School briefs

Discovery Alternative High School teacher Aurelia Uhrich received the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars National Citizenship Education Teacher Award from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2669. She also received the Teacher of the Year award from VFW District 4.

Uhrich was nominated by South Kitsap Alternative Programs principal Pat Oster, who said she was instrumental in the development of a program that enables students to meet state standards in mathematics by completing a collection of evidence portfolio. Last spring, all 13 students who submitted their collections passed.

• Terri Messing, a seventh-grade Cedar Heights Junior High reading and geography teacher, was named 2010 Washington Legislature’s Civic Educator of the Year.

Messing has used the “Project Citizen” program in her classroom to help students understand public policy and realize they have the ability to make changes in their school and community.

In addition to Messing, Amanda Eisele, a first-grade teacher at Sunnyslope Elementary School, received top civics educator honors from the state’s legislature. Messing and Eisele were two of seven teachers from across the state to receive this recognition.

• Bianca Salazar took first place, while Hunter Rodgers claimed the second spot in the Manchester Elementary Geography Bee last month. Eight classes from fourth to sixth grade participated.

Salazar is completing a test to proceed to the state’s Geography Bee, which takes the top 100 students from throughout Washington for a competition during the spring. The winner from that event advances to the national competition in May in Washington.

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