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Show Thursday, August 30, 2007 OREM TIMES Page 5 notes NEWS AND IDEAS FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS Teacher uses technology to aid students Michael Rigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF The initiative and forward-thinking forward-thinking of a Mountain View High School teacher who works with hearing impaired students may soon produce educational dividends in the classroom and at home. Nancy Kelley, who holds a master's degree in deaf education educa-tion from Utah State University, Univer-sity, recently applied for a received $2,000 in grant money through the 2007 1NG Unsung Heroes awards program. She's also in the running to win another an-other $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 through the grant program that will be announced next month. The focus of the program is to provide much-needed funding to teachers across the nation who use innovation and creativity to come up with educational solutions that will change their students' lives. "The intention of the grant is that kids today are all about technology and the big thing is they can't have iPods, cell phones, PDAs" in the classroom, class-room, Kelley said. "The whole premise of the grant is it's what they know, so why not let them use it to learn." She plans to use iPod and related technologies to create downloadable video podcasts of her demonstrating American Ameri-can Sign Language that hearing hear-ing impaired students and her ASL classes can use in the classroom or at home. In one of her two ASL classes, Kelley has a student with dyslexia who has used video-recorded segments of sign language demonstrations as a study aid. French teacher MichaeRigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF After a one-year hiatus to earn a master's degree , Ryan Rocque. a French teacher at Lakeridge Junior High School is back at the job he loves and better equipped to teach than ever. Rocque said he struggled with the Ryan Rocque decision to leave his students for a year, but knew his time away would mutually benefit him as an educator and his pupils. "I've always had a goal to go as far as I could in education educa-tion and I knew if I didn't do it sooner or later, it might not happen," he said. Rocque completed work in a graduate program in second sec-ond language acquisition at Brigham Young University in 2006 including a three-week study in Paris, France. He'll graduate this spring. During his time away from Excavating j Operated Equipment Rental Equipment Hauling Dump Trucks Erosion Control SPRINGVILLE.UT 801-794-2880 ffiD AWT; in (term MICHAEL RIGERTNorth County Nancy Kelley (third from right), a teacher with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind at Mountain View High School, was recently awarded a $2,000 educational grant. Also pictured are Kelley's hearing impaired students (left to right): Scott Loy, Quint Hone, Erica Knotts, Tiesha Gavin, and Anna Perkes. Her hearing impaired students stu-dents she currently has a class of eight students ages 15 to 18 with varying degrees of hearing impairment will be able to use the podcasts at home to study with their parents and boost overall communication with family and friends. "There are a lot of barriers to my students, but technology technol-ogy is not one of them," Kelley said. "They're into computers, iPods. I think it will definitely give them an advantage when they use this technology and get into the workforce." Her deaf or partially deaf students attend her classes from all over Utah County and returns to Lakeridge with master's degree Lakeridge, he not only completely com-pletely redesigned all three levels of his French language curriculum, he learned how valuable research skills and how to incorporate new methodologies meth-odologies in the classroom. One of those is to provide more depth in the French language by utilizing feature French films in lessons so that they get to see and hear native French speakers and be more exposed to the culture's basic elements Combined with new computer com-puter technology, the kids can view scenes from "Chateau de Ma Mere", "Au Revoir Les Enfants," and "Bon Voyage" while words from the scenes appear on their computers. They can click on the words to hear them recited, or to get a picture translation of what each means, he said. "It's kind of a self-made tutorial," tuto-rial," Rocque said. "It's very effective in vocabulary and listening comprehension. I'm looking to add more videos." Ironically, in high school and initially, in college, the last thing Rocque wanted to do was teach school (both his parents par-ents are teachers). He got a heavy dose of for 1 n receive instruction from Kelley in English, reading, algebra, biology, and financial literacy. They are then integrated into other Mountain View courses with the assistance of ASL interpreters. in-terpreters. Kelley said she got the idea from an elementary teacher in Salt Lake area Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (with which she is also affiliated) and through the encouragement to apply for the grant from colleagues col-leagues and administrators at Mountain View, including assistant as-sistant principal Jeanie Wilson and English teacher Brian Rich. Wilson said Kelley is a dedicated dedi-cated and driven teacher who eign language exposure in the home from his parents who both served LDS missions in Italy. Each week his mother would pick a different world culture, and expose Rocque and his siblings to the nationality's nation-ality's language, food and culture, cul-ture, he said. "They mainly used (Italian) to keep secrets from the kids," he said. But in junior high school, Rocque enrolled in Spanish Span-ish classes and later French courses in high school, and he was forever hooked on foreign languages. He served an LDS mission to Ukraine where he became proficient in Russian. "When I came back, it was a given that I'd study languages," languag-es," he said. "I loved learning about cultures and loved traveling trav-eling the world." At some point, he decided the positives of becoming a school teacher outweighed the negatives. I le began a teaching teach-ing internship at Lakeridge and a year later was hired on as the school's full-time French teacher. "It was not an easy choice. It was at the bottom of the list with all the stories I heard growing up," he said. 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Kelley, who also taught at Lakeridge Junior High School for nine years before coming to Mountain View nearly a decade ago, thoroughly enjoys interacting with her students. "Like every teacher says 'Just seeing a light go on,'" has been very rewarding, she said. "That's always been the greatest great-est part ... I like this age because be-cause they're fun and you can have a conversation with them ... about every day things." "now, I can't see myself doing anything else." Rocque soon learned he not only loved teaching foreign languages, he loved being a part of Lakeridge. The students stu-dents are well-behaved and excited about learning French while parents, administrators and parents are supportive and work as a team. Since returning this fall, Rocque said he's been thrilled to have students and former students drop in to say Hi and welcome back. "I hope I'm making a difference, differ-ence, so to see them when you come back want to associate with you, it kind of makes your day," he said. More Rocque Monsieur Rocque's Favorites Book: "Sixty Million Frenchmen French-men Can't Be Wrong" by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow. Food: Cheese Movie: "Dead Poets Society" Musician: Rascal Flatts Quality S Immunity..,,, Ill Mountain View Club Week Students are encouraged to get more involved in-volved with school by kx)king into the many club organizations organiza-tions offered at MVI IS during Club Week, Aug. 27-Aug. 31. Faculty Council The MVI IS Faculty Council will meet Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 7 a.m. MVHS PTA Meeting Mountain View's PI SA will hold a general meeting and consider a budget approval on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 12 p.m. Lakeridge Junior High School Student Pictures Photos of all students will be taken today and Friday during students' stu-dents' history classes. Seventh and Eight Grade Dance Seventh and eight graders are invited to attend a dance at Lakeridge on Friday, Fri-day, Sept. 7, from 34 p.m. Orem Elementary Director Reading Assessments Assess-ments Orem Elementary will hold Director Reading Assessments for students in grades 1-fJ from Aug. 22-Sept. 19. Hearing Screenings On Wednesday, Sept. 5, students in grades kindergarten, third, and fifth will receive hearing screenings. Brayden Santo What kinds of memories come with recalling the first week of school? As for me, it involves the long process of piles of disclosure documents, going over the exact same set of rules for each teacher, and sitting on the front row, nearly dying of boredom. That's the negative side. On the positive side, there is band, seeing my friends again and starting to notice girls that I'll probably take out on dates. I'm glad it's all over now, though, and we can get down to the business of learning. So I just got a news flash from Hannah Evensen that apparently there are three Ford Mustangs and three Mini Coopers parking in the school parking lot. For those of you who don't know, I drive a Buick LeSa-bre, LeSa-bre, and for those who do, I still drive it. Anyways, Hannah asked Affordable I I n I I Tuxedo Shouldn't Look Like 377-7828 1774 N. University Pkwy PrOVO (Biifms Ijndlni;) QUALITY CABINETS II v ANNIVERSARY SALE-AD RATION! 2 Years Under New Ownership Newly Enlarged Showroom New Cabinet Lines This Premier Hand Glazed Maple Kitchen INSTALLED FOR JUST $0,099.00' EVEN INCLUDES Pr6fessional Designers for New Homes, Remodeling and Commercial Suncrest Elementary Hearing Screenings I lear-ings lear-ings screenings will be held Thursday, Aug. 30, for grades kindergarten, 1,3, and 5. Opening Assembly The first assembly of the year is Friday, Aug.'.U at JO) a.m. Back to School Night Suncrest Elementary will hold its Back to School night for students and parents from (i-X p.m. on Thursday, Sept. (. Teachers for grades kindergarten kinder-garten through second grade will make their presentations from (-:35 p.m.; a 1TA meeting meet-ing will be at (i:45-7:10 p.m.; and teachers in grades 'Mi will make their presentations from7:15-7:.r0p.m. After-school club registrations registra-tions After-school club registrations for Eater (iators will be Wednesday, Sept. 5, from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Early Birds will register for aller-school aller-school clubs on Thursday, Sept. 6, from 2:15-2:4!) p.m. Westmore Elementary After-school Club Registration Registra-tion Westmore's after-school after-school club registration is Tuesday, Sept. 4, from 3-5 p.m. Hearing screenings I leafing leaf-ing screens for students will be Wednesday, Sept. 5. me, "Why do parents buy their kids nice cars?" I asked Winter Thayne what she thought, and she replied, re-plied, "I think it's really lame. I don't mind them helping their kid buy their first car, but buying buy-ing it for them is not going to help them in any way. You won't TRULY appreciate it unless you buy it yourself. So, yeah, whenever I see a teen with a really nice car, I think that they are sX)iled and will never learn to be able to take care of themselves." This may be a more intense opinion, but I'd say I probably prob-ably agree with Winter in the way that if everything is just handed to someone they don't truly appreciate it. My parents bought my car, and they do pay for my insurance, but 1 pay for my gas. My car isn't necessarily nice, but its not a piece of junk either. Because I pay for gas, I still put some of my own work into it , and can appreciate appreci-ate it more than if I didn't. 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