European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 14, 19sb the stars and stripes Page 9 education news rising to the occasion Heidelberg High school s cheerleaders farm a human Pyramid Friday part of the festivities surrounding the school s playoff football Victory aver numb org. The cheerleaders voted he Best ill american squad in Europe at a gathering of the National Cheyrl Rading association at him Sun earlier this year have their sights set on the upcoming Cotton bowl where they Hope to perform. The girls Are trying to raise enough Money to cover the Ravel casts for the trip to Dalilis. Hoping to build on their Success bit from left Bot Tom Row Tracy did Ridge is Sutra Spivey 16 Dan Nee Dubosar 17 Cindy hat Kolt 16 and Vlcko Elpie Tro is. Second Row Ursula mar run 17 Heather Kroger 17,  Reyes 16. Students to learn where it s at Washington a to help combat an alarm ing ignorance of world geography among Young Ameri cans officials arc holding geography awareness week in the United slates. American schools museums libraries the National geographic society and others plan to spend this week drawing attention to the need for improved knowledge of geography without geographically literate citizens America cannot compete in global markets or take the Lead in meeting International political economic Environ mental social and military challenges said Gilbert m. Grosvenor president of the National geographic  for the week of nov. 13-19 is geography passport to the world and a variety of programs will involve thousands of people in spreading knowledge. A recent Survey found that 18 to 24-year-old americans know less about world geography than people of other countries. In the Gallup Survey fewer than half could find Central America on a map. Only one in three could locate Vietnam Only one in four could find the persian Gulf. And even when asked to locate new York slate on a map respondents picked 37 different places across the United slates. Continued ignorance of geography other cultures and foreign languages places the United states at a disadvantage in mailers of business politics and the environment says sen. Bill Bradley a no. Dodds Roundup Best school applications Start Wiesbaden West Germany High Schoot principals in Germany have until dec. 5 to nominate their schools for the department of education s secondary school recognition program. School applications will be reviewed by Germany Region officials who will recommend one or More schools to department of defense dependents schools officials later in Whir month. Dodds will submit its recommendations to the education department. Although this year s awards primarily arc aimed at upper grades schools that include grades five through 12 Are eligible for consideration. Emphasis this years on effective leaching of geography. Previous Dodds schools recognized include i9b4 winners Frankfurt High Heidelberg High and Tunner Rhein main Junior High i985s Heidelberg Middle and in 1987. Bonn High. Savings Bonds offered Aschaffenbur West Germany a major beverage firm and the european Congress of american parents teachers and students Are offering More than $3,800 in . Savings Bonds through an awards pro Gram that rewards writing and drawing. Capri Sonne is helping finance the academic achievement awards that will Reward , schoolchildren of All grades with , savings Bonds. Students in grades tour through 12 Are required to write a Short essay or poem that answers the question what is your idea for improving your school Chil Dren in grades kindergarten through four must draw a picture u Al answers the same question. Entries must be submitted on forms that have been sent to schools and local Eca pts chapters. Deadline for submissions is March 6 and winners will be announced april 10. The applications must be mailed 10 Linda Rysch Aschaffenbur elementary school Apo 09162.call ets 323-8959 for More information. Essays sought on drugs Stuttgart West Germany the Patch High Schoot Junior Roth chapter is offering three si00 . Savings Bonds As prizes in a contest to combat drug abuse. The Bonds will be offered to students in grades five through 12 who write essays on one of the following we can be drug free if. America s most deadly threat. Why no family is immune. My contribution to a drug free world would be. If i had the attention of the world for two min utes i d say. What every Parent must know. The essays of 500 words or less must be tube tied by dec. 15. Winners will be announced Jan. 15. Entries must be sent to 8th in army Junior re serve officers training corps Patch High school Apo 09131-0005. V-.-. Call ets 430-5347 for More information. Parents to help make Dodds decisions by Chuck v1nch Washington Bureau Washington the military s overseas school system Hopes to meet longstanding demands of parents for More input into school decision making As pan of sweeping reforms of manage ment. Beginning in Early 1990, parents of department of defense dependents " schools students will meet with the 19 District superintendents worldwide at least four times a year to offer suggestions and voice concerns said Bart Lago Marsino Dodds Deputy director. Parents also arc now involved in inter viewing District superintendent Candi dates and whenever possible will be re viewing applications for principal positions and offering their views to school administrators. Those initiatives Are significant  Dodds which Hopes to meet the concern of parents who some times believe they have been shut out of the system s internal our King lag mar sin said. .-.". Communication is a big topic in Many school systems and Dodds is no exception he said. But communication May be More of a Challenge for a system that is so geographically dispersed and has such rapid turnover of Stu dents and   Lagomarsino said the key objective is to allow parents to control the Agenda there Are other advisory groups in Dodds in which parents participate but we want to have a forum where parents have primary control he said. Currently we Don t have a forum for that above the individual school  instructions Are being drawn up that direct District superintendents to begin meeting with parents probably two representatives from each school in a District about once a Quarter he said. Parents will be Able to submit Agenda items ask questions and raise concerns he said. And Dodds will follow upon. Them that is As important As the meet ing . District superintendents will make a commitment to provide prompt replies to issues left unresolved at the meetings. We arc committed to being responsive to parents questions Lago Minnino said. -. Dodds will be As creative As possible in overcoming geographic difficulties he said. Okinawa will work like a Charm since it s a self contained District he said other regions such As the Atlan tic May have to be handled through vis its by the District superintendents or maybe through some kind of electronic link. But that would be a last resort. Per Sonal Contact is very  parental participation in interviewing applicants far District superintendent positions has begun already. Three of those 19 positions were filled recently after the finalists were interviewed by panels consisting of parents representatives of the military com mands and teachers who then passed along their views on those applicants Lagomarsino said. Logistics make such interviews difficult when school principals Are being selected since there Are 174 schools world wide he said. Dodds is leaning toward having parents review the application of the candidates for principal positions. That has already begun on an experimental basis in West Germany he said. In addition to improving Parent administrator communication a second key feature of the Dodds management improvement plan is upgrading communication Between adm Straton and teachers Lagomarsino said. Pan of our plan is to improve the training of our administrators in areas such As theory of instruction and How that is applied in the classroom he said we want to train our own trainers in the districts to ensure thai All administrators but most importantly principals know Bow to intelligently a Ikuji the practice of teaching with teachers he said.-, -. Lagomarsino. Said this initiative should not be interpreted to mean thai administrators arc currently incapable of evaluating   we do have Many people with Welt developed skills in that area he said. Bui we have others thai Don t. It s a demanding task that takes