Mesa families at Eisenhower Elementary School learned Thursday what education may look like at the school next year if the district moves forward and creates a “creative and innovative” school on the campus.

As soon as the recess bell rings at Eisenhower Elementary School in Mesa, firstgrader Kaitlin Palffy heads straight for the swings.

Students in Charlotte Ingham's class at Mesa's Eisenhower Elementary School received awards recently in the Daughters of the American Revolution's annual American History Essay Contest. The students were honored by the Gila Butte chapter. First prize winner was Jose Garibo for his essay "Memoirs of Paul Revere." Second prize went to Damian Soriano. Nancy Andrews, American history committee chair, presented Ingham with an award for "Excellence in Teaching American History," and a $100 honorarium.

A handful of Mesa Unified School District campuses could be converted next school year — one to house special needs programs and one to test creative education methods — under a plan proposed this week.

The Mesa Unified School District will hold a meeting 6 p.m. Thursday at Eisenhower Elementary School, 848 N. Mesa Dr., to explain a proposal to turn the school into a campus of “innovation” next school year.

Jordan Elementary School will close as a neighborhood campus at the end of the school year and become home to an early childhood education program, the Mesa Unified School District governing board decided Tuesday night.

Gilbert and Higley unified school districts will be on spring break Monday through Friday .

Contribute to schools for tax break

February 11, 2005

Marlene Clark has seen her share of children missing class because of an aching tooth. The pulsing pain can make it hard to pay attention and adds up to lost classroom time.

Ten-year-old Dillon Blestrud says he has seen some remarkable changes in his classmates since they began doing community service with the Trendsetters Club at Kyrene de Los Niños Elementary School in Tempe.

August 13, 2004

Each morning as they walk to Lowell Elementary School, children pass Spanish signs that reflect the homes most come from. Across the street from the Mesa school sits the brightly-painted La Estrella Carniceria y Panaderia, selling Mexican breads and chorizo.

Whether it’s honoring local pioneer families, or simply giving a school the name of the subdivision where it’s located, school districts pull from a variety of sources to name their schools.

Hattie Harris brought her four children out Thursday to eat a free lunch and learn about a police motorcycle at Harris Elementary School in Mesa.

About 600 elementary students stay after school twice a week in Mesa to practice math. And not as a punishment.

Connie Young teaches all her students the Pledge of Allegiance on their first day of kindergarten at Mesa’s Eisenhower Elementary School.

Connie Young teaches all her students the Pledge of Allegiance on their first day of kindergarten at Mesa’s Eisenhower Elementary School.

More than 20 East Valley schools will receive money from the state to provide fullday kindergarten next school year.

More than 20 East Valley schools will receive money from the state to provide fullday kindergarten next school year.

Watching the clock isn’t always a bad thing. Learning to tell time is one of the hardest concepts for young children to grasp, and it’s becoming more difficult, educators say, because real clocks with numbers and moving hands are a disappearing breed.