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October 26, 2009
EPA recognizes Central Texas districts for green energy efforts
Three Central Texas school districts were among the top 20 districts in the country for using renewable energy, according to an announcement by the EPA. The Austin, Round Rock and Pflugerville school districts were the only Texas districts on the top 20 list.
According to an announcement today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
WASHINGTON — For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership announced the 20 primary and secondary schools nationwide using the most power from renewable energy sources. The top Green Power Partner schools are buying nearly 113 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) that would be produced from the electricity use of 11,000 American homes for one year.
“Our green powered schools are giving kids a brighter future in more ways than one. They’re leading the way in protecting our health and environment, and moving the country into the clean energy economy of the 21st century,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is a great lesson on how we reduce harmful pollution in our skies and get America running on clean energy.”
The five schools using the greenest power are:
Austin Independent School District
Round Rock Independent School District
Rochester City School District (Rochester, N.Y.)
Bullis School (Potomac, Md.)
The Dalton School (New York, N.Y.)
The Austin and Round Rock districts get 39 percent and 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources, respectively. The Pflugerville district, which made No. 12 on the top 20 list, gets 8 percent of its energy from renewable sources. All three districts are Austin Energy customers.
Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,100 organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Overall, EPA Green Power Partners are buying more than 17 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the CO2 emissions from electricity use of nearly 1.7 million American homes annually.
For more information on the entire top 20 list of k-12 schools, click here.
For information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership, click here.
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October 22, 2009
Two Austin-area teachers win $25,000 each
Maricruz Aguayo-Tabor, the social studies chair at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, and Adelaida Olivares, principal of the Freshman Academy at Del Valle High School, have both been honored with 2009 Milken Educator Awards.
According to an announcement from the Texas Education Agency:
AUSTIN - Adelaida Olivares, principal of the Freshman Academy at Del Valle High School, thought Gov. Rick Perry, Commissioner of Education Robert Scott and Superintendent Bernard Blanchard were coming to her campus today to salute the school for earning a Recognized rating from the state.
It’s true that the officials were pleased to see that the school had earned the state’s second highest rating but they actually came to the campus because of Olivares.
During a morning assembly, Olivares got the surprise of her life when she learned that she is a recipient of the 2009 Milken Educator Award. The prestigious award carries with it a cash prize of $25,000, which Olivares can spend on anything she wishes. Many past Texas recipients of the award have used the money to further their own education or that of their children or to make a down payment on a house.
She is one of only 50 educators in the country to receive the award this year. This is the 23rd year the Milken Family Foundation of California has recognized educators by honoring them in front of large student assemblies and by providing them with unrestricted cash prizes.
Dubbed “the Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken Educator Awards were conceived by Lowell Milken, chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession. He said, “Milken Educators represent the best of what the American teaching profession is and can be.”
The awards alternate each year between elementary and secondary educators. Since first presented in 1987 to 12 exemplary California teachers, the Milken Educator Awards program is now the nation’s largest teacher recognition program having honored more than 2,400 educators from coast to coast with over $60 million.
The educators never know in advance that they are under consideration for the award. Olivares, the daughter of migrant farm workers, was selected for the award because in her short 10-year career, she has already earned a reputation as an educator’s educator, dedicated to bringing out the best in her teachers, her students, their parents and school volunteers.
She cares fervently about the students. Her passion to provide them with the best education possible provides infectious inspiration to her teachers.
“Adelaida Olivares is an inspiration to us all. She is living proof that one person can make a difference,” Scott said.
Olivares joined Del Valle right out of college as a bilingual kindergarten teacher. By age 28, the district had named her principal of Ojeda Junior High School. After two years of success in that job, Olivares was named principal of the Freshman Academy, which is a school within Del Valle High School.
Before the creation of the ninth grade center, 45 percent of the high school freshmen were retained. With the steps Olivares has taken, the retention rate has dropped to 19 percent.
One of those steps involved creating a mandatory freshman orientation for students and parents. She did so because she realized that both students and parents did not understand the system of awarding course credits in high school. The first year she held the orientation, she offered 17 different sessions so people could attend whenever it fit their schedule. Orientation is part of her Pathways to Success program, which connects the school, the students and the parents to the success of each child.
This program also helps students learn organizational skills and teaches them how to keep track of their assignments and grades.
Because she is bilingual, she is also able to speak to many families in their home language, which makes them feel more comfortable when they are at school. She has a strong relationship with the families because she has moved up with the students as they have advanced. She has now worked in elementary, middle and high schools. One colleague says, “Students work hard for her because they love her and won’t let her down.” She feels the same way about the students.
“By shining a national spotlight on these exceptional people,” Milken said, “the Milken Educator Awards send a powerful message of the critical role that talented teachers play in preparing young people for a bright future.”
Olivares will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Educator Forum where she will receive her award.
The Austin school district released the following state on Aguayo-Tabor’s award:
Maricruz Aguayo-Tabor, a social studies teacher at Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, was surprised today to receive the news of her selection as one of the 2009 Milken National Educator Award recipients. The Award, which comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000, was presented during an assembly at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy on the LBJ High School Campus.
“Ms. Aguayo-Tabor embodies the qualities we look for in teachers, to inspire our students to achieve great things,” said Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen. “We are proud to have Ms. Aguayo-Tabor to be among our teaching ranks.”
Joining Carstarphen at the award assembly were Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott, Milken Family Foundation representative Dr. Gary Stark, and members of the Austin School Board of Trustees.
Dubbed “the Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards were created by Lowell Milken to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession. Unlike most teaching awards, the Milken Educator Awards have no formal nomination or application process. Each year exceptional teachers, principals and specialists—recommended without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education—are stunned with the news of their awards.
“Highly effective educators are the human capital that will equip America’s youth in this increasingly competitive global economy,” said Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation.
From her journey growing up in poverty in the Rio Grande Valley, to earning a master’s in history from Harvard University, Maricruz Aguayo-Tabor is an icon of the possible for her students and fellow educators at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, where she is social studies department chair. During the school’s conversion to an independent magnet, she led in the creation of the Magnet Planning Guide Curriculum for every social studies course district-wide. Her own classes run like graduate school, as students learn to research history in the context of global themes, such as hunger or women’s roles. The results of her efforts speak for themselves, as 100 percent of her students passed TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). While a humanities educator, Aguayo-Tabor was named one of the nation’s top 25 math teachers for her sponsorship of the school’s award-winning math team.
The Milken Awards alternate each year between elementary and secondary educators. Since first presented in 1987 to 12 exemplary California teachers, the Milken Educator Awards program is now the nation’s largest teacher recognition program, having honored more than 2,400 educators from coast to coast with over $60 million.
In addition to their cash prizes, the recipients will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Educator Forum, a national gathering of award-winning educators to address innovative strategies for advancing teacher effectiveness. A highlight of the Forum will be the presentation of the $25,000 Milken Educator Awards at a recognition dinner and ceremony.
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June 16, 2009
Round Rock Superintendent named regional superintendent of the year
Round Rock Superintendent Jesus Chavez is competing against 20 of his peers to be named the Texas Association of School Boards’ state superintendent of the year.
Chavez was nominated for the award by the Round Rock school board. In August, the TASB state selection committee will select five finalists. A winner is expected to be named in October.
“I am honored to represent Region XIII at the state level and thankful for the incredible Round Rock ISD team that I have the privilege of leading,” Chavez said in a release sent this afternoon. “I am just one of many superintendents who are committed to ensuring all students will learn.”
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June 9, 2009
Schools get Newsweek ranking
Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, a magnet school in Northeast Austin, was ranked as the seventh best public high school in Texas and the 35th in the country, according to Newsweek.
The magazine’s annual ranking of public high schools, which is based on the number of students who take Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and or Cambridge tests, put Westlake High School in the Eanes School District at number 9 in Texas and 72nd nationally.
Westwood High School, in the Round Rock school district, ranked 12 in Texas and 88th nationally. Two Dallas magnet schools were ranked numbers one and two in the country.
Other area schools that ranked in the Top 1000 schools nationally, were Anderson, New Braunfels, Round Rock, Cedar Park, McNeil, Dripping Springs high schools. Bowie, San Marcos, Austin, Akins, McCallum, Stony Point and Wimberley high schools were ranked in the top 1500.
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May 20, 2009
Austin campuses honored for Earth Day efforts
According to announcement today:
Akins High School, Paredes Middle School and Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders have been honored for their Earth Day efforts by The League, a national non-profit youth service organization that provides free web-based philanthropy curricula and projects for all school levels. Austin’s own A Legacy of Giving organized the Earth-focused projects in 14 area schools, allowing students to learn the importance of environmental responsibility and taking care of their surroundings
The schools placed among the top 10 elementary, middle school and high school classes as ranked by economic value returned to the community for Earth Day!
Parades Middle School
Students placed 3rd for the middle school category by conducting their own version of Keep Austin Beautiful’s ‘Clean Sweep’. Over fifty volunteers showed up to help the students make a difference and be philanthropists for the environment!
Akins High School
Seniors from Akins High School, in 2nd place for the high school category, chose a unique approach by conducting a beach clean-up in Galveston, Texas to help with the Hurricane Ike damage. Students also donated bags of clothing to the Galveston community to help hurricane victims.
Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
Students placed 10th for the middle school category by hosting their second annual EnviroFair. The fair not only provides education for friends and family about the environment, but helps to raise money for a future campus greenhouse.
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April 7, 2009
Gullett receives recognition for fundraising efforts
Gullett Elementary School will be awarded with a trophy from Superintendent Pat Forgione Wednesday in honor of its raising more than $20,000 for books for students in low-income schools and childcare centers.
This is the fourth year in a row that Gullett has been the top money raiser for the Bookspring Read-A-Thon, a fundraiser organized by local literacy organizations to purchase books for low income students. This year area students raised over $106,000 by getting pledges based on the number of pages they read.
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February 19, 2009
Austin district honored for mock elections
The Austin school district is receiving an award Friday in San Francisco that honors its participation in nationwide mock elections. According to a press release (trimmed for size):
On Friday in San Francisco at the National Conference on Education, Austin ISD officials will accept an award for “Outstanding Leadership in Voter Education” from the American Association of School Administrators. More than 40,000 Austin ISD students from 78 schools took part in the Mock Election, co-sponsored by the Pearson Foundation.
More than five million ballots were cast nationally in the National Student/Parent Mock Election, and students overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama, who received 67% of the vote. The average voter turnout among Austin ISD students was 61 percent.
More than 7,000 school administrators from around the country will be in attendance at the national conference when Austin ISD is honored.
Austin ISD won the award after an aggressive effort, led by the social studies department, to get students involved in the Mock Election.
Joe Ramirez, social studies administrative supervisor at Austin ISD, and Terry Loessin, the social studies curriculum specialist, will accept the award on behalf of the school district.
Student mock voters across America identified the troubled economy, the war in Iraq, and global climate change/the environment as the top priorities for the Obama administration, with other ballot issues including national security, high cost of energy, education, health care, and the war in Afghanistan.
The National Student/Parent Mock Election (NSPME) is the nation’s oldest, largest and most successful voter-education project, dating from 1980. Since the first Mock Election in 1980, more than 50 million young voters have cast their ballots and, in the process, discovered what it means to be an American citizen and the value of citizenship.
Pearson publishes education materials, including textbooks, for schools in Texas.
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November 4, 2008
Leander bands advance in state competition
From the Leander school district:
The Cedar Park High School Band has advanced to the finals of the UIL State 5A Marching Competition in San Antonio. Both CPHS and the Vista Ridge High School Bands had advanced to today’s competition at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The CPHS Band is scheduled to perform at 9:30 p.m. tonight. Leander ISD is extremely proud of both of these excellent band programs.
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October 23, 2008
Austin school superintendent Forgione receives national honor
Austin Superintendent Pat Forgione, right, was selected from a group of 11 urban school superintendents from across the country to receive the Richard R. Green Award for urban education leadership at the Council of the Great City Schools in Houston tonight.
The award is named in honor of the first African-American chancellor of the New York City school system, who had also directed Minneapolis public schools.
From the Austin school district:
Austin School Superintendent Pat Forgione this evening was honored by the Council of Great City Schools as the nation’s Top Urban Educator…
Under Dr. Forgione’s leadership since 1999, the Austin School District has experienced an upward trend in academic achievement and narrowing of achievement gaps between student groups; a return to fiscal stability and a solid bond rating; three successful bond elections; and strengthened community support.
As the recipient of the Green Award, Dr. Forgione will receive a $10,000 college scholarship to present to a high school senior of his choice in the Austin School District or from his high school alma mater.
State Senator Kirk Watson of Austin nominated Dr. Forgione for the honor …
What do you think Forgione should do with the $10,000 college scholarship?
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Exemplary East Austin elementary school teacher reveals "secrets" of success
I wrote in today’s paper about Campbell Elementary School, the Austin school district’s first elementary school in East Austin since 2003 to have received an “A+” under the state accountability system: the “exemplary” rating earned by only 12 percent of schools statewide in 2008.
The story looks at the challenge ahead for the school and the district: keeping the title and replicating Campbell’s success at other schools. Below, Campbell kindergarten teacher Peggy Nichols, who has taught at the school for 17 years, explains the “secrets,” or lack thereof, to Campbell’s success:
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October 20, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: San Marcos elementary school dads read with Half Price Books
From the San Marcos school district:
A group of dedicated Dads from Crockett Elementary School recently joined with Half Price Books in San Marcos to hold a Super Saturday event. The fathers and their children met at Half Price Books for an hour to read and interact in the world of books.
(That’s Shane and Macy Herring above and Rob Rodriguez below.)
Rob Rodriguez of Crockett read the Dr. Seuss book, My Many Colored Days, and the father-child teams re-illustrated the book as a project during discussions. The newly illustrated books created by attendees were donated to the Crockett school library, where some are on display.
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October 13, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Pflugerville Middle School students take on state reps
From Amanda Brim in the Pflugerville school district:
Mark Strama and Jerry Mikus visited Melony Kempf’s class for a Q and A session with students. (Pictured at right.) Her classes have been researching the election issues and comparing the candidates. The students became very involved and opinionated, so Melony arranged for the candidates to come to her classes and speak with the students.
Incumbent state Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, is seeking a third term representing northern Travis County in the Texas House of Representatives. Mikus and Libertarian Jerry Chandler are vying to topple him.
Some might say the classroom was a particularly appropriate venue for the candidates because Mikus has named eliminating school property taxes as one of his top issues. Strama has said that most of his constituents consistently say a quality education system trumps lower taxes. Read more about the race here.
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September 15, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Austin teachers wins Dallas Cowboys-autographed car
From the Texas Department of Transportation:
Julia Payne, a teaching assistant at Clint Small Middle School in southwest Austin, was the winner of a new Ford Hybrid Escape in the “Drive Clean Across Texas” sweepstakes, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Dallas Cowboys. That’s Dallas Cowboys Safety Roy Williams autographing the steering wheel of Payne’s new ride, above.
According to the Department of Transportation’s press release, Payne did her part to improve air quality in Texas by combining trips in her fuel-efficient Honda Civic.
For the sake of Texas’s air quality, she might want to stick with the Civic for highway driving, at least. The Ford Hybrid Escape gets a 2009 EPA-estimated 34 mpg city/31 highway in forward wheel drive. The 2009 Civic sedan gets 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway.
The Civic Hybrid gets 40 mpg city/45 mpg highway. If only Honda sponsored the sweepstakes.
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September 11, 2008
Hays school custodian saves choking student
Jim Cullen with the Hays Free Press reports that a custodian at Wallace Middle School in the Hays school district saved the life of seventh grader Crystal Campos after she choked on a piece of food:
Custodian Elena Garcia was the first adult to recognize what was happening and while attempting to help Crystal cough, called to co-worker Vincente Martinez for assistance. Though never having received training as such for the critical situation, Martinez knew what was happening-and what to do about it.
In a second, he too could see how serious it was. Crystal’s face and lips were turning blue from the lack of oxygen and she was unable to cough enough to clear her throat. Admitting that among the many thoughts that flashed through his mind in a split second was the fact that school workers are strongly discouraged from physical contact with students, Martinez nonetheless acted. The fact of the cautionary policy was lost in an instant of common sense-and concern for the young girl before him.
With no more preparation for the emergency than having seen it on TV and on posters in places he’s worked during his life, Martinez came around behind Crystal, placed his arms around her, clenched his hands below her sternum and gave her a sharp squeeze.
During the Austin school board’s budget discussions last month, some trustees spent a lot of time discussing pay raises for custodians, cafeteria monitors and other support employees, saying that those employees were essential players in a child’s education.
What do you think about Martinez’s actions? What kind of roles do support staff workers like him play in your child’s school day?
(Photo courtesy of Satmandu.)
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September 8, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: San Marcos schools celebrate Grandparents' Day
From the San Marcos school district:
Claire Avalos and her proud grandparents enjoyed a Grandparents’ Day breakfast together at De Zavala Elementary School on Friday. (Photo by Kelly Bost)
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August 18, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Wimberley kids graduate from sheriff's academy
This week’s You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday comes courtesy of the Hays County Sheriff’s Office:
During the week of July 14 through July 18, 2008, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office held it’s annual Junior Deputy Academy at the Wimberley VFW Post 6441. Twenty six children, ages 8 to 11 years of age attended this years academy. The class consisted of presentations by Wimberley EMS, Wimberley Fire, Air Evac Helicopter, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Hays Caldwell Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and several sections of the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Graduation took place on Friday, July 18 with a presentation and refreshments by the American Red Cross. Hays County Sheriff Allen Bridges (the guy in the white cowboy hat in the back row) presented certificates to graduates and thanked their families for the sacrifices many of them made to ensure that their children were able to attend the class.
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August 12, 2008
Area teachers win $40,000 in grants
The A+ Education Foundation, the nonprofit arm of A+ Credit Union, has awarded 42 Central Texas teachers with $40,000 to help cover the cost of programs and training that will improve the classroom experience for their students.
The winning projects included dyslexia support in the classroom, recycling clubs and iPod tutorials. Click here for a list of the winners.
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July 28, 2008
You oughta be in pictures: Solar Nachos
San Marcos teachers learned ways to use hands on activities in the classroom to illustrate concepts like renewable energy and energy efficiency, such as showing students how to use a solar oven to cook food.
The experiment was part of program called the Solar for Schools Project, a partnership with the State Energy Conservation Office and the City of San Marcos Electric Utility Department aimed at teaching students about energy concepts.
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July 14, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Akins High junior crowned Miss Junior Teen Texas
From Austin school district spokeswoman Roxanne Evans:
Akins High School junior Taylor Semone Henry, above, was recently named Miss Jr. Teen Texas United America (sic). Taylor’s win gives her a chance to earn a $500 scholarship and the opportunity to compete in the Miss Jr. Teen United America pageant at 3 p.m. October 19 at the Wyndham Hotel in Austin.
Taylor, 16, is an honor roll student in the New Tech High at Akins. She is a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a volunteer with the iChoose Program, a program designed to help students make healthy lifestyle choices, and a volunteer with GenClub, a mentoring program for middle school girls. Taylor, pictured below with her mother Alvenetta Henry, is also a member of Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church and is employed by the Austin/Travis County Youth Works Program.
This was Taylor’s first pageant competition. The pageant is affiliated with the Texas United America Pageant.
Here’s hoping that Taylor avoids the pitfalls Miss USA evidently tripped over last night:
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July 7, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Austin young poets head to national competition
From Austin school district spokeswoman Roxanne Evans:
Two students from the Austin school district will be part of a four-student poetry team that will compete in the 2008 Brave New Voices Under-21 Poetry Slam Nationals in Washington, D.C. next week.
LBJ High School student Ruby Willmann, shown above performing at an April poetry slam in Austin, and Reagan High School student Shanitra Harris, show below performing at an April poetry slam in Austin, will be part of the team that also includes students from the Round Rock and Killeen school districts.
This is the fourth year in a row a Reagan High School student will compete and the second year Harris has qualified to be a member of the Central Texas team to compete nationally. The students advanced in local contests sponsored by the Austin-based Texas Youth Word Collective to reach the national competition
The young poets will compete against more than 200 other young poets from the United States, Canada and Europe in venues including the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and the Lincoln Theater.
The Texas Youth Word Collective youth literacy project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Texas Commission on the Arts.
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June 30, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin
This week’s You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday features artwork by David Baker, who graduated from San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin in June. (The school featured Baker’s artwork on a greeting card, which is how I got my greasy paws on it.)
At San Juan Diego, which was founded in 2002, students spend spend five days a month working as clerks or in other capacities at local businesses or non-profits. It’s one of a group of about 20 corporate work-study Catholic high schools nationwide focused on serving students from low-income families and modeled on Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago.
As part of the school’s corporate work-study program, Baker worked at the law offices of Clark, Thomas & Winters and at Dell, Inc.
Baker’s artwork presents a contemporary rendering of St. Juan Diego, an indigenous Mexican who reported seeing the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe and having her image imprinted on his cloak in 1531. In Baker’s work, “the saint is professionally dressed like the students of San Juan Diego Catholic High School” and bears the school’s seal on his chest, according to the explanation on the card’s reverse.
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June 23, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Austin history competition winners
O. Henry Middle School parent Judith Bryant tells us that three students at Austin’s O. Henry Middle School excelled at a state-wide history competition and advanced to a national competition. The students produced independent projects on subjects including the development of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the World War II Battle of Luzon and Big Bend National Park. Pretty cool stuff, no?
According to the Texas State Historical Association, Fulmore Middle School student Kevin Brenner (in Mary Anne Wilkinson’s class) also won at the national level for his website Until She Spoke: The Haitian Revolution of 1804.
Bryant writes
Seventh grade Pre-AP History students at O. Henry Middle School recently participated in a local, regional and state-wide Texas History Day competition…[choosing] any event in history as their subject, as long as it related to the 2008 National History Day theme of “Conflict and Compromise.”After the state-wide Texas History Day competition, which was held at the Bob Bullock Museum and the University of Texas on May 3, three O. Henry students qualified to compete at the national level.
Kevin Espinoza, center, son of Annette and Carlos Espinoza, placed second in the state in the Individual Documentary category. His film, “The Wright Amendment: How Conflict and Compromise Helped the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,” examined the original controversy surrounding the proposed closing of the Dallas Love Field airport and the compromise amendment, proposed by then Speaker Wright, that allowed Southwest Airlines to continue operating out of Love Field after DFW airport was built. As part of his research, Kevin interviewed Speaker Wright personally, as well as others involved, and used that footage in his documentary.
Will Bryant, right, son of Judith and Bill Bryant, placed second in the state in the Historical Research Paper category for his paper “The Battle of Luzon: Deadly Conflict; Deadlier Compromise.” His paper examined the World War II conflict in the Philippines on the island of Luzon and the ultimate surrender of thousands of American troops to the Japanese, which resulted in events arguably worse than the conflict, such as the infamous Bataan death march. The paper also chronicled the personal ordeal of Captain Adolph H. Giesecke, Will’s great, great uncle, who lived through these events and then died in Japan as a POW. As part of his research, Will interviewed Captain Giesecke’s son, Dr. Adolph Giesecke, Jr., as well as other family members. His paper has also been chosen by the Texas State Historical Association to be published in the 2008-2009 Texas Historian.
Trent Butler, left, son of Laura and Allen Butler, placed second in the state in the Individual Performance category, writing and performing a one-man play entitled “The Birth of Big Bend National Park.” Trent’s play required him to act in several different roles: a rancher, a state representative, a Civilian Conservation Corps worker and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Each character explained what he needed from the land that became Big Bend National Park, revealing conflict and compromise in the process. A highlight of Trent’s research was interviewing nine former Civilian Conservation Corps workers at the 75th CCC reunion held at Bastrop State Park in March.
O. Henry’s participation in the history day competitions was organized by O. Henry History teacher Duane Devereaux, who worked countless hours preparing the students for each level of competition. As a result of his efforts, a record twelve O. Henry students made it to the state competition, with three advancing to compete at the National History Day Competition at the University of Maryland in June.
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June 16, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Lake Travis student gets diploma after nine tries
Lake Travis school district spokesman Marco Alvarado sent us this story about a former migrant student who passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) — and earned her Lake Travis High Schol diploma — after nine tries at the TAKS test.
Alvarado writes that Guadalupe Jaimes, 23, pictured above on the left receiving her diploma from school staff, passed the science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) on her ninth try, officially earning her diploma from Lake Travis High School (LTHS):
School principal Charlie Little and staff from the counselor’s office arrived at the Chicken Express in Lakeway where Jaimes works unannounced just before the lunch-hour rush on May 20 and presented Guadalupe with her diploma.
“I am so happy,” said Jaimes, a native of Nuevo Copaltepec, Mexico, who was joined at the impromptu ceremony by her sister Hilda, nieces Jessica and Alex, and nephew Fernando. “I didn’t expect this. I know how I feel, but I can’t find the words to say it.”
While most freshmen enter high school at the age of 14 or 15, Guadalupe was 17 years old when she enrolled at LTHS in the fall of 2002. But even more challenging, she didn’t speak a word of English. Upon enrollment in Texas public schools, students like Guadalupe labeled as Limited English Proficient (LEP) are initially exempt from taking the TAKS. However, they are closely monitored by their teachers and counselors via a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee—or LPAC—to ensure the TAKS is administered at the earliest practical date. At one point, Guadalupe’s LPAC indicated she did not understand English well enough to master TAKS. But with assistance from LTHS Spanish/English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher Jessie Bejarano and others who were determined to see her succeed, Guadalupe persevered.
In order to graduate from a Texas public school, all students must pass each section of the TAKS which includes Reading, Writing, Math, Social Studies, and Science. For Guadalupe, science proved to be an obstacle, eight obstacles to be exact. But just as Ms. Bejarano was determined to help Guadalupe master the English language, LTHS science teacher Angela Frankhouser focused all efforts on Guadalupe and the challenges she faced with the TAKS.
“Guadalupe’s success is a result of her hard work and perseverance,” said Ms. Frankhouser. “She never quit. Her success was the culmination of the time and dedication of many science teachers and counselors at the high school that worked closely with her. Each time she was to take the test, Sherrie Raughton—our head counselor—made sure to arrange tutoring with our amazing science teachers. Many people contributed to Guadalupe’s success. The greatest contribution, however, was from Guadalupe herself. She made this happen.” “Ms. Angela,” as Guadalupe refers to her, “helped me get through (the science TAKS),” admitted the youngest of five sisters and a younger brother who attends Lake Travis Elementary School. Guadalupe’s ninth and successful attempt came in April 2008. “I am thankful to Ms. Bejarano and Ms. Angela for helping me graduate.”
While her current employment provides Guadalupe with a steady diet of valuable experiences and a reliable income, she doesn’t plan on serving-up legs and thighs for too long. “I want to go back to school and become a bilingual teacher.”
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June 9, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Austin math whizzes
Rene LeBlanc from the Pentathlon Institute writes to tell us that a team of students from Clayton Elementary School in Southwest Austin won the National Team award in the National Mathematics Pentathlon Tournament. The Clayton team was the first from Texas to bring home the award.
Austin student Eryn Dickerman (above) also received the Delbert Detwiler award for participating in the Math Pentathlon for eight years in a row. Dickerman is the third person in the state of Texas to receive the award.
According to the Mathematics Pentathlon website, “Mathematics Pentathlon is a program of interactive problem-solving games, supportive curricular and instructional activities, and assessment tools for ALL students in grades K-7. This motivational program strengthens basic math concepts and skills, aligns with National and State Mathematics Standards, and stimulates creative thinking while developing problem-solving skills.” Over 1,000 Texas students and about 200 schools nationwide participate in the Math Pentathlon tournaments.
Here are the math pentathletes in action:
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June 6, 2008
Johnston High School's Final Graduation
“08 - The last of the great”
Gabriela Camarilla had scribbled the words across her Columbia blue graduation cap in red paint, a final tribute to her fallen alma mater.
“The school is being renamed and reopened as something new, so Johnston High School is no more, but it will always continue on in the hearts of the students who went there,” she said.
Camarilla began to cry as she mourned the moments that will never be for the troubled school, which was closed down Wednesday for failing to meet state accountability standards for a fifth consecutive year.
“It’s very upsetting, because I wanted to be able to come back in 10 years for our reunion, but we can’t,” she said.
Fellow Johnston graduate Kristin Dominguez sympathized with the underclassmen who will not receive a diploma from the school.
“My sister is a junior, and she wanted to graduate from Johnston because most of the people from my family have graduated from Johnston, but now she can’t,” she said.
Dominguez, who will attend Stephen F. Austin University in the fall and major in psychology, said the graduation is very emotional for the seniors.
“Graduation means a lot to Johnston students because it has always been our way of beating the odds of what everyone else thought of us,” she said. “But now it’s sad because we’re the last class.”
In the moments before the ceremony, students said they would remember the friendships they developed, the teachers who invested in their education, the challenges they overcame, and the school pride they would always carry with them.
“I will always remember going to class and just being at the school,” said Jaimee Shaw, who will attend the University of North Texas and major in pre-med.
“The teachers, they really loved the school and they cared about our education,” said Chris Maxwell, who played football and will attend Blinn College in the fall. “They worked with us and helped us as much as they could because they wanted to see us be successful and go on to different places.”
“We were like a small family, and the unity we had was strong,” Dominguez said.
Johnston Principal Celina Estrada-Thomas, who will take over the reigns at Bastrop High School in the fall, encouraged students to hold up their heads despite what has happened with the school.
“Things may not have turned out the way you wanted to, but it wasn’t for lack of fight or lack of determination,” she said to the graduates as family and friends cheered them on.
And so the 2008 graduating class of Albert Sydney Johnston High School celebrated the unique spirit that exemplified east side pride.
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June 2, 2008
You oughta be in pictures Monday: Library book give-away
Music for Literacy, the group organized by an Austin school district librarian to allow Austin musicians to donate to Austin public school libraries, has been giving away books for the summer. As the following pictures prove, the gifts have been making some kids very happy. Thanks to Elizabeth Medrano, who runs the Blackshear Elementary School library, for sending us these shots.
The first book distribution was at Blackshear May 27. This week, kids from Govalle Elementary School will be getting books.
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May 19, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: San Marcos students
Third graders at De Zavala Elementary School in San Marcos “razzled and dazzled” their audiences during several performances of the musical extravaganza “Circus, Circus!” Thursday, the San Marcos school district communications director, Iris Campbell, writes.
The event, produced by music teacher Mary Irwin included magicians and tumblers, faux elephants and lions, a Ringmaster and a strongman, clowns and much much more, as they say.
(Above we’ve got Marc Anthony Palalcios as a colorful clown, below we’ve got clown Tiffany Futch, dancer Samantha [no last name given] and the Big Top stage itself.)
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April 14, 2008
Austin school district touts national merit finalists
The Austin school district honored this year’s national acholars over the weekend.
Austin had 41 National Merit Finalists, 5 National Merit Semi-finalists, 95 National Merit Commended Students, 44 National Hispanic Scholars, 4 National Achievement Scholars at seven high schools. Here are the students, by high school, that won awards:
Akins High School
National Hispanic Scholar — Joseph Shield.
National Achievement Scholar — Martin Riley.
Anderson High School
National Merit Finalists — Christopher Borders, Emily Brower, Amy Erickson, Reed Erickson, Brendan Healy, and Jacob Reynolds.
National Merit Semifinalist — Peter Wills.
National Merit Commended Students — Damianne Abel, Michael Atmadja, Nicholas Balser, David Bistline, Elizabeth Bouldin, Elizabeth Brower, Hillary Cansler, Lauren David, Max Davis, Melissa Deckert, Angela Fletcher, Daniel Gergen, Alexandra Grand, Joseph Hochman, Katherine Houston, Daniel Jones, Grant Jones, David Kerr, Max Kerwick, Ariel Leigh, Jonathan Moore, Leah Nunke, Chantal Pham, Alexandra Smith, Caroline Vickers*, Samuel Woelke, and Christopher Zehner.
National Hispanic Scholars — Allison Barnes, Michael Bracamontez, Travis De Anda, Dylan Mackie-Hernandez, Christopher Pastrana, Nicole Torres, and Lauren Vela.
Austin High School
National Merit Finalists — Vanessa Breeding. James Cameron, Mark Edwards, Robert Huffaker, Zack Lasner, James Miller, and Camille Woodbury.
National Merit Commended Students — Parke Benjamin, Robert Buchanan, Kelsey Edelen, Hyun-Soo Han, Tania Kane, Lucas Loredo, Stephen McAndrews, Daniel Moser, Kevin Nadeau, Michael Pinnell, Anastasia Porter, Taylor Sherry, Emily Siefken, and John Wallace.
National Hispanic Scholars — Chelsea Clark, Risa Newyear-Ramirez, Andrew Ramirez, Adrianne Waddell, and Morgan Williams.
Bowie High School
National Merit Finalists — Annie Adams, Spencer Bench, Valerie Bogard, Sarah Feicht, Samuel Graves, Lauren Guckert, Laura Locke, Andrew McClellan, Kelly Moynihan, and Rebecca Ross.
National Merit Commended Students — Sherri Bogard, Katherine Castles, Zachary Garcia, Rachel Glenn, Greggory Hase, James McDaniel, Nicholas Morgan, Kathryn Nichol, Mae Reaves, James Salazar, Vanessa Sellers, Kimberlee Sump, Christina Tannert, and William Toney.
National Hispanic Scholars — Nicholas Alvarez-Olson, Elias Hoban, Andrew McLeod, Marina Salazar, and Zachary Sanchez.
Garza High School
National Merit Finalist — Erin Park-Markert.
National Merit Commended Student — Maya Gaster*.
Liberal Arts & Science Academy
National Merit Finalists — Cyrus Bordbar, Eric Chen, Navonil Ghosh, Sydney Hausman-Cohen, Victor Huang, Rebecca Hubbard, Michelle Pruett, Lily Reed, Emma Renault-Varian, Allen Smith, Tyler Smith, Hannah Thompson, Laura Waelbroeck, Jennifer Wan, and Jingcong Zhao.
National Merit Semifinalists — Albert Bayer, Michael Jost, Margaret Steele, and Sofia Voloch.
National Merit Commended Students — China Albin, Ethan Banner, Rachel Brenner, Paul Bussard, Wesley Chen, Utsab Das, John DeSanto, Tal Einav, Jennifer Fan, Hannah Flatau, Aditi Ghatak-Roy, Harrison Glaser, Evan Koch, Melody Liao, Cory Liu, Jessica MacQueen, Jasmine Marshall, Jesse Martin, Corrine McLeod, Andrew Miller, Andrew Pegues, Allison Pope, Prashant Raghavendran, Caleb Ray, Conor Rehberg, William Sweetman, Jasmine Thum, Molly Triece, Jessica Warhoe, Chloe Werth, and Mitchel Wilkinson.
National Hispanic Scholars — Alejandro Canepa, Kelsey Coto, Sarah Goldgar, Douglas Helsel, Daniel Moehn, Roberto Navarro, Joseph O’Hara, Adrian Ortega, Louis Perez, Jesus Salazar, and Michelle Walters.
National Achievement Scholar — Amber Byars.
McCallum High School
National Merit Finalists — Brian Bucknall and Luke Obermann.
National Merit Commended Students — Patrick Abbs, Angelina Castillo, Bryanne Cooke, Kelle Kampa, Leah Longoria, Megan Patterson, Quentin Sherman, and Trevor Van Dyke.
National Hispanic Scholars — Patricia Allen, Steven Day, and Emma Longoria
National Achievement Scholar — Winona Youngblood.
- Also National Hispanic Scholar
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April 9, 2008
H-E-B honors two Austin teachers
Zilker Elementary School teachers Elaine Bailey and Stacey Shapiro, today were presented with a $1,000 check, plus a second $1,000 check for their school, by H-E-B.
Both also have been chosen as finalists in the 2008 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards to represent the Austin area. Their selection represents the first time two finalists have been selected from the same school to compete in the same year.
In May, they will compete against other educators from other parts of the state for a larger cash prizes. Bailey will compete for $5,000 for herself and $5,000 for the school. Shapiro will compete for $10,000 for herself and $10,000 for Zilker.
More than 4,500 educators were nominated this year. Five regional judging panels comprised of former winners, administrators and university and community leaders selected 40 individual statewide finalists. The finalists will go to Houston May 2 to 4 to compete for larger cash prizes totaling more than $500,000.
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January 28, 2008
St. John community gets national youth award
East Austin’s St. John community is more used to being criticized for its youth programming than praised for it.
So when it was named one of America’s “100 Best Communities for Young People” last week by America’s Promise, a children’s advocacy group founded by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the neighborhood had plenty of cause to celebrate. Monday morning, they did just that, with a spread of tamales, rice and beans, and appearances from community leaders and activists.
The recognition was all the more significant because it comes one year after Superintendent Pat Forgione recommended closing the community’s middle school because it failed to meet state standards for three years in a row. Since then, the neighborhood has worked together to find ways to improve Webb’s performance, which has led to better test scores - and an academically acceptable rating - on the 2007 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
“A year ago, Webb was under siege … but this community stepped up to the plate,” Forgione said at the meeting at Reagan High School on Monday. “And Webb passed the test, not just the TAKS test, but the test that says the community can make a difference.”
In recent years, St. John, which also includes Brown and Pickle elementary schools, has expanded its youth programs and also implemented family support services for its residents, many of whom are immigrants. The community also has invested more in its mentoring and tutoring programs and adopted a new strategy using iPods for English as a second language students.
“There is so much hope, there is so much promise, there is America’s promise for this community,” said U.S. Rep. Dawnna Dukes, who said she graduated from Reagan 27 years ago.
More than 750 communities competed for the recognition from America’s Promise, which St. John also received last year. Other Texas winners this year include communities in Arlington, Houston, Longview, Nacogdoches County and Sugar Land.
The group uses five standards to select its winners: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others.
“I think other communities in Austin can gain hope from us,” said Allen Weeks, president of the St. John Neighborhood Association. “My only fear is that housing prices will go up if this secret gets out.”
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October 5, 2007
World Teachers' Day
Today is World Teachers’ Day, a teacher appreciation holiday observed by more than 100 countries. I had great teachers over the years who helped to make me the reporter I am today.
Mrs. Patrick was never too busy to listen or read a class assignment, even when I was no longer in her class. It was because of Mrs. Chase that I joined the high school newspaper, which opened the door to a journalism career. More than teachers, Professors Benson, Dash and Reid were my mentors in college. They helped me to realize my teenage dream of becoming a reporter.
So today, I’d like to say thanks to them and all of the educators who help students live out their dreams.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
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August 29, 2007
Austin students shine on SAT
Total scores on the SAT college entrance exam fell in the state and nation in 2007 — but Austin school district students increased their overall scores on the verbal and math tests and held steady on the writing test, administrators announced today.
Austin students’ performance improved by 12 points for a total average score of 1525 points: 509 on the verbal, 525 on the math and 491 on the writing tests. They bested, by 44 points, their Texas counterparts who scored 492 verbal, 507 math and 482 writing for a total state average score of 1481.
With their 1525 average score, Austin students also exceeded, by 14 points, the average national score of 1511.
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July 2, 2007
Books for bookworms
Several Austin-area high school students have received books through the Middlebury College Book Award program, which recognizes outstanding students in their junior year of high school throughout the world. The Austin-area honorees include:
Ariel Leigh, Anderson High School, poems of Robert Frost
Oscar Ramirez, Austin High School, “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
Jaclyn Freeman, Bowie High School, poems of William Butler Yeats
Adriana Mercado, Lanier High School, “Tales Of Mystery and Imagination” by Edgar Allan Poe
Sabina Hinz-Foley, LBJ High School, poems of Robert Frost
Megan Patterson, McCallum High School, poems of e.e. cummings
Sanetra Nere Stewart, Pflugerville High School, “Pride And Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Ryan Bishop, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury
James Muela, St. Michael’s Academy, “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
Alyssa Anderson, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, poems of William Butler Yeats
Judy Roësset, Westwood High School, poems of William Wordsworth
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May 24, 2007
Two Webb students win $5,000 awards
Two Webb Middle School students will each receive $5,000 college scholarships from the Travis Community Education Foundation.
The Rourke Scholarships for the Mentored will be presented to A’shanta Carroll and Zaira Garcia at the school’s Eighth Grade Awards Assembly today.
Upon successful completion of high school and admission to an institution of higher learning, Carroll and Garcia will actually receive the scholarship money to apply to their tuition.
The scholarships are intended to encourage students to think about college and to have a sense of hope that there will be resources available for them if they excel in school, graduate on time and choose to continue their education.
To be eligible, the students had to complete an application, write an essay or letter pertaining to their mentoring experience, and secure a letter of recommendation from their mentor.
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May 1, 2007
Kealing achievements
The Kealing Middle School Science Olympiad Team for the second time won first place in the state tournament at Texas A&M University. The weekend win advances Kealing to the national tournament in Wichita, Kan., on May 18 and 19.
The Kealing team, which competed in 23 academic and engineering events, includes Caitri Feddeler, Abigail Cain, Annie Osborne, Arami Rosales, Lee McClennon, Mark Sands, Emerson Curtis, Ivy Nguyen, Jason Pan, Angela Liu Qiaoyi Wang, Victoria Cui, Jeffery Holzgrafe, Chloe Ling, Casey Edgerton, Abby Miller, Harris Davidson, and Marci McClennon.
Kealing students also placed first in the state competition and, more recently, second in the international competition of the Knowledge Master Open academic competition. The team scored 1,697 out of a possible 2,000 points and answered 190 of 200 questions correctly.
Thousands of students competed in the international April 25 competition. Students on the Kealing team included Maria Alvisi, Matthew Arndt, Daniel Chupin, Daryk Estrada, Ariel Godwin, Jeffrey Holzgrafe, Arthur Lee, Calvin Ling, Chloe Ling, Thomas Littrell, Dan Liu, Jay Morgan, Aaron Pellowski, Sam Porter, Noreen Tsai, Chris Wang, Emily Wang, Max Wimberley, and Clara Yoon.
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April 30, 2007
History heroes
Two students from Austin’s O. Henry Middle School won top honors at the 28th annual Texas History Day, a history fair for students in grades six through 12. By winning first place in the individual performance category Saturday, one student, Jonathan Box, has qualified to advance to National History Day in June at the University of Maryland-College Park.
“Thirty thousand students across Texas compete at the local level to win the opportunity to participate in the statewide contest, and 912 students qualified to compete this weekend in Austin. These two Austin students triumphed over tremendous competition,” said Stephen Cure, director of educational services for the Texas State Historical Association, a sponsor of Texas History Day.
Emily Devereaux won the Arab and Arab-American History Award for her individual exhibit, “Taliban Trounced: Promise and Peril for the Women of Afghanistan.” Box’s History Day entry about the changing perceptions of President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb took the first-place prize in the individual performance category.
Students from all over Texas competed in Austin with exhibits, performances, documentaries, interpretive Web sites and historical essays prepared on this year’s “Triumph and Tragedy” theme. The Texas State Historical Association sponsored the fair in cooperation with the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. The Bullock Texas State History Museum co-hosted this year’s event.
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Future leaders
Fourteen Martin Middle School students will attend the Business Professionals of America 2006 National Leadership Conference in New York City next week. This is Martin’s second year to compete, and the Martin students will be the first middle schoolers to carry the Austin banner to national competition.
The students, who will compete in areas that include Web site development, extemporaneous speech and team research projects, are Brianna Cortes, Cynthia Zamoria, Samantha Ortiz, Bridget Gonzales, Julia Renteria, Crystal Sanchez, Laura Monroy, Orvilia Cienfuegos, Jonathan Martinez, Uziel Ochoa, Jonathan Davis, Jalia Efferson, Krista Fabian and Jesse Mendieta.
Business Professionals of America is a national organization for middle school, high school and college students who are preparing for careers in business. The organization’s activities and programs complement classroom instruction by giving students practical business experience through the application of skills learned at school.
