Students square danced Friday morning during Pioneer Day at Burbank Elementary School in Modesto.

One of the purposes of the statue of Zeus at Olympia was to leave the visitor in awe of the Greek god. Entering the lobby of the new Great Valley Museum on Modesto Junior College's West Campus, one can't help but feel a little in awe as you look at the ceiling and see scale models of our solar system, including Earth and the mammoth planets Saturn and Jupiter — the Romans' name for Zeus — emerging overhead.

American Legion Post 74 will hold its annual awards dinner on May 14, honoring eighth-grade students with the American Legion School Medal Award.

Modesto Teachers Association members have ratified a contract that restores the school year to 180 days for students and reinstates three training days for teachers.

Some straight talk from Denair Interim Superintendent Walt Hanline won praise from community members Tuesday night, who said they want better communication from board members, too.

Several hundred graduates will walk the stage as Modesto Junior College holds its 91st commencement ceremony Friday evening.

The Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco club chapter at Davis High School will hold a Kick Butts Day Community Carnival 3-6 p.m.

For half a century, she's greeted parents and preschoolers in Modesto. Today, she counts doctors, lawyers, architects, police officers and a Nashville songwriter among her graduates, proving it's not such a small world after all.

Teens are looking toward summer. Johansen seniors use sunny Saturday to serve community two ways.

Modesto City Schools trustees decided Monday night to hold out reserves for teacher training, building repairs and to replace the artificial turf at the Downey High stadium.

The Denair Unified School District Board will meet at 7:30 tonight in the district boardroom, 3460 Lester Road.

Davis High will hold an Every 15 Minutes program at 9:30 a.m. today in the west parking lot of the school along Tully Road at Rumble Road.

Changes in who pays how much toward the $6.6 million cost of door-to-school busing for Stanislaus County special-education students has created a rift among school districts, with West Side administrators retaining legal counsel to fight the shift.

The firing of Columbia College President Dennis Gervin was briefly put aside Monday while the Yosemite Community College District Board discussed the situation in closed session. But in the end, board members voted unanimously to end his contract.

Local control funding will mean tougher decisions for board members as unions and sales pitches clamor for a piece of the pie.

May means teacher appreciation and staff appreciation time.

The Modesto City Schools board Monday will take up how to spend more money, expected to arrive next year from grants, taxes for energy conservation projects and higher state revenues.

Outfitted with a bulletproof vest and a prop gun, Theresa Reyna used the patrol car's public-address system to bark orders at the bad guy. After cuffing the suspect, she patted his legs, chest and ankles in a polite search — big mistake.

Marshall Elementary School will kick off the Walking School Bus program Tuesday morning with dancing, hula-hoops and interactive games, along with information for parents.

Alberta Martone Elementary School will hold its 25th anniversary celebration at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Modesto City Schools has declared an impasse in negotiations with its support staff. The formal declaration Friday followed eight meetings between district staff and the California School Employees Association's Modesto chapter negotiators.

Escalon school secretary Amber Dimas was named a 2013 California Classified School Employee of the Year.

VOCAL PERFORMANCE: Modesto Junior College will present its Choral and Vocal Extravaganza at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Performing and Media Arts Center main auditorium on the east campus, 435 College Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door only, $4 for students and senior citizens. The concert will feature MJC's concert choir and chamber singers and vocal singers performing music from the Renaissance era to present day. There also will be solos and small ensemble numbers. For more, contact the MJC arts division office at (209) 575-6081.

This year, Denair High School celebrates 100 years of graduations with pomp, circumstance and a yearbook for the ages. Technology teacher Craig Cumberland and yearbook class students created a decade-by-decade walk through history for the centennial edition.

State proposes financing plans, education bills as next school year looms.