Time for geniuses at McKinley School

Before spring break, McKinley Elementary School’s third-graders participated in #GeniusHour! Each student took an idea from inspiration to presentation, shares teacher Matthew De Lucia-Zeltzer (Mr. D-Z). “They asked a question, or questions, about an interest they had, dove into discovery and created a written, digital and interactive way to present their learning to the parent and school community,” reports D-Z. This is just the latest innovative program happening in class. Students have also been busy working on storyboards for their entries in the Petaluma City Schools film festival event. Before that, they were part of the design discussion for the campus’ new outdoor space. The group had conversations with garden teacher Julia Luna and contributed to a vision board, which provided the opportunity for students to share ideas, potentially seeing some of their suggestions in the final project. Keep up the creative mindset, McKinley Mustangs.

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The State Future Farmers of America Degree program is the highest degree awarded to students in the California FFA Association. In order to receive this degree, students must complete an application and checklist, which states they have earned or invested a minimum of $1,000 and spent at least 500 hours on their SAE projects. They must also complete 25 hours of community service and participate in FFA activities above the chapter level. This prestigious degree is awarded to only 3 percent of all California FFA members. This year, Petaluma High School’s FFA program has 14 students receiving their State Degrees. Congratulations to Audrey Arntz, Hayley DeMartin, Emma Diaz, Andy Ghirardelli, Alejandro Gutierrez, Danielle Horick, Mia Lage, Kody Petrucci, Olivia Poncia, Amanda Rocha, Melissa Rocha, Rachel Spaletta, Luke Stafford, John Vosseler and Joe Yerion on a job well done.

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Petaluma Junior High’s Bantams were busy demonstrating their strategic skills and collaborative spirit at the Breakout Challenge. The activity was part of the campus’ Technology Tuesday Club. Students had to solve a series of coding-themed puzzles to unlock the box containing the final code needed to fix a failing computer network. According to staff, students solved binary code puzzles, created their own code to put clues in the right order and worked together to discover hidden hints. “They were rock stars and broke into the main box with plenty of time to spare,” the school staff reported. Technology Tuesday is an after-school program offered in the school library.

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Congratulations to Casa Grande High School teacher and United Anglers Fish Hatchery program director Dan Hubacker. A Gaucho and United Angler alumni, Hubacker is being honored as this year’s recipient of the Excellence in Education Award as part of the annual Petaluma Chamber of Commerce and Petaluma Argus Courier’s Community Awards of Excellence program. All are invited to celebrate all the award winners on April 18 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Rooster Run Event Center. For more information on the event and award winners, please visit petalumachamber.com.

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The River Montessori Charter School (RMCS) student body was working hard before Spring Break. Upper elementary students compiled business plans as part of the school’s upcoming Sustainable Business Faire event. These young entrepreneurs are drafting the plans to present to the RMCS “Chamber of Commerce” which will be part of an Earth Day program on April 22. At this gathering, the school community will see a variety of creative student-made products crafted out of reused and recycled materials.

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McNear Elementary School students are rolling into the spring season with a campus Bicycle Rodeo and Earth Day Celebration event slated for April 19. Students are being encouraged to ride their bike to school (wearing a helmet, of course) so at the end of the school day, they can participate in a fun bike skills and safety course from 3-5:30 p.m. on the blacktop. The program is offering a free bike check and simple repair station, educational activities, crafts, recycling tips and watershed/pollution reduction information as part of the afternoon’s community gathering.

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Also busy preparing for warmer weather and outdoor fun are Meadow and Corona Creek elementary schools who are planning the Waugh District’s annual Tulip Trot for May 19. The 5k race kicks off first with 1-mile Tiny Trot taking off right after. The course begins on the school’s playground and will go around the neighborhood. Stay tuned for more details.

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