Education notebook

Spread the Word Nevada’s reading mentor program, Books and Buddies, is seeking volunteers to help students in kindergarten through fifth grade improve reading proficiency. Volunteers are asked to make a minimum commitment of one hour per week for 12 weeks. For more information, call volunteer coordinator Libbi Erickson at 564-7809 or email libbi@spreadthewordnevada.org.

ROBOT DESIGN CONTEST OPEN TO CLARK COUNTY STUDENTS

National Security Technologies is offering education grants for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math programs. Grants ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 will be awarded. Teams must submit a written solution that addresses Robots In Real Life scenarios. For more information, visit nstec.com, or call Mona Higgins at 295-5428 or Shari Morrison at 295-2843.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA SEEKS PART-TIME TEACHERS

The College of Southern Nevada’s part-time instructor job fair is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Charleston campus, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd., in the Ralph and Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences lobby.

The college has part-time openings for instructors beginning in the spring 2012 semester in fields such as videography, biology, graphic arts, communication, English composition, dental hygiene, international languages, art, criminal justice, math, occupational therapy and more. Faculty from each department will be present at the fair.

A complete list of open positions, job descriptions and instructions on how to apply can be found at csn.edu/ptinstructor.

READING PROGRAM NEEDS MENTORS FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Spread the Word Nevada’s reading mentor program, Books and Buddies, is seeking volunteers to help students in kindergarten through fifth grade improve reading proficiency. Spread the Word Nevada matches adult mentors with elementary students at 26 at-risk schools.

Volunteers are asked to make a minimum commitment of one hour per week for 12 weeks. Training will be provided, and background checks are required.

For more information, call volunteer coordinator Libbi Erickson at 564-7809 or email libbi@spreadthewordnevada.org.

ROBOT DESIGN CONTEST OPEN TO CLARK COUNTY STUDENTS

National Security Technologies is offering education grants for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math programs. Grants ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 will be awarded to first, second and third place winners.

Teams must submit a written solution that addresses the following Robots In Real Life scenario:

"A four-room house has been flooded and has a very serious mold and mildew infestation. What kind of robot would your team design that could autonomously map the floors and walls for water, mold and mildew? Provide a design concept for the controls and sensors, and a sketch of the robot. Reports must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins, and four pages or less."

Applications, including a letter of recommendation, will be accepted through Dec. 29. For more information, visit nstec.com, or call Mona Higgins at 295-5428 or Shari Morrison at 295-2843.

SPRING VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL TO HOST YOUTH WRESTLING

Spring Valley High School plans to host a youth wrestling program at 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, beginning this week and continuing through February. The program is open to students 8 to 13.

Parents can register their child for $75 at any of the evening practices. For more information, call coach Fred Meyer at 580-3807.

SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEE ALDERMAN TO HOST OPEN FORUM FOR COMMUNITY

Clark County School District Trustee Lorraine Alderman is scheduled to meet with District D residents from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the East Las Vegas Community/Senior Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave. Community members can visit with Alderman to discuss district-related topics in a casual setting without an appointment.

District D covers parts of the Paradise, Henderson and Sunrise areas. For more information and district maps, visit ccsd.net/trustees.

GODDARD SCHOOL OPENS IN HENDERSON

The Goddard School, 2680 Pecos Ridge Parkway, is enrolling children up to age 6 at its new Henderson location. The school offers flexible, year-round schedules from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes will include subjects such as math, music, science and computers. The 8,000-square-foot building also has two playgrounds.

For more information, call 566-0255 visit goddardschool.com.

GRANT WRITING CLASS SET AT LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans to offer the Nuts and Bolts of Grant Writing class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road.

Nonprofit and government organization participants will learn how to: develop a community needs assessment, set goals, write outcome objectives, create a working budget and develop a budget and a budget narrative.

Space is limited. To register, call 257-5502 or email ryanb@unce.unr.edu. There is a $25 fee due the day of the class to cover the cost of materials.

TECHNOLOGY GRANTS AVAILABLE TO LOCAL TEACHERS

National Security Technologies is offering $50,000 in grants to schoolteachers for innovations in science, technology, engineering and math. These STEM Innovative Instruction grants are available to teachers in all grade levels.

There are no specific restrictions on the grant except the money must be used in support of STEM programs and must be requested by a teacher. Requests will be accepted through Nov. 30 and can be submitted to nstecsupportseducation@nv.doe.gov. Awards will be announced Dec. 15.

For more information, contact Jennifer Mankins at 295-5247 or Shari Morrison at 295-2843.

TREE-DECORATING CONTEST COMING TO VALLEY AUTOMALL

Valley Automall, 300 Auto Mall Drive in Henderson, is accepting entries for its 14th annual tree-decorating contest. Entries are due Friday and will be accepted in the order they are received. The event is scheduled for Dec. 1, and one team per school will be selected at random if there is more than one entry.

Teams of students will be given money to purchase decorations of their choice and asked to decorate trees at participating dealerships. Winning trees, as voted on by judges, will receive $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.

For more information, call 568-1487 or email manager@valleyautomall.com.

PHOTO CONTEST OPEN TO ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Clark County School District is accepting submissions through Friday for the Middle School Electronic Photo Contest.

Entries must be original photos taken by a middle school student in JPEG format no smaller than 200 DPI. The student’s name, photo title, school, grade and a teacher’s name should be emailed to mnelson2@interact.ccsd.net.

Categories include Show Off Your School, It’s a Small World, Favorite Places, Pets and Computer Madness. There is a limit of one entry per category per student, and each entry requires a separate email.

Prizes include a framed photo, a gift card and acknowledgement at a December Clark County School Board of Trustees meeting.

For more information, visit ccsd.net.

ESSAY CONTEST, $1,000 UP FOR GRABS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Bill of Rights Institute in Washington, D.C., is hosting a nationwide essay contest for all high school students, with cash prizes of up to $1,000.

The Being an American Essay Contest explores the founding principles outlined in the Constitution, specifically, "How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?"

Three students from each of five geographic regions will win first-, second- and third-place prizes. Essays should be 1,000 or fewer words.

For more information, visit billof rightsinstitute.org/contest. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 15.