Odyssey Sims, senior at MacArthur High School, has been named 2010 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

The WBCA presents the award annually to the top player in each of the WBCA collegiate divisions and in high school. According to HoopGurlz.com, Sims is the top-ranked point guard in the country. Scout.com and ESPN.com list her as the first- and second-ranked recruit in the country, respectively.

Sims will be formally honored on April 3 at the WBCA High School All-America Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. As one of the top ranked players in the country, Sims will also participate in the all-star game. The 20 players who have been selected will be divided into two teams of 10. Tip-off for the college-style regulation game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. This year’s event will be the first to be played on the same court as the NCAA Women’s Final Four. The game is free to the public, however tickets for seating in a reserved section are available at www.wbca.org.

In the past, Sims has been named District 7-5A most valuable player and first team all-district. She has also earned Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state recognitions. Sims has signed a letter of intent to attend Baylor University in the fall and play basketball.

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Students Win at State VASE

Students from all four Irving ISD high schools competed at the regional Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) competition February 6 in Mesquite.

IISD students’ entries were among more than 1300 projects from northern Texas in categories such as Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Photography, Ceramics, Sculpture, Jewelry and Electronic Media. Students were judged in four divisions: Division 1, students with one or less credits in art; Division 2, students with 1.5 – 2 credits in art; Division 3, students with 2.5 – 3 credits in art; or Division 4, students with 3.5 or more credits in art, or the student is in an advanced-placement level course. Scores were awarded on a scale of 1-4, and a percentage of the works receiving a four advance to state competition held April 16-17.

For the complete list of IISD students who participated at regional VASE, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/vaseResults2010.htm

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Criminal Justice Wins in Terrell

Criminal justice students in the legal studies career specialization at Singley Academy competed at Texas Public Service Association (TPSA) competition January 30, with 24 of 27 students qualifying for state competition.

Criminal justice students from Singley Academy competed at regional Texas Public Service Association competition at Trinity Valley Community College January 30.

Competition was hosted at Trinity Valley Community College in Terrell. Students participated in events designed to test students’ skills related to criminal justice and law enforcement duties. TPSA is an organization designed to serve instructors in Texas who are teaching in the occupational fields of law, public safety, corrections and security. This is the second year for Singley Academy criminal justice students to attend the TPSA competition. State competition is May 21-22 at Sam Houston State University in Hunstville.

For the complete list of Singley Academy students who placed at TPSA competition, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/criminaljustice.htm

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Irving High Senior Returns to All-State Orchestra

Daniel Oh, senior violist at Irving High School, will participate in Texas All-State Orchestra for the third consecutive year February 13.

Oh is one of seven orchestra students from Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA) Region 20 selected to join the All-State orchestras. He has played viola for seven years, and in addition to class instruction from Irving High Orchestra Director Carl Welle, Oh studies privately with Ellen Rose, principal viola player for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Irving High School senior Daniel Oh was named to the Texas All-State Orchestra. This marks the third consecutive year Oh has advanced to an All-State performance group.

Oh is scheduled to attend a scholarship audition at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in February. He said he will be seeking a viola performance scholarship, and hopes to perform with the SMU Meadows Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the top 10 percent of his class, Oh is also considering attending University of Texas at Austin (UT). If he attends UT, Oh said he would like to study business and music.

Outside of school, Oh is a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. He has one brother who plays the cello and said his mother plays the piano as a hobby. Oh’s brother, who currently attends Crockett Middle School, boasts that he will do better than his older brother and make the All-State Orchestra all four years of high school.

All-State Symphony Orchestra will perform during the TMEA Convention February 13 at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. The next Irving High School Orchestra performance is the Courtyard Concert, scheduled for 7 p.m. April 22 at Irving High School in the courtyard located adjacent to the Irving High auditorium.

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College Goal Sunday

In partnership with local college financial aid offices, IISD high school counselors are offering workshops to assist parents of high school seniors in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid from 2-4 p.m. February 21.

Irving High School and MacArthur High School will host locally what is nationally observed as College Goal Sunday. Free financial aid workshops will be offered where students and parents will have the opportunity to meet with collegiate financial aid professionals. These professionals will help families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. All Irving ISD seniors and their families are invited to attend the workshops regardless of which high school the student attends.

Attendees should bring all 2009 tax information for both students and parents. For more information, students and parents are encouraged to contact the student’s high school counseling office.

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National Collegiate Signing Day

Nineteen IISD seniors from Irving High School, MacArthur High School and Nimitz High School took part in National Collegiate Signing Day February 3.

Students signed letters of intent to attend colleges and universities in the fall and play athletics for their chosen institutions. IISD athletes signed letters to attend institutions ranging from within the DFW metroplex and North Texas to as far away as Tennessee. Sports students committed to play include football, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.

National Collegiate Signing Day is traditionally held the first Wednesday of February and is the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college sports. For a complete list of IISD seniors who signed letters of intent, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/LettersOfIntent.htm.

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