Little Elm High School
Weekly Newsletter -November 19, 2017
Light a Lamp for Someone: Teens as Mentors
Program Spotlight – PAL’s
One of the classes offered at Little Elm High School is called Peer Assistance and Leadership or PAL’s. The PAL’s class uses the potential of youth to make a difference in their lives, schools and communities. PAL’s recognizes an innate capacity for social understanding, personal well-being, and community participation within every student. PAL’s nurtures and builds capacities to help youth increase resiliency and build protective factors to help them achieve school and social successes which lead to a productive life.
PAL’s students learn to adapt the power of peer pressure to influence others positively and, ultimately, they make a difference in the lives of others! Positive peer influence is utilized as a central strategy for addressing issues like bullying, low achievement, at-risk youth, drop-out prevention, substance abuse prevention and other community issues.
PAL’s students work with at risk students and serve as mentors in Little Elm ISD. PAL’s develop a close and trusting relationship with each other, along with their mentees. Mentoring has been proven to help youth better express their feelings, improve school grades, expect more from themselves, get along better with others, and become more involved in enrichment programs and after-school activities.
Mentoring doesn’t just benefit the one being mentored. There is a shared growth between mentor and mentee. According to Youth.gov, some benefits for mentors include: Increased self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment, increased patience, and improved supervisory skills. Teens who can’t seem to find their fit in their normal, everyday lives may discover their sense of belonging by leading others. Guiding others helps teens and the ones they mentor to reach their full potential in school and life. Students who like to help others, who are good listeners and who are wanting to make a difference, need to talk to Mr. Olenski about joining PAL’s. According to a Buddhist proverb, “If you light a lamp for someone it will also brighten your own path.”
Renee Pentecost
LEHS Principal
Academic Decathlon is the second largest academic program in the nation where students can take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to be one of the beneficiaries of $150,000 in scholarships that are awarded each year to Academic Decathlon competitors in Texas, more than any other state in the nation. There are 40 states that compete annually in Decathlon competition. The highest scoring team in the state goes to national competition. The national competition is held in a different competing state every year. It’s a chance to travel, win medals and scholarships and make new friends all across the country!
Teams of nine high school students compete in academic events. The makeup of each of the nine member teams must include three A students, three B students, and three C or below students.
Academic Decathletes take 30-minute multiple-choice tests in the subjects of Art, Economics, Music, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. In addition, each team member gives a planned 4-minute Speech and a 2-minute impromptu Speech, participates in a 7 minute Interview, and has 50 minutes to write an Expository Essay. The Super Quiz Relay, the final event, is open to the public and features questions from subject matters including Art, Economics, Music, Language and Literature, Science, and Social Science. All Decathletes compete in all ten events. Each year a new topic is announced for the following year’s competitions. This year’s topic is Africa. AcDec students their study materials at the end of the prior school year and begin studying right away. Like sports athletes, they train throughout the summer to prepare for competitions during the school year.
LEHS's New Horizons Theatre competed last weekend for the second year at the Dionysia improv contest. Not only did we bring two teams this year, both holding their own, but we took home 4 out of 5 of the Best Improviser awards!! Please congratulate these students:
Troy Daly
Ashley Wilson*
Ashley Khan*
Gabie Filic*
Cassidy Davis
Mariano Aguirre
Dylan Weand
Jessica Cohen
John Morrow
Landon Jackson
Laureen Karichu
Finn Niemeyer*
Sergio Padilla
Madison Lankford
*Recipient of Best Improviser award
Please keep your eyes out for the following LEHS Band members who will be participating in the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade as members of the Macy's All-American Marching Band. This year's participants include:
Sam Kirchner - trumpet
Taylor Esparza - flute
Diego Raygoza-Castanos - french horn
Hanna Kevric - french horn
Elizabeth Heselton - french horn
These students will be representing the LEHS Band and Little Elm ISD on national television. Go Lobos!
Congratulations to Harrison Collins on Another Composers Award!
The National Young Composers Challenge is open to young musicians ages 13 to 18 who are U.S. residents.The Challenge is simple. First, you write your own composition for small ensemble (2 to 6 instruments) or full orchestra. Then, a panel of judges chooses the top three orchestral and top three ensemble compositions to be performed and recorded by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the NYCC Composium. The 2017 Composium will be held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida on November 12, 2017.
The National Young Composers Challenge is excited to announce the winners of the 2017 NYCC challege. From the finalists, the judges have selected the following compositions to be performed at the 2017 Composium. The winners are listed below in alphabetical order. This order does not imply relative ratings.
ENSEMBLE
Kuma Lisa - Elise Arancio - Tucker, GA - age 16
The Story of Tristan and Isolde - Gahwon Lee - Plano, TX - age 18
Three Night Pieces I - Paul Novak - Reno, NV - age 18
FULL ORCHESTRA
The Paper Man - Harrison Collins - Little Elm, TX - age 17
Dreamscape - Zev Malina - Harrisburg, PA - age 14
Fantasy for Orchestra - Daniel Zarb-Cousin - Huntington Beach, CA - age 17
Harrison traveled to Orlando, Florida on Monday, November 13 to meet with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the NYCC Composium and receive his award. We are so proud of Harrison and the work he has done receiving national attention and awards. Way to go Harrison!
A driver’s education course will be offered beginning in the second semester. We will begin January 8th. It will include classroom and behind the wheel instruction. Successful completion of the course will enable the student to apply for their driver’s license. Enrollment will be limited so it will be on a first-come first-serve basis. Classroom instruction will be after school at 3 pm Mon-Fri. The driving instruction will be on a schedule of your choosing. Students must be 15 years of age or older as of January 15 to enroll. Fee for the class is $400 made out too Little Elm High School. Interested individuals need to contact Coach Cousins (mcousins@littleelmisd.net) .
Free Holiday Concert at LEHS
Report Harmful, Harassing, and Bullying Behavior
LEISD has an on-line tool called "Anonymous Alerts" that students, parents, and teachers can use to report harmful, harassing, and bullying type behaviors. Anonymous Alerts bullying reporting mobile app helps combat bullying and other negative activity in schools by empowering students to speak up. Social and peer pressures are some of the hardest obstacles for students to overcome. Anonymous Alerts encourages students, parents and staff to quickly, easily, and anonymously report bullying, cyber-bullying, gang-related issues, and other sensitive topics through private messages to school officials by building. All reports remain completely anonymous even during a two-way email conversation, although submitters have the option to reveal their identity if they prefer to have a person-to-person discussion.
To send a report from the Web/Internet go to: www.anonymousalerts.com/littleelmisd/
To send a report from your phone:
- Download the Anonymous Alerts® app for free from the Apple Store, Google Play store, and the Chrome store
- Start the App, enter login: leisd and password: leisd
- Send important reports to school officials
- Add a screen shot or photo about the incident
Scholarship Opportunities
While you are there, check out the website College Covered. Do you want to know what you need in a winning college essay, what college entrance test score you need, or what makes a top notch college application? Get what you need to help get into the college of your dreams with the help of College Covered.
An App Matches Students with College Scholarships They Can Use
BETTIE DOROTHY REMEMBRANCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
This scholarship is to honor Bettie Gonzalez, mother of six, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 38. The scholarship is available to any college bound girl who is motherless for any reason. We believe that every young woman should have a chance at achieving her goals and fulfilling her dreams. We would like to be a part of empowering her on that journey toward her education goals. We are looking for that young woman who is motivated to do all she can to achieve her dreams!
Amount
The $1,000 Scholarship will be divided equally between semesters in the first year. Mentoring will also be provided if desired.
Payment
Funds will be released upon proof of enrollment. It is the responsibility of the recipient to send documentation confirming enrollment for each semester. The check will be made out jointly to the recipient and junior college, college, or university of the student’s choice.
Eligibility
- U.S. citizen or legal, permanent resident with a permanent resident card
- Graduating high school senior
- Motherless daughter who is motivated to achieve her dreams
Application Process
Applications are available Nov. 1, 2016 and may be downloaded from www.BDGhope.org
To be considered, applicants must send or email completed application by March 15th , 2017 to: Bettie D. Gonzalez Foundation of Hope 1472 Sandstone Dr. Frisco, TX 75034 Or email to: scholarhip@BDGhope.org
Application can be downloaded from here.
Students whose parents or family are on the Bettie D. Gonzalez Foundation Board of Directors are not eligible for this scholarship. For questions, please contact: info@BDGhope.org
The School of Health Professions at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center would like to announce that we are accepting applications Dec. 1, 2017 – Jan. 19, 2018 for the Summer Program June 4 – July 20, 2018.
For more information visit our web page (http://bit.ly/SHP-HS-Summer). We are looking for students interested in the allied health professions that could benefit from our 7-week educational experience. Our faculty and staff will provide them with lectures and laboratory activities to showcase our undergraduate programs, to demonstrate to the students how each field relates to the fight to end cancer, and to make the students aware of career opportunities in healthcare.
Students will receive a scholarship to help defray living expenses during the program. Participants living outside a 20-mile radius from our campus will have the choice to stay at a Rice University college (residence hall).
No new applications will be taken after January 19. We hope to choose the students by early April.
Whether through essays or multimedia, you've used your voices to share visions for a better world. So here's your chance to put them to action! Submit a proposal for how you'll better your community. Because this will be a much more rigorous process with multiple rounds, we're also raising the bar for tuition awards: from five $1,000 tuition awards to five $10,000 tuition awards! We will also fund the top project up to $5,000.
The PROCESS:We will be breaking the process into 3 rounds, using the principles of design thinking:
- Read the Rules and Terms & Conditions (below)
- Design and submit your ROUND 1 proposal:
- First 3 stages of design thinking Launch cycle
- Students submit overall proposal based on the Ford Institute community building principles
- We select applications based on their completion, seriousness, and viability, offering feedback for those approved to move on to round 2.
- Deadline: February 11, 2018, 11:59 MST
- Design and submit your ROUND 2 artifact:
- Next 3 phases of design thinking launch cycle (all but the final launch)
- Students submit an artifact representing their progress and learning
- We give additional feedback
- Deadline: March 18, 2018, 11:59 MST
- Design and submit your ROUND 3 reflection:
- LAUNCH phase of design thinking launch cycle.
- Students submit a final reflection that shares how their project is doing one of the following: 1) increasing connections, 2)building capacity, or 3) taking community-led action. They also share their ideas for acquiring further funding, in addition to the $5,000 from HGU if selected as the top finalist.
- Include a video of yourself working on your project
- Deadline: April 15, 2018 at 11:59 MST.
- We select 5 winners to receive $10,000 tuition scholarships to their colleges, with the top one receiving $5,000 funding to launch their project into the design thinking cycle once more during the summer of 2018 to maximize impact.
CLICK HERE for more details and FAQs on each round.
Student Champion* Application
The ACT College and Career Readiness Student Champion is tenacious and persistent, no matter the challenge, and is prepared for life after high school with a goal in mind and a plan in place.
- A student who has overcome challenges and can articulate education and career actions
- Students must have a composite ACT score of a 22 on a single test date or a 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale
- Preference will be given to underrepresented or first-generation college students.
Students will fill out their own applications.
*Applicants must be members of the graduating class of 2018 who have taken the ACT.
The application deadline is December 31, 2017.
Little Elm High School
Chris Reza - Associate Principal (creza@littleelmisd.net)
Alen Palislamovic - White House Principal A - D (apalislamovic@littleelmisd.net)
Ruben Molinar - Grey House Principal E - K (rmolinar@littleelmisd.net)
Kyle Heller - Blue House Principal L - Ra (kheller@littleelmisd.net)
Terilyn Thomas-Monday - Gold House Principal Re - Z (tthomas-monday@littleelmisd.net)
Website: http://www.littleelmisd.net/Domain/9
Location: 1900 Walker Lane, Little Elm, TX, United States
Phone: (972) 947-9443
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Elm-High-School/736775073135970?notif_t=page_fan
Twitter: @LittleElmHS