District in Pictures
September 27, 2019
Eight Rider High School Students Earn 2020 National Merit Commended Honors
Eight seniors at Rider High School learned that their scores on the 2018 PSAT earned them the title of National Merit Commended Scholars in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship competition. Commended Scholars are the top 3 percent to 4 percent of scorers in the contest. They are (left to right, back row): Viet Tran, Nathan Carlston, Carson Sager, Joseph Scales, (front row, left to right) Damion Fisher, Zayana Uddin, Carson Hollingsworth, Aribah Tahir.
Two Hirschi High School Students Earn 2020 National Merit Commended Honors
Hirschi High School seniors Venus Shirazy (left) and Sonya R. Ganeshram (right) have been named National Merit Commended Scholars in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship competition. Their scores on the 2018 PSAT were among the top 3 percent to 4 percent, qualifying them for Commended status.
Architecture Students Begin New Cycle of Small Home Design
The two-year cycle of designing and building a small home on the Career Education Center back lot has begun for the second time since the opening of the CEC in 2017. Architecture students, under the direction of teacher Amy Hughes, are designing a two-bedroom, 1-bath home this time. The CEC’s first student-designed, student-built home remains for sale at a reduced price of $40,000. The house must sell to provide the money to purchase building materials for the next house, but that won’t interfere with current design work underway, said Mrs. Hughes. Pictured here: Architecture students presented their small house designs, 3D models and videos to classmates in special presentations that began Wednesday. Audience members who were also all ears: (from left) teacher Amy Hughes, CTE Director Michelle Wood, CEC Principal Synthia Kirby, CEC Assistant Principal Jennifer Spurgers and (not pictured) construction teacher Scott Little and fellow class members.
Zundy Elementary Shakes Complacency in ‘Rock Your School Day’
Zundy teachers took an idea from the Get Your Teach On conference to set aside one day to celebrate their school by taking an outside-the-box approach to the day’s lessons. At Zundy, the special day started off with the rat-a-tat of a drum line from Wichita Falls High School band members. Students, dressed in purple Zundy T-shirts, assembled in the shape of a “Z” for a special aerial photo. Inside the classroom, teachers made creativity king. For example, Tori Conner (pictured right) dressed as a barista and set up her room as a “Starbooks,” setting up each table with a different genre of books. Students sampled historical fiction, nonfiction, mystery, fantasy and fiction books while sipping pink lemonade.
Fowler Elementary Teacher Makes Do-It-Yourself Whisper Phones for Teammate
Recently, Fowler teacher Britney Prickett mentioned to planning partner Heather Parker that she wanted to purchase Whisper Phones for her guided reading groups but, because she thought they were pricey, she hadn’t done it. A week later, Ms. Parker surprised her with a group set of handmade Whisper Phones. “She went to Lowe’s and had them cut PVC pipe and added elbow pieces,” said Mrs. Prickett. “The kids use the Whisper Phones to help with volume when reading to themselves. They are fun to use, and it encourages imitation and reciprocal vocalizations with other children.” The little phones have coaxed more reading and effort out of even her most timid readers, she said. “Heather (Parker) made my small group dreams come true,” said Mrs. Prickett, pictured below.
Lamar Elementary Art Teacher Turns Social Contract into Work of Art
For Lamar art teacher Megan Halford, it wasn’t enough to guide her students in writing up a social contract outlining classroom rules. She found a way to incorporate the word “ARTIST” into a piece of artwork that not only included the key words from the social contract but incorporated all the students’ signatures – all their thumb prints – onto the piece as well.
Jefferson Elementary Teacher Taps Music as Ultimate Engager
Fourth-graders in Carly Guilliams’ class participated in a Get Your Teach On conference’s trademark one-day challenge to “Rock Your School.” Ms. Guilliams transformed her room into a concert. Students listened to songs like “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey and searched for the figurative language in the songs. “As we listened to the songs, we had a dance party and photo booth where the students could rock out,” said Ms. Guilliams.
Teacher at Denver Alternative Center Champions Liberty in Lessons
It was Bill Lockwood’s mother who got the Denver Alternative Center teacher to study the Constitution when he was in high school, and he’s never stopped following the political scene. Today, Mr. Lockwood infuses Personal Management Time, the last hour of the school day at Denver, with big ideas from the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and other unique features of America’s government structure. Mr. Lockwood, who stays current by following scores of websites, has a weekly radio show on NewsTalk 1290 on Saturdays, writes a blog that he often awakens at 4:30 a.m. to write, and has logged more than 35 years as a preacher. He is also a debater, having prepared for a solid year to debate Hamza Abdul Malik in a debate that is on YouTube. “I do try to get the kids here to see the greatness of the US Constitution,” said Mr. Lockwood. “I ask them if they realize this is the first time in world history that a people actually sat at a table, thought about the structure of government, then implemented it. Normally, if not always, one country subjects another to its rule, and the government only changes hands.” He urges students to manage themselves with principles of right and wrong “or someone else will manage your life for you if you are morally out of control,” he said.
WFISD Teachers Help Create Bowls for Empty Bowls Event
Pictured here, Southern Hills Elementary art teacher Stacey Barton (left) and Kirby Middle School science teacher Gwenna Gallenberger sit at the potter’s wheel to make a dizzying number of bowls for the upcoming Empty Bowls event on October 15. Proceeds from the event benefit the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank in its fight against hunger. The bowls prepared by local artists become the unique souvenir bowls given to each Empty Bowls attendee.
Jefferson Elementary LIFE Class Incorporates Fluorescent Glow Sticks into Lessons
Students in Deborah Fielding’s class worked on all the typical classroom projects but in a very untypical way. They worked on spelling their names, sorting colors and counting – using glow sticks.
Wichita Falls High School Staff Members Participate in ‘Jersey Day’
Every week during football season, Wichita Falls High School staff participate in a themed dress-up day. When they celebrated Jersey Day, students and staff were all encouraged to wear their favorite jersey. Head Football Coach Grant Freeman provided Coyote football jerseys for administrators. Pictured left to right: Associate Principal Wayne Calhoon, Principal Christy Nash (wearing a jersey with one of her son’s numbers when he was a student), AP Kory Dorman (sporting the number of her son, who is the current kicker), AP Elizabeth Tinius, and AP Patrick Moore. (Photo by Veronica Kendrick)
Rider High School is Home to Three Longest Family Members
First there was Kim Longest, who came to Rider three years ago to teach geometry and coach football. Then his wife, Stacey Longest, came the next year to work as Rider college and career clerk. Now, this year, Caleb Longest – the middle son of three – joined his parents at Rider as an Algebra 2 teacher and football coach. It was “a happy accident” that life circumstances worked out so the three Longest family members could work together at Rider, but it might be confusing to some students, said Mrs. Longest. “I heard that some students weren’t sure which room or teacher to report to for class on the first day,” she said. “Having two teachers with the same last name and both teaching math can be confusing for students – especially if they had one Longest last year and are having the other Longest this year. I’m sure that both of them coaching football together has its moments as well.” Believe it or not, there’s also a fourth Longest on the Rider sidelines on Fridays. Youngest son Clay Longest, a student at Midwestern State University, is studying to become a teacher/coach and does stats on Friday nights for the Rider football team. Pictured left to right: Caleb, Stacey, Kim.
Milam Elementary Student Creates Her Own Captive Audience
It may look like this little girl in Amanda Miller’s kinder classroom is just “playing school” with the classroom stuffed animals. But there’s much more going on in this Purposeful Play Center, said Ms. Miller. “She thinks she is just playing school, but in reality, she is tracking printed words, communicating, reading sight words, expanding her imagination, and exploring reading through play!” said Ms. Miller. All kinder play centers develop language and listening skills, improve cognitive development and encourage relationship building, she said.
Franklin Elementary ‘Talk Like a Pirate’ Day Creates Engagement
When Sept. 19 turns out to be National Talk Like a Pirate Day, how can you resist pirate-themed activities? Franklin’s 3rd graders in Kelli Doley’s class celebrated the day by each wearing a pirate eye patch and participating in pirate activities. In Language Arts, 3rd graders read four pirate texts and determined the author’s purpose. They also created a pirate and wrote to persuade their teachers to let him come to school. During math, students conquered their first digital breakout to save three students from walking the plank.
Barwise Theater Department Studies Mime
Barwise Middle School theater students, under the direction of theater teacher Rachel Leach, learned about mime, the technique of acting out a story using body motions, not speech. Theater 1 and Theater 2 students performed mime scenes; Advanced Theater students participated in Mime Day. They put on mime makeup in class and became mimes – nonverbal – for the rest of the day. “They were given passes to show to the teachers,” said Ms. Leach. “If the teacher needed them to participate in class, they would not be breaking the Mime Code!” Ms. Leach followed up Mime Day with a humorous email to all Barwise staff with jokes about mimes.
Fowler Elementary Teacher Keeps Lesson Going as Students Head Out the Door
How long can a teacher make her lesson last? Fowler teacher Samantha Griego keeps her students engaged, even as they head out the classroom door. “I have the ‘Fist Bump and Sound It Out’ sign right by my door,” she said. “I have found this is a simple yet effective way to get a little extra practice in throughout the day.” Her students are practicing letter sounds and high frequency word recognition. When they leave her classroom, they make the letter sound or say the high frequency word as they fist-bump the sign. “They love fist-bumping it any chance they get,” she said. “It also helps them transition into the hallway.”
Milam Elementary Students Get Visual Mnemonic to Help with Math Equations
Fifth-grade math teacher Angie Bullard wanted to find a way to sear the formula for solving math equations into her students’ brains. She wanted them to remember that they must follow a specific order in completing each math operation: Parentheses first, Exponents, Multiply and Divide, then Add and Subtract – or PEMDAS. The order is captured in a mnemonic, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. So what better way to emphasize the mnemonic than by inviting My Dear Aunt Sally to class? Dear Aunt Sally (aka math instructional coach Jennifer Moser) visited all four classes to see her favorite teacher-niece, give her a treat and a hug, “and maybe sneeze so I could ‘excuse her’!” said Ms. Bullard, pictured left. “The kids talked about PEMDAS and explained what the steps were that were ‘named’ after My Dear Aunt Sally.”
Lamar 2nd Graders Learn From Visiting Author How to Stop Bullies
A visiting author, Gail Wisdom, read a book and spoke to Lamar 2nd graders about bullying. “We even acted out a real bully situation for students so they would know what to do or how to help a friend who is being bullied,” said Blanca Brezina, second-grade bilingual teacher.
Wichita Falls High School Students Track Faux Pregnancy in Child Development Class and Host Gender-Reveal Party
Wichita Falls High School students in the Child Development class are progressing through a faux pregnancy. They are studying the stages of pregnancy and are now into the second trimester. As each student tracks their individual “fake baby’s” progress, teacher Lexi Law decided to model the class after typical pregnancies, where families often stage a “gender reveal” party about this time. “Gender-reveals are very popular these days, so I brought in some black balloons, blue confetti, and pink confetti. The students stuffed and prepared the balloons,” she said. One balloon – the one everyone hoped to get, she said -- was stuffed with pink AND blue, indicating twins. Once everything was ready, Mrs. Law mixed up the balloons, then let each student claim one. “As a class, we counted down, then each student popped their balloon,” said Mrs. Law. “They thought this was a blast and definitely made this pretend project more personal for them.”
McNiel Middle School Students Gather Wednesday for ‘See You at the Pole’
McNiel Middle School students gathered around their own flag pole Wednesday for prayer at the school’s annual “See You at the Pole” rally. The event is the local face of an annual gathering of Christian students around the globe who gather to pray for their country and each other.
Rider High School Chemistry Students Investigate Acid Base Titrations
Students in Stacie Martin’s Chemistry class explored the laboratory technique of titration this week. “Students investigated acid base titrations using acidic solutions and materials of their choosing,” said Ms. Martin. “They learned a great deal about extracting liquids samples from solid materials.” They also designed their own tests “and in so doing made the investigation more ‘real life,’” said Ms. Martin.
Lamar Elementary Students Celebrate International Day of Peace
To honor the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, Lamar students created pinwheels and displayed them on Lamar’s front lawn. The project was organized by Lamar art teacher Megan Halford.
McNiel Middle School Students Study Six Flags over Texas by Connecting with Museum in Austin, TX
McNiel students in Chelsea Howells’ Texas History class expanded their understanding of the six countries that, at some point in time, had sovereignty over territory now within Texas borders. They learned about French explorer La Salle (who contributed the French flag) when they web-conferenced with Robin Davis from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas.
Career Education Center Media Students Hired to Work Memorial Stadium Video Board
WFISD hired six of Chad Johnson’s video production students to work the video board at the varsity football games at Memorial Stadium. Mr. Johnson, CEC's digital media instructor, is the announcer during games; his wife, Christy, was also hired to supervise and train the students. “They started running the cameras with my wife directing,” said Mr. Johnson, “but now, we also have a student who has taken over the directing part. This is a great, real-life experience in a somewhat low-pressure environment for them.” Christy Johnson, currently at Region 9, taught at McNiel for 15 years, with her last several years spent teaching broadcast journalism and using equipment at McNiel that was similar to what's in use at the stadium. She met her husband while they both worked at television station KFDX.
Haynes Northwest Academy Teacher Starts ‘Fast Llama’ Award
Haynes 3rd grade math/science teacher Billy Price isn’t one to let a good professional development go to waste. After he and the rest of Haynes teachers received professional development training from Doug Curry on Aug. 8 about how to be “fast llamas” – assertive, deliberate, engaged and courageous teachers in the classroom – he has been following it up with a Fast Llama Award in the shape of a furry purple stuffed llama. “I try to keep an eye out for teachers modeling the skills we learned from Doug Curry and recognize them for the great things they are doing,” he said. “The llama comes with a tag that tells them to come see me for a prize. I keep some drinks and snacks available as a small appreciation.” He started the award by giving it to 1st grade teacher LeKeysha Brown (pictured right) but then encouraged her to award it to the next Fast Llama. “She gave it back to me – and added a certificate – and it is currently with Sheridan Woodward,” said Mr. Price.
Lamar Elementary Teacher Uses ‘Balloon Pop’ to Celebrate Student Success
In Elena Martinez’s class, students who move up in their reading folders celebrate “for working hard to help their brains grow,” said Ms. Martinez. They fill up a balloon with confetti, then hold it over their heads while Ms. Martinez pops the balloon. “The confetti comes falling down on them,” said Ms. Martinez. “They truly enjoy this celebration.” They celebrate in the same way when they are able to read 100 words and learn their math facts.
Haynes Northwest Academy Students Mentor One Another
Younger students enjoy spending time with older kids, which makes peer tutoring a winning strategy, said Adrian Cargal. During a Response to Intervention Group in her class, 5th graders mentored 1st graders “teaching them how to use manipulatives to identify organized numbers with automaticity,” said Ms. Cargal. “It was very successful because the younger students enjoy the time with older kids and vice versa.”
Culinary Students' Gift of Play-Doh Energizes Education Class
Can you guess why Culinary students made a big batch of Play-Doh? They used it to practice their cutting skills. But once they were done with it, they offered it to Lexi Law, who teaches the Education class. “Of course I was delighted to take their 30 bags of Play-Doh,” said Mrs. Law. She promptly dropped her current lesson plan and, instead, asked her students to plan quick, 10-minute lessons focused on any TEK from any subject using Play-Doh. “We participated in lessons about making shapes, playing Sculptorades with science vocabulary, and math lessons on proportions and fractions,” said Mrs. Law. “My high schoolers had a blast with the Play-Doh, and it was fun to watch them become resourceful.”
Franklin 4th Graders Gobble Up Pizza PIE’ED Day
Fourth-graders in Courtney Kittrell’s class have spent the past several weeks studying Author’s Purpose, such as persuading, informing, entertaining, explaining and describing (PIE’ED). When it came time to review, Ms. Kittrell and Kinsey Flaherty planned a Pizza PIE’ED Day. They transformed their rooms into pizzerias, played Italian music, and gave students chef hats to wear. Students played Author’s Purpose games set up in pizza boxes, answered Author’s Purpose questions, and recorded themselves talking about Author’s Purpose on Flipgrid. “We ended the day with an actual pizza party, with pizzas donated by Stone Oven,” said Ms. Kittrell. “It was such a great day, and we saw that the majority of the grade level had mastered this major concept!”
Fain Elementary Second-Graders Experience Writing Bootcamp
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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.)
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