Home   |   Search Articles   |   Past Issues 

Nimitz, MacArthur Headed to State AcDec

The Nimitz High School Academic Decathlon Team won the Regional Academic Decathlon for the twenty-first time in the past 24 years and will advance to state competition.

For the sixth consecutive year, and the twenty-first time in the past 24 years, the Nimitz High School Academic Decathlon Team won the Regional Academic Decathlon, hosted January 28-29 at Richland High School, and will advance to the state meet. For the first time since 1994, MacArthur High School – winning fourth at regional competition – will also advance to state. 

The Academic Decathlon is designed to include students from all academic backgrounds. Each nine-member team consists of three “A” students, three “B” students and three “C” students. In addition to a seven-minute interview, a one-hour essay and two speeches – four minutes prepared and two minutes impromptu, written comprehensive exams are given in music, art, language and literature, mathematics, economics, social science, and the Super Quiz. For this year, the overall theme was the Great Depression, students studied the novel The Grapes of Wrath, and geology was the Super Quiz topic.

Nimitz scored 43,989 points, outscoring second place Coppell High School by 3,200 points and third place Flower Mound Marcus by 3,500 points. High-point scorer at the meet was Junior Allison Roderick with 8,403 points and a perfect score in the Super Quiz Relay. The Vikings amassed 66 medals, led by top “C” student Sophia Chavez with 13. Outstanding individual performances were turned in by Jessica Alvarez, second place “B” student, 10 medals; Parker Hillis, third place “B” student, eight medals; and Maggie Stiggleman, fourth place “A” student, seven medals. Other individual medal totals were as follows: Phuc Ta, five medals; Kevin Chacko, three medals; Marlene Hernandez, five medals; and Mauricio Nunez, 3 medals. Nimitz Academic Decathlon Coaches are Greg Jackson, Greg Thomson, Carey Christenberry, Becky Christenberry, and Jeremy Chumley.

The MacArthur High School Academic Decathlon Team placed fourth at the Regional Academic Decathlon and will advance to state competition for the first time in school history.

In a school-best performance, MacArthur High School won fourth place out of the 14 teams competing, earning 35,302 points and winning third place in the Super Quiz Relay. Top scorer for MacArthur was Natalie Bradford with 7,588 points, making her the fifth place overall student at the meet. Outstanding individual performances were turned in by Zach Brown, third place interview and Stephanie Kapok, second place math. Contributing team members are Candace Galbreath, Jaime Cardona, Ria Rahman, Usama Khalid, Crystal Gomes and Byron Hoskins. MacArthur coaches are Paula D'Spain, Tina Bynum, Angela Ayers, Sherry Martinez, and Jeff Tillerson.

The team from Irving High School placed sixth out of 14 with a score of 34,060 and marks the first time in six years the team has finished in the top ten. Irving High also finished fourth overall in the Super Quiz Relay. Outstanding individual performances were turned in by Alvaro Aleman with  6,733 points and placing tenth overall “A” student; Luis Nambo with 6,413 points, tenth place overall “B” student and first place in Art for “B” students; Ed Nuno with tenth place overall “C” student and third place overall for Social Studies. Contributing team members were Saul Membreno, Beatriz Ramos, and Alvin Nguyen. Coaches are James Newman, Brenda Gambill, Julie Pritchett, Judith Nevil, Carol Lawler, Janica Dudley, Victor Galanis, Kristi Rucker, and Sandra Pennal.

In the medium school division, Singley Academy earned 21,144 points. High-point scorers for the team were Lesly Alvarez, Adriana Portillo, and Ann Anosike. Contributing team members were Maria Hong, Lydia Garcia, Magaly Rodriguez, and Marleth Chavez. Singley Academy coaches are Laura Hayes and Stephanie Tennyson.

Nimitz and MacArthur now advance to the state large-school meet, which will be held at the end of February in El Paso.

Schools Named to NCEA Higher Performing List

John Haley Elementary School, Austin Middle School and Singley Academy have been named to the National Center for Educational Achievement list of Higher Performing Schools.

The three schools have earned the recognition for the second consecutive year. The NCEA recognition indicates John Haley’s consistent improvement in student achievement in reading from previous years. Austin and Singley Academy were recognized for improvements in math scores over previous years.

For the complete list of NCEA Higher Performing Schools, access www.nc4ea.org/index.cfm/e/higher_performing_schools/st/texas.

North Lake Service Day Benefits IISD

North Lake College (NLC) faculty will volunteer in seven IISD schools as part of the first Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) Day of Service February 18.

NLC will have approximately 400 faculty volunteers. They will serve at Thomas Haley Elementary School, Good Elementary School, Lee Elementary School, Lively Elementary School, Travis Middle School, and Lamar Middle School. The DCCCD service theme is Sustainability: Society, Environment and Economy. Activities at the schools will include guest speakers, working with students on academics, leading Career & Technical Education projects; assistance with textbooks and campus clean-up.

Community Unites for Injured Student

Misael Rico, first grader at Farine Elementary School, and his mother were struck by a car as they walked home from Farine January 13. Fundraising events have been planned to help support the Rico family with hospital bills incurred during his treatment.

The El Chico restaurant in Irving has scheduled an evening for donations February 17. According to Greg Fair, manager at El Chico, the community is encouraged to come make a donation whether or not they plan to eat at the restaurant. Patrons who do dine at El Chico are encouraged to sign-in so restaurant management knows what percentage of sales to donate to the Rico family. El Chico in Irving is located at 2305 West Airport Freeway.

A neighborhood lemonade stand raised more than $100 to assist the family of Misael Rico, Farine Elementary School first grader injured January 13.

Basketball for Our Buddy, scheduled for February 11 at Farine, will involve students making donations for the chance to play basketball-themed events and win prizes. Community members interested in making a donation are encouraged to visit the school February 11. Tax-deductable donations can be made by check to the Farine Parent Teacher Organization and will go directly to the Rico family to assist with medical costs. Checks should be made out to “Farine PTO” and designated “for Misael” on the note line.

For more information regarding donating to the effort for Misael Rico, call 972-600-7900.

Education Forum Scheduled

Irving International Women’s Consortium will host an education forum at 7 p.m. February 8 at Senter Park East Building, located at 228 Chamberlain.

Forum discussions will include removing the disconnect between perceptions held by the public and school officials. Panel members include Nancy L. Jones, IISD Board of Trustees vice president; Shawn Stover, North Hills Preparatory School senior director; Rene Castilla, dean of North Lake College South Campus; and Asusena Reséndiz, president of Irving Hispanic Chamber.

Concussion Exhibit Visits Irving High

A traveling exhibit to bring public awareness of youth sports concussions and brain injury as the leading cause of death among American youth, stopped at Irving High School February 7.

Sponsored by the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation from New York, the exhibit primarily focuses toward high school students. Secondary target audiences are parents, teachers, athletic personnel, and school administrators. Educational objectives include understanding what a concussion is and how to prevent it, understanding the risks associated with a concussion, understanding the importance of letting the brain heal and rest, and providing useful resources for how students can get more involved in injury education.

Learn more about the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation online by accessing www.thebrainproject.org.

High School Solo & Ensemble

IISD high school orchestra students competed at University Interscholastic League Region 20 Solo & Ensemble Contest January 29 at Highland Park High School.

Students competed against a scoring rubric for the opportunity to advance to Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest, scheduled for May at University of Texas at Austin. For a complete list of students participating in the Region 20 event and the scores they earned, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/solo2011.htm.

Community Building at Lamar

Lamar Middle School has hosted several events in the past weeks to strengthen the school’s internal and external communities.

In partnership with Elliott Elementary School, Brown Elementary School and Stipes Elementary School parent teacher associations, Lamar hosted motivational speaker Brenda Bird, who presented How to Raise Recession Proof Children. The presentation was given in both English and Spanish, and daycare was provided.

Perla Barrera, sixth grader at Lamar Middle School, is awarded with a new bicycle by Gib Kassing from the Horace Mann insurance agency. Pictured with Barrera is her mother and Rocci Malone, principal at Lamar.

Gib Kassing, insurance agent with Horace Mann, presented Sixth Grader Perla Barrera with a bicycle and accessories for having perfect attendance in the first semester. Kassing presented the award as part of Horace Mann’s Perfect Attendance Spells Success program.

Twenty-four Lamar students were hosted in a visit to American Airlines Center in December. The school won the tickets after applying to a program sponsored by the Mavericks. Students were selected based upon being nominated for their academic excellence and good character.

As part of the Xperience Outreach program, Lamar hosted former New York Knicks basketball player Anthony Bonner and former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis at a student assembly January 31. Bonner and Lewis spoke to students about having a vision for the future, setting goals, the importance of academics, and they shared how choices impacted their own life experiences.

Boundary Project Update Meetings

An update on the 2010-2011 school boundary project will be presented during a meeting of the IISD Board of Trustees scheduled for February 10.

Additional public input meetings regarding the boundary re-drawing process will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. February 14 and February 15, scheduled for Lamar Middle School and MacArthur High School, respectively. Notice of the meetings will be sent home with students no later than February 8, and a TeleParent message will be broadcast to IISD families.

Both presentations will be translated into Spanish, and a sign-language interpreter will be present at the meeting February 15.

Roadway Safety Event

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is sponsoring two roadway safety town hall meetings from 6-7:30 p.m. February 8 and February 16.

The event February 8 is scheduled for the NTTA building located at 5900 W. Plano Parkway in Plano. The February 16 event is at North Central Texas Council of Governments, located at 616 Six Flags Drive in Arlington.

Sponsored in cooperation between NTTA, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the purpose of the event is for the community to voice their top roadway safety concerns.

For more information, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/docs/SafetySummitFlier.pdf.

Back to top   

Keep up with the latest Irving ISD news and events with three Tweets per day, Monday through Friday. Follow Irving ISD on Twitter with your cell phone or online. http://twitter.com/IrvingISD. 

Back to top