The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara North held its annual meeting last Wednesday at Adams Elementary School, continuing its more than 20-year tradition of support for the school.
Principal Amy Alzina reported on the school’s achievements in the latest round of Academic Performance Index (API) testing. The club presented funds to purchase books for the school library, and sculptor/author Bud Bottoms added several of his own works. Two Adams families were honored as the Adams Family for March and April, respectively.
During the last state testing period, Adams advanced by 26 points to an API Score of 801. It exceeded its growth target of five points by 21 points. Adams exceeded its growth targets both schoolwide and for all student groups. Alzina noted that during the past three years, the API scores have gone from the low 700s to 801 on a scale of 200 to 1,000.
Rotarians Dennis Waid and Stanley Weinstein presented Adams librarian Liz Cervantes with a check for $144 to purchase books for the spring quarter. This fund purchases 48 books over the course of the year, one for each Rotary meeting. Each book is then autographed by that week’s speaker and presented to the library.
This novel form of honorarium has been presented by the club to its speakers for several years now. Bottoms, who had recently spoken at the club, then presented four of his books on children’s ethics.
The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara North’s Adams Family of the Month program honors hardworking, ethical and socially engaged families who contribute to Adams School and provide positive role models for their children and the entire community. At this meeting, the Barger family was honored for March, and Suzanna Contreras and daughter Cynthia Gutierrez were honored for April.
Steven and Geraldine Barger have supported Adams since daughter Nicole was in preschool, by participating in Chaucer’s nights and school bake sales. With Nicole in kindergarten, Geraldine and her mother both volunteer weekly in the classroom, while Steven is on the Garden Committee. The family also spearheaded the acquisition of seven iPads for the kindergarten classroom. Nicole is an excellent student in all areas and already reads above grade level. She is also excelling in math, is artistic and plays piano at home.
English is Susana Contreras’ second language and she is tutored after working in the Adams cafeteria, supporting all of the students with her caring smile and twinkling eyes. She makes sure that first-grader Cynthia studies hard at home and is ready to learn and have fun each school day. Cynthia is becoming and accomplished reader and doing well in math. She was the first student in room 11 to earn the Principal’s Award for Respect.
Each family receives a gift card and a certificate presented by the Rotary club.
— Terry Straehley is the public relations director for the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara North.