Little Elm High School
Weekly Newsletter -January 21, 2018
Basketball and Soccer Season in Full Swing
Join in the excitement - Support our Lobos!
Winter for many means a time to slow down. Even in nature we see some animals hibernate while others fly south to warmer weather. In Texas it is hard to predict whether we will have sub-freezing weather has we have had over the last week or Spring-like weather in the 70's. In high schools across the country it doesn't matter what the weather is outside. Students are gearing up and in full swing participating in winter sports such as basketball and soccer. At LEHS this year our teams are playing their hearts out and leaving a trail of wins as proof they are not in a winter slump.
Boy's varsity soccer has recently logged wins against Fort Worth Southwest, Gainesville, and Saginaw leading to the tournament championship game where they lost a hard fought close battle with Lake Dallas. While the boy's junior varsity team beat Fort Worth Western Hills in the championship game of the Saginaw Tournament. The Boy's Soccer teams begin district play on January 30th at Prosper and play The Colony at home (LEAC) on February 2, 5:30/7:00PM. See full schedules linked below.
Girl's varsity soccer is off to a strong start. They beat Hillcrest 6-0 and Weatherford 3-0 in the Richardson tournament. Across town, Girl's JV Soccer was making their statement by beating Sam Houston 4-0 and Frisco 1-0 in the Frisco tournament. The Girl's Soccer teams begin district play on January 30th and play Prosper at home (LEAC) and at The Colony on February 2, 5:30/7:00PM. See full schedules linked below.
Girl's basketball is experiencing a rebuilding year after graduating all 5 of their starters last year. The varsity has a young team but they are full of determination and are in the middle of the pack in district 14-5A. They could use some fan encouragement and support as they finish out their season and fight for a playoff spot. The sub-varsity teams, both JV and freshmen, have had key wins foreshadowing great things to come in future seasons. The girls have 5 games left in district play with two home games against Creekview (Jan. 26) and Lake Dallas (Feb. 2).
Boy's basketball has not missed a beat continuing their success from last year's record breaking year. Varsity is unbeaten in district play while the freshmen and JV add to the wins column often providing a sweep of their opponents. Varsity was ranked 7th in the state by the Texas Basketball Coaches Association as of January 15th but they have had two big wins this week against 6th ranked Prosper and district rivals The Colony which should move them up in this week's rankings. The recap of Friday nights win against The Colony reported by Greg Riddle of the Dallas Morning News states, "R.J. Hampton of Little Elm a five-star recruit, ranked as the third-best player in the nation in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.com, had 35 points, eight rebounds and six steals to propel the state's seventh-ranked 5A team to a 91-63 win against The Colony. Hampton is now averaging 30.7 points per game for the season. Javian Williams hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Little Elm (20-6, 7-0 District 14-5A). Little Elm led 37-36 at halftime before outscoring The Colony 54-27 in the second half." The atmosphere was electric with both student sections supporting their teams with loud chants while standing throughout the game. If you have not made it to a game this year you still have plenty of opportunities to see the team in action. The boys have 7 district games left with 4 home games (Creekview 1/26, Lake Dallas 2/2, Prosper 2/9, and The Colony 2/13). Check out the Girl's a Boy's full schedules linked below.
Our students have worked hard and are representing Little Elm in a way that others are taking notice. I encourage our students, parents, and community to come out and support these teams and you will not be disappointed!
Renee Pentecost
Principal
Little Elm High School
Thank a School Board Member!
January is School Board Recognition Month and Little Elm ISD is joining other districts across the state to thank these community volunteers for their commitment and contributions to our public schools. Preparing today’s students to be productive citizens and the leaders of tomorrow is a tremendous task. As elected officials, school board members are the voice of their communities, serving first and foremost in the best interest of our schoolchildren. We proudly salute these education advocates as they provide vision and leadership for student achievement, academic programs, district funding, and school facilities. Their service ensures that decisions about local public schools are made by those most familiar with the needs of our community’s children and families.Great leadership always begins with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference. Please join us as we applaud these local leaders for helping our kids soar to success!
Thank you -
Melissa Myers, Board President
David Montemayor, Board Vice President
Jason Olson, Board Secretary
Dan Blackwood, Trustee
DeLeon English, Trustee
Alex Flores, Trustee
LeAnna Harding, Trustee
LEHS salutes you!
LEHS Grad Making a Name in Hollywood
LEHS Pole Vaulter Sean McClellan in the News
This past weekend Sean McClellan competed at the UCS National Indoor Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada. This event is one of the biggest competition in the US, if not the world with over 1600 jumpers. Sean represented Little Elm High School (vaulting with the Texas Pole Vault group) and finished 3rd in his grouping with a vault of 15'. Congratulations to Sean.
Sean Pictured with Sam Kendricks (2016 Olympics) and Mondo Duplantis (World Jr Record Holder 18' 101/2").
FFA Students Compete in Ft. Worth
Ft. Worth is a state level competition. Last year was our first year to have FFA and for students to compete. According to Mrs. Alcorn, "To understand just how much we have grown, last year we took 2 projects and 5 students; this year we took 6 projects and 10 students. We have more than doubled our show team and our project quality is much higher."
Please congratulate the following students:
Zack Creason and Alexis Casillas with Single Axle trailer built from scratch- Blue Ribbon Group (a first for LE FFA. Means that they were eligible for final placing. Mechanics shows only place the top 3 of each class)
Abigail Resendiz De La Cruz and Julian Carney with Restoration J.I Case steel plow- Red ribbon group
Roberto Guerra with Restoration single row horse drawn harrow- Red ribbon group
Austin Eder and Trevor Russell with Restoration single row horse drawn cultivator- White Ribbon Group
Seth Maynard and Zach Shealy with Restoration John Deere Steel Plow- White Ribbon Group
Irene Castaneda with picnic table- White Ribbon Group
Zack Creason and Seth Maynard competed in Texas M.A.D.E scholarship competition but did not advance. In order to compete, seniors have to have competed at Ft. Worth at least one year prior to their senior year and also their senior year. They have a timed 50 question test over mechanics and the top 10 advance. There were 51 competitors on Sunday.
Congratulations to Mrs. Alcorn and these FFA students!
SAT Practice Stars: Where Are They Now? (Matthew Blue)
We first met Matthew Blue a year ago, when he was a senior at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, Texas. He was one of the first Official SAT Practice success stories across the country—his SAT score went up more than 200 points from his PSAT/NMSQT score after he practiced on Khan Academy 10 hours a week, in school and after school. “All I had before was a dictionary and books I could take from the library,” he said. “When my teachers introduced me to Khan Academy, I was so happy that it was free.”
Today, Matthew told us he finished his first semester at Langston University in Oklahoma with a 4.0 grade point average. “Before, my [college] options were very limited, but once I saw my new SAT scores, I was over the threshold so to speak,” said Matthew. He used Official SAT Practice to prepare not only for the SAT, but for his classes as well.
Matthew says he had to really focus in college, where there are a lot of distractions, but he overcame them. He has some words of wisdom for other first-generation college
LEHS will provide a FREE SAT® during the school day on March 7th for Juniors
For the first time ever, we will be offering the SAT® to all juniors at Little Elm High School on a school day. Students typically have to sign up for a Saturday test date on their own, but we will be registering all of the juniors to take it on Wednesday, March 7th – free of charge! We think this will allow ALL of our juniors the opportunity to show colleges that they’re ready.
Each student will be allowed to send their scores to up to four colleges, universities, or scholarship programs for free, so students need to begin thinking about where they’d like to send their scores. They will have an opportunity to mark their four choices on their answer document when they take the test.
Students should have received an email from College Board with instructions on how to access their PSAT/NMSQT® scores from October, and on how to set up a College Board account. Please check your school email account if you missed it and set up your College Board account. Once you’ve set it up, you’ll be able to link it to a Khan Academy® account and take advantage of free SAT test prep. Khan Academy will give you a personalized study plan based on your PSAT/NMSQT scores.
Why practice?? A study of 250,000 seniors from the class of 2017 found that 20 hours on Khan Academy helped students increase their scores by an average of 115 points from the PSAT to the SAT. Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy helps students work on the areas they need it most. Khan Academy has 8 full-length tests written by College Board, video lessons, and thousands of practice questions – all online so students can practice whenever and wherever they’d like. And it’s free! Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy can be found at satpractice.org.
Questions about the SAT day opportunity see Mrs. Heller in Room 2100.
Questions about signing up or accessing your College Board account see Mrs. Keisha Brown in the library.
Need Dental Care - See Announcement Below
Handbag Auction Raises Funds for CIS
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
Two New Scholarship Opportunities Below
8th Annual Dallas Mavericks Scholarship Program
Deadline: February 23, 2018
The Dallas Mavericks, Harrison Barnes and Century 21 Mike Bowman, Inc. have teamed up to present the 8th annual Dallas Mavericks Scholarship Program to DFW Metroplex high school seniors in financial need. Seniors will have the opportunity to apply for one (1) of four (4) $5,000 scholarships. See link below for eligibility and details.
https://www.mavs.com/community/education-and-recognition/scholarship/
Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Essay Contest
Deadline: February 28, 2018
I am a living legend. In honor of Black History Month and those who changed history, Regions is giving students an opportunity to embrace their own legacies. Tell us about an African-American who has inspired you by entering the Regions Riding Forward® Scholarship Essay Contest, and you could earn a $5,000 or $3,500 college scholarship.
Scholarship Search Site - Provided by College Board
College Covered
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
National Honor Society Scholarship
2017–18 Program Timeline
October 6—Application available.
January 30—Deadline for student applications.
February 5—Deadline for adviser and principal recommendations and certification. One other faculty recommendation is also due.
Early May—Recipients and their schools will be notified by letter and email.
Late May—Nonrecipients will be notified by email.
June—List of 2017-18 NHS Scholarship recipients posted on the NHS website.
July 1—Deadline to accept, decline, or defer award.
Early August—Scholarship checks mailed to recipients’ home addresses, made payable to the recipient's designated college or university.
2017–18 Award Distribution
475 national semifinalists - $2,850 scholarship
24 national finalists - $5,150 scholarship
1 national winner - $22,650 scholarship
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
All NHS members also have access to NHS Scholar Dollars, a scholarship search tool powered by College Board. This tool expedites the scholarship search process, offering filtered results based on the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Use the tool at www.nhs.us/scholardollars.
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
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.
Are You Planning on being a Civil Engineer? Then check out this grant.
The Texas Dept. of Transportation offers a Conditional Grant Program to eligible students pursuing a degree in civil engineering or a department-approved operational business discipline. The Conditional Grant Program will consider both Texas public and private four-year institutions.
Students accepted into the program receive up to $3,000 per semester or $6,000 per academic year for tuition, based on financial need.
The application may be downloaded at: http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/hrd/cgp-application.pdf , completed and mailed to the address below.
Mail application packets to: Texas Department of Transportation
HRD/Employment Opportunities/CGP
125 East 11th Street
Austin, TX 78701-2483
Applications to the Conditional Grant Program must be post marked prior to March 1st.
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