District in Pictures
September 20, 2019
Three Hirschi High School Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
Three Hirschi High School seniors were named semifinalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. This is one of the most prestigious academic accomplishments for a high school student. Semifinalists are (clockwise from top left) Ila Kamath, Krishna K. Reddy, and Rohan Vignav Tanjavur. “This is the first time in many years that we have had a semifinalist so we are very proud of this achievement of our students,” said Hirschi Principal Doug Albus. There were 1.5 million juniors from 21,000 high schools who entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the qualifying test, the 2018 PSAT. National Merit Semifinalists are the top 16,000 achievers in the contest, qualifying them for thousands of dollars of scholarships. Of special note: Ila Kamath earned a perfect score on the PSAT.
WFISD School Board President Named Yellow Rose of Texas
WFISD School Board President Elizabeth Yeager (right) received the 2019 Yellow Rose of Texas Award from the Office of the Governor at Monday’s school board meeting. It is the Office’s most prestigious award; it recognizes just a few outstanding Texas women each year for their community service. She was nominated for the award by Sgt. Major Montez and presented the award by Christy Nash (left), also a Yellow Rose of Texas Award winner.
Chartwells K12 Team Wins National Recognition
The Chartwells K12 team, WFISD’s food service provider, has won national distinction for its food service expertise. The local team was awarded not only local and regional honors but the team also won the 2019 Be-A-Star National Account of the Year. This Chartwells Be-A-Star program recognizes associates and teams for achieving business excellence. Chartwells Director Farai Sithole was honored at Monday’s school board meeting and praised by Superintendent Mike Kuhrt. He noted that Chartwells hosted 30 Discovery Kitchen events in WFISD schools, expanded breakfast service to 63 percent participation, and served 75,000 meals last year, including 24,000 meals in a summer meal and dinner meal program for students. “I have a great staff,” said Mr. Sithole. “They make all these things happen.” Pictured left to right: WFISD Director of Operations Brady Woolsey, Farai Sithole, and board member Mike Rucker.
New This Year: WFISD Early Childhood Program Partners with Childcare Service
WFISD is doing something new, thanks to a Region 9 RECESS Grant from the Texas Education Agency’s Early Childhood division. WFISD is partnering with Region 9 and Child Care Partners to provide a classroom with pre-K students inside a child care facility. WFISD now has one classroom located at the Huey Childcare Center, located at 1416 North 5th Street. It is one of four such sites in Texas, said Travis Armstrong, director of early learning. The teacher and paraprofessional follow requirements from both WFISD and Child Care Partners. “The goal is to serve eligible pre-K students in the community in the child care setting while having a certified teacher who can work with non-certified staff members,” said Dr. Armstrong. “The classroom is an ‘adjunct’ extension of Scotland Park Elementary.” Students benefit by being able to use the Scotland Park Elementary facility, which is located across the street. Pictured here: (Lower left) WFISD employee Kristina Ochoa leads students in Center Time; (lower right) Paraprofessional Sandy Tarin was a Child Care Partners employee for 30 years and now is employed by WFISD to work alongside Ms. Ochoa.
Zundy Elementary Teacher Wins Scholastic Book Club Prize
Zundy teacher Whitney Stewart was selected from more than 124,000 teachers to receive $250 and 250 Bonus Points from the James Patterson and Scholastic Book Clubs Giveaway. “I am wanting to use the money toward a new classroom library, with a variety of levels and genres to connect with my students,” said Ms. Stewart. She will also purchase resources to enhance reading and phonics.
Counseling and Mental Health Class Turns Big Box into Classroom ‘Dear Abby’
The Counseling and Mental Health Class has come up with its own version of the “Dear Abby” advice column. It’s a big box where class members can deposit questions or comments and get a response within 24 hours. “Both of my classes use the Box pretty regularly. It is rare to open it and find it empty,” said teacher Amanda Gamble. Students have asked questions about relationships, mental disorders like depression, anxiety and ADHD, or to vent on a particular topic. Students stay anonymous by filling out the Box’s form using their class binder number, not their name. The morning and afternoon practicum class members read each note and respond within one school day. At least one response is required but often four to five responses per note are given. “Responses are not to be advice-driven. Instead they focus more on support and providing helpful resources,” said Ms. Gamble. The Box currently serves only Counseling and Mental Health students; eventually, boxes may be placed around the Career Education Center for other students’ use.
Booker T. Washington Elementary Art Class Makes Mosaic-Name Project
Don’t write off the artistic skills of kindergartners. The students in Jaci Hanes’ Booker T. Washington class created these mosaic versions of their names at the same time they were learning to spell their names. They tore paper strips and glued each one to a letter in their name. “This lesson showed them that each individual letter makes up their whole name,” said Ms. Hanes.
Architecture Classes Practice Drawing to Beef Up Important Skill
When Career Education Center Architecture teacher Amy Hughes heard a representative from the Texas Tech Architecture Department voice his concern that many incoming college students lacked experience and confidence in their drawing skills, she began a special day of the week: Drawing Fridays. “This is a conscious break from computer and book work to focus on the importance of hand drawing,” she said. “I plan to have my classes drawing from observation in their sketchbooks every Friday.” If her students pursue their architecture interests into college, they will be expected to take at least one Level 1 drawing class – and those freshman level drawings will help them gain access later into the collegiate architecture program. “I’m hoping that ‘Drawing Fridays’ help students feel more comfortable with this college expectation,” said Mrs. Hughes. Pictured here, Kendall Waggoner, a junior, sketches the CEC’s entry windows on a rainy Friday morning.
Zundy Elementary Students Flock to SWAT Club
Cornerstone Baptist Church “is all in” with its commitment to helping Zundy children, said Principal Becky Hernandez. Its latest venture: Hosting SWAT (Students With a Testimony) Club for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, complete with SWAT T-shirts for all student participants. Every Zundy teacher also received one of the black T-shirts to wear on Tuesday club days to advertise the club. This week, the Club grew from 18 students to 28. Students learned a Bible verse, participated in gym activities, and enjoyed a snack. “This is the second week, so we’re still finding out about the kids,” said Pastor Mickey Carroll. Prior to the first day of school, church members walked through the school, touching and praying over every desk, door, and classroom, said Mrs. Hernandez. The church also purchased library books and hosted a STAAR picnic for the school last year. Here, Mrs. Hernandez (left) looks on as a Cornerstone Baptist Church member gives a Bible lesson to one group of children.
Welding Students Fabricate Smoker Top
The range of projects that students tackle with teacher B.C. Gilbert in the Career Education Center’s Welding Technology class is broad. For example, advanced welding students fabricated this top piece for a stationary brick smoker/cooker. Pictured left to right: Hirschi’s Ethan Boren, Rider’s Jonathan Allstat, and Wichita Falls High School’s Caley Gould.
Kirby Middle School Launches Hounds Clubs
Would you like to learn sign language? Anime? Coding? Chess? Want to experience fishing? Forensics? Stomp and dancing? Students at Kirby selected their club this week from a wide variety of Hounds Clubs – 30 in all. Pictured here: Chess Club.
Two WFISD Educators Turn to CEC Students for Business Help
When retired Rider Principal Dee Palmore began a business, D&D Custom Swings, with his partner and fishing buddy Doug Albus, Hirschi High School Principal, the two needed some design help. They turned to Career Education Center students for help. Tandy Roberts’ public relations class created a banner to advertise the company and set up its Facebook page. When Mr. Palmore decided he needed to add a cup holder to his swings, he consulted CEC’s Stephen Davis, who turned him over to senior Sophie Roberts (pictured below), who programmed Mr. Palmore’s idea into the plasma cutter. “I didn’t even talk to (Stephen Davis),” said Mr. Palmore. “I talked to her.” This isn’t the first time Mr. Palmore has leaned on CEC students’ expertise. Last year he needed the bearings repacked on the wheels of his buck trailer and gave the job to Larry Krugle’s auto repair students.
Southern Hills Elementary Teacher Helps Students Analyze Favorite Sports Balls
Doni Kaufhold, a fifth-grade science teacher at Southern Hills Elementary, found a fun way to teach her students about the physical properties of matter. She focused on their favorite sports balls. “We observed seven different balls and recorded their properties: circumference, texture, density, bounce height, color, mass and shape,” she said. “We discussed what materials the balls were made of and why they were good for that particular sport.”
Lamar Students Use Popcorn for Math Lesson
Just like Mary Poppins used a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down, Lamar teacher Ranee McClane used popcorn to make math more palatable. Students used the popped kernels as they added up parts that make a whole.
STEAM Teachers Trained at Google Garage
Lego Mindstorms. Spheros. Google Workbench. Vex Robots. They were all available at a special professional development get-together Sept. 13 at The Garage for educators who teach robotics, coding or STEAM classes or clubs. This is the fourth year that WFISD has emphasized the skills of robotics. “We’re trying to focus on what has worked, for those who have limited amounts of time,” said instructional technologist Joe Camacho. Students who take a daily robotics class are more advanced in skills than those at a school that offers a weekly club after school for 45 minutes, he said. Participants learned about Google Workbench, which assists a teacher in designing a lesson around a specific technology. This is the first year that Barwise Middle School has offered a robotics class to its 7th graders. Pictured here, left to right, Veronica Snell, Nikki Davis and Amber Houck check out the three 3D printers in use at The Garage.
Rider Media Launches Photo of the Week Competition
This photo earned 54 percent of votes from Rider Raider fans in the first Photo of the Week competition at Rider High School. Finalist photos are selected by Rider journalism teacher Zach Duncan and an assistant, but then the entire school votes to select the week’s best. (Photo by Rider Media.)
Brook Village Early Childhood Center Girls Dress for Mexican Independence Day
Three little girls in Victoria Salinas-Davis’ Brook Village classroom dressed to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16. “It is not something I required my students to do,” said Ms. Salinas-Davis. But it was appropriate, since Hispanic Heritage Month also began Sept. 15.
New Fowler Club Runs Twitter Account
Fowler teacher Kristi Mofett started a new club called @Tweet4Fowler. Her 4th and 5th graders will join her in running the Twitter account. “Our goal is to tell our story of Fowler,” she said. (Give them a follow @Tweet4Fowler.)
WFISD Swim Team Coach Finds New Way to Select Swim Team Captains
It used to be Swim Coach Oyvind Zahl who chose swim team captains. But not this year. He decided to change things up by asking swimmers who are interested in becoming a captain to interview for the position. First, they fill out an application online. Then they prepare a resume. Then they interview – but not with him. He brought in an interviewer who was independent of the swim team but with a teaching leadership background. This expert selected the best candidates for the role of team captains. Left to right: Nichole Music, Julia Camacho, Dorian Ramsey, Lexi Rosario, and Joe Genewick. The interviewer’s pick for captains: Hirschi’s Julia Camacho, Wichita Falls High School’s Grayson Breault, Rider’s Dorian Ramsey, and Rider’s Elijah Beshear.
Cunningham Elementary Teacher Marvels at 4-Year-Olds' Collaborative Skills
New Dyslexia Curriculum Keeps Therapists Nimble to Help Each Student
WFISD’s Dyslexia therapists have adopted a new curriculum called Reading by Design. They will use the program with kindergarteners all the way up to high school seniors. “I love the way this program allows our dyslexia specialist to individualize for each student,” said Diann Davenport, dyslexia director. The program uses discussions and writing to help children with oral and written language development, background knowledge and comprehension – and transfer what they learn to their classrooms, she said. Pictured here: Fowler Elementary's Jessica Faver presents one of the new lessons to 7- and 8-year olds on Wednesday.
Wichita Falls High School Senior English Class Tackles Beowulf Poem, Project
Senior English students in Allison Blakely’s Wichita Falls High School classroom studied the Old English epic poem, Beowulf. The poem is one of the most important works of Old English literature that dates back to 975. It promotes themes of loyalty, bravery, valor, vengeance, and generosity. Students worked in groups to create posters of the 12 stages of Beowulf’s Hero’s Journey. Ms. Blakely will display the posters around her room.
Zundy Elementary’s Golden Spatula Award Represents Good Cafeteria Behavior
It can be a challenge to behave well in the cafeteria when there’s so much food and so many friends to enjoy. When Lindsay Rogers’ class earned Zundy’s “Golden Spatula” award, it reflected their great behavior in the school cafeteria all week long. Every day, the class with outstanding cafeteria behavior gets a star, and the class with the most stars at the end of the week earns the Golden Spatula. “My class was so excited to have won,” said Ms. Rogers. “They are proudly carrying around the Golden Spatula this week everywhere they go.”
Milam Kinders Fish for Letters in a Hands-On Activity Designed to Build Letter Recognition
Milam kinder teacher Amanda Miller put a magnetic fishing pole in the hands of her students, helped them steer their chairs – or “boats” – to the side of the carpet, and had them fish for letters. “They must say the letter and sound to be able to put it in our bucket,” said Ms. Miller. “It’s just a great way to use hands-on, differentiated learning when addressing our objectives.”
Jefferson Elementary Teacher Distributes Yard Signs as Class Incentive
What if a student were celebrated not only for his hard work in his classroom but in his neighborhood as well? That’s what will happen for Kristin Howard’s students who work hard, improve on a test to reach their goal grade or demonstrate kindness. Two students each week will earn a yard sign that says, “Home of a Student Making Great Things Happen in Mrs. Howard’s Class.” A student who earns a yard sign will keep it all year. “I have ordered enough for every child to eventually get a sign,” said Mrs. Howard. “I know that all children can do something great this year.” She is also mailing cards to select students’ homes every week to applaud them for doing something amazing. “Everyone likes to receive mail,” said Mrs. Howard.
Fowler Elementary Students Compare Solids and Liquids Using Popsicles and Punch
When Fowler third-grade teachers Amanda Dorsey and Sam Campbell decided to do a two-day science experiment on solids and liquids, they used two things kids love: Kool-aid and Kool-aid popsicles. On the first day, they made Kool-aid. “We talked about how the liquid took the form of the pitcher,” said Ms. Dorsey. Then they poured Kool-aid into ice cube trays and discussed what would happen when they went into the freezer. Students created a Venn-Diagram to compare liquid Kool-aid to frozen Kool-aid. Since an important rule of the science lab is, “Don’t eat or drink the experiment!” the kids were cautious when given permission -- this one time -- to eat up the popsicles and drink the punch.
Zundy Kinders Work on ABC Bootcamp, Prepare for Parade
Zundy kindergarten teacher Kim Nowell and her husband spent the weekend cutting out 100 vests from paper bags. Her students will decorate them, then wear them in a school-wide parade celebrating the completion of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard’s ABC Bootcamp, where the children learned one new letter every day for 26 days. “So much growth takes place in these 26 days,” said Mrs. Nowell. “They’re learning their letters and sounds but also gaining fine motor skills with making hats every day, learning to track while reading our letter books, and learning sight words.”
Jefferson Elementary Students Join In for #ClassroomBookaDay
Jefferson teacher Sarah Reeder (pictured) created her own hashtag, #ClassroomBookaDay, to document her plan of reading a picture book to her class every day. Her goal is to expose students to a variety of genres while letting them soak in stories for pure enjoyment. “These texts can be revisited later in the year to teach specific skills to her students,” said Melissa Gound, reading instructional coach. "Reeder’s Readers have enjoyed this, and it has spread to other reading classes as well.”
McNiel Middle School Class Uses VR Glasses to Tour 9/11 Memorial
McNiel teachers Kimbra Thomas and Chelsea Howells prepared a special experience for their history students during the week of Sept. 11. Using virtual reality glasses, they toured the 9/11 Memorial with their students.
Scotland Park Elementary Receives Vouchers for New Shoes, Money for Clothing, Sonic Slushies
Top left: Scotland Park’s Joe Clement accepts vouchers for new shoes from Leslie Yow of Advantage Real Estate and a representative of the Wichita Falls Association of Realtors. The WFAR makes this generous gift every year. Top right: Bill Crutchet and Perry Curry from First United Bank present Mr. Clement with $250 for student clothing and uniforms. Bottom: Students enjoy Sonic slushies provided by Wichita Falls Kiwanis Club on Friday for their extraordinary behavior during the week.
Sheppard Elementary Student Council Members Mentor Their Peers
Once you’ve become a member of Student Council, you’re an expert on what it takes to join. So Sheppard Elementary Student Council members held a workshop to mentor prospective Student Council members. “They helped them write speeches, make posters and prepare for the upcoming election in October,” said Brenda De Leon, special education teacher. “Team work!”
West Foundation Elementary Promotes Friendship with Giant Artwork
West Foundation erected a new picture station that reads, Be the ‘I’ in FRIEND. “We want all of our students to learn the characteristics and qualities of being good friends to one another,” said West Principal Kim Smith.
Lamar Elementary Students Practice Reading with ‘Birthday Book Club’
When students' birthdays roll around at Lamar Elementary, they have one thing they know they can look forward to. They will receive a new book. They are encouraged to read their book at home, practice reading it aloud, and bring it back to read with Principal Amanda Garcia. “They are eager to receive their very own book, and it’s a great way to encourage reading at home,” said Ms. Garcia.
Sheppard Elementary Students Thank Teachers with Kindness Cards
What better way to thank your teachers for being kind to you than by writing out a card and giving it to them? Student Council members made Kindness Cards for every teacher to thank them for being kind to Sheppard Elementary students. “The students wanted to give back to their teachers,” said Brenda De Leon, Sheppard special education teacher.
Lamar Kinder Teacher Introduces Robot Game to Students
Lamar kinder teacher Stephanie Roberts introduced Beebot to her students. The little yellow bee-like robot is designed for use with young children. She can use battery-powered Beebot to teach sequencing, estimation and problem-solving.
Franklin Elementary Hosts Visiting Arkansas Author Thursday
Writing isn’t easy – everybody knows that. On Thursday, Arkansas author Michael Finklea visited Franklin to speak to students about how to persevere during the rough parts. He spoke to students from kinder through 5th grade about writing his own books. He told the children how his first book was rejected by a publisher eight times before it was accepted. Creative time spent on such a project is never time wasted, he said.
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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.)
Email: athomas@wfisd.net
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