Points of Pride
Southwest ISD Newsletter
December 2, 2022
Welcome to Points of Pride, our weekly district e-newsletter featuring highlights from around Southwest Independent School District. If you have a story or highlight that you would like to submit, email communications@swisd.net.
Spicewood Park Student Competing in USA Boxing National Tournament
Champion Chess Player Pays A Visit to SWHS Chess Club
The Southwest High School Jabberwocky Chess Club went head to head with champion chess player Dr. Ozgur Aktunc. The former Alabama state chess champion and San Antonio City Chess Champion, stopped by Southwest High School to share some of his knowledge, championship chess experience and speak to students and parents at a Parent and Community Involvement Meeting.
Senior Chess Club Member, Gavin Avey, said, “It was a really fun experience. (Dr. Aktunc’s) ‘Reveals’ are super cool.” For those of you who do not know a lot about chess, a “reveal” is when a player moves one piece out of the way to “reveal” a previously blocked attack by another piece. So imagine Dr. Aktunc’s “reveals” to be a combination of a magician’s misdirection and a boxer’s knockout punch. Gavin believes being exposed to experts can only help the chess team improve their game.
For Southwest High Junior, Isaac Das, the most memorable part of the visit was hearing Dr. Aktunc’s story. Dr. Aktunc received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2007. He came to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey, where he received his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Istanbul Technical University. Isaac found Dr. Aktunc’s philosophy very inspiring and says in chess you develop a lot of skills such as learning how to purposely calculate moves, and thinking purposely. Dr. Aktunc uses all these skills he learned through chess in his work as a software engineer.
Dominic Santos, another Senior Chess Club Member said Dr. Aktunc made him realize that he was hyper-focused on moving his pieces and was not seeing the bigger picture. Dominic really enjoyed seeing and experiencing all the different openings and approaches. Southwest Chess Coach Mr. Urby said that the students were excited for the opportunity to learn from an experienced champion. The goal for the chess team is to constantly improve, “Now they constantly beat me in practice matches. When we first started, I was winning a lot more,” Urby states.
As the director of the Pre-Engineering Summer Program, part of Dr. Aktunc’s work with St. Mary’s university is to hold outreach activities to improve computing education in San Antonio through Summer programs for middle and high school students.
Dr. Aktunc, was so impressed with our Southwest High School students, that he has asked to come back again in the Spring and he has also invited our students to tour St. Mary's University and fly some drones.
The students all agreed that they learned a lot and would love to have another visit from Dr. Aktunc. Dominic says, “Personally, I want to beat him, but the chess team has a competitive spirit and they all want to see how long they can last in a chess match against a champion.
Students and Staff Find Stimulation Through Books and Exercise at Resnik MS Library
A new stationary bike at Resnik Middle School library is garnering lots of attention from students and faculty. "We’ve had a great response. The kids like it and the teachers love it,” said librarian Daisy De La Cruz.
Ms. De La Cruz says she got the idea for the bike from other librarians around the District who recently added stationary bikes. She knew the bike would help students who need to move around and teachers that need to de-stress. "It’s important to incorporate non-standard ways to read or work," said De La Cruz.
The bike is so popular with the campus community a second bike is on the way. Ms. De La Cruz definitely had "Ignite Your Success" on the brain with this one.
Southwest High School Inspires Students to Create Mission Statement
Have you ever wondered why some leaders are more influential than others? Or why do some brands command greater loyalty? Simon Sinek, American author and inspirational speaker may have the answer. In one of the most popular TED talks of all time, Sinek talks about his Golden Circle Theory. The Golden Circle theory explains how leaders can inspire cooperation, trust and change in an organization if they start with “Why”.
Southwest High School Principal Amanda Wagner has incorporated some of Sinek’s Golden Circle Theory into inspiring students to help create a Southwest High School Student Mission Statement. The purpose of any mission statement is to identify why the organization exists, spell out the goals and philosophy of the group, and explain the organization’s work. Principal Wagner hopes that the Southwest High School Student Mission Statement will give Southwest High School students direction and purpose and set an expectation for them to follow.
Take a look at the Spanish and English versions below.
Scobee MS Student Wins Region 20 Holiday Contest Winner
Hidden Cove STEAM Academy Gives Back!
SWHS Coach Becomes Finalist for Inspirational Coach of the Year
Last month, Southwest High School's Coach Alejandro Franco was named as the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football San Antonio Week 6 Inspirational Coach of the Week and now he has a chance of winning the title Inspirational Coach of the Year. Coach Franco was recognized after he helped lead his players and coaching staff to a terrific 54-21 road victory as the Dragons powered past district foe Laredo Nixon. Congratulations!
The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football San Antonio Inspirational Coach of the Week Award honors ten (10) head football coaches in the greater San Antonio area spotlighting their inspirational leadership during the Texas high school football season. Each winner receives a commemorative football and $250 donation back to their program compliments of Great Clips. Now that the season is over, all 10 coaches are in the running for the San Antonio Inspirational Coach of the Year Award. Voting open last month and it will be up to each community to rally the vote to help lift their coach to the top. The coach who gathers the most end of the year votes will receive free haircuts for a year compliments of Great Clips!
Click the button below to vote as many times as you can until Dec 14.
Extra Yard Teacher Surprise
Two Southwest HS Students Prepare to Move on to the College Level
Homegrown: Hidden Cove STEAM Academy's Maggie Flores
We are proud of our SWISD graduates and want to share their great accomplishments. In our new segment called ‘Homegrown' we will highlight successful SW alumni who grew up in the SWISD community. We will also take a look at how SWISD ignited their success, goals, and career. In this first edition, we spoke with Maggie Flores, a secretary at Hidden Cove STEAM Academy.
If you know of any alumni that you would like to recommend to participate in this segment, please email Dr. Sam Ruiz at sruiz9098@swisd.net
CAST STEM Now Accepting Applications
SWISD Mobile App Keeps Community Connected to District
We are loving our new mobile app! Access documents, news updates, and even emergency notifications, with just one click on your phone. Always be on the go, with Southwest ISD on the go!
You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple App Store.
Download for Android: https://bit.ly/3zBUR82
Download for iPhone: https://apple.co/3zAa5dN
SWISD Communications Department
Email: news@swisd.net
Website: www.swisd.net
Location: 11914 Dragon Ln, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-622-4408
Facebook: facebook.com/SWISDsatx
Twitter: @swisd