Education briefs

AMERICAN FORK — The "100% For Kids Credit Union Education Foundation" presented two grants totaling $7,200 to two schools in the Alpine School District.

Rocky Mountain Elementary, 55 S. 500 East, Lindon, received $3,000 for books for a balanced literacy program, including guided, shared and independent reading.

"Having these books will help to cover the state core requirement for reading and writing," said Krista Rigamoto, a kindergarten teacher at Rocky Mountain Elementary School. "The books will be able to help students understand the concept of text, print, recognition of letters, and the relationship between words."

Lehi Elementary, 765 N. Center St., Lehi, received $4,200 to purchase more than 900 fiction and non-fiction books for four second-grade classrooms.

All of the donations made to the foundation reach Utah classrooms. The foundation will award $82,082 to Utah schools this quarter and has awarded more than $3 million since its inception in 2002. To donate, contact foundation coordinator Liz Bourne, 1805 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84104, 801-887-2329 or visit: www.100percentforkids.com.

PLEASANT GROVE — President Bush has honored Pleasant Grove High School science teacher Bradford Talbert with the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation's highest honor for teaching in these fields. Talbert is the only science teacher to win from Utah and one of 100 teachers of seventh- to 12th-grade students nationwide to get the award. He received a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and an all expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

PROVO — Meridian School's 11th-grade math team was awarded first place at the 2006 Utah State Math Contest banquet in April at the University of Utah.

Meridian's math department chair accepted the first-place trophy. The five-student team took tests earlier in the year, with each school's top three scores added together to determine the team awards.

The college preparatory school's eighth-grade team received a third-place trophy, with the 12th-grade team finishing fourth, the seventh-grade team placing fifth, and the 10th-grade team eighth.

UTAH COUNTY —Two Utah County school bands recently performed for the nation's teachers in the recent Music Education National Conference at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

The American Fork Junior High School Wind Ensemble and Provo's Timpview High School Jazz Ensemble were selected from hundreds of school musical groups.

The wind ensemble was the only junior high group to play for the music teachers, junior high band director Jermie Arnold said.

David Fullmer directs the Timpview High School Jazz Ensemble and is an assistant professor of music at Utah Valley State College in Orem.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and orchestra, the Oak Ridge Boys and 34 other school choir, band and orchestra groups also performed.