Family and Consumer Science students learn about the making of commercial chicken nuggets; then make their own

Thursday, May 2

10:49 – 12:18 p.m. and 1:15 – 2:45 p.m.

Central High School

Background:
As part of a Protein Unit, Central Teacher Karen Simon’s students are learning about a host of topics including sanitation, nutrition fact labels, ingredient listings, nutrients, AND about the processing that takes place to create commercially sold protein items – like hot dogs and chicken nuggets, some of their favorite foods. During the “Homemade Chicken Nugget Lab,” on Thursday, students are making their product from fresh, natural chicken breasts (no additives, chemicals, or salt) and then will go to three stations set up in the room, consisting of eight sauces, six breadings, and eight seasonings, to personalize their chicken nuggets. The lesson will conclude with a cost and nutritional comparison analysis of homemade chicken nuggets compared to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Tyson, and Banquet nuggets. Students who had the class today were amazed at the cost effectiveness and how simple and easy it is to make their own nuggets at home. It is a unit that inspires them to eat healthier, read labels, and be smarter consumers, Simon said. “The nation’s obesity numbers are alarming. If I can make a change (even if a small one) in the attitudes and habits of my EVSC students and they pass what they have learned onto their families and friends, I will have achieved my purpose! Family and Consumer Science classes do just that – they teach life skills.”

State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) welcomed the following local students to the Statehouse as Senate pages in March and April:

· Sydney Beck, from Newburgh, attends Castle South Middle School.

· Elizabeth Vos, a homeschooled student from Evansville.

· Hannah Vos, a homeschooled student from Evansville.

· Ashley Flener, from Newburgh, attends Castle High School.

· Cassandra Flener, from Newburgh, attends Castle High School.

· Emily Flener, from Newburgh, attends Castle South Middle School.

Pages spend a day at the Statehouse touring the historic building, observing debates from the chamber floor and interacting with their state senators.

“I was thankful to see Sydney, Elizabeth, Hannah, Ashley, Cassandra and Emily serving at the Senate. In these final two months of the legislative session there were many opportunities to witness important debates on key issues facing this state. I hope these representatives of our community found this to be an educational, informative and exciting experience,” Becker said.

The page program has concluded for this session.

To learn how you can register your student to serve as a Senate page next session, visit www.in.gov/senatepageprogram.

8th District high school student to have work displayed in nation’s Capitol

Representative Larry Bucshon (IN-08) will visit the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana to review submissions to his Congressional Art Competition and announce the winner on Thursday, May 2nd, in Evansville.

The Congressional Art Competition is an annual event held by Rep. Bucshon open to all students who are currently enrolled in a high school located in the 8th District.

The winner was selected by an expert panel from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and will be announced by Bucshon on May 2nd at 3:30pm.

Bucshon will be joined with students who submitted artwork to the competition and their families.

Who: Rep. Larry Bucshon (IN-08)
8th District High School Students and families

What: Announce Winner of the 8th District Congressional Art Competition

When: Thursday, May 2, 2013 @ 3:30pm CDT

Where: Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana – 318 Main St # 101, Evansville, IN 47708

The winner of the 8th District’s competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol along side artwork from other contest winners nation-wide. The winner will also receive two free roundtrip tickets to Washington, DC from Southwest Airlines, a gift card for the Marriott Hotel chains, tours of the Capitol and the White House, and an invitation to the Congressional awards ceremony.

Rep. Bucshon’s office received 18 art submissions from across the 8th District. Photos of the artwork are displayed on Bucshon’s Official Facebook Page and can be found here – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.501911999868822.1073741831.135670516492974&type=1.

Alisa Almuly Palmeri will speak with students at three area schools.

Some middle school students in Evansville who are studying the Holocaust will have an opportunity to meet and speak with a woman who lived through it this week.

Alisa Palmeri and her family fled from the Nazi’s during World War II, traveling from Yugoslavia, to Italy, where an entire Italian town worked together to protect and care for them. She will share her story with students at EVSC’s Thompkins Middle School on Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m.

The media is encouraged to attend the event at Thompkins. Palmeri will also work with students at Plaza Park International Prep Academy and Holy Rosary School. For information on arranging interviews at those locations, please call or email the contact person above.

Palmeri’s visit is sponsored by the Committee to Promote Respect in Schools (CYPRESS).

For more information on Mrs. Palmeri, visit: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/05/19/wartime_hospitality_steeped_in_courage?pg=full

About CYPRESS: CYPRESS is a local organization dedicated to using the lessons of the Holocaust and other atrocities to create a kinder, more respectful world.”

CYPRESS has also sponsored teacher trainings in the Holocaust and Civil Rights and recently launched an anti-bullying initiative called HEART. HEART is a collection of tools, activities and materials written by teachers designed to prevent school bullying. For more information on CYPRESS visit…www.cypressevansville.org

Earlier today, North High School was on lockdown very briefly, because it was believed that an unauthorized individual was in the building. The School Resource Officer was on the scene and it was determined quickly that it was a current student who was out of dress code and wearing a ball cap in the hallway. The lockdown was lifted after just a few minutes.

MELISSA EMGE-BEVERLY OF HEALTHSOUTH DEACONESS
NAMED REGIONAL FINALIST FOR HEALTHSOUTH OUTSTANDING
EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – HealthSouth, the nation’s leading provider of inpatient rehabilitative care, has named Melissa Emge-Beverly, occupational therapist at HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital as one of six finalists for its annual Outstanding Employee Achievement Award. The six regional finalists are selected from more than 22,000 HealthSouth employees in 27 states to receive this honor.

Employees are selected based on their performance in four areas: contributions to extraordinary patient experience, team spirit and cooperation, commitment to continuous quality improvement and going above and beyond the call of duty. Winners are first selected at each of HealthSouth’s 100 hospitals, then narrowed down at the regional level and one overall winner was announced May 1 at a dinner the night before the Company’s annual shareholder meeting in Birmingham, Ala.

“Melissa believes in what we do and what we stand for here at HealthSouth. During her 16 years of dedicated service, she has helped countless lives improve and return home,” says Barb Butler, chief executive officer of HealthSouth Deaconess. “Her professionalism, knowledge base, personality, work ethic, positive attitude and belief in our company make her a fantastic choice for this honor.”

Melissa serves as an instructor and assisted with the development of HealthSouth’s Hip Fracture course. She also serves as an instructor and played a key part in the launch of HealthSouth’s STOP initiative, the first nationally-recognized program for safe patient mobility that is specifically designed for rehabilitation patients and has changed the culture of how clinicians move patients. Melissa also serves as a fieldwork instructor for local occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students and was honored as the hospital’s Clinician of the Year for 2012.

About HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital
HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital, a joint venture partner with Deaconess Health System, is an 80-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital that offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services designed to return patients to leading active and independent lives. Serving patients throughout the tri-state area, the hospital is located at 4100 Covert Avenue in Evansville and on the Web at www.healthsouthdeaconess.com.

About HealthSouth
HealthSouth is the nation’s largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in terms of patients treated and discharged, revenues and number of hospitals. Operating in 28 states across the country and in Puerto Rico, HealthSouth serves patients through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation satellite clinics and home health agencies. HealthSouth’s hospitals provide a higher level of rehabilitative care to patients who are recovering from conditions such as stroke and other neurological disorders, orthopedic, cardiac and pulmonary conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries, and amputations. HealthSouth can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com.