THE CHALKBOARD: Students teach community about Thompson Creek

Mrs. Reyes’ fourth-grade class, Mrs. O’Niell’s fourth and fifth-grade class and all first graders in Ms. Megna and Ms. Beavers classes from Grant Elementary School hosted the Thompson Creek Community Day. Students created online books to teach the community about the creek. They posted QR codes so people can use their personal Smart Phones to access the information students gathered to learn more about the habitat and history of the area. Grant students have planted trees, shrubs and grasses in the creek area over the last two decades. “Many classes are using the creek to teach environmental science. The watershed study was the result of Tami Jimenez drafting the unit. Then Julia Megna participated in the Project Based Learning unit Writing Professional Development last summer, forming a partnership with the Petaluma City Schools, The Buck Institute and Friends of the Petaluma River,” shared Grant principal Emily Todd.

“We all met at the creek entrance on Sunnyslope Road, where it meets with East Sunnyslope Road and crosses I Street, for this fun and educational community building event. Students were stationed around the creek to answer questions and share the information they have researched,” said Todd.

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Spring concerts and student performances are taking place throughout our local schools this month. Valley Vista students took to the stage last week and hosted family and friends for their school’s Spring Concert, which included a lively Rumpus in the Rainforest performance by the two first-grade classes. Grant School fifth- and sixth-grade students performed a variety of songs to entertain the crowd at their annual Chorus Concert followed by a Band Concert by some very talented musicians. Wilson School’s Wildcats showcased their students’ stage skills with a Talent Show. Loma Vista Dual Immersion School rocked the house – schoolhouse that is – with their school-wide performance, which included the inaugural concert of the new cultural music program, Marimba. Students used large-scale xylophones and percussion instruments (drums, rhythm sticks, and rattles) to create the sounds of traditional Latin American, African and Caribbean music. An added bonus was the teacher performance of Marimba. What a way to lead by example.

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Demonstrating other forms of creative art were the St. Vincent Elementary School first graders who used their creativity when they came to school dressed as their favorite fairytale character, and presented their own art project depicting the characters they read about. From Goldilocks and the Three Bears to Snow White and so many more.

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Students from the Old Adobe District’s La Tercera Elementary and Petaluma City School’s McNear Elementary enjoyed visits to the Petaluma Arts Center last month. The fourth graders participated in the PAC’s Visual Thinking Strategies educational program led by trained volunteer docents. Students and docents examined four installations of artwork in the venue’s current exhibition “Cast, Forged & Welded: MetalWorks,” according to PAC Executive Director, Val Richman. This program incorporates an already used method of instruction in the classroom to explore the artwork on display at the art center.

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The Petaluma High School Agriculture Department and Petaluma FFA have enjoyed an eventful year including the State Champion in Farm Business Management award earned by Kelsey Martin. Kelsey and her team placed fourth overall and are all underclassmen who, will be back next year for a shot at the team title, according to Petaluma High School Agriculture Department teacher Jake Dunn. Other teams brought home honors with the school’s newest Dairy Cattle Judging team placing third overall. Best Informed Greenhand, Agricultural Mechanics, Ag. Welding and Livestock judging teams also participated and placed in the top 20 of their contests during the year. Dunn shared that the Petaluma FFA hosted its annual Awards Banquet on May 18, with more than 200 guests in attendance recognizing students for their hard work and dedication this year. For the second year in a row, the Penngrove Social Firemen honored an outstanding senior in the Agricultural Mechanics program with the Bill King Memorial Award. This award is based on the student’s desire to utilize the skills they have learned in the program as a career. This year’s recipient is Cole Petersen. Cole is graduating and headed to Santa Rosa Junior College to pursue a degree in Agriculture. Congratulations, Trojan FFA students.

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(Maureen Highland is a Petaluma mother and executive director for the Petaluma Educational Foundation. She can be reached at schools@arguscourier.com)