Dr. Bill Spaeth's homeroom of Juniors planned and collected a super meal for a family this Thanksgiving. Students include: Halima Abourifq, Chad Adkins, Brandi Alexander, Steven Bohay, Steven Boykin, Fabian Carmargo, Carlos Castaneda, Elizabeth Claudio, Kyra Cochran, Noria Collins, Esther De La Cruz, Vanessa Diaz, Tierra Eberson, Rance Edwards, Asarra Smith, Caitlin Smith, Daniel Sneed, and Clayton Stoy.
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ASTEC Student Named Merit Scholar Semifinalist- Fall 2009
ASTEC Charter High School senior Jacob Landers has been nominated as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
This prestigious honor is awarded every year to 8,200 students with a total of about $36 million in scholarships given. These scholarships are made possible by 500 private institutions and personal donations, as stated on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website, www.nationalmerit.org.
Although Landers has been nominated as semifinalist, he will have to pass another round of qualifications to be selected as a finalist and then may be accepted for the scholarship.
The requirements for becoming a National Merit Finalist are in addition to having some of the most competitive test scores and grades in the nation.
“Of the 1.5 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQTSelection Index scores (critical reading plus mathematics plus writing skills scores) qualify for recognition,” the National Merit Scholarship website states.
From the original 50,000 students selected, the scholarship winners — only 8,200 students — must pass two rounds of eliminations and will be judged on their grade point averages, national test scores and extracurricular activities.
Landers is excited about the opportunity and says, “although OU is still the current frontrunner, I am keeping my options open and still plan on visiting Stanford and Rice University.” His plans are to pursue a career in law with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
In his free time, Jacob is working on writing a novel and recognized Dr. Bill Spaeth, ASTEC English teacher, for encouraging his love of writing. He also is on a recreational paintball team with his friends.
Landers will find out in mid February if he is a finalist and will have until April 27 to notify the National Merit Scholarship Corporation of his college of choice.
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Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women
Dr. Terry Neese, Founder / CEO
2709 W. I-44 Service Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-943-4474
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Oct. 30, 2009
Contact: Becca Colbaugh
Office: 405-943-4474
Mobile: 918-693-1570
E-mail: bcolbaugh@ieew.org
Afghan woman mentored by OKC businesswoman featured on NBC Nightly News tonight
OKLAHOMA CITY - OCTOBER 30, 2009 - Oklahoma has ties to an NBC Nightly News package to be featured tonight about an Afghan orphanage and its executive director, an Afghan woman who mentored with an Oklahoma City businesswoman this summer through the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program.
Andeisha Farid, 27, graduated from the 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program this August, which is coordinated by Oklahoma City-based non-profit, the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.
PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS provides long-term business education to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda. In the past three years, the program has directly trained and educated more than 100 women. The program consists of classes in Afghanistan and Rwanda, as well as travel to the U.S. for further training and mentorship with American businesswomen. Oklahoma City businesswomen have participated in mentorship for the past two years.
Freda Deskin, founder and CEO of Oklahoma City's ASTEC charter school, mentored Farid this August. Deskin says that mentorship is the right step toward a more peaceful world.
"If there's ever going to be peace, and I'm hopeful that there will be more peace in the world than there is now, it's going to take knowing people one on one," Deskin said. "It's much harder to hate someone or wish them ill will when we know them and there's actually a face with a story - people with families and dreams that are behind pictures or something we see on television."
Terry Neese, founder and CEO of the Institute, says it is important for the world to know about the role women are playing in building Afghanistan's economy.
"We are thrilled that the media is reaching out to talk to our women," Neese said. "Our students are a positive example of how women are contributing to the economy of Afghanistan."
Farid runs a non-profit orphanage, Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO). Since starting the program, AFCECO runs seven orphanages in Afghanistan, two orphanages in Pakistan, a girl's school and several vocational training centers around the country.
Farid spent most of her childhood and adolescence living in refugee camps in countries neighboring Afghanistan. It was living through this experience that inspired her to get involved with helping children. After working a non-profit associated with Charity Help International, Farid moved backed to Kabul in 2007 and helped start AFCECO and was named Executive Director of the program.
She believes that AFCECO's principles and policies prepares the children for future success and prepares the country for more tolerance and prosperity in the future.
"I totally believe in education, and also most importantly, to educate the children, because they are the future, Farid explained. "If they are well-educated, then we can be hopeful for a bright future in Afghanistan."
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Key Links:
Photos of Farid & AFCECO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ieew/sets/72157621906932562/
IEEW Web site: http://www.ieew.org/
About The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women:
The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women is a 501(c)3 non-profit empowering women to grow their businesses, pursue greater entrepreneurial ventures and become more active public policy advocates. The Institute accomplishes this mission by focusing on education, mentorship and coaching women in the United States and abroad who are seeking to acquire entrepreneurial skills to help start and grow a business.
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CHEER SQUAD WINS FIRST PLACE
Congratulations to the ASTEC Cheerleaders and their sponsor Ms. Rebekah Smith. The girls attended the American Universal Cheer Camp and won first place in their division. They also won Camp Champion in the cheer division, 2nd place in the dance division, and were named a superior squad. Noria Collins and Melody More were selected as All-Americans and have the opportunity to travel to London and represent Astec.
Ms. Smith and the girls have worked very hard this summer and that hard work paid off.
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We would like to congratulate Ms. Karen Walker, ASTEC Charter Middle School Science teacher for being accepted to the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium program. Ms. Walker will be attending the Aerospace Education: Mission To Planet Earth 2009 for 11 days this summer at the University of Oklahoma. We look forward to hearing all about her exciting opportunity!
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Red Ribbon Winner from ASTEC Charter Middle School
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ASTEC Charter Middle School Student, Pamela Ortega (8th grade), with Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins and Miss South Oklahoma City, Michelle McCoy. Pamela was honored for winning 3rd place in the age 14-16 category of Jim Thorpe’s Red Ribbon Week Essay Contest!
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Congratulations to Steve Reid, ASTEC High School Math teacher, who has been selected for the 2009 McDonald Observatory Teacher Professional Development Program.
The NASA sponsored workshop ³Formation of Planetary Systems² will take place June 18-21,2009 in Ft. Davis, TX. Sponsor funding for this workshop provides for hotel accommodations, meals, instructional materials, tours, and classroom activities.
We are proud of and for you, Steve!
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Robotics- Mr. Stewart was awarded $5000 by the State Department of Education for his and Mr. Nunes Robotic Club. ITT Technical Institute also donated $1000 for the program. Great Job!
YLX- Youth Leadership Exchange selected Chad Adkins and Linh Hoang to participate in Youth Leadership Exchange Leadership Skills Class XIV for 2008-09. Chad and Linh are two out of 45 students selected from a pool of applicants that represent 32 metro area schools.
AP Scholars- The College Board AP announced its? AP Scholar awards for the 2007-08 school year. ASTEC had seven students receiving the award. Mohammed Sharif and Alexander Sherman received the Scholar with Distinction award and James Chandler, Mark Hultberg, Beth Landers, Amanda Lee, and Andrew Peters received the Scholar award.
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ASTEC High School Student is Selected for Oklahoma Academic All-State
Madison Sandefer, has been selected for Oklahoma Academic All-State! This is awarded by the Oklahoma Foundation For Excellence. Only 100 students statewide are selected. Standards are extremely high. They must have a minimum ACT score of a 30, write an essay, submit an application form, a transcript, a list of academic honors in high school, a list of extracurricular and community activities, clubs, honors, sports and leadership positions.
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