Classroom notes
April 18, 2012 2:26PM
Imani Hughes
Article Extras
Updated: May 20, 2012 8:03AM
Artists’ talents awarded
PLAINFIELD — Two Plainfield East High School students and another from Plainfield North won top prizes for their fine arts talents in the DuPage County ACT-SO program.
East senior Hakeem Howard won a gold medal in the vocal music/classical category and a bronze medal for his performance in the vocal music/contemporary category. East junior Olajawon Howard also won a bronze medal in the drawing category.
North junior Carli Battle won a gold medal in the painting category. East senior Imani Hughes also participated in the event but did not win a medal for her work,
The gold medal winners each will receive $150 and an expenses-paid trip to the national ACT-SO contest in July in Houston.
ACT-SO provides career exploration in 25 areas. It is the NAACP’s principal youth initiative.
Technology aids special ed students
LOCKPORT — Special education students at Fairmont School are using technology to overcome limitations from reading and writing disabilities.
From high-tech text-to-speech software to Web 2.0, Fairmont middle-school students are reaching new levels of literacy.
The Fairmont Special Education Department has been implementing the use of assistive technology for providing access to general education curriculum for students with learning disabilities and dyslexia, beginning with the purchase of Kurzweil 3000 software and laptop computers in 2010.
Additional laptops and scanners purchased in 2011 made it possible for students who formerly were limited to simple text far below their grade level to read the same textbooks and literature as their non-disabled peers.
Before Kurzweil, students had to have textbooks read to them.
Expansion of wireless Internet access and increased bandwidth have made it possible for these students to use a number of web resources to further enhance their reading and writing.
Students of the month named
JOLIET — The February students of the month at St. Mary Nativity School were as follows:
Kindergarten, Natania Manzo and Alexzander Susner; first grade, Ryan Gayton; second grade, Alexandra Gubricky and Andrew Collofello; third grade, Nicole Gayton and Savanna Medina; fourth grade, Dylan Farrell; fifth grade, Carlos Vivanco; sixth grade, Jasmine Mascote; seventh grade, Natalie Deters and Louie Diaz; and eighth grade, Kyle Ruettiger.
