District in Pictures
March 15, 2019
CEC Construction Home-Build Project Receives $5,760 Donation from North Texas Home Builders
For the second consecutive year, the North Texas Home Builders have sent a clear message: They want to be part of the Career Education Center’s mission to teach homebuilding to students by helping fund their efforts. This year, they again made a donation -- $5,760 -- to help fund the CEC house project. The 700 square foot home that is being built on the CEC premises will go to auction this year, with profits returned to the construction budget along with donations so that students can build an even larger home next time. Pictured left to right: CTE Director Michelle Wood, Construction teacher Scott Little, NTHB's Vice President Barney Brock, CEC Principal Synthia Kirby.
New Hirschi High School Head Football Coach Confirmed Tuesday
Wichita Falls ISD board members voted 6-0 on Tuesday to hire Antonio Wiley as Hirschi High School’s new Athletic Coordinator/Head Football Coach. He replaces Danny Youngs, who has held the position since 2014. Coach Wiley has been the defensive coordinator at Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas, since August 2017. He helped lead the football program to its first winning season in 13 years. He has also coached at Lake Travis High School, where he helped lead the team to its sixth state championship. Coach Wiley has also worked at Mesquite Poteet High School, Community High School and Eastern New Mexico University. “We interviewed an outstanding group of coaches,” said WFISD Athletic Director Scot Hafley. “Antonio Wiley was selected for the job after listening to his plan for organizing and managing a program at the 4A level. Coach Wiley will develop a comprehensive plan for academic success in grades 7-12, develop a stronger bond with the community and continue to win football games as Hirschi chases a state championship.”
Hirschi High School Plumbing Student Earns SkillsUSA Gold Medal
Hirschi High School student Reginald Jackson, who is enrolled in Plumbing II at the Career Education Center, participated in the district competition for SkillsUSA in Waco and came away with a gold medal. He will continue competing at the state level on April 4 in Corpus Christie. At this time of the year, he and other plumbing students are pursuing the State of Texas Plumbing Apprenticeship License – a necessary first step to pursue the plumbing trade, said instructor Danny Cozby.
Hirschi, Rider Education Students Bring Home Three State Awards in First-Time Competition
Four WFISD students who are pursuing careers in education under the instruction of Lexi Law at the Career Education Center competed with the Texas Association of Future Educators as a team at state for the first time and brought home three state awards. Pictured here left to right: Amaia Martin from Rider High School, Magnolia Green from Rider, Vanessa Lopez from Hirschi High School and Samantha O’Neal from Rider. All competed at the regional competition on Nov. 10, 2018, and placed either first or second in their events, which qualified them for state. Magnolia Green took first place in Impromptu Lesson Planning; Vanessa Lopez and Samantha O’Neal competed as a pair for Interactive Bulletin Board at the elementary level. “Their scores were high enough to grab them a top spot,” said Mrs. Law.
Southern Hills Elementary Teacher Wins ‘Whatever It Takes’ Award
Southern Hills Elementary Principal Jeremy Lopez awarded the school’s February “Whatever It Takes” Award to Tiffany Jones, a second grade teacher, or “change agent” at the school. “She guides students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve high levels of learning,” said Mr. Lopez. Lately, her second-graders have been using the EPIC books app to complete a research project. “As they learn facts, they are transferring that knowledge into Google Slides,” said Mrs. Jones. “This has allowed them to explore expository text, research questions and sources of information and utilize technology tools. The fact that they are gaining experience in writing and typing are bonuses!” But even better: “They have been showing kindness by offering assistance to peers who have technology issues,” she said.
Career Education Center’s Student-Built House to be Featured on the Parade of Homes in June
The student-designed, student-built, student-plumbed and student-wired house built on the Career Education Center’s back lot will be in the spotlight soon. It will be one of the featured homes on the 2019 Parade of Homes tour. For the first two weekends in June, community members will tour the 700 square foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bath home and can even put in a bid to buy it. The home features a small living area, kitchen, dining area and laundry with a front porch. It was designed as a lake or hunting lease home or mother-in-law house. The home, pictured here on Wednesday morning, was built under the direction of CEC instructor Scott Little, who incorporated “off the grid” features like a tankless water heater. The home is nearly complete. It will be auctioned off, with all profits reinvested into the CEC’s next home-build.
Haynes, Burgess Elementary Teachers Selected by Texas Education Agency to Help Create TEKS Guides
Two WFISD teachers, LeKeysha Brown (left) from Haynes Northwest Academy and Jamie Newberry (right) from Burgess Elementary, will travel to Austin immediately after spring break to participate in a Texas Education Agency work session to help develop a new statewide resource. They will help develop the TEKS Guides, which will give educators and parents detailed explanations and resources for what students will learn in each of the TEKS, starting with reading. They will join educators from across Texas to review and give feedback on the reading/language arts content. The trip’s two-day expenses will be paid by TEA.
Four Community Forums Completed; WFISD Announces the Mission of Two Working Groups
In the past two weeks, WFISD hosted four community meetings to seek input from Wichitans on the future of WFISD facilities. Superintendent Mike Kuhrt told community members that on Feb. 28, two work groups began pursuing two charges. One elementary team will craft options for the future of WFISD’s 16 elementary schools, considering consolidation, renovation or building new. Meanwhile, one secondary team will study the middle schools and high schools and develop a one-high-school model option and a two-high-school model option for the board to consider. The only stipulation: “With a two-high-school model, we want ethnically and economically similar high schools and a definite feeder pattern,” said Mr. Kuhrt. Both groups were given demographic and financial data on the District and a recently completed long-range facility maintenance plan that estimates WFISD needs $171 million in the next 10 years just to maintain existing facilities. From the options presented to them, board members will “develop a long-range facility plan for WFISD and then the possibility of a bond issue in November,” said Mr. Kuhrt. Pictured clockwise from top left: Forums at Hirschi, Rider, Wichita Falls High School, and the Career Education Center.
Southern Hills Elementary First-Graders Make Cave Paintings
Cave paintings drawn on brown butcher paper, complete with handprint “signatures,” adorn the walls around Stacey Barton’s art class in her Southern Hills Elementary hallway. But technology has seeped into this cave. Viewers can scan a QR code to see a short video on Cave Art and explore the real caves of Lascaux in southwestern France to see the first-graders’ inspiration. “It’s fun to show kids that even in prehistoric times, when they didn’t have a written language like we do now, that creating and drawing were still important parts of their lives held in high regard,” said Ms. Barton.
Rider High School Teacher Sets Sail in Ghost Ship, Takes Risk in Classroom Transformation
During a #WFISDchat moderated by Tiffanny Lindsey on Aug. 20, 2018, Rider High School teacher Heather Preston listened attentively to stories of how teachers made classroom transformations to enhance learning. “I was not sure if I ever really tried an exciting atmosphere,” said Mrs. Preston. She knew the day would come when the right lesson would present itself and she would give it a try. Last week, she did. To set the mood for her Advanced Placement Literature Class to study the poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” she created a ghost ship and darkened the room with blackout curtains and dimmed the lights for reading. The change “drew gasps from my high school students as they entered. The reaction alone was worth it, but reading and annotating the poem in the new environment even enhanced my learning experience,” said Mrs. Preston. “It reminded me I still have so much room to grow,” she said in a blog post titled, “Big Risk, Big Reward.” To pull it off, she got help: She sought teaching insights from Julie Yandell, who said the “Rime” was her favorite piece of literature. She sought Ms. Lindsey’s suggestions. She asked one student to draw the bow of a ship with an albatross on it and another student to create ghost ship music with ocean sounds. She borrowed blackout curtains from theater arts teacher Tabitha Cahanin and tea lights from counselor Julie Johnson and clerk Stacey Longest. “I greeted students wearing a pirate hat and carrying a sword I borrowed from (science teacher) Brionne Perry. This was not something I could have pulled off on my own,” said Mrs. Preston.
Milam Elementary Fifth-Graders Shoot to Win in STAAR Prep Game
Milam fifth-grade teacher Amy Propp brought a basketball theme to her classroom this week. Her competition culminated in discovering the fifth-grade Basketball All STAAR. Students entered and exited their classroom to basketball music (such as Jock Jams, Volume 1) through a tunnel of staff members’ arms. “We looked at the history of basketball, compared and contrasted players, responded in writing to quotes by players and read nonfiction, fiction and poetry based on basketball,” said Ms. Propp. She provided extra incentive during guided reading time. “If students got a comprehension question correct, they shot a basketball and tried to make a goal,” she said. They competed for title of All STAAR. As a special treat, members of MSU’s Lady Mustangs basketball team (pictured here) visited Milam’s fifth-graders to give an inspirational message and answer questions.
Lamar, Zundy, Southern Hills and Scotland Park Bilingual K-2 Classes Treated to Grammy-nominated Bilingual Educator
On Tuesday, the K-2 bilingual classes from Lamar, Zundy, Southern Hills and Scotland Park gathered at the Wichita Falls Public Library to enjoy a performance by José-Luis Orozco, a Grammy-nominated bilingual educator, storyteller and singer. “The students loved singing and dancing along with his guitar and songs,” said Claudia Lopez, first-grade bilingual teacher at Lamar.
Rider High School Student Completes Washington, D.C. Job as Page
It was an ordinary day for Rider High School junior Travis Christoff at his job as a page in Washington, D.C., when United States President Donald Trump walked over to him and his fellow pages to chat. “The President talked to us for a little bit," said Travis. "He said, ‘Y’all are doing a great job. I wish I had your job.’ It was really cool seeing him talk to us.” The Rider Chronicle reported this experience in an article written by Rider junior Mandy Huynh. Travis’ internship with Senator John Cornyn, which began Sept. 1, allowed him to work for the Senate as a page and study in D.C. at a specialized school for five months. As a page, he set up the chamber for senators, brought them water and prepared their materials. He was nearby for the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, the midterm elections, 35 days of the government shut-down, and, in December, Travis attended President George H.W. Bush’s lying-in-state ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda. What did he learn? “A lot of people think that [government workers] are mad at each other and hate each other, but they’re all best friends. So I learned to have faith in the system,” said Travis, pictured with Rep. Mac Thornberry (left) and Sen. John Cornyn (right).
West Foundation Elementary Students ‘Sponsor a STUD’ for Habitat for Humanity
West Foundation art teacher Catherine Norton is overseeing a special project at the school to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Her students decorated several studs that will be among the 300 installed in a Habitat for Humanity house as a kind of time capsule. The effort is part of Habitat for Humanity’s “Sponsor a Stud” Fundraiser. The West fifth-graders and the school’s Earth Club bought seven studs at $100 apiece, then decorated them. Other WFISD teachers have also participated by buying and decorating studs: Deborah Pepper at Wichita Falls High School; Mark Bryant and Gretchen Neilson at Hirschi High School; Kaycie Taylor at Lamar Elementary; Jeff O’Dell at McNiel Middle School, Stephanie Benson at Sheppard Elementary, and Marina King at Rider High School. “I appreciate the help of the schools, and I think they had fun with it also,” said Carla Dowlen, marketing director for Habitat for Humanity.
Fain Elementary Art Expo Celebrates Art Everywhere
On Tuesday, Fain Elementary students filled the Woman’s Forum with a wide variety of art exhibits. The celebration was part of the school’s Project-Based Learning curriculum. A highlight of the evening: A visitor to the Art Expo offered to purchase the photograph displayed by Fain fifth-grader Alyssandra Guerrero, instantly making her a “professional artist.” Alyssandra and her photograph are pictured here.
Culinary Students Cater Sit-Down Full Service Dinner for 65
Culinary students at the Career Education Center open their bistro every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to serve lunch to anyone who drops by. They cater events like Digital Learning Day when they served, cafeteria style, a Mexican-themed meal to 100 educators. But there’s something more complex about cooking and catering a sit-down, full-service pork tenderloin dinner for 65 home builders from the North Texas Home Builders Association. First students prepared the meal: Pork tenderloin with a honey demiglaze, cream cheese mashed potatoes, vegetable medley, homemade rolls and, for dessert, strawberry trifle. Then they served it. “The students are advancing quickly and becoming more confident in their culinary adventures,” said instructor Deidre Stewart.
Haynes Northwest Academy Puzzle Club Finishes 500-Piece Puzzle
When asked to pick a fun activity they would like to pursue, these Haynes Northwest Academy students chose the school’s Puzzle Club. “Our club days allow students to be involved in an activity for 45 minutes a week that they may not get to do outside school,” said club sponsor Cathy Nielson. These students put together a 500-piece puzzle in just over two hours. “Puzzles help students engage their brains, enhance memory, improve spatial reasoning and lower stress,” said Ms. Nielson.
Jefferson Elementary Arranges Surprise Reunion for Kindergarten Student and Her Dad
West Foundation Elementary Teacher Uses Qball for Class Instruction
When West Foundation teacher Charisse Humphreys’ family asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she asked for a Qball – a ball with a built-in microphone that can be safely tossed from student to student. “I thought it would be a great addition to my classroom,” she said. And she was right. The Qball, which is similar to a CatchBox, is a classroom tool that “brings those shy, quiet voices to life,” said Mrs. Humphreys. There are many reasons students won’t raise their hands, but the Qball has turned out to be a fun, interactive way for her students to participate. “Everyone wants to catch the ball and speak into it,” she said. “I use it a lot when I do whole group instruction. It helps get all students involved in a fun, kinesthetic way.”
Jefferson, Burgess, Zundy Elementary Schools and the Education Center Collect Cans for ‘Food Fight’ Fundraiser
To help support the Junior League’s “Food Fight” fundraiser for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, Jefferson Elementary instructional media specialist Kristan Neeb started a food drive contest at Jefferson. Three more Junior League members decided to launch a similar contest at Burgess Elementary, Zundy Elementary and the Education Center. In all, the fundraiser brought in a total of 8,245 pounds of food for the Area Food Bank, with 166 items contributed by the winning Jefferson third-grade homeroom of Erin Hollis. In all, Jefferson contributed 779 items weighing 797 pounds to the Food Fight. The picture shows the donations as they were weighed in on Saturday.
Franklin Elementary Fourth-grade Teacher Launches March Madness Book Tournament as Review Strategy
Courtney Kittrell, a fourth-grade teacher at Franklin, launched a March Madness Book Tournament this week in her classroom as a review of fiction-related TEKS. The tournament includes five rounds where students must complete five tasks: Summarize the plot of a favorite chapter book, pretend to interview a main character, act out a favorite scene, write a book report and create a book trailer. “Their peers in different classes vote on the projects to see who is eliminated and who will advance,” said Ms. Kittrell. While this will be fun and important, it won’t be the students’ major review, she said. Since the fourth-grade reading STAAR test isn’t scheduled until May, she has reserved other review activities for closer to her test date.
Cunningham Elementary Teachers Organize Classrooms, KonMari Style
Jessica Jacobs and Amanda Beck co-teach PPCD/PreK at Cunningham Elementary and, between them, they have items scattered between each teacher’s classroom and their shared center room. “We need organization,” said Ms. Beck. “We decided to go very KonMari!” They were inspired by the organizing techniques of the Marie Kondo Method, the global phenomenon launched by Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. “We labeled each of our colorful boxes with our weekly themes. We are placing all material that we use during those themes inside the containers,” said Ms. Beck. “I believe this type of organization will help with lesson-planning time and free up lots of storage space!” They are also taking encouragement from Erika Oppenheimer, who said, “Having a clear mind and a clear space allows you to ACT and THINK with PURPOSE.”
Lamar Elementary Staff Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
Lamar Elementary educators proved they are multi-talented as they demonstrated their ability to install sheetrock in a Habitat for Humanity home for the better part of a day. “Family members were encouraged to come along for the Habitat project,” said Kaycie Taylor, Lamar At-Risk coordinator.
Rider High School Students Tour Two Fort Worth Art Museums
Art students at Rider High School anticipate this time of year for one special reason. Rider art teachers Nancy Kizis, Vickie Harding, and Morgan Meyer take them on a field trip to Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. “Viewing a retrospective of one artist’s work is great for them to see in preparation for putting together their own portfolios,” said Ms. Kizis. Students were particularly excited to view a Michelangelo painting (pictured lower left) at the Kimbell titled, “The Torment on Saint Anthony,” his first-known painting done in 1487 when he was 12 to 13 years old, done “long before he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,” said Ms. Harding. Rider student Isabelle Grisel also discovered “The Anger of Achilles,” (pictured lower right) -- a painting of the Trojan War that inspired her for a report on the same topic she was giving the next day for Sandra Scheller’s English class. Nancy Kizis receives a $200 reimbursement from the Modern Art Museum for Title 1 schools to help pay for the trip. “Several students said it was their favorite day since starting high school,” said Ms. Harding.
Booker T. Washington Elementary Homeroom Project Builds Community
Booker T. Washington Elementary teacher Destini Stahr created a project just for her homeroom: Students collaborated to make a Women in History poster. “I wanted to give them something they could take pride in,” she said. “They noticed each others’ efforts and praised one another.” The activity was a precursor to a Women in History project pennant that all fourth-graders will complete.
West Foundation Elementary Hosts Popular Oncor Presentation
Oncor presented an electric safety lesson to West Foundation students this week as part of their school campaign called, “Oncor Super Safe Kids.” The traveling educational experience will reach all WFISD K-5 campuses by the end of March. Each child receives several take-home resources to remind them of electrical safety when they go home.
Graphic Design Students to Decorate ‘Leadership Wichita Falls’ Horse
Graphic Design students at the Career Education Center have completed the designs they will affix to a ‘Leadership Wichita Falls’ horse that will be installed at the Career Education Center entry later this spring. Currently, the life-size horse statue is getting its foundation paint coat at Midwestern State University. Then WFISD students will add logos and vinyl designs and a sealer coat. While they wait, graphic design students are working on other projects, such as these production jobs of yard signs and pennants for Rider High School baseball and Head Start.
EMT Students Ride with EMT Crews Now and During Spring Break to Log Required Hours
While students in five healthcare courses are busy getting clinical experience at this time of year, EMT students are taking on 12- to 24-hour shifts with EMT crews to log their first-hand experiences. “They ride with a crew of EMTs on the ambulance for 84 hours and then follow an RN for 24 hours in the emergency room,” said instructor Ron Gordon. “They will be doing hands-on care with real patients up to the level of their training.” That includes providing CPR, administering medications and managing gunshot wounds and other injuries. “Students enjoy the hands-on part of learning in emergency medicine even more so than the other areas due to the adrenaline rushes,” he said. “So much so that we actually have to talk things out after shifts to decompress the accumulated stress. This also allows us to re-examine everything they did and learn from the experiences.” The only negative is that no two students will have the same experiences. Pictured here, EMT students Emma Kuhrt (left) and Aubrie Kuhrt suit up for a 12-hour night shift of hands-on, real-world experience.
Rider High School Photography Staff Updates School Entry with Photos
Rider High School journalism teacher Alexandra McClung is overseeing a push to update and add decorative photos throughout Rider, starting with the entry. Photographers are making plans to highlight their “Photo of the Week” by posting them in high-traffic areas around the school. The updating project has just begun and may continue for a couple of years, said Ms. McClung. The new photos posted in the entry highlight the best work of all six Rider photographers, from sophomores to seniors. The previous photos were so old, she said, that they featured Steve Henderson, the district’s secondary science curriculum specialist, when he was a Rider teacher years ago.
Robotics Teacher’s Old-School Telephone Game Reminds Students to Go to the Source
When CEC robotics teacher Jeff Davis heard his Robotics II students lament WFISD’s long-range facility planning and how social media conversation was spreading rumors about school closures or lost tradition, he introduced an old-school game idea called Telephone. He stood students in a line, facing forward. He stood at the back of the line and silently demonstrated to one student at the back of the line a hand motion, similar to revving up a motorcycle and driving off. Then that student tapped the student in front of him to turn around and watch him demonstrate the same movement. After all 20 students had participated, Mr. Davis showed them the original hand motion – completely different from what the final person demonstrated at the end of the line. “Takeaway: Go to the source. Be involved. Be informed,” tweeted Mr. Davis. He filmed the exercise with his Robotics II students, but he did the exercise with all his classes, he said.
McNiel Middle School Student Wins Regional Spelling Bee
McNiel Middle School eighth-grader Helen Li (wearing stripes) won Saturday’s Regional Spelling Bee, held at the Career Education Center. She now advances to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Her first-place win earned her a one-year membership to Britannica Online, a Merriam-Webster subscription and Hexco Spelling Bee Supplements. Kirby Middle School student Anika Sharmila (front row, right) was second runner-up; first runner-up was Aayan Ahmed (front row, left) from Notre Dame Catholic School.
Lamar Elementary First-Graders Present Gallery Walk
Doing the work is fun, but showing it off is even better. Lamar Elementary students in Ranee McClane’s first-grade class did a website research project using a teacher-written site called facts4me.com. From their research, they created innovative projects that they showcased in their Gallery Walk.
Franklin Elementary Teacher Dubbed 'Be the One' Winner for March
Scotland Park Art Club Paints Shamrock Canvases for St. Patrick's Day
#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.)