District in Pictures
March 28, 2019
WFISD Music Education Program Wins ‘Best Communities for Music Education’ Designation for Second Consecutive Year
WFISD’s music education program was honored for the second consecutive year with the “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from The NAMM Foundation. The title is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students. That’s important because research shows the life skills and many cognitive benefits that come from music classes. “We feel very fortunate to live and work in a community that values Fine Arts education for our students,” said Kelly Strenski, WFISD Fine Arts director. WFISD first received the designation in 2018.
Rider High School Yearbook Staff Awarded ‘Outstanding Yearbook’ and Featured in Premier Idea Book; Hirschi High School Photo Also Included
The Raider 2018 yearbook, published by Rider High School’s yearbook staff, was awarded “Outstanding Yearbook 2018” and is featured in (printing company) Walsworth’s premier idea book, Possibilities. “This book is sent across the nation for all programs to use and get inspiration from,” said Alexandra McClung, journalism teacher. “This is very exciting since only certain schools are featured in this book.” One photo from Hirschi High School's 2018 yearbook was also included in the Possibilities photography section.
Five Fain Elementary Artists Recognized in 'Accept, Include and Empower Art Contest'
The artwork submissions of five Fain Elementary students to the "Accept, Include and Empower Art Contest" were recognized at a Vernon College ceremony on March 16. The artwork pieces will decorate an All Inclusive Playground and be included in a book about the event. Fain winners are Violet Chavez, Haylee Tarver, Genesis Cortez, Christian Ruiz and Kate Baccum (Honorable Mention). The All-Inclusive Playground is being built behind Park Place Church on Callfield, according to Fain art teacher Audra Roberson-Miller.
Crockett Elementary Math/Reading STAAR Review ‘Sends’ Students to Florida’s Universal Studios
Crockett Elementary students began a virtual field trip this week to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, when their teachers, Mariah Sutherland and Jayme Beckham, introduced them to their Math/Reading STAAR Review titled, “The Islands of Adventure.” This is the first time the teachers have collaborated with a reading and math review. They're using a template created by WFISD's instructional technologist Julie Yandell. “Students will complete math tasks, reading tasks, then a critical reading/math mystery to earn a password. Once they earn the password, it unlocks the virtual field trip and the respective ride at Universal Studios,” said Ms. Sutherland and Ms. Beckham. “Students will have a passport-type booklet to record the dates they completed all of the tasks and to store their tickets.” The teachers expect this exciting set-up “will help break up the monotony of test review,” said Ms. Sutherland.
Career Education Center Anatomy Students Dissect Cow Spinal Cords
When the students in Candace Banks’ Anatomy and Physiology class studied the nervous system, they spent time dissecting cow spinal cords in a special lab. “They see up close the parts of the spine we discuss in the chapter, and they dissect some of the same parts a human spinal cord has, like the meninges, which is the protective covering over the spine,” said Ms. Banks. They will continue their study of the nervous system by dissecting sheep brains next.
Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit Visits Crockett, West Foundation and Fowler Elementary
Fifth-graders at several elementary schools investigated 24 science activities on the topic of oil and gas this week when the Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit (MOLU) truck drove up to their schools. Pictured here, Fowler students study the porosity exhibit with the help of Fowler fifth-grade science teacher David Thayer. He helped them understand how oil drains at different speeds depending on the size of rocks it flows through. Mr. Thayer should know—he spent 20 years working as a drilling supervisor with Texaco in Midland before teaching at Fowler. He found the MOLU exhibit informative. “Refinery, rigs, porosity, sediment – it covers it all very quickly,” he said. “The enthusiasm I’ve seen all day long has been great.” Besides teaching science concepts, the exhibit was valuable because it exposed students to the oil industry and its many careers, said Mr. Thayer. The MOLO exhibit, sponsored by the Oilfield Energy Institute, visited Crockett on Monday (sponsored by Society of Petroleum Engineers), West Foundation on Tuesday (sponsored by Eagle Oil & Gas, Burk Royalty Co., and Hupp, Bauer, Hanson & Lewis) and Fowler on Thursday (sponsored by Desk and Derrick Club of Wichita Falls).
Hirschi High School Students Tour Cypress Water Plant
Students in Hirschi High School’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Chemistry class toured the Cypress Water Treatment Facility this week. They learned the processes that city water cycles through to become safe, drinkable water. “They learned the sources of our water, filtration, micro-filtration, reverse osmosis, pH regulation, storage and distribution,” said Tami Davis, IBMYP coordinator for Hirschi. “They also observed the 24-hour digital platform that constantly checks all aspects of water treatment at the plants. They left understanding the huge amount of science and technology that goes into making our water safe.”
Kirby Middle School Teacher Uses Bellringer to Fuel Appreciation
Jessica Toliver, a seventh-grade reading teacher at Kirby, welcomed her students back from spring break with an unusual bellringer writing assignment: Write why you are grateful to attend school. It was part of her ongoing campaign to remind her seventh- graders that there are still places in the world where they might not receive an education based on their race, sex or socioeconomic status. She thought this assignment might head off any griping about returning from spring break. It did. “I was pleasantly surprised that my students didn’t complain about returning to school. Seventh-grader Camryn Guthrie wrote, ‘I am grateful to go to school because there are other countries where girls aren’t allowed to go to school. Also, education leads to a better life.’” Ms. Toliver joined in by offering up her own reasons (pictured here) of why she loves being a teacher. She ended the class the way she always does. “At the end of each class, I send them off with a launch where I say, ‘Knowledge,’ and they reply, ‘Is power!’”
Zundy Elementary Offers Up New Award: Spear’s Heroes
Zundy Elementary staff members created a new sportsmanship award called Spear’s Heroes. The award is given in memory of former Zundy Coach Shane Spear, who died June 27, 2018 at the age of 45. The students pictured here were part of the first group to receive the inaugural award.
Thirteen Lamar Elementary Students’ Poems Chosen for Publication
Thirteen students from Gloria Ornelas’ third-grade class had their poetry selected for publication in the Young American Poetry Digest, said Kaycie Taylor, Lamar’s At-Risk Coordinator. Lamar librarian Emily Halverson brought this opportunity to Lamar students.
Zundy Elementary Bilingual Kindergartners Write Books, Show Them Off
The 16 bilingual kindergarten students in Jessica Rivers’ class at Zundy spent two weeks on a special project: They wrote books. First, they perused a long list of ideas and put a sticker next to their favorite topic. Then they learned about the four parts of a book: The setting, characters, problem and solution. They wrote the first part of the book, then the middle, then the ending. When the books were done, they hand-wrote invitations to “Dia de Celebracion Publicando Mi Libro” to invite educators, parents and community members to visit their classroom so they could read their stories. Visitors included WFISD Superintendent Mike Kuhrt, pictured here.
Emergency Medicine Doctor Donates 155 Bicycle Helmets to Five Schools and Read 2 Learn Program
Elementary students at Burgess, Haynes, Lamar, Scotland Park, Booker T. Washington and Zundy received a generous donation of a total of 155 bicycle helmets from United Regional emergency medicine doctor Evan Meyer. He also donated helmets to WFISD’s Read 2 Learn program. He made a similar donation in 2016. “Evan buys the helmets from Texas Medical Association Foundation’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program. He is passionate about preventing head injuries. He sees too many in the ER,” said Kim Taylor of the Wichita County Medical Society. Students pictured here are from Scotland Park Elementary.
Welding Student Creates Horseshoe Roping Sculpture
Once you have welding skills, you can make all sorts of useful and decorative things – just because you want to. Case in point: Welding student Jason Hafley made this horseshoe cowboy. “It was just something he made on his own,” said welding teacher BC Gilbert.
Fain Elementary Teacher Launches STAAR Relays, Strategy Sessions
Fain Elementary teacher Frank Tarver has all sorts of activities up his sleeve to prepare his students for upcoming STAAR tests. Students will play the Food Web Card Game, do a digital breakout, and participate in an outdoor relay where teams compete to correctly answer STAAR questions and finish first. Pictured here, students complete a scientific method lab to determine if double-stuffed Oreos are really double stuffed. The findings: Only one out of every three Oreos were truly double-stuffed.
Milam Elementary Teacher Celebrated ‘Absolutely Incredible Kid Day’ with Personal Letters
March 21 was “Absolutely Incredible Kid Day,” and Milam teacher Amy Propp decided – since it fell smack in the middle of spring break – to celebrate it by writing individual letters to each of her homeroom students to tell them how incredible they are. She mailed them to their homes to arrive March 21. In all, she wrote 19 letters, detailing how each child was fabulous. When students returned from spring break, their comments to her included these: “It made me want to give Mrs. Propp a hug,” “I felt loved and grateful,” “It made me cry, and it made my mom cry,” “It made me feel happy. I couldn’t stop smiling, but it made my mom cry, but they were happy tears.” This is the second year Mrs. Propp has sent out such letters. “I want them to know that I truly love them and care about them outside of school,” she said.
Franklin Elementary Students Receive Crocheted Hats and Scarves
There are still warm, handmade scarves and hats to go around at Franklin Elementary School, thanks to the generosity of a ladies’ crochet club at First Baptist Church. The group of ladies, led by former Franklin parent Ronni Davis, has crocheted scores of scarves and hats and given them to students in need. The most recent batch included 12 scarves and 8 hats.
Three Hundred Students Signed Up for Weld-Off 2019 on April 12
The Weld-Off 2019 event is still 15 days away, but already 300 students from across the state have registered to attend the Career Education Center event. “We will have seven different welding contests, three with GMAW process and four with the SMAW process,” said Stephen Davis, Wichita Falls FFA advisor. Last year’s Weld-Off drew 200 contestants from 27 schools statewide to the CEC. Mr. Davis said he is still seeking $100 sponsorships to cover the cost of the contest.
Wichita Falls High School Students Illustrate Satirical Text in Posters
Wichita Falls High School students in Dan Whitehead’s senior English classes recently finished studying the famous satirical text, A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift. Mr. Whitehead asked his students to create a propaganda-style poster using the same satirical elements used by Swift in the famous essay. He posted the app, PosterMyWall, to Google Classroom, then had students use it to create their own advertisements emphasizing Swift’s key points, such as eating babies. “They were required to include a minimum of three appeals based on ethos, logos and pathos,” said Mr. Whitehead. “I will be using this fun project again next year.”
Southern Hills Pre-K Students Sign Into Class Every Morning
Why would Southern Hills pre-k teacher Dolores Zug ask her students to sign in every morning by printing their names on a class list? Her reasons are genius: “Morning sign-in teaches us how to write our names, recognize our friends’ names and therefore learn more letters of the alphabet,” said Ms. Zug. “We also get in some good fine motor practice!”
McNiel Middle School Students Paint Studs for Habitat for Humanity Project
Students in Jeff O’Dell’s art class painted studs for Habitat for Humanity’s “Sponsor a Stud” fundraiser. Their studs were among the 300 that will be installed in a Habitat for Humanity house, creating a kind of time capsule built into the home. Once the studs are erected in the home, the students will be invited to see how they function in the finished product that will eventually go to a deserving family.
Rider High School Hosts Annual ‘Pennies for Pets’ on Saturday
The Rider High School National Honor Society will hold its annual “Pennies for Pets” service project on Saturday. NHS members will go door-to-door in neighborhoods from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to collect contributions to benefit the Humane Society of Wichita County and the P.E.T.S. organization. Since 2004, the Rider National Honor Society has raised more than $176,983 to promote animal welfare, said Kristy Ciuba.
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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
Website: www.wfisd.net
Location: 1104 Broad Street, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: (940)235-1004
Twitter: @WFISDschools