Idaho State University awards $14 million to incoming freshman
Idaho State University is giving more than $14 million in Idaho resident four-year recruitment, Step Ahead and Honors Scholarships to more than 2,500 new, incoming Idaho students who are admitted to enter ISU in the fall of 2018.
“The amount of money that Idaho State University gives to Idaho students is substantial and our numbers are up in scholarship offers compared to previous years,” said Debbie Green, ISU director of scholarships. “We want these Idaho students to come to Idaho State University, graduate and, eventually, work in Idaho. ISU invests in Idaho students.”
The scholarships are available to any new, first-time, incoming freshman who is graduating from an Idaho high school or equivalent and who have applied to ISU by Feb. 15 with at least a 3.0 unweighted grade point average and/or 20 or greater ACT composite (1020 SAT). Home-schooled students or students who have received their GEDs in state are eligible for consideration if they have an ACT or SAT score on record.
“We’ve awarded these incoming freshman scholarships to students from 147 different high schools in the state,” Green said. “They’ve been given to students from small schools and big schools.”
Incoming scholarships are awarded annually for four years as long as recipients meet the requirements of the program. Click here for details about the program.
Boise school to host Earth Day event
Students, teachers and community members are welcome to attend Hawthorne Elementary School’s Earth Day celebration on Friday, April 20. This is the fifth-year the school has hosted the event to promote garden and environmental education. The event will feature 25 educational experiences including, chickens, worm composting, seed planting, art projects, bike repair, yoga and fish.
“Hawthorne Elementary is the perfect place for an urban-school garden,” said Amy Pence-Brown, the school garden coordinator. “Building this garden and expanding our outdoor educational opportunities brings together our students, parents and Vista neighborhood community members by providing projects that beautify the school, teach us about our food sources, and help us further appreciate our native environment.”
The Earth Day event starts at 3:45 p.m. and goes until 5:30 p.m.
SONIC Drive-In asks for help raising money for Boise teachers
SONIC Drive-In is matching all donations made to Boise School District teacher projects dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 through a partnership with DonorsChoose.org. The funds will help teachers get supplies to help their students learn.
To help support Boise teachers, click here. You can donate any amount to their project. SONIC Drive-In’s Limeades for Learning program helps provide support to public school teachers and students by funding classroom projects.
DonorsChoose.org is a non-profit organization created to facilitate crowd-funding in support of public school teachers.
Students to take part in mock disaster drill
Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School students will participate in mock disaster simulation on Friday, April 27. Students will practice rescuing and treating victims. The purpose of the mock drill is to help students use skills they learned throughout the school year.
“Students will put themselves in a type of a stressful situation all for learning,” said Carie Staub, a teacher at Meridian Medical Arts Charter. “We’re not expecting perfection, it’s a disaster, even the professionals don’t end up with perfection.”
The mock drill is at Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School and starts at 12:45 p.m. on April 27.
State Department of Education partners with Harvard for innovative pilot program
Nearly 20 Idaho high school teachers will travel to the Harvard Business School in September for an all-expense-paid opportunity to help pilot a new way to teach teenagers about American democracy — the High School Case Method Project.
“Through the Case Method, high school students will learn history in the present tense, stepping into the shoes of historic decision-makers grappling with the quandaries of their time,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said. “
In the Case Method, teachers and students learn through groundbreaking cases from U.S. history, spanning topics that range from the writing of the U.S. Constitution to the 19th century secession of the South and the 20th century struggle for voting rights.
U.S. history and government teachers from all parts of Idaho are invited to apply for the three-day professional development opportunity through the State Department of Education. The application deadline is May 23.
The State Department of Education will cover expenses for selected teachers to travel to Boston for the Sept. 23-25 workshop, and Harvard Business School will provide lodging, meals and materials while the teachers are there.
The 20 Idaho educators will be part of a 100-member cohort from across the nation. Previous workshops have been limited to teachers from the Eastern United States.
Selected Idaho teachers must agree to teach at least four cases to their high school classes during the school year, collaborate with other team members and share what they’ve learned with other teachers through presentations and sharing of materials.
The goal is to spread the Case Method throughout the state, and the State Department of Education aims to send more teachers to Harvard Business School for the training in future years. The SDE plans to cover teachers’ travel expenses this fall with existing funds but will include the project in future budget requests, Cook said.
Teachers interested in applying can email Social Studies Coordinator Peter Kavouras at [email protected] to get more information and application forms. Completed applications must be received by May 23.
