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Clovis Unified School District — WHERE CHARACTER COUNTS!

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April 2022 Volume 24, No. 9
TM               and at CUSD.COM

Clovis Unified School District
1450 Herndon Ave.
Clovis, CA 93611
CUSD begins phasing
Kindergarten program

	CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION: FIREFIGHTING PATHWAY

Gearing Up for the Future

Clovis Unified’s CTE Firefighting Technology students are finally able to put on turnouts and climb about a multi-story fire-training tower to learn first-hand about firefighting techniques. The Clovis Unified practice tower, built in partnership with the City of Clovis Fire Department, was completed in June 2020 but it could not be used by students due to COVID restrictions until just last month. CTE instructor and retired Clovis Fire De-partment Captain Randy Finfrock said the facility is an exciting addition to his class, and his students agree. Said Chaz Casey, a junior from Clovis High,“I really enjoy how this class is so hands-on and visual. This is how I learn best.” He said he’s quickly learned how physical firefighting is and, for example how heavy hoses are to pull through a building. “For me to see how tough being a firefighter really is, it makes me want to do it even more.”	Learn more: cusd.com/cte
Photos special to CUSD Today

This helps give our students a world-class
career technical education as well as a realistic, but safe, experience.
Capt. Randy Finfrock CUSD CTE fire technology instructor
Retired Clovis Fire Department captain

in Universal Transitional

■ New grade level for 4-year-olds provides early learning, engagement

CUSD Today

Clovis Unified will grow its transitional kindergarten program in the coming years as part of state Legislation that requires pub-lic schools to make TK available for all 4-year-olds by the 2025-26 school year.
“Essentially, we will be adding a new grade level.We will go from a K-12 district to a TK-12 district,” said Superintendent Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D.
While kindergarten and tran-sitional kindergarten will both technically remain optional for parents to enroll their students in California, studies show that early enrichment education can play a vital role in a student’s learning abilities and success in later years, especially considering the amount of brain development that occurs before the age of 5.
“Research indicates that TK improves pre-literacy and literacy skills, and mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills,” said Janet Samuelian, administrator of professional development for CUSD Curriculum and Instruc-tion.
Clovis Unified first began its transitional kindergarten program several years ago when the state shifted the kindergarten enroll-ment eligibility dates for students to turn 5 by September instead of December.
The district’s current program is for children whose birthdays fall during that timeframe between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2.
With the state’s new require-ment, Clovis Unified will extend the birthday range each year to add more students until in fall

Photo special to CUSD Today Transitional kindergarten will be available this coming 2022-23 school year for kids who turn 4 be-tween Sept. 2 and Feb. 2.

2025, the program will be fully implemented and available for all children turning 5 between Sept. 2 and Sept. 1.
This fall, for the 2022-23 year, students turning 5 between Sept. 2 and Feb. 2 will be eligible to enroll in TK; in 2023-24, the range will be Sept. 2 through April 2; and 2024-25 it will be Sept. 2 through June 2.
TK class size will be 24 students with two or more teachers per class. The district is in the process of developing instructional, staffing and facilities plans for this new grade level. Like kindergarten, transitional kindergarten will be a half-day session.
Enrollment for the fall is un-derway. For more information, please visit cusd.com or your local school site.

State assessments return

See Page 9

Signups start soon for CUSD summer programs

See Page 6 for more information

CUSD Today

Following a hiatus due to COVID-19 impacts, the California Department of Education is again requiring public schools to administer the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) as a way to evaluate student learning. Students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests in English language arts and math; students in grades 5, 8 and once during 10th, 11th or 12th grade will take the California Science Test (CAST); and students in Special Education who have been designated will take the California Al-ternative Assessment (CAA) in the same grade levels as the SBAC.
The re-implementation of the annual state as-sessment will aid in monitoring student progress and needs to ensure that all students leave high school ready for college and careers. The assessments will be shorter than previous years and are computer adaptive tests that adjust depending upon a student’s answers to better reflect that student’s knowledge and experience.
The testing window is already in progress and will conclude on June 3. Families and students will be notified by their school site about assessment dates. Individual score reports will be made available through Q-Parent Connect in the fall.
More: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/

Getting ready

A child who feels com-fortable and relaxed when taking exams can
perform his or her best, which results in a more accurate assessment measure. Parents can help their child prepare by:

Explainingthat the tests are tools to help them learn, and there’s no need to be anxious or scared.

Exploringthe practice tests with your child at https://www.caaspp. org/practice-and-training/ index.html so he or she can be-come familiar with the platform and setup of the tests.

Remindingyour child that you and their teacher want them to try their best and are there to help, every step of the way.

Makingsure your child gets a good night’s sleep before exam day and eats a healthy breakfast.

Learn more about the tests: https://ca.startingsmarter.org/

INSIDE:

ACADEMICS
CUSD students excel at science fair Clovis Unified student scientists excelled in the
y
annual Fresno County Science Fair in March, with 29 earning top spots in their categor . Page 11

ANNOUNCEMENTS
New student registration Registration is underway for the 2022-23
school year for students who will be new to the district. Page 3

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE
LCAP creates supports for students LCAP is a plan developed with our educational
team, parents, students and the community to identify needed services and supports. Page 5

Page 2	CUSD Today	April 2022

April 2022	CUSD Today	Page 3

➤Announcements

Update on vaccination mandate
Many in the community have questions regarding the status of COVID-19 vaccination mandates that have been talked about at the state level for students and employees. As of press time, nothing is final and Clovis Unified is awaiting more information from the Governor’s Office and/or the State Legislature.
In October 2021, Governor Newsom announced inten-tions to add into government regulations:
■ Mandated COVID-19 vaccination for students in public, private and charter schools. If added into regulations, exemptions for personal and religious beliefs would be available to parents.
■ Requirements that all educational employees be vac-cinated against COVID-19.
Gov. Newsom tied the timing of these requirements to full FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccinations for the pop-ulation aged 5-15. As of press time, full FDA approval has not been granted and the requirements are not in effect.
Two bills were introduced for consideration by the State Legislature related to COVID-19 vaccination, that if approved by both the Senate and Assembly, and signed by the Governor, would replace any regulations from the Governor’s October announcement. They are SB871 (requires school immunizations for students without exemptions) and SB866 (allows anyone 12 and older to receive vaccinations without parental consent).
Updates about these proposed bills can be followed at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/home.xhtml.

New student registration
Registration is underway for the 2022-23 school year for students who will be new to the district. Instructions and online pre-registration forms for enrollment from preschool to 12th grade are available on cusd.com or at school sites.

‘Cinderella’ opens April 21
Buchanan High’s Bear Stage Drama will present “Cin-

derella,” the classic musical about a young girl burdened with chores who dreams of a better life.
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 21-23 and 28-30 at the Mer-cedes Edwards Theatre, 902 Fifth St., Clovis. A matinee will be offered at 2 p.m.April 23 and 30. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students; they can be purchased at www.bearstage.org.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ in May
Clovis West High drama students will perform “Alice in Wonderland” in May, featuring the crazy characters of Wonderland including Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat.
This mainstage show has a unique interpretation as students in Clovis West’s CTE Theater Production course created their own concepts of the play that have been applied to the upcoming production, whether it’s the play poster idea, costumes or sound. They are also
working with Tremendum Pictures – one of the owners is a Buchanan High graduate – to film part of the show in advance and play it during the performance.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. May 5-7 and 12-14 at the Dan Pessano Theater, 2770 E. International Ave., Fresno. A matinee will be offered at 2 p.m. May 14. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students; they can be purchased at https://cwhsdrama.weebly.com/.

Theater celebration May 20
From lead actors to technicians to set designers, this year’s talented students in high school drama will be rec-ognized at the CUSD Celebration of Theatre at 6:30 p.m. May 20 at the Mercedes Edwards Theatre.
The gala will include a red-carpet walk for the arriving “stars,” a photo spot and student performances from some

of the 2021-22 school year musical productions. Graduating seniors will be honored, and there will be presentations of technical theater awards.
The new event is in lieu of the annual Danny Awards that is on hiatus this year due to COVID.

Free online tutoring
Clovis Unified intermediate and high school students can access free, online tutoring for their classes through a partnership the district has created with the Princeton Review’s tutor.com. Subjects range from algebra and calculus to chemistry, English and physics. Students can access the service through their Clever account.

SPECIAL EDUCATION Exceptional Person Awards, April 28

The Special Education Exceptional Person Awards for this school year will be presented April 28 at a reception honoring 17 Clovis Unified employees and volunteers. The event starts at 7 p.m. in the CUSD Professional Development Building, 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis.
The award recognizes those who work with or support students with special needs and whose qualities include devotion, hard work, grit, creativity, integrity, initiative, compassion and talent. The honorees were nominated by
families, staff, students and volunteers. Advisory meeting, May 25

The Special Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will meet at noon, May 25 at the CUSD Professional Development Building, 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis. A parent workshop will precede it at 11 a.m. The meeting topics will be “Annual Service Plan Review SPED Budget & Student Voices.”
The committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Special Education Local Plan Area. Its meeting is open to the public. For information call 327-8455 or email familyresource center@cusd.com.

Latino conference challenges, inspires

Musician shares own p
of drive, determinationath CUSD Today

His music has filled the room at many Clovis Unified Latino Student Success Conferences, but this year electric violinist Patrick Contreras grabbed the mic as the event’s keynote speaker.
“Music helped me survive,” Contreras told an audience of several hundred high school students in March as he shared his raw story about growing up in a Fresno neigh-borhood with gangs, violence, drugs and crime.“There were some streets you just didn’t walk down, especially if you were a small boy carrying a violin case.”
Early on in his life, he took to heart the words of his grandmother who told him to find his gift, to find what he loved, to pursue it and don’t look back.
Contreras is known for his unique style and interpre-tation of songs using his violin and has performed at venues around the state and beyond. He plays his own versions of everything from rock to blues to classic music while often leaving the stage and moving directly through the audience as he plays.
“For me, it was music, but you all have something,” he told the students encouraging them to find what they love and to never give up. He illustrated his points with

his stories and what he described as his “hustle” or drive to figure it out. Like how he wanted a game player as a kid – “and we had absolutely no money for that” – so he began playing his violin by taco trucks to earn tips. Or when even recently COVID erased his entire year’s concert schedule and income, so he had the idea to offer Porch Concerts where he’d play for people outside of their front door. The latter was such a hit and so unique that it was picked up by national media and Contreras appeared vir-tually on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to talk about it.
“Find that thing that you love, and with drive and hustle, believe in yourself, and you can do it. I don’t know what challenges you might be facing, but take the good and the lessons you’ve learned, and leave the bad behind,” he said.
Following the keynote speech, students spent the day in three breakout sessions: Meet the Mentors; College/Career Fair; and Cultural Presentation. During lunch, there were student performances by El Alma de Clovis High, Remix and Latin Dance from Clovis High, Aguilas de Oro de Clovis West, Ballet Folklorico de Clovis East and Los Aztecas de Buchanan.
“The purpose of this conference is to provide students with the opportunity to meet exceptional mentors, key community members, and role models. Our goal is to motivate students and help them to realize their own po-tential for success,” said the event planning committee.
A special presentation was also held in which the CUSD

CUSD Today photos by Kenny Gilman. Latino Trailblazer Award was renamed in honor of the late CUSD Police Officer Jesse Ceron who started a Latino Club at Kastner Intermediate and began a districtwide leadership conference for middle school students.

Intermediate school conference honors CUSD officer

More than 200 Clovis Unified sev-enth- and eighth-grade students gathered at Kastner Intermediate in March for the Officer Jesus Ceron Latino Student Success Middle School Conference.
“Si Se Puede” (“Yes You Can”) was this year’s theme, as students were em-powered with leadership skills from suc-
cessful local Latino leaders like Dr. Hank Gutierrez, Deputy Superintendent of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and Richard ‘Tío’ Delgado, CUSD Student Relations Liaison.
This year marked the renaming of the conference in honor of Clovis Unified Police Officer Jesus “Jesse” Ceron who passed away in 2021. Officer Ceron was passionate for students and helping them succeed. He started the Latino Club at Kastner while an officer there, and he went on to create the districtwide CUSD Latino Middle School Conference.

Page 4	CUSD Today	April 2022

down with par-
VISION

April 2022	CUSD Today	Page 5

LCAP dialogue creates supports for students

By Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D. Superintendent

LONGER days and new fo-liage and flowers are just one thing I	love	about

Spring. The other is the chance af-forded as we de-velop our Local Control Account-ability	Plan (LCAP) to sit

Ed.D.
ents, staff and	Eimear O’Brien, students and talk
about how we can best grow and get better as a school district.
Well over a hundred meetings held over Spring invite rich conver-sations about what is working and what can be refined in our services to students who face challenges such as poverty, learning English, or living in the foster youth system. Our LCAP is a systemic plan that we de-velop together with our educational team, parents, students and com-munity partners to identify services and supports that can be intention-ally woven into our schools. You can learn more about our LCAP by contacting our Curriculum and In-struction Office.
In addition to academic inter-vention programs, emotional well-ness supports, translation services, and reducing class sizes, our LCAP conversations resulted in the creation and expansion of what we call our Transitions Team.
These are multi-faceted teams of educators, counselors and support providers who are specifically focused on coming alongside students facing challenges to encourage, equip and engage them with school to ensure success.
Since 2015, these teams have al-lowed us to expand support systems that have always existed in our dis-trict, but that often existed in shared roles and responsibilities and com-peted with other priorities for time and attention. Transitions has been

a purposeful and successful invest-	serve as Foundation for Clovis	just a beautiful person. I know she ment in our kids, but they don’t op-	Schools directors. Their partnership	will stay on track, graduate with a erate alone.When we say,“Everyone	makes possible $2,000 college schol-	great GPA, go to college, and do who works in Clovis Unified is an	arships for each Student of Prom-	everything that she wants to do in educator,” it is much more than mere	ise.	life.”
words – it is absolute truth.                       You can read more about the          Speaking directly to her nominee I was reminded of this fact at the      program itself on Page 9 of this     the night of the scholarship awards, Foundation for Clovis Schools’ March      issue of CUSD Today, but suffice to     Beth said with high emotion, “You 23 Students of Promise event, where      say that the students being recognized     are an amazing, and wonderful, and 32 students were recognized for per-      have gone through challenging ex-     beautiful, and spirited, and talented, severing through hardship to make      periences. Like Counselor Beth Led-     and smart, and gifted student of education a priority. This event was      erach said about her nominee, “I     promise and there is NOTHING
made possible through an incredible	don’t know that I would have had	that you can’t do!”
group of local business leaders who      the strength to persevere through a          Beth was one of well over a dozen raise money for our schools and      story like the one she has, but she is     counselors, teachers, instructional

LESSONS

Inspirations by, for and from our CUSD students

Special to CUSD Today “Jumper,”“Meatballs” and “Chunky Monkey” were among the 50 frogs entered in Cedarwood Elementary’s recent 26th Annual Frog Jumping Contest.“It’s the most anticipated event of the year,” said Principal Matt Lucas. Students get on hands and knees, encouraging their green jumper toward the winner circle by blowing or patting the ground.While some hop right in, others jump in all directions, even making a home in un-known whereabouts on the campus. Said Lucas,“They are heard throughout the year.”

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” LAURA INGALLS WILDER, AMERICAN WRITER

assistants and transition team mem-bers who see into the lives of our students, and who devote themselves to lighting a spark of hope and imagination in our students. It’s humbling, not just to hear the stories of our Students of Promise and to know the grit they are showing just to come to school each day, but also to see the depth of care and com-mitment our educators have for their students. The evening is always filled with laughter, and with a lot of tears, as we celebrate the heart of what great education is – people called to a career devoted to uncov-ering potential in our young people and encouraging them toward a bright future.
Also at the event, the Foundation had invited a special guest speaker. Coreen Campos was herself selected as a Student of Promise recipient as a Clovis Unified student in 2005, and since then has gone on to succeed as a college graduate, wife, mother and non-profit executive.
“There were a few on the Clovis High campus who knew my sto-ry… who knew that there was more to my story than just being a knuck-lehead on campus. They saw my promise, just as much as my pain,” she said about the educators who came alongside her as a high school student. “They became my people. My lifeline… that cared for me and believed in me not despite these things, but because of them.”
We have another saying in Clovis Unified,“It’s people, not programs, that make the positive difference for our students.” What a stirring reminder Coreen’s words were of just how important our people truly are in educating and inspiring our students, and how valuable education is in our world. Her words also con-firm the important work of the LCAP and what we can achieve when we come together in our efforts to do our very best for all of our students to succeed.
I invite you to share your com-ments, participate with us and keep informed about the LCAP at cusd.com/LCAP.

Crystal Award winners show Clovis Unified at its best

Editor’s note: Clovis Unified celebrated 15 employees for their exceptional work conducted in the 2020-21 school year with a Crystal Award, the district’s highest employee honor. These educators – ranging from teachers and principals to counselors and secretaries – were nominated by their peers, and then selected by judging panels made up of Clovis Unified employees who followed a rubric outlining the high criteria for the award.
In this issue of CUSD Today, we conclude our profiles of these inspiring employees that have been published alphabetically starting in the February edition.
Full videos of winners and the ceremony can be found at cusd.com/crystals.

By Kathleen Coates Special to CUSD Today

Kevin Miller
Clovis North Educational Center Transition Coordinator

As a 27-year district employee, Kevin Miller has made a positive impression on many dating back to his first days as a teacher. Now he is being recognized for his “over-the-top” efforts as a transition coordinator for the Clovis North Educa-
tional Center.
Students assisted by the Transition Team can have life challenges and be at risk of not succeeding. But Miller is determined not to let that happen. He has taken his role and expanded it in order to find ways to engage and motivate students toward success. He and his team created SMART goals for students, incentive plans and personally checked in with each student daily if they were completing credit recovery courses. As a result, students met their goals and passed their classes.
Miller – who all of Clovis Unified knows from his crazy

➤The Crystals
A full list of this year’s winners and videos from the awards presentation can be found on-line at cusd.com/crystals

antics as the emcee of the district’s annual General Session – is a doer. During his volunteer gig for the mega-back-to-school rally, his larger-than-life personality motivates 5,000 educators to be champions for all kids. He can even get teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and school nurses up out of their seats to dance.
He also helps students to make good choices, whether that’s emceeing a Red Ribbon Week rally or helping the girls basketball team organize a fundraiser to help kids in need with holiday gifts.
Committed to academics, supportive of good character, believer in one’s capabilities – Kevin Miller is passionate about seeing students succeed.
Dan Pearce
Buchanan High CTE/ROP Video Production Instructor

Dan Pearce is Buchanan High’s video production instructor who has a back-ground of 19 years working for Technicolor in Hollywood.When the world shut down because of COVID-19, Pearce stepped up to offer his expertise in creating videos and making public service announcements
to be used as models for other schools in the district. Each video meant hours of set-up, recording raw footage, editing and final production, but Mr. Pearce didn’t skip a beat.
Pearce also found a way, even with distance learning, to

— ABOUT US —

continue producing Buchanan High School’s student news series Bear News Network (BNN) to provide some normalcy for students and staff.
The demand for Pearce and his student video team in-creased tenfold in 2020-21 when school campuses closed, and communication became paramount. He could have easily removed production and BNN from his curriculum during that time, but Pearce does not take the easy way out. Instead, he took on far more projects and extended himself so that he and his team could be helpful to the Buchanan community and to the district.
His students have won Emmy Awards for their work under Pearce’s tutelage, and likely will do so again. This time, the award deservingly goes to him.
Teri Smart
Gateway High & Alternative ` Education School Secretary

The superlatives keep coming when people talk about Teri Smart, Gateway High School and Alternative Education’s school secretary.
Here’s just a few quotes from her col-leagues who nominated her: “She goes above and beyond what is needed to ac-
complish success with all students” … and … “In my 33-year-career, I can honestly say that I have never met anyone who cares more about her job and the individuals she sup-ports.”
Without a doubt, Smart, a 21-year Clovis Unified em-ployee, is a very special person. She does not say no when asked to be part of something on campus. She oversees the school’s Facebook page and is a Project Smart mentor. She helps run school fundraisers and community events. She does it all!
Working as the transition secretary led her to dedicate

➤ Please see Winners,Page 10

CUSD Today, Clovis Unified’s good news publi-cation, is sent directly to the homes of all CUSD parents and staff, as well as district supporters. In an effort to unify the CUSD community, the newspaper highlights the achievements of Clovis Unified students and staff; profiles new and updated Governing Board policies; and shares general news and information happening within the district.
Circulation: 34,000.
Funding: All costs associated with producing, printing and mailing CUSD Todayare entirely funded by our advertisers. To show your appreciation of their support, we ask you to consider patronizing these businesses and services as the need arises.
Story submissions: Please submit all ideas to the Site Coordinator at your school. Please contact your school to find out who your Site Coordinator is. Editorial deadlines are two weeks before the pub-lication date.We do our best to include as many sub-missions in each issue as our editorial space will al-low.

CUSD Today Staff

Publishing & Editorial Clovis Unified School District 1450 Herndon Avenue Clovis, CA 93611 Telephone (559) 327-9094 cusdtoday@cusd.com

Kelly Avants, APR Chief Communications Officer
327-9092 Patti J. Lippert Managing Editor
327-9094 Nancy Porter
Advertising Specialist 327-9095 Verna Garcia
Graphic Designer 224-9711

CUSD Governing Board Members

Y
Tiffany Stoker Madsen	David DeFrank	olanda Moore President                                           Vice President                                        Clerk
392-1014	327-9000	437-6580

Hugh H.Awtrey                                  Steven G. Fogg                            Betsy Sandoval 437-6580                                                269-7000                                         291-7564

CUSD Administration

Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D.	Norm Anderson Superintendent                                                  Deputy Superintendent
327-9100	327-9107

Robyn Castillo, Ed.D. Corrine Folmer, Ed.D.	Barry Jager	Michael Johnston Associate Superintendent	Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent
Instructional Services	School Leadership	Human Resources and	Administrative Services 327-9373                            327-9350                   Employee Relations                  327-9110
327-9308

science, sports and more
Page 6	CUSD Today	April 2022

Summer activities plentiful in Clovis Unified

n Sign-ups starting for art,

CUSD Today

Summer break is just around the corner and Clovis Unified has several opportunities for kids to enjoy a variety of engaging activities that will start taking signups soon. Whether that is taking a two-hour class twice a week on “Playwriting,”“No Bake Desserts” or “Foot-ball Fundamentals,” or joining one of the sum-mer academies and exploring construction, game design or human anatomy.
The following district programs are avail-able:
Campus Club
Summer Campus Club not only provides care for students of working parents, but also it enriches the lives of students through ex-panded learning opportunities. Campus Club’s Summer program is offered June 13 to Aug. 5 at selected elementary school sites.
Summer Campus Club provides students with an outlet to explore and learn while having fun. Activities such as arts and crafts, recreation, cooking and educational science projects let kids have fun and learn. In addition to field trips, the program will also have on-site visitors such as Wild Child Adventures, better known as The Bubble Guy, and Safari Encounters that brings a variety of animals including a sloth.
The full-day fee is $50. Students must be enrolled a minimum of three days a week, and parents can pick which week or weeks their student will attend.
Registration forms will be available online via Parent Connect at the end of April. En-rollment is based on a first come first served basis as some locations fill quickly.
Details:	CUSD	Campus	Club	at cusd.com/CampusClub.
CART Summer Academy
CART – the Center for Advanced Research and Technology that is a joint project of Clovis and Fresno unified school districts – offers a Summer Academy for children who will be in fourth through sixth grade in the fall of 2022. The one-week session is from 8 to 11:30 a.m. June 13 to 17 at CART, 2555 Clovis Ave., Clo-vis.

Students will be enrolled in a hands-on learning lab. Choices this year are: Builders Workshop, Game Design, Mini-Med School, Movie Magic, Robotics and Lemonade Stand – Microbusiness.
Registration will be available beginning April 19. The academy costs $199 before June 3, and $250 after that date. The fee includes a T-shirt.
Details: CART at cart.org or call 248-7400.

CTE Summer Academy
The College and Career Readiness Depart-ment will again offer the Career Technical Ed-ucation (CTE) Summer Academy, following a successful launch of the program last summer. Held on all high school campuses, the free program was very popular with those who at-tended. This year’s program will feature several three-week courses in June and July for Clovis Unified students entering 6th through 8th grades in the fall.
Just a few of the offerings will include:
■ “Carpentry” at Clovis High: Students will learn safe and efficient use of woodworking procedures used by professional furniture and cabinet makers, life skills for maintaining equipment at home and ethical work prac-tices.
■ “A Look into Health Careers”at Clovis North: Students will learn about human mus-culoskeletal anatomy, athletic taping techniques, first aid, vitals, and CPR/AED. Students will be using Anatomy in Clay to create the skeletal muscles on a miniature skeleton model; learn why and how to take various vitals; and have the opportunity to be CPR/AED certified through the American Heart Association.

■ “Get Your Motors Running through Automotive, Graphic Design, Children’s Art” at Clovis West:Students will learn about graphic design, children’s art and basic auto-motive skills. Students will get a variety of hands-on experiences all in one day. Participants will learn to create t-shirt and sticker designs using powerful software programs. While in the Automotive and Diesel shop students will learn the basics of automotive maintenance, shop safety, tools, and fasteners and how all components work together to make a vehicle run. Lastly in this program students will explore art through fun hands-on projects such as glass tiles, leather, macramé and fabric weav-ing.
Each three-week program is free to partic-ipants and will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. Space is limited. Details:Watch for the full listing of courses, dates and enrollment information at
cusd.com/CTEsummer.

Sports & Recreation
The CUSD Clovis Community Sports and Recreation Department offers youth programs for children ages 3 to 12.Youth programs are

offered in softball, t-ball, baseball, rugby, futsal and flag football.Year-round competitive and recreational programs are offered in gymnastics, swimming, dance, cheerleading, volleyball and water polo. The department also offers area camps that include sports, band, music, cheer, computers and a variety of other activities.
Details: See upcoming summer offerings at ClovisRec.com or call 327-9225.

Summer Fun
The Summer Fun program, coordinated by CUSD’s Community Education, offers a variety of classes for children ages 4 to 13. The program is open to all students in this age range, regardless of their home district. Class registration begins online May 2.
Summer Fun classes will be held Monday through Thursday, June 13 to July 14, from 8 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. at Century Elementary. Kids can take one class or up to four. Most classes are $199 and meet twice a week for two hours.
The program offers a variety of fun learning opportunities including arts, crafts, computer, cooking, foreign language, math, music, drama, reading, writing, science, sports, dance and much more. Some of the highlights this year include: Easy Meals, No Bake Desserts, Ultimate Frisbee,Watercolor Painting, Playwriting and much more! There are also opportunities for kids to take Scuba Diving classes!
Course catalogs will be distributed to all CUSD elementary schools during April and will also be available online.
Details: Summer Fun, ClovisCommuni-tyEd.com/summer-fun, 327-2880 or email SummerFunInfo@cusd.com.

Academic summer school enhances education

CUSD Today

Academic summer school in Clovis Unified strives to meet the needs of students and families, addressing learning loss or providing further educational opportunities.
“Clovis Unified will do all we can for students who may need some extra help to master standards for their grade level at elementary, and we will provide credit recovery or original credit for students who have impacted schedules,” said CUSD Summer School Coordinator Karen Boone. Elementary grade levels (TK-6)

The elementary summer academic program will be held Mondays through Thursday, June 13 to July 7; there will not be class July 4. Each school area will operate one elementary site, and some areas will operate two to serve the district’s stu-dents. The summer school programs for elementary and in-termediate grades are designed to provide students with targeted, meaningful, and engaging instruction for essential skills in English and/or math.
Summer academic programs for students in grades TK to 6 will be held at:
■ Tarpey Elementary: all Buchanan area students
■ Clovis Elementary: students who attend Clovis, Red Bank, Cedarwood and Mickey Cox
■ Weldon: students who attend Weldon and SierraVista
■ Fancher Creek: students who attend Fancher Creek, Oraze, Reagan, Freedom and Young
■ Temperance-Kutner: students who attend Boris, Tem-perance-Kutner, Miramonte
■ Mountain View: all Clovis North area students
■ Lincoln: students who attend Lincoln, Liberty, FortWash-ington, Maple Creek and Valley Oak
■ Pinedale: students who attend Pinedale and Nelson Clovis Unified also provides the Elementary Accelerated

‰Academic Summer School ■ Elementary: June 13 to July 7
■ Secondary: June 13 to July 21
■ Transportation: Available to enrolled students. See cusd.com/summerschool for schedules (avail-able end of May).
■ Meals: Free breakfast, lunch available.

English Learning Academy that this year will be expanded from one to four sites for English learners mastering their English skills. The program is for students who have recently completed grades 1-6. The academy provides a fun and active learning opportunity that accelerates students’ English language, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through flexible and dynamic activities. Admission is based upon English learner classification and parent consent.
The Academy will be located at Temperance-Kutner (Clovis East area), Clovis Elementary (Clovis High area), Pinedale (Clovis West area) and Mountain View (Clovis North and Buchanan high areas).
Space at each site is limited. Students with at-risk grades will receive priority enrollment. Parents may contact their

school regarding availability and site location for their school area.
Secondary grade levels (7-12)
In-person credit recovery classes will occur at all five high schools this summer from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 13 to July 21. Recovery summer school will be offered for intermediate students in both English (AB) and math. Independent Study summer school will operate Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and students’ appointments will be scheduled by their independent study summer school teacher.
Due to the highly impacted courses and short duration of the summer session, strict discipline and attendance policies are enforced daily. For a student to receive credit for a summer school course, he or she must attend the entire summer school session and not miss more than one day of instruction. One absence is permitted. On the second absence of a semester class, the student will be dropped from the summer school program.
The purpose of the summer session for grades 7-12 is two-fold. First, the summer session provides high school students with the opportunity for “credit-recovery” to master the essential elements of incomplete/failed courses. Summer school may also be used as “original credit” for selected courses that provide an open space for an impacted class schedule for students to take an additional class the following school year when students meet specific eligibility criteria. If a student meets the criteria, high school counselors will enroll the student into summer school during the registration process. Original credit summer school for high school students who will have an impacted schedule in the fall will continue to be available both in-person and through independent study
class for those who meet requirements.
To register or receive more information, contact your student’s high school counselor.

AROUND April 2022

THE DISTRICT
CUSD Today	Page 7

Photo special to CUSD Today. Several CTE patient care students gave blood re-cently at the Central California Blood Center.

Life lessons at CE
Students in Clovis East High’s CTE Patient Care Pathway class visited the Central California Blood Center recently to observe and learn from healthcare workers there. Several of the Clovis East students also donated blood, for a total of 23 pints.
The medical pathways students also had the opportunity recently to learn from California

Health Science University medical students who came to the T-wolves’ campus to instruct and demonstrate six medical skills: vital signs, heart and lung sounds, neurology assessment, extremities assessment and ROM, EKG as-sessment, and eyes and ear assessments.
The Patient Care Pathway is taught by Clovis Unified teacher Dr. Kelly Eichmann.

CW earns winning verdict Clovis West High’s Mock Trial team won

the 40th Annual Fresno County Mock Trial competition in a finals match against Clovis East High in February. Mock Trial, conducted under the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, creates a criminal court environment and high school students act the courtroom parts including prosecution, defense and jour-nalists.
Teams from across the county competed in four rounds of mock trial this winter that lead to semi-finals and a finals round of com-petition this spring. In addition to Clovis West and Clovis East’s top two finish, Clovis North earned fourth place. Awards also were given for Courtroom Artist to Samantha Hickey, Clovis North, champion, and Lance Stroup,

Clovis West, honorable mention; and for Courtroom Journalist,Valeria Suarez and Aree-ba Syed, both of Clovis North were named co-champions.

Liberty DI teams advance Liberty Elementary had three Destination

Imagination teams qualify in the recent Fresno County competition to advance to the state level in their categories. Congratulations to: “The Storytellers,” Josiah Foster,Aiden Humann, Preston Perez, Robert Humrick, Ethan Breck and Kaleb Reitz (first place);“The Crewmates,” Felicity Hardy, Frenchie De Meza and Addison Hill (first place and Da Vinci Award); and “Squad Goals,” Becca Jones, Sydney Swillis, Bailey Bloom, Sierra Elford and Daniella Thomas (first place and Renaissance Award).

Hi Friend!
Clovis Online School students enjoyed time together recently at Bicentennial Park, the first time for many to meet one another in person. Principal Ben Clement said about 200 students came to the event that include a few hours of games, snacks and fun.“It was a huge success,” he said.

Right equation at GR
Eight Granite Ridge Intermediate students competed in the Fresno County MathCounts and finished in the Top 10 – with five of the students who placed first-through fifth-place advancing to the state competition. They are: first placeAngad Dulai; second Achuth Vinay; third Vincent Costanzo; fourth; Justin Do; fifth Aanya Patel; seventh Ethan Wang; eighth Chen Lin; and 10th Vinson (Ziqi) Xia.

‘Surf’s up!’ at North
Art students at Clovis North were commissioned to paint 11 wooden surfboards that will be displayed at a local water park for the upcoming 2022 summer season. The kids had a blast coming up with sketches and colorful designs. There’s everything from sun-sets to dolphins. Students plan
to complete their boards in time for Clovis North’s open house later this month.And as a thanks for their efforts, they will each receive a ticket to enjoy the water park this summer.

Clovis Unified students advance to State History Day Competition

Congratulations to several Clovis Unified students whose History Day projects are being advanced to the State History Day Competition in May. To qualify, student projects earned co-champion titles in their respective categories this past weekend at the 39th annual Fresno County History Day competition. Sponsored by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Office, the event at Fresno Pacific University had more than 250 students en-tered.
Clovis Unified youth historians advancing to State are:
■ Alta Sierra Intermediate: Nolan Aalto, Preston Brandt, Junior Group Exhibit;Camila Barajas, Kendall Metzler, Junior Group Website; Yue Lin Marco Feng, Junior Historical Paper; Michelle Acosta, Junior Individual Exhibit
■ Buchanan High:Niveditha Sukesh,Yuna Ha,Senior Group Website
■ Cedarwood Elementary:Noah Rodriguez, Junior Individual Website
■ Clovis East High:Hermela Akilu,Kamora Jones, Elizabeth Cooper, Marley Milleson, Senior Group Performance; Estela Peralta

Gonzalez, Senior Individual Exhibit
■ Clovis North High: Husam Ramadan, Senior Individual Documentary;Gauri Shetty, Senior Individual Exhibit; Surabhi Khanna, Senior Individual Performance
■ Clovis West High: Conner Dods, Senior Individual Exhibit;Hyunsu Lim,Senior Indi-vidual Website;Jude Nieves, Senior Individual Website;Deran Poochigian, Senior Individual Website
■ Cole Elementary: Adriana Anderson, Quinn Powell, Elementary Group Poster
■ Dry Creek Elementary:Seth Sobaje, Ele-mentary Individual Poster
■ Granite Ridge Intermediate:Ryan Amiri Kashani, Junior Individual Documentary
■ Fugman Elementary:Vasna Namiranian, Elementary Individual Poster
■ Kastner Intermediate:Hailey Marinovich, Kennedy Morrow, Sophia Oka-Fedder, Junior Group Documentary;Gabrielle Franklin, Elis-abeth Howell, Junior Group Documentary; Eliza Taylor, Keira Ngo, Junior Group Exhibit; Aleia Morrell, Kamyla Gomez, Junior Group

Exhibit;Cora Beene,Arja Batth,Junior Group Podcast;Olivia Cameron, Jaina Grant,Junior Group Podcast; Yuvraj Varaich, Nolan Yang, Matthew Grundy, Matthew Fagan, Junior Group Website;Rebecca Lopez-Badella, Kendra Valencia,Junior Group Website;Anna Poochi-gian,Junior Historical Paper; Bennett Cords,

Junior Historical Paper; Ryan Salazar, Junior Individual Documentary; Jocelyn Hanson, Junior Individual Exhibit;Rawan Ahmed, Jun-ior Individual Website
■ Liberty Elementary:Jack DeFrank, Mateo Murillo, Elementary Group Poster; Chelsea Su, Junior Individual Website

Page 8	CUSD Today	April 2022

Music education celebrated by Governing Board

By Kelly Avants

Chief Communications Officer

March 30
Clovis West student and skilled harpist Carter Williams opened the March 30 Clovis Unified Governing Board meeting with a melodic celebration of Music in Our Schools month. The Clovis North Women’s Chorale also performed, under the direction of Heather Bishop.
Recognition of the district’s Clovis Adult Education program and its role in improving the lives of students of all ages was also on the agenda.Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Steve France and CAE Principal Ed Schmalzel spoke of the important role played by the adult school in preparing a highly qual-ified workforce.
In other action, the board:
■ Appointed current Buchanan High Learn-ing Director Noelle Golling to Deputy Principal of Buchanan effective July 1.
■ Approved the Expanded Learning Op-portunities Program Plan, a copy of which is available through the instructional services office.
■ Scheduled a public hearing April 20 for the sunshine of an initial collective bargaining agreement between Clovis Unified and ACE Psychologists and Mental Health Support Providers.
■ Approved a fee increase for the Sierra Outdoor School for the 2022-23 school year. ■ Approved a pre-construction management services agreement for multiple projects related to the Folwer/McKinley school site and new
buildings at the Fowler/Herndon property.
■ Approved construction and construction management agreements for multiple main-tenance and modernization projects at Clovis East High, Reyburn Intermediate, and Red Bank Elementary.
■ Approved legal services agreements with McCormick Barstow LLP, and Littler Mendel-son, P.C. to provide limited legal consultation

➤ BOARD BRIEFS

on the district’s continuing actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
■ Accepted implementation plans for the A-G Completion Improvement Grant, a copy of which is available through the instructional services office.

March 16
Members of the Buchanan Jazz Band under the direction of Barb Shinaver performed at the meeting in celebration of Music in Our Schools Month.
In other action, the board:
■ Adopted Resolution No. 3860 – In Support of Assembly Bill No. 75 Kindergarten-Com-munity College Public Education Facility Bond Act of 2022.
■ Received a written staff report on the state’s March 11 end to K-12 mask requirements and the status of other COVID-19 mitigation measures in schools.
■ Accepted the donation of adaptive equip-ment to the Special Education Department.
■ Approved the 2022-23 Adult School Cal-endar.
■ Approved an annual agreement with Be-havior Intervention of Central California for educational-related behavior intervention, coaching and consulting.
■ Awarded a construction bid to Davis Moreno Construction for a casework project at Nelson Elementary.
■ Approved the annual second interim fi-nancial report and adopted a positive certifi-cation for the remainder of the fiscal year.
■ Appointed Darden Architects to provide design services for the Clark/Mercedes Edwards
Theatre modernization project.
The next regular meeting of the Governing Board is April 20 with the public portion of the meeting scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Complete agendas, minutes and recordings of meetings are online at www.cusd.com.

Tree for Clovis

Weldon Elementary’s Student Council partnered with the City of Clovis Parks Division and re-cently planted a tree during an Arbor Day cere-mony. The young maple tree is now growing in Treasure Ingmire Park at Clovis and Sierra av-enues, just a few blocks away from the elementary school. The City of Clovis is designated as a Tree City, USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, an honor the city has held for 12 years.

April 2022	CUSD Today	Page 9

t	ts f r	is
Students honored for strength, perseverance 2022 Students of Promise

Photo special to CUSD Today by Kenny Gilman. Students from both Students of Promise Class of 2021 and 2022 celebrate at an in-person awards gala sponsored by the Foundation for Clovis Schools.

Foundation awards Students of Promise scholarships

CUSD Today

Ethel Asequia Clovis East High

Jordan Akira Gifford Clovis East High

Christian Gomez Clovis East High

Priscilla Gonzales Buchanan High

Thirty-two high school students who have made education a priority in the midst of facing heart-wrenching challenges – such as death of parents, abuse or health conditions – were celebrated as Students of Promise March 23 by the Foundation for Clovis Schools.
“Unfortunately, they have experienced things no one their age should ever have to ex-
perience. The courage and strength they have shown as they carry on, as they keep showing up to school, as they keep trying their
best leaves me in awe. They are amazing and we want them to know they are noticed,” said Foundation Chairperson Michael Fennacy.
Each year the Foundation for Clovis Schools, a nonprofit organization that supports Clovis Unified School District, selects 16 students in their junior year to receive a $2,000 Students of Promise scholarship upon completion of high school and enrollment in further education.
“The scholarship is our way to let these students know that we see such incredible promise in them, and that we believe in them and in their future.We want to encourage them to keep on striving for their dreams,” Fennacy said.
The gala event honored both the 2021 and 2022 Students of Promise recipients, as COVID conditions prevented the event gathering from being held last year. The evening included a red-carpet, candelabra dinner and presentation ceremony.
Students are nominated for the scholarship by their school counselor, selected by a Foundation committee, and surprised with the news in early February.
“There is no doubt that her life has been turned upside down because of her medical condition and because of the COVID pandemic,” said Troy Wagner, Buchanan guidance learning director of his nominee, “but, whenever I talk with her, she always has a smile on her face and she always has a positive attitude.”
“He has been with nine different foster families and two different group homes,” said Clovis East Transition SRL of one of his nominees who despite of his life challenges, keeps working hard at school.
“It’s a humbling experience to hear what our courageous honorees are persevering through,” said Superintendent Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D., “and to be reminded of the importance of coming together to encourage and provide for our students just as the educators who nominated them and the volunteers on our Foundation have done for them through this program.” Keynote speaker Coreen Campos could attest to that. She was a 2005 Student of Promise and Clovis High graduate who now serves as Vice President of Impact and Resource Devel-
opment for the United Way of Fresno and Madera.
“Showing up [to school] was sometimes the best that I

Mario Hernandez	Ayane Jorin Isleta-Orozco Clovis East High                     Clovis East High

Kristen Mendez	Alyssa Murillo Clovis High                        Clovis East High

Briel Rodriguez	Jesus Rodriguez Buchanan High                         Clovis High

could do,” she told the recipients of her time in high school when she faced difficult life challenges and began wondering if she had the ability to go to college.“But then I was selected as a Student of Promise. This gave me the confidence that I needed to begin to plan for life beyond high school. Let this award uplift your plan.”
This year’s Students of Promise event was sponsored by California Health Sciences University, Clovis Veterans Memorial District, Educational Employees Credit Union, Elite Landscape Construction, Fresno First Bank, Golden State Steel, Granville Homes, Keller Williams/Jared Martin & Associates, Pro-Screen/Fan in a Box and Union Bank.
The Foundation for Clovis Schools’ Students of Promise scholarship program began in 2001 as a way to recognize at-risk students who have been attending school on a regular basis, showing responsibility and succeeding aca-demically while at the same time facing challenging life circumstances outside of school.

Angelina Jones	Karen Ly Clovis East High                    Clovis West High

Kamron Murray	Aaliyah Nolan-Young Buchanan High                       Gateway High

Monique Rodriguez	Pratham Singh Clovis North High                       Clovis High

‰ 2021 Students of Promise*
Taryn Anderson; Brielle Kei Aguilar; Dennis Carde-nas; Dakota Dean; Donovan Dean; Logan Earheart, posthumously; Robert Flath; Knox Folsom; Alexis Foshee; Crispine Garcia; Victor Guerrero; Serenity Jones; Arijana Laird; Micaela Villa Sanchez; Montray Skinner; Heaven Vallejos

‰ 2022 Students of Promise
Ethel Asequia; Jordan Akira Gifford; Christian Gomez; Priscilla Gonzales; Mario Hernandez; Ayane Juliana Corin Isleta-Orozco; Angelina Jones; Karen Ly; Kristen Mendez; Alyssa Murillo; Kamron Murray; Aaliyah Angel Nolan-Young; Briel Rodriguez; Jesus Rodriguez IV; Monique Rodriguez; Pratham Singh
*Portraits in April 2021 CUSD Today.

Page 10

Winners:

FROM PAGE 5
herself to helping students who come from non-traditional backgrounds and need extra, creative help to cross the graduation line.All her efforts are in addition to her secretarial duties such as overseeing all budget matters and transportation for student activities, plan-ning and scheduling clerical work related to academics and student activities and greeting students and parents.
Smart stands out for her enthusiasm and how deeply she cares for students. She delivered goody bags to students for work well done during distance learning and often stays in touch with them after they graduate. She is a true student advocate.

Sonna Swiderski Sierra Outdoor School Secretary

Talk about going over and above job responsibil-ities – meet Sonna Swider-ski, the office supervisor at Clovis Unified’s Sierra Out-
door School in Sonora where sixth graders throughout the district and state attend three-day science camps.
Just listen to some of what she does: Helps staff with payroll, IDs contacts for medical billing questions, helps haul 5-gallon water jugs out to trails, schools, sends out contracts, answers the phone, greets all guests, orders supplies, helps unload luggage on buses, helps with the student store, and … a few of our favorites … chases down loose dogs on cam-pus, assists with the care of birds of prey, and shovels snow to keep the walkways clear around the office.Whew!
Swiderski can do all this because she cares deeply for students, has an efficient workflow and is great at multitasking. But— there’s more. During the pandemic, starting in March 2020, the camp was empty because of COVID shutdowns. It turned out CalFire needed tem-porary housing as their facility was remodeled and a place for crews for the upcoming fire season. The Sierra Outdoor School welcomed them to use the empty dorms. But SOS needed

CUSD Today	April 2022

help to meet the fire crews’ need for three meals a day, seven days a week. In comes Swiderski, who as a former kitchen supervisor, offered to work as a cook in addition to her regular duties.

Tammy Williams Miramonte Elementary Teacher on Special Assignment

As a resource teacher at Miramonte Elementary School, Tammy Williams oversees the English Learn-
ing program and coaches teachers on reading instruction.As a teacher on special assignment, she instructs small groups of students who are significantly behind in reading. This Crystal winner is dedicated to founding su-perintendent Dr. Floyd Buchanan’s tenet to “Educate the whole child in Mind, Body and Spirit.”
During the spring when kids were first back on campus following remote learning, Williams noticed a lack of student engagement and their missing traditional activities like recess. She had the idea to create the Miramonte Enrichment Academy to make school a fun place to be and to expose them to new expe-riences. She created before-school experiences that would re-engage students academically, emotionally and socially, and she recruited teachers and aides to assist. The academy offered learning through playful activities like applying fractions to cooking projects or learning about plant growth while beautifying the school with flowering bushes. They even did a service project for firefighters.
The Mighty Mustangs’ spirits lifted, and the program expanded to include more stu-dents and grade levels. Said her peers in her Crystals nomination, the social interaction truly renewed emotional connection at Mi-ramonte.
Whether it was restructuring the reading intervention program, checking in with each students’ progress, or coming up with another creative activity for the academy, Williams’ dedication and passion came shining through.

■
And the Crystal goes to….              cipal Kacey Gibson, Janet Young Elementary Prin-■ Vanessa Avitabile, Mountain View Elementary        ■ Gabriel Hughes, Weldon Elementary and Clark

Sixth Grade Teacher	Intermediate Student Relations Liaison
■ Jennifer Boman, Clovis North Educational	■ Daryl Katoch, Alta Sierra Intermediate Learning Center Activities Administrative Assistant III              Director
■ Shareen Crosby, Benefits Department Risk	■ Kevin Miller, Clovis North Educational Center and Benefits Manager                                              Transition Coordinator
■ Kelly K. Eichmann, Ph.D., M.S., R.D.N., Clovis	■ Dan Pearce, Buchanan High CTE Video Pro-East High CTE/ROP Patient Care Pathway Instructor duction Instructor
■ Leeann Errotabere, Purchasing Department,	■ Teri Smart, Gateway High/Alternative Education Purchasing Director                                                 School Secretary I
■ Sean Ford, Clovis North Educational Center	■ Sonna Swiderski, Sierra Outdoor School Ofice Guidance Learning Director                                     Supervisor
■ Ryan Gettman, Bud Rank Elementary Princi-	■ Tammy Williams, Miramonte Elementary pal                                                                          Teacher on Special Assignment

April 2022	CUSD Today	Page 11

CUSD students earn top spots at Fresno County Science Fair

Clovis Unified student scientists excelled in the annual Fresno County Science Fair in March, with 29 earning top spots in their category and advancing to the state competition later this month.
Additionally, three high school student projects earned a place in the International Science and Engineering Fair in May. They are Niveditha Sukesh, from Buchanan High; and John Benedict Estrada and Pauline Victoria Estrada, from Clovis North.
A total of 10 intermediate student projects were selected for the Broadcom Masters National Science Fair this spring. They are, from Alta Sierra, Sahana Patel; from Granite Ridge, Misha Nogin, Kinnoree Pasha, Achuth Vinay and from Kastner, Leilah Collins, Loujain Fathalli, Evalyn Gomez, Daisy Moadab and Matin Tais.
Students whose projects are advancing to the state com-petition are:
■ Fugman Elementary: Arnav Gupta, Plant Sciences, Sweepstakes winner; Ishaan Tandon, Earth and Planetary Science.
■ Liberty Elementary:Keegan Hagaman-Cummins, Be-

➤ EMPLOYEE BRIEFS

Safe Kids Award for Snyder
Oraze Elementary Principal Robyn Snyder received the Friend of Safe Kids Award recently. The award recognizes her work at the Clovis Unified school to increase safety for students, including Walk to School Day pedestrian education and Stop the Bleed education.
Safe Kids’ mission is to keep children safe from unintentional injury, and its local lead agency is Valley Children’s Healthcare.

havioral and Social Sciences; Meera Malkar, Product Science.
■ Maple Creek Elementary: Lilianne Meadows, Envi-ronmental Sciences.
■ Alta Sierra Intermediate: Sahana Patel, Microbiology

Says VCH nurse and the local Safe Kids coordinator Kristina Parma, she has been impressed with Mrs. Snyder’s enthusiasm and interest in sharing Safe Kids materials.
“She received the award for all of her work to educate her students and their families on keeping children safe,” Parma said. Parents and teachers can find safety education and resources at https://www.facebook.com/SafeKidsCentralCA or www.safekids.org.

■ Granite Ridge Intermediate: Misha Nogin, Computer and Math Science;Kinnoree Pasha, Plant Sciences, Sweep-stakes winner;Achuth Vinay, Computer and Math Science. ■ Kastner Intermediate: Leilah Collins, Environmental Sciences; Loujain Fathalli, Medicine and Health Sciences; Evalyn Gomez, Medicine and Health Sciences;Kylie Ivanoff, Medicine and Health Sciences;Daisy Moadab, Environmental Sciences; Matin Tais, Earth and Planetary Science; Claire
Yang, Medicine and Health Sciences.
■ Buchanan High: Ashley Park, Medicine and Health Sciences; Adam Staley, Computer and Math Science; Niveditha Sukesh, Microbiology;Andrew Wong, Computer and Math Science;
■ Clovis East High:Olivia Elliott,Plant Sciences;Emaly Nieves, Physics and Astronomy.
■ Clovis North High: John Benedict Estrada, Plant Sci-ences; Pauline Victoria Estrada, Plant Sciences; Dhruv Ja-vangula, Behavioral and Social Sciences; Ryan Kwon, En-vironmental Sciences; Shiv Mehrotra Varma, Medicine and Health Sciences; Ananya Vinay, Microbiology; Isaac Wang, Chemistry.

CE teacher a national winner Congratulations to Dr. Kelly Eichmann, the Clovis East

CTE/ROP Medical Careers Pathway teacher, who was hon-ored as the Career Safe National Safety Educator of the Year during a conference in New Orleans. In naming her the recipient, the organization found Eichmann to be one who goes above and beyond every day to make learning an impactful adventure. The award recognizes exceptional educators who have not only dedicated their time to prepare students for the future, but also helped students recognize and mitigate workplace hazards in their chosen careers.
A video highlighting her program and the award is available at: https://careersafeonline.com/for-teachers/safe-ty-educator-of-the-year.

Page 12	CUSD Today	April 2022