Tag Archives: Evergreen Elementary

Evergreen 5th Graders Vie in Robot Rally

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
About 40 students were invited to show off their skills during four rounds of maneuvers, including sumo wrestling and a gate crashing bridge during the single elimination tournament.

By Kelli Gile

DIAMOND BAR—Top fifth grade teams took over the multipurpose room during Evergreen Elementary School’s 1st annual robotics competition on Wednesday.

About 40 students were invited to show off their skills during four rounds of maneuvers, including sumo wrestling and a gate crashing bridge during the single elimination tournament.

Students have been working all year learning to build and program Xbot robots using Lego Mindstorm kits, according to teacher Laura Mowrey who introduced the STEM program five years ago before joining the staff.

“Our team offers robotics lessons twice a week as part of our science education,” she said.

Teacher Dr. Cathy Patterson explained in one of the challenges, the Xbot, teams used precise measurements to make their robots follow a track.“They are programmed to go distances and make turns according to angular measurements using the wheel circumference and rotations as calculated through the year and logged into their robotics journals,” she said.

The robot closest to the finish line took the win during each heat.

“All of them were within 10 millimeters – it was really close!” Patterson said.

“Our robotics program is not just a great way for the kids to use their math and science skills, but it is also a chance for them to practice working as team through cooperation and collaboration,” said teacher Lynn Otsu.

Throughout the three-hour competition, students used their CAD skills and calculators making final programming adjustments to edge out competitors.

“We’re telling our robot what to do,” said Team Pi member Adam Loch moments before the finals.

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
About 40 students were invited to show off their skills during four rounds of maneuvers, including sumo wrestling and a gate crashing bridge during the single elimination tournament.

“Right now, we’re programming it to go slower.”

“It’s a good robot. This lift helps it bump people off during the sumo match!” added teammate Caleb Sohn.

On stage, an eager group of students watched robots roll through the gate crashing bridge as teacher Kristine Kobzeff recorded each attempt.

The Xbots were programmed to go five feet in seven seconds before the gate opened, then stay up for three seconds before going down.

“The robots had to make it through before the gate crashed down on them!” Mowrey said.

Students Anthony Chang and Jack Liu designed the impressive engineering project.

On black round mats, sumo wrestling robots were programmed to fight to the end.

“We made the final sumo round!” exclaimed Sienna Simmons, a member of an all-girl team before the match.

“Our robot’s kind of small which makes it go fast! We had a good feeling about it,” added teammate Hana Bouindani, 11.

“It’s a long process, but by the end of the year they really know how it all works,” Patterson added.

 

 

The Last Great Race on Earth

By Kelli Gile

Evergreen students follow Iditarod sled dog race

DIAMOND BAR — For one exciting week in March, Evergreen Elementary second-grade students become immersed in tracking the Iditarod sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

For the past 15 years, teacher Alice Oldag has incorporated the famous 1,000-mile journey of 65 musher teams into her lesson plans.

To educate students about the trail race and Eskimo culture, she first reads aloud two books, Balto and the Great Race and Black Star, Bright Dawn, before the race begins.

Then students randomly select a musher and follow the race on individual Chromebooks, recording team location, ranking, and number of dogs in notebooks.

“Each morning, the children run to the computers and ask each other ‘Where’s your musher?’” Oldag reported while wearing an Iditarod sweatshirt.

The teacher even purchased a subscription to the official Iditarod Insider website so students can watch real-time videos, read bios about their mushers, check the status of sled dogs, and weather conditions.

“It makes them feel like they’re part of the race,” she said.

Each day, the race can change drastically with the extreme sport racers dealing with frostbite, injuries, icy crossings, moose attacks, and whiteout conditions.

A team can fall from first to last place in just one day, the teacher commented.

Her classroom was buzzing as the children checked on their teams and watched streaming video footage on March 7.

“My musher is Shaynee Traska,” shared Akanksha Bhat, age 7, on the second day of the race.

“Right now, she’s in 49th place, has 16 dogs, and is in Nicolei.”

“It’s 27 degrees and cloudy there today,” the teacher reported to the class.

“That’s good racing weather!”

“My musher is Emily Maxwell and she’s in 40th place,” said Isabella Lok, age 8.

“Come on, Emily!” she cheered.

“When I grow up I want to be a musher!” she added.

“My musher helped another musher that crashed today,” reported Jacob Hinds while checking the website.

“My musher scratched, so I picked a new one – Monica Zappa, and she’s in 46th place today,” said Matthew Heng.

Kyle Lin followed Steve Watkins whose 16-dog team had checked into Finger Lake, Rainy Pass, and Rohn by the second day of the race.

“He’s in 65th place today, but he’s in great shape – he’s climbed Mount Everest.”

“This is fun!” exclaimed Hannah Miraflores.

“My musher is Michelle Wilgrees. She’s in 55th place today, but I think she’ll win!”

Oldag shared that the racers only take an 8-hour and 24-hour rest break during the nine-day race.

“It’s mainly for the dogs, racers snooze on the side of the trail and then keep going,” she said.

During the race, the mushers care for their dogs by cooking up frozen bits of fish with melted snow. They also stop to change snow boots on the entire team every few hours.

“The mushers live off of chocolate bars and frozen fish. There’s no Chick-fil-A in the middle of nowhere!” Oldag exclaimed.

The children trace the location of the international troop of mushers on a large map in the classroom each day.

And they covet Iditarod treasures on display including an autographed picture of famous musher Dee Dee Jonrowe, a tiny dog snow boot, and a cuddly stuffed Balto dog that goes home with one student each day during the month.

At the culmination of the event, Principal Trina Dreyer arranged for a real musher and team of sled dogs to visit with students.

“It is very rewarding to see children so enthusiastic about learning,” said Oldag, a 26-year veteran teacher.

“The Iditarod experience taught them about the Eskimo culture and a way of life that is so exciting. It is an excellent example of perseverance in its highest form!”

Keeping the Beat!

BY WVUSD

Welcome to the show! Evergreen 2nd graders Kayden Siglar and Ava Furumoto welcome Principal Carolyn Wills to the performance of “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” on December 7. Photo courtesy: WVUSD

Welcome to the show! Evergreen 2nd graders Kayden Siglar and Ava Furumoto welcome Principal Carolyn Wills to the performance of “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” on December 7.
Photo courtesy: WVUSD

Diamond Bar-Evergreen Elementary 2nd graders presented the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” during an assembly for parents on Wednesday morning.

The 24 costumed children showed off their skills marching in formation and keeping the beat to the classic Tchaikovsky song written for the The Nutcracker ballet in 1892.

“This is one of my favorites!” exclaimed teacher Alice Oldag, who said she was impressed with the students’ ability to perform the precision march.

The class had been practicing the synchronized movements on the playground for the past several weeks before taking the stage on December 7.

“I felt excited because I knew we would do awesome!” shared Jeremiah Tung.

“It was fun to do it and make everyone happy and see them smile!” said Jenna Lewis after the performance.

“I felt proud because I did a lot of work!” added Ava Furumoto.

Students also presented two holiday classic songs “Winter Wonderland” and Must Be Santa,” and recited the “Our Snowman” poem.

“My favorite part was marching because it just felt good!” said Isaac Macedo.

“This great performance by Mrs. Oldag’s class is another fabulous example of all our teachers and students do here at Evergreen to share holiday joy with others!” said Principal Caroline Wills.

Evergreen Odyssey Of The Mind Team Competes At World Finals

By Kelli Gile

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile Evergreen students, parents, coaches, and principal Carolyn Wills at the Odyssey of the Mind world finals held at Iowa State University.

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
Evergreen students, parents, coaches, and principal Carolyn Wills at the Odyssey of the Mind world finals held at Iowa State University.

Diamond Bar – Evergreen Elementary students clinched 2nd place in the United States and 5th place in the world during the Odyssey of the Mind world finals held at Iowa State University.

The team won a regional contest in February, then swept the state championship in April to secure a spot at the finals.

Students built and designed a 14.9-gram structure made of balsa wood and glue that held 900 pounds.

Over 10,000 people and 830 teams from around the world competed in the 37th annual international championship that emphasizes creativity and teamwork.

Students competed among teams from the United States, China, Poland, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Indonesia, and North Korea.

Congratulations to students Ianna Lin, Annie Chen, Alexander Kuo, Alex Teng, Carrie Chen, William Qian, and Alexander Dollar.

“It’s an amazing achievement for these creative thinkers and problem solvers!” said Principal Carolyn Wills.

 

 

7 WVUSD Schools Selected for California Honor Roll

Leaders in Student Achievement 

Suzanne Middle School 6th graders score a great time during field day with teacher Lauri Ujita

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
Suzanne Middle School 6th graders score a great time during field day with teacher Lauri Ujita

By Kelli Gile 

Walnut – Seven Walnut Valley USD schools have been named to the 2015 CBEE California Honor Roll for consistently demonstrating high levels of student academic achievement.

Scholar schools are Evergreen Elementary, Quail Summit Elementary, Chaparral Middle School, South Pointe Middle School, Suzanne Middle School, Diamond Bar High School, and Walnut High School.

The program is sponsored by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE) and Educational Results Partnership (ERP).

After an extensive analysis of every school in the state, Honor Roll schools are identified as clear leaders in getting students to grade level and beyond.

This year, the California Honor Roll recognized 1,714 high-performing public schools who are successfully preparing students for college and careers.

Congratulations to our dedicated principals, teachers, and staff members who work tirelessly to help Walnut Valley students achieve such success!

 

Game On!

Evergreen Odyssey of the mind team going to World Finals

By Kelli Gile

Diamond Bar—Seven Evergreen Elementary students combined creativity and STEM skills to solve challenges that have put them in a class of their own.

The school’s Odyssey of the Mind team won a regional contest in February, then swept the state championship at UC Riverside in April, securing a spot in the World Finals.

Members clinched the state title during the “Stack Attack” event by designing and building a 15-gram structure made of balsa wood and glue that held over 800 pounds.

“It’s an amazing achievement, and an incredible opportunity for these creative thinkers and problem solvers!  Congratulations, Evergreen Odyssey of the Mind team, it’s GAME ON!” said

Principal Carolyn Wills.

Third and fifth-grade-team members Ianna Lin, Annie Chen, Alexander Kuo, Alex Teng, Carrie Chen, William Qian, and Alexander Dollar are now preparing to be part of an exciting global competition to be held at Iowa State University on May 25-28.

The close-knit team wrote the script, designed costumes, decorated a backdrop, and learned how to use tools for the contest.

“We worked together, and learned to listen and to respect each other,” said 5th grader Alexander Dollar.

In addition, the team prepared for a spontaneous problem given during the challenge.

During every team meeting, students diligently practiced solving possible problems.

“It helped us learn to work as a team, to be leaders, and to make decisions under pressure,” added teammate Alexander Kuo.

The team won the top awards in Style, Long-term, and Spontaneous events during the state championship.

Odyssey of the Mind utilizes a hands-on approach to building skills, creativity, perseverance, and teamwork.

The Evergreen team is headed up by parent coaches Sam and Jean Lin, and Natasha Dollar, and everyone is excited to represent the community during the world championship.

“It’s something the youngsters have worked for all year long,” according to parent Jean Lin.

“We really appreciate Evergreen’s STEM program that provides students with many opportunities,” she added.

“Today our children built a structure that held 800 lbs., tomorrow they’ll be holding the world!

The team is looking to raise $7,000 and has set up a Go Fund Me account. To find out more information, visit https://www.gofundme.com/6cxda2g4

Diamond Bar: Evergreen 2nd Graders Have A Scary Good Time

BY KELLI GILE

 

evergreen-elementary-students

Evergreen Scary students gathered together to perform songs and a poem after the dance. (Photo Courtesy: Kelli Gile)

Diamond Bar – It looked like Evergreen Elementary 2nd Graders were ready for Halloween moments before the Danse Macabre, held on Oct. 22.

The youngsters were dressed up as vampires, black cats, ghosts, witches, skeletons, and zombies – boo! But when the music began, they had a hauntingly fun surprise for their families!

The students performed an interpretive dance to classical music by the French composer Camille Saint Saens. The Danse Macabre begins at the stroke of midnight when a stranger enters a graveyard.

“That’s the moment when the characters all get to come out for one time during the year,” explained teacher Loree Hoff.

At their cue, each group came out and danced.  The little witches flew around with their brooms and the vampires twirled with their black and red capes. The skeletons drummed and the zombies danced in the graveyard. The little black cats scampered and pawed and the ghosts happily circled the stranger and violinist waving their arms.

When the sun is just about to come up, they hear the rooster crow, and must go back and wait another year to be together and celebrate.

“I’ve never enjoyed classical music so much as when I see your kids performing to it,” said Principal Carolyn Wills.

After the dance, students sung Five Little Pumpkins, The Pumpkin on the Vine, and My Friend The Ghost, and recited the poem Enter This Deserted House, by Shel Silverstein.

“My favorite song was Five Little Pumpkins,” said Emily Fang, age 8, after the show.

Student Yousef Saiv, who played a vampire during the dance, and his parents loved the scary performance.

“My favorite part was when I turned into a bat!” he exclaimed.

Did he plan to dress up as a vampire for Halloween next week?

“No, I think I’ll be a ninja!”

Walnut Valley: Schools Distinguished at State Ceremony

California-Distinguished-Schools-2014

WVUSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, teachers Ron Kim, Elaine Nakasone, Raelene Waddell, Principal Denise Rendon, Director of Educational Programs Jackie Brown, and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Matthew Witmer share the 2014 California Distinguished School banner.

 

BY KELLI GILE

 

Walnut – Five award-winning Walnut Valley elementary schools were recognized during the California Distinguished Schools Ceremony on June 5. Evergreen, Westhoff, Maple Hill, Quail Summit, and Vejar received the state’s highest award for 2014.

 

Evergreen Elementary received an additional state prize for their Exemplary Arts Education Program. Thirteen schools statewide were honored for incorporating Visual and Performing Arts Standards in five areas: Visual Art, Dance, Theatre, Music, and Media Arts.

 

The Distinguished Schools event included student performances, remarks by State Superintendent, Tom Torlakson, lunch and awards presentations. Each school received an engraved plaque and banner to display on their campus.

 

The honored schools have all earned the California Distinguished title in previous years: Evergreen in 2010; Westhoff in 2006 and 2010; Maple Hill in 2006; Quail Summit in 1998 and 2006; and Vejar in 1998 and 2010.

 

This year, 424 schools were named California Distinguished Schools for their innovative approaches to improving academic achievement. Walnut Valley schools were honored among the Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura county winners during a regional ceremony held at the Westin LAX in Los Angeles.

 

 

Diamond Bar: Evergreen Elementary Announces School Spelling Champ

Spelling Champion Kelli Gile

Evergreen Elementary spelling champion, Thordar Han, will now concentrate of preparing for the regional contest. (Photo Courtesy: Kelli Gile)

BY KELLI GILE

Diamond Bar— Thordar Han, a 5th Grade student, is Evergreen Elementary’s Spelling Champion! Jason Chen took Second Place honors, and Jason Kim earned Third Place during the school’s Spelling Bee, held on January 10.
All 4th and 5th Grade students participated in classroom competitions that narrowed the field of 200 students down to 18 finalists, who competed in front of their peers on the Multipurpose Room stage.
In the final round, Han won the school championship when she correctly spelled, “Monochrome.”
“When I heard the word, I knew how to spell it,” the 10-year-old said.
Han said she has always liked spelling and practiced with online tests for the competition. She is also an avid reader and likes to play the drums in the school band.
“It felt good,” she said about winning the Spelling Bee. The soft-spoken Diamond Bar student said she kept her excitement on the inside and shared the good news with her family when she got home from school.
Han will now represent Evergreen and compete in the 2014 Inland Valley Regional Competition that could lead to the ultimate competition at the nationwide contest in Washington, D.C.
4th and 5th Grade teachers, Lily Chang, Sally Choi, Shelby Coomber, Cathy Patterson, Lynn Otsu and Kris Kobzeff, coordinated this exciting activity for their students with help from volunteer, Bernice Bromberg, and support from the Evergreen Community Club.
“This is another great example of our dedicated staff and fabulous volunteers working together to create wonderful opportunities for our talented students,” said Principal, Carolyn Wills.
“Evergreen is rooting for Thordar in the next round of competition. Congratulations to Thordar, Jason Chen and Jason Kim! Great job,” she said.