Student’s artwork chosen for Fiesta River Parade program cover

Daniel Garcia, a fifth grade student at Lewis ES representing City Council District 6, is the grand prize winner in the Texas Cavaliers’ River Parade Art contest. Garcia will ride in the river parade with the Grand Marshall.NISD had four district winners this year, and each winner receives $1,000 to go toward their respective schools’ art supplies, and one-week of Summer Art Camp at Southwest School of Art. The other level winners, who are all fifth graders, include Nicolas Garza, Glass ES, District 7; Trenton Ritz, Locke Hill ES, District 8; and Austin Weyland, Kuentz ES, non-city council district. Art teachers for these winning students are Lila Owens, Lewis ES; Kristin Rosario, Glass ES; Carolyn Berry, Locke Hill ES; and Sarah Sharp, Kuentz ES.

Northside Independent School District, San Antonio TX 78238-1606

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April 4, 2012

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School raises funds to help first grader who has leukemiaEvery year many NISD schools take on fundraisers but when one of your own is impacted, it takes on a whole different meaning.

At Henderson ES, first grader Ismael Pinedo is in his first of two years of treatment for leukemia. The school chose a goal of $4,000 to raise for the Pasta for Pennies fundraiser benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In the spirit of goal setting, the school principal, vice principal, and nurse colored their hair (color chosen by Ismael) and kissed a large 260 pound pig for reaching (and far exceeding) their goal. The amount raised was more than $5,000. Pictured (from l-r) are Vice Principal Norma Farrell, Nurse Nanci Purcell, Honored Hero Ismael Pinedo, Principal Tom Mackey, and Dottie the pig.

Folks’ KudosNISD students among top winners in cover contestNISD students were among the top 30 winners of the 2012 Band Festival Program Cover Design Contest sponsored by the Battle of Flowers Association. Winners included: Madeline Cortez, Clark HS, honorable mention; Manuela Gonzalez, Marshall HS, artistic merit; Suelby Lee, O’Connor HS, artistic merit; and Rachel Spellman, Taft HS, artistic merit. Their art teachers are Mary Peavy, Clark HS; Linda Fleetwood, Marshall HS; Becky Vitola, O’Connor HS; and Elise Johnson, Taft HS. More than 450 entries were received for this year’s competition.

Sumpter receives prestigious state awardJay Sumpter, principal of Jay Science and Engineering Academy, has been selected to receive the Abydos 2012 Principal A+ Honor Roll Award. Abydos annually recognizes effective instructional leaders in schools across Texas. The award is based on the implementation of Abydos strategies, instructional leadership in relation to Abydos, and scores on assessments that support these two areas.

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2011 Pillar of CaringWoodrow Halstead IIIClass of 1990Woodrow Halstead III, the 2011 Pillar of Caring, is currently a Deputy Staff Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserves stationed in Afghanistan. After earning degrees from Texas A&M University and St. Mary’s Law School, Maj. Halstead was an assistant criminal district attorney in Bexar County for 10 years. His current civilian job is to represent wounded warriors in the military’s Disability Evaluation System. His military decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. “On the outside, people might wonder how a Pillar of Caring and the military go hand in hand,” Halstead said. “I can see where one might think ‘the military?’ They are hard, going-to-kick-in-the-door kind of people, but at the same time, a lot of the missions we undertake are an outreach to help people that can’t help themselves.“For instance, in Afghanistan, helping the citizens rebuild the government and their communities, the military has the organizational structure in place to be able to do that outreach and help those people.” The 1990 graduate of Marshall HS was active in the Navy JROTC and served as commanding officer his senior year. In this and subsequent editions of INW, you will meet this year’s Pillars of Character, each a successful Northside HS graduate with a story to tell. To view the video on all the pillars, go to http://info.nisd.net/video/videos/19058.

Powell students go for record in reading

In celebration of Read Across America, Powell ES joined with schools across the nation in a challenge to see how many Accelerated Reading (AR) quizzes they could take in one day.

In early March, more than 20,000 educators took part in Read the Most from Coast to Coast, which was created to unite students with a common goal to set a new record and succeed in reading – together.

Students in Pre-K through fifth grade devoted the day to reading activities which included independent reading, buddy reading, and read alouds. With announcements giving them an update throughout the day, Powell students completed 1,970 quizzes in a single day. Nationwide there were 3,581,992 quizzes completed.

Pictured are fifth graders (front row, l-r) Joseph Eanes and Sebastian Robles; and (back row) Izabel Villanueva, Andrea Nunez, and Antonio Hernandez.

Career Day goes “behind the kitchen door”Students at Boone ES celebrated Career Day recently with 38 careers being represented by parents and community volunteers. Students heard about careers from university professors, pilots, police officers, web designers, music teachers, nurses, pharmacists, financial planners, attorneys, and many more.

Their goal was to allow students the opportunity to learn about the variety of career choices available to them when they are older, and to help them understand the importance of getting a good education today while planning for tomorrow.

Pictured is Jennifer St. James, Boone ES cafeteria manager and school parent, showing a kindergarten class what goes on “behind the kitchen door” as part of her career day presentation.

In its entire 60-plus-year history, NISD has held 21 bond issues. Only one of them has not passed.

WOW!

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Jefferson kicks off March MadnessMarch Madness was not just about basketball. It was also about the beginning of STAAR testing across the District, and eighth grade math teachers at Jefferson MS decided to kick off their first annual March Madness.Teachers Michael Ciaravino, Christina Bowles, Heather Green, and Leticia Diaz (pictured) picked their “Elite Eight topics” and battled them out until the Final Four. The Championship Game was slated for March 27 -- Students vs STAAR.

Who won you might ask? The students of course!

Krueger students ready to beat the STAARStudents and teachers at Krueger ES got off to a good start to “beat” the STAAR as they drummed their way through a special visit by the Drum Café.Third, fourth, and fifth grade students and teachers were treated to a special rhythmic and energizing session on the drums, which was also a great way to relieve some stress. The students reaffirmed that it takes a lot of hard work to reach their goals.

Pictured are third grade students and their teachers (from l-r) Amaya Tilbury, Erin Veteto, Kyle Simpkins, and Marilyn Lubenow.

Some “thing” going on at Driggers To celebrate Read Across America Week, the second grade teachers at Driggers ES engaged the students in a week-long unit of study that focused around the popular works of Dr. Seuss. To put a grand finale to the week, the teachers surprised the students by dressing up as Things 1 through 5. Pictured (from l-r) are Irene Rosado, Yilsa de los Santos, Anna Schermann, Nicole Meurett, and Annabelle Gomez. “Oh, the ‘things’ we do for our students,” the teachers exclaimed!

OF THE WEEKJefferson Bank offers a closing cost creditA leader in home lending, Jefferson Bank specializes in conventional fixed and adjustable rate mortgages, portfolio loans, construction loans, FHA and VA loans, as well as home improvement and home equity loans and lines of credit. NISD employees can receive a $150 credit towards closing costs when closing on a mortgage loan with Jefferson Bank. Contact them at 736-7700.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

Alternative HS receives grant for online resourcesThe Texas Education Agency (TEA) has awarded Northside Alternative High School a $27,000 Online College and Career Preparation Technical Assistance grant. The goal of this program is to improve postsecondary outcomes for students by providing them with access to an online toolkit of college and career resources. If you are interested in obtaining a grant for your campus or department, please contact the Grants and Recognitions Department at 397-8563.

Zachry MS Garden Club helps communityThe Zachry MS Garden Club is participating in the Spurs “Team Up Challenge” and has received $2,500 to work on projects. Twenty teams were accepted to participate, and the winner receives $20,000. This service-learning initiative encourages students to apply what they learn in the classroom to a real world experience. The Garden Club has chosen to work with a non-profit organization called The Dinner Garden to package seeds for 250 families who cannot afford to purchase their own garden materials. They also hope to develop a Diabetes Awareness video for at-risk students.