Innovation grants awarded for Hopkinton schools – News – Hopkinton Crier – Hopkinton, MA HOPKINTON Students in Hopkinton schools will be going on virtual tours around the world, standing at their desks and learning to reduce stress thanks to grants from the Hopkinton Education Foundation.The foundation announced Monday nine grants totaling about $87,000, which were given to teachers and staff who pitched ideas that best fit the criteria for innovation and positively impacting the school system. Two grants, $7,760 and $3,860, respectively, will allow students at Hopkins, Elmwood and middle schools to experience virtual field trips using Google Expedition view masters and applicable devices. The grants will provide 60 for the Hopkins and Elmwood schools and 30 at the middle school. Three film courses will be developed at the high school for $13,463 aimed at having student in engineering and technology classes work with creative writing students and art students.Lastly, $8,913 will be use to enable the high school to offer a new interdisciplinary course where students will learn to use art and the engineering design process.

Donors have more nonprofits to choose from — nearly 350 in all — and new activities are planned to draw attention to this year’s Give to Lincoln Day.

The 24-hour charitable giving event is Thursday, and Lincoln Community Foundation organizers hope to raise at least $3.5 million, said Pam Hunzeker, vice president of marketing for the foundation.

In its first four years, Give To Lincoln Day has raised nearly $9.5 million, including more than $3.2 million last year.

This year, the foundation will provide $300,000 for the match fund and each nonprofit will draw a proportional share of that, based on the percentage of the total money raised.

Of the 348 local nonprofit organizations on this year’s list, 40 have never participated in Give To Lincoln Day.

The new groups range from the arts to child care to animal services.

Also new this year will be hopscotch squares drawn by nonprofit groups that will link the Lincoln Community Foundation building at 215 Centennial Mall South to Tower Square.

Members of the Madison County Youth in Action stand with Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Stotts and Madison County School’s Superintendent Elmer Thomas while preparing to record a radio public service announcement to discourage their peers from underage drinking.

Members of the Madison County Youth in Action stand with Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Stotts while recording a radio public service announcement.

Members of the Madison County Youth in Action stand with Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Stotts and Madison County School’s Superintendent Elmer Thomas while preparing to record a radio public service announcement to discourage their peers from underage drinking.

Members of the Madison County Youth in Action stand with Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Stotts while recording a radio public service announcement.

With more than 800 high schoolers from the Madison and Berea Independent School districts expected to walk across the graduation stage this month, numerous parties and celebrations are likely to follow.

In preparation for these festivities, Madison County Youth in Action (YIA) have been working for weeks on a media campaign they hope will remind graduates to celebrate their accomplishments responsibly.

The campaign designed by the group urges their peers to “Stay in the Game” and forego underage drinking and other risky behavior that could put their futures in jeopardy. According to a 2013 SAMHSA study, adults who had their first drink at age 14 or younger were more likely to be classified with alcohol dependence or abuse than were those who’d had their first drink at age 21.”

And the campaign could not have kicked off at a better time, as statistically one-third of all alcohol-related traffic fatalities involving teens each year occur during the months of April, May and June.

For the campaign, Madison County Youth in Action chose to feature student athletes from area schools who were identified as positive, drug-free role models by their peers, teachers and school administrators.

The group worked with sports photographers, Mark Mahan and Bob McKinley, as well as graphic artist, Abbie Darst, and received funding from a Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Systems) grant.

Posters of the student athletes were displayed in Madison County Schools, Berea Community School, law enforcement agencies and local businesses as well as being shared on social media

YIA also partnered with the Madison County Sheriffas Office and Madison County Schools Superintendent Elmer Thomas to record a series of underage drinking prevention public service announcements that were aired on the stations of Wallingford Broadcasting. Madison Countyas award-winning team was formed in 2006 and participates in a variety of project designed to raise public awareness about underage drinking.

Madison County Youth in Action was formed in 2006 and is comprised of students from Model, Madison County and Berea Community schools and EKU.

A healthy diet is cheaper than junk food but a good diet is still too expensive for some A healthy diet is cheaper than junk food but a good diet is still too expensive for some About 58% of the average household’s food budget is spent on ‘junk’ food. A healthy diet is cheaper than junk food but a good diet is still too expensive for some About 58% of the average household’s food budget is spent on ‘junk’ food.

Most Australian households’ food budget is being spent on “discretionary” or “junk” foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, salt and/or alcohol. The average Australian adult derives at least 35% of their energy intake from “junk” foods and drinks.

We used the Australian Health Survey 2011-13 and the recommendations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines to model current and healthy diets for a family of two adults and two children (plus for other common household makeups) per fortnight.

We collected food prices in supermarkets and stores in randomly selected high- and low-socioeconomic areas in Brisbane, and compared the diet prices with household incomes.

In both areas, a family of two adults and two children spend about 18% more on current diets than would be required to purchase healthy (recommended) diets. About 58% of the food budget for the current diet is spent on “junk”, including take-away foods (14%), alcohol (12%) and sugary drinks (4%).

In the low-socioeconomic area, a family of two adults and two children spend A$640.20 per fortnight on their current diet, but could buy a healthy diet for A$560.93 per fortnight.

Current diets cost more than healthy diets, so factors other than price must be helping drive preference for unhealthy choices. Ways to do this include increasing availability of healthy foods and drinks in schools and hospitals and regulating against “junk” food and drink advertising directed to children.

It is also important not to increase barriers by making healthy foods and drinks less affordable, such as by expanding the GST to include basic, healthy foods.

Detroit Rewarded A $2 Million Federal Grant For Youth Summer Jobs | The Source Detroit Rewarded A $2 Million Federal Grant For Youth Summer Jobs

In the midst of an ongoing economic crisis, Detroit’s mayor Mike Duggan is still aiming to empower the city’s youth with the Grow Detroit Young Talent (GDYT) initiative.

Matching the city officials’ efforts, the Obama Administration announced GDYT will receive a $2 million federal grant to assist the city in providing over 8,000 summer jobs to residents between the ages of 14 and 24. More importantly, the participants will be educated on financial literacy and equipped with career training.

The Grow Detroit Young Talent Initiative goal is to prepare young talent to compete in the 21st century economy, introduce Detroit’s employers to the next generation of the city’s workforce, and to build the leaders of tomorrow, today.

Mayor Duggan stated, “This is about giving young people an opportunity to develop the skills that will put them on the path to bright futures and careers.”

President Obama added, “Access to a job in the summer and beyond can make all the difference to a young person especially those who don’t have access to many resources and opportunities.

The summer work program will begin in July and continue for six weeks throughout the duration of August.

Local

May 24, 2016 9:42 PM

Bradenton martial arts instructor reflects on 50 years of teaching

Bob Xavier celebrates 50 years as martial arts instructor

Japanese katana sword presented to instructor as surprise

Students share impact Xavier and martial arts had on their lives

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Bob Xavier of Grace Martial Arts talks about martial arts skills and the role it has placed in his life.
acastillo@bradenton.com

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Bob Xavier examines a Japanese katana sword given to him as a gift by his students Tuesday evening during a Grace Martial Arts awards ceremony.

Grace Martial Arts instructor Bob Xavier, a ninth-degree black belt, introduces one of his students, John Phillips, as Xavier celebrates 50 years of martial arts instruction as he holds the spring student belt promotion ceremony Tuesday at the Calvary Baptist Church Gym in Bradenton.

Grace Martial Arts instructor Bob Xavier, a ninth-degree black belt, celebrates 50 years of martial arts instruction as he holds the spring student belt promotion ceremony Tuesday at the Calvary Baptist Church Gym in Bradenton.

Grace Martial Arts instructor Bob Xavier, a ninth-degree black belt, celebrates 50 years of martial arts instruction as he holds the spring student belt promotion ceremony Tuesday at the Calvary Baptist Church Gym in Bradenton.

Grace Martial Arts instructor Bob Xavier, a ninth-degree black belt, celebrates 50 years of martial arts instruction as he holds the spring student belt promotion ceremony Tuesday at the Calvary Baptist Church Gym in Bradenton.
Grant Jefferies
gjefferies@bradenton.com

Bradenton

Bob Xavier held history on his lap Tuesday afternoon inside the Calvary Baptist Church gym in Bradenton.

This is all because Superintendent and Principal Mark Angle, an undergrad music major in college, wants to make sure the kids at his school get what he says is a positive correlation between music and school, no matter the poverty level, amount of disciplinary referrals, or size of the school.

Some 4th and 5th graders at Days Creek are pretty excited about the new band program as well, and say they’re looking forward to learning the instruments and playing in a band with their friends.

The new program will provide a basic music course for the elementary kids, a beginning band course for the 4th and 5th graders, and a choir program for the middle and high school kids. Once they establish the band program with the 4th and 5th graders, Angle says he hopes to continue developing the band program with those kids as they move through school, eventually having an intermediate and advanced band program for the middle and high school kids.

(L-R) John Birks, Mysti Birks, Brandi Heppe, Karen Malcom, Cindy Lagoudakis, Dave Berge, Carin Christensen, Annette Wooton, Tom Abbott

Six community organizations are getting a little financial help from the Petersburg Community Foundation. http://www.kfsk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/24grants.mp3

The Petersburg Community Foundation puts money back into the community through annual grants to help maintain the quality of life in the area. Since the Petersburg Community Foundation started eight years ago it has awarded $67,000 dollars in grants to community organizations. The grants this year fund programs addressing early childhood education, childhood hunger, domestic violence, arts, and journalism.

The six organizations sharing the money are: The Petersburg Children’s Center, Petersburg Arts Council, Petersburg Corps of the Salvation Army, Mitkof Island Dance Troupe, WAVE, and KFSK. morePetersburg High School expands LeConte Glacier research
Petersburg High School students report another successful trip into the LeConte Bay on the mainland near Petersburg, to survey the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere.