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4A Daily News – Friday, January 4, 2013 Education in Tehama County Tadeo awarded feature teacher KEEP ON LEARNING More than so-sew Courtesy photo Courtesy photo Pictured from left are eScholar students Jonathan Fox, Steven Agens, Jessica Leaver and Samantha Leaver with a quilt made by Agens. When asked what qualities an exemplary educator has, Gerber School teacher Maria Tadeo says, "An exemplary teacher is patient with all students, generous, a good listener, encouraging, communicates effectively with students... and most importantly, never gives up." "This year Gerber School would like to recognize Maria Tadeo as our Feature Teacher. Maria has been a certificated staff member since 2009. Prior to her becoming the district English Language Development teacher, Maria has been greatly involved at the school as a parent, English Language Acquisition Chairperson, instructional aide, teacher intern, site FAST coordinator, and as a soccer coach. Her 'never say never' attitude is contagious with all staff. In Maria's world, there are no excuses. She is always looking for ways to make our school a better place for our students and community and is instrumental in helping parents communicate effectively with all staff. Maria is unselfish, hard-working and an irreplaceable member of the Gerber team, "said Rod Stone, superintendent at Gerber School. Like many outstanding teachers, Maria was inspired to become a teacher while a young student herself. "My first/second grade teacher, Mrs. Bauer, instilled a love of learning in me and I work hard to do the same for my students," she said. "Maria has shown a true passion for teaching and we are very pleased to recognize her with the Feature Teacher award," said Larry Champion, superintendent of schools. In addition to her dedication in the classroom, Maria recognizes other important factors in the learning process that exist outside the classroom. "Parents are important partners in their child's education," she said. She helps parents feel welcome by inviting them to sit in or volunteer in the classroom and encourages them to attend school activities like assemblies, meetings, and parent/teacher conferences. Maria also notes that she is thankful for the collaborative nature of the staff at Gerber School. "Our students need more than one person to guide their education and my colleagues are a wonderful support team. They are readily available when I need professional advice or to get ideas to help students. Working collaboratively has allowed me to grow professionally which benefits the students - having multiple minds to brainstorm ideas with is a powerful thing." The award is presented monthly by Tehama County Superintendent of Schools Larry Champion and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Tyler Smail, with the purpose of recognizing highly successful and talented teachers in Tehama County. For information, visit www.tehamaschools.org. By DAVID SPAN To wrap up the fall semester at eScholar Academy, students parents and staff enjoyed a morning of activities and entertainment. The morning started with a traditional breakfast of eggs and pancakes for the students prepared by Caitlyn Nichols and her teacher, Dianne Bassett. After the breakfast the choir, directed by Renee Holbrook, entertained with several traditional songs and a piano solo by Rebecka Farwell. Corey Pheiler and Jonah Bennett played guitar under the direction of Mike Schnase. There were also numerous displays of the artwork that the students had made in Anastasia Nelson's class in her studio. In place of traditional decorations, several colorful quilts were hung on the walls. The students in Paula Steen's quilting class had made them during the semester. Although some students had never used a sewing machine they produced quilts from the material they selected and which reflected their individual personality. "It is very interesting to teach this class," Steen said. "Just as in the pioneer days there is a lot of conversation during the two-hour classes by the students about numerous topics not related to school." The quilt featured in the picture was made by Steven Agens, second from the left, Jonathan Fox, Jessica Leaver and Samantha Leaver also made quilts. Jonathan indicated that he planned to give his quilt as a Christmas present. Courtey Photo "It always amazes me what students can do if just given a chance to enjoy other activities or elecMetteer staff and students gather for the Oct. 19 Walk-A-Thon. Pictured are Tanya and Darin tives in school than just academic courses that preLockhart, Anna, Anna Louisa, and Kate Borders, Jonathan and Roy Lousiale, Rosie and pare a student and all of these students have proven Marian McDonald, Phoebe, Hunter, and Harmony McGill, Shannon, Riley and Lukie Kershaw, it," eScholar Executive Director Dr. Harold Vietti James and Zackery Skaggs, Trisha Goff, and Joshua and Kingston Perreira. said. eScholar Academy is an online, public charter On Friday Oct. 19, 2012, awareness among students to help fund field trips for the subjects that your chilschool in Red Bluff and division of Mineral Ele- Metteer Elementary School about the importance of Metteer students. Field trips dren are studying and can mentary School. It can be found on the internet at held its annual Walk-a- health and fitness. All stu- can greatly benefit the stu- reinforce the principles outwww.escholaracademy.net. Thon Fundraiser. The stu- dents were encouraged to dents because children learn lined in their curriculum. If you have a child, dents walked or jogged participate and in the past from their experiences and around a 1/5 of a mile track, we have received enough these field trips allow them grandchild, relative, or trying to complete as many donations to award each to use their senses to gather friend that is a student at laps as possible during their participant with a prize, information about the world Metteer and you would like allotted 20 minutes of time. regardless of the number of around them. Field trips are to make a donation for a Students were encouraged laps completed. The goal also an excellent way to fos- good cause, bring your conto get as many sponsors as was to raise funds for field ter a higher level of thinking tribution to the office. Make Red Bluff's Aaron Hagen was named to the East possible to pledge an trips while advocating a because children are able to checks payable to: Texas Baptist University Dean's List for the 2012 fall amount per tap or just a flat healthy lifestyle. focus on how and why RBUESD and write "Metsemester. The Dean's List honors students who have a donation. All the proceeds from things happen the way they teer's Walk-a-Thon" in the 3.5 grade point average or above. This event helps build the fundraiser will be used do. Field trips help to enrich memo section. Metteer School's Annual Walk-a-Thon Hagen named to dean's list Schools embrace graphic novels as learning tool CHICAGO (MCT ) — In honors English class at Alan B. Shepard High School, sophomores are analyzing Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" with the help of another book filled with drawings and dialogue that appears in bubbles above characters' heads. "Capote in Kansas" is what generations of kids would recognize as a comic book, though it has a fancier name — a graphic novel. That honors students at the Palos Heights, Ill., high school are using it illustrates how far the controversial comic-strip novels have come in gaining acceptance in the school curriculum, educators say. Once aimed at helping struggling readers, English language learners and disabled students, graphic novels are moving into honors and college-level Advanced Placement classrooms and attracting students at all levels. They're listed as reading material for students in the new "common core" standards being adopted across the country, even though some naysayers still question their value in the classroom. There's no data on precisely how many schools nationwide use graphic novels. But no one disputes that in other markets the popularity of the comic-style books — adapted to classic literature, biographies, science, math and other subjects — is on the rise. Karen Gavigan, an assis- RED BLUFF UNION HIGH SCHOOL Calendar Changes for December & January December 14 Minimum Day Dismissal at 12:05 p.m. January 7 School in Session Dismissal at 1:19 p.m. January 14 Staff In-service No School for Students tant professor at the University of South Carolina who has focused her research on graphic novels, points out that their sales have increased by nearly 40 percent over the past 10 years. And public libraries have seen significant increases in circulation after adding such material to their collections. "A whole range of kids just love these," Gavigan said. Fans abound in English teacher Eric Kallenborn's sophomore honors class at Shepard. "It perfectly complemented 'In Cold Blood,'" sophomore Kyle Longfield said of "Capote in Kansas." He believes the story helped him better understand Capote's groundbreaking book about two killers and their brutal murders in Kansas. On a recent day, Kyle, 16, led his fellow honors students through a discussion that compared the depiction of Capote in the comic-book novel to the author's voice and literary style in "In Cold Blood." That discussion would have been considered unusual in the past.