Congratulations to Forest Meadow Junior High social studies teacher Casey Gray for being named the 2011 recipient of the MetroPCS Technology Teaching Award. The award honors teachers who do an exceptional job in integrating technology into the classroom and is administered by the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation. Gray will receive a $5,000 award, plus an additional $5,000 to use in the classroom. >Top

Ms. Bowles' kindergarten class at Prestonwood Elementary learned all about the pilgrims leaving England and heading to America on the Mayflower in search of freedom. As a culminating activity they made handprint pictures of the Mayflower and learned a song (to the tune of "The Muffin Man") about the Mayflower. >Top

Forest Meadow Junior High School students collected more than 2,000 cans, boxes and bags of food – nearly 1,700 pounds in all – to help out members of their community before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Led by the FMJH Student Council, the Gobble Goods food drive benefits not only The Network of Community Ministries but also the school's pantry. The Network serves families in need who live within Richardson ISD's boundaries. They collected cans of everything from green beans to soup, as well as dried grains and even toiletries such as shampoo and deodorant.

"A lot of campuses do this, but our campus has a good mix of students – some are really well off, but others have a need," said Carisa Niemeyer, a FMJH choir teacher and Student Council co-sponsor.

In addition to collecting food and leading the drive, students learned about food insecurity and what it means to be in need of assistance.

"Other people need help – we'll always be glad to help," said eighth grader Luke Garwood, FMJH Student Council treasurer.

After stocking the school's pantry, Gobble Goods was able to give 1,645 pounds to The Network, which is a significant donation, said Robin Wilson, director of emergency services for The Network. Schools from throughout RISD held food drives before Thanksgiving, which helps the organization during the busy holiday season.

"In this community, it's amazing how much people give back," Wilson said. "It's a great lesson for the kids." >Top

Students at Spring Valley Elementary recently showed off the work they've done in enrichment clusters at their first-ever "Cluster Fair."

Parents, teachers and their fellow students got to see projects that included learning about babysitting, recycling and energy efficiency, string art, photography, filmmaking, dance performance and more.

Some projects, such as fantasy football, involved learning about compiling statistics, while others like the recycling group worked to improve the school and community by cleaning up and figuring out ways to reduce energy and water use. (And money raised through recycling aluminum cans will go toward helping to pay for future enrichment activities.)

Home Depot, Campbell and Coit location, is working in partnership with Prestonwood Elementary to beautify the campus, as well as planning upcoming projects.

Prestonwood students and staff are excited to have such a generous and supportive community partner. A special thanks to Mr. Brian, Mr. Mike, Ms. Cindy and Ms. Maryann for taking time out of their day to lead an enrichment cluster where a group of students built and painted toolboxes.

Thank you so much, Home Depot! >Top

Corey Coleman, a senior wide receiver from Pearce High School, was named the 2011 RISD football MVP as the district's 2011 All-RISD Football Team was recently announced.

Offensive player of the year is Berkner junior quarterback Yedidiah Lewis; defensive players of the year are Berkner junior lineman De'Shon Purtue and Lake Highlands senior defensive back Dana "Two-Two" Taylor; and Berkner senior Trey Caldwell is special teams player of the year.

Also honored are Berkner sophomore running back/linebacker Cameron Booty, offensive newcomer of the year; Pearce sophomore linebacker Marcel Watson and Berkner sophomore linebacker Triston Robertson, defensive newcomers of the year; and Berkner coach Jim Ledford and Lake Highlands coach Scott Smith, coaches of the year.

All honorees are selected by the four athletic coordinators from the district. For a full list of the all-RISD team, please click here. >Top

Four talented RISD students auditioned to become members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra children's holiday chorus. They are Bobby Mahurin, a seventh grader from Forest Meadow Junior High; Molly Carpenter and Drew Echols, seventh graders from West Junior High; and Mary Estrera a ninth grader from Lake Highlands Freshman Center.

These students will perform in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Celebration concert series at the Meyerson Symphony Center Dec. 2-18.

Here the students take a break during a recent promotional spot on Fox 4 news Good Day program featuring the children's choir. >Top

A math problem, that is! Dover Elementary students and their parents found out what makes math "Out of This World" at the outer-space-themed math night.

Parent volunteers and Junior Beta Club worked hard decorating, and teachers planned math games for all ages. Students excitedly showed their parents around the building, boldly going where no one had gone before. Some "extra-terrestrial" teachers even showed up in costume!

The math scavenger hunt had students working together to solve problems all around the school. Everyone that came definitely had a close encounter with fun! >Top

Sixty students in the second and third grades at Northlake Elementary received free dental screening exams, sealants on permanent molars, and fluoride treatments Nov. 17 and 18.

Dr. Stephen Crane and a group of dental students from the Baylor College of Dentistry provided the dental care. They applied a total of 134 sealants, the most they have applied at a school this year. Sixteen students were referred for further dental treatment. >Top

During the Northwood Hills Elementary School's Book Fair, students donated more than $220 to buy books for the young patients at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

Thanks NHE! >Top

Prestoncrest Church of Christ Donates
Shoes to Wallace Elementary Students
Members of Prestoncrest Church of Christ recently surprised some Wallace Elementary students with two pairs of much-needed shoes apiece.

Forty volunteers from Prestoncrest gave the 98 students, all recent Burmese refugees, shoes and socks on Nov. 29. Wallace Principal Debbie Evans Yarger said she could see the excitement on the students' faces as they wore their new footwear the next day.

"They were walking in and just looking at their shoes when they came in the door," she said. "So many of them were wearing worn out flip-flops, and some had shoes that were three sizes too big or were so small that their toes curled under," she said.

Methodist Richardson Brings
Robotic Surgical System To Berkner
Berkner High students recently got an up-close look at advanced surgical equipment, thanks to Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

More than 300 students had the opportunity to sit at the surgeon's console and test-drive the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, using a 3-D simulator program that physicians use to practice finer points of their surgical technique for the system. They also were able to speak with Dr. Richard Salter, an OB/GYN on the Methodist Richardson staff, about robotic surgery.

Most of the students are enrolled in Berkner's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Magnet.

Berkner High School
Verizon Honors Berkner Senior
Berkner High School senior Michael Pitts was recently featured on Channel 5's "Inside High School Football" show as a recipient of a 2011 Verizon Community Leader Award. Along with recognition at a Berkner pep rally this fall, the Ramblers – which Michael is a member of – received a $1,000 donation from Verizon.

Michael was one of 10 members of athletics and spirit organizations from around the Dallas-Fort Worth area to be honored by Verizon. The award recognizes students, coaches and teachers who contribute to their schools and communities. >Top

Lake Highlands High School
Lake Highlands Marketing Students Meet With State Advisor
Lake Highlands High School's new chapter of DECA met recently with Texas DECA Executive Director Sandra Hinesly, who told students about opportunities within the organization. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges. DECA offers students the opportunity for leadership development and competition through marketing leadership development conferences and competitive events such as marketing research and proposals, role plays, and written tests judged by business professionals. >Top

Richardson High School
RHS Girls Athletics College Signings
Congratulations to Farrin Bell and Nina McGouldrick on their recent college signings!

Farrin Bell will play basketball at SMU, and Nina McGouldrick will play volleyball at the University of Southern New Hampshire. >Top