Inside Mesa

You may be like me, your children are adults but you still have a vested interest in education.Afterall, those in school now will soon be making decisions for us!Mesa Public Schools are excellent, the teachers, staff, and programs that make it all happen under the leadership of Superintendent Debra Duvall.For instance: I learned 35 languages are available to help English Language Students through a colleague of mine, Irene Frklich, Director of E.L.A.D. - English Language Acquisition Department. I was amazed to learn the extent MPS help their students.There is also a Native American Education Program - Theresa Price, Director. Another worthy effort where we can see the strides they are making.Educational Television is overseen by David Luna, Director who made a film about Mesa and it’s rich cultural history. I worked with David as members of the City of Mesa Human Relations Advisory Board.Career and Technical Education, Tony Maldonado, Director - has lots of educational opportunities for Juniors and Seniors which includes a wonderful mission statement.David Schuff, MPS administrative staff, who puts together a Youth Summit each year to educate teens on acceptance of others through cultural diversity awareness - a great program! Serving as a judge for their poster contest a few years ago was fun and rewarding.EVIT East Valley Institute of Technology - is so practical and noteworthy for high schoolers, skills learned for their future in a variety of areas. I was able to tour this facility through Mesa Leadership, Training and Development - Sponsored by the Mesa Chamber.There is so much to know. We also have a nice variety of higher education institutions, colleges and universities like:MCC and their plans for a downtown academic library, Dr. Larry Christianson, President is very invested in Mesa and our public schools. As a member of the City of Mesa Library Advisory Board and past Executive Coordinator of ASU West’s Fletcher Library - I think this will be a great venture! ASU Polytechnic - their new programs, changes in focus, an incredible institution - I have several colleagues there like David Schwalm, Vice Provost Academic Programs - always on the cutting edge of higher education like bio-technology, creating methods such as medicine in plants as an answer to impoverished nations - to name one. A.T. Still and their various health and medical professions where my daughter Kelly will attend to become a Physicians Assistant. Sonya Splane, on staff and another colleague of mine through the City of Mesa HRAB.Distance Learning with NAU, ASU, all of this - what a springboard into the coming years of fast change and technological advances - investing in our children, grandchildren, and ourselves.The governing board members are important in that they make decisions I feel we must be aware of - their background and where they stand on issues are important to me. A colleague from Mesa LTD and Legislative District 19 - Rich Crandall, MPS Board member, has an eye for education, values, and excellence.

Great news on global demand and language classes in Mesa Public Schools.Michael Cowan, Associate Superintendent, Mesa Public Schools returned from China with ideas on teaching Mesa students about the Chinese language and their culture. Do you wonder why? A push is coming to learn world languages - a result of mounting global influence from China; and U.S. government encouraging more people to speak key foreign languages - Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, and Russian. MPS’s Community Education Department offered Mandarin this last year - 17 completed the course, mostly high school students. MPS is definately on top of education and world trends.Wow!! - this fits in with what I learned November 30, 2005. The East Valley Partnership presented: 2005 Cox Communications - East Valley Economic Forum - A Futurist Perspective, held at the ASU Ploytechnic campus, Student Union Ballroom. Dr. Ioanna Morfessis, President & CEO, IO, INC. shared that in 5 years China will be the "leading computer child".Moderated by Education Futurist Dr. Michael Crow, President, ASU shared about excellence, access, impact. It’s all about competitiveness - in 40 years China will match us. Our challenge…continue to be the brightest, cleverest, light for the world.Others: Technology Futurist Richard Fennessy, CEO, Insight Enterprises - Transportation Futurist Mary Peters, Former Administrator, FHWA - Economic Forecasting Futurist Dr. Lee McPheters, Director, Bank One Economic Outlook Center who shared that in 25 years the state will double, growth is unstoppable and Arizona has been underestimated!Other key comments to show Mesa Public Schools are listening….- WWII to 2005, Singapore has been motivated to excel.- The easiest way to predict the future is to invent it.- Global sequencing: ~ every 15 seconds a new web site ~ every 15 days a new product through innovation, invention.Dobson Principal, Matt Gehrman indicates his students have expressed an interest in Chinese or Japanese. A new school, K-8 will have an international perspective, emphasis on foreign languages says Cowan, now in the "planning-design-proposal stage" - location: next to the football field, Fremont Junior High, Power and Brown. A curriculum paralleling Westwood High’s International Baccalaureate Programme. In January, Sunridge Learning Center close to Dobson High, could be a first in the district teaching elementary students Chinese depending on available federal funds - $23 million in federal grant money for elementary schools toward learning difficult languages early has been allotted.Cowan tells us Chinese students are expected to learn English beginning in third grade, through high school; an expected part of the curriculum. The challenge as Cowan describes, is qualified people to teach as they must meet state and federal requirements for certification in public schools. Also, the partnership with Chinese government and the College Board is figuring out an international teacher exchange program.This is exciting for Mesa and our public schools system - the attendance rates will surely rise!