Education Foundation Academic Recognition Banquet

Each year, the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation honors the Top 60 graduating seniors with an Academic Recognition Banquet. This event gives these students an opportunity to thank an educator who has made a great impact on their academic career. The 2012 Academic Recognition Banquet was held on the evening of Monday, April 23 at the Arlington Convention Center.

Below is a mock press conference created for the Education Foundation to highlight some of these stellar seniors.

Questions for Candidates About Texas Public Education

It's election season time again and many people are interested in the election and voting process but may not know what to do to get involved. Aside from knowing who represents you and being registered to vote, a good way to be involved as have questions ready to ask the candidates when the opportunity arises.

Along with school districts across Texas, Mansfield ISD has an interest in having candidates elected who are supportive of public education. With candidate forums being held in communities or even at informal gatherings, it might be useful to have questions to ask the candidates.

Below are some sample questions community members can ask candidates to help determine how supportive they are of public education. The list was created by Raise Your Hand Texas:


"[Broad Overview]
On financial management: What is your plan to provide adequate funding for all Texas public schools?
On human capital: How would you help schools recruit and retain highly qualified teachers?
On student achievement: How can we better prepare our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed after high school graduation?

[More In-Depth]

1. Do you have concerns about public education, and could you share those with us in detail? What should the legislature do about those concerns?
2. How many school districts are in your legislative district, and which are the largest?
3. Which PTA/PTO leaders, school board members, and superintendents have you talked with to find out their legislative concerns?
4. Some legislators have the position that public education in Texas should work within the parameters of reduced funding. Other legislators are advocates for maintaining, or even increasing, funding for public education using various mechanisms. Please explain in detail your position.
5. The state budget will be tight in 2013. Would you rather raise revenue or make more cuts in funding for public education? What do you think should be done about the state’s structural deficit?
6. What is your knowledge of, and your opinion about, the current state funding formulas used to distribute monies to the various districts as part of the Texas public school finance system?
7. Legislators need to turn to people for expert advice when education issues come up. Share your thoughts on the resources that you could rely upon when faced with an education issue.
8. Do you support maintaining, or even increasing, funding for high-quality early childhood education?
9. What are your views on charter schools?
10. How can schools prepare our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and career?
11. Do you support school vouchers (subsidies given directly to parents for tuition at any school, public or private)?
12. What is your position on the statewide testing program in our public schools?

QUESTIONS TO ASK SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES:

[Broad Overview]
On financial management: How would you manage the school district’s funds responsibly and equitably among schools?
On troubled schools: What would you do to improve underperforming or “academically unacceptable” schools?
On classroom best practices: Do our principals and teachers have what they need to do a good job? What other resources and services would you provide them?

[More In-Depth]

1. Please describe your education and professional experience that qualifies you for this position. What do you believe the role of the school board should be?
2. How will you help children transition from elementary to middle school and then from middle school into high school and from high school into higher education or the workforce?
3. Many districts across Texas continue to experience funding difficulties and shortfalls. What actions do you believe are necessary to ensure that our district avoids a budget deficit? How can the Board properly implement and monitor the budget?
4. If sudden budget cuts are necessary, what do you believe to be the district’s top priorities that must be protected, and what programs or positions do you think could be reduced or eliminated?
5. What specific steps do you believe are necessary to improve graduation rates in our high schools?
6. If elected, describe how you will communicate regularly with your constituents.
7. What will you do to advocate and ensure support for public education in our community? What resources and services, beyond academics, do you believe schools and the community should provide to support student well-being and achievement?
8. How do you plan to work effectively with the rest of the board to get things done?
9. Are you a member of other community organizations? If so, which ones?
10. Who would you seek input from before you vote on an issue?
11. What is your position on the statewide testing program in our public schools?"

[Source: Raise Your Hand Texas]

Related Presentation: Cast Your Ballot for Texas Public Education Now!
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Note: This post is for informational purposes only. It is not to be considered as an endorsement of or in opposition to a candidate for nomination or election to a public office or office of political party, a political party, or a public officer of any individual candidate or elected official.

P.E. Aide Brings Heart to Student Health

See more photos from the Heartbeat Award surprise.

Travel back in your mind to when you were an elementary school student. Can you remember every test grade you got, or every field trip you ever took? Not likely. What about the name of your favorite teacher, or a moment when a teacher made you feel important or special?

It’s a safe bet that some of the current students at Alice Ponder Elementary will someday look back and recall Karin McCormick as one of those bright spots in their educational history.

As a P.E. Aide, McCormick has the opportunity to interact with more than 500 students from five different grade levels. She enjoys the opportunity to see so many different smiling faces each day, and she does her part to make sure each of them feel special.

“She has the opportunity to meet everyone in our school and she makes sure that she knows all of their names,” said Principal Jennifer Stoecker. “She’s just always willing to go above and beyond to help each child be successful, and that’s one of the reasons she’s so great!”

In addition to memorizing hundreds of students’ names, McCormick approaches each school day with a personal goal to make an impact in the life of a student.

“You want to feel like you’ve made a difference in their life,” said McCormick. “Whether it’s just talking a few extra minutes with them or eating lunch with them, they appreciate it and it makes them feel special and it makes me feel special that I’ve tried to do something to help them.”

McCormick’s philosophy is simple, yet effective, and it has certainly gained the attention of those around her.

“I strive to be more like Karin – loving, giving, caring, kind, encouraging and inspirational!” said Art Teacher Stefani Wallace.

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, congratulations to Karin McCormick, the April 2012 Heartbeat Team Award Winner!

About the Heartbeat Team
The Mansfield ISD Heartbeat Team was established to recognize employees who display heart in their lives and inspire other district employees through their actions. Heartbeat Team members are nominated only by other district employees. Winners are selected during the school year from those nominated. Those named to the Heartbeat Team are still eligible for other district honors.

Summit HS Students Create and Share Storybooks with First Graders

Summit High School teacher, Ruben Mascarenas, took 93 of his Spanish students to D.P. Morris Elementary to present bilingual children’s books that they created to present to first grade students.

The high school students made enough books so that every first grader at D.P. Morris (100+) was able to go home with a book that day. The SHS students spent almost two hours reading and sharing with their first grade partner. See more photos.

Mavs Man Encourages Students to Slam Dunk the STAAR Test

The third and fourth grade students of Roberta Tipps Elementary received a special visit from the Dallas Mavericks mascot, the Mavs Man, on Monday, April 23. 

 

While on campus, the Mavs Man encouraged students to focus and work hard to achieve success on the STAAR Test, which kicked off today, April 24.

 

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration and our new friend, the Mavs Man, best of luck to all students taking the STAAR Test this week!

 

Check out more photos of the Mavs Man's high-flying routine here.

Texas Poet Laureate Makes a Mansfield Stop

The 2010 Texas State Poet Laureate and Mansfield HS alumna, Karla K. Morton visited and spoke to students in the school library on Tuesday, April 17. 

Ms. Morton is continuing her publicity tour for her newest poetry book, “Little Town, Little Texas” (Spring 2013, TCU Press). Art work and poetry created by three of MHS English teacher, Corinne Thomason’s Creative Writing students were selected to be published in this upcoming book. She made a previous stop on this tour at Mansfield HS back in 2010.

Morton read some of her poetry and shared with the young writers ideas for getting their works published. She also offered thoughts and words of encouragement for the students to aspire to higher education and beyond.  

Ms. Morton loves to promote poetry and serves as a board member of the Greater Denton Arts Council, a founding member of the Denton Poets’ Assembly (part of the Poetry Society of Texas) and as a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, the Western Writers of America, the Writer’s League of Texas and the Academy of American Poets. In her role as Texas Poet Laureate, she created the Little Town, Texas Tour, and logged thousands of miles across Texas to take poetry and the arts into schools across Texas, focusing particularly on small towns underserved by the arts.

Karla K. Morton, the 2010 Texas Poet Laureate and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, is a celebrated poet, author, storyteller and speaker. A Betsy Colquitt Award Winner, a two-time Indie National Book Award Winner, a Councilor-at-Large for the Poetry Society of Texas and a Foreward Book of the Year Award Finalist, she has been widely published in literary journals and is the author of six books of poetry. Morton was born in Fort Worth, graduated from Mansfield High School, holds a Journalism degree from Texas A&M University and currently resides in Denton, Texas.

MISD iPhone App: Version 1.31 Now Available

An updated version of the Mansfield ISD iPhone App is now available in the App Store.

What's New?

• Updated links to our new and improved campus websites
• Addition of the 2012 - 13 district calendar
• Addition of a link in the News section for the latest information about the Center for the Performing Arts

Be sure to download the latest version today! More details.

Icenhower Registrar Steps Up to the Puck to Help

Invaluable. Dedicated. Special. These are just a few terms that Poli Harrell’s colleagues use to describe her role at Della Icenhower Intermediate School.

As the school Registrar, Harrell has the crucial responsibility of designing and implementing the master schedule for the campus. She also tackles the task of assisting staff and parents with the online student information system.

Harrell’s tremendous work ethic makes her an asset to the students and staff at Icenhower, but there is much more to her role on campus than what is outlined in her job description. Harrell exemplifies what it means to be a team player by demonstrating an enthusiastic willingness to lend a hand.

Whether she is assisting with the Open House Art Show, stepping in to cover lunch duty or volunteering to assist with extra projects, Harrell finds a way to fulfill any need that comes her way. 

“She doesn’t do what she does based on her job description,” said Principal Duane Thurston. “It’s never about what is written on paper, it’s about what needs to be done and how she can help other kids.”

When Principal Thurston approached Harrell with the idea to sponsor the after school Hockey Club, she was quick to volunteer her time.

“I’m from Brazil, and I didn’t even know what hockey was,” said Harrell. “They don’t even show it on TV!”

Even though she was unfamiliar with the sport, Harrell knew it would be a great opportunity to teach students about sportsmanship and teamwork, so she didn’t hesitate to step up to the puck.

Harrell considers the staff at Icenhower a family, and she demonstrates her loyalty through her commitment to helping those around her.

“We are very united,” said Harrell. “It makes our lives flow better because we help each other here. It’s a very good feeling working here.”

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, congratulations to Poli Harrell, the March 2012 Heartbeat Team Award Winner!



[Watch this video inside the MISD network on the Video Portal.]

About the Heartbeat Team
The Mansfield ISD Heartbeat Team was established to recognize employees who display heart in their lives and inspire other district employees through their actions. Heartbeat Team members are nominated only by other district employees. Winners are selected during the school year from those nominated. Those named to the Heartbeat Team are still eligible for other district honors.

Science Teacher Makes an Impact in Space

Teachers can make an impact in the classroom and even in the community, but have you ever met a teacher that made an impact in space?

Patricia Londono, a Science Teacher at Asa Low Intermediate School, was the driving force that brought the NASA Downlink “Teaching from Space” event to her campus and Mansfield ISD in January 2012.

The monumental event allowed students to have a live Q & A with the astronauts on the International Space Station, and until this year, there was only one event of its kind held in the DFW area.

When Londono’s first proposal to NASA was rejected in early 2010, she refused to take “no” for an answer.  She contacted NASA for input, tweaked the proposal and resubmitted it the following school year. Her persistence paid off, and in July of 2011, Londono received word that Asa Low Intermediate School had been awarded the downlink.

 “I remember when the first proposal was turned down, she immediately began working on improvements for the next draft,” said Principal Jason Short. “Instead of hanging her head, she chose to persevere, especially because she knew the program would be great for the kids.”

Upon receiving the green light from NASA, Londono pulled a team together and got the ball rolling on plans for the event. Over several weeks, Londono helped coordinate over 100 space-related lessons, projects, webcasts and a Space Night event that featured genuine moon rocks and a NASA space suit. The excitement surrounding the event spread districtwide when the Mansfield ISD School Board approved a resolution to ceremonially rename the campus “NASA Low Intermediate School” for the month of January.

 “I started getting feedback from other campuses and people out in the community and I began to see what kind of impact this program was making,” said Short.

After months of planning and anticipation, the event culminated on January 31, when Mission Commander Dan Burbank spoke the words, “We’ve got you loud and clear, welcome aboard the International Space Station,” upon establishing a connection through the satellite feed. 

“It really seemed surreal that day that it was actually occurring,” said Londono. “It had taken so long to get to that point and so much work and so many ups and downs. It was amazing to finally get there.”

The Q&A session was viewed live by thousands of MISD students and many others throughout the community. In event was covered by several local news stations, and was also highlighted on CNN.   

The experience was definitely a teaching dream come true for Londono, but after all is said and done, the students remain the driving force behind all of her hard work.

“They [the students] probably won’t remember my name but they’ll remember they got to talk to the astronauts and that’s what is important,” said Londono.

On behalf of the MISD Administration, congratulations to Patricia Londono, a very deserving winner of the Impact Award!



[Watch this video inside the MISD network on the Video Portal.]
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The Impact Award was established to recognize individual staff members, departments, campuses or other employee groups that have promoted teamwork and unity by initiating a program or event that made a positive impact within Mansfield ISD and the community. Impact Award winners may be nominated by staff, students or community members.

Winners are selected each month throughout the school year. Staff members who receive The Impact Award are eligible for other district honors.

Legacy Student Artwork Accepted Into Show

On Saturday, March 31, thirteen Legacy High School art students and their combined total of 16 pieces of art were accepted into the 2012 Texas Visual ArtsAssociation High School Art Competition at the University of Texas at Dallas. There were over 1,000 entries from all over the Dallas/Ft. Worth and only 100 works are accepted into the show. Legacy art students represents 16 of those accepted. 

Since they were accepted into the show, these students are eligible to win scholarships and cash prizes up to $600. Accepted into this year’s show are:

Elena Chudoba (3 paintings)
Patrick Henson (charcoal)
Alexandra Horan (photography)
Brenda Moreno (photography)
Courtney Johns (ceramics)
Ulysses Olguin (Sculpture)
Caitlin Parish (silkscreen)
Jessilee Shipman (photography)
Courtney Stallings (ceramics)
Taylor Toone (2 drawings)
Anai Vargas (photography)
Alvin Scott (charcoal)
Jordan Gallas (mixed media drawing)

Congratulations!

From Dave Mason, Legacy High School Fine Arts Department Chair and Art Teacher
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Below are a few of the art pieces from the students:

 Alexandra Horan

 Alvin Scott

 Brenda Moreno

 Caitlin Parish

Elena Chudoba

Latin Students win Awards at State Competition

Latin students attended the State Latin Competition in San Antonio March 30-31, 2012.  This event was hosted by  Texas State Junior Classical League.  The competition was attended by over 30 secondary schools in the state of Texas, including approximately 2,000 students.

More info on TSJCL www.tsjcl.org

Here is a list of winners from Mansfield ISD

3^{rd -} Mania Pitia* (THS) - Polychromatic Art

3^{rd -} Katie Atwood (MHS) - Open Certamen

5^{th -} Ngoc Nguyen(THS) - Latin Mottoes

6^{th -} Daisy Flores (THS) - Adv. Reading Comprehension

8^{th -} Madeline Cannon (MHS) - Vocal Solo

10^{th -} Katie Atwood (MHS) - Adv. Reading Comprehension

10^{th -} Briana Yancy (THS) - Mythology-1

10^th - Katie Atwood (MHS) - Mythology-4

10^{th -} Mania Pitia (THS) - Roman Life

10^{th -} Nghi Bao (FHS) - Reading Comprehension-1

*Mania Pitia qualified to compete at the national competition which will be held at Wake Forest University in North Carolina in July. More info on NJCL www.njcl.org.

(From Melissa Hayes, Ben Barber Career Tech Academy.)

Nancy Neal Elementary fourth graders travel to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” program

Fourth grade teachers at Nancy Neal Elementary took their classrooms on the road to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” experiential learning day program, April 5, 2012.

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Each year, Mansfield ISD fourth grade teachers and students from various campuses travel to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” experiential learning day program. 

Students visit the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Texas State Capitoland experienced what they are learning in fourth grade Texas History. 

On the way to Austin students discuss why Texans are so proud of their unique heritage and participate in activities and games in preparation for their visit. In Austin the students visited their legislators at the State Capitol offices. Students see first-hand where Texas laws are made as they tour the State Capitol including the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.

Roberta Tipps Elementary fourth graders travel to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” program

Fourth grade teachers at Roberta Tipps Elementary took their classrooms on the road to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” experiential learning day program, April 5, 2012.

Tipps Capitol Group Photo

Tipps Museum Group Photo

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Each year, Mansfield ISD fourth grade teachers and students from various campuses travel to Austin with Education in Action’s “Proud to be Texan” experiential learning day program. 

Students visit the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Texas State Capitoland experienced what they are learning in fourth grade Texas History. 

On the way to Austin students discuss why Texans are so proud of their unique heritage and participate in activities and games in preparation for their visit. In Austin the students visited their legislators at the State Capitol offices. Students see first-hand where Texas laws are made as they tour the State Capitol including the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.

Superintendent Update - March 2012

[Watch the video from inside the Mansfield ISD network using the Video Portal.]

Dr. Bob Morrison visits Lake Ridge High School, the newest MISD high school campus, discusses STAAR testing, the new school start/end times for next year, Passport to Kindergarten and graduation information for the new MISD Center for the Performing Arts.

Van Cliburn Foundation's Colors You Can Hear

Slow. Fast. Happy. Sad. Major. Minor. 

These were just some of the words Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary students used to describe the music being played by a concert pianist from The Van Cliburn Foundation. Second, third, and fourth grade students were treated this afternoon to a program entitled, Colors You Can Hear from The Van Cliburn Foundation's Musical Awakenings educational outreach initiative.

Musical Awakenings  was designed to introduce young audiences to classical music. According to the Foundation's website, the purpose is "to teach children about the basic elements of music through fun, interactive activities within the context of classical piano repertoire."

"...Each interactive concert, which lasts about forty-five-minutes, features a program facilitator and guest pianist. Following each presentation, students ask questions to learn more about the pianist. A grand piano is brought into the school and a camcorder and projector are used to project the pianist's hands onto a screen for all students to view.  Illustrations further enhance the students' experiences."

This is the second year Mansfield ISD elementary schools have been hosts for Musical Awakenings.

This year's elementary schools include Erma Nash, Nancy Neal, Alice Ponder, Mary Jo Sheppard, and Tarver-Rendon. The final campus presentation this year will be Thursday, May 17 at Annette Perry Elementary.

Last year, (2010-11) other MISD elementary schools participated in hosting this free learning opportunity; J. L. Boren, Janet Brockett, Anna May Daulton, Kenneth Davis, Carol Holt, Roberta Tipps, Elizabeth Smith, and Cora Spencer.