A-Tech receives more kudos

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006 | 12:33 p.m.

The Advanced Technologies Academy magnet school in the Clark County School District continues to rack up honors.

The Intel Corp. named the campus a "School of Distinction," an honor bestowed on just 20 schools nationwide. The award is for excellence in technical fields.

Students at the high school can choose to specialize in computer science, business and finance, computer graphics, law-related careers, pre-engineering, systems technology support or information technology.

The prize includes a $10,000 grant, curriculum materials, hardware and software. In past years Advanced Technologies has been named a "Blue Ribbon School" by the U.S. Education Department. It reached top status at the state and national level for meeting the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

"A-Tech aims to prepare students for the highly competitive and rapidly changing technological world," said Principal Jane Oler, who will retire at the end of the school year after nearly 30 years with the district.

For more information about A-Tech and the district's other magnet programs, go to http://magnet.ccsd.net or call (702) 799-8492.

The Clark County School District continued to mourn the sudden death last week of Dale Scheideman, the longtime director of the new school and facility planning department.

"He was not just a dear man but a genius," said Joyce Haldeman, executive director of community and government relations for the district. "He is absolutely the reason why Clark County was able to deliver schools on time and under budget."

Scheideman died Wednesday after collapsing at McCarran International Airport. He was 72. The cause of death was coronary disease, according to the Clark County coroner's office.

Under Scheideman's guidance, the district's construction program gained national honors for environmentally friendly and innovative designs. He also encouraged the district to switch to prototypes for new schools, saving money and time on design fees and allowing more cost-effective bulk purchases of materials.

The School Board paused for a moment of silence Thursday to remember Scheideman and rearranged a previously scheduled meeting to ensure people would be able to attend his funeral.

School Board member Larry Mason, who chairs the committee that makes recommendations for naming educational facilities, said he wouldn't be surprised to see Scheideman's name come up.

"We're supposed to consider leaders and pioneers," Mason said. "I'd say Dale Scheideman certainly left his mark on our community."

Wal-Mart has a stack of $1,000 checks it wants to hand out to the best teachers in Clark County. The 11th annual Teacher of the Year program is under way, and the company expects to honor nearly 4,000 educators nationwide.

Nominations are open until Feb. 23. Current and past students, as well as parents and co-workers, are encouraged to stop by any Wal-Mart store or Sam's Club location and fill out a nomination form. Local winners will be honored in May. Next fall the company will name its state winners, with $10,000 for each individual's school.

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.