Wilson Middle School

Gary Moskowitz NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Twelve-year-old Daria Slezko didn't used to care much for learning history. But the eighth-grader at Wilson Middle School has found a new interest in learning U.S. history in Kris Kohlmeier's class this year. And Kohlmeier's enthusiasm for teaching history is has not gone unnoticed. Kohlmeier is one of 12 teachers selected from 63 applicants in Los Angeles County awarded a 2001-02 Teacher of the Year award last week.

Janine Marnien GLENDALE -- It isn't possible for one teacher to make a difference in a child's life without the help of their colleagues. That was the sentiment expressed by several of the seven Glendale Unified School District teachers where were honored May 10 by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale for their work with limited English-speaking students. "For every one teacher who gets an award, there are hundreds that go without recognition that are just as deserving," said Armine Aghajani, a math teacher at Hoover High School.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Carrie Wade is upset that students of different ethnic backgrounds don't eat with each other at lunch. Carrie, 13, is an eighth-grade student at Wilson Middle School. She recited her poem about local and worldwide social injustice at an assembly in the school's auditorium Friday. The assembly was organized in recognition of Social Justice Week of Tolerance, a districtwide campaign to educate Glendale youth about topics like the civil rights movement, Japanese-American internment camps, the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide.

Gary Moskowitz GLENDALE -- Lisa Gladstone's students have been learning how to protect a free-falling egg with basic supplies like paper and straws. Gladstone, a physical science teacher at Wilson Middle School, will take 15 of her seventh- and eighth-grade students to a state Science Olympiad competition Saturday at Cal StateLong Beach. Gladstone's students will have to show proficiency and knowledge of things like small rockets, "battery buggies," small airplanes, bridges, tectonic plates, water pollutants and volcanic activity.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Lissette Vargas was outraged when her daughter, 13-year-old eighth-grader Jessica Sanchez, said a teacher yelled at her and called her a special-education student in front of her peers at Wilson Middle School last week. Vargas met with Wilson Principal Richard Lucas Thursday to discuss her daughter's complaints. Vargas told Lucas that a physical education teacher -- Linda Luse -- discriminated against her daughter by calling Jessica a special education student, which she is not. Jessica, 13, was moved into Luse's physical education class -- one week before the end of a grading quarter -- because of a schedule change.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale Board of Education will get a look Tuesday at where the district's been and where it's going in terms of student achievement. District officials will present a report on student progress over a three-year period at the Tuesday board meeting, said district spokesman Vic Pallos. The report will include a look at Stanford 9 scores as well as other district assessment measures, he said. The report shows students in second through eighth grade have made the greatest improvement on the Stanford 9 test since 1998.

Alecia Foster GLENDALE -- County education officials hinted that it might be coming. But it didn't really hit Kris Kohlmeier until he heard the words: he was a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year. "All I could say was, 'Wow,"' Kohlmeier said. The Wilson Middle School teacher was one of 12 area educators receiving the honor Wednesday from the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The 12 teachers were chosen from a pool of 61 teachers from throughout the county.

Alex Leon He may not have any kids of his own but Kris Kohlmeier still exacts a parental influence over hundreds, if not thousands of young people in and around Glendale. The 39-year-old Wilson Middle School history teacher does it with a kind heart and a solid game plan. He does it by giving of himself far beyond his responsibilities in the classroom. He does it by being a role model as a teacher and coach that a lot of his peers, both younger and older, could learn something by watching him interact with kids.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Kris Kohlmeier grew up in a family of teachers -- his mother, father and brother were all in the profession. "I swore when I was a student at Toll I would not be a teacher," Kohlmeier said. "You always want to do the opposite of your family." But after working as a substitute teacher, Kohlmeier was hooked. Fifteen years later, he's still teaching -- now full-time -- as social studies and physical education teacher at Wilson Middle School.

Alecia Foster Students from Wilson Middle School and Crescenta Valley High were recognized Monday evening as being among the outstanding student performing arts groups from the 27th Congressional District. Performances by students from the two schools were highlighted as part of the nationwide Congressional Arts Competition. Wilson's Chamber Orchestra and Crescenta Valley's Charismatics singing group joined five other groups at the event at The Alex Theatre.