The College Board recognized Davenport's West High School as the number-one school in Iowa for its commitment to excellence and equity in education, and its access to and success in AP programs. West High was the only school recognized in the state of Iowa, and the honor was given at the Midwest Regional Forum in Chicago on February 28.
The College Board recognized Davenport's West High School as the number-one school in Iowa for its commitment to excellence and equity in education, and its access to and success in AP programs. West High was the only school recognized in the state of Iowa, and the honor was given at the Midwest Regional Forum in Chicago on February 28. West High's award was based on the number of students taking the College Board AP exams and the number of students with scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board exams in schools graduating 200 or more students. Colleges and universities require a score of 3, 4, or 5 for college credit and placement. Given the numbers of students who receive free and reduced-cost lunches at West, the College Board was impressed at the number of students who scored so high on the AP tests. These tests are administered in May at individual schools and are graded by a group of College Board test evaluators.
- Project NOW is now accepting entries for the 2006 Single-Family, Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (SFOOR) lottery. The SFOOR program provides assistance to low-income homeowners for major home repairs that would otherwise not be affordable to them. Funding for this program is provided through the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Department of Housing & Urban Development HOME program. This year separate lotteries will be held in Rock Island, Mercer, and Henry counties. Applications may be hand-delivered or mailed to to Project NOW at 418 19th Street, Rock Island Illinois 61204. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on June 22. Lottery entry forms (applications) may be obtained from the Project NOW administrative office by calling (309)793-6391 extension 131 or stopping by.
- Thursday, June 15, is designated as Cones for Kids Day at all Quad Cities-area Whitey's Ice Cream stores. On this day, half of the proceeds from all ice-cream-cone sales will be donated to Bethany for Children & Families' Therapeutic Recreation Program. With Whitey's contributions, children participating in Bethany's Therapeutic Recreation Program will enjoy a variety of recreational and educational programs throughout the summer. Bethany for Children & Families' mission is "to nurture children and to strengthen families and communities, ensuring that they are healthy and supportive places for children to grow."
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Former Quad Citian and "jazz professor"
Bill Bell will be returning to the area on Sunday, June 18, for a jazz workshop
and performance. Bell, who now lives in San Francisco, has served as musical
director and piano accompanist for jazz singer Carmen McRae. He will conduct a
workshop at 3 p.m., with a performance slated for 6 p.m. Both events will be
held at the Redstone Room in the River Music Experience. Workshop admission is
$10, and performance admission is $15. For more information, visit
(http://www.redstoneroom.com) or check out next week's issue of the River
Cities' Reader.
- Iowa is receiving nearly $13 million to support terrorism deterrence, response, and recovery efforts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Fiscal Year 2006 Homeland Security Grant Program. Specifically, Iowa will receive $7.52 million to prevent, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. Another $5.47 million will be directed to the state's law-enforcement community for prevention and deterrence efforts. The state will disperse at least 80 percent of these funds through grants to local communities. Earlier this year, Iowa received $257,718 for its "Citizens Corps" - an initiative modeled on the "Neighborhood Watch" program in which local residents develop and implement a plan for their communities to engage citizens in homeland-security, community-preparedness, and family-safety initiatives. Iowa was also awarded $232,330 to plan and prepare for a large-scale medical response for any catastrophic event. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Grant Program is a primary funding source for building homeland-security capabilities at the state and local level that align with the Interim National Preparedness Goal, a common planning framework used to prevent, protect against, and recover from major events.
- On May 26, the Isle of Capri announced at the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce offices that it was making a financial commitment of $7,500 per year over the next three years to support the Bettendorf/Pleasant Valley Business-Education Partnership. Partnership Co-chair Tom Schuetz of Group Services Inc. and School-to-Work Coordinator Tammy Chelf received an oversize check from Mo Hyder, vice president of operations and manager for the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf and Rhythm City in Davenport. The program is designed to comprehensively enhance workforce development, community development, and business retention. It works with teachers in the system to acquaint them with existing businesses and their needs, so that they can incorporate those priorities into their curricula. It also partners with local businesses to develop "career academies" that help students become aware of local opportunities for careers in targeted sectors.
- The local humor magazine The Dingo is seeking entries for its next issue. Humor in the vein of Dave Barry, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, The Onion, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and South Park is sought. Entries must be under 1,500 words and must be sent in the body of an e-mail (no attachments accepted) to (dingomag@yahoo.com). Writers aren't paid but get a complimentary copy of the issue in which their work is printed. The deadline for entries is June 15. The next Dingo will be published in mid-July.
- The Quad Cities Triathlon is seeking volunteers. The Triathlon will be held on Saturday, June 17, at West Lake Park in Davenport. Last year, approximately 500 people participated in the triathlon, swimming 600 yards, biking 15 miles, and running 3.1 miles to the finish line. Volunteers are needed for packet pick-up and race setup on Friday, June 16, and on race day, Saturday, June 17 . To sign up or to find out more about volunteer opportunities, contact Eileen Ryan at (309)743-2166 or (ryane@usa.redcross.org). For more information about the triathlon, visit (http://www.qctriathlon.com).
