Susan Deming
Susan works with hearing impaired students at Glendale Elementary School. She implemented an Aristos grant that created signed readers with digital photos of sign language signs accompanied by printed English text; filling a true void in the reading materials available for the students. Susan's project enables parents of hearing impaired students to actively help their children read at home.

Ginny Kester
Ginny's Aristos grant provided a comfortable learning environment in which West High School freshmen work with upperclassmen. The Honor Guard, made up of high achieving academic/leadership students of color, offered positive peer mentoring and academic tutoring in order to reduce the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Students were able to obtain support in many subject areas in a motivating, rewarding, and accessible environment.

Jan Lorch
Jan, a Violence Prevention Coordinator at Memorial High School utilized her Aristos grant to develop a communication system that reached the entire Memorial student population. The system reinforced good choices and expanded service learning opportunities. Students had opportunities to work with advertising professionals and team with other students in art, music, drama and technology to create the highly effective announcements that support asset building and engagement.

New Aristos Scholars for 2006-07

The Aristos Scholars Academy is a prestigious MMSD Think Tank in which members explore district issues. Scholars serve three-year terms, participate in a fall Retreat, monthly meetings, and select future grant recipients. These new Aristos Scholars have successfully and creatively implemented their Aristos grants.

• Sue Gorud — Sherman Middle School
• Kurt Kiefer — Research and Evaluation
• Meri Lau — Midvale Elementary School
• Enoch Melgarejo — ESL/Bilingual Department
• Mark Nelson — East High School