Vanna White and Pat Cejak were recently spotted at an awards assembly at Arbuckle Elementary. The hosts of TV’s popular Wheel of Fortune were actually fifth grade teachers Laura
Hansen and Shelly Langlois in disguise. Both “guests” helped younger students to turn the April 18th Test Recognition Ceremony into a lesson in data collection. As 167 third through fifth grade students at Arbuckle Elementary School were honored for their standardized test scores, “Vanna Hansen” and “Pat Langois” guided the audience in graphing the number of recipients by grade level.
Even though the tests were taken last Spring, the awards ceremony purposefully waited to honor the students, hoping that the pomp and circumstance might motivate students to do their best on this year’s exams that begin on April 30th. Large floral arrangements , smaller baskets of colorful blossoms, balloon bouquets and a large white arch set a formal mood for the assembly. Each of the students took a turn in the spotlight as principal Carol Geyer read off their names. Awards were given in several categories. The highlight of the event focused on students that scored in the 400, 500 and 600 range in Language Arts and/or Math.
More than 80 students qualified . These students received a special certificate and will be honored with a pizza luncheon sponsored by the AES Parents’ Club. In addition, Principal Geyer and the standing room only audience of parents gave special recognition to 3 students who scored a perfect 600 in Math. The perfect math score students were Jocelyn Gonzalez (4th grade), Sabrina Bennett ( 5th) and Matthew Tapia (5th).
Geyer also reminded the audience of the “Test Taking Pledge” recently mailed home to parents. The pledge clearly states the responsibilities of teachers, parents and students in helping children to perform well. While Arbuckle Elementary uses many ways to measure student success, the high stakes of standardized testing and reporting are a reality in today’s schools.
Arbuckle Elementary is proud to honor students and families for all their hard work!
