Salinas City Teachers going to Las Vegas

A concerned reader alerted us to a three-day trip  17 teachers of the Salinas City Elementary School District will be taking April 1 through 4. The trip will cost the district a bit over $25,000, and the reader was concerned perhaps the money could be better used elsewhere.

Say, by bringing the training to the district instead of sending the teachers to Las Vegas.

But Superintendent Juvenal Luza says it's better for the teachers to go where all the professionals will be. The topics covered during the conference, mostly about developing "learning communities," work better when all the teachers are on board, he said.

"We discourage just sending one or two teachers. Sending 10 people is wonderful because the culture of the school is going to be better. At the end of every session, every day, participants debrief with the principal to say how can we move with this transformation? If a principal comes with one or two people, I don’t encourage that."

"Learning communities" is a fancy way for schools to say the teachers collaborate and learn from one another. It sounds simple, but in the hectic world of teaching, developing a culture where teachers sit down to share ideas and practices is a bit more complicated.

The trip has been authorized for eight staff members of Loma Vista and nine of Los Padres elementaries. 

Besides, sending several teachers and administrators on a trip is not new for the district, Luza said. About five years ago, the district rented a plane to send 100 teachers to Las Vegas, he said.

And going to Las Vegas is actually cheaper than going to Los Angeles, Luza said.

It must be all the free buffets the casinos seduce you with.

Antartica researcher Stacy Kim visits Stevenson's STEM program

Researcher and Remotely operated underwater vehicle developer Stacy Kim paid a visit to Stevenson’s Grade 6 STEM class to talk about her adventures in Antarctica's McMurdo Sound, ROVs, and her current research.

Stevenson’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program developed a highly technical ROV project that culminated with the Grade 6 students building, wiring, and piloting their own underwater "robots" in the Pirate Pool on the Pebble Beach Campus in February.

Kim lead a presentation and shared her experience with the students to aid, guide, and inspire them as they complete their projects.

Kim is a benthic ecologist and long-time Antarctica diver who studies seafloor creatures and marine life communities in waters below freezing. Her team developed and worked with SCINI (Submersible Capable of Under Ice Navigation and Imaging) that can go to depths below those accessible to divers.

Kim is currently research faculty at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. She has been featured on the BBC’s Frozen Planet, National Geographic, and the Today Show.

Jonathan Capuyan captures Monterey Countywide Spelling Bee

Jonathan Capuyan, an 8th grader from Palma School, won the annual Monterey County Spellinng Bee on Sunday at Harnell College's Western Stage.

Jonathan won  in the 19th round with the word expectant. He had  finished in second place in the 2013 Countywide Spelling Bee.

Jonathan also correctly spelled the words: barley, maraca, implement, sukiyaki, entourage, samovar, karaoke, escargot, sassafras, commensurate, balalaika, edelweiss, proofread, bloodless, barrier, recipe, therein, and wither.

As champion, Jonathan will represent Monterey County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area May 25-31, 2014. Airfare, accommodations and expenses for a week of tours, activities and the spelling competition will be provided for the champion and a parent by community partners.

Roober Cruz, an 8th grader at San Benancio Middle School, came in second place. Roober and Jonathan went head to head in rounds 8 through 18. Roober correctly spelled the words: sumo, knavery, incorruptible, guilder, mystique, banzai, charpay, innocuous, halal, mercerize, madeleine, mukhtar, refrain, consort, cobwebby, scourge and victim.

Elijah Herrera is an 8th grader at Mission Union School. He correctly spelled the words transect, repel, bower, extravaganza and genre.

Congratulations, champions! You should be proud of your accomplishments.