FRISCO ISD 2013-2014 STUDENT AND CAMPUS ACHIEVEMENTS July 2013 Clark Band and Fowler Orchestra Named State Champions The Clark Middle School Symphonic Band was named the 2014 Texas Middle School 2C Honor Band and the Fowler Middle School String Orchestra was named the 2014 Texas Middle School Honor Orchestra. August 2013 Stafford Band Wins State Contest Two Years in a Row The Stafford Middle School Band brought home the top prize in the concert division of the Association of Texas Small School Bands 2013 Outstanding Performance Series. September 2013 Anderson Honored as Healthy Zone School Anderson Elementary School is one of only 27 in North Texas to earn the title of Healthy Zone School from the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and The Cooper Institute. It is the highest honor a school can achieve through the Healthy Zone School Recognition Program, an initiative to engage teachers, students and parents about fitness and nutrition. Students Achieve Perfect ACT Score A senior from Centennial High School, Gianna Mason, earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT test. Heritage High School senior Revanth Poondla also learned that he too had a perfect score during the fall of 2013. October 2013 FISD Artists Featured at TASA/TASB Convention in Dallas The Texas Art Education Association showcased K-12th grade student work at the TASA/TASB Convention. Frisco students who had their work shown included: Kenyetta Henley, Madison Ysasaga, Ammar Shafi, Monteserrat Patino, Mariah Olgin, Sloan Moore, and Brett Hutchins. Hunt Student Wins State Transportation Poster Contest Abraham Trevino Padron of Hunt Middle School won first place in the special needs division of a state-wide art contest designed to raise awareness about school bus safety. National Merit Semifinalists, Other Honors Announced
Eight National Merit Semifinalists from Frisco ISD were announced and three students were named National Achievement Semifinalists. Seventeen students were named National Hispanic Recognition Scholars. Acker Special Programs Center Celebrates 50 th Anniversary Acker Special Programs Center hosted an Open House to celebrate 50 years of educating children. Former and current students, teachers and parents attended. November 2013 Wakeland High School Band and Color Guard Place Fourth Wakeland High School Band and Color Guard placed fourth in the state on a third consecutive trip to the UIL 4A State Marching Band Contest, held at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Frisco ISD-TV Crew Wins Broadcast Pacemaker Award Frisco ISD-TV crew members accepted the Broadcast Pacemaker Award at the Journalism Education Association (JEA) / National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Fall National High School Journalism Convention held November 14 17 in Boston. January 2014 Forty-One FISD Musicians Selected for All-State After a tremendous season of competition, 41 Frisco ISD high school band, choir, harp and orchestra students were selected for All-State distinction. Wester Named Texas School to Watch Frisco ISD s Wester Middle School was one of only 11 Texas middle schools redesignated as Texas Schools to Watch as part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Shawnee Trail Student Introduces Buddy Bench to FISD Second grader Abbie Hanson brought the idea of the Buddy Bench to Shawnee Trail Elementary. It s a place for students to sit if they are feeling sad or lonely at recess to indicate to other students to come play with them. By May, the concept had spread to more than a dozen FISD schools. February 2014 Frisco ISD Musicians Perform at TMEA Convention For the first time, two FISD honor groups performed at the TMEA Convention the state champion Clark band and Fowler orchestra.
Another Perfect ACT Score Announced Trent Sandland of Liberty High School scores perfect 36 on the ACT college entrance exam. Lone Star Wins Academic Decathlon State Title Lone Star High School won the small schools division of Academic Decathlon with six individual overall Texas decathlete titles. Teams from Centennial, Liberty and Wakeland participated in the medium schools division, with Centennial placing third, Wakeland fourth and Liberty sixth. In addition, Centennial coach Jeff Wolford was named Coach of the Year. Frisco ISD Students Artwork Displayed at the State Capitol The artwork of five FISD students was displayed at the State Capitol in Austin as part of an exhibit sponsored by the Texas Art Education Association. The artwork of Curtsinger first grader Jake Kline was also selected state-wide to display at the National Art Education Association's national convention in San Diego. CHS Speech and Debate Students Qualify for National Competition Four members of the Centennial High School Speech and Debate team qualified for national competition in Kansas in June. National Merit Semifinalists Named Finalists Students who were named National Merit Semifinalists were notified in February that they were National Merit finalists. Bledsoe Book Fair Takes Second Place in National Contest The Bledsoe Elementary School Book Fair won second place in Scholastic's Fall 2013 National Elementary School Book Fair Contest. The event had an Egyptian theme with costumed actors representing Cleopatra and an ancient Pharaoh. March 2014 High School Yearbooks Receive Honor Yearbooks from Centennial, Frisco, Heritage, Lone Star and Wakeland high schools have been recognized for excellence and featured in the 2014 Jostens Look Book, celebrating the best-of-the-best in yearbook design and coverage. Hunt Raises Nearly $12,000 for Homeless Nearly 200 students from Hunt Middle School participated in a six-hour dance-a-thon to raise nearly $12,000 and awareness for City House expansion efforts in Frisco to help homeless teens.
Middle School Students Selected to Perform at Carnegie Hall Scoggins Middle School eighth grade choir student Kathleen Murray and Vandeventer Middle School eighth grade choir student Ileagh MacIvers were accepted as members of the 2014 Middle School Honor Performance Series Choir, while twenty seven band students from Fowler were chosen for the 2014 Middle School Honors Performance Series. Performances were scheduled for June at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. Middle School Students Win at ExxonMobil Texas State Science and Engineering Fair Thirteen middle school students represented Frisco ISD at the ExxonMobil Texas State Science and Engineering Fair held March 20-23 in San Antonio. Students Qualify to Compete in HOSA National Leadership Conference Eleven high school health science students were the first from Frisco ISD to ever qualify to compete at the HOSA National Leadership Conference. CTE Culinary Arts Student Wins "Best Teen Chef" Competition Courtney Black, a ProStart culinary arts student at the Frisco ISD Career and Technical Education Center, won first place in a cook-off competition at The Art Institute of Dallas. Frisco's Got Talent Supports Homeless Teens High school students from each FISD school showcased their talents to help homeless teens. The event raised $19,000 for City House. April 2014 FHS Color Guard State Champions The Frisco High School Color Guard was named state champions for the second consecutive year. The Frisco High School Winter Guard received the gold medal at the NTCA State Championships on March 29. Isbell Elementary Celebrates 10 th Anniversary Educators, students and families at Frisco ISD s Isbell Elementary School celebrated the school s 10 year anniversary during the annual Spring Carnival on Friday, April 11. Bledsoe Stuco Honored for Fourth Year The Student Council at Bledsoe Elementary School has been named an Honor Council for the fourth year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in association with the American Student Council Association. FISD Students Bring Home VASE Awards
Ten FISD students represented the District at the State VASE awards and all were honored for their works. Heritage High student Kate James received the Gold Seal medallion, the highest award possible at the event. Middle School Math and Science Teams Score High at State Ten teams placed in the top five in the categories of Number Sense, Calculator, General Math and Science. Frisco High Student Wins National Photo Contest Frisco High School senior Aaron Martin was the grand prize winner in the national Jostens/Wolfe's Camera Photo Contest for a yearbook photo captured during an FHS football game. CTE Students Win National Supreme Court Competition Two legal studies students representing the Frisco ISD Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) won the top spot in the 2014 Virtual Supreme Court Competition. It was the second year in a row a legal team from the CTE Center won the national contest. Special Olympics Team Competes in State Tournament Members of the Frisco Flyers Special Olympics Bowling Team including members Matthew Abebe, Nan Clark, Joy Geyer, Wynter Hill and Erin Kubasta advanced to compete in the state tournament. May 2014 Student Wins National T-Shirt Design Competition A sophomore from Centennial High School was the national winner in a competition to design the official T-shirt for the Light The Night Walks benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Alicia Parham, a first-year graphic design and illustration student at the Frisco ISD Career and Technical Education Center, created the design as part of a classroom assignment. BPA Students Attend National Leadership Conference Thirteen FISD students were among the more than 4,000 students from 22 states who competed at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference held April 30-May 4 in Indianapolis. DECA Students Compete at International Conference Twenty seven students from Centennial, Frisco, Heritage and Liberty high schools, as well as the Career and Technical Education Center, represented FISD at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta on May 3-7. Five students
were international finalists, two were in the top ten and one earned first place in her event. Ashley Nguyen Raises Money for Child s Heart Surgery For her final ISM product, senior Ashley Nguyen of Liberty High School collected thousands of dollars to fund a surgery for a little Honduran girl with a heart defect. FISD Teams Compete in DI Global Finals Four FISD schools sent teams to the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals in Tennessee. Smith Elementary took first place and Clark Middle School took fourth and a Renaissance Award. Christie and Griffin teams also competed. Student Earns Perfect SAT Score Vik Shirvaikar of Liberty High School received a perfect score of 2400 on the SAT a total combining test results from three 800-point sections including mathematics, critical reading and writing. Dr. Lyon and Students Featured in Healthy Kids Video Medical City Children s Hospital featured several Frisco ISD students, teachers and Superintendent Jeremy Lyon in a new video promoting the Kids Teaching Kids program promoting healthy eating and exercise. Wakeland Theater Tech Students Win at DSM Wakeland High School technical theatre students were named as Best Stage Crew & Technical Execution for their role in the WHS Musical, Peter Pan at the DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards. FHS and WHS Students Advance To State in Theatre Design Three FISD students advanced to State UIL competition in Technical Theatre Design. HHS Computer Science Team Places at State Heritage High School placed second in the Computer Science Team event at the Academic UIL State Meet in Austin on Wednesday, May 21. Borchardt Student Wins at National Reflections Contest Borchardt Elementary student Shreeya Madhavanur received an Award of Excellence at the national level of the PTA Reflections competition. Her literature entry into Reflections was entitled Big Dreams on Small Wheels. School Teams Rank High in Pentathlon, Octathlon Competitions
Fowler, Roach and Vandeventer middle schools had student teams place in the top ten in the state Academic Pentathlon competition. Similarly, Liberty, Centennial and Wakeland High Schools had student teams ranked in the top ten in the Octathlon competition.