April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 1

“To ensure quality learning today for tomorrow”

C O L L E G E C O M M U N I T Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

at College Community School Districthome page: www.prairiepride.org

Educational Service Center .......... 848-5200401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034Fax (319) 848-4019

Prairie High School ...................... 848-5340401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 .................. grds 9-12Fax (319) 848-5349

Prairie Middle School .................. 848-5310401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 .................... grds 6-8Fax (319) 848-5323

Prairie Crest Elementary ............. 848-5280401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 ................. grds PK-5Fax (319) 848-5283

Prairie Heights Elementary ......... 848-5230401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 ................... grds K-5Fax (319) 848-5254

Prairie Ridge Elementary ............ 848-5100401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 ................... grds K-5Fax (319) 848-5103

Prairie View Elementary ............. 848-5260401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034 ................... grds K-5Fax (319) 848-5255

Prairie Oaks School ..................... 364-02595400 Kirkwood Blvd. SW ..........................................Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 .......................... grds K-12Fax (319) 298-3406

Published four times a year so that citizens of thedistrict may be informed about the programs andactivities of the College Community Schools.

How to Reach Us...

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What’s insideDistrict News/Information ... 5-8, 12Prairie Crest ................................. 2Prairie Heights ............................. 3Prairie Ridge ................................ 4Prairie View .................................. 9Prairie Middle ............................. 10Prairie High ................................ 11

The College Community School District provides equal education and em-ployment opportunities and will not illegally discriminate on the basis of race,creed, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status or disability.CCSD shall take affirmative action in recruitment of women and men, minori-ties and the disabled. Inquiries regarding compliance with equal educationalor employment opportunities and/or affirmative action shall be directed toAlan D. Rowe, Equity Coordinator, College Community Schools, 401 76th Av-enue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. Inquiries may also be directed, in writ-ing, to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in Des Moines, the Director of theRegion VII office of the United States Equal Employment Opportunities Com-mission, or the Director of the Region VII Office of Civil Rights, United StatesDepartment of Education in Kansas City, Mo.

Articles for Prairie NewsJuly 1 is the next deadline for articles for Prairie News.Please submit your articles to Community Relations.The following are the copy and distribution deadlines:Issue Articles Due DistributionAugust July 1 July 31

College Community Schools • Prairie NewsApril/May 2004 • Kristie Fisher, editor401 76th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404(319) 848-5200Serving the communities of Cedar Rapids, Ely, Fairfax,Shueyville, Swisher and Walford.Board of Education meetings are held on third Mondayof each month. District residents are invited to attend.Board of Education: President–Randy Bauer, VicePresident–Sandy Flatgard, Laurie Hughes, Shirley Exline,Mark Hunt, Kris Ruprecht, Norm Zahradnik

April/May 2004

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Sandy Flatgard, School Board member;Joan Cochrane, Business Education teacher;and Mary Gudenkauf, Career DevelopmentSpecialist were guests of BJ Melsha’s at theCareer and Technical Education recognitionevent in Des Moines where BJ was one ofonly four students in the state recognized byBusiness Professional of America. BJ hasbeen eligible to compete at the National BPALeadership Conference all four years of hishigh school career. He has placed 3rd in theEconomic Research Project Team event hisfreshmen year and placed 1st in the nationlast year in Job Interview Skills.

2004-2005 School Calendar AvailableThe 2004-2005 at-a-glance calendar can be found at www.prairiepride.org. Simply

click on Search the Calendar and look for the Print PDF Calendars. This calendar in-cludes major dates including the first and last day of school as well as no school dates.

Last Day of SchoolFriday, June 4, 2004

Early dismissal at 11:20June 2 and 3 full day snow make-ups

Summer School begins June 7and ends July 1.

College CommunityNight with the Kernels

Thursday, June 10, 2004Game time: 7 pmGates open: 6 pmNew Veterans Memorial StadiumKernels VS. Beloit SnappersTickets: $5.50

Checks made payable to theCedar Rapids Kernels.

Deadline to order tickets is Friday, May 28.Send your check and the registration form backto your child’s school. (Registration forms willbe available in all buildings and will be senthome with elementary students.)

Students and staff who wish to be in the on-field pre-game parade need to meet at theBlimpie Guest Service Center in the stadium,no later than 6:15 pm. All students who meetthe registration deadline are eligible for achance to be drawn for fun on-field events atthe game.

Linn County Asthma Reduction Coalition

New Prairie Middle School Principal AnnouncedCollege Com-

munity Schoolshas selected GregLeytem to assumethe Prairie MiddleSchool principalposition effectiveJuly 1, 2004.Leytem is cur-rently serving as

the middle school Associate Principal andwas selected after an extensive search.

“We received applications from across theMidwest and interviewed four excellent can-didates. After a lengthy interview process, itwas clear that Greg possesses the leadershipqualities we need to ensure Prairie MiddleSchool’s continued success,” noted Superin-tendent Richard T. Whitehead.

Greg Leytem assumed the Middle School

Associate Principal position in 2002 afterserving five years as Associate Principal/Ac-tivities Director for Prairie High School.Leytem has work in education over 20 yearsand has served the last nine in administrativeroles. Prior to joining Prairie, he served asthe Jr-Sr High School Principal for the Keota(Iowa) Community School District. He beganhis career in education in 1983 as a Jr-SrHigh School social studies teacher, head boysbasketball and cross country coach for theDanville (Iowa) Community School District.

A native of Cascade, Iowa, Leytem earnedhis BA from Loras College in Dubuque, hisMA from the University of Iowa, and is alsoCertified Athletic Administrator, (CAA).He and his wife, Julie, have three childrenwho attend College Community Schools.

A new Associate Principal will beselected soon.

Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness among school-age children and asthmaexacerbation is a common reason for school absences. Asthma can be controlled with theappropriate preventative and treatment measures. Learn more about asthma by attendingthe Linn County Asthma Reduction Coalition’s TEAM (Teaching Everyone Asthma Man-agement) Conference on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at Grant Wood Area Education Agency,4401 6th Street SW, Cedar Rapids, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The conference is freeand open to the public. To register, call healthy Linn Care Network at 319-368-5527.

Governor Tom Vilsack and Dr. Donald Duvick visited Prairie Middle School as partof NEC Extreme Science, a national science education program that brings scientists intothe classroom. Dr. Duvick, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and affiliateprofessor at Iowa State University, shared his research and experiences as a scientistwith Mr. Rocky Gano’s sixth grade class.

Before the presentation started Governor Vilsack took a few moments to visit withmiddle school students.

Governor Vilsack Visits Prairie MiddleSchool with Dr. Donald Duvick

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 2

Prairie CrestElementary○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Calendar of EventsMay7 .............Volunteer Breakfast11 ...........PTO Meeting @ 6:1519 ........... 4th Grade Field/Track Day20 ........... 5th Grade Field/Track Day20 ...........Family Fitness Night21 ........... 5th Grade Picnic28 ........... 5th Grade Promotion31 ...........No School

June4 ............. Last Day of School – Early

Dismissal7 .............Summer School Begins

Justin Hofland,Principal of the Day

On March 11,2004, Justin Hoflandwas Principal of theDay. Justin was cho-sen from several 5th

grade applicants.The thing he enjoyedmost about the day

was visiting and observing in the class-rooms. When asked what he learned aboutbeing a principal that he didn’t know beforehe said, “they are always busy!”

Reading Today forTomorrow

On February 26th, Crest parents attendedan informational meeting (including a deli-cious lasagna dinner) on RTFT (ReadingToday for Tomorrow). RTFT is a programthat brings reading strategies used in thekindergarten classroom into the home. Theinformational meeting focused on phonemicawareness.

Phonemic awareness is the concept thatwords are made up of individual lettersounds. It is a key component in the kin-dergarten reading program because it is oneof the necessary building blocks essentialfor reading success. During the kindergar-ten weekly library time, students check outan RTFT book in addition to their regular li-brary books. To ensure success at home,Crest kindergarten teachers modeled waysfor parents to support phonemic awarenessbefore, during and after reading the RTFTbook. Both Crest teachers and parents areexcited about the incorporation of RTFTinto the home, which will undoubtedlyproduce in each child a life-long love ofreading.

Welcome Mrs. Wollman!Prairie Crest would like to welcome

Katie Wollman to our staff. Mrs. Wollmanwill be our substitute counselor for the re-mainder of the year while Mrs. Neira is onmaternity leave. Mrs. Wollman will beteaching drug prevention lessons with 3rd-5th

grade. She will be assisting Mrs. Bowersoxwith human growth and development les-sons for 4th and 5th grade. She will also beseeing small groups and individual students.Mrs. Wollman will be a wonderful asset toour staff and students. If you have anyquestions or need assistance you can reachher at 848-5285.

Save the DatePlease join us for Helen Wall’s Retirement party on Friday, May 21 in the Prairie Crest

IMC from 3:30 - 5:00. Helen has taught at College Community for 29 years and we wishher well in her future endeavors.

Prairie Crest StudentsCelebrate the 100th

Birthday of Dr. SeussBy: Renee Maxa

On March 2, 2004, the students at PrairieCrest celebrated Read across America Dayand also the 100th birthday of Dr. Seuss.We started out the day with an all-schoolassembly where Mrs. Skala wore herclothes inside out as part of a deal she madewith students for reaching the goal for ourmagazine fundraiser. After sharing someinformation about Dr. Seuss with the stu-dents, Mrs. Skala introduced the Cat in theHat. A special thank you goes to CarlaTollefson who put on a fantastic rhymingshow for our students. Following the as-sembly, the entire school was split up intoK-5 groups and they spent the day rotatingto a variety of stations where they learnedthings about Dr. Seuss and also did a vari-ety of reading activities to honor this won-derful man who has given so much to all ofus. Please ask your child to share with youwhat they did on this special day.

I would also like to thank all of the par-ents who volunteered to help and who do-nated items that helped make this day suc-cessful. We are very lucky to have suchsupportive and caring parents.

Make and TakePrairie Crest Elementary held its annual

Parent Make and Take on Saturday, April 3.Strategies to help parents work with their chil-dren at home were shared along with a won-derful breakfast. Parents learned how to use adeck of cards and dice to support math compu-tation skills along with basic fact practice. Inreading, parents learned how to support theirchild’s ability to memorize spelling words andbecome a more fluent reader. All the strate-gies that were shared support what teachersare doing in the classroom every day. Thankyou to all the parents who attended and to allthe staff who helped make this another greatMake and Take!

Accelerated ReaderThe Accelerated Reader (AR) program

allows students to read individual booksthey can comprehend at their own readinglevel. Each trimester, students take a com-puterized placement test (STAR) whichgives a reading range best suited for them toread independently. As they complete abook, they take a test of a series of multiplechoice questions. Students can choose fic-tion and non-fiction texts. They also canselect short books or chapter books.

Students record books read, percentagesreceived on tests, and the number of pointsthe selection is worth in a personal log.They also record numbers of pages read atschool and at home. Students set goals toearn points on a weekly or monthly basis.The fourth graders earn rewards for reach-ing or exceeding their goal. This could behaving lunch in the room, an extra recess,or a game time. The teacher and studentschoose something that is mutually agreedupon. Student achievement can be recog-nized through this program. Students cansee their growth throughout the school year.This is one component in the total readingprogram.

The LightspanPartnershipTM

Third gradestudents have beeninvited to participatein a program withThe LightspanPartnershipTM. Aspart of this program,

students get to use innovative interactiveReading/Language Arts and Mathematicssoftware that motivates and helps them learnimportant skills and concepts. The educa-tional software is designed to work on anyPlay Station, and at Prairie Crest we have asmall Play Station Lab set up so that all thirdgraders have access to this software.

Some students have been selected to usethe Lightspan Adventures at home, so theywill be able to spend additional timestrengthening critical skills and concepts cur-rently taught in our classrooms. Students,who do not have a Play Station at home,have the opportunity to check one out fromthe school. Parents will have an opportunityto see what their child is doing in class.Entire families can enjoy working togetheron the motivating Lightspan CDs and HomeActivities.

Final Lap:News from The GymBy: Mr. Danilson

The weather is getting warmer and thecoats are coming off. This means we areon our final lap for the 2003-2004 schoolyear. Right now is a busy time in P.E.With the continued focus on physical fit-ness, many activities have been plannedto get Crest up and moving.

In the upcoming weeks we will be con-ducting the final fitness testing. Studentswill be tested on muscular strength, mus-cular endurance, flexibility and cardiovas-cular endurance. Also, in grades 3-5, wewill be starting a softball/wiffleball unit. Ingrades K-2, we will be starting a strikingunit. Hopefully the good weather will con-tinue, so we can spend our time outside.

We always encourage everyone to dohis or her best in every activity. Pleasesupport your children by asking questionsand being involved in their lives. Parentscan set an example by being physicallyactive. Go for walks as a family. Hikingand bicycle riding are other great activi-ties, anything to get your kids off thecouch and on their feet.

Have a great rest of the school year.

Intermec Technologies Corporation Helps Crest StudentsOn behalf of the entire Prairie Crest Elementary Administration and all its parts, we want to

thank Intermec Technologies Corporation of Cedar Rapids for the very generous contribution of$2,500 to enhance the learning materials we expose to our children. Brad Eckley, an employee ofIntermec and Prairie Crest parent, approached his company with a proposal of a donation andthey graciously reciprocated. A portion of the donation has already been invested in DigiBlocks,a fantastic hands on mathematical tool, for the second grade classes. The children are already ex-periencing them and enjoy them a great deal. Their kindness and generosity are appreciated.

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Visit College CommunitySchool District

home page:www.prairiepride.org

This year at Prairie Crest, 11, 4th and 5th grade students participated in a Student Leadershipgroup. During the year the students learned the principles of both leadership and SystemsThinking. The students then identified a school-wide problem and utilized these tools to helpfind a solution. A special thank you to the parents of these students for making arrangementsfor the children to participate in this before school activity. Congratulations, student leaders, ona job well done!Front Row- Kyle Suther, Brogan Fiala, Samantha Schulte, Callie O’Brien, Morgan HuprichBack Row- Shannon Kehoe (Learning Strategist), Justin Schrader, Brooks Kehoe, Bailey Cole,Janira Perez, Samantha Hamilton, Nathan Rotter, Cheryl Kiburz (System Thinking/MentoringFacilitator)

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 3

Prairie HeightsElementary○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Calendar of EventsMay3 .............Kindergarten Roundup – No

School for KindergartenStudents

6 ............. 3rd Grade Field Trip to CoralvilleFossil Gorge 8:40 – 2:45

6 .............Kindergarten to Kernels Game10:30 – 2:30

11 ...........PTO Meeting Prairie Heights5:45 Meal, 6:15 Meeting

12 ........... 4th Grade Field Trip to CampWapsie 8:45 – 2:45

19 ........... 4th Grade Track & Field Day9:00 – 3:00

20 ........... 5th Grade Track & Field Day9:00 – 3:00

21 ...........Kindergarten to Bever Park9:30 – 2:30

21 ........... 5th Grade Picnic Jones Park11:45 – 2:45

26 ........... 4th Grade Track & Field DayRain Date

27 ........... 5th Grade Track & Field DayRain Date

28 ........... 5th Grade Promotion PrairieHeights 1:45

31 ...........No School – Memorial Day

June4 ............. Last Day of School 11:10

Dismissal7-July 1 ... Summer School

Spencer Gaddis, 2nd grade,participates in the JumpRope for Heart program.

Ms. Hanzlik,Mr. Schipperand Mrs.Geary meetduring theirweeklyLiteracyCollaborationtime.

The Pergola Project under construction.

Transitioning...A Yearlong ProcessBy: Scott Schipper

It is hard to believe that the 2003-2004academic year is coming to a close. As theschool year draws to an end, a new chapterin the lives of the fifth grade students be-gins. With middle school and sixth gradelooming in the forefront, many programsand activities are in place to ensure asmooth transition for the Prairie HeightsClass of 2011.

At Prairie Heights, fifth grade studentsstart the transition process as soon as theschool year begins. Students are assignedto one of three-color groups. These colorgroups are made up of students from allthree classes and follow a schedule that isgiven to them by their teachers. This sched-ule includes math, social studies, and writ-ing. These three subjects have differentteachers, similar to the middle school hav-ing different teachers for different subjectareas. The scheduling and departmentaliza-tion is used to not only meet the needs ofour students academically, but also to intro-duce them to the concept of following aschedule, and going to different rooms forthe different content instruction. The stu-dents are expected to be on time for class,have all of their materials with them, and to

have all homework assignments writtendown and completed when due. All of theseexpectations are skills that will be neededin middle school.

The months of March, April and Mayare busy as fifth grade students are intro-duced to life at the middle school. First,students attend a performance by themiddle school jazz band and show choir.This performance is a prelude to the bandtryouts that the students participate in later.

The middle school counselors alongwith sixth graders who were students atHeights the previous year visit the fifthgraders. During this time students aregiven a quick introduction into the life of amiddle school student and are given the op-portunity to ask questions. After the visitby the counselors, the students visit themiddle school.

The final transition activity includes aday of fun with the other fifth grade stu-dents in the district at Jones Park. The fifthgrade students get the chance to meet theirfellow classmates, play games, and enjoy apicnic lunch. This is an exciting time in thelives of these students as they start theirmiddle school journey.

Building a Professional Learning CommunityBy: Kendra Hanzlik and Marsha Rasmussen, Strategists

According to current research, teachersneed time to “plan, design, research, evalu-ate, and prepare teaching materials together”in order to be most effective. In the busyworkdays of teachers, this can be difficult toaccomplish. However, it is exactly whatteachers are doing at Prairie Heights and inthe other schools in the district. Through thiscollaboration, we are building a strong pro-fessional learning community.

Current research states that professionallearning communities among teachers havethe greatest impact on student success. Thecomponents of professional learning commu-nities include goal-setting, regular meetingtimes, and a focus on student data such asstandardized tests, district assessments, andstudents’ class work.

Throughout the year, grade level teamshave used test results and classroom observa-tions to set goals. These goals relate to areasof need among students in their classes. Weare able to use our weekly Literacy Collabo-ration time to check our progress towardthese goals and learn new strategies to beeven more effective in the classroom. Theseregular meetings give teachers a chance toshare ideas and learn from one another.

Our in-service days also allow us to con-tinue building our professional learning com-munity. For example, during the April 12th

in-service, teachers read and discussed re-search related to science instruction. Teach-ers also studied data related to the research-based reading strategies we haveimplemented in the past three years. Theyused this information to determine ourschool’s learning needs for next year.

Teachers also studied their students’ ALTtesting results. This information allowedteachers to determine areas of strength andweakness in their own reading, language,and math instruction and in the knowledgeand skills of their students. Finally, teacherswere given time to work with their peercoaches. Each teacher has a peer coach withwhom they plan, design, and rehearse les-sons. This allows teachers to refine theirstrategies in order to have the greatest impacton student learning.

The teachers at Prairie Heights are com-mitted to meeting the needs of all students.Through the use of research-based strategiesand regular collaboration time, we have builta professional learning community that al-lows us be as effective as we can be.

2004 Jump Rope for HeartBy: Jessica Danilson

This winter, students in second throughfifth grades participated in Jump Rope forHeart during their physical education class.Prairie Heights helped raise awareness forheart disease, which is caused by a lack of ex-ercise, poor eating habits, and smoking. Chil-dren learned about how to keep their hearthealthy, but also participated in jump ropingactivities designed to strengthen their heartand lungs. Many students knew people whohave suffered from heart disease and chose to

jump in theirhonor. Weposted HonorCards with thenames ofpeople suffer-ing from thedisease both inmemory ofthem and tohelp remindourselves of theimportance ofexercise.

Seventy-six students chose to participate inraising money for the American Heart Asso-ciation as part of Jump Rope for Heart. As athank-you for the donations we made, studentsearned gifts depending on the amount ofmoney they raised. Prairie Heights donated agrand total of $2,621 toward the cause. Also,as a reward for raising money, several classesenjoyed a performance by the Iowa Skippers,a nationally competitive jump roping team.

Vocal Music ProgramsBy: Jan Jasiewicz

“A Place in the Christmas Choir,” “Inter-planetary Jammin” and “ROCK” were ourvocal music programs for 2003-04. Theymade great memories! The students did sowell and made their parents so proud!Thank you for attending these programs andsharing in your child’s musical performanceexperience.

Next year, all of our performances will beheld in the Prairie Ridge Gym. The fourthand fifth grade musical was held there onApril 29th. The format will change for theseperformances – two grade levels will per-form at the same time (at a 7:00 p.m. show)and the older students will have the speak-ing parts.

We have enjoyed using the high schoolauditorium and having two separate pro-grams, but now with a fourth elementarythere is not time in the auditorium schedulefor elementary music programs. The stagearea in the Ridge gym was designed tomeet the needs of our elementary musicstudents.

Be sure to mark your calendars for nextyear’s vocal music programs when the new2004-05 calendar of events comes out thissummer. Again, thank you for your fantasticsupport for music in our schools!

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Courtyard PergolaProjectBy: Dave Brauhn, Principal

We are fortunate to have a beautiful court-yard at Prairie Heights in the middle of ourschool. We want to use this space for both aes-thetic and educational purposes. An idea wasbrainstormed that would meet both needs.

Last school year, we started an exciting out-door education design called “The PergolaProject.” This idea was born out of assignmentscompleted by our Student Leadership Group andour ELP students. We have made a lot ofprogress since the plan’s inception. Studentshave researched the plants and flowers thatwould do well in the environment of the court-yard. They have made recommendations for thedesign of the pergola and the furniture.

We have been successful in raising funds tocomplete this project. Prairie Heights PTO isthe major contributor with help from the Foun-dation as well as the Humanities EnvironmentalT-shirt Fundraiser.

In 2003, we started building the actual Per-gola. In May of 2004 we plan to finish the Per-gola structure and start building the containergardens, the teaching station, and the seating forstudents. We already have some of the plants.We hope to purchase hanging baskets and otheritems to complement the Courtyard PergolaProject.

This teaching and learning area in the centerof our school map will provide rich learning op-portunities for our students.

Reading is GivingBy: Fran Zuber

Mrs. Zuber’s third grade class participated in the Classrooms Care program, a donationprogram from Scholastic Book Clubs. Our class read 100 books from Thanksgiving to De-cember 31, 2003. By reaching their goal, Scholastic Book Clubs donated 100 books intheir honor to their charity partners (Save Our Children, Reach Out and Read, I Have aDream Foundation and First Book). Our class was proud to be a part of this program andto be able to give the gift of reading to others.

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 4

Prairie RidgeElementary○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Calendar of EventsMay4 .............Music Program for 1st, 2nd, 3rd

grade 7:00 p.m. @ Ridge11 ...........PTO Umbrella mtg @ Heights

5:45 p.m.11 ...........PTO mtg 6:15 p.m.14 ...........Fundraiser - Walk-a-Thon19 ........... 4th grade Track & Field Day20 ........... 5th grade Track & Field Day21 ........... 5th grade Picnic26 ........... 4th grade Track & Field Day

(raindate)27 ........... 5th grade Track & Field Day

(raindate)28 ........... 5th grade Promotion 2:00 p.m.

Ridge Gymnasium31 ...........No School – Memorial Day

June3-4 ..........Snow make-up days4 ............. Last day of school – dismiss

11:20 a.m.7 .............Summer School begins–Ends

July 1st

Prairie Ridge celebrated the building’s completion by hosting a Ribbon Cutting Cer-emony on April 8th many were in attendance for this historic event. Students sang the Prai-rie Ridge school song during the ceremony.

Classroom PlacementIf you wish to express a concern about your

child’s placement for next year, you are wel-come to do so. Please call 848–5100 to re-quest a class placement form. We ask you notto request specific teachers. Instead, pleasedescribe your child’s learning needs and stylesthat will help us make decisions. Our maingoal of class placement is to maintain balancedclasses and to ensure appropriate services toall children. Once the decision is made, it isnearly impossible to change the placementwithout a major disturbance to the entire op-eration. For the benefit of all students at Prai-rie Ridge, we ask you to send in the placementrequest form by the due date– May 6th

Late requests will not be considered. We ap-preciate your understanding and cooperation.

Springtime means summer is just aroundthe corner and in our final newsletter articlewe’ll take this opportunity to reflect on themany activities the Ridge PTO has been in-volved in.

Summer of 2003 found Ridge studentsmaking new friends as they participated intransitional activities. Ridge kids played atSwisher Park, swam at Bender Pool and hula-hooped at our school-wide ice cream social.Eager students and families toured the build-ing, wondering if it would really be ready forthe start of the school year.

Registration marked a chance to reconnectwith old friends and discover who our newschoolteacher would be. The school year be-gan and Ridge students and staff gathered forour first school-wide photo. (Copies are avail-able for purchase from Mrs. Schulte in the of-fice, be sure and pick up a copy of this inaugu-ral class photo.)

Homecoming arrived and Ridge studentslined the streets as various floats and marchingband members streamed by. Ridge’s float cap-tured the spirit of construction as we eagerlyawaited the full completion of our building.

In November, Ridge families danced thenight a way at our first sock hop, held in themiddle school gym. Plenty of fun was had byall.

December brought new friends to ourbuilding community as the fifth graderswalked down the hill from Crest, one finaltime. Each classroom gained a permanenthome and we discovered a beautiful doublegym and wonderful project rooms. Our schoolwas radically transformed from a place withtemporary classrooms to one with walls and

doors. Our music classes joined us from aformer portable building and we ended themonth of December with a school-wide sing-a-long.

April was a month for celebration when wehosted our school-wide dedication and ribboncutting. Many community members, familiesand construction crews joined us as we cel-ebrated the completion of Prairie Ridge. Ourdistrict is so fortunate to add a fourth elemen-tary and we appreciate all of the support inmaking this dream a reality.

We also celebrated a Ridge Family Nightice-skating at The Cedar Rapids Ice Arena onApril 22. We realized we have some futurechampionship figure skaters and hockey play-ers in our ranks and for those of us who spentthe majority of time sitting on the ice, we stillhad a great time.

And still, there are additional projects onthe horizon for this year. In the process of cre-ating the Ridge identity, families decided to testthe waters with fundraising and adopted a “no-sell” policy. Our first official “no-sell”fundraiser, the Hawk Walk (walk-a-thon), takesplace on May 14th. We anticipate this will be agreat beginning for us. Additionally, our first 5th

Grade Promotion is coming up and with all thewonderful new relationships that have beenformed this year, it is sure to be an enjoyableexperience for all involved.

We’ve been fortunate to have so many com-mitted volunteers supporting and sharing ideasas we came together during this school year.Thank you to all who have participated in anyway. Together we made this a successful andmemorable year.Mary Gudenkauf and Michele Mumm,Co-Presidents, Ridge PTO

PTO Reflects on a Successful First Year

Summer LearningOpportunitiesBy: Linda Leggat – Strategist

Summer is fast approaching. Althoughthe summer months allow students tohave a more relaxed routine, there aremany learning opportunities available tostudents throughout the summer. Keepingyour child involved in reading, math, andwriting activities during these months isextremely important to their overall aca-demic achievement.

Children should read everyday. Manyof the local libraries offer Summer ReadingPrograms. They often provide incentives/awards to children for reading. Visit yourlocal library to find out more informationabout their Summer Reading Program.

The Kernel’s Baseball Team also offersa Summer Reading Promotion. TheKernel’s organization emphasizes the im-portance of reading for future success.Watch for more information to come homeabout the Kernel’s Reading Promotion.Another great opportunity is the CollegeCommunity Summer School Program.Many classes offer reading, writing, andmath practice experiences.

Summer offers the opportunity to prac-tice and apply reading, writing, and mathskills outside of the classroom. Take ad-vantage of this time with your child to ap-ply academic skills as you travel, shop,visit attractions, and just relax. Enjoy thesummer by reading books, magazines,signs, menus, maps, and newspapers withyour children.

Middle SchoolTransition UpdateBy: Dave Trachta, Counselor

Middle School–are you ready? Rest as-sured that we are aware of the stress and anxi-ety associated with this transition and have putin place several safety nets to help ease all in-volved into this next phase of your child’seducational travels at College Community.

During the month of April, the MiddleSchool counselors and selected 6th grade stu-dents visited each of the 5th grade classroomssharing information, answering questions andexplaining how the 6th grade schedule works.On April 20th, the Middle School Parent Organi-zation presented a 5th grade Parent Q&A Night.

During May all 5th grade classes will tourthe Middle School and have another opportu-nity to ask questions. Towards the end of May(date yet to be set) 5th graders from all four el-ementary schools will come together for a dayof food and fun at Jones Park.

Middle School registration will take placein August providing you and your student withyet another opportunity to ask last minutequestions and take a tour of the building fol-lowing your child’s schedule.

In closing, know that you are not alone. Ifyou have any questions, call me 848-5102 oreither of the Middle School counselors – SueFarren 848-5325 or Lisa Meyers 848-5326.

Welcome BagsBy: 5th grade students - Amy Peiffer,Maria Lee, Ashely Bartels

During this school year we have had manynew students come to Prairie Ridge! For thatreason, the Prairie Ridge 5th graders in Ms.Vavra’s class and the 2nd graders in Mrs. Grabe’sclass got together and designed Welcome Bags!

What are Welcome Bags for? Well, WelcomeBags are for the new students who came fromother school districts. The bags can save moneyon school supplies and help new students get offto a better start at Prairie Ridge!

After we decorated the bags, other classes putschool supplies in the bags. The school materialswere provided by the Prairie Ridge PTO and theHeart-to-Hand Committee. Let’s take some timeto thank them. By making the Welcome Bags wecan help the students, parents, or guardians savemoney! We think that Welcome Bags are a fan-tastic idea!

Goal SettingMrs. Chen met with all 4th grade

students at Prairie Ridge Elementary inFebruary to talk to them about goal set-ting for academic achievement. Shediscussed ALT data and growth expec-tations with each child. Together theyplanned ways that they could achievethese goals. For example, they couldread 20 minutes daily and/or practicemath or spelling for 10 minutes daily.By doing this every day, 4th graderscould work toward meeting their aca-demic achievement goals.

Leadership GroupNineteen Prairie Ridge 4th and 5th grade stu-

dents were selected in January to participate inthe first Prairie Ridge “Leadership ThroughService Group.” The purpose of this leadershipprogram is to reinforce positive character de-velopment, to cultivate collaboration, caringand self-initiation, and teach group membersleadership skills.

Group members meet weekly and Mrs.Chen, Mrs. Kiburz and Mr. Trachta lead teach-ing sessions and discussions related to currentprojects, future undertakings and skill lessons.Student leaders have assisted with Muffins forMom and Doughnuts for Dad by serving asgreeters and guides. They also have been inter-viewing all students new to Prairie Ridge.These interviews will help us form future ser-vice projects at Prairie Ridge.

Hawk WalkMay 14

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 5

Prairie ViewElementary

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May3 .............Kernels Summer Reading

Assembly – All students gym@ 8:35

11 ...........P.T.O. 5:45 Umbrella @Heights. 6:15 Business meeting

14 ........... 2nd grade Field Trip – WickiupNature Center 9:00-1:45

19 ........... 4th Grade Field Day - rain date26th

20 ........... 5th Grade Field Day - rain date27th

21 ........... 5th Grade Picnic28 ........... 5th Grade Promotion31 ...........No School - Memorial Day

June3 .............Enrichment Day4 ............. Last Day of School - 11:20

dismissal7 .............Summer School begins

July1 .............Summer School ends

The Invention Convention District Compe-tition took place February 12 at WestdaleMall. Solomon Wilharm’s invention was cho-sen to continue on to the state competition inIowa City. Solomon is a 5th grader in Mrs.Sankot’s classroom. He invented, “The Getand Wash Egg Basket.” It keeps the eggs safefrom chickens that could knock them off. Itincludes a set of gloves with sponges on thefingertips to clean the eggs quickly. Solomonand his brothers raise 50 chickens near Ely.They collect five to six dozen eggs a day andsell them to friends and family.

Prairie View PTO NewsBy Ellen Ramsey-Kacena, President

I want to take this opportunity to thankyou all again for such a wonderful year. Wehave had some terrific volunteers again thisyear. I have enjoyed the level of energy andcommitment from all of our volunteers dur-ing the time I have been President. It neversurprises me that View has the highest levelof commitment from our volunteers, nor thatwe surpass the other schools in the district intotal volunteer hours.

Looking back over this last year, we hadmany successes. Our Open House had thehighest attendance among the elementaryschools. The PTO provided pizza, beveragesand desserts. Our first PTO meeting was apotluck that drew large crowds of parents,new and old. We started right in with thefall fundraiser organized by Kim Kacena.We again exceeded expectations and goals,causing Mrs. Lanich to have to come toschool in her pajamas for a day. The pro-ceeds provided the funds necessary to sup-port our budget. Our wonderful volunteersearned extra money by filling helium bal-loons for Klein Tools, an event organized byRenee Perlwitz, our volunteer coordinator.The Holiday Shop also went off without ahitch, after addressing the concerns raisedby our parents last year. All of you whojoined us at Fun Fair know how well orga-nized and attended our Fun Fair was againthis year (a big thanks to Co-Chairs JuliaJordan and Dawn Hofmaster). StefanieRobinson also organized our Room Parents.Many of us attended family nights orches-trated by the Room Parents.

Behind the scenes, Noreen Moseley con-tinues to take care of our soup labels andbox tops for education. Susan Gillen andNoel Lefebure continue to provide spiritwear at every activity. They even came upwith a few new ideas this year, including thespirit blankets and the new jackets. ReneePerlwitz continues to round up volunteersfor event after event. Beth Smith has orga-nized food for the teachers at the confer-ences and the teacher appreciation breakfastas long as I have been at View. Deb Gallo-way spent numerous hours making costumesand rounding up props for the musical pro-grams. These things occur without manypeople knowing or realizing the hours andenergy spent by the volunteers.

We are also continuing to work on theMemory Book, Kindergarten Roundup, andthe Fifth Grade Picnic, Promotion andVideo. We are now starting to look forwardto next year by organizing Registration andOpen House. We will be providing schoolsupply packs at registration again next year.They were such a success last year that wesold out on the first day of registration.

Being PTO President for View has been achallenging and rewarding experience forme. I will miss the day to day interactionwith the wonderful officers who have sup-ported me in this role. I will also miss thesupport I have received from Robin andMrs. Lanich. Many of the current officersare stepping back to allow other parents anopportunity for leadership positions withinthe PTO. We are also looking forward toother volunteer opportunities. Please joinme in thanking Susan Gillen, Renee Perlwitzand Kim Kacena for their work as officersfor the past two years. We will miss them.We will also look forward to Kim Smith andNoel Lefebure continuing in their currentpositions. I know they will continue toserve us well.

Parent MotivatesView Students

PV parent, Tim Ferry ll visited the 5thgrade for a motivational talk. Timstruggled with learning to read in elemen-tary school. He had comprehension prob-lems so he didn’t like to read. During aroad trip to California, he read two of hissister’s books from cover to cover. Heloved the author and decided to start toread things that really interested him. Hesuggested to the students to subscribe to amagazine about their hobby, such ashorses or basketball. He told students thattheir brain is their muscle and they shouldexercise their brain by reading aboutthings they like.

Tim has shown tremendous persever-ance and determination in one and twowheel bike racing. He broke the worldrecord, riding his unicycle 100 meters in11.92 seconds. Last November, he wonthe BMX Grand National Championship inOklahoma.

Tim’s message to students is to setgoals and work hard to achieve them. Hebelieves that successful people are the nor-mal people who have been persistent atreaching their goals. He speaks severaltimes a year to middle and high school stu-dents. His son, Tim, is a 5th grader at PVand his daughter, Amber, is a freshmanat PHS.

Basketball Shooting ContestBy: Ms. Lori Florence, Physical Education teacher

At the end of our basketball unit students in grades 4 and 5 got to show off their shooting.The CR Recreation Department led the kids through a shooting contest where participates shotthree times at the free throw line for 10 points each. Then they shot on the wings (both sides ofthe free throw line for 15 points each) and two shots each on both base lines for 20 points each.A total of 170 points were possible. All students participated in the school event during gymclass. Participation ribbons were awarded to everyone. Those finishing first through fourthplace also got a ribbon for the place they finished.The fifth graders that finished 1st through 4th place in our school competition were:

Boys: Roy Siemering (1st), Tanner Riley and Ian Tucker (tied for 2nd), Tyler Foss (3rd),and Chaz Boots and Ryan Smith (tied for 4th place)Girls: Lauren Pavic (1st), Katie Carver (2nd), Katelynn Cole (3rd), and Katie Baetsle (4th)

The fourth graders that finished 1st through 4th place in our school competition were:Boys: Conner Steffens (1st), Dylan Pond (2nd), Jacob Aune (3rd), and Chris Hamdorf (4th)Girls: Taylor Stecklein (1st), Ana Jordan (2nd), Amber Beckley (3rd), andJordan Kohnen (4th).Students finishing first and second were invited to the city finals at Coe College to compete

against kids from all the schools that participated.As a school we faired well at the city level. Congratulations to all the kids for a fine job.

The following students received medals and ribbons at the City competition.Congratulations to:

Ian Tucker for taking 1st place in the 5th grade boys division.Lauren Pavic for taking 2nd place in the 5th grade girls division.Dylan Pond for taking 1st place in the 4th grade boys division.

Prairie View FourthGrade

This week marks the end of our 6week core reading theme entitled Na-ture Guides. As a culminating activitythe students were given an assignmentto choose two animals to research fur-ther and then compare and contrastthe two animals they chose. The firstgoal of the project was to reinforce andintegrate the skills of compare andcontrast, using non- fiction books andresource books as well as the Internetto gain more information. The secondgoal was to take this information andsummarize it in their own words. Thefinal goal was to create a display toshare their information with their class-mates to broaden their understandingand knowledge of a variety of animals.The students did an excellent job withthis assignment.

Soaring HawksCelebrate 50 Years inEducation

To celebrate College Community SchoolDistrict’s 50th Birthday (1954-2004), the Prai-rie Art Department is organizing an excitingartistic project for the community to enjoy!Fifty wooden hawks will be decorated bygroups of students and staff and then displayedall around campus! Prairie View fourth andfifth grade students will work on 8 of those 50hawks. The students have just begun workingon the hawks-brainstorming plans for makingthe works one-of-a-kind.

Throughout the 2004-05 school year, thefinished hawks will be unveiled a few at atime, so that all fifty of them are displayed byMarch 1, 2005. The entire collection of Soar-ing Hawks will remain on display until theFoundation’s Prairie Fest 2005, where theywill then be auctioned. The proceeds from theauctioned hawks will benefit the Prairie SchoolFoundation.

Fourth grade students Amanda Smith,Jonathan Brown and Kolt Stulz applyprimer to their class’ Soaring Hawk.

Visit College CommunitySchool District

home page:www.prairiepride.org

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 6

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PRAIRIE SCHOOL FOUNDATION

MISSION STATEMENTMaintain, develop, increase, and extend thefacilities and services of the district and toprovide broader education opportunities toits students, staff, and the residents of thearea which it serves.

Brock AlbertsRobert AllanBrandon AndrewsMelissa ArmstrongFelicia BakerElizabeth BarrettLisa BarrettAaron BarryMatthew BarryChristopher BassTravis BaxterMelissa BechenCourtney BeerKathryn Beitzel

Chelsea BeldenAlissa BenishTrevor BensonNicholas BerryJennifer BlackcloudTyler BlahaTyler BodellJohn BolinJoseph BonenWhitney BradyChristopher BrownKendra BurtonBrady ByreWilliam Bys

Sara CainSamantha CamBrandon CampbellPreston CannadyMelissa CareyBrandon CarsonBrianne CarsonJennifer CarterJessica CarverDaryl CavalierWhitney CawiezellAntwon ChavisCody ClarkStephanie Cook

Robert CoppessNichole CorwinSara CumminsRyne DawsonKristian DayCassandra DegucClinton DietrichAmanda DinnellaJoshua DobbsLynnsey DonaldAlicia DonnellCourtney DulleaTiffany DuncanPreston Elliott-Moore

Kylee ErenbergerCasey EspeAusten FialaZachary FieldsKyle FisherSamantha FisherJacob FletcherErin FoizeyAmanda ForsythStephanie FreerksenJill FritzGina GerlemanSara GermainAndrew Gibbs

Laurel GilletteNathaniel GillsonJennifer GlickLea GoldmanJonathon GonzalesBen GoodwinKira GrabeKendra GregorRachel GrovesChristopher HagenJolene HamanJacob HankenJoslin HannaCrystal Hanson

Lindsay HarrelsonRussell HartmanCody HeathmanBrandon HemphillMeghan HenningSara HerberEric HindmanLeigh HoferMelissa HolladayTyler HooseMichelle HorakAlexander HossTheresa HynekTara Jennerjohn

College Community Superintendent, Richard T.Whitehead awarded the prestigious Pride of Prairieaward to Vicki Hyland, mother of three Prairie studentsand avid volunteer, for her volunteer work on behalf ofPrairie students.

All that Glitters is Gold Celebrated 50 YearsThank you to the nearly 400 people who attended the 2004 annual PrairieFest dinner and auction on April 17.

After spirited bidding on both the silent and live auction the event raised over $53,000. The Prairie Foundationwill disperse the funds to benefit the students, staff, and programs of College Community Schools.

Fairfax State Savings Bank, represented by PresidentDave Neuhaus, was awarded the second annual Corpo-rate Pride of Prairie. Richard T. Whitehead acknowl-edged their long time support of the Prairie Schools andthe Foundation.

Pride of Prairie Awards Honor Prairie’s Best

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 7

Benjamin JohnsonJeremiah JohnsonKatie JohnsonKelly JohnsonEmily JonesJulia KeeganMeghan KloubecStephen KnightMatthew KostleAndrew KrenzColton KrummCandice KvardaSarah LaffertyErin Lange

Ray LeHewLindsey LehmanColt LemkeMelanie LichnerowiczMegan LuseMeghann MahoneyHolly ManleyAmanda MarkhamTyler MartinTrevor McCreaAdam McKayJames McMannJennifer MellgrenBenjamin Melsha

Melissa MeyerNicholas MillerRobert MillerCody MillsDaniel MitchellKatherine MohlingKendall MooreKyle MoylanAnthony MuellerAnthony MullinixApril NealAnna NehreElizabeth NguyenJoshua Nguyen

Cody NicholsAimee NunemakerAshley O’ConnorKatie OehlerichKyler OgreenAbigail OsbornRandy OstenChelsie PatikAmanda PearcyAmanda PegumpTeran PegumpQuary PetrickBrandon PhilipsLindsay Pickrell

Ryan RansomTyler RichardsonCasey RichmondDanielle RichmondAmy RichterJessica RinglerJered RitchisonAshli RizzioLindsey RobertsonAdam RoederEden SchminkeySarah SchnellKatie SchroppClayton Schumacher

Keith SchutteDerrick SextonCharles ShowalterJeffrey SiresJodi SmithJoshua SmithAmanda SnowLindsey SojkaJared SteichenStephen StepanekClaudia StrauserMatthew StrotherChiara StudtMichelle Symonette

Alicia TeelAndy TerrellJamie TindallNathan TrunecekMonica VallejoErin VanHoutenKatie VodraskaLaura VoleskyDaniel WalderbachAnthony WassonShelby WaybillKeshia WhiteSadie WhiteZachary Willis

Joshua WillitsBrent WilsonMathew WilsonSara WrightTabetha YandaAmberly YoungBrandon ZahradnikRyan ZenisekDanielle ZinserAmanda Zuck

in Education and Raised Funds to Support Prairie Schools

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 8

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What is the Prairie Foundation?A student perspectiveBy: Jenny French, Foundation Student Public Relations Intern

This question is held by roughly 85% ofPrairie High School students, who insist thatthey have no knowledge that a foundationeven existed. Molly Bruner 05 explicitlystated, “I’ve never heard of them before,”while Zoey Phillips 06 questioned, “There’s afoundation?”

Since tax dollars can’t fund everything,the Prairie Foundation was founded in 1981being one of the first public school founda-tion established in the country. The founda-tion is managed by a board of 35 trustees who

organize the annual PrairieFest, a dinner auc-tion, to raise money for the College Commu-nity School District.

With the money raised, the foundation isable to contribute to a variety of purchasesincluding classroom amplifications system,playground equipment, classroom laptopcomputers, and many other items.

The foundation has greatly aided somePrairie High School organizations. BusinessProfessionals of America has been aided withcomputer equipment and their trips to nationals.

“The Prairie Foundation has opened manyopportunities for me and fellow BPA mem-bers in making it possible to attend the na-tional conference,” stated BJ Melsha 04.

This organization has made major contri-butions to College Community, includingthousands of dollars in donations. Without thefoundation, our school district and studentswould have fewer opportunities than it doesnow.

A Historical Look at the Prairie FoundationBy: Jenny French, FoundationStudent Public Relations Intern

The Prairie Foundation is a non profit or-ganization run by a board of trustees thathas made numerous contributions to theCollege Community School District formany years. Though the foundation iswidely unknown in our community, it is avital organization that has aided our schoolin countless ways. Many of the trustees areparents of students who attend Prairie, cur-rent or former staff members, or just caringpeople of the community. Founded in 1981,it was one of the first public school founda-tions created in the country.

“It’s a fundraising organization for Prai-rie to increase educational opportunities forstudents,” described Mick Starcevich, ex-ecutive vice president of Kirkwood Com-munity College.

Like most organizations, the PrairieFoundation has grown over the years. Itsmain annual event, PrairieFest, has in-creased in popularity and income. Everyyear since 1981, the foundation has madegreat contributions to the College Commu-nity school district.

The foundation raises money throughPrairieFest, which is a silent and live auc-tion typically held at the Collins Plaza Ho-tel. The huge annual event is very effectivein raising money for the College Commu-nity School District. In addition toPrairieFest, the Prairie Foundation also ac-cepts donations of either money or suppliesfor the school district.

“Having been on the Foundation for 10years and continuing to applaud the greatsuccess of Prairie Fest, I have a deep admi-ration and respect for each and everytrustee. I know firsthand the dedication,hard work, and commitment this organiza-tion requires and to be as successful as theFoundation is, speaks volumes for thosewho make it work,” responded former Prai-rie Foundation trustee Maggie York.

What is done with the money raised bythe foundation? For several years, themoney raised has been spent prudently onschool facilities, supplies, and financial aidfor teachers. In 1996 and 1997, the organi-zation donated $4,000 to each building.

Since every school needs books, thefoundation once donated $250 for each el-ementary for the Reading is Fundamental

program. The program has proven to be anexcellent way to get elementary kids ex-cited about reading books. Media centers ofeach building were given $1,000 each forbook purchases, giving our children morebook options at the library.

Technology is essential for our schooldistrict to keep up to date, and the PrairieFoundation has made huge contributions tohelp our district stay ahead. Computersaren’t exactly cheap, so the foundation hashelped our district to purchase them. In1984, $2,000 was given to the school dis-trict for computers. The laptop computersthat students get to use at the high schoolwere quite costly, so $20,000 was given forthem. Just recently, $60,000 was given topurchase laptop computer banks.

School departments have directly ben-efited from the money raised in many ways.At Prairie Crest, a kiln was purchased (afurnace used for burning, baking, or dryingpottery) for $1,800 for the art department.The huge contribution helps elementary stu-dents realize that art isn’t just limited to pa-per and water colors.

The music department in the high schoolhas also been aided by the foundation.Money was donated to curb performancecosts and to contribute to the payment ofthe band uniforms. For many parents whohave children in band, this was greatly ap-preciated.

What would social studies class be with-out a map of the world? The foundation hascontributed to the social studies departmentalso by donating $1,500 for NationalGeographic World Maps.

Being a patron of the sciences, the foun-dation gave the high school science depart-ment $2,400 for a closed circuit video mi-croscope. For the labs that require fire, thefoundation contributed $1,600 in 1997 forthe high school gas regulators and tanks.

Teachers, perhaps the most in need offinancial aid, have been helped and wel-comed by the foundation in many ways. Atthe beginning of each year, teachers arewelcomed by a staff appreciation eventknown as Lunch on Us, which is a luncheonfor teachers to start the new school year.

Since 1981, the foundation has awardedsenior scholarships and a community ser-vice scholarship. Though these are helpfulto the students, it has been discovered that

the scholarships were more beneficial to thecollege/post-secondary school than the ac-tual student. In this case, the foundation hasrecently decided to use the money for stu-dent campership opportunities and teacherstudy grants. Teacher study grants aresponsored by the foundation. For those ex-tra supplies that every staff member seemsto need, the foundation once awarded $100for each teacher and $1,000 for each princi-pal.

The foundation has also spent money tokeep College Community school kids inshape. It provided $2,000 for the PrairieHeights Elementary playground project andhas just recently provided $3,000 for play-ground renovation at Prairie Heights. Theorganization has also aided high school stu-dents by donating $3,850 for the floor cov-ering and mirrors for the weight room at thehigh school.

The Prairie Foundation has proven to bean essential and helpful sponsor for CollegeCommunity schools, but what else has thefoundation done? The foundation doesn’tjust limit itself to school funding, but com-munity funding also. In the past years, theorganization has donated a $600 adult man-nequin for CPR training in our district. TheSpecial Olympics have also been funded bythe foundation. The caring organization do-nated $500 for the event.

The foundation has not only aided pur-chases for our school, but it has directly af-fected the staff and students of the CollegeCommunity School District. The things pur-chased help students learn well in a better-equipped environment. Though successful,the foundation continuously works towardimprovement every year.

“With any organization, an ongoing goal isself improvement and that’s what the Founda-tion continuously works toward. It’s very evi-dent that the dynamic trustees currently serv-ing are giving their best and have a vision forthe future. As a former trustee, I am veryproud of the organization,” stated York.

Without the Prairie Foundation, the dis-trict would not be the same. The school sup-plies, resources, and funding have helpedimprove the school district immensely.Thanks to the Prairie Foundation, our dis-trict is “Ensuring Quality Learning Today,for Tomorrow.”

GodfathersLinn County Farm BureauRead PhotographyHandimartBuckleLacey’s Barber ShopLindemann LooksDillardsTan WorldAirport NationalEvergreenCedar River Paper Co.D.A. BunchJostensHappy ChefMt. Mercy CollegeBuild-A-Bear WorkshopPanera BreadTexas RoadhouseSteak and ShakeB-BopsMcdonaldsFazolisC.R. KernalsKirkwood Community CollegeMastercutsKHAKKCRGC.R. RoughridersDakota Red Corp.South SlopeUNIDrug TownADMNevada BobsPlanet BeachNew WavePepsiSuntan and NailsUS CellularFin and FeatherPapa JohnsCulversWendy’sFairfax Dairy QueenZinser DemolitionMid-ContinentalParents of Juniors and SeniorsClass of 2004

Local Support MakesPost Prom a Success

Thanks to outstanding support from theparent planning committee, area businesses,community members and the Prairie SchoolFoundation, Prairie students enjoyed an-other successful post prom event atWestdale bowling.

And a special thanks to the Prairie Foun-dation for gifts, food, and entertainment.

1st Annual Prairie Foundation Golf OutingSaturday, August 21

For information, check special announcements on www.prairiepride.org!

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 9

DistrictInformation

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Fundamental AccountingDan Murphy—1st*Justin Smith—2nd*Molly Meyer—HMRyan McAdams—HM

Payroll AccountingJustin Smith—1st*Dan Murphy—4th*

Advanced AccountingLindsey Lehman—1st*

Financial Analyst Team—1st*

Justin SmithDavid BeneshDan MurphyB. J. Melsha

Economic ResearchTeam—3rd

David JacobCaleb Schmidt

Economic Research Indv.Jonah Legg—HM

Financial Math andAnaylsis

Justin Smith—HMStephanie Klein—HMLogan Jewett-HMChris Gregory—HM

Ecommerce Team—1st*Tim JacobsBen Jones

Software EngineeringTeam—1st*

Chase BecickaMarcus Soukup

Network Design Team—1st*Ty BodellJarod Porter

C++ ProgrammingChase Becicka—3rd*

JAVA ProgrammingRyan Mason—1st*Dan Walderbach—2nd*Marcus Soukup—3rd*Anthony Mueller—4th*Jacob Starks—5th*Josh Sevcik —HM

Computer NetworkTehnology

Jarod Porter—1st*Ty Bodell—2nd*Kaleb Harrison—4th*Eric Spleen—5th*Anthony Mueller—HMIan Gartin—HM

PC TroubleshootingBrian Snyder—1st*Wyatt Brenneman—2nd*Bryce Buckallew—3rd*Lucas Flatgard—4th*Jacob Starks—5th*Jessica Milton—HMWill Croskrey—HMMichael Moynihan—HMChase Becicka—HM

Cisco NetworkingTy Bodell—2nd*Jarod Porter—4th*Kaleb Harrison—5th*

Microsoft NetworkingTim Jacobs—1st*

Brian Snider—3rd*Lucas Flatgard—5th*Will Croskrey—HM

Novell NetworkingGreg Soukup—1stMichael Moynihan—2nd

Website Development Team1—1st*

Ian GartinBrian SniderJessica MiltonMichael Moynihan

Website Development Team2—2nd*

Lucas FlatgardKaleb HarrisonWill Croskrey

Digital MediaSarah Gronemeyer—2nd*

Fundamentals of HTMLTim Jacobs—1st*Dan Walderbach—2nd*Tara Jennerjohn—3rd*Kris Day—4th*Curt Zenisek—5th*Matt Bean—HM

IT ConceptsJarod Porter—2nd*Tim Jacobs—4th*Bryce Buckallew—5th*Ben Jones—HMLucas Flatgard—HMKaleb Harrison—HM

Global Marketing Team—HMSami SilversteinAshley Schulte

Prairie BPA Chapter Dominates State CompetitionThe following students won awards during the Iowa Business Professionals of America competition held in Cedar Rapids this spring.

Not only did Prairie students dominate the state competition, many qualified to compete at Nationals. (* denotes national qualifiers)

Sara BootheGraphic Design

Curt Zenisek—HMInterview Skills

Sara Boothe—3rd*Adv. Interview Skills

B. J. Melsha—HMPrepared Speech

Stephanie Klein—HMStephanie Persaud—HM

Presentation ManagementIndividual

Rachel Hyland—1st*Marketing/Management/Human Resource

Justin Smith—2nd*Molly Meyer—3rd*Lucas Flatgard—4th*Rachel Hyland—HM

Parliamentary ProcedureAnthony Mueller—HM

KeyboardingDerek Kemble—HMHillary Svestka—HM

Word ProcessingStephanie Klein—2nd*

Integrated Office ApplicationsValerie Brophy—HM

Legal Office ProceduresTara Jennerjohn—HM

Database ManagementKiley Meier—HMBryce Buckallew—HM

Administrative SupportIndividual

Sami Silverstein—3rd*

PHS Concert Features New PieceCommissioned in Memory of Dan Horak

The Prairie High School Concert Chorale performed the premiere of a new work Praise,Laudate! by Philip Wharton at the Prairie High School Mid-Winter Concert. Commissionedin memory of Dan Horak, Praise, Laudate! is an uplifting, joyous song of celebration by a na-tive Iowan.

Philip Wharton grew up in Decorah and now lives in New York City. Active both as vio-linist and composer, Philip plays frequently throughout the Midwest. A native of Decorah,Philip Wharton holds degrees from The Juilliard School (DMA, MM), Eastman School ofMusic (MM, BM), and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Adv. Cert.). His principalviolin teachers have been Lizbeth Getman, Charles Castleman, and David Takeno. He studiedcomposition with Samuel Adler, David Del Tredici, John Corigliano, Joseph Schwantner, andWarren Benson.

Dan Horak, Class of 1999, was an enthusiastic, four-year member of Prairie choirs. Hewas the son of Richard and Janice Horak of Swisher. After high school graduation, Dan stud-ied Culinary Arts at Kirkwood Community College, later changing to Liberal Arts. He wasalso a member of the Kirkwood Chorale. After Dan died October 19, 2000, in a car crash, hisfamily wanted his memorials to support the music programs at the schools Dan attended.

From the time Dan was a little boy, music and rhythm were large parts of his life. The wholehouse used to shake at times with his music, his mother said. “Philip’s music is a positive,beautiful piece which conveys the best parts of Dan’s personality. I think the complexity andvariety in the piece—the Latin, the English, the rhythm, the syncopation, the sung and the per-cussive, spoken parts—will be an enjoyable piece for the kids to work on. There is enough rep-etition and rhythm in it to get Dan’s approval. I especially like the phrase creeping things,winged birds, dragons of the deep.” The task of performing challenging music is one thatbrought Dan great satisfaction during his years in the Concert Chorale. It is the Horak family’slove for Dan that motivated them to commission this beautiful piece to honor his memory.

Are You Part of AStepfamily?

Soon the step family will be the mostcommon family configuration in America.While we know that step family life has it’schallenges, children in stepfamilies do ex-perience positive benefits and learn impor-tant life skills because of their participationin a stepfamily.

Children in stepfamilies can:1. Learn to be more flexible2. Learn lasting tools to cope with loss and

change in their life3. Benefit from having extra adult role

models and adult mentors involved intheir lives

4. Experience life in a home with parentswho are happy

5. Observe the growth and development ofa marriage from the very beginning(learn healthy relationship skills)The Parent Education Consortium has

parenting classes to support parents livingin stepfamily arrangements. In the step par-ent group we talk about: the myths and re-alities of stepfamily life, step family lifefrom a child’s persective, ways to establishand maintain a strong couple relationship,how to build strong relationships within thestep family network, and how to parentmore effectively in stepfamilies.

For more information about this programcontact Alison Graham at 319-399-6809 orby e-mail at agraham@aea10.k12.ia.us

Important Phone Numbers

Visit College CommunitySchool District

home page:www.prairiepride.org

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Central Administration848-5200

Superintendent of Schools848-5201

Executive Director of Learning Services848-5211

Director of Nutrition848-5215

Executive Director of Business Services848-5221

Prairie Crest Office848-5280

Prairie Heights Office848-5230

Prairie Ridge Office848-5100

Prairie View Office848-5260

Prairie Middle School Office848-5310

Prairie High School Office848-5340

Prairie High School Guidance848-5344

Transportation848-5204

Bus Garage848-5206

Director of Bldg/Grounds848-5214

Volunteer Coordinator848-5224

Prairie Oaks364-0259

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 10

Prairie MiddleSchool○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

In the “Middle for MayMay1 .............8th Grade Band and Student

Council to Adventureland3-5 .......... 7th Grade – 1st half Outdoor

Education Week5-7 .......... 7th Grade – 2nd half Outdoor

Education Week6 .............9:51 a.m. - Student Council

Meeting3:30 p.m. - Boys and Girls Track(there) NW Iowa City

7 .............3:30 p.m. ––Girls Tennis I (here)II (there) Harding

9 .............Happy Mother’s Day!!10 ........... 3:30p.m. - Boys Soccer (there)

Roosevelt3:30 p.m. ––Girls Tennis I (there)II (here) Taft3:30 p.m. – Girls Track–– CityMeet @ Coe

11 ........... 3:30 p.m. – Boys Track – CityMeet @ Coe

12 ........... 6th Grade Track and Field Day13 ........... 3:30 p.m. ––Girls Tennis I (here)

Maharishi4:30 p.m. - 8th grade band performsat IA Bandmasters Convention

17 ........... 3:30 p.m. - Boys Soccer (here)Linn Mar Red3:30 p.m.––Girls Tennis I (there)II (here) Regis

18 ........... 7:00 p.m. – 8th & 9th Grade ChoirConcert in H.S. Auditorium

19 ...........ADAPT VIII12:32 p.m. - Student Council Meeting

20 ...........ADAPT VIII7:00 p.m. – 6th & 7th Grade ChoirConcert in H.S. Auditorium

21 ........... 8th grade Civil War re-enactmentand display

27 ........... 6th Grade to Care Centers andSuper Skate5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Spring Dance

31 ...........Memorial Day! No School!

June2 .............Regular School day (Snow make

up day!)3 .............Regular School day (Snow make

up day!)4 .............11:20 a.m. dismissal! Last day

of School!

Prairie Students WinRotary Poster Contest

Rotary International will be celebrating100 years of service in 2005. In conjunctionwith this occasion, Ely-Gateway Rotary andCedar Rapids West Rotary, asked MiddleSchool Art Teacher, Lia Cohen and her ArtStudents to participate in an International“Poster Contest.” The theme was: ProvidingService to others in the Community andaround the World.

There was a winning poster chosen fromeach Rotary. The winners of the posters were:■ Ely-Gateway Rotary - Kylie Wilcox and

Zahra Alyasirri■ C.R. West Rotary - Hailee Schiller, Meg

Landon and Annie HillsThese posters were then submitted to the

District level along with many others and wewon again! Hailee Schiller, Meg Landonand Annie Hills poster will now go to theRotary Zone Competition, which will bejudged in September of 2004.

In honor of all these winners, we willhave a Rotary presentation on Monday, May3, 2004 at 2:45 in the auditorium. A tree willbe planted on campus and dedicated to eachgroup of winners. Thank you to Ms. Cohen,the winners and to the many other studentswho participated in this event.

We appreciate your interest and concern forthe community and others around the world!

Middle School Job ShadowsBy: Lori Danker, ELP Coordinator

Our sincere thanks goes to GinaBallestrasse-Ernster at Junior Achieve-ment for her help in arranging our springJob Shadow experience for middle schoolstudents.

This year, over 250 middle school stu-dents participated in visiting area busi-nesses and organizations. They toured, lis-tened to presentations, or in some cases,were put to work on site. Thanks to SharonMeskimen, Transportation Secretary, forher arrangement of all of the transportationto these many businesses.

A huge thanks also to our partners in thebusiness community who invited students tovisit: The Cedar Rapids Fire Department;The Cedar Rapids Gazette; SuperTarget onBlairsFerry Road; Wilson Ave. Hy-Vee;Foundation 2 Shelter; Shuttleworth/Ingersoll Law Firm; The Linn CountySheriff’s Department; KCRG; Mercy Hos-pital; Collins Credit Union on 42nd St.; St.Luke’s Hospital; Oakland Road Hy-Vee;Rockwell Recreation Center; Best Buy onCollins Road; The Cedar Rapids Public Li-brary; The Cedar Rapids Ice Arena; CityLooks at Westdale; Blue Stem Administra-tion; The Howard R. Green Company.

How are stu-dents selected tojob shadow? Jobshadowing is a re-quirement in theELP curriculum.Students in specialeducation andthose served in theSuccess Center areusually designatedto participate. Anystudent in thebuilding can benominated by ateacher. Studentsare also invited toparticipate throughon-going studentannouncementsand by signing upin the office. Ev-ery effort is made to place students in jobshadow experiences while in the middleschool.

Any questions related to the job shadow-ing experience can be directed to LoriDanker, K-12 ELP Coordinator, atldanker@ccs.k12.ia.us, or by calling848.5344 or 848.5310.

StephanieErenberger trieson turn out gear atthe Cedar RapidsFire Departmentduring jobshadowing.

Job Shadow a CEOEssay ContestBy: Lori Danker, ELP Coordinator

Every year, Prairie Middle Schoolcouples with Junior Achievement to placestudents in job shadows with area leaders.Thanks to Gina Ballestrasse-Ernster fromJA, we were able to offer this opportunity.

The following students wrote an essayand were accepted for a special job shadow:

Jordan Uthoff- Dale McNeeley,Kirkwood College

Colton Christner- Dale McNeeley,Kirkwood College

Tyler Hurlbert- Dale McNeeley,Kirkwood College

Kim Jauga- Jim Tinker, Mercy HospitalAnna Duss- Dr. Kathy Ross, Ross Veteri-

nary ClinicThe following students have also been

accepted, through their essays, for a specialshadow that is still being arranged:

DiAndre Eickstaedt Katie BengeAlicia McDaniel Crystella KilpatrickNatasha ConnerThank you to these area leaders and to

Gina for their help. Any questions regardingour annual essay contest should be directedtowards Lori Danker, K-12 ELP Coordina-tor, at ldanker@ccs.k12.ia.us, or at848.5344 or 848.5310.

Prairie Middle School hosts Japanese studentsFour Prairie Middle School students and their families recently played host to four Japa-

nese exchange students. The Japanese students spent February 29 through March 21 withtheir host families experiencing American culture and the education offered in the MiddleSchool. It was a great learning experience for all of the Prairie Middle School students andtheir families.

From left to right with their host (while waiting for departure from the Cedar RapidsAirport) Crystal Shramek 7th grade and Aiki Segawa, Hikaru Imazeki and CaseyShelangoski 7th grade, Yoshihito Yamada (not pictured host Trevor Sniegowski) 7th grade,and Josh Thompson 8th grade with Shin Oshitani. This group of exchange students will begreatly missed by all.

Eighth grade students working in agroup at one of the ADAPT sessions.ADAPT is a program offered to all 8th

grade students throughout the year.ADAPT is an award-winning workshopto help prevent alcohol and drug abuseat a time when those issues are begin-ning to confront students. It has alsoevolved into a communication skillsand leadership training workshop.

Eighth Grade Band Selected for State-wide HonorThe Prairie Middle

School Eighth GradeBand has been selectedto perform at this year’sIowa Bandmasters As-sociation (IBA) Con-vention, held annually

in Des Moines. This is the highest honor aband can receive in the State of Iowa.

Each year schools from around the statesubmit audition recordings for consider-ation. One or two middle school bands arethen chosen to perform at this prestigiousevent attended by every elementary, middleschool, junior high, high school, and collegeband director in the State of Iowa.

This is the first time a band from Prairiehas ever been selected to perform at the IBA

Convention. They will perform on Thurs-day, May 13, 2004 at 4:30 pm in the GrandBallroom of the Hotel Fort Des Moines.Most bands that are selected have a largecontingent of parents, teachers, and admin-istrators in attendance at their performance.We’d encourage everyone to attend!

Congratulations, Eighth Grade Band!

Welcome to our buddingfifth grade musicians!

Each Prairie fifth grader came to theMiddle School, tried EVERY band instrument,and was assessed by a band director or volun-teer after spring break. The nights of April 5and 6 students and parents attended a “Begin-ning Band Open House” to make a final selec-tion on an instrument and to sign up for sum-mer band. We’re anticipating another recordnumber of students involved in summer schooland next year’s Prairie Middle School SixthGrade Band! If your child did not get signedup and would like to be involved, please con-tact Linda Bowton at 848-5312 orlbowton@ccs.k12.ia.us as soon as possible.

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 11

Prairie HighSchool

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Tips from the PrincipalHow to Get Good Grades inTen Easy Steps

1. Believe In Yourself2. Get Organized3. Manage Your Time Well4. Be Successful In The Classroom5. Take Good Notes6. Know How To Read A Textbook7. Study Smart8. Use Test Taking Strategies9. Reduce Test Anxiety10. Get Help When You Need It

Tips for ParentsYour children need you to be interested

and involved in their academic progress.Your children, however, must be respon-sible for their own grades, attendance andbehavior.

1. Be Interested2. Discuss Classes And Set Goals3. Offer To Help4. Listen5. Encourage Involvement6. Monitor Activities And Jobs7. Work With The School8. Avoid These “Don’ts”

• Don’t nag about school orgrades. Your child will tune youout.

• Don’t allow your child to missschool unless he/she is really ill.

• Don’t criticize a teacher in frontof your child.

• Don’t make your child’s failures(or successes) your own.

Attention Class of 2008 Parents and Students:■ The New Student Orientation will be held On Thursday, August 19 at the High School.■ This is a must for parents of incoming freshman and new students.■ This informational night will include the following and much more: Walk through your

son or daughters schedule, meet and visit with teachers and advisors, attend a presenta-tion on attendance, discipline, dress code, and all of Prairie High School’s rules andexpectations. There will also be information on all activities and clubs in which your sonor daughter may choose to be involved in.

■ Pizza will be provided for students along with lunchroom expectations.Mark you calendars for a fun and informational night and kick off a great 2004-05

school year.

Senior AwardsAssembly

The 2004 Senior Awards Assembly willbe held May 26 at 1:00 P.M. in the highschool auditorium. During this time allscholarships and awards that seniors haveearned and received will be announced.There will be a short reception for parentsfollowing the assembly. Immediately fol-lowing the assembly, the seniors will prac-tice for graduation and have their class pic-ture taken.

There will be an “Awards Form” en-closed with all senior twelve week grades.Parents are encouraged to fill this out andreturn to guidance NO later the May 17. Wewant to make certain that each senior is rec-ognized for all of their awards that theyhave received.

Junior ParentMeetings

Each year junior parents are encour-aged to schedule a meeting with theirstudent’s counselor. The purpose of thismeeting would be review graduation plans,senior course selection, and organize aplan for transitioning after high school.Junior parents will be receiving a letterfrom the counselors with more informationabout this opportunity.

PSEOStudents, who will be juniors and se-

niors next fall, who are interested in tak-ing courses at Kirkwood, or other eligibleinstitutions, can begin sign-up in the guid-ance office beginning April 23. CollegeCommunity will pay for these courses andthe students will receive high school andcollege credit. There are certain guide-lines for taking courses, and if you havequestions, please contact the guidanceoffice.

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ALTJuniors who have not passed the ALT

or Achievement Level Test will be takingthe test on May 5th and 6th. Parents ofthose students should have received aletter in the mail from Mr. Bubon explain-ing the alternatives at this time. Juniorswho do not pass in May can sign up forsummer school ALT classes.

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Video Students Win Rotary EnvironmentalMultimedia Contest

Students in Mrs. Hynek’s Applied Video class recently won the Cedar Rapids RotaryWest 2003-04 Environmental Multimedia Contest. The winners were Jonah Legg, AnnaNehre and Erin Foizey. The winners were presented with certificates and a planted treefor the high school. The trees were provided by Cedar Rapids Rotary, Trees Forever andDwight Hughes Nursery.

All projects were displayed at Beems Auditorium at the Cedar Rapids Library. Stu-dents were invited to the Rotary West meeting and luncheon. Congratulations to all whoparticipated.

New Telescope—New Opportunities

Prairie Middle School and High Schoolscience departments have joined forces topurchase a telescope for student use. We areexcited to provide this opportunity.

We purchased the 10” version of thisscope along with a PC laptop to be able tostore images taken via a digital cameramounted on the scope. We will be able totake very nice clear pictures of the moon,planets, and deep sky objects

We envision having older students takephotos for younger students and share thesevia a web page. The telescope can be oper-ated in a manual mode or in an almost auto-matic mode. The telescope has star andplanet locations stored in a large on boarddatabase and can find these on demand.

Members of our departments are very ex-cited about this purchase and look forward toworking with students of all ages in fosteringinterest in astronomy and science in general.

Guest speakershighlight Anatomyand Physiology

Anatomy and Physiology studentswere introduced to chiropractic careerinformation along with some skeletalsystem basics by area chiropractor, Dr.Bruce Weisbein. Following a unit on theheart this spring, Dr. Mark Zittergruen, apediatric cardiologist visited. Finally,with February being Heart Month, ScottSanborn from KCRG TV9 presented hispersonal experience with lifestylechanges for a healthy heart. Thanks toall of these guests!

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Prairie Hawks Volleyball 2004Important Dates

April 14th @ 5:30pm • Parent Meeting in Cafeteria to Discuss Team Camps

June 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, July 11th, 18thSummer League at Prairie: Times: - 5:00 Soph and 6:00 Varsity

July 12th – 15th: Jr. Camp at Prairie • Grades: 4-7 8:30 – 11:30

July 12th – 16th: HS Camp at Prairie • 1:00 – 4:00 July 16th-8:30-11:30 • Cost: $60

July 20th – 23rd: Varsity to Wisconsin Team Camp

July 23rd & 24th: Varsity to Wisconsin Dells • Return the 24th

July 30th & 31st: Incoming Sophs (plus anyone else needed to fill needs)to Central College Team Camp • Return the 31st

August 6th & 7th: Kirkwood Team Camp • Varsity and Sophs(maybe 1 other team if needed)

August 9th – 12th: Conditioning week • 8:30 – 10:30

August 16th: Practice Officially Begins • Details to follow

August 21st: Family Barbecue at 5:30 (site to be determined)

Summer Schedule for Marching BandThe 2004-05 C.R. Prairie “Hawks” Marching Band and Color Guard will again have the

largest enrollment in school history. We have over 225 members signed up for the 04-05school year!

Dates are now set for the 20th Annual summer band camp to be held on the PrairieHigh School campus. Summer Band Camp rehearsals are REQUIRED for all members ofthe Band and Color Guard and will be held as follows:

Monday, Aug. 9 9 am-noon (Freshmen & New Members ONLY!)1 - 5 PM Full Band & Color Guard

Tuesday, Aug. 10 9 am-12:00, 1-5 PM Full Band & Color GuardWednesday, Aug. 11 9 am-12:00, 1-5 PM Full Band & Color GuardThursday, Aug. 12 9 am-12:00, 1-5 PM Full Band & Color GuardFriday, Aug. 13 9 am-12:00, 1-5 PM Full Band & Color GuardTuesday, Aug. 17 5 - 9 PM Full Band & Color GuardThursday, Aug. 19 5 - 9 PM Full Band & Color GuardFriday, Aug. 20 End-of-Camp Showcase in the Stadium

4 - 5 PM Full Picture in Uniform5 - 7 PM Dress Rehearsal for Audience7 - 11 PM Party at “Volley’s” Sand Volleyball Courts

Full information packets with additional details, copies of the music, etc. will be mailedto all members in mid-June. Please make appropriate plans for attending all rehearsals thatare part of the 20th Annual “SUMMER BAND CAMP!”

What’s Happening

Non-Profit Org.U.S.Postage

PAIDPermit 111

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

ECRWSSPOSTAL CUSTOMER

College Community School District401 76th Ave SWCedar Rapids, IA 52404-7034

April/May 2004 • Prairie News • 12

Are You Spring Cleaning Your Closets?Donate Your Gently Used Children’s Clothes

The four Prairie Elementary Schools are always in need of extra clothes for student use.On any given day an accident, spilt milk or ripped pants might leave a student in need of achange of clothes.

While any donation is helpful, the most needed items are 5-14 youth sizes in:■ Sweatpants ■ Underwear ■ Socks

Donations can be dropped off at any of the four elementary school nurse’s office.

The Bulletin BoardBoard of Education Quarterly Update

Board Recognition: Each month theBoard recognizes Prairie people who havegone above and beyond.

Jennifer Wertz, Paula Ganzeveld, andCondra Allred for their hard work and dedica-tion in working with Prairie View Special Edu-cation students.

Joyce Anderson for her many years of ser-vice to Prairie Schools especially for her com-mitment to Prairie View and for her contribu-tions to the Prairie Oaks library.

Dave Crisman for being selected by theSchool Administrators of Iowa for the Area 10Middle School Principal of the Year.

Blake Williams for being selected by hisMississippi Valley Conference coaching peersas Coach of the Year.

Craig Aune for being selected by theNortheast Iowa Bandmasters Association forthe Phillip Sehmann Excellence in Teachingaward.

Elaine Brejcha for her contributions to thepositive Prairie Crest culture.

Paula Macku for her contributions to thepositive Prairie Crest culture.

Rachel Carney for her creative writingskills and for winning a Barnes and NobleWriting Contest.

Phyl Britcher, Frances Reed, HerriettaReed, Evelyn Driscoll, Agnes Caldwell, andVi Hamer for their valuable volunteer work inPrairie Schools.

Iowa School BoardRecognition WeekMay 9-15, 2004

Thank you to the College CommunitySchool Board for their vision, dedication,and volunteer service on behalf of our stu-dents and community.

Randy Bauer, PresidentSandy Flatgard, Vice PresidentShirley ExlineLauri HughesMark HuntKris RuprechtNorm Zahradnik

Opportunity OnePreschool Openings

Opportunity One Preschool has openingsfor 3-5 year old students for the 2004-05school year. The program is free and stu-dents must meet financial guidelines. Forfurther information, please contact GayleDick at 848-5298 or 848-5295.

Prairie ClassReunions Planned35 Year Reunion

Class of 1969Saturday, July 24Contact: Marlene Neuhaus5435 Vermont Street SWCedar Rapids 52404

25 Year ReunionClass of 1979Saturday, July 31Contact: Pam Patterson-Pochobradsky3719 Emerson Avenue NECedar Rapids 52411

20 Year ReunionClass of 1984Saturday, July 31Contact: Jenny Franc RotterRotter_J@southslope.net

15 Year ReunionClass of 1989Saturday, July 17Contact: Diane Lowe Trpkoshdtrpkosh@ccs.k12.ia.us

Visit www.prairiepride.org for addi-tional details about Prairie reunions anddon’t forget to register in the alumnidatabase.

Making HeadlinesRyan Hupp, sixth grade, won first place in

the science/engineering category of “WriteWomen Back into History” essay contest. Hislanguage arts teacher, Gwen Gano, workedwith him on the essay.

Paige Leytem, sixth grade, advanced tostate competition in the “Write Women Backinto History” essay contest. Her language artsteacher, Jennifer Stoffer, worked with Paigeon the essay.

Tobin Hoover, sixth grade, qualified forthe National Geographic Bee state contest.

Shelby Hendryx, eighth grade, won hergrade level and the overall building SpellingBee. Shelby competed at Kirkwood in earlyFebruary.

Molly Fowler, seventh grade, won hergrade level spelling bee.

Abby Osborne, sixth grade, won her gradelevel spelling bee.

Amber Leaves, seventh grade, had poemspublished in two anthologies.

Brittany Sprague, eight grade, and AdamReihman, freshman, had poems published inthe Anthology for Young Poets.

The following students were accepted bythe Blank Honors Center at the University ofIowa to participate in specialized two-week,residential programs at the U of I this summer.

Alison Leytem, eighth grade, for fine arts;Nathan Goodson-Gregg, eighth grade, fortechnology and innovation; and PatrickMahoney, eighth grade, for social sciences.These students will receive $1,000 scholar-ships to the U of I, should they decide to at-tend post graduation. Michelle LeCaptain,seventh grade, was named alternate by theBlank Honors Center to participate in the two-week, residential program at the U of I in thearea of creative writing.

Layla Barkal, freshman, and LeslieHyland, junior, were selected from studentsacross the state by the Blank Honors Center atthe U of I to attend a one-week, residentialconference/workshop on immersion in theArabic language and culture this summer.

Brittany Perkins, seventh grade, was ac-cepted as a People-to-People Young Ambassa-dor and will be traveling to Australia thissummer for a three-week, educational experi-ence.

Erin Gerken, sixth grade, and KaylaLambrecht, eighth grade, are being recog-nized in the May 2004 issue of the Disney Ad-ventures magazine as Disney Adventures All-Stars. The Disney All-Stars Challengeinvolved creating a service project, perform-ing the project, and then submitting theproject to Disney.

Visit College CommunitySchool District

home page:www.prairiepride.org