Student-built 3-D models of cities are on display until 5pm today and during final events Saturday as part of the Future City Competition Arizona Region.

The competition introduces students to engineering as teams design and build their versions of  urban life in the future. Sponsored by the National Engineers Week Committee, the Future City Program takes place in more than 30 regions.

Part of the competition requires students to build three-dimensional models of their proposed cities. Students are challenged to build models within restricted measurements and must include one moving part. The amount spent on the project must not exceed $100.

Since the start of this competition 15 years ago, the Arizona region is the only one to offer a free public exhibition of the models. The models have been on display all week at Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix. Hours are 9am to 5pm and there is no charge to attend.

“It is interesting to see how the student models have evolved over this time,” region PIO Vi Brown said in a press release. “Models were very simplistic in design the first few years. However, as the schools and teachers became more experienced with the competition’s requirements, I’ve noticed more attention to details and creativity. The students’ models of today definitely reflect a more futuristic looks.”

The student groups who created the displays will each give presentations and have their work judged at the Future City finals, on Saturday, Jan. 28 at ASU Preparatory Academy, 735 E. Fillmore in Phoenix. The Arizona Region program will begin at 8 a.m. The competition is free and open to the public.

Bringing with him a wealth of knowledge about Mars and a distinct opinion on aliens, Randii Wessen, deputy manager for the Project Formulation Office at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will be the featured guest speaker.

Wessen is an astronautics systems engineer working in the field of planetary explosion, an experimental economist and author. He is currently working on the next Mars Rover Project at JPL, and will be sharing his knowledge with middle school students and parents in order to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

Wessen will work with students to build meteors using dry ice, then discuss the next Mars Rover and space exploration at lunch. In the afternoon he will be a judge for the competition finals, helping to select a first place team for the region.

“Given his wealth of knowledge, infectious humor and a love of working with youth, we are excited to have Dr. Wessen,” Arizona Region Coordinator Mike Andrews said in a press release.

Teachers have to be certified by the state in which they teach. In education classes they learn teaching methods, strategies and classroom management skills and they also must log sufficient hours in the content area they intend to teach. Middle and high school teachers must take specific classes in and/or be degreed in their content area specialty.

Truthfully though, it takes time in the classroom to make sense of the material you learn in education classes. Classroom management theories only make sense when 150 eighth graders are showing up every day.

In my experience, principals and vice-principals had little or no time to observe teachers beyond once or twice a year for a few minutes. The number of issues at any one school, both trivial and significant, is mind-boggling.

I was observed more in my first few years of teaching at Aztec Elementary in Scottsdale (when it first opened and the student body was small) than I was in the following eight years combined. That was a real luxury. There’s nothing better for a new teacher than meaningful feedback from someone who understands teaching. Especially when it’s something like, “I didn’t understand where you were going with your lesson. What was your intention?” It’s one thing to think you’re reaching a bunch of 8- and 9-year-olds, and another to know you are.

It takes time (years) to master teaching, so feedback and training is crucial.

The Scottsdale Unified School District recently honored nine teachers who received National Board Certification, bringing to 46 the number of national board-certified teaches in the district. Many districts have teachers who have put in the considerable time and effort to become certified above and beyond the state-required level.

National board certification is a process teachers voluntarily undertake to improve their teaching skills. Teachers demonstrate through portfolios, videotaped teaching and documented accomplishments outside the classroom their understanding of their students’ needs and their ability to meet those needs.

This is not a weekend seminar or an online class. It takes at least one year to complete. The certification process costs $2,565; of that, districts or the State will kick in $500. Fortunately, the national certification can lead to career and salary advancement. Nearly  100,000 teachers nationwide have earned national certification.

School districts also undergo significant processes to ensure they are meeting their students’ needs and making continual improvements. The Peoria Unified School District is the first Arizona school district to pursue AdvancED District Accreditation. AdvancED accreditation certifies that your child’s high school provides a program of study that results in meaningful high school credits when students apply to colleges and universities.

AdvancED also  works with districts to help ensure that K-12 systems meet the highest standards. The Peoria district has 40 schools, so the process is lengthy, complicated and will involve ongoing efforts. A meeting Feb. 8 in Peoria will provide information for those interested in the process.

Alessandra Isaacson sings a song dedicated to Chandler residents, of all heritages, who miss their homeland.

This year, 1,100 children submitted entries in performance, writing and visual arts categories. First place in performance for kindergarten through fourth grade was New Vistas first grader Alessandra Isaacson. She introduced her a capella song in both Spanish and English and dedicated it to those who miss their homeland.

“The song is about missing your home and having no one around who knows you,” Isaacson said in a press release from the school. “I like to sing in front of people. It makes me happy.”

In the writing category, Sasha Guntu won first place with an essay about coming to America.

Sisters Melinda and Madeleine Chang.

In visual arts, Madeleine Chang (5) came in third with a painting of a Chandler farm and her sister Melinda Chang (10) came in second for her depiction of downtown Chandler’s Farmer’s Market.

“There are 29 different people in my picture and they are all doing something different,” Melinda said in the press release.

Melinda also won first place out of 1,500 entries in the Centennial Poster Contest.

All first place winners were congratulated and awarded cash prizes at a Jan. 23 Chandler City Council Meeting. — Amy Vogelsang

Melinda's drawing of the downtown Chandler's Farmer's Market.

Melinda's first place winning entry of the Centennial Poster Contest.

The scholarship was created in August 2011 to allow talented high school students to enroll at the private school when they otherwise would not be able to afford it.

The scholarship was awarded to Ellis because he “embodies the zeal for learning and education that was envisioned when creating this scholarship,” Nathan Learner, Tesseract School parent and board member, said in a press release.

Green participated in many academic competitions throughout middle school, including spelling bees, science fairs and Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth competitions. He also enjoys playing clarinet and piano, hiking, swimming and creating computer-aided design projects. In order to incorporate a challenging yet nourishing academic environment that also met Green’s other interests, his parents began looking for the right high school.

After an unsuccessful start to his freshman year, Green’s parents looked into Tesseract.

“Tesseract’s learning environment is ideal for Ellis – it is personal, creative, challenging and meaningful,” Green’s father, Tyler Green, said in a press release. “The start to his freshman year at another school was distressing to him. Now he comes home and describes his classes as ‘awesome’ and ‘fantastic’ and his teachers as ‘really, really there for me.’ This school has been miraculous for him.”

The Ruth and David Learner Scholarship made it possible for Green to experience Tesseract School.

“We hope he is the first of many students who will gain access to Tesseract education via the Learner Scholarship,” Learner said.

The school also offers other scholarships in a variety of areas. To learn about the scholarship program and how to apply contact the director of admissions and community relations, Scott Salk, at 480-385-3673. To learn more about Tesseract School visit tesseractschool.org. — Amy Vogelsang

“It’s time to put children and parents first in the education policy debate, not the bureaucrats and not the unions,” Tom Jenney, director of AFP Foundation-Arizona, said in a press release. “Governments in Arizona spend over $9,000 a year on the average child in the public district schools, and yet 71 percent of eighth graders are not proficient in math and 73 percent are no proficient in reading.”

There will be a simulcast event with Fox News contributor Juan Williams and Hugh Hewitt that will also be aired live on the internet at www.PutKidsFirst.com. Tom Jenney, Education Policy Director Jonathan Butcher and Arizona School Choice Trust Executive Director Liz Moser Dreckman will hold a Q&A session on education policy reform.

This is one of almost 50 events taking place nationwide between January 22 and 28. Free tickets are available.

Students walk through the entry atrium at EVIT.

EVIT offers free classes and transportation for high school juniors and seniors to learn about a variety of fields including welding, aviation and 3D animation. Students can receive certification and even have a job before graduating high school. The program is also for college bound students who want to get a head start in learning about a particular field. More programs information can be found on the EVIT website.

The Career Fair is free and open to the public. Medina Zick, the youth and teen coordinator for Scottsdale Public Library, said there will be tables set up for teens and parents to visit and ask questions. There will also be a video production, refreshments, giveaways and a raffle for teens to win a flip cam.

“This can provide options to help kids who don’t really know yet what they want to do,” Zick said.

There will be another Career Fair on February 21 at the Palomino Library. If you have any questions about the Fair call the Scottsdale Public Library at 480-312-7327.

The hours spent in school are complemented by constructive activities after school.

One thing is clear, Arizona’s 76 percent high school graduation rate won’t cut it when most jobs require some post-secondary education, and many require a college degree. Most afterschool and out-of-school programs offer a full-range activities. When kids have hours after school lets out before their parents get home from work, these after and out-of-school programs fill a need.

Here is a link the the full report and the summary.

Students can nominate a teacher by filling out an application at Suns.com/gcueducator, and the Suns will choose one nominee each month for the rest of the 2011-12 season. Winners will receive four low-level seat tickets, $50 to the Team Shop and a chance to watch pre-game warm-ups from the team bench before having a photo taken on the court.

The nominee will also have dinner in the team’s Club Annexus. The student who nominated the winner will also receive four low-level tickets, and will be able to watch warm-ups with their teacher or counselor.

Amounts vary, but affiliates on Amazon.com can receive up to 15 percent of the sale price. Charitynavigator.org, the site that vets charities, offers a primer on charity malls. Their advice: the most efficient way to donate money to a worthy group is directly, as in writing a check.

The Sippy/Sport cup straw cleaner.

Momshelpingschools.com offers 40 percent of the total purchase price to schools, and they have a lot of products you probably haven’t seen very often, like the two products shown here.

The woman behind Momshelpingschools.com, Tamara Monosoff, also operates Mom Invented Inc., a site for entrepreneurial moms who have invented or are in the process of developing a product.

Momshelpingschools.com is just getting started and expects to offer fundraising services to schools nationwide in the first quarter of 2012.

The Sniffle-Duffle, a handy bag to stash used tissues.

The program provides matching funds for schools to plants trees, host a visiting arborist, memorialize their tree planting with a plaque and develop leadership skills in environmental stewardship.

“Canopy for the Next Century” is presented by the Arizona Centennial Commission & 2012 Foundation in conjunction with the Arizona Community Tree Council — with the support of a $10,000 grant from Salt River Project.

Schools have two options when applying for a grant. They can raise $250 and receive $250 in matching funds to plant two trees, or raise $125 and receive $125 in matching funds to plant a single tree.

Trees will be chosen from a pre-selected tree list, and participating schools receive age-appropriate educational lessons on the proper care and planting of trees. Participating schools must have irrigation and maintenance available on site.

Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Students, teachers and parents can nominate their school through an application process available online at az100years.org.

— Lynn Trimble

Image: Arizona State Library