FRIDAY FOLDER 7/31/09: A roundup of regional school news

FRIDAY FOLDER: A roundup of regional school news

D-12 board to discuss proposed drug-testing policy
The Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 board will hold a work session at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the district’s proposed random drug testing of students involved in extracurricular activities. A draft policy has been posted on the D-12 Web site for several months, and it has been on the agenda for several board meetings. If D-12 adopts such a policy, it would be the first in the Pikes Peak region and among only a few statewide. The meeting will be at the administration building at 1775 LaClede St. It is open to the public, but no public comments will be taken. To see the draft policy and the agenda for Monday’s meeting, go to www.cmsd.k12.co.us/d12/board.

Enrichment program for home schoolers opening
There’s a new school dedicated solely to home schoolers.
Mountain Vista Home School Academy will have a one-day-per-week program for home-schooled students in grades 1-12. Although it’s in Harrison School District 2, the program is open to any home-schooled student in the Pikes Peak region.
The free program includes six instructors who will teach enrichment classes, including hands-on science classes, art, technology, Spanish, history and language arts.
In addition to the core classes, 9th through 12th grades will do research papers, study the U.S. Constitution and prepare for SATs. There will be elective classes such as math and music, plus after-school clubs, guest speakers, and field trips.
Only home schooled students can enroll, and they will be able to retain their state home school status.
The school is at located at Mountain Vista Community School, 2550 Dorset Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80910. (near Circle Drive and the U.S. Highway 24 Bypass). To enroll, visit mvhsa.org or call 896-6056.

School board candidate packets available Wednesday
Those interested in running for area school boards can pick up petition packets Wednesday and begin circulating them. Fifty seats will be up for grabs among the 17 school districts in the Pikes Peak region. Most are four-year terms, but there’s a handful of shorter terms because those board members left mid-term and were replaced by appointees. Potential candidates can get more information and petitions from the district administration offices. For a list of openings, go to www.gazette.com/articles/board-59089-chance-run.html.

CC gets $869k in grants
Colorado College has been awarded three grants totaling $869,000 that will enable the college to develop a new language and culture program, support education exchanges with two Brazilian universities and help further a professor’s research of compounds that fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded CC $414,000 over two years to develop a Mediterranean languages and culture program and enhance teaching foreign languages to faculty.
CC also received a $264,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support semester-long student and faculty exchanges with two universities in Brazil.
A three-year grant of $191,317 from the National Institutes of Health will enable Rongson Pongdee, assistant professor of chemistry, to continue research on antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

D-49 kicks off the back-to-school season
Wow! Is summer really “over?” Students in Falcon School District 49 head back to class next week, and students in other school district will follow suit throughout August. The last district to start classes is Woodland Park School District RE2, where classes begin Aug. 26. As schools reopen, lights will begin flashing in school zones, warning drivers to slow down.

-- Gazette staff