SAGE Officer Elections

Elections for the new officer staff for SAGE 2008-2009 will occur tomorrow, Tuesday, 30 April 2008. If you wish to choose who should be the new officer staff of SAGE for next year (even if you are a senior), you must attend tomorrow's meeting.

Thank you,

David L. White

THE LIT 600 Award Winners

The winners of this year's very first literary magazine contest at Desert Vista High School, entitled THE LIT 600 have been decided. All of the winners receive an award certificate and an invitation to read their piece at Changing Hands Bookstore, located on the corner of McClintock and Guadalupe. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Prize Winners will all receive gift certificates to Changing Hands Bookstore. Fifth Prize winners will receive a $5.00 Gift Certificate; Fourth Prize winners will receive a $10.00 Gift Certificate; Third Prize Winners will receive a $15.00 Gift Certificate; and, Second Prize Winners will receive a $30.00 Gift Certificate.

First place winners will receive $200 for their award winning work.

The winning prizes for Non-Fiction will be announced live on DVTV, 3rd period, tomorrow, Tuesday, 29 April 2008. Prize winners include Ashley Bennett, Freddy Eschrich, Kellie Mejdrich, Justin Sanders, and Rachel Wilt.

The winning prizes for Fiction will be announced live on DVTV, 3rd period, Thursday, 1 May 2008. Prize winners include Fiona Pigott, Carolien Schieke, Samara Shanker, Anny Wu, and Lauren Zack.

The winning prizes for Poetry will be announced live on DVTV, 3rd period, Friday, 2 May 2008. Prize winners include Adam Lozier, Nina Martin, John Mason, Maitri Mehta, and Nina Ogesen.

Please stay tuned and be sure to congratulate the award winners.

-- David White

DV Literary Magazine: What the Thunder Said

The Spring 2008 edition of the Desert Vista Literary Magazine, which is volume seven of What the Thunder Said, is on sale now, today, and everyday, in the Desert Vista bookstore. The cost of the Literary Magazine is $5.00. You should also know that Literary Magazine pens are still on sale for $2.00. What could be a better gift to give this spring than the Desert Vista Literary Magazine? IT'S LITERARYIFIC!!!

-- Mr. White

The Thousand Parsec Project

The Thousand Parsec project, which I have been working on for my
internship this year, has just released version 0.3.1 of the Thousand
Parsec Client. For information, see the announcement here:
http://www.thousandparsec.net/tp/news.php/2008-03-25-2020

To learn more about Thousand Parsec, you can read this FAQ:
http://www.thousandparsec.net/tp/faq.php

There's also this "Getting Started" page:
http://www.thousandparsec.net/tp/gettingstarted.php

Finally, there's the Thousand Parsec Wiki:
http://www.thousandparsec.net/wiki/Thousand_Parsec_Wiki

To download the new version of the Thousand Parsec Client, go to this
page:
http://www.thousandparsec.net/tp/downloads.php

- Nathan Partlan

SAGE Officer Elections

Well, it's that time of the year again: SAGE Officer Elections.

We are in great need of new blood for the 2008-2009 school year. The following officer positions are open for the running:

President—This position requires a dedicated leader who is able to attend, lead, and create an agenda for all the regular meetings. This person will help coordinate and guide the other officers and delegate responsibility. This officer works closely with the officers in charge of special areas to stay informed and keep club members informed of the progress in these groups.
Special Skills: leadership, charisma, organization. Presidents must be able to coordinate and lead fellow officers and must have a deep sense of devotion to the club and its overall philosophy
Special Criteria: Only seniors; only existing officers may run – unless with appropriate permission from the previous existing SAGE club officer staff.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator

Vice President—This officer must be able to attend all regular meetings and stand in as president in the absence of the president both at regular meetings and officer meetings. This officer also helps the president coordinate and guide the other officers.
Special Skills: leadership, charisma, organization. Vice-presidents must be able to coordinate and lead fellow officers and must have a deep sense of devotion to the club and its overall philosophy
Special Criteria: Only juniors or seniors.
Reports to Gifted Coordinator

Secretary—This officer must attend all meetings, whether regular or officer. The main duty of this officer is to create and maintain a master calendar of all events, take notes, and type minutes of both regular and officer meetings, and must keep accurate records of attendance for both regular and officer meetings.
Special Skills: organization and note taking skills. Must know and be able to utilize Excel. Secretaries must also be diligent to attend all meetings and send accurate reports in an expedient manner.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President

Treasurer/Fundraiser/Financial Aid—This officer is responsible for raising money for the club, whether through soliciting tax credit donations, organizing events, or selling food, etc. This officer must also actively seek out financial aid opportunities and publicize them in a general forum.
Special Skills: organization and proficiency with math. Should know and be able to utilize Excel. Treasurer/Fundraisers must also be active in finding new and creative ways to increase SAGE funds.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Bookstore Manager, Guidance Dept. Chair

Career / Fields of Study Coordinator—This officer is in charge of working with the advisor to create and coordinate shadowing and internship experiences, career speakers, and career exploration opportunities. The majority of this officer’s time will be spent outside of the regular club meetings. This officer will work closely with the advisor, president, secretary, and public relations officer.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if familiar with Excel, though not a necessity.
Special Criteria: Only juniors or seniors
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Gifted Counselor, Career Technician

Club Liaison—This officer is responsible for acting as a coordinator between SAGE and the outside clubs, which involves communicating between clubs, coordinating inter-club activities, and dispensing pertinent information regarding entry into other clubs.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; must be familiar with Excel and Publisher.
Special Criteria: Must already be an active member of the National Honor Society. Must be able to attend all 90-minute site-based meetings held every 2nd Tuesday of every month in the Administrative Conference room, beginning at 7PM.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Vice Principal of Activities, Site-Based Chair

Community Service Coordinators (3)—These officers are responsible for finding, creating, and coordinating all community service activities on and off campus. The majority of their duties will be spent outside of the regular club meetings. These officers must work both closely and proactively with the advisor, president, secretary, and public relations officer. One officer must attend all Key Club meetings, one officer must attend all Community Counts meetings, and one officer must attend all STAND meetings.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if familiar with Excel, though not a necessity. Must have own method for transportation and be reliable in transporting peers.
Special Duties: Must work closely with President of Tempe Parents for the Gifted (TPG), contact representative with A New Leaf, and contact representative for the Maricopa Book Drive.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Sponsor of Key Club, Community Counts, and/or STAND.

College Information Coordinators (2)—These officers will work closely with the advisor to create and coordinate opportunities for students to write resumes and essays for scholarship and college applications, learn interviewing skills, and become an effective leader. These officers also work with club members to create and maintain effective study groups for AP, SAT/ACT, PSAT, and finals preparation. The majority of these officers’ time will be spent outside of the regular club meetings. These officers must maintain an up-to-date knowledge of collegeboard.com and princetonreview.com as well as resources involving college placement. These officers will work closely with the advisor, the gifted counselor, president, secretary, and public relations officer.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; must be familiar with Excel and Access.
Special Criteria: Only juniors or seniors
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, College Visits Coordinator

Public Relations Officers (2)—These officers are responsible to communicate all events with club members, students, and the general public. This includes creating and disseminating DVTV announcements, flyers, posters, Ahwatukee Foothills News articles, and any other form of communication about the club to the public.
Special Skills: Excellent communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if creative in nature and possibly pursuing to seek a career in marketing or business.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Vice Principal of Activities

Mentorship Coordinator—This officer is responsible to organize and coordinate all mentorship activities; provide appropriate mentors; and create incentives for mentor/mentee relations.
Special Skills: Excellent communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if proficient in various IM modalities.
Special Criteria: Must be Junior or Senior
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Sponsor for National Honor Society

NEW! Technology Director—This officer is responsible for creating and maintaining all technology related resources at SAGE Club’s disposal.
Special Skills: Mastery of various electronic and multi-media systems. Must know and be skillful in Word, Excel, Publisher, Access, Dreamweaver, and one or more computer languages.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Technology Director

We are also in need of the following Freshman SAGE Officers:

Assistant to the Secretary—This officer must attend all meetings, whether regular or officer. The main duty of this officer is to help create and maintain a master calendar of all events, take notes, and type minutes of both regular and officer meetings, and must help keep accurate records of attendance for both regular and officer meetings.
Special Skills: organization and note taking skills. Must know and be able to utilize Excel. Assistant Secretaries must also be diligent to attend all meetings and send accurate reports in an expedient manner.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, SAGE Club Secretary

Assistant Club Liaison—This officer is responsible for acting as an assistant to the SAGE Club Liaison who coordinates activities and communications between SAGE and the outside clubs, which involves communicating between clubs, coordinating inter-club activities, and dispensing pertinent information regarding entry into other clubs.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; must be familiar with Excel and Publisher.
Special Criteria: Must already be an active member of the National Junior Honor Society. Must be able to attend all 90-minute site-based meetings held every 2nd Tuesday of every month in the Administrative Conference room, beginning at 7PM.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Vice Principal of Activities, Site-Based Chair, SAGE Club Liaison.

Assistants to Community Service Coordinators (3)—These officers are responsible for helping to find, create, and coordinate all community service activities on and off campus. The majority of their duties will be spent outside of the regular club meetings. These officers must work both closely and proactively with the community service coordinators. One assistant officer must attend all Key Club meetings, one assistant officer must attend all Community Counts meetings, and one assistant officer must attend all STAND meetings.
Special Skills: Good communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if familiar with Excel, though not a necessity. Must have own method for transportation and be reliable in transporting peers.
Special Duties: Must work closely with President of Tempe Parents for the Gifted (TPG), contact representative with A New Leaf, and contact representative for the Maricopa Book Drive.
Reports to: SAGE Community Service Coordinators, Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Sponsor of Key Club, Community Counts, and/or STAND.

Assistant Public Relations Officers (2)—These officers are responsible in helping communicate all events with club members, students, and the general public. This includes creating and disseminating DVTV announcements, flyers, posters, Ahwatukee Foothills News articles, and any other form of communication about the club to the public.
Special Skills: Excellent communication skills; ability to network, find, keep, and maintain contacts; organization skills; best if creative in nature and possibly pursuing to seek a career in marketing or business.
Reports to: Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, Vice Principal of Activities, SAGE PR Officers

NEW! Intern Assistant to the Technology Director—This officer is responsible for shadowing the SAGE club technology director. This officer must also help create and maintain all technology related resources at SAGE Club’s disposal.
Special Skills: Understanding of various electronic and multi-media systems. Must know and be skillful in Word, Excel, Publisher, Access, Dreamweaver, and one or more computer languages.
Reports to: DV Technology Director, Gifted Coordinator, SAGE Club President, SAGE Technology Director

Prospective candidates must be able to fulfill the following guidelines:

1) No zero hour applicants.

2) Officers must sign a letter of commitment to SAGE with an understanding that if an officer cannot fulfill his or her duties, the SAGE member who received the second highest number of votes would take his/her place.

3) Excepting PR, Secretary, and Technology Director positions, all officers must commit to lead at least one general SAGE meeting - as appropriate to office.

4) Officers themselves have an attendance requirement with regard to officer meetings: within a year, 2 absences leads to a warning, 4 absences leads to a second warning, 6 absences leads to probationary status, any absence after 6 and the officer is removed from office and replaced. Officer meetings take place every single week on Tuesdays at 7:30AM in room C206.

5) Officers must fulfill duties of office as prescribed within the officer structure. Those officers who do not fulfill their duties will be removed from office in favor of the SAGE member who received the second highest number of votes (see rule 2).

6) Officers must set an example as a Desert Vista student. A student who engages in impropriety that either shames the club or violates the Desert Vista handbook will be removed from office in favor of the SAGE member who received the second highest number of votes.

7) Except for the Secretary, SAGE Officers must submit discussion topics to the officer meetings held every Tuesday—submissions must be sent to the advisor and the secretary by Monday evening via e-mail with a Word attachment.

8) Officers must report directly to the advisor at least once a week in order to maintain a dialogue regarding their office.

9) Officers must act as mentors to prospective mentees.

10) Officers must be proficient in Word and PowerPoint, as well as one or more of the following (depending upon official duties): Excel, Publisher, Dreamweaver, and/or Access.

11) Officers must display proficient writing and computer technical skills in order to maintain the DV SAGE Blog.

12) Officers must exhibit leadership, communication, and public speaking skills.

Prospective candidates must inform Mr. White, the club advisor, of such a decision no later than Tuesday, 22nd of April. If you intend on running for office, you must submit a maximum one-hundred word essay description as to why you believe you would be the best candidate for the position. Submit this description directly to your advisor electronically in a Word attachment. Mr. White’s e-mail address is dwhite.dvh@tuhsd.k12.az.us . This description must be submitted to the advisor by the Tuesday, 22nd of April deadline. If you have not already done so, you will also need to speak with Mr. White, one-on-one, (or by e-mail for Freshman officers) about your intentions to run for office. Voting for officer positions will take place during the general meeting on Wednesday, 30 April elections at 3:00PM. Publication of Elections will take place during the general meeting at 3:00PM on Wednesday, 7 May 2007.

-- Mr. White

April 16th Meeting: AP Study Session

With the AP exams less than a month away, SAGE is hosting an AP study session in the library after school on Wednesday. The unique part about this meeting is that we will have students who have scored a 4 or a 5 on the exams last year to lead the study sessions for each subject. Thus, we are offering a student's perspective on the AP tests to supplement -not reiterate- the teacher's advice.

We will have study sessions for the following subjects:

English Language and Composition
Calculus BC
Spanish Language
US History
World History

Leave a comment if you have any questions or concerns.

-Kunal

Let Loose with a SAGE GAME DAY!!!

So, it's the last stretch of the school year! And sooner or later, you're going to start stressing out about standardized tests/grades/finals/something-totally-unrelated-to-school...
So come join us after school in the library this Wednesday, April 9, for the first ever SAGE Game Day! We'll be offering games such as Chess, Go, Board Games, etc. for no apparent reason other than to have FUN! It's a great opportunity to hang out and meet new people! Hope to see you there! =D

Native American Club Movie Extravaganza

Dago Te, or maybe even Ya'a'te'eh, everyone!!!

The Desert Vista Native American Club would like to invite you to the first ever Native American Club Movie Extravaganza. We will be showing the hilarious comedy Smoke Signals this Thursday, the 3rd of April in Mr. Whitman's room (C211-212) at 4PM. Smoke Signals is based on the award winning novel The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven by accomplished author Sherman Alexie. Be sure to ask your English and history teachers whether or not they will allow extra credit for coming to our Thursday movie matinee! The Native American Club is asking for a $3.00 donation at the door for your chance to see a wonderful movie, have some treats, and be a part of a good time (for a good time will be had)!

See you there!