District in Pictures
March 6, 2020
Digital Learning Day 2020 Highlights Digital Classroom Strategies
About 50 WFISD administrators and community members teamed up Feb. 28 to tour 15 schools and observe students involved in digital learning. Educators showcased students using digital tools, educational apps and innovative strategies. WFISD’s goal with technology is to make learning visible to a worldwide audience. This is the fifth year for WFISD to participate in the national observance.
Fowler Elementary Principal and Assistant Principal Honored by TEPSA
Fowler Elementary Principal Alexandra Martin was one of 20 school leaders statewide named TEPSANs of the Year by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). Members from the 20 regions annually honor a colleague for outstanding service to the association, and Ms. Martin represents Region 9. Fowler Elementary Assistant Principal Amy Simmons was chosen as the TEPSA Assistant Principal of the Year for Region 9 by TEPSA. The peer-based award recognizes assistant principals for their commitment to student learning as evidenced by exceptional school leadership. Both of Fowler's campus leaders will be recognized in Austin on June 17. TEPSA has more than 5,900 members who direct the activities of more than 3 million children in grades PreK-8.
Zundy Elementary Student Wins Recycled Art Contest for Second Consecutive Year
Zundy 4th grader Valeria Granados won the top honor in the Arts Alive! Home & Garden Festival 2020 Youth Recycled Art Contest, sponsored by the Texoma Community Credit Union. To make her project, “The Blue Bird,” she cut up compact discs to make the sharp, glass-like feathers. She started planning her project a month ago, she said. She won $250 for herself and $250 for Zundy's art program. This year she plans to use her winnings to pay her way to her first summer camp. Principal Becky Hernandez arranged a parade for Valeria to walk her artwork through the school to show it off to the rest of the students. Pictured clockwise from top left: Her 2020 winning entry, Valeria's parade, her 2019 winning entry. Last year when she was a 3rd-grader, Valeria won the same contest with her entry, “Fancy the Weenie Dog,” made from recycled plastics.
West Foundation, Southern Hills, Zundy Elementary Students Win Youth Recycled Art Contest
Wichita Falls High School, Hirschi and Rider Art Students Honored at VASE
Sheppard Elementary Receives Base Recognition for Tornado Drill
Sheppard Elementary Principal Cindy Waddell accepted an award from the 82nd Training Wing Inspector General for outstanding performance during a base-wide tornado drill Feb. 25. Col. Bell, the Sheppard Air Force Base Commander, praised staff and students for excellent behavior and performance observed during the drill.
West Foundation Elementary Students Take First Place in District UIL Championship Competition
West Foundation Elementary students competed Feb. 22 in the District UIL Championship competition and were awarded first place, making them WFISD District Champs. “We are so proud of our students and thankful for our continued parent support,” said West Principal Kim Smith.
110 WFISD Students Challenge Themselves in District UIL Contests
Community Relations Team Earns Nine Awards at Annual Competition
WFISD’s Community Relations team received nine honorary distinctions in the TSPRA Star Awards Contest for a variety of district marketing and communications projects completed last year, including the publication of this e-newsletter, District in Pictures. Communications Officer Ashley Thomas, Webmaster Jessica Wilkins, Secretary Mandy Salas and Communications Specialist Ann Work Goodrich won one TSPRA Crystal Merit Award, 6 Gold Star Awards, and 2 Silver Star Awards at the Feb. 26 Star Awards Celebration in Austin. Pictured left to right: Ann Work Goodrich, Mandy Salas, Jessica Wilkins, PIE Coordinator January Cadotte, and Ashley Thomas.
The Homebuilders Association Donates $5,600 Toward Career Education Center’s House #2
The North Texas Homebuilders Association of Wichita Falls continues to participate with the Career Education Center by supporting the Construction program. This year, the association gave $5,600 to help fund the building of the CEC’s second house under the direction of teacher Scott Little (pictured center, in yellow). Students learn the construction trade by hands-on involvement at every stage of the building process.
Fain Elementary Students Create Art Expo Ads
Fain students are looking forward to sharing their artwork at The Art Expo at The Forum next week, but advertising the event is also fun learning experience. Fain 5th grader Genesis Cortez created an iMovie to advertise the March 10 event that will feature Fain student artists at The Forum from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Another student created a poster. “Students have worked with several community teaching artists, as well as (Fain art teachers) Audra Miller and Carissa Long,” said Fain Principal Clarisa Richie. Watch the iMovie ad here.
TAME Competition Challenges Wichita County Students
WFISD campus TAME sponsors – Ferran Kaspar, Jennifer Parker, Gwenna Gallenberger, Michael Mitchell, Amber Houck, C.J. Gardner, Brian Bass, Joshua Nielsen, Dorene Baker, and George Samus – hosted a TAME competition Feb. 15 at the Career Education Center. The Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering event, sponsored by ConocoPhillips and Halliburton, presented students with math and science tests, then an engineering challenge. Each group designed a “separator” to separate three objects: plastic BBs, pony beads and marbles. No two separators were the same, said Steve Henderson. “Every year I am more amazed at the awesome designs,” he said.
McNiel Middle School Student Broadcasters Do Texas-Themed Broadcast
Since McNiel's broadcast journalism class had written funny editions of the daily announcements to celebrate April Fool's Day and Valentine's Day, Melanie Wright challenged her 8th grade humanities students to research Texas facts for a history-themed edition of the announcements to acknowledge Texas Independence Day on March 2. Pictured: Zach Reis dressed as Davy Crockett to give a realistic Texas weather forecast. Their work was done under the direction of 8th grade U.S. History teacher Melanie Wright and broadcast journalism teacher Amanda Cross. "My class spent a couple days in the broadcast journalism studio working on the final script, getting familiar with the cameras and practicing before the actual recording," said Ms. Wright. "The broadcast journalism class served as producers." Everyone celebrated with tortilla chips and salsa when the recording was complete.
Fain Elementary 5th Graders Sell Ceramic Cupcakes
Fain 5th graders found a creative way to support three of their favorite things: the Kemp Center for the Arts, The Forum and The Arts Council of Wichita Falls. These young artists created cupcakes out of clay and are selling them for $5 to $10 apiece to raise money to help preserve and restore the Kemp Center for the Arts and The Forum. Steve Hilton and the Midwestern State University Ceramics Department donated the clay and firing of the cupcakes to make this project possible.
Cunningham Students Enjoy Painting Party
Under the direction of Jennifer Aquillon and Rebecca Alfert, Cunningham Elementary LIFE students and second-graders teamed up to make a special banner that was used to celebrate National Inclusion Day on March 4. “Spread the word! Inclusion!” said Rebecca Alfert.
Lamar Elementary Students Transform into Dr. Seuss Characters Thing 1 and Thing 2
On Monday, students in Lamar teacher Blanca Brezina’s class transformed themselves into Dr. Seuss characters Thing 1 and Thing 2 – and Things 3-15. They made their outfits and wore blue headpieces to most accurately reflect the blue-haired, red-suited look of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the classic Dr. Seuss book, "The Cat in the Hat." The activity celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday March 2.
Communities in Schools Serves More than 4,000 Students on Four WFISD Campuses
Communities in Schools site coordinators at four WFISD campuses connect students and families with community resources that address students’ academic and non-academic needs. So far this year, the program coordinators are managing 341 students in one-to-one meetings. Activities help students with social, coping and leadership skills, academics, and attendance issues. For example, a Barwise 7th grader has seen her social studies grades and behavior improve with the help of her CIS worker. She attended behavioral lunch groups where they discussed anger management; she receives peer support from a Wichita Falls High School PAL, and she attends one-on-one meetings with Barwise Site Coordinator Ms. Acosta. With their encouragement, she has raised her social studies grade from a 79 in the first six-week grading period to a 96 in the fourth six-week grading period.
Lamar Elementary Students Celebrate a Grand ‘Smarty Gras’
Forget Mardi Gras. On Feb. 25, Lamar students celebrated something even more fun: Smarty Gras. Students participated in a variety of learning activities to earn beads from staff members. Each class created masks with geometric shapes. They also created a class float. Floats were paraded through the school by grade level in the afternoon. The event, coordinated by Mindy Tedford, led Lamar students into “crunch season” as students and teachers bear down for the testing season ahead.
Wichita Falls High School Anatomy and Physiology Students Make Labs Personal
When you’re studying a subject like Anatomy and Physiology, it’s easy to make personal applications of classroom labs. WFHS students in Dr. Anita Lang’s classes performed lab tests where they discovered that the sense of smell is necessary for tasting. They learned the techniques for taking blood pressure and how muscles fatigue quickly when doing certain exercises – like wall squats.
Ben Franklin Kindergartners Receive a Dr. Seuss Mini Party Courtesy of Frank & Joe’s Coffee House
Hally Davis’ kindergarten class was nominated and then selected to receive a special Dr. Seuss Mini Party, hosted by Frank & Joe’s Coffee House. Students won a prize for reading words. They talked about what they want to do when they grow up. After reading the Dr. Seuss classic, “Green Eggs and Ham,” the students were served green eggs and ham sandwiches and a mini Thing 1 and Thing 2 strawberry cooler.
Haynes Northwest Academy Celebrates a Week of Dr. Seuss Festivities
There was no doubt in anybody’s mind who was being celebrated at Haynes this week. Dr. Seuss was the subject of every door decoration, science experiment, dress-up activity, photo booth prop, staff potluck menu and prize for a random drawing of “Seusstacular” outfits.
Chartwells Introduces Broccoli Slaw to Jefferson Elementary Students
What first-grader has ever heard of broccoli slaw? Now first-grade students at Jefferson not only know about it but they know how to make it. The lesson was part of an introduction to the benefits of cruciferous vegetables and all the tasty ways to enjoy them, said Emily Kincaid, Chartwells marketing director.
McNiel Middle School Students Make Introductory Visits to Help 5th Graders
Think back: Did you feel any trepidation before you entered middle school? A team of McNiel students under the direction of Mark Dudley has taken the initiative to visit fifth-graders at their elementary schools and answer their questions about the big step up to middle school in sixth grade. “I select 15 of my Student Council kids from all three grades and travel with our counselors to Fowler, Jefferson, Milam and West Foundation,” said Mr. Dudley (pictured far left). “Our kids talk about the different aspects of middle school life and how it differs from elementary.” This is the third year for such visits, he said.
Lamar Elementary Receives Its List of Supplies from Midwest Dental
Recently Lamar 5th grade science teacher Jeremieh Taylor and Lamar nurse Rosalind Alicea collaborated to create a detailed list of items needed for the school clinic. The list was passed on to PIE Partner Midwest Dental, who generously met the school’s needs, providing step-lid trash cans, cotton balls, tongue depressors, gauze and pediatric face masks. Pictured: Midwest Dental’s Paula Clark and nurse Rosalind Alicea.
A First: Both Hirschi Basketball, Rider Basketball Play in Regional Semifinals Tonight
For the first time in history, two WFISD basketball teams have advanced to the regional semifinals in the same year. Hirschi Huskies play in the 4A Regional Tournament Semifinals against Pampa tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Rip Griffin Center, Lubbock Christian University, in Lubbock, Texas. Rider Raiders play in the 5A Region 1 Semifinals against Mansfield Timberview tonight at 4 p.m. at The Coliseum in Snyder, Texas. Good luck to both teams!
#IAMWFISD
District in Pictures is a weekly publication developed by the WFISD Community Relations department. If you have events, recognitions or classroom activities taking place on your campus that you would like us to cover, please let us know by emailing Ashley Thomas at athomas@wfisd.net or Ann Work Goodrich at awork@wfisd.net. We would love to include you in our weekly district news. (Please know that we will do our best to cover every story idea submitted but it may not be possible to include everything every week due to time constraints.)
Email: athomas@wfisd.net
Website: www.wfisd.net
Location: 1104 Broad Street, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: (940)235-1004
Twitter: @WFISDschools