Get A Good Scrubbing for a Good Cause!
LOS ALAMOS PONY CLUB News:
There’s a fundraiser car wash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 28 at the Del Norte Credit Union.
The event is being held to benefit the youth leadership and athletics program of Los
Alamos Pony Club.
Bring cars, trucks and even horse trailers for a good scrubbing for a good cause! Read More
Mountain School Seeks New Principal
By Carol A. ClarkAs the Aug. 15 start of the new school year draws near, a hiring committee has narrowed down a pool of applicants vying to replace Mountain Elementary School Principal Gerry Washburn.
“We had internal and external candidates apply and we’re hoping to bring this search to a close well before school starts,” Washburn said Tuesday.
Washburn is a non-voting member of the hiring committee who helped coordinate the process.
He left Mountain June 19 after serving three years as principal to become Coordinator of Human Resources for Los Alamos Read More
Counting Down the Days for Free Books for Kids
OTOWI STATION News:
Otowi Station, Los Alamos Rotary Club and Self-Help, Inc., have partnered to provide free books to 500 local disadvantaged schoolchildren through this summer’s “A Book of My Very Own” campaign.
The campaign, which ends Aug. 1, is now halfway to its goal.
The books will be distributed with school supplies for the neediest elementary school children in Los Alamos and surrounding communities, as designated by school counselors.
The project is part of Self-Help’s “Tools for Schools” program.
“We’ve been delighted with the response so far,” said Ellen Read More
Column: Many Reasons to Oppose Governor’s Plan
There are many reasons to oppose the governor’s plan for teacher evaluation: The tests used are unreliable; the states where similar “reforms” have been implemented have not seen success; huge sums of money have been diverted from schools to publishing companies; curriculum narrows to only those things measured and measurable on a standardized test.
The list is long. For teachers, one of the most devastating consequences of over-reliance on test scores is the impact on their relationship with Read More
Anna Grothaus Receives Kiwanis Scholarship
Anna Grothaus received a scholarship from the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos. Don Casperson hands Anna her check while her parents, Debbie and Mike, look on. Anna will attend Texas Tech University to study psychology in the fall. Photo by Karen Kendall
Barranca K-Kids Win Second at International Conference
Photo: Barranca K-Kids Winning Float. Courtesy photo
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos First Vice President Don Casperson carried a float made by students from Barranca Mesa Elementary School K-Kids Cub to New Orleans earlier this month.
The float was an entry in a contest for all K-Kids Clubs around the world in support of “Project Eliminate.”
The Los Alamos float took second place at the international convention. First place went to a float from a Kiwanis Club in Malaysia.
The Barranca K-Kids constructed their entry from a standard size shoebox.
Their float depicts the flags of the 34 Read More
Bradbury Hosts Entrepreneur Night 5-9 p.m. Today
BRADBURY News:
Entrepreneur’s will be at the Bradbury Science Museum from 5-9 p.m., today to network and share details of their business ventures.
Members of the Los Alamos Entrepreneur’s Network (LAEN) will be out in force.
The event is free and open to the public and part of the museum’s “Friday Nights @ the Museum” in which the Museum remains open until 9 p.m. Fridays during June and July offering different movies, speakers and demos free of charge to the public. Read More
SFI Lecture: The Paradox of the Plankton Meets Public Health: How do So Many Serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae Coexist
The Santa Fe Institute presents a talk by Marc Lipsitch, Director, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard University; SFI External Faculty called:
The Paradox of the Plankton Meets Public Health: How do So Many Serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae Coex
• 12:15 p.m. • Friday, July 20 • Noyce Conference Room
Marc Lipsitch
Abstract: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen, responsible for ~800,000 deaths annually and much additional morbidity worldwide.
Conjugate vaccines, introduced in 2000, provide Read More
Los Alamos Teachers Join Massive Protest in Santa Fe
Los Alamos Federation of School Employees President, Ellen Mills, center, LAFSE Vice President and State AFT Vice President Ryan Ross and LAFSE Treasurer Virginia Kachelmeier joined Colleen Goddard, Addie Jacobson and Karyl Ann Armbruster of Los Alamos and several hundred people from across the state protesting Santa Fe Wednesday against a teacher evaluation proposal in play at the governor’s office. Photo by Karyl Ann Armbruster
By Karyl Ann Armbruster
Hundreds of teachers, instructional assistants, parents, retirees, students, legislators and other community members Read More
Tom Betts to Share his Bush Pilot Adventures Monday
Bandelier’s Chief Ranger Tom Betts will talk Monday at Mesa Public Library about his life and times as a bush pilot in Alaska. Courtesy photo
MESA PUBLIC LIBRARY News:
Celebrate America’s national treasures with a talk and slide show by Bandelier National Monument’s Chief Ranger Tom Betts about his life and times as a bush pilot in Alaska 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, July 23.
This National Parks Night event is in conjunction with the current exhibit of photographs of national parks in the Mesa Public Library Art Gallery, Enchanted Parks: A Photographic Tale of Life in Our National Parks by Read More
PEEC Selected for National Museum Assessment Program
PEEC News:
The Pajarito Environmental Education Center has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP.)
Through guided self-study and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower PEEC to better serve the citizens of Los Alamos by helping it to meet and exceed the highest professional standards of the museum field.
The $4,000 cost of this program will be completely funded through the grant received.
The program is funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and throughout its 30 years has been Read More
Column: Area Ponderosa Pine Trees Appear to be Dying; Should You be Concerned?
Column by Carlos ValdezThe sudden appearance of drying needles, dead branches, or even dead Ponderosa Pine trees can alarm anyone, especially homeowners.
Damage occurs throughout New Mexico where Ponderosa Pine is found growing, but is most severe in the urban setting, on the fringe of forested areas, and on shallow, rocky, or droughty soil types.
That describes Los Alamos to a tee. Trees growing near roads or in areas of soil disturbance or abundant competing vegetation are most frequently affected.
According to Danny Norlander, New Mexico Read More
Portables Leave LAHS Monday Bound for LAMS
LAPS News:
…”and away they go!” Portable classrooms leave Los Alamos High School Monday headed to their new home at Los Alamos Middle School. Courtesy/LAPS
Courtesy/LAPS
Courtesy/LAPS
Courtesy/LAPS Read More
SFI: Seminar on The Immune System Detects Intruders by Randomly Migrating Detectors
SANTA FE INSTITUTE News:
Monday, July 23 • 12:15 p.m. • Medium Conference Room
The Immune System Detects Intruders by Randomly Migrating Detectors
Rob J. De Boer
Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics, Utrecht University; SFI External Professor
Abstract: The immune system is a distributed system where billions of individual cells, each carrying a unique receptor (detector), scavenge the body to detect the presence of pathogens (intruders) in any of its tissues.
The very few cells detecting a pathogen will expand, generating a large clone of effector cells that together become capable Read More
Sheriff Presents Scholarship to Local Student
Los Alamos County Sheriff Marco Lucero presents an $800 scholarship check to Brandon Williams on behalf of the the 2012 New Mexico Sheriff’s Association Scholarship Award. Willliams plans to attend Western New Mexico University and study Zoology. He also served as a member of the NJROTC at Los Alamos High School and was active in Football and LaCrosse. From left, Deputy Sheriff John Horne, Sheriff Marco Lucero, Brandon Williams and Undersheriff Eric Ringquist. Courtesy photo Read More
PEEC Teams with Historical Museum for Los Alamos Friday Night
Master Storyteller Terry Foxx captivates a crowd gathered near Romero Cabin. Courtesy/PEEC
Local Athletes Travel to Competitive Swim Camp
Swimmers have fun in the aquarium at the L.L. Bean Flagship Store in Leweston, Maine from left, Connor Shcultz, Sarah Lott, Radhika Iyer and Isabelle Runde. Courtesy photoEight swimmers from the Charger Aquatics – Los Alamos swim team attended a unique competitive swim camp June 16-24 at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
Swimmers include Maria Venneri, 15, Connor Schultz, 16, Sam Harris, 15, Sarah Lott, 14, Isabelle Runde, 14, Kaan Unal, 13, Radhika Iyer, 12 and Sara Shiina, 12.
The camp offered the swimmers the latest information in training, stroke technique,
SFI Lecture: Everything Is Obvious Once You Know The Answer
SFI News:
The Santa Fe Community Lecture, “The Myth of Common Sense: Why Everything that Seems Obvious Isn’t” is set for 7:30 p.m., Wednesday July 25 at the James A. Little Theater in Santa Fe.
Duncan Watts
Principal Researcher, Microsoft; author,”Everything Is Obvious Once You Know The Answer;” former SFI External Professor
Abstract: Relying on “common sense” is the sensible thing to do, right? Not always. Although common sense can be useful for dealing with everyday problems, it can suffer from systematic failures when applied to Read More
Casting Call for Over 50 Local Students
Courtesy/Los Alamos Arts Council
More than 50 roles will be cast for students entering grades 1 through 12 for the Missoula Children’s Theatre “Beauty Lou and the Country Beast.”
The casting call is 9:30 a.m., Monday July 23 at Crossroads Bible Church, N.M. 502 on the south side of road between the Hilltop House Hotel and Los Alamos County Airport
Parent or guardian must be with each child when registering in order to sign the permission form.
All auditioners should plan to attend the entire morning audition and, if selected, have an open calendar from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m., for the week Read More
Comparing Federal Funding of New Mexico Schools: How Does LAPS Stack Up?
By Morris B. Pongratz
Because the Los Alamos Public Schools system depends heavily on the “DOE $8 million,” a headline on page C1 of the Tuesday, July 3, 2012 Albuquerque Journal caught my eye.
The headline “Federal Funds Key for Schools” was for a column written by Jenny Kane of the Farmington Daily News.
The article was based on a recently released United States Census Bureau report entitled “Public Education Finances: 2010” (https:////www.census.gov/govs/school/) written by Mark Dixon.
The report contains Public Elementary–Secondary Education Finance Data from Read More
