Staff reports

Julien Bonnard of Kent has been awarded a scholarship and will join a group of 50 American high school students sponsored by ASSE International Student Exchange Programs who will live with a host family and attend school in Germany for the 2014/2015 academic year.

Since 1983, the United States Department of State and the German government have co-sponsored the prestigious Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship Program to help prepare ambitious young people for a global future. The CBYX program has enabled more than 17,000 students to expand their global perspectives and make new friends. Congress-Bundestag students are youth ambassadors of the United States, sharing their life and culture with their German hosts and building greater understanding of the United States and its diversity.

As a Congress-Bundestag scholarship recipient, Bonnard will experience German life firsthand. He will live with a carefully selected host family while becoming a member of his German host community, attending school, participating in community life and learning more than he ever imagined about another country and culture, about the world and its diversity and about himself.

When Bonnard leaves for Germany, a group of German scholarship students will be arriving to live with American host families while attending high school in the USA. Students and families interested in receiving more information about hosting a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship winner from Germany or other ASSE International Student Exchange Programs should call 1-800-733-2773 or visit ASSE’s website at www.asse.com.

District ranks in Top 20 for innovative technologies

The Kent School District (KSD) has been recognized as a “top-ranked school district” by the Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association. Results of the 10th annual Digital School Districts Survey showcase the district’s use of technology to govern, communicate and improve operations.

“Kent School District embraces technology as a research-based means to a quality education for all students, regardless of background,” said Thuan Nguyen, chief information and digital strategy officer.

Top ten rankings were awarded to those school boards or districts that most fully implement technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education, as represented in the survey questions.This year’s recognition went to school districts for expanding the use of innovative technologies throughout the district as well as in classrooms.

Elsewhere

The Kent School District Board of Directors recently was presented with the grand prize Magna Award from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) at a conference in New Orleans. KSD was recognized for its initiative in establishing iGrad, a student re-engagement program developed in partnership with Green River Community College for students who have dropped out of school. The KSD Kinder to College program received honorable mention. The grand prize includes a $5,000 check to benefit iGrad programming. The NSBA Magna Awards recognize school boards for taking bold, innovative steps to improve educational programs. KSD was selected among 300 submissions and won in the over-20,000 students category. …

Alex Smith of Kent was recognized with The Jimmie Zanni Award in Theatre at the University of Jamestown (N.D.) Honors Convocation on April 11. Jamestown is a private, liberal arts university offering more than 40 areas of study.