APS Middle School Girls Star in Tech Camp

NEWS RELEASE # 51
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2014

WHAT:   APS Middle School Girls Star in Tech Camp
WHEN:   April 29, 2014, 9 a.m.
WHERE:  APS Professional Learning and Conference Center, 15771 E. 1^st Ave., Aurora, 80011

APS Middle School Girls Star in Tech Camp

Men outnumber women in nearly every scientific field by college graduation. According to a recent report from the Census Bureau, only about a quarter of workers in science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM) are women. Aurora Public Schools is committed to tackling the dramatic under-representation of women in STEM.

In partnership with CounterTrade and Hewlett Packard, APS is hosting its fourth annual Girls Technology Camp.  The day-long event takes girls through a series of workshops that include:

• Electronic guts
• Rocketry
• Snap circuits
• 3-D Design Challenge

The camp will be held on April 29 at the Professional Learning and Conference Center, located at 15771 E. 1^st Ave., Aurora, 80011.  Media is welcome to attend at 9 a.m.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information

Aurora Central High School Hosts CO Court of Appeals

NEWS RELEASE # 50
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2014

WHAT: Aurora Central High School Hosts Colorado Court of Appeals
WHEN: April 21, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Aurora Central High School, 11700 E. 11^th Ave.

Aurora Central High School Hosts CO Court of Appeals

Aurora Central High School will host the Colorado Court of Appeals on Monday, April 21. The visit is part of the Colorado Judicial Branch’s Courts in the Community – the outreach program the Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals initiated on Law Day (May 1, 1986).

The program gives Colorado high school students first-hand experience in how the Colorado judicial system works and illustrates how disputes are resolved in a democratic society. These are not mock trials. The court will hear actual arguments from which it will issue opinions. The court generally issues opinions within a month of the arguments.

A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals – Judge Dennis Graham, Judge Steve Bernard and Judge Michael Berger – will hear oral arguments in these two cases:

• Case #2011CA1279: People v Derick Campbell: Campbell was charged with possession of 4 grams of schedule II substance/crack cocaine.  He was initially stopped because of failure to use a blinker.  Police said he matched the description of an African-American man who had just committed a home invasion.  This occurred in late 2010.  Campbell did not give permission for police to search his car. Even though officers had probable cause, warrants were not issued.  He is appealing his conviction on the grounds of unreasonable search and seizure.  He is claiming a violation of his 5^th, 6^th, and 14^th Amendment rights. 
• Case # 12CA2551: Madrigal v. City of Aurora: On July 23, 2011, Juan Contreras was shot and killed in an Aurora Family Dollar store by an undercover police officer.  The officer claimed that Contreras was trying to extort him and then pulled a knife on him.  Contreras was shot 3 times and died. Juan’s wife requested information on the case from the Aurora Police Department. She was denied because the case was under heavy scrutiny and investigation by higher powers in the state. She is currently appealing all rulings for records, plus seeking court costs and attorney fees. 

A question-and-answer session, during which the students can ask questions of the attorneys, will follow the presentation of arguments in each case. At the conclusion of the second argument, the students also will be given the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session with the Court of Appeals judges.

*** IMPORTANT NOTE***
Media interested in attending must first contact:
Jon Sarché
Colorado Judicial Department Deputy PIO
jon.sarche@judicial.state.co.us
720.625.5811 

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information

 

APS Board of Education Executive Session

NEWS RELEASE # 49
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2014

WHAT: APS Board of Education Executive Session
WHEN: April 15, 2014
WHERE: 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011

APS Board of Education Executive Session

On Tuesday, April 15, 2014, the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education is expected to recess into executive session under the authority of C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(e) to develop strategy for negotiations.

The executive session will take place from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. in conference room A of Educational Services Center 4, located at 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011.

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Vista PEAK P-20 Campus Selected For Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative

NEWS RELEASE # 48
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vista PEAK P-20 Campus Selected For Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative

The Colorado Legacy Foundation selected the Vista PEAK P-20 Campus to get additional funding to add to its Advanced Placement program. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) is funding the local Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative, which recently selected 11 schools across the state.

The Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative supports students in both geographically and demographically-diverse schools to increase accessibility and success in rigorous math, science and English Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

The initiative provides funding for extensive teacher training, student exam fees, classroom equipment and supplies, awards for those who excel, and extra study time for students during Saturday Study Sessions. Vista PEAK will receive support for three school years beginning in 2014-2015.

The first 13 schools to participate in the Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative increased the number of students earning qualifying scores on AP math, science and English exams by 68% in just one year. In this same year, these schools increased the number of female students earning qualifying scores in math and science by 78%, and the number of African-American and Hispanic students earning qualifying scores by 106%.

About Colorado Legacy Foundation

The Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) is an independent non-profit working in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education and public education stakeholders to accelerate bold improvement in student achievement through innovation, collaboration, and capacity building. CLF believes that increased student achievement for all Colorado students requires effective leaders in every school, effective educators in every classroom, and healthy and engaging environments that ignite a passion for learning in every student. CLF equips teachers, leaders, and organizations with the knowledge, tools, guidance, and resources to drive improvement outcomes while creating the conditions to innovate together, share knowledge, and explore new possibilities. CLF works to accelerate the achievement of a high-quality K-12 educational system that ensures the success of every educator, leader and student.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303.326.2755 for more information.

Gateway Student Earns One of Only 40 Prestigious Boettcher Scholarships

NEWS RELEASE # 47
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gateway Student Earns One of Only 40 Prestigious Boettcher Scholarships

Brandon Thomas, a senior at Gateway High School, has been named a 2014 Boettcher Foundation Scholarship Recipient. Boettcher Scholars are awarded “full-ride” merit-based scholarships to attend a college or university in Colorado. More than 1,600 students apply each year and only 40 are awarded scholarships.

The “full-ride” scholarship Thomas has been awarded includes virtually all college expenses to attend the Colorado school of his choice: full tuition, fees, a book allowance and an annual stipend for living expenses. The award is granted for eight semesters at either a public or private four-year college or university in the state. Thomas must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

In recent years, Boettcher Scholars averaged in the top 2 percent of their class by rank and scored 1440 on the SAT and 33 on the ACT. According to the Boettcher Foundation, a successful candidate must also demonstrate a strong potential for continued leadership and service.

“The goal of the Boettcher Scholarship program is to keep the best talent in Colorado here by connecting them with the outstanding opportunities offered by our in-state institutions,” said Tim Schultz, President and Executive Director of the Boettcher Foundation. “We know that these students will become leaders on their campuses and continue serving others with their gifts, thereby contributing to the greater Colorado community.”

Now in its 61^st year, the Boettcher Scholarship program has awarded more than 2,300 scholarships, with more than $3 million paid out each year. This places the program among the largest merit-based scholarship programs in the nation.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303.326.2755 for more information.

APS Students Compete to Save Energy in State’s Largest ReNew Competition

NEWS RELEASE # 46
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APS Students Compete to Save Energy in State’s Largest ReNew Competition

Students at 12 APS schools are leading the charge to find ways to save energy in a competition called ReNew Our Schools. The main goal of the competition, sponsored by the Center for ReSource Conservation, is to see how much energy each school can conserve during the month of April. Each of the participating schools is attempting to win one of three $20,000 solar arrays for their building.

The student-led challenge will focus on changing behaviors such as turning off lights, shutting down computers, and unplugging unused appliances. Students will earn points in the competition for energy savings and initiatives such as forming environmental clubs, creating videos, and developing energy lesson plans. Parents and community members can earn points for the school of their choice by pledging to save energy at home. Schools are competing in three separate divisions. The school with the greatest number of points in each division at the end of the month will win a solar array.

To aid student efforts, APS installed eGauge electricity monitors donated by local companies eGauge and Magnelab at each of the participating schools. These devices will track each school’s electricity usage during the competition and show real-time changes in energy use via a web-based computer application. Students can use this information to find ways to reduce energy and sharpen their strategy in the competition. 

Students will also benefit by partnering with “energy mentors” from nine local companies and organizations. Mentors will teach students about energy-saving opportunities, share motivational strategies, and conduct energy “walk-throughs” to identify areas in each school where energy can be saved.

The following schools are competing in the ReNew Our Schools challenge: Elkhart Elementary, Crawford Elementary, Side Creek Elementary, Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning, Aurora Hills Middle School, East Middle School, North Middle School, South Middle School, Aurora Frontier P-8, Aurora Quest K-8 and Aurora West College Preparatory Academy.

To learn more about the ReNew our Schools Competition or to complete a pledge form visit: http://conservationcenter.org/rnos/ 

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303.326.2755 for more information.