District in Pictures
May 10, 2019
Hirschi High School Math Team Nabs a State Championship
The Hirschi 4A UIL Math Team, coached by Hirschi math teacher Anthony Newberry, won a state championship at the UIL Academic State Meet at the University of Texas at Austin on May 3 and 4. They took first in the state competition in Number Sense. Team member Alexis Nicolas also won the title of individual state champion. The team earned 2nd Place Team at state in Calculator Applications and 2nd Place Team in Mathematics. The team has practiced nearly every day after school since September and attended practice meets to hone their skills. Hirschi Math Team members are Ila Kamath, Alexis Nicolas, Krishna Reddy, Venus Shirazy, Anthony Shuey and Rohan Tanjavur. Their coach, Mr. Newberry, has coached four state champion Number Sense teams, three state runner-up teams, and five third-place teams in his 20 years at Hirschi. Mr. Newberry is pictured, center, with team members in the top photo and with individual Number Sense state champ Alexis Nicolas in the bottom photo.
Fain Elementary Celebrates GCA Services’ Employee of the Year
Fain Principal Clarisa Richie and her staff gave the GCA Services Group’s Employee of the Year – the Fain custodian, Mari Ybarra – the royal treatment when her win was announced. “They had all the kids come to the cafeteria and threw a parade for her,” said Brett Hayley, GCA Services Group account manager. “Each child made her a personal card and walked it up to her. It was amazing!” The celebration included balloons, music, and pom poms. Fain staff members gave her flowers and gifts, too. Ms. Ybarra has worked in the District for 14 years.
30th Annual 'Partners in Education' Banquet Honors Volunteers
Thirty years ago, WFISD started Partners in Education to create a link between community businesses and school needs, with businesses adopting schools and finding ways to help teachers and students. PIE celebrated this 30-year collaboration with the community at its annual banquet Tuesday at the Ashby Event Center. The number of PIE Partners has grown from 35 in 1989 to a record 321 today. Of those, 18 businesses have served in PIE for the entire 30 years. PIE received $3.1 million in gifts and in-kind donations last year and $36 million since it began in 1989. Over the years, PIE has branched out to sponsor events and programs such as Senior Send-Off, Texas Scholars, Junior High Art Show, Read 2 Learn and Principal for a Day. The program, founded by Nancy Marks and Patty Young and currently directed by January Cadotte, is one of the most successful of its kind in Texas. Pictured here: Representatives of businesses that have served as PIE Partners for all 30 years are recognized on stage at the PIE banquet.
Fowler Elementary Student Donates 1,000 Pokemon Cards to Haynes Northwest Academy Pokemon Club
When Haynes Northwest Academy tutor Karla Landours saw that many students in the school’s Pokemon Club didn’t have their own Pokemon cards, she talked to her son about it. Luke Landours, a fifth-grader at Fowler Elementary, told his mom that he would like to give some of his Pokemon cards to the Haynes students. On his own without being asked, he donated 1,000 cards to Haynes.
Crockett Elementary Students – and Teacher – Learn about Terrible Tuesday from Primary, Secondary Sources
When you study Wichita Falls history, it’s only a matter of time before you focus on Terrible Tuesday, the F4 tornado that hit and devastated Wichita Falls on April 10, 1979. Crockett Elementary students in Molly Woolford’s class studied photos and read articles, sorting them into primary and secondary sources and defending their decisions. “Being a non-native, I learned a lot about the history of this city!” said Ms. Woolford.
Wichita Falls High School Hosts 10th Annual National Art Honor Society Show
On Saturday, the Wichita Falls High School cafeteria was transformed into an art gallery, with scores of student pieces on display for the 10th annual exhibit. Art work was done under the direction of WFHS art teachers Chris Mayfield and Carol Rose. Pictured top, WFHS junior Abby Kaspar, who is the 2019-2020 president of the WFHS National Art Honor Society, shows off her art. Pictured bottom, WFHS teacher Kevin Nguyen and some of his WFHS orchestra students provided live music for the evening.
Rider High School Literary Criticism Team Wins Second Place at UIL State Competition
The Rider High School Literary Criticism Team competed Saturday at the University of Texas-Austin and brought home a 2nd place team trophy. Senior Kerri Lu won 2nd place individual. Students who didn’t medal still did extremely well, said Literary Coach Heather Preston. “Just making it to the state competition is incredibly difficult,” she said. Manasvi Reddy took 11th place in Number Sense; Zayana Uddin took 7th in Literary Criticism; Aaron Wheat took 9th in Literary Criticism.
Operation Fresh Start Neighborhood Clean-Up Expands from Hirschi High School to Wichita Falls High School
Fifty-two Wichita Falls High School students from a variety of programs – Key Club, Communities in Schools, PALS, ESL, Student Council, Spanish Club, JROTC – joined together for Operation Fresh Start Neighborhood Clean-Up. They worked together to pick up trash around WFHS, then they spread out into the neighborhood to pick up trash and debris there. Operation Fresh Start got its start last year when Hirschi High School students joined with East Side churches to clean up their neighborhood. It expanded to WFHS this spring. “The objective of the project is to get youth helping the community and taking pride in their school and the surrounding neighborhoods,” said WFHS teacher Debbie Pepper, who sponsors the ESL and PALS programs.
West Foundation Elementary Hosts Field Day with New Shirts
The 431 students at West Foundation Elementary were easy to spot at their annual Field Day celebration on May 3, with their matching, color-coded T-shirts, provided by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. “Usually Field Day is held outside, and it’s easy to find our grade level when you have the same shirt color,” said West P.E. teacher Jean McKinney. This year, everybody posed for a photo, then students went to the gym for a moonwalk bounce house, a variety of games, races and relays, tattoos, juggling and all kinds of food. The cafeteria provided a grilled hotdog lunch; the PTO provided popcorn, freezer pops, water and a movie time to end the day. “It was a fabulous day!” said Ms. McKinney.
Haynes Northwest Academy Gets a Close-up Look at a Milk Cow
When Todd Griffin of Southwest Dairy Farmers visited Haynes Northwest Academy, he brought along Saundra – his cow. Students watched Saundra get milked with the automatic cow-milking machine and learned about the process.
McNiel Middle School U.S. History Students Review with Freck! Cards
Students in Kimbra Thomas’ U.S. History class have fun reviewing with Freck! trivia cards. “These aren’t flash cards, people!” says the Amped Up Learning website that sells them. The 500-plus cards create intense competition as they test students’ knowledge of vocabulary, events and people. “It’s very challenging,” said Ms. Thomas. “It makes reviewing for STAAR exciting. They love Freck days!” Students agree. “I like competing against my friends,” said Gage Talley, an eighth-grader. “It makes reviewing fun,” agreed Adeline Smith, an eighth-grader.
Rider High School Principal Smokes and Serves 70 Pounds of Brisket for Teacher Appreciation Week
Rider Principal Cody Blair got a jump on Teacher Appreciation Week by preparing lunch for his staff on May 3 – a few days early so as not to interfere with this week’s testing. He and his staff served chopped brisket sandwiches, chips and homemade dessert. “It took more than 12 hours to smoke nearly 70 pounds of brisket,” said Dr. Blair, pictured left. “One of our parents, Patrick Kemp, let us use his trailer smoker, and Jason Archer from Young Life helped us slice, chop and serve the staff. Our staff does a tremendous job and works so hard. It was an honor to serve them lunch. It was also a lot of fun.”
Franklin Elementary Third-Graders Experience ‘Glow Day’
For four days, Franklin third-graders wore their brightest neon attire and participated in glow-in-the-dark fun while they reviewed academics. On Day 1, students did Glow-in-the-Dark math vocabulary Bingo. On Day 2, they played Glow-in-the-Dark Jenga while solving the problems on math task cards. On Day 3, they played Glow-in-the-Dark Connect 4, solving problems using highlighters under black lights. The week ended with Glow Day, where students rotated through four stations manned by parent volunteers. They found perimeters and areas, did invisible ink computation, and fidget spinner multiplication. “We passed out glow sticks for hard work,” said Megan Bodmann, third-grade math/science teacher. “The students worked so hard while practicing skills we have learned this year.”
CEC Culinary Teacher Packs Up, Turns Kitchen Over to Daughter
When WFISD culinary teacher Deliese Nusser retires at the end of May after 28 years, she will turn her kitchen over to her daughter, WFISD culinary teacher Deidre Stewart, an experienced chef who just completed her first year teaching alongside her mother at the Career Education Center. Mrs. Nusser began teaching at Rider 25 years ago with 56 students, eight per class. Since then she has taught more than 6,000 students and seen many choose culinary careers. How have things changed? Classes are 90 minutes long, not just 45 minutes; students want healthy recipes that are quick and easy, “not as much cream and butter,” she said. Now that you can Google any recipe, she doesn’t use or promote cookbooks as much. Personally, she enjoys using new equipment like the Instapot and Air Fryer just as much as traditional cooking. Her class sizes have doubled since the culinary program moved from Rider to the CEC; they continue to grow. She will kick off her retirement with two knee replacements. Pictured here, Mrs. Nusser stands near a counter full of equipment she purchased with her own money for her program over the years and is now taking home.
Five Education Endorsement Students Become Google Level 1 Certified Educators
High school students who are taking education courses taught by Lexi Law at the Career Education Center went through Google Training with FriEDtechnology, working through multiple scenarios of training to prepare for a final test. Five students passed and earned their Google Level 1 Certified Educator badge. “It was extremely thoughtful for the entire instructional tech team to come out and treat these five students as if they were already teachers in the District,” said Mrs. Law (pictured far left). The team (back row) visited the students and posed with them in a photograph that was used as a congratulatory tweet.
Jefferson Elementary Kinders Learn Insect Anatomy with Marshmallows and Pretzels
Since her students enjoy any activity that involves food, Jefferson kindergarten teacher Cindy Peterson came up with a fun way to present her unit on insects. First, students learned a song about insects that lists their body parts: head, thorax, abdomen, two antennas and six legs. Then they demonstrated their understanding by poking pretzels into marshmallows to show the correct number of antennas and legs. “The kids loved it!” said Ms. Peterson.
Booker T. Washington Elementary Students Use Metaverse to Answer Inference Questions
Inferencing! It’s one of the most difficult skills tested on STAAR. But Booker T. Washington teacher Christie Hoang uses Metaverse, a free app on Chromebooks and iPads, that leads students into their own augmented reality experiences, a sort of “Pokemon Go” for the classroom, to learn about it. “Instead of giving them a worksheet or task cards, my students go on an interactive space adventure,” said Ms. Hoang. “The story was that the students were astronauts lost in space. To get home, they must answer 10 inference questions based on a passage they read the day before.” Creating a Metaverse experience can be time consuming, but the experience is worth it, she said. “Metaverse is strong in its ability to bring a class together through an engaging activity,” she said.
Career Education Center Volunteer Helps Students Learn Machining Skills, Named PIE Male Mentor of the Year
Lynn Carter, a volunteer for six years with WFISD, has been showing up daily at the Career Education Center to help students learn the skill of machining. Mr. Carter, now retired, worked 39 years at WFISD’s Carrigan facility teaching the machining trade before he retired, then returned two years later to volunteer his time and skills. On Tuesday, he was honored as the Partners in Education Male Mentor of the Year. He logged more than 260 volunteer hours this school year. He said he he looks forward every morning to getting up and going to the CEC to work with students. He is pictured here with a third-generation student. He taught the young man's father and grandfather.
Ben Milam Elementary Teacher Hosts Spa Day for Moms
Milam teacher Amanda Miller held a “Mommy Spa Day” to help her students celebrate Mother’s Day. “The kids got to pamper their moms with different spa treatments – hair, manicure, massage.” They made sugar scrubs, enjoyed “together time,” filled out a Mommy and Me paper, took pictures at the photo booth, and enjoyed refreshments. “We ended Spa Day with a video of the kids saying why they love their mom,” said Ms. Miller. This is the second time she has hosted a Mommy Spa Day for her students.
‘Introduction to Business and Industry’ Students Complete Show-What-They-Know Projects
Now that the year is winding down, high school teacher Chris Wilbur is leading his "Introduction to Business and Industry" students into end-of-the-year projects. Once they finish their OSHA 10, a 10-hour safety training program, they build a 2’x2’ wall, frame it, rough in the electrical work and plugs, “and make sure they work,” he said. Then they will take it home as a reminder of the practical life skills they learned.
WFISD Communications Officer Featured in Smore Promo Video
Ashley Thomas, WFISD communications officer, was interviewed and featured prominently in a video promoting Smore, a computer program the District uses to create its e-newsletters.
WFISD Job Fair Draws Applicants from as Far Away as Tucson and Memphis
WFISD interacted with 129 Job Fair applicants in the Human Resources' recent recruiting event, held at the Career Education Center. Candidates came from 21 Texas cities. Others drove in from as far away as Tucson, Ariz., Memphis, Tenn., and Wichita, Kan. One school, Barwise Middle School, won the Rootin-Tootin Recruitin Award for its enthusiastic presence at the event, said Cyndy Kohl, human resources director. Participants fill out a survey as they leave the job fair, selecting their favorite table for this “people’s choice” award. Pictured below: the Franklin Elementary team invites applicants to "Join the Fiesta at Franklin."
TCTA Awards 12 Scholarships to Member Teachers’ Children
The Texas Classroom Teachers Association honored 12 children of its members who are high school seniors this year by awarding them scholarships. The students were recognized May 6 at the West Foundation School library. To win scholarships, each student wrote a 500-word essay, demonstrated service to the community, and earned a high grade point average. “I think it is an honor for both the students and their WFISD teacher/parents,” said Pamela Johnston, whose daughter received a scholarship. Pictured: Scholarship winners and their WFISD parents who are members of TCTA.
Scotland Park Elementary Student Council Volunteers at Humane Society
On Saturday, Scotland Park students volunteered two hours to play with and cuddle the small dogs and cats at the Humane Society. Their service is part of a lesson for Student Council members, helping them learn the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community, said At-Risk Coordinator Joe Clement.
Kirby Middle School Eighth-Grade Students Launch Solar System Projects
There’s nothing like a glimpse of the solar system to put your problems into perspective and put you in your place. Students in Amaris Wise’s and Gwenna Gallenberger’s classes created solar systems for their “Characteristics of the Universe” project this year. Students may include Pluto if they choose. “’He’s my favorite, so I allow it, as long as it is labeled correctly as a ‘minor planet,’” said Mrs. Gallenberger. “This group of kids did a fantastic job!”
Hirschi Husky JROTC Posts Colors at Inaugural Falls Town Flyers Game
The JROTC Hirschi Husky Battalion Color Guard posted our nation’s colors at the Falls Town Flyers (formerly the FC Wichita Falls) inaugural soccer game. Pictured here: Cadets Consuelo, Donges, Hor, Sanders and Sanchez.
Lamar Elementary Teachers Enjoy One Week of Treats During Teacher Appreciation Week
For Day 1 of Teacher Appreciation Week, Ashley Cardwell, owner of Menchie’s of Wichita Falls, treated Lamar teachers to two yogurt cakes, made by Courtney Lawrence. On Day 2, Rick Boone, of the McDonald’s on Holiday, donated sausage biscuits. On Day 3, PIE Partner Guarantee Title provided fruit and vegetable trays, courtesy of Sam’s Club. On Day 4, Texas Roadhouse provided a warm treat for teachers to grab and go. Then on Day 5, Lukert’s Cleanco served up cake. Teachers were also treated to popcorn donated by Carmike Sikes Senter Mall.
Chartwells K12 Celebrates Local Produce, Brings Strawberry Lesson to Jefferson Elementary Students
The Morath Orchard teamed up with Chartwells K12 to introduce Jefferson Elementary students to locally grown strawberries in a fun Discovery Kitchen event. Students drew strawberries, created a mouse with strawberries, then ate strawberries. During April, WFISD’s Child Nutrition Department used more than 1,000 pounds of local produce in its school cafeterias at lunch in our 22 schools. “The importance of sustainability and buying local is very important to the Child Nutrition Department,” said Marci Spruiell, Chartwells marketing specialist.
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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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