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C M Y K School & College A14 Sanpete Messenger Wednesday, December 19, 2012 Local educators say ‘jury’s still out’ on state’s new school accountability system By Ladd Brubaker Staff Writer All but two Sanpete public schools scored above state average on a new school accountability system that was rolled out Nov. 30 by �� Moroni and Fountain Green elementary schools, both in the North Sanpete School District, were the only Sanpete schools scoring lower than average on the Utah Comprehensive Accountability System, the state’s new school-performance assessment tool. � �� simple comparisons between schools are not easy to make. “You can’t compare schools because there are too many other factors that come into play,” said North Sanpete School District Superintendent Leslie Keisel. The Utah Comprehensive Accountability System, referred to as UCAS, seeks to rate school performance against the state average based not only on how students perform on the annual curriculum-referenced tests (CRTs) but also on the improvement by individual students over their past performances. � ��ciency,” the second as “student growth.” But factors such as small school size, poverty and minority population also affect how different schools fare in the numbers comparison game, Keisel said. South Sanpete School District Superintendent Don Hill agreed. “The jury is still out,” on the new accountability system, he said. Hill notes that the program was inspired by a Florida school-rating program that letter grades to schools based on their performance. Within a year or two, the Utah Legislature plans to convert UCAS from an initial 600-point numerical scoring system to letter grades, Hill said. “In my opinion, it’s going to be very damaging when they start putting letter grades out there.” C M Y K UCAS replaces U-PASS, Utah’s Performance Assessment System for Students, and the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports. The new system includes an online tool, the “Public School Data Gateway,” that lets the public compare how a particular school stacks up against the state average. “It’s great that we in Utah now have one fair, equitable accountability system for student progress, and it’s one that honors not just pro- �� the hard work of Utah’s students, teachers and parents,” said State Assessment and Accountability Director John Jesse in a press release. “Parents will be able to get in and see how their child’s school is performing in one place.” A link to the Public School Data Gate- �� website, www.schools.utah.gov. All South Sanpete schools surpassed the state’s average scores of 435 for grades 3-8 and 398 for grades 8-12. “We feel very good about how our students and our schools performed,” Hill said. “We hope to improve upon our scores,” he Apples to apples? Can the quality of a school be summarized in a number? The new Utah Comprehensive Accountability System (UCAS) raises the question. Here are a few numbers from the new UCAS Public School Data Gateway to consider. North Sanpete Manti Gunnison Valley Enrollment 789 564 326 Percent Minority 17 14 14 Percent Low Income 46 45 51 �� 85 95 92 �� 43 58 45 �� 74 81 86 �� 404 413 432 �� year. �� are on track.” With the exceptions of Moroni and Fountain Green elementary schools, North Sanpete schools also surpassed state average. Moroni �� the North Sanpete district’s “highest poverty school” and also has the highest number of �� So, despite its below-average UCAS score, “they’re doing fantastic things at Moroni,” she said. Fountain Green’s below-average score is partly the result of a couple of classes that did poorly on a portion of the CRTs, Keisel said. Because Fountain Green is such a small school those low results are harder to make up for statistically with better results in other areas, she added. � ��ognized four Sanpete elementary schools as (See “UCAS” on A16) Former Templar, Badger part of U of U winning team in international super-computing contest By Bryon Glathar Managing Editor � �� graduate of Manti High School and Snow College was a member of a team from the University of Utah that recently won an international supercomputing competition. Tyler Sorensen, son of Ken and Val Sorensen of Manti, was part of the six-person team that won the competition at SC12, an international supercomputing conference, in Salt Lake City last month. In the competition, Sorensen and his teammates were required to program and run what is known as a supercomputer cluster. A supercomputer cluster is a computer network used to perform intensive calculations for complex data sets such as weather forecasts or nuclear fusion. The competition was a nonstop 48-hour challenge where four teams of six undergraduates or high school students were issued identical cluster systems. To cover the 48-hour competition, the teams had to work in shifts. Sorensen said, “We made sure two people were there at all times but we didn’t get much sleep because even when we weren’t there, it was a competition. We were excited and nervous.” � �� software to enable them to use the cluster to solve complex problems. Sorensen’s team was able Tyler Sorensen, a graduate of Manti High School and Snow College, helped his team of computer science students from the University of Utah win a non-stop 48-hour international competition to program the to identify quicker routes than the other teams for a hypothetical traveling salesman. The salesman had to visit a list of �� quickest manner, never repeating cities. A new list of cities was issued to all teams every four to six hours. Sorensen said his team �� six hours, with a team from New York leading the way. “It was around midnight �� tuned up our program and pulled ahead,” Sorensen said. They never looked back and never gave up the lead from that point on. Sorensen said it was a great experience and would have been so whether they won or lost. “It’s a really cool environment with really cool people,” he said. “We were kind of surprised that we won but it did feel good. We worked really hard during the semester.” He said that being the most efficient supercomputing cluster. (L-R): Tyler Sorensen, Kathryn Rodgers, Tom Robertson, Leif Andersen and Bruce Bolick. Ian King was the sixth member of the team (not pictured). home team made it that much more memorable. Sorensen’s teammates included Leif Andersen, Bruce Bolick, Ian King, Tom Robertson and Kathryn Rodgers, all computer science students at the U. of U. Computer science professor Mary Hall was the faculty advisor for the team. Mentors included Brian Haymore, Martin Cuma and Wim Cardoen from the university’s Center for High Performance Computing. Your business, in the news! Place 1600 of your custom-designed inserts for only $112 per week. MANTI—Five members of Manti High School’s Future Business Leaders of America traveled to the region Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition in Richfield on Tuesday, Dec. 11 and came back winners. Kenneth Christensen won three first place C M Y K �� Manti High School students Christopher Olsen, Mark Barton, Kenneth Christensen, Jared Christensen and Matthew �� Tuesday, Dec. 11. Manti future business leaders win at region By Andrea Call Staff writer “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” �� awards—one in economics, one in job interview and one in entrepreneurship. Mark Barton won a first place award in computer applications, while Christopher Olsen won second place in business calculations, third place in business communication and fifth place in entrepreneurship. Region winners will compete in the state FBLA competition coming up in March. ...for service you can trust, count on us! 435-283-TIRE (8473) 650 S. Main, Ephraim Proud supporter of Sanpete Education 495 S. Main Suite D Ephraim, Utah 435-283-2035 cbbestchoice@gmail.com “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” - Anthony J. D’Angelo Proud supporter of Sanpete Education C M Y K
C M Y K Wednesday, December 19, 2012 Merry Christmas! Thanks for sitting down at our table this past year! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! LOS AMIGOS RESTAURANT EPHRAIM C M Y K Sanpete Messenger As we mark another holiday season, our thoughts turn with gratitude and appreciation to the residents of our beautiful little town who have contributed so much to the quality of life here. We appreciate each and every one of you. The spirit of Christmas truly lives each day in Sterling, and we extend our thanks to every resident. At this special time of year, we extend to you and to all our neighbors throughout Sanpete County our warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year. Sterling Town Mayor Randall Cox Councilmembers: Scott Johnson Curtis Ludvigson Marilyn Lyon Yvonne Larsen News Mt. Pleasant City defends handling of J.C. Penney building Citizens question structure’s stability, contractor-bidding process on renovation project By James Mitchell Staff writer � �� voiced opposition to the renovation of the historic J.C. Penney building on Main Street during the city council meeting last Tuesday, Dec. 11. But other officials said the project will benefit Main Street and maintained the city has followed all legal protocol in carrying it out. Mt. Pleasant resident Mary Murphy said she objects to the way the building project is being completed. Murphy said she fears it won’t be structurally sound and she believes that proper inspections are not being done. Murphy told the council that structural engineers who once deemed the building’s foundation weak are now OK with it. And she could not find a public request for bids for the project as required by law, Murphy said. “There are no details. I can’t find any information on it. It’s like a secret.” City councilmember Jeff McDonald also objected to the project by voting not to pay the project administrator. The 19th Century JC Penney building was purchased by the city after the building beside it fell down. It was determined the foundation to the second building had disintegrated from exposure to harsh weather. At the time, it was suspected that the JC Penney building might have structural problems as well. The suspicion was confirmed by the engineering firm in charge of the project. ��quired. City Treasurer Dave Oxman received the change order and says the plan now includes new pillars and other items to support the old building and new additions to the building. “When we’re done it will be the most structurally sound building on Main Street,” Oxman said in an interview. The remodeled building will feature four low-income apartments and a commercial storefront. Council member Monte Bona responded to Murphy’s concerns. The bid request was advertised in the local paper and awarded according to law, he said. The Sanpete County building inspector is working with the engineer and architect to assure the building will be a safe place to live and work. Oxman has worked nights and weekends for months to apply for and administer funding for the project. He submitted an invoice to the council for his work. McDonald voted against paying the invoice on the grounds Oxman is already a salaried employee of the city. But he also said his opposition to Oxman’s invoice reflected his opposition to the project per se. A majority of the council voted to pay Oxman the $5,000 requested. Funding will come from grants. In other news, Mary Goodman, program administrator for Central Utah Food Sharing, requested the city’s help to pay a full time and a half time employee. Currently, the local food bank is a volunteer project requiring 40 hours per week. Having a staff of volunteers has worked so far, but it won’t work much longer without paid employees, Goodman said. She added that the food bank recently lost grant money. Recorder: Stacey Lyon Treasurer: Peta DeVries Fire Chief: Nick Lyon Internet speed up to 50Mbps www.centracom.com | 427-3331 When we’re done it will be the most structurally sound building on Main Street. - Dave Oxman, Mt. Pleasant city treasurer, regarding the J.C. Penney Building, now undergoing restoration. Now available in Manti Free installation Get a Tablet computer Free when you sign up for new Internet service or upgrade an existing account. C M Y K nnection speeds are based on sync rates. Download speeds may vary due to network requirements and other reasons such as customer location, websites accessed, Internet ngestion and customer equipment. Activation fee may apply. 12-month service contract and credit approval required for free installation. Requires compatible modem. Subject to ditional restrictions and subscriber agreement. Free tablet available while supplies last, limit one per account. Tablet promotion expires 1/31/2013. Not available in all areas, at least not yet. Call for details. C M Y K A15 “We’ve run out of funds. There’s no place to go for wages.” Monte Bona suggested that recipient families could volunteer some time, but Goodman said federal regulation prohibits this. Food bank volunteers are now required to collect a large weekly donation from Walmart, load and sort other donations, compile the food packages for families and complete other duties. �� food yesterday, and that’s quite a lot of food for a person to load,” Goodman said. “A lot of people still aren’t aware of us. And people don’t realize how large of an operation it is.” The Sanpete County Food �� November, a substantial increase from last November. From the end of October through the first week in December the food bank collected over 30,000 pounds of food. “We’re getting too big to be run by all volunteers,” she said. Goodman and County Commissioner Claudia Jarrett have attended council meetings in every city in Sanpete seeking funding to pay food bank employees. They recommend setting up a system under which residents countywide could voluntarily pay a little more (less than $1) per month on their utility bills, with the funds earmarked for the food bank. The council discussed various ways such a plan could be administered but made no final decision about how to do it. They assigned the city treasurer to coordinate with neighboring towns to find the best means of gathering cash for the food bank.
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