Columbus Foodie

OPEN HOUSE FOR REGIONAL EVENT CENTER AUG. 22; INTRASQUAD GAME, YOUTH CLINIC ALSO PLANNED

US Fed News Service, Including US State News August 7, 2008 Southwest Minnesota State University issued the following news release:

An open house for the new Regional Event Center on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University will be held on Friday, Aug. 22 from 5-6:30 p.m.

The event will include a Mustang Booster Club and M-Club (Marshall High School) kickoff picnic.

A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 6:10 p.m. on the field. web site marshall high school

“It’s an opportunity for people in the region to come and take a look at the new facility,” said Sara Granheim, Athletic Development Director and one of the event organizers. “There has been a lot of interest in the Regional Event Center since construction started – people have driven by and watched its progress – and this is a way for the community to see the finished product.” SMSU personnel will be stationed around the facility to answer any questions, said Granheim. marshallhighschoolnow.net marshall high school

The Regional Event Center will be home to SMSU and Marshall High School football and soccer teams, and will also host any number of events such as concerts, speakers, marching band competitions, etc.

A Young Mustangs Football Clinic for those in grades K-6 will be held from 4-5 p.m. on the Regional Event Center field, followed by the Mustang Booster Club and M-Club picnic in the concourse area.

Cost if the picnic is $5. It is free to Mustang Booster Club members.

The Mustang intrasquad scrimmage will be held from 6:30-8 p.m., followed by an autograph session with the players in the concourse area. A team picture will be given to fans for signing, and Granheim said Mustang fans may also bring other items for players to sign – t-shirts, balls, etc.

The SMSU Star of Minnesota Marching Band and the Marshall High School Marching Band will also play.

The open house is part of a full day of activities at the Regional Event Center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the SMSU community will be held at 9:30 a.m., followed by the SMSU convocation for incoming freshmen.

The evening concludes with a Kory & the Fireflies concert for SMSU students in the Regional Event Center plaza.Contact: Jim Tate, 800/642-0684, tatej@southwestmsu.edu.

Jim Tate, 800/642-0684, tatej@southwestmsu.edu.

Learning on their laptops Dist. 54 to provide some grades with iBooks.(News)

Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) February 25, 2003 | Singh, Shruti Date Byline: Shruti Date Singh Daily Herald Staff Writer Dooley School teacher Jennifer Antonson is excited about the prospect of each of her students getting a laptop computer.

Her sixth-graders could research and write their English papers right at their desks, and they could read about history for social studies as current events occur, Antonson pointed out.

“I think back 20 years ago. A school wouldn’t even consider not having a set of encyclopedias,” said Antonson from her Schaumburg school. “This is a new resource every child should have access to.” Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 plans to give every student in grades four, five and six an Apple iBook laptop to use during the school year. The District 54 school board approved the project on Thursday. in our site ibooks for mac

The laptops will be phased in over the next three years. This fall, District 54 will provide laptops to about 1,700 students in seven of its 22 elementary schools. Another seven or eight elementary schools will receive laptops for their fourth-, fifth- and sixth graders beginning in the 2004-2005 school year. The remaining elementary schools will receive laptops for students in these grades beginning in the 2005-2006 school year. When the program is at its peak, about 5,100 students and dozens of staff members will work daily on laptops.

Each phase will cost about $2.1 million for hardware, software, training and support.

Officials said despite the budgetary constraints school districts face in this tough economy, they plan to pay for the program by reallocating money, and they won’t dip into reserves.

District 54 spokesperson Terri McHugh said each year the district spends money for various types of technology – from software licenses to desktop computers. She said, for example, in the upcoming school year the district would not need to buy desktop computers and would buy laptops instead.

The district this spring will choose the seven schools that will receive the first batch of Apple iBooks, based on current technology network and skills and strength of leadership in the building.

District 54 officials said along with books and blackboards, in this day and age laptops are logical learning tools for English, science, social studies or any other subject.

“We believe technology has to be woven into the subject,” said Marianne Zito, District 54 assistant superintendent for instructional services. “This is a modern-day book.” Zito said through the use of laptops, the district intends to enhance reading and writing skills, improve students’ connection with outside resources in a monitored environment and beef up technical skills. website ibooks for mac

She said the district hopes to equip these students with computer skills they can use in high school, college and the workforce.

“It certainly opens up the door to see what skills they will need in the future,” she said.

Through a pilot program conducted this fall in nine classrooms, students used the laptops to write journals, create presentations and do research on the Internet. District officials said teacher, parents and student surveys revealed the children were more motivated to work on assignments in school and at home, and they spent more time reading and writing.

Students also took laptops home everyday, which enabled them to show parents exactly what they did at school that day – something that moms and dads always want to know.

District officials said the results of the pilot program gave them qualitative information, but the program is too new for firm quantitative data about the improvement in literacy or technical skills.

Indeed, District 54 is one of just a handful of educational institutions implementing this program.

The Maine Department of Education launched an initiative this school year through which all seventh-grade students and teachers across the state receive iBooks. The department plans to provide all eighth-graders with laptops beginning the next school year.

When the $37 million state-funded Maine Learning Technology Initiative is in full swing, nearly 36,000 students and teachers will receive these laptops.

Tony Sprague, project manager of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, said it’s too early to make definitive judgments about the benefits, but the enthusiasm the laptops generate among students is evident.

He said during a pilot program the state conducted last academic year, attendance improved dramatically during the nine weeks students received the laptops.

Henrico County Public Schools, a Virginia school system that provides laptops to nearly 25,000 high school and middle school students and teachers, also has noticed some preliminary benefits. The $21 million laptop program began in 2001.

School officials said last year, scores for the U.S. history section of the standardized high school U.S. Standard of Learning exam jumped 20 points from the year before. U.S. history was the only completely digitized subject in the district.

“They’ve benefited by all having access. When you look how fast info moves … this is the way the world is moving,” said Janet Binns, director of public relations for the Henrico County Public Schools.

Singh, Shruti Date

HAVING FUN SERVING OTHERS; Alternative spring-breakers forgo bars, beach.(FAMILY TIMES)

The Washington Times (Washington, DC) March 23, 2003 Byline: Alexandra Rockey Fleming, THE WASHINGTON TIMES Boston College junior Jeff Capotosto needed a break from the daily grind. Like most students, he hit the road, hoping to put some miles between himself and the stress and responsibility that riddle higher education. Mr. Capotosto’s spring break – unlike those of many of his peers – didn’t include any tequila shots, no honeycomb of revelers crashing cheap motels, no random hookups with unknown coeds. He traveled to Washington instead – on his own dime. Here the 21-year-old and his compatriots spent a week laying insulation and posting drywall on a couple of houses in projects supervised by D.C. Habitat, an affiliate of Habit for Humanity International, the Christian nonprofit housing organization based in Americus, Ga.

Nearly 30,000 students nationwide will participate in some type of alternative spring break this year, says Dan McCabe, executive director of Break Away, a national nonprofit group that assists colleges and communities in promoting alternative break programs. Organizers say this type of trip appeals to students who want to make new friends, help other people, learn about different cultures and experience a new environment – minus the bacchanal more frequently associated with spring break.

Before his trip, Mr. Capotosto said he was confident that his vacation, organized through Boston College’s service group, Appalachian Volunteers, would be a great opportunity – “everyone coming together for a cause,” he says.

“A lot of times you’re worried about your own life,” he says. “This is a week where you can actually do something for someone else. It’s a nice thing to do that’s also rewarding for everyone involved.” +++++ Concerns The three B’s booze, beaches and bikinis commonly are linked to spring break in the minds of many students. Some considerations for parents of teens who are planning spring-break vacations include:

* Many “all-inclusive trips” to foreign destinations such as the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada include all-you-can-drink parties, booze cruises, unlimited open bar and parties sponsored by liquor distributors where alcohol is distributed free of charge.

* The drinking age is 18 or 19 in Mexico, Canada and much of the Caribbean, and in many of these places the age limits are only modestly enforced, if at all. alcoholpoisoningsymptomsnow.net alcohol poisoning symptoms

* U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the country they are visiting. If a teen is arrested, there is little if anything that the State Department can do to help. Also, medical care in many resort areas often is inadequate to respond to drinking and other substance-related crises.

* Although some travel companies provide adult chaperones, these adults are not responsible for monitoring students’ alcohol or drug consumption or sexual activity.

* Many young people don’t know the signs of alcohol poisoning. Symptoms include the following: The person doesn’t respond when spoken to, pinched or poked; the person vomits when passed out; the person cannot stand up or remain standing without aid; the person has a very slow rate of breathing fewer than six breaths per minute; he has bluish or purplish or clammy skin that feels cool to the touch; his pulse is slower than 40 beats per minute.

Source: Students Against Destructive Decisions +++++ More info Books * “The Uncollege Alternative: Your Guide to Incredible Careers and Amazing Adventures Outside College,” by Danielle Wood, ReganBooks, 2000. This book includes ideas and resources on opportunities for adventures around the world; internships, apprenticeships and training programs; and community service projects.

* “The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Adventures: Internships, Extraordinary Experiences, Seasonal Jobs, Volunteering, Working Abroad,” by Michael Landes, Ten Speed Press, 2002. This guide contains more than 1,000 opportunities to work, play, learn and help, introducing readers to previously unconsidered options. this web site alcohol poisoning symptoms

* “Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years,” by Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller, Griffin Trade, 2000. Using case examples and real-life dialogue, this book shows how parents may have lost control over their college student, but they haven’t lost influence.

Online * SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions, (www.sadd-online.com) has identified spring break as a time of year when teens are particularly at risk. Its Safe Spring Break Campaign offers a safety kit that includes materials that warn young people about some of the dangers of underage drinking. SADD also encourages young people to turn their energies to community-service projects that will strengthen and improve their communities. The Spring Break Safety Kit includes ideas and information about community-service projects that teens can organize that will provide opportunities for teens to get together, have fun and accomplish a worthwhile objective over spring break.

* Break Away (www.alternativebreaks.org), a national nonprofit organization, provides workshops and facilitates a network to connect nonprofit groups that need volunteers with the goal of having students become lifelong participants in community service.

* Youth Service America (www.ysa.org) is a resource center and alliance of more than 300 organizations committed to increasing the quantity and quality of opportunities for young Americans to serve locally, nationally or globally.

CAPTION(S):

Boston College junior Jeff Capotosto helps repair the house for D.C. Habitat, an affiliate of the nonprofit organization. “This is a week where you can actually do something for someone else,” he says. “It’s a nice thing to do that’s also rewarding for everyone involved.” [Photo by Jessica Tefft/The Washington Times] Boston College students and AmeriCorps workers put siding on a Habitat for Humanity house in a Northeast community in the District. Nearly 30,000 students nationwide will participate in some type of alternative spring break this year, says an official of a nonprofit group. [Photo by Jessica Tefft/The Washington Times] Natalie Battle, a junior at George Mason University, traded sand, sun and relaxation for an alternative break in New York City. There she spent a week caring for victims of HIV/AIDS via the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, an AIDS advocacy and education organization. [Photo by Jessica Tefft/The Washington Times]

Obituary: Lucienne Bloch

The Independent (London, England) April 3, 1999 | Nick Caistor BORN IN Switzerland in 1909, living most of her long life in the United States, the artist Lucienne Bloch is best-known internationally for her friendship with a Mexican couple.

The first record of Lucienne is as a small child in her birthplace Geneva, photographed with her brother and sister by her father, the composer Ernst Bloch. Bloch was also a photographer and taught Lucienne how to develop photographs as a child. In 1917, Bloch sailed with his family across the Atlantic to take up a position in New York, and a few years later became director of the Institute of Music in Cleveland and then, from 1925, of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with his wife, who after a few years took her children back to Paris. detroitinstituteofartsnow.net detroit institute of arts

Lucienne studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and spent a year making glass sculptures in Amsterdam. Returning once more to the United States, it was in 1931 that she both held a one-man show of her glass in New York and first met the formidable Mexican painters Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. In her diary, Bloch recalled that this was at a dinner in Rivera’s honour in New York, where she was seated next to the great man, much to the irritation of the jealous Kahlo, whose first words to the bemused young Swiss woman were: “I hate you.” Soon though, Kahlo became satisfied that Bloch was not infatuated with her husband, and over the next few years, she became Kahlo’s faithful companion, accompanying her during the difficult loss of her child, and the death of her mother, and even travelled to Mexico with her. On one occasion, in August 1932, Bloch wrote in her diary: “We took cold chicken in a little basket and went to Belle Isle dragging Diego with us at the last instant. It did him good to go out. He was so surprised at the beauty of the trees when lying down in the grass. He says trees are ugly and nature is hokum, but he can’t help admiring it when he’s in it.” Bloch herself was a talented sculptor – Frank Lloyd Wright offered her the post of sculpture director at his school in Wisconsin. But she was particularly impressed with the public murals that Diego Rivera was busily creating in Mexico and the United States, and instead became Rivera’s assistant. She also fell in love with his chief plasterer, the Bulgarian Stephen Dimitroff. She helped on Rivera’s most controversial projects, at the Detroit Institute of Art, and on Man at the Crossroads, for the Rockefeller Center in New York. Nelson Rockefeller had commissioned the 1,000sqft work, but the Rockefeller family was horrified when it discovered that Rivera intended to make it a paean in praise of Communism, with Lenin as the great spiritual leader of mankind. Rivera was quickly paid off, and armed guards moved in while the mural was covered with screens. Bloch attempted to defend it, even going so far as to scrawl on the whitewashed windows of the Rockefeller Center: “Workers unite! Help protect Rivera M-” – at which point, she was dragged away. She returned however, on 8 May 1933, with Dimitroff and Kahlo, and while Kahlo distracted the guards, Bloch climbed up on the scaffold and with her camera managed to capture the only images of the mural to survive. Throughout the 1930s, Bloch continued to work as a muralist and sculptor in glass and terracotta. She and Dimitroff married and became an artistic fresco team, he handling the plaster and she the painting on around 50 projects around America. Her photographs of Frida Kahlo were widely shown, but she also took photos for Life magazine, again demonstrating her strong political convictions, as in the series of striking carworkers in late 1930s. Dimitroff became a union organiser until the couple moved to California in the 1960s. Towards the end of her life, there was a renewed interest in Lucienne Bloch’s work. The singer Madonna, researching for a film project about Frida Kahlo, talked with her at length and set up a fund to preserve the best of her murals, The Evolution of Music, in the George Washington High School in New York. From 1965 Bloch lived in Gualala, California, and it was here that the first exhibition of her photographs of Frida Kahlo was recently held. Lucienne Bloch, muralist: born Geneva 1909; married Stephen Dimitroff (died 1996; two sons, one daughter); died Gualala, California 13 March 1999. see here detroit institute of arts

Nick Caistor