May, 2012 - Tucson Unified School District

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this educational workshop, so when this fantastic opportunity came up, we snatched it! Instructor Carole Marlowe was great, and it was wonderful to work in Ms. Mettler’s historic studio. We really enjoyed it. In April, Anne Pollack, Capoeira instructor at the University of Arizona, brought a couple of her students to give each class a one day workshop in Capoeira, a form of Brazilian dance and martial arts. Students were introduced to a variety of Capoeira skills and movements. Ms. Pollack also gave us a brief history of its origins, along with demonstrations of musical instruments used and music history. Capoeira is very challenging and fun. Students got a “kick out of it!” Throughout second semester, I had two guest hip hop teachers, come in to work with my each dance class. These two young men, Rhey Orme and Matthew Love, were both products of TUSD schools. In their own words, “we love to dance!”, and “someone taught us, and we want to do the same for your students.” For both Rhey and Matt, dance is a passion and a profession. And that was evident based on their dedication to our students. Each session was challenging and different. They taught choreographed work pieces. In fact, they choreographed 5 separate dances, one for each class. And as many of you know, our students performed at the last school assembly in April. It was great having Rhey and Matt teach a genre that is very popular with our youth. If everything goes as planned, in the near future, we’d like to create a dance team; one that will prepare students to compete against other dance teams throughout Tucson. We haven’t had a team in quite a few years, so if enough students show interest, we’ll give it a try. To add to what was mentioned above, students were taught a variety of fun social dances. Included were some of the more popular line dances, such as The Boot Scootin’ Boogie, The Cotton Eyed Joe, Tush Push, etc. Of course, we can’t have a dance class these days without The Electric Slide and The Cupid Shuffle. And thrown in for good measure, students got a taste of a few old fashioned square dances, such as The Virginia Reel and also a variety of international folk dances. Before finals started, I even went as far as to teach an oldie but goodie, The Hustle, a disco dance from the 70’s! “Stayin’ Alive!!” Earlier this month a handful of students attended a free workshop taught by Pima Community College Dance students. Following the workshop we were treated to a dress rehearsal of Pima’s “The Four Season’s” performance. The show was amazing and inspirational. Who knew that Pima CC had such a great dance program?!? We were fortunate enough to meet Pima and U of A dance instructor Aurora Goncalves- Shaner. She, as well as Pima students, choreographed the 17 dances which were in their fall and spring performances. One of my students, Angela Valdez, who’s enrolled at Pima, was so impressed and inspired, giving her confidence and courage, has decided to continue with her dance education while at Pima. No pressure, but I can picture Angela on stage, performing in a future dance production in Pima’s Creative Arts Center. Dance is not only a great form of exercise, but it inspires and can help bring out your creativity. Dance has given many of our Catalina students the opportunity to work with their peers and also with members of our Tucson community. Together with exhibiting appropriate dance etiquette, politeness, kindness, personal responsibility, good attendance, cooperation, communication, memorization, problem solving and patience, combined with learning how to choreograph and perform in front of an audience, my students made this a very exciting and rewarding semester. Students, families and faculty, have a great summer. Stay in shape! - Rosa Lara, PE Dept. Chair and Dance Teacher TROJAN UPDATE May, 2012 Page 12
He Did It! He Helped 80% Get Into College! Hello from your friendly College and Career Readiness Coordinator! What a great year I’ve had helping students from all grade levels prepare themselves for college! Again this year we have over 80% of our senior class planning on attending post secondary education. Forty-five of our seniors have been admitted to 4-year colleges and universities including UA, ASU, NAU, New Mexico State, Western New Mexico, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Johnson & Wales University, and Vanguard University. Our seniors have racked up a total of $3.5 million in scholarships and grants for college. On Saturday, April 21 st I coached our Financial Face- Off team at the event sponsored by the UA Credit Wise Cats. Our team of students was comprised of members from Ms. Gould’s English for the 21 st Century Workplace class (Rumor Jensen, Angela Valdez, Marina Cervantes, Francisco Danese, Johana Nunez, and Silviano Vasquez). We had a fun day playing games and answering questions about personal finance and purchasing a home. Although we didn’t finish in first place we brought home a trophy, $100, and learned a lot! Safio Mohamed I also have had the great honor of attending award ceremonies for two of our seniors this past month. Safio Mohamed was honored by the Tucson Women’s Club at a luncheon where she was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for the UA. Joseph Leonidas was given the San Xavier Kiwanis Club “Student of the Year” award at a special breakfast held Saturday, May 12th. Among many other special college scholarships awarded to a number of our seniors this year, one of the most prestigious is the Raytheon Tucson Management Club scholarship. Ms. Jaclyn Pulliam will be honored at a dinner given by the RTMC on June 21 st where she will be awarded $8,000 to be used towards her college career at the UA. You may have heard me say before “I love my job”. It is true! I love helping students plan for college, apply for college, and most importantly find the money to pay for it! It is never too early to come see me about your college plans (that means you freshmen and sophomores!). If you or your student will be a junior or senior next year please come see me as soon as you return to school next fall so we can put your plan into action. Joseph Leonidas - Mark Hanna, College and Career Readiness Counselor TROJAN UPDATE May, 2012 Page 13
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May, 2012 - Tucson Unified School District

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