Area graduate wins state teaching award

A McLouth High School graduate has won a statewide award given to outstanding new teachers.

Amy Pierce, a fourth-grade teacher in the Gardner Edgerton School District, won one of the Horizon Awards last month.

The Kansas State Department of Education gives the awards to up to 32 outstanding teachers each year who have successfully completed their first year of teaching.

Pierce, of Olathe, is among 31 teachers around the state to win the award. They will be recognized at a February luncheon.

Pierce graduated with a 4.0 grade point average from Pittsburg State University. She graduated from high school in 1999.

Her parents are Tom and Ruth Pierce, of McLouth.

Incentives offered for immunizations

Topeka — Parents who get their children immunized will now get prizes and may qualify for a chance to go to Disney World.

The incentives will “greatly improve immunization rates among Kansas children,” Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Roderick Bremby said Thursday.

The “Immunize and Win a Prize” campaign will run statewide through September 2005.

Prizes will be offered to any Kansas child and his or her parents each time the child receives immunizations from birth to age 2.

The prizes will include children’s Tylenol, a digital thermometer, a beanie bee and stickers. Participants who complete their primary series of immunizations by age 2 can enter drawings for more prizes, including a trip to Disney World.

Grant program aims to enhance learning

Several Lawrence teachers this year were able to expand their students’ learning experiences with the help of Teacher Innovation grants from the Lawrence Schools Foundation.

In 2004, the foundation awarded $12,638 in grants to 11 teachers. The grants went to fund special projects aimed at enhancing students’ learning.

The grants went to teachers at a variety of grade levels and subjects. Alan Gleue, a physics teacher at Lawrence High School, received $980 to purchase a camcorder. His class used the camcorder to film physics experiments, and then analyze the motion of certain objects.

Lisa Ball, Penny Kennard and Kristi Wilhite received a total of $2,500 to fund a crime scene investigation project for ninth-graders at Southwest Junior High School.

And Svetlana Hruda received $640 to fund a therapeutic horseback riding program for some special needs children at Central Junior High.

In addition to the success of the Teacher Innovation grants program, the Lawrence Schools Foundation has enjoyed some success with fund raising. The group has nearly reached its goal of $28,000 for the 2004 “Every Family Counts” campaign.

Lawmakers to meet with advocacy groups

Douglas County advocacy groups will get a chance to discuss the issues they feel are most important for lawmakers to address in the upcoming legislative session before it convenes Jan. 10.

Several legislators scheduled the hearing, which will be held Thursday, to give local organizations a chance to lay out their agendas prior to the 2005 session.

The hearing will take place in the Curriculum Conference Room of the Lawrence Public Schools Building, 110 McDonald Drive, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Participating legislators include Sens. Marci Francisco, Anthony Hensley, Roger Pine and Reps. Anthony Brown, Barbara Ballard, Paul Davis, Tom Holland, Joe Humerickhouse, Tom Sloan and Ann Mah.