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Nimitz Fourth Amid Controversy
In a state competition with shades of Olympic
figure skating, the Nimitz High School Academic Decathlon team
placed fourth this year with a top individual ranking for one of its
members.
But there is controversy surrounding the final
placings. A testament to the level of competition at the meet, only
518 points separate the top four teams and the scoring has been
challenged. An independent audit will be completed before the state
champion is confirmed.
Nimitz coach Greg Jackson said the controversy
probably will not affect Nimitz’s place in the final standings. Nor
should it affect team member Melody Cole’s first place B Student
ranking.
The meet was held March 1-3 in Wichita Falls. The
top five teams in the state with their unofficial scores are
Lubbock, 47,740; J. Frank Dobie, 47,381; Keller, 47,303; Nimitz,
47,222; and James Taylor, 46,002.
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7 Named National Merit Finalists
Seven IISD students have been named National Merit
Finalists. They are Jonathan Paynter and Josiah Vinson from Irving
High School; Cheng Lee and Chad Peoples from MacArthur High School;
and Lauren Campbell, Grant Clayton, and Audrea Harrington from
Nimitz High School.
The Finalist designation is the highest ranking
students can earn before reaching the coveted title of National
Merit Scholar. These seven students are among the top 15,000 in the
nation competing to become National Merit Scholars. About 8,000
scholarships will be awarded in April, May and July.
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IHS Newspaper Staff Honored
Students from Irving High School’s newspaper staff
were recently selected as finalists in the Terry Costa Ad Contest.
The contest, sponsored by Terry Costa formal dress and tuxedo
stores, offers $2,000 for the journalism department and prom
committee from the school who enters the best advertisement from its
high school newspaper.
Irving High’s entry was created by John Weiss. The
idea for the advertisement came from Meaghan Boddie and the model
was Ana Quintanilla.
Finalists will be on display in the Terry Costa
location at the southwest corner of Preston Road and the LBJ Freeway
until March 30. The ad that receives the most votes from Terry Costa
customers will win the contest.
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IHS Students Win Art Awards
Three Irving High School students won awards at
the Texas Visual Arts Association Annual Juried High School Art
Competition. More than 1,300 works of art were entered in the
competition, held at the University of Texas at Dallas last month.
Of those, 203 pieces were accepted by the judges. Five pieces from
Irving High were accepted and three won awards. The three were
produced by Rochelle Cole, judges choice and $100; Nicole Martilla,
judges choice and $100; and Rob Lobb, honorable mention and $50.
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VICA/Skills USA Students Bring Home Honors
Thirty IISD students competed in the regional
competition for Vocational Industrial Clubs of America in Waco, and
several came home with medals.
In cosmetology, six IISD students won first place
for projects completed before the conference. They are Carmen
Villogomez, Maribelle Rodriguez, Jessica Fraser, Wendy Diaz, Nancy
Collozo, and Nery Garcia.
In skills events, Natalia Herrera won first place
in male haircutting. Jessica Fraser won third place in hairstyling.
Stephanie Jackson won first place in action skills. Elena Espinoza,
Natalia Herrera and Stephanie Jackson also won second places in
cosmetology projects competition. Taneta Archie, Nancy Collozo, and
Shanique Ellis took part in an emblem ceremony. Other winners were
David Cruz, second place in electronic technology; Hector Carmona,
third place in electronic applications; and Steven Maples, fifth
place in electronic applications.
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Pierce Hosts “Buckle Up” Meeting
Some students at Pierce Early Childhood School are
riding high in new car seats after a parent meeting hosted by the
Prime Injury Prevention Center at which four lucky parents received
free child seats.
The Prime Injury Prevention Center is funded by
the Texas Department of Health and the Texas Department of
Transportation. Thirty parents attended the event and heard
presentations about the importance of using safety devices for
children in cars.
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Student Art Chosen for Web Site
Art work created by Jane Alex from Brown
Elementary is featured this month on
www.schoolmenu.com a site that
displays menus for schools across the nation. The drawing will also
grace the cover of thousands of printed school menus from the
company. Alex is a first-grader at Brown. She created the drawing in
art class and her mother sent it in.
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Academy Film Festival
Tomorrow’s Spielbergs may be in Irving today. To
help students discover their hidden cinematic talents, the media
technology class at the Academy of Irving ISD will host a short
movie festival on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Academy Conference
Center.
Students, staff and parents are invited to enjoy
popcorn, drinks and a free screening of six “shorts” developed by
IISD seniors, juniors and sophomores.
Special guest Josh Govin from The Studios at Las
Colinas will critique the shorts and offer a brief lecture on film
production.
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ICE Award Winners
Eighteen students and student groups were honored
by the District, the Board of Trustees, and the IISD Excellence Now
Committee at the annual Irving Celebration of Excellence (ICE)
Awards February 26 at Nimitz High School.
In the Academics category, the winners were Barton
Elementary Math & Science Team, Brandenburg Elementary Robotics
Team, Austin Middle School student Graciela Moedano, and Nimitz
Academic Decathlon Team.
In the Fine Arts category, the winners were Farine
Elementary student Deborah Kim, Crockett Middle School student Baron
Smith, Lamar Middle School Drama Department, Irving High School’s
Micah Blalock, and MacArthur High School Wind Symphony & Symphonic
Band.
In the Athletics & Physical Education category,
the winners were Bowie Middle School Eighth Grade Football Team, and
Irving High Marine Corps Junior ROTC.
In the Community Service/Citizenship category, the
winners were Brown Elementary’s Green School Award, Crockett
Community Learning Center, and Nimitz Junior Historians.
In the Special Campus/District category, the
winners were Good Elementary’s Blue Ribbon Award, Austin ESL After
School Program, Irving High’s 21st Century Community Learning
Center, and Nimitz Naval Junior ROTC.
