Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier
Billy Erickson, a junior at Alta Vista High School, recently won the U.S. House of Representatives National Art Competition.
Town Crier Staff Writer
Schools Roundup
Those visiting Washington, D.C., over the next 12 months will have the opportunity to view the art work of local high school student Billy Erickson. The Alta Vista High School junior recently won the U.S. House of Representatives National Art Competition and Exhibition. His winning art piece, "Grotto," will hang in the Capitol Building alongside other selected pieces from each congressional district in the United States until next June.
Erickson went to Washington, D.C., June 22 to present his art piece and meet Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.
"I thought we had a chance," said Elenore Kanner Weinberg, an art therapist at Alta Vista. "His stuff is spectacular."
Erickson, who has been painting since he was 7 years old, said he was shocked when he discovered that his work had won.
"It amazed me," Erickson said. " I can't believe it."
Erickson said, "I just put what I feel on the board. I finished (Grotto) in 15 minutes."
Weinberg described Erickson's winning piece as an abstract painting with "lots of rich colors.
"He mixes paints without muddying the color," she said. "He applies the colors straight from the tubes."
This is not the first award Erickson has earned. He recently won second in a Rotary sponsored art show. His work will also be included in the Santa Clara County of Education's permanent collection.
Erickson said he plans to study graphic design.
Construction plans under way at Castro, Graham schools
Upgraded classrooms are in sight for students at Castro and Graham schools. The Mountain View School District Board of Trustees hired architect Wayne Gong June 21 to begin work on architectural designs for both sites. Gong has worked on other district and city projects over the past 13 years, including the Mountain View Sports Pavilion.
Castro and Graham schools will be the first sites to undergo full renovations as part of the district's Modernization program. This includes upgrading the district's four elementary schools and one middle school with the $36 million bond measure voters approved in April 1998. Under the program, the district will modernize two schools a year over the next five years, according to school officials. The program also included the reopening of Huff School this past school year, which added 13 new classrooms to the district.
Renovation plans at Graham and Castro include the expansion of each school's library and multipurpose room; the addition of about five portable classrooms; new walls, light fixtures, flooring and white boards in classrooms; and new flexible teaching stations in each classroom. The project at Castro is budgeted for $5.9 million and the project at Graham is budgeted for $9.3 million, said chief fiscal officer Susan Spaay. She said the projects are scheduled to begin in summer 2000 and will take two years to complete. School officials said students will move to interim classrooms on their school sites during the construction projects.
The district is scheduled to begin the renovation of all student bathrooms at Landels, Slater and Bubb schools in summer 2000, Spaay said.
Superintendent Trish Bubenick said the district's schools have not been renovated since they were built between 39 and 50 years ago.
STAR test results available online
Results of the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program were scheduled to be posted on the Internet today at the California Department of Education's Web site, www.cde.ca.gov, under "What's New at CDE."
Under the state's STAR program, all California public school students in grade 2 through 11 are required each spring to take the Stanford 9 test - a standardized achievement test that measures their achievement in basic academic skills.
Students in grades 2 - 8 are tested in reading, written expression, spelling and mathematics. Students in grades 9-11 are tested in reading, mathematics, writing, science and history-social science.
The 1999 STAR program results includes two additions from last year: the augmentation in English language arts and mathematics, and the SABE/2 test for use with Spanish speaking or limited English proficient students.
The Website will list the test results by county, district, school name and zip code as well as by grade level for schools, districts, counties and the state. Results will also be listed under the following categories: limited English proficient students; all students who are not limited English; and males and females.
The test scores are based on a national sample, with the 50th percentile being average.
The California Board of Education intended the STAR test data to be used with other achievement information to develop a clear picture students' academic progress.
IN BRIEF: The staff of De Anza College's student newspaper, La Voz, earned nine awards at the annual Journalism Association of Community Colleges conference held last month at California State University, Fresno. More than 45 community colleges competed. Juniors at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley recently collected $3,203 during a two-week fundraising effort to raise money for medical and sanitary supply kits for Kosovo refugees. They sent their donation to the Mennonite Central Committee, which runs several refugee camps in the Balkans. Fifth graders at the International School of the Peninsula raised $300 for Kosovo refugees through the sales of a CD Rom that featured their personal Web sites. They donated their proceeds June 7 to the American Red Cross.