Photo Courtesy Of Corinne Finegan Machatzke

Fifth-grader Genna Landi states her argument on taxes to the opposing team during Almond School’s recent debate.

Bostonians in 1773 provided an answer to the question “Should Great Britain have taxed the colonists?” via the Boston Tea Party. More recently, before the April 15 filing deadline for U.S. taxes, fifth-graders at Almond School explored both sides of the issue through a series of formal debates conducted gradewide as part of their social studies curriculum.

Many students reported that studying colonial taxation via debate, as opposed to more traditional means, helped them to better understand that period in American history. They said they found it eye-opening to debate a point of view that they didn’t necessarily support.

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees is scheduled to approve the appointments of two new principals, an assistant superintendent for curriculum and another district office position Tuesday.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Alyssa Gallagher will transition into a new district position that focuses on strategic innovation projects and community partnerships. A private donation to the district will fund the part-time post.

Photo Town Crier File Photo

The state recognized Los Altos High School’s Haiti Solidarity Club, above on their February visit to Haiti, as a pioneering program in civic education.

Los Altos High School accepted the state of California’s Civic Learning Award in a campus ceremony last week.

Los Altos High earned the award, the first of its kind in state history, by pioneering several programs in civic education both inside and outside the classroom.

Grissom

The Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District is scheduled to vote on the appointment of Dave Grissom as the new principal of Mountain View High School at Tuesday’s board of trustees meeting.

Keith Moody, the school’s current principal, transitions to the position of director of Adult Education at the end of the school year after serving 10 years as a site administrator.

Los Altos High School’s Future Business Leaders of America members recently competed at the State Leadership Conference in Santa Clara, posting a strong performance despite tough competition.

The Los Altos team performed well in events ranging from individual test-taking to team case studies and presentations.