Our district community at work...
A De-LIGHT-ful Win for Davis Students!
Most holiday revelers agree that taking down decorations is a chore. In a perfect world, DJUSD supporters would head over to Jim and Kristy Powell's home this week and help them "undecorate," as a way of thanking them for winning $100,000 for the school district.
The Powell family won a nationwide contest to find the best holiday-decorated house in the country, supported by members of the Davis community who helped spread the word about the contest, and voted daily to put them ahead of 23 other finalists.
The Powells spearhead the annual transformation of Henri Court in the Wildhorse area into Candy Cane Court every December. As reported in the Davis Enterprise, Kristy Powell said, "We are so excited that our family tradition of decorating our street for Christmas has grown into this great windfall for the Davis school district. And we are so proud to be part of this community that values our schools so much!" (Photo Courtesy of Davis Patch)
The way Davis residents kept the Powells in the lead during all nine days of the contest is symbolic of the community support for students. The Powells will be asked to designate their preference for spending the award money, information that will be reported back to board members and district administrators.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to not only the Powells for their generosity, but to the Davis residents who took the time to support our students. It truly has been a season of light!
Patwin Students Recognized by Red Cross, State Officials
After seeing the destruction caused by the tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011, local Patwin Elementary students gathered their resources, time and ideas to raise money to help out. Katie Britt, Nick Roy, Nathan Kong, Megan Kong, Abby Eaton, Kailey Smith and Elijah Smith met with Principal Michelle Flowers to create a plan to provide disaster relief. 
These students and their amazing parents sold snacks after school on Fridays for six weeks. The result? They proudly presented a check to the American Red Cross for $1,053.00. (Photo courtesy of Davis Enterprise and Sue Cockrell)
These efforts earned Patwin Elementary School the Spirit of the Red Cross Hero Award, and special recognition from the California State Assembly, Yolo County Board of Supervisors, California Senate, Representative John Garamendi's office, and Special Congressional Recognition. They were honored at the American Red Cross Heroes banquet on Dec. 2, 2011, receiving medals of honor for their commitment, compassion, and contributions.
What a wonderful way to lead and teach students how to reach out to those in need!
Sing, Sing, Sing
Thanks to funding from the Brunelle-Harmony Elementary Choir grants through the Davis School Arts Foundation, 40 students have now joined the Marguerite Montgomery Elementary Bridge Choir. Choir Director Mary Superak helped students learn their first songs in the fall and led them as they performed for their peers at an assembly in December. The choir numbers were lively and enjoyed by everyone, with audience members clapping along and cheering their classmates. We are thrilled to have such a large and wonderful choir and look forward to their spring concert at MME as well as their participation in the Young at Art! Festival at the Davis Art Center in March.
Please mark Sunday, March 25, 2011, for a wonderful day (rain or shine) to spend with your family participating in activities, demonstrations, and performances at the Young at Art! Festival at the Davis Art Center. The entrance fee is $8/person, which covers the fun for 10-15 craft stations at which children can participate. The Elementary Art Show will close the same day.
More information about the Young at Art! Festival is available at the Davis Art Center, in the Davis Dirt Calendar, or at the DSAF website.
The Davis School Arts Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012, recently hosted the very successful Harmony in Our Lives concerts, featuring Davis musical groups ranging from the Davis High School Madrigals to the St. James Chorus. Following two sold-out concerts, DSAF hosted Home for the Holidays on Dec. 21, 2011, at the Veterans Memorial Concert, in another sold-out performance featuring musicians who came up through the Davis schools, including Joe Craven's family members and Chris Webster, under the production umbrella of Billy Fairfield.
