about their partnership-business. The final outcome is a Junior Business Expo, an event that includes a business directory for visitors, groups of student “experts” to discuss their businesses with consumers, and even gifts for the business-partners.

 

Innovative Program

Jefferson Elementary — Lifelong Leaders

Lead Teacher: Estella Doncouse, Jill McManigal (parent)

Lifelong Leaders is a year-long leadership program for 5th graders at Jefferson Elementary School. It was developed in partnership with Kids for Peace, a global nonprofit founded and headquartered in Carlsbad.  Kicking off with a three-part seminar, the project teaches the tenets of leadership and civic responsibility. Using their learned skills with a focus on positive attitudes, the students work collaboratively in small groups to design and implement a meaningful service-learning project.  The student-led projects are addressing school bullying, seniors, hunger, animal care, the environment and world health. Empowered by the knowledge gained from the Lifelong Leaders Project, several students recently traveled to Washington DC to share their message of peace, unity and respect with the U.S. Congress and beyond.  The students presented on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, at a Democratic Caucus Meeting, at the U.S. Institute of Peace, to the Kenyan Ambassador and more. 

 

Science Program – El Camino Creek Elementary – Eco-Lution

Teacher: Jodi Greenberger

The ECO-LUTION program, at El Camino Creek engages students primarily due to the fact that the work they are doing is meaningful. At lunchtime, the students act as self-serve recyclers by separating their lunch waste into four separate areas; liquid waste, food to be shared, rot/compost, honest trash and clean/reusable. They no longer just "dump and run." Each child, from age five to age twelve participates in reducing, reusing or recycling food and material waste. “Green team” students supervise their peers and/or show them the way by example, they lead teams of younger students on trash patrols throughout the campus, they help sort, bag and bundle our plastic bags and bottles and they run the waste and worm compost programs. The students work in teams to decide what to plant in their classroom garden beds, they discuss their planting timelines and they decide on methods for weeding, watering and harvesting. Their ideas are communicated to their teachers either via Keynote presentation on their iPads or in small groups during garden rotations. The sixth graders collect and sort paper recyclables on Fridays and demonstrate critical thinking and time management skills as they plan their routes and quietest strategies for collecting in working classes.

 

“We all know that school funding is a big issue that impacts our community, and this event allows the business community to bolster Carlsbad’s teachers and show their support for education,” said Toni Padron, the chamber’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We want to let teachers know that we recognize their efforts to go above and beyond to educate their students.”

During the evening, winners and finalists were awarded funds to put toward the programs. The teacher of the year from each Carlsbad school and the overall teacher of the year from the Carlsbad Unified and Encinitas Union school districts also received special recognition.

The event included a reception featuring a display of each nominated program, a multimedia presentation of finalists produced by eMotion Web Video and a gourmet dinner. The evening’s emcee was Alexis DelChiaro, of KUSI’s “Good Morning San Diego.

The program sponsors were Hudson Printing, La Costa Resort and Spa, LEGOLAND California, Life Technologies, MiraCosta Colle­­ge, NRG Energy Inc., RAM Enterprises International, SD Trophy, Sylvan Learning Encinitas, Taylormade Golf, Tri-City Medical Center and Westfield.

For more information, call (760) 931-8400 or visit www.carlsbad.org

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