Our district community at work...
Cutting-Edge Art at King High
Wesley Ruff, the new art teacher at King High, has captured his students' interest and respect. Since August, he has acquired donations of several sets of graphic novels from the acclaimed Robert Kirkman, a New York Times bestselling author known for being the cultural zeitgeist of the comic book industry. His bestselling series, "The Walking Dead," is a hit TV series on the AMC cable channel.
Students Madeline Woo, Hannah Grant and Eli Murray-Clark pose by artwork created in Wesley Ruff's art class. In addition to using Kirkman's work as a jumping-off point, Wesley is using a grant from the Davis School Arts Foundation to create a children's book featuring his students' artwork.
"The students at King have been very responsive to Wesley's art program because he tailors lessons to their interests while guiding the development of their art portfolios for real world applications in the realm of graphic novels, fantasy illustration, fine art and pin-striping," said Principal Kim Wallace. "Hard work and study have resulted in some of his students selling pieces of work created in class." Student Jessica Bunting said, "He is the best art teacher I have ever had."
Internationally Renowned Scientist Speaks at Emerson
Emerson Junior High School science teacher Gary Slizeski hosted Emerson parent Dr. Maxwell Chertok in four eighth-grade science classes on Dec. 14, 2011. Dr. Chertok's research activities are in the field of high energy particle physics. His talk, "2011: A Higgs Odyssey," addressed the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, located in a tunnel in Switzerland. Dr. Chertok is a vital member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) team that built and installed the LHC. Recent experiments involving the Higgs boson have furthered understanding of the existence of mass in our world. Nearly two years ago, in April of 2010, Dr. Chertok explained the LHC to teacher Kathy Gill's fourth grade science class at Willett Elementary. Our district is fortunate and appreciative that parents such as Dr. Chertok generously donate their time and expertise to our students.
Let Us Give Thanks... and Why That's a Good Thing to Do!
Robert Emmons, PhD in Psychology at UC Davis, has drawn world-wide attention for his groundbreaking research in the area of gratitude, and how it makes a profound difference in our lives. Parent University 2012, in a FREE event co-sponsored by the Davis PTAs and DJUSD, invites adults and teens to attend a lecture by Dr. Emmons on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m., in the Brunelle Theatre at Davis Senior High School.
Known for his personable and down-to-earth approach, Dr. Emmons will focus on how you can make your children and yourself more grateful, and why gratitude has positive consequences in health and well-being. No pre-registration is required, but seating is limited; doors open at 6 p.m. Locally made wraps and salads will be available to purchase for $5. The Avid Reader bookstore in downtown Davis is also sponsoring a book signing in the lobby.
More information about this exciting opportunity will be made available by the PTAs and school sites.
