CanyonCorridorSpring2014

12 / 20

12 | CANYON CORRIDOR CONNECTION
Educat ion
Alhambra’s
Academic
Decathalon
Dulce et decorum est pro vincere scholar
– It is sweet and honorable to win for
one’s school. With all due respect to
poet Wilfred Owens, Alhambra’s Academic
Decathlon team chose a passage from his Dulce
et Decorum Est poem
and transformed it into
their motto. They have
demonstrated their
prowess by successfully
competing against
schools across Arizona
and earning themselves a
10th place ranking out of
73 teams.
Enter Mircea Mot’s
Academic Decathlon
classroom on any school day at Alhambra High
School and you will witness an outstanding
demonstration of teamwork and collaboration.
Mr. Mot is the advisor and he has built a strong
team. He responded to a call for volunteers to
start the program and has found it to be a very
humbling and rewarding experience. There
are 24 students in the class and each one is
motivated and determined to do well. Academic
Decathlon teams throughout Arizona are
given 10 different topics to study, with this
year’s theme being World War I. Students who
are proficient in a certain subject area mentor
and enrich students who may have a different
strength, thereby making themselves a force to
be reckoned with in competition. Teachers from
specific subject areas also volunteer their time
to help the students learn the material.
Under the outstanding tutelage of Mr.
Mot, this team has competed successfully
throughout the season. They set goals for
themselves, one of which was to place in
the top three of the regionals. They placed
second, so they are now on their way to the
state competition. Student Jesus Salinas, who
earned a gold medal in Science, says, “It’s hard
work, but it’s worth it.” Jesus believes that the
speech and interview portion of the class is
preparing him well for college, in addition to
the course materials. He also feels all students
should consider joining Academic Decathlon.
Students Juan Solis, gold medalist in math, and
Freddy Melara, who earned medals in math,
music, speech and social science, also agree
that Academic Decathlon is a lot of work. They
compare Academic Decathlon to sports, in that
Academic Decathlon is “athletics of the mind.”
The Academic Decathlon team is just one of
the many great things happening at Alhambra
High School. We believe in our young people and
their capabilities to succeed at high levels. ■
Presented by the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards,
the National Board Certification
(NBC) is considered to be the
teaching profession’s highest honor
and is awarded to teachers who
demonstrate, through a professional
assessment, that they meet the high
and rigorous standards for what
accomplished teachers should know
and be able to do. Alhambra High
School is very proud to announce that
two of their teachers achieved this
high distinction:
Cynthia Maher teaches writing and
grammar to many refugee and
immigrant students. She has been
with PUHSD since 2006, but has
taught at ASU, American University in
Cairo, Egypt and U of A. With the certification,
she will never be able to teach again without
asking: “Why am I doing it? How will I assess
progress? How will I know that the kids have
learned it? What will I do if they don’t and
how will I extend the learning, if they do?” Her
grandfather and her father were both educators
and Maher says it is in her genes. “The best part
of teaching, besides the students, is the fact that
there are always ways to improve as a teacher,
and it never gets old or stale.”
Cristina Yoder is in her second
year at Alhambra after 13 years
in the Peoria District. Yoder
was an art therapist for years and
never wanted to follow in the footsteps of her
mother, an English teacher. But after having
children, she became a teacher and loves every
day of teaching. Yoder wants to be the best
teacher for her students and she says the NBC
process really helps refine her craft. She enjoys
teaching her students how to draw and paint
and see them realize that they are capable of
amazing things. Born in Cuba, Yoder attended
college in Indiana and Kentucky before coming
to Arizona.
National Board Certification Awards:
Claudio Coria,
Principal
Alhambra High School
3839 W. Camelback
Road Phoenix,
AZ 85019