The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the business community and supporters of public education gathered to celebrate innovative and remarkable educational programs in Carlsbad and Encinitas schools at the annual Outstanding Educational Program Awards Dinner.
More than 250 people attended the awards ceremony, held Friday, May 9 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. Winners were announced in four categories: The Arts, Entrepreneurial Program, Civic Responsibility Program and STEM Program. The Civic Responsibility and STEM awards were new additions to the program.
"As a business organization, the Civic Responsibility Award allows us to recognize programs that are teaching our children to be responsible citizens," said Toni Padron, the Chambers executive vice president and chief operations officer. "We also expanded the science award we used to give into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) because that is where the top jobs of the near future will be found."
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 program sponsors were NRG Energy, Inc., Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and Westfield Carlsbad. Award sponsors were: LEGOLAND California Resort (Civic Responsibility Program); Sylvan Learning Center (Entrepreneurial Program); Thermo Fisher Scientific (STEM Program); and Tri-City Medical Center (The Arts Program).
This year's winners are:
THE ARTS CATEGORY:
The Art of Penmanship, The Great Handwriting Challenge
Buena Vista Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Shannon O'Brien
Principal: Tina Howard
Operating under the thought that good handwriting leads to a more organized approach to communication, maximizing critical thinking and boost creativity, the program instructed students in correct penmanship and helped to identify and correct bad handwriting habits. It culminated in a contest that resulted in prizes and recognition for the winners.
ENTREPRENEURIAL
PROGRAM CATEGORY
Team Time
Ocean Knoll
Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Angelica Lopez
This literacy program used a data-driven business model to help identify underperforming students and used data results to define the problem, identify an appropriate intervention and track progress. This approach helped the school significantly close the achievement gap between underperforming students and their classmates.
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
Ocean Knoll
Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Ashley Tarquin
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) is a curriculum designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child (social, physical, emotional, cultural, and academic) as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The strong character development embedded in the program made a marked difference in behavior on the campus by reducing the number of discipline referrals and improving classroom conduct. It has led to efforts at recycling, the creation of a greenhouse on campus that grows food for local schools and a program that encourages students to walk, ride or roll to school to reduce pollution.
STEM PROGRAM
Secret Garden Project
El Camino Creek
Elementary School
Lead Teacher:
Kathy Hacker
The Secret Garden Project got rid of paper and pencil and created a 100 percent hands-on lab for all students in an outdoor classroom setting. The garden serves as an additional lab to introduce students to scientific methods through plant-related experiments. Additionally, the garden provides a place to study weather, insects, soil and other environmental topics.
More than 250 people attended the awards ceremony, held Friday, May 9 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. Winners were announced in four categories: The Arts, Entrepreneurial Program, Civic Responsibility Program and STEM Program. The Civic Responsibility and STEM awards were new additions to the program.
"As a business organization, the Civic Responsibility Award allows us to recognize programs that are teaching our children to be responsible citizens," said Toni Padron, the Chambers executive vice president and chief operations officer. "We also expanded the science award we used to give into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) because that is where the top jobs of the near future will be found."
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 program sponsors were NRG Energy, Inc., Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and Westfield Carlsbad. Award sponsors were: LEGOLAND California Resort (Civic Responsibility Program); Sylvan Learning Center (Entrepreneurial Program); Thermo Fisher Scientific (STEM Program); and Tri-City Medical Center (The Arts Program).
This year's winners are:
THE ARTS CATEGORY:
The Art of Penmanship, The Great Handwriting Challenge
Buena Vista Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Shannon O'Brien
Principal: Tina Howard
Operating under the thought that good handwriting leads to a more organized approach to communication, maximizing critical thinking and boost creativity, the program instructed students in correct penmanship and helped to identify and correct bad handwriting habits. It culminated in a contest that resulted in prizes and recognition for the winners.
ENTREPRENEURIAL
PROGRAM CATEGORY
Team Time
Ocean Knoll
Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Angelica Lopez
This literacy program used a data-driven business model to help identify underperforming students and used data results to define the problem, identify an appropriate intervention and track progress. This approach helped the school significantly close the achievement gap between underperforming students and their classmates.
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
Ocean Knoll
Elementary School
Lead Teacher: Ashley Tarquin
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) is a curriculum designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child (social, physical, emotional, cultural, and academic) as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The strong character development embedded in the program made a marked difference in behavior on the campus by reducing the number of discipline referrals and improving classroom conduct. It has led to efforts at recycling, the creation of a greenhouse on campus that grows food for local schools and a program that encourages students to walk, ride or roll to school to reduce pollution.
STEM PROGRAM
Secret Garden Project
El Camino Creek
Elementary School
Lead Teacher:
Kathy Hacker
The Secret Garden Project got rid of paper and pencil and created a 100 percent hands-on lab for all students in an outdoor classroom setting. The garden serves as an additional lab to introduce students to scientific methods through plant-related experiments. Additionally, the garden provides a place to study weather, insects, soil and other environmental topics.