When I am so small Da’s sock covers my arm, we

cruise at twilight until we find the place the real men

lean, bloodshot and translucent with cool,” begins

Terrance Hayes 2010 poem The Golden Shovel. The

image in this mysterious poem was made all the more

intriguing by the young woman who recited it.

Gabrielle Trapse, a freshman at Tulare Union High

School, delivered it at the third annual Poetry Out Loud

event like a seasoned jazz artist, pacing and coloring each

verse with great affect.

“The power of Poetry Out Loud exists in its simplicity,”

said Kate Stover, Poetry Out Loud (POL) project

coordinator. “Unlike the other performing arts, Poetry

Out Loud features no costumes, props, sets or

instruments. The magic lies in the students’ ability to

interpret the meaning or convey the nuances of a poem

using only their voice.”

Garbrielle’s masterful interpretation of Terrance Hayes’

poem and two other pieces won her first place in the

annual event. Read more at tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Countywide, more than 1,100 high school students participated in poetry competition

Poetry Out Loud champion heads to state

T H E N E W S L E T T E R o f T H E T U L A R E C O U N T Y O F F I C E o f E D U C A T I O N

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March 2018

(upper photo) Gabrielle Trapse, a freshman at Tulare Union High School, won the annual Poetry Out Loud competition. She will represent Tulare County at the state competition in Sacramento this month. (lower photo, l-r) Tulare County’s top high school poetry performers included Cameron Silva, Mission Oak High School, Tulare; Antonio Melano, Dinuba High School; Rebecca Keele, Porterville High School; Gabrielle Trapse; and Pijja Lautona, Monache High School, Porterville.

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Community event includes annual Science Fair and expanded family arts activities

STEM Expo set for March 10 at PlanetariumThe Instructional Services Division is preparing to host the annual STEM Expo – one the largest family science

festivals in the central San Joaquin Valley. Scheduled for Saturday, March 10, the STEM Expo is a celebration of

everything about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The public is invited to visit the

Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) Planetarium & Science Center at 11535 Avenue 246 for a day of free,

live STEM demonstrations and activities.

The STEM Expo provides visitors with fun, engaging activities to build knowledge about STEM, including the

annual Science & Engineering Fair; hands-on robotics coding; a green screen for video projects; an electronic game

station; a Cardboard Challenge area for families to imagine and build using cardboard; and a makerspace, where

participants can build smartphone speakers, paper rockets and circuits out of ordinary materials. This year, several

art-based activities have also been added.

Throughout the day, the TCOE Planetarium will show back-to-back presentations of its popular program, Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope, utilizing its recently upgraded projection system. The program traces

the history of the telescope and the advances that have been made since the time of Newton and Galileo. The

STEM Expo will also feature a variety of community booths and local food trucks. Read more at tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

New system will open doors to new programming available to high-definition theaters

Planetarium upgrades projection system

March 2018

The Planetarium & Science Center is nearing

completion of its new planetarium projection

system – a system that was designed and built

in-house at a substantially lower cost than

competing systems. This upgrade comes just two

years after the program relocated to its new

location on TCOE’s Liberty Campus on South

Mooney Boulevard. In anticipation of changing

technology, the planetarium facility was

originally designed to support different types of

projection systems. The new system, which

features a significantly brighter and sharper image,

is scheduled to be operational for shows in March.

“Our new projection system will allow us to

acquire and show the newest programming that

is currently only available to high-definition

theaters,” said Conan Palmer, Planetarium &

Science Center program coordinator. Mr. Palmer reports that visitors to the STEM Expo on March 10 will have an

opportunity to see the improved projection system as the planetarium will show its popular program Two Small Pieces

of Glass: The Amazing Telescope throughout the day of the event. Read more at tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

The photo above illustrates the improvements in brightness and sharpness achieved by the new planetarium projection system (left) and the former system (right).

Outside the exhibition room, waiting to

present their National History Day

(NHD) project to judges, Luis and Cruz

enthusiastically practiced their

presentation to an audience of TCOE

staff members. The elementary students

in Cutler-Orosi Unified’s GATE program

had prepared a two-dimensional poster

on the Whiskey Rebellion – an uprising

by farmers and war veterans protesting a

tax conceived during the presidency of

George Washington to help pay war debt.

Luis and Cruz excitedly explained why

the farmers were upset by the tax and the

violence that erupted because of it.

Luis and Cruz were among hundreds of

Tulare County students, grades 4-12,

who prepared more than 120 projects for

the NHD competition. Through

two-dimensional posters, historical

papers, exhibits, performances,

documentaries and historical websites,

students explored the annual theme of

Conflict and Compromise in History in local,

state, national and world history.

Following the presentation of projects,

students gathered in the Redwood

Conference Center to see two “Best of

Event” presentations, including a

documentary by Yasoda Satpathy of

Inspire Charter School entitled “The War

of Currents” – a video about the

long-running conflict between Thomas

Edison and Nikola Tesla in the

development of our modern electrical

systems. Julissa Lopez, a student at

Dinuba High School, presented her solo

performance entitled A Declaration, A

Promise, which enacted the creation of the

United Nations. Read more at tcoe.org/ NewsGallery.

Students explore conflict and compromise through exhibits, videos, websites, performances

National History Day attracts over 120 projects

(upper photo, l-r) Cruz Melchor and Luis Vargas of Cutler-Orosi Unified’s GATE Program present their project on America’s Whiskey Rebellion to judges at National History Day (NHD). (lower photo) Julissa Lopez, a student at Dinuba High School, developed a performance project entitled A Declaration, A Promise, which depicted the formation of the United Nations. Julissa’s project was selected as one of 41 Tulare County finalists eligible to compete in the California NHD in May.

Read more at tcoe.org

spot l ight

Read more at tcoe.org

(photo 1) On February 21, Jaskarn Singh, an eighth-grade student at Alpine Vista School in Tulare, was named the 2018 Tulare County Spelling Champion. The annual event, which included 225 spellers in grades 4-8, lasted 19 rounds over six hours. As part of the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register sponsorship of the competition, Jaskarn is eligible to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee beginning May 27 in National Harbor, Maryland. (photo 2, l-r) The top three spellers in this year’s event are Hannah Cooper, second-place winner from Classical Conversations Challenge homeschool program; Jaskarn Singh; and Saksham Narwal, third-place winner from Live Oak Middle School, Tulare. Sitting before Tulare County Superior Court Judge Brett Hillman at the Mock Trial finals February 20, Redwood High School’s Silver Team successfully defeated challenger Exeter Union High School to earn a spot at the state competition beginning March 16 in Santa Ana. (photo 3) Redwood defense attorney Josh Gilcrist is pictured questioning a witness. (photo 4) The Redwood Silver Team is coached by Andre Gaston (front row right), and includes Noelle Andrew, Kayla Cabanas, Kyvontei Campbell, Justine Fonseca, Josh Gilcrist, Lisa Kim, Kenya Ochoa, Grant Peck, Caleb Rodriguez, Baylie Teela, Kylie Tyson, Beckie Vang, Ezra VanGronigan, Kendall Walton and Claire Yang. (photo 5) On February 3, the Tulare County Academic Decathlon championship title was once-again captured by Granite Hills High School of Porterville. Since 2003, the Granite Hills team, coached by Elissa Lombardi, has held the title 11 times. This year, the school earned the large school and overall honors in the 10-event contest and the opportunity to compete in the state finals beginning March 22 in Sacramento. Team members include Savannah Banuelos, Emilly Ceballos, Mackinzie Thomason, Ana Morales, Jaden Perez, Sergio Quinonez, Daniel Diaz, Gwenyth English and Jacqueline Gonzalez. Orosi High School captured the small school division title for the fourth year in a row. All Academic Decathlon teams are comprised of 2-3 students in each of three grade categories: Honors (GPA 3.75-4), Scholastic (GPA 3-3.74) and Varsity (GPA 0-2.99). (photo 6, l-r) The top students in the three categories are Gwenyth English, Granite Hills High School, Porterville (Varsity); Ying Yan, El Diamante High School, Visalia (Honors); and Alyza Boriphanvichitr, El Diamante High School, Visalia (Scholastic). For a complete list of results, visit tcoe.org/AcademicDecathlon. Read more at tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

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For more events, programs and meetings, visit our online calendar at www.tcoe.org/CalendarOfEvents

upcomingevents

Student Art Best of Show ExhibitionTCOE Administration Building, 6200 S. Mooney Blvd., VisaliaArtists’ Open House: March 1, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. For information, call Kate Stover at (559) 741-0809.

Science Olympiad (Division B/C) (Grades 6-9/9-12)8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Mission Oak High School,3442 E. Bardsley Ave., TulareFor information, call Jared Marr at (559) 651-3047.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Pursuing Victory With Honor Sportsmanship Workshop9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., TCOE Conference Center, Room EF, 6200 S. Mooney Blvd., VisaliaTo register, call Kelley Petty at (559) 740-4303.

University Preparatory High School Information Night6:00 - 7:00 p.m., COS Visalia campus, Yokut Room 9For information or to register to attend, contact Araceli Alcala at (559) 730-2529.

STEM Expo (grades 3-12)8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., TCOE Planetarium & Science Center, 11535 Avenue 264, VisaliaFor information, call Jared Marr at (559) 651-3047.

Poetry and Prose (grades K-8)9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., TCOE Conference Center, 6200 S. Mooney Blvd., VisaliaFor information, call Nancy Bellin at (559) 733-6734.

Circle J Astronomy Night (for students and families, open to the public)7:00 - 9:30 p.m., Circle J-Norris Ranch, 41893 Yokohl Valley Rd., SpringvilleFor reservations, call Nancy Bruce at (559) 539-2263.

Tulare-Kings College and Career EXPO (grades 9-12)8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., College of the Sequoias Visalia and Tulare campusesFor information, call Joy Soares at (559) 733-6101.

Young Authors’ Faire (grades K-8)8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., TCOE Conference Center, 6200 S. Mooney Blvd., VisaliaReception: April 12, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.For information, call Debra Lockwood at (559) 651-3042.

Math Super Bowl (grades 7-8)8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Visalia Convention CenterFor information, call Julie Joseph at (559) 651-3641.

Friday Night Live Lip Sync Contest (grades 6 - 12)6:00 - 9:00 p.m., Visalia Convention CenterFor information, call (559) 651-0155.

SCICON BBQ & Wildf lower Festival11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., SCICON Campus, SpringvilleFor information, call Dianne Shew at (559) 539-2642.

Tulare County Technology Challenge (TC²) (grades 7-12)8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., online competitionFor information, call Katherine Goyette at (559) 651-3008.

Night at the 21st Century Museum (grades K-12)5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Visalia Convention CenterFor information, call Kate Stover at (559) 741-0809.

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News Gallery Committee

Editor: Robert Herman, Public Information OfficerContributors: Marlene Moreno, Jennifer Fisher, Lorena White, Kate

Stover, Paula Terrill, Veronica Guerrero, Gene Mendes and Conan Palmer.

The News Gallery is published monthly with the exception of double

issues printed for July/August and December/January. If you would like to receive The News Gallery, visit tcoe.org/GetTheGallery or

contact Jennifer Fisher at (559) 733-6172, or at jenniferf@tcoe.org.

Student athletes are invited to apply for the annual Pursuing Victory With Honor (PVWH) scholarships. With additional support this year from the Provident/Salierno Family Foundation, the CHARACTER COUNTS! program is able to increase its award of $500 scholarships from four to eight for graduating seniors who best exemplify sportsmanship, leadership, and school and community service. An application form, which includes detailed eligibility requirements, is available at tcoe.org/pvwhscholarship. Applications are due by April 4. For more information, call the CHARACTER COUNTS! program at (559) 740-4303.

Coaches, athletic directors, administrators, officials and other youth leaders are invited to register for the Tulare County Office of Education’s Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship workshop. This in-service will help attendees build better character through their coaching efforts. The workshop takes place on March 8 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Redwood Conference Center. To register to attend this free workshop, please visit tulare.k12oms.org/1530-145568, or call Kelley Petty, CHARACTER COUNTS! program coordinator, at (559) 740-4303. Video entries for the 2018 Slick Rock Student Film Festival are due before midnight on March 9. Middle and high school students living in Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced or Mariposa counties may enter videos in a total of 19 categories. Visit tcoe.org/SlickRock for information on submitting films to the festival and the awards ceremony, which will be held at the Visalia Fox Theater on May 11.

Registration is now open for the 2018 Support Staff Conference, which this year has an outdoor theme of “Come Unplug and Unwind.” The conference will be held at the Visalia Convention Center May 1 and feature comedian, playwright, director and educator Tim Clue as the keynote speaker. Mr. Clue has had a successful comedy career on the national circuit, working with many well-known comics, including Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Wright and Larry Miller. Read more at tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim VidakPresident: Judy Coble, Trustee Area No. 4Vice President: Celia Maldonado-Arroyo, Trustee Area No. 1

Trustees: Debby Holguin, Trustee Area No. 2; Tom Link, Trustee

Area No. 3; Joe Enea, Trustee Area No. 5; Patricia Hillman, Trustee

Area No. 7, and Chris Reed, Trustee Area No. 6

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