Lake Highlands AP Music Theory students were among more than 200 students who participated recently in the AP Music Theory Bowl. The group placed first overall at event and three students placed in the top 20 individually: Garrett Wingfield - 2nd, Luke Wingfield - 11th, and Havilland Voss - 17th. Garrett also placed first in the category of music dictation.

The AP Music Theory class is primarily comprised of band, choir and orchestra students and is taught by 2010 STARS teacher Terry Berrier.

The Lake Highlands Jazz Ensemble placed first among district 5-A schools at the TCU Jazz Festival, one of the most prestigious high school jazz festivals in the area, which attracts top schools from North Texas and beyond.

Double congratulations to Richardson High School Physics Teacher George Hademenos! He has recently been awarded first prize in the PBS Teachers Innovation Awards and will also receive the Texas Medical Association Science Teacher Award later this month.

For the PBS Teacher Innovation Award, over 700 teacher-submitted entries from across the nation were judged on a variety of criteria. Dr. Hademenos’ submission described his annual Toy Engineering Project, conducted with Pre-AP students, in which students create a physics-based toy, along with a prospectus, marketing plan, budget, presentation and advertisement for the product.

“The students were first captured by the idea of toys as this was something that everyone has had positive experiences with. I then arranged for elementary students to visit the presentations and judge the toys, which brought out the competitive nature of each group,” said Hademenos. “I am continually amazed as to the ingenuity and creativity exhibited by students through this project.”

The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) at North Junior High raised more than $2,500 in just nine days with their annual “Pennies for Pasta” drive. The students selected the School and Youth Program of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as their beneficiary. Monies collected will help children from all over North Texas who suffer from blood cancers.

As part of the project, the students also selected a “Hometown Hero” – someone who represents the cause they’ve chosen and is an inspiration to others. This year’s Hero was a nine-year old North Texas cousin of one of the North NJHS members. Because this young child is a big fan of dinosaurs, the students chose the theme “Let’s Make Leukemia Extinct!” for their fundraiser.

The following students received gold medals at the Visual Arts Scholastic Event, a state art competition sponsored by the Texas Art Education Association:
Jonathan Amaya, Berkner High School
Adolfo Hernandez (2 medals), Berkner High School
Rafael Jimenez, Berkner High School
Nancy Sierra-Ibarra, Berkner High School
Daniel Pautsch (2 medals), Berkner High School
Tammy Tran, Berkner High School
Katie Wilson, Berkner High School
Emma Smith, Richardson High School

In addition, Jonathan Amaya, Adolfo Hernandez, and Nancy Sierra-Ibarra were selected for Gold Seal Awards, placing them in the top 5 percent of state medalists. Gold Seal winners’ work will tour the state, including an exhibition at the Texas State Capitol.

Congratulations! >Top

Apollo students Angela Golio and Chelsea Perales were named as state finalists in the Library of Congress’ "Letters About Literature" contest, in which students write a letter to a favorite author, explaining how the author's book changed their way of thinking. The girls' letters were chosen as two of 100 finalists from more than 2,400 entries in Level 2 (Middle School).

Golio wrote to John Grogan, the author of "Marley and Me" because she really enjoyed his book. "I read it 20 times," she said. >Top

Lines of literally hundreds of applicants filled the halls recently at Pearce High School for RISD’s annual Teacher Job Fair. Almost 1,500 applicants attended the one-day event. “Our job fair was an overwhelming success by all accounts,” said Executive Director for Human Resources-Secondary Campuses, Pam Linton.

Those who attended reflected a variety of educational backgrounds, certifications, and levels of experience. While most attendees were from the North Texas area, there were some who drove or flew in from other areas of the country to attend.

Because of the efforts of RISD staff, the event was well-organized and provided district administrators the opportunity to meet face-to-face with highly qualified candidates. “Many participants commented on the positive tone and welcoming feel,” shared Linton.

District high school soccer teams ended their soccer seasons with many achievements and honors. Congratulations to the following teams and student athletes:

District 9-5A
Berkner Girls: Advanced to area playoffs
Lake Highlands Boys: District champions, advanced to regional quarterfinals
Lake Highlands Girls: Advanced to area playoffs
Richardson Boys: Advanced to district playoffs
District MVP, Girls: Gina Gossett – Lake Highlands
Co-Defensive MVP, Boys: Emmet Kumeh – Lake Highlands
Defensive Player of the Year, Girls: Glory Williams – Lake Highlands
Co-Newcomer of the Year, Boys: Andrew Buckmeier – Richardson
Goal Keeper MVP, Boys: Myles Osborn – Lake Highlands
Goalkeeper of the Year, Girls: Shelby Horn – Berkner

District 10-4A
Pearce Boys: District champions, advanced to regional semifinals
Pearce Girls: State champions (featured)
State Tournament MVP: Kathryn Watson – Pearce
State All-Tournament Team, Girls: Rosa Medina – Pearce;
Kathryn Watson – Pearce
District MVP, Boys: Juan Rivera – Pearce
District MVP, Girls: Taylor Mathews – Pearce
Defensive Player of the Year, Girls: Maddie Harper – Pearce
Midfielder of the Year, Boys: Edgar Gonzaga – Pearce
Co-Utility Player of the Year, Boys: Omar Aguilar – Pearce

Click here to download the full end-of-year wrap-up. >Top

Each year Columbia University hosts the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Awards. These awards are presented to outstanding student journalists from around the country for their superior work. This year, four Richardson High School students were honored:

Melanie Hughes – 1st place Feature Writing, "Junior Shocks, Inspires"
Adam Johnson – 3rd place Feature Writing, "Student Rebuilds Life"
Lacey Teer – Certificate of Merit Feature Photo, "Coach Yells at Ref" (pictured)
Julie Hoang – Certificate of Merit Feature Photo, "Fire!" >Top

This month, ABC’s “Nightline” ran a story entitled “Real Life ‘Glee,’” about Pearce High School’s amazing theater department, built by Lynn Zednick Shaw, Pearce’s beloved theater director for 25 years, who passed away last year.

Shaw’s theater program was called “one of the most successful in the country” by ABC News. The story highlighted how Shaw involved students from all walks of life in theater and then, to honor her memory, how these graduates came together to make one of Shaw’s dreams a reality – bringing together students from the past 25 years for a special performance.

To view this amazing story, click here. >Top

Last month, Richardson-area Farmers Insurance agent Louie Kilgore presented a donation of $700 to Berkner High School’s RAM JAM fund.

Part of the company’s larger “Project Graduation” to provide a safe and memorable alternative to graduation without the influence of drugs and alcohol, Kilgore has been supporting Richardson schools for some time.

“We have been in Richardson for 35 years and are proud to support this wonderful district,” said Agent Louie Kilgore. “Both of my children graduated from Berkner, and I know how much fun these graduation parties can be. I also know how important, how truly life-saving, these drug and alcohol-free events are for the kids.” >Top

The Richardson Police Department received information from the SMU Police Department describing an area "baseball trip" scam. Solicitors have been door-to-door in the SMU area seeking donations or selling magazine subscriptions to benefit Children's Medical Center and to support the SMU baseball team. The solicitors sometimes mention that a portion of the proceeds will support the SMU trip to Hawaii in May for a baseball tournament. According to SMU, these solicitors are not affiliated with or sponsored by SMU in any way. While SMU does have a baseball team, they are NOT out soliciting funds.

Coincidentally, Richardson police have heard from Cottonwood Creek neighbors about someone going doing door-to-door recently claiming to be "new to the neighborhood" or related to someone right down the street. They were also soliciting donations for the SMU baseball trip to Hawaii.

SMU PD has asked that any city experiencing these scams make an effort to identify and/or take enforcement action since this is not a legitimate solicitation. Call your local police department immediately if you are solicited by anyone using this pitch. Timely reporting is key catching these individuals. >Top

The League of Women Voters of Richardson and the RISD Council of PTAs sponsored a Board Candidate Forum on April 20th. This forum was recorded and is available online here.

A second Board Candidate Forum was held April 27 at RHS. It was sponsored by the RISD High School Music Booster Clubs. This forum was recorded courtesy of RHS Communications Magnet studens, and is available online here.

Click here to view more RISD board election information. >Top

Join Forest Lane for the first annual Forest Lane Academy Fine Arts Festival

Thursday, May 6th
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Click here to download the flyer. >Top