The Vail School District is launching a brand new Student Ridership System to improve tracking of students on its school buses.
For years, Vail Transportation has manually tracked riders on school buses. Bus drivers were given rider lists that had all the names of students who could ride the bus and they had to take roll of all students as they boarded.
The new system allows the district to more effectively trac students getting on and off buses.
Students will have cards and lanyards with an encrypted, unique ID number associated with each rider.
The readers will allow school officials to know exactly who is on the bus and the stop location where the child exited.
There are no chips inside the cards, and they are not GPS tracking devices. To protect studentsβ privacy, they do not contain any personal information, including grade levels, addresses, or any other identifiable information on the cards. K-8 students who ride buses are currently using this system, and high schoolers will start using it in the fall.
Tucson Kino Rotary honors students
Tucson Kino Rotary recently honored nine area high school students with character awards. Awardees are nominated by school administrators, counselors, teachers or other students.
Tucson Kino Rotary established the award in 2011 to honor high school students who serve as role models in their schools and in society via service to the community.
Spring recipients were Aleida Lizeth Vega of Alta Vista, Bryson Garcia of Baboquivari, Valerie Valenzuela of Cholla, Lucy Pacheco of Desert View, Amanda Sanchez-Sanchez of Envision, Marina Lira Moreno of PPEP TEC, Frida Bustamante of Pueblo; Gavino Felix of Star Academic; and Ricky Torres of Sunnyside.
The students were recognized at a community breakfast attended by family and representatives from each school. Honorees each received a certificate, small gifts and a $100 gift card. In addition, Tucson Kino Rotary will donate $50 to a charity of each studentβs choice.
Go to www.kinorotary.org to learn more about the rotary.
Quail Creek group gives $104K in scholarships
The Women of Quail Creek has awarded $104,000 to 32 women this year.
The groupβs scholarship program supports education and empowerment for women pursuing their education.
Funding for the program is primarily raised through community-driven initiatives, including the annual Javelina Hoedown fundraiser. Go to https://womenqc.com for more information.
2024 Flinn Scholars announced
The 2024 Flinn Scholarship has been awarded to 20 Arizona high-school seniors who will attend in-state universities with merit awards providing each of them a full ride.
Members of the Flinn Scholars Class of 2024 will receive a comprehensive scholarship package valued over four years at more than $130,000, including the cost of tuition, fees, housing, meals, and at least two study-abroad experiences.
Among the scholarship winners are area students: Emma Langlais of Ironwood Ridge, Jared Matheson of University, Jennifer Orozco Torres of University, Leanna Mia Payan Delgado of Pueblo, Seth Rojas of Catalina Foothills, and Ruby Wray of Catalina Foothills.
The merit-based Flinn Scholarship is supported by the Phoenix-based Flinn Foundation in partnership with Arizonaβs three public universities.
More than 1,000 applications were received by the program in the fall for the 20 awards, an award rate of less than 2%.
Flinn Scholars are typically in the top 5% of their graduating class and demonstrate leadership in extracurricular activities at school and in their communities.
