At Blanchard Elementary School, the pulsating theme from the movie "Rocky" blared loudly as third- and fourth-graders were introduced one by one and ran down the hall to cheering applause from teachers and fellow students earlier this spring. Schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress, or AYP, in test scores for two consecutive years must offer students the opportunity to transfer to another, higher-performing school in the district. The importance of the state's standardized tests...

At nine, you only focus on the fact that that both films deal with the last dragon and the last dragon's egg, with a questor trying to protect the egg. If you're a movie critic, you see even more similarities like the uneven acting and cheesy moments of melodrama both that keep them from being unqualified successes, and you take note of the special effects, jotting down that the CGI dragons in George just aren't as impressive. television release, young Christopher Paolini still would have...

Tasks include clerical work in the library, light maintenance, assisting the volunteer curator and serving as guides and greeters during the summer months. Volunteers are needed to share a 30- to 50-minute presentation of photos, slides, Power Point or video of their experiences abroad with children. There also is a need for skilled muralists, children s advocates, friends of the library and programming support people. for Healthy Kids Day registration, arts and crafts, game stations,...

The equipment she was able to buy is helping her students produce short films they ll be showing to the public May 15 for this year s festival, she said. After the success of her initial festival last May, the number of students enrolled in her multi-media class increased from six to more than 40, she said. With its corporate grants, Best Buy is providing thousands of students across the state a chance they ordinarily wouldn t have to get hands-on experience with the cutting-edge...

Professionals, the procrastinators hope, can magically turn them into a tax return - one that's on time and conforms to the complexities of Uncle Sam's tax code. They arrive carrying popcorn tins, shoeboxes, tattered bags and folders overflowing with receipts and other scraps of their financial life. It's a lot of number crunching, form filling and, especially this time of year, bleary-eyed sessions that go deep into the night. Those who walk in at the last minute are often those who worry...

Yet ask any financial adviser about their millionaire clients and they ll say they have at least one millionaire next door the guy who s worth seven figures, but lives life as if his bank balance has fewer zeroes. Baird & co., to analyze his family s finances to find ways to save money with minimal loss of enjoyment or satisfaction. McKinley is finding that his bag of money-saving ideas keeps growing; once you start thinking this way, it s hard to stop. A former restaurant junkie, reader...

Visit the museum s turtle travels exhibit, then carpool to a nearby pond to find amphibian eggs, view this turtle habitat, and dip for aquatic insects. Come for a story time of picture books, finger rhymes, songs and a craft project all inspired by our reptile friends, the turtles! This event is designed for preschoolers and their caregivers. Stations will be set up for kids to use microscopes and view different materials and animals, then answer questions about them. This is a great...

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