Bikes for Angels 2013 Campaign

The Automotive Technology Department at Mansfield ISD’s Ben Barber Career Tech Academy is kicking off their school fundraiser for the 2013 Bikes for Angels Fund.

From Rick Curlee, Auto Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy:

We dedicate our Bikes for Angels fundraiser to Mr. Jerry Bellows. We lost Mr. Bellows in January 2013 to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Mr. Bellows was very instrumental in our Bikes for Angels Program. Since starting in 2007, our students have raised over $102,000 to purchase 2,416 bicycles for Angel tree children at our Intermediate and Elementary schools in Mansfield and surrounding areas. We have also donated bikes to other community organizations such as the Common Ground Network in Mansfield and Bethlehem Baptist Church as well as the Family Crisis Center and Operation Blessing.

It means so much for the instructors and students who put time, energy, heart and soul into this program to see the Counselors, Principals, Teachers and some of the recipients with tears of joy in their eyes.

We are starting this new school year with the main goal of trying to buy at least 700 bicycles this year for needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas. We have had students bringing in everything from plastic bags full of change to one student who actually turned over his weekly paycheck to help these children in the past. We've also had many students who had been on Angel Trees when they were younger themselves so thankful for the opportunity to give back to their community.

We ask that you consider helping us again this year to meet our goal by making a donation of any kind. Some examples are listed below:

• Cars, running or not, and in any shape (Cars must have title)
• Scrap metal
• Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted 
• It all adds up to bicycles!

Students will visit classrooms, businesses, and their immediate communities trying to raise funds. We also welcome sponsorship for our cause.

If you'd like to donate by check, please make it out to: Bikes for Angels.
Contact Mr. Rick Curlee at MISD Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for receipt of donation or other additional information.
Email: rickcurlee@misdmail.org
Phone: 817-299-1939
Note: All monies raised will go to bicycles. There are no administrative costs. 

Check out some photos from the 2013 Bike for Angels Campaign!

Ben Barber's @TheShineRunners on cross-country #SolarCar Race

Made it to Seminole! #2013solar #solarcarchallenge. Great job @tdavis350!! pic.twitter.com/wgI73PCUpm
— Shine Runners (@TheShineRunners) July 24, 2013

The Shine Runners are on the road on their cross-country solar car race.

You can follow the solar car team from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy on Twitter (@TheShineRunners) and Facebook as they embark on the eight day, 884 mile race from Texas to L.A. for the 20th Annual Solar Car Challenge.

The Shine Runners are among the 14 teams competing in the 2013 Solar Car Challenge.

Track the Shine Runners Solar Car during the race.

Check out the CBS Ch 11 coverage from Texas Motor Speedway as the solar car team prepares for the race - Mansfield Teens Set For Solar Car Race
The Solar Car Challenge was established in 1993 to help motivate students in science and engineering, and to increase alternative energy awareness. The Challenge teaches high school students around the world how to build roadworthy solar cars.

Media coverage from the road:

• Solar Powered Race Cars Make a Pit Stop in Breckenridge, Inspire Younger Spectators (KRBC-TV, Abilene)

Grads Make Radio Gold and Take National Title

Sammy Gonzalez, Ryan Tuomey (Media Tech Teacher at BBCTA), and Gabriel Kunda show off championship medals

Congratulations to Sammy Gonzalez and Gabriel Kunda for winning gold in the Audio/Radio category at the 2013 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. The conference was held June 24-28 in Kansas City, MO. The 49th annual SkillsUSA NLSC is a showcase of career and technical education students.

Representing Ben Barber Career Tech Academy's media tech program, Sammy and Gabriel competed and won gold in the Audio/Radio. Listen to their winning entry. Kunda and Gonzalez are both recent Summit High School graduates.

"I couldn't be more proud of my guys," said Ryan Tuomey, media tech teacher at Ben Barber. "I didn't think I would get emotional, but seeing their face and how happy they were when their name was called, reinforced why I became a teacher. They have worked so hard, stayed focused, and their dedication is what brought them success. I took a line from Friday Night Lights, 'Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose' and that became our motto throughout the competition. These are two great young men and I am honored to be their mentor. They will go on to do great things one day."

Gabriel Kunda will attend Dallas Baptist University and plans to major in music and minor in communications. Sammy Gonzalez plans to attend the MediaTech Institute in Dallas for a year, and then on to Full Sail University in Florida.

Check out the video, produced by Ryan Tuomey, documenting the SkillsUSA trip and gold medal win:  
Skills USA 2013 National Championship from 2me Productions on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Sammy & Gabe from @999thewild, 2013 #SkillsUSA Audio/Radio production Nat'l Champs! winning entry: http://t.co/50WVFmQ025
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) July 1, 2013

Students Explore Career Tech Courses at Discovery Camp

Students study footprints in CSI Class

When you think about summer camp, you might imagine hiking, canoeing, and a campfire sing-along to “Kumbaya,” but for those who have experienced Rising Stars Discovery camp, the mental picture includes crime scene investigation, a culinary competition, video game design, and much more.

The unique program is designed to give incoming 6th – 8th graders a closer look at some of the courses offered at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy. Over 130 students from across the district attended the camp, which took place June 17 – 27.

The available classes for this year were: Crime Scene Investigation, Culinary Arts, Greek Mythology, Health Sciences, Engineering, and Video Game Design (offerings tend to vary each year, depending on the availability of instructors).

Camp Director, E.B. Holschuh, says the camp aims to expand the minds of students as well as their parents.

“This program plants a seed in their minds and shows them the possibilities beyond traditional high school curriculum,” said Holschuh. “We’ve got an amazing facility here, and we are doing some really cool things.”

On the final day of camp, students were excited to show their parents what they learned at “show off” day. We even heard some students making plans for the 2014 camp.

“In video game design class we learned how to write code, make game characters, and a ton of other fun stuff!” said Wilson Trimble, a soon-to-be 7th grader at T.A. Howard Middle School. “It was a great experience and I hope to get to do it again next year.”

Hats off to Mr. Holschuh and the dedicated staff at BBCTA, on another successful year. Great job!

To learn more about Shining Stars Discovery Camp or Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, please contact the campus at 817.299.1900 or bbsummercamp@misdmail.org.

Career tech students pique the curiosity of younger peers

Elementary students from Martha Reid Elementary, Glenn Harmon Elementary, Tarver-Rendon Elementary, Thelma Jones Elementary, and Annette Perry Elementary fast-forward their educational careers by 10 years when they get a glimpse of what Mansfield ISD’s career tech campus has to offer high school students in the district.

Frontier High School seniors will be sharing the experience at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy with almost 500 elementary students during the month of May. The focus of the tours range from a GT enrichment program called “Food Fuels the Mind” to career exploration and discovery program for entire grade levels. The reputation of this experience available within our district travels fast. It all started with Glenn Harmon Elementary 3rd and 4th grade and the Tarver-Rendon GT program.

"We loved the opportunity to tour the fabulous Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, " wrote Shaye Atwood, Gifted and Talented Specialist at Tarver-Rendon Elementary about the tour. "The opportunity was only open to a handful of schools. We were very privileged to be a part of such a unique learning experience. Our students took away an understanding of many concepts and opened their eyes to a variety of different career fields."

The Ben Barber Career Tech Academy campus also provides tours for intermediate and middle school campuses. Recent visitors at this level include James Coble and Worley Middle School. Due to the overwhelming positive response we will be designing a tour program available to all campuses based on availability. For more information contact Melanie Stillings at melaniestillings[at]misdmail.org.

Impact Award: Career Prep Teacher Connects Students with Internships

When teachers are asked the question, “What do you teach?” most will respond in the form of a subject area, such as reading, language arts, or math. Melanie Stillings describes her role in a different way.

“I teach students,” Stillings says with a smile.

As the Career Prep teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, Stillings works to prepare students for the real world by connecting them with internships in the local business community.

By joining a local business as an intern, students get a one-of-a-kind learning experience, and the opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom to real life experiences in the workforce.

The response from the business community has been overwhelmingly supportive, but it took a bit of convincing in the beginning. One of the first businesses Stillings reached out to was Klein Tools. As a worldwide provider of tools, Klein has an honored reputation to uphold. Although the company had never hired interns before, they were willing to give Stillings’ students a shot.

“They met with us and were so impressed with our engineering program and our robotics program that they took the gamble and hired our students,” Stillings said. “They ended up hiring some of them on as employees because they were so impressed with the skillset they had and how prepared they were for the work force.”

Through her involvement with groups like the Mansfield AreaChamber of Commerce and Leadership Mansfield, Stillings has developed a wide range of contacts in the local business community, and has been able to connect students with internships in the field they are interested in.

Throughout the semester, students work closely with their mentors to develop a capstone project, which is evaluated by a panel at the Senior Showcase Night. The panel consists of business and community partners that donate their time to assist the students with their unique projects, which range from detailed business proposals to actual products such as a fully developed iPhone App to a custom-built engine that runs on fuel vapors.

Under Stillings’ guidance, her students have been able to build a strong foundation for the future and accomplish some truly amazing things.

“She has such a love for what she does,” said campus counselor Michelle Smith. “She cares about their future and really wants to see them succeed and be the kind of person that she sees each one of them can be.”

Watch the Impact Award video on YouTube or the MISD Video Portal:

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, congratulations to Melanie Stillings, our latest Impact Award Winner!

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The Impact Award was established to recognize individual staff members, departments, campuses or other 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.

DECA students winning with youth movement

Thirty-nine DECA students from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy advance to the 2013 Texas DECA State Career Development Conference after wins at the career development district contest.
The Texas DECA District 7 Competition was held at Lone Star High School in Frisco, TX on January 19. District 7 is the largest district in Texas, where we also have the presiding President, Alexis Holleman from Frontier High School. This year, BBCTA took 46 students and 39 advanced to state competition.

When asked if this number was up or down from previous years, DECA advisor Cathy Slagle noted, "last year we took 56 and 53 won; but we had majority of Seniors; this year we had a majority of 9-11th grade students.

Eleven of the competitors were returning DECA members but the other 28 were new to DECA this year.

"We were so excited about the increase in our 9-11th graders winning and allowing them to have more experience in DECA before graduating from high school," says Slagle. "Most students say 'If I had only known about DECA as a Freshman or Sophomore, I could have had so much more opportunities.' We feel we are finally getting the word out!"

The Texas DECA State Career Development Conference 2013 will be held in Corpus Christi, February 28 through March 3.

2013 District 7 DECA Career Development Conference
Ben Barber DECA Competition Team Winners: 39 Plus a District Officer
AAM: Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series (Individuals not a team)
Victoria Carmichael – 12th grade, Lake Ridge
Edyd Medina – 11th grade, Summit

ADC: Advertising Campaign (1 Team of Three)
Oscar Gonzales – 11th grade, Summit
Alexis Holleman – 12th grade, Frontier
Alexis Walworth – 12th grade, Frontier

BLTDM: Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making (2 Teams Won!)
Iguehita Odomore (Team #1) – 12th grade, Timberview
Joelle Ruhana (Team #1) – 12th grade, Summit
David Brefo (Team #2) – 12th grade, Summit
Mojano Elleh (Team #2) – 12th grade, Summit

BMOR: Buying and Merchandising Operations Research (One Team)
Raegan Arnold – 10th grade, Mansfield
Alexis Noble – 10th grade, Mansfield
Megan Taylor – 10th grade, Mansfield

BTDM: Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making (Two teams)
Anna Kurth (Team #1) – 9th grade, Legacy
Grace Taylor (Team #1) – 9th grade, Legacy
Odufa Atsegbua (Team #2) – 12th grade, Timberview
Ebony Jackson (Team #2) – 12th grade, Timberview

DOFC: District Officer Candidate
Kawter Carver - NEW D7 VICE PRESIDENT – 11th grade, Summit

FLPP:Financial Literacy Promotion Plan (One Team of two)
Jordan Eldridge – 12th grade, Frontier
Brandon Hines – 12th grade, Frontier

FMP: Fashion Merchandising Promotion Plan (One Team of Three)
Ashle Colston – 12th grade, Summit
Keri Decay – 12th grade, Summit
Morgan Johnson – 12th grade, Mansfield

FTDM: Financial Services Team Decision Making (Two teams of two) (Both won!)
Andrew Bostic (Team #1) – 12th grade, Timberview
Melany Gonzales (Team #1) – 12th grade, Frontier
Matthew Hogue (Team #2) – 11th grade, Legacy
Cole Stewart-Johnson (Team #2) – 11th grade, Summit

MMS: Marketing Management Series (Individual Event)
Katrina Riley – 12th grade, Timberview

MTDM: Marketing Communication Team Decision Making (Team of two)
Angela Armendariz (Team #1) – 12th grade, Timberview
Michelle Bigirimana (Team #1) – 12th grade, Summit

PBM: Principles of Business Management and Administration (Individual Event)
Jade Odomore – 11th grade, Timberview

PFN: Principles of Finance (Individual Event)
Cory Hughes – 11th grade, Frontier
Asmaa Mohamed – 11th grade, Summit

PHT: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism (Individual Event)
Lauren Mann – 9th grade, Lake Ridge
Donquarius Ross – 12th grade, Summit

PMK: Principles of Marketing (Individual Event)
Justin Aguaze – 11th grade, Lake Ridge
Kawter Carver – 11th grade, Summit
Meagon Jones – 12th grade, Summit
David Ropotusin – 10th grade, Legacy
Chelsea Watkins – 12th grade, Timberview

QSRM: Quick Service Restaurant Management Series (Individual Event)
Ciara Hines – 11th grade, Timberview

RFSM: Restaurant and Food Service Management Series (Individual Event)
Kristin Criswell – 10th grade, Legacy

DECA Advisors: Cathy Slagle, Jennifer Harris, Casey Crow, Debra Permenter, Nancy Kojder, Natalie Franklin

Additional Information: Founded in 1946, the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) has touched the lives of more than 10 million students, educators, school administrators and business professionals. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Bikes for Angels 2012 Campaign

Automotive Technology Department at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy kicked off their annual Bikes for Angels Fundraiser for Christmas 2012 earlier this fall.
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Update: Fantastic work by the auto tech students at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for their Bikes for Angels campaign. Over 450 bikes were purchased, built, and are being distributed this week to needy kids in the area. Thank you to everyone who helped in this campaign. Check out the photo gallery from the campus presentation of bikes.

 

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From Rick Curlee, Auto Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy:
We are dedicating the Bikes for Angels fundraiser to Mr. Jerry Bellows (pictured above) from this point forward. Mr. Bellows is suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and was very instrumental in starting our Bikes for Angels Program.

Our students have purchased 2,017 bikes and raised over $86,250.00 to buy bicycles for Angel tree children at our Intermediate and Elementary schools here in the Mansfield area. We also donated bikes to Common Ground in Mansfield and Bethlehem Baptist Church. We also have donated bikes to the Family Crisis Center which assists battered women and children and Operation Blessing. It means so much for the instructors and students delivering these bikes to see Counselors, Principals, Teachers and some of the recipients with tears of joy in their eyes.

We are starting this new school year with the main goal of trying to buy at least 700 bicycles this year for needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas. We have had students bringing everything in from Ziploc bags full of change to a student turning over his weekly paycheck to help some of these children in the past. We have also had many students who had actually been on Angel Trees when they were younger themselves.

We would sincerely like to ask you to help us meet the goal this year by making a donation of any kind to our fund. We can use almost any type of donation.
Some examples are listed below.

• Cars, running or not, and in any shape. Cars must have title and will either be resold or scrapped.
• Scrap metal.
• Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted. It all adds up to bicycles.

Students will be visiting classrooms, businesses, and their immediate communities trying to raise funds. Thank you for considering this year's Bikes for Angels campaign. If you give by check, please make it out to "MISD Auto Tech" and put Bikes for Angels in the memo line.

For questions about the program, please email Mr. Rick Curlee at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy at rickcurlee@misdmail.org or contact by phone at 817-299-1939.

Impact Award: Career Tech Instructors Soar with Solar Power

When Jackie Bishop was researching home solar panels online last spring, he came across a project that would soon make Mansfield ISD history.

The Solar Car Challenge was founded to motivate students in science, engineering, technology and alternative energy – plus, it involves some pretty cool race cars!

After discovering the challenge, Bishop, an Auto Tech teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, quickly enlisted the help of Rob Goodson, an Engineering teacher on campus. The enthusiastic duo recruited a group of about twenty-five students to form “The Shine Runners,” MISD’s first ever solar car team.

Their mission was to design and construct a solar car to compete in the Solar Car Challenge, which is held at Texas Motor Speedway each summer. Since forming in 1993, the competition has grown from a high school extracurricular activity to a national event drawing over 65 schools from 20 states.

As construction on the car kicked off at the end of the school year, Bishop and Goodson enlisted the help of students from auto tech, engineering, media tech, graphic design, welding and construction; each of whom offered a level of expertise in their area.

In addition to uniting students from across the campus, the solar car project drew interest and support from several community businesses, including Mouser Electronics, The Power Store, ExelTech and Lockheed Martin. These sponsors contributed to the success of the project through donations of funds, equipment and even brain power.

A senior electrical engineer from ExelTech logged about 300 hours working closely with the students.

“It was a huge benefit to work with industry professionals,” said Bishop. “They learned about technology we wouldn’t typically learn in class. The experience they gained from this is something they will never forget.”

The team worked long hours throughout the summer, to ensure the car would be ready for its debut at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Shine Runners emerged victorious from their first race, with the 6th place title and the prestigious William Shih Award, presented to the solar car team with the highest level of technological achievement.

“It was probably the safest one out there,” said Goodson of the solar car. “It may not be the fastest, but it was most structurally sounds and had the best overall features. We are very proud of them for that.”

Following the success of their first race, the Shine Runners are already looking forward to their next challenge. They plan to take part in an eight-day cross-country race from Dallas to Los Angeles in July of 2013.

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, we wish the Shine Runnners the best of luck in their future challenges and we congratulate their fearless leaders, Jackie Bishop and Rob Goodson, for receiving our latest MISD Impact Award! They have truly earned their place in the sun.

Frontier Students Display Digital Skills at State Convention

Four Frontier High School students participated in a display of digital learning prowess at last month's TASA/TASB Convention. The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) partner each year to bring Texas school board members and school administrators a premier education-related convention. This year's convention was held September 28-30 in Austin. Among the convention speakers and exhibits was a Digital Learning Pavilion (DLP).

Secondary students from across the state were invited to the convention's DLP to display their ingenuity and collaboration skills in a project-based learning environment. Using technology and social media to accelerate their problem-solving skills, students teamed up to create innovative solutions to real-world problems.

The Frontier High School students at the TASA/TASB Convention DLP were provided questions and then they were to use technology to answer and create a presentation. This was not a competition, rather a display of students' technological learning skills in action.

Students completed two different tasks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The kids were given a SMART board, two iPads, a Macbook, and a Dell laptop and that was it. The morning question was, Childhood obesity rates are climbing. Is our appetite for sugar killing us? and the afternoon question was, Electronic resources drive learning, even textbooks are available online. How does this change affect you?

According to their teacher, Elise Buchhorn from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy/Frontier High School, the students conducted all of the project work and then gave a presentation of their response at the end of the session.

"They researched and gathered data online and used web tools for their first presentation," said Buchhorn. "Their afternoon session, they wanted to survey some of their classmates, so they Skyped them and then screen recorded their conversations and made video clips to insert into their Keynote software presentation. It was very impressive on what they did and how they did it."

Buchhorn made the following video to highlight their day mostly for the parents to see their kids in action, but really, it's too cool and worth sharing.

Enjoy.

Student-run Savvy's Bistro re-opens to the public

(L-R) Chef Lisa Amoriello, Chef Brook Moore, Savannah Rice, Tiara Seastrunk,
Ashlyn Stubbs, Chef Adair Smith, Bryce Reed)

Wednesday, September 26, marks the public re-opening for Savvy's Bistro, our culinary program's student-run restaurant, for Mansfield ISD patrons lunchtime during the 2012-13 school year.

Savvy's Bistro is located inside Ben Barber Career Tech Academy/Frontier High School (1120 W. Debbie Ln., Mansfield, TX, 76063). On Tuesday, September 25, Savvy's held an invitation-only soft opening so culinary students could practice the front of house and kitchen work under live conditions with guests. A special guest was among the first patrons in the restaurant yesterday. Savannah Rice (pictured above third from the left), the namesake of Savvy's came with her mom.

At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, culinary arts students at BBCTA were asked to complete a final project to provide options for restaurant designs and names. But, when fellow culinary arts student and senior Konye Rice lost her life in a car accident one week before graduation, the students chose to use her final project's design and name for the bistro as their way honor her memory. The name Savvy originates from the name Savannah, which Rice named after her niece.

"As a teacher, I am fortunate to be in Mansfield ISD so that I can combine my teaching and chef experience to help students learn about the restaurant industry," said Chef Adair Smith about Savvy's. "As a chef, I set very high expectations for my students and every year, they never cease to amaze me with their responsibility, diligence and hard work. Each year I ask my students to tell me what they learned in my class that was new or beneficial.  Most tell me that team work is the skill that they will take away with them and be able to use later in life.  I expect them to work as a team and learn to rely on each other."
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Savvy's focus is on the education not the bottom line, so featured items come delivered to you at a very reasonable price. The bistro is open to the public for lunch from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Additional parking for the Bistro is located in the back of the building. Check out Savvy's Bistro online, on Facebook, and their menu.

Pictures of the Week (Sept 17-21)

Check out some of the photos from recent events in Mansfield ISD last week:

Mr. Bill O'Neal (above at left), the State Historian of Texas, spoke at two assemblies at Lillard Intermediate on Friday, September 21 for Celebrate Freedom Week. He shared artifacts from early America and spoke with the students about the importance of our Constitution. Mr. O'Neal is the father of Lynn Martinez (pictured at right), a teacher at Lillard.

Glenn Harmon Elementary Students received a grant from the MISD Education Foundation in 2012, to provide seven opportunities for service during the 2012-2013 school year, to the Green Oaks Assisted Living Center. The dream of the Campus is to have each grade level prepare and send students to the Assisted Living Center for a 45 minute visit, which would include a small gift made by students and the residents together, and either a musical, audiovisual or dramatic performance. [photo gallery]

Mouser Electronics hosted students from Ben Barber Career Tech Acedmy as part of their recent community partnership celebration for Mouser employees and special guests. Mouser sponsored a couple of student programs at BBCTA last year, the Robotics teams and the Solar Car team. Dr. Bob Morrison (pictured above), Superintendent, took a test-drive of the BBCTA solar car around the Mouser parking lot. The solar car and team, called the "Shine Runners," competed over the summer in the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. The student-constructed solar car won the William Shih Award for the highest level of technical achievement at the summer competition.

The student robotics teams at BBCTA were also available for technical demonstrations at the Mouser event. The teams, the Vinegar Vikings, Crusading Cucumbers, and Fighting Pickles (pictured below), each brought robots to feature and thank Mouser employees for their continued support.

Solar Car Team Takes the Challenge

Students from the Ben Barber Career Tech Academy are voluntarily working through their summer vacation to compete in the Solar Car Challenge which will be held later this month at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Thanks to team advisors Jackie Bishop (auto tech teacher) and Rob Goodson (engineering teacher) along with a lot of help from generous sponsors, the students are building the District's first solar car for competition while learning some valuable skills. Approximately 25 students have been busy working on weekdays and a few Saturdays here and there in the BBCTA automotive garage to finish the solar car in time for the race week, July 15-19. The solar car team is primarily for engineering and auto tech students, but anyone can help according to advisor, Jackie Bishop.

While the car will sport large solar panels on its top for power, it has some some simple automotive roots. The chassis is from an old Legends Car that was donated. It has a four-wheeler front-end suspension and a motorcycle rear-suspension. In order to make this solar car and race a reality, students had to learn a lot about solar power, electronics, steel, construction, welding, and even amateur radio skills (and licenses) for track communication.

Check out the MISD Minutes video feature on the Solar Car Challenge (YouTube or MISD Video Portal).

Mansfield ISD Senior Tour 2012

On Thursday, May 24, 2012, nearly 50 senior citizens from across the community boarded school buses at Vernon Newsom Stadium to join us on the inaugural Mansfield ISD Senior Tour.

This year’s tour sites were Summit High School, Willie Brown Elementary, Ben Barber Career Tech Academy and the Center for the Performing Arts.

The action-packed event allowed participants to take a closer look at Mansfield ISD academics, special programs and extracurricular activities.

Throughout the day, guests enjoyed several student performances and activities, including a hands-on Robotics lab at Willie Brown, a behind-the-scenes look at the television production studio at Ben Barber, and a chance to shoot hoops with the Lady Jags – the reigning 4A State Champions from Summit!

Although we weren’t able to take the seniors to visit every MISD campus, we certainly covered a lot of ground and provided an in-depth look at some of the wonderful things happening across the district. The Senior Tour is an annual event, and will visit different campuses and district facilities each year.

Special thanks to all of the MISD students and staff who contributed to the success of this event!

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.)

Media Tech Teacher is District's First Impact Award Winner

View complete gallery.

Following the tragic loss of Timberview Assistant Football Coach Cody McCarty in October, members of Mansfield ISD and the community searched for ways to show support to Timberview High School.

John Tarrant, Media Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, and his TV Production class wanted to send a message to Timberview High School that the entire district cared about them and was standing behind them. Using their creativity and resources, they proved that video can be an incredibly powerful tool.

According to Tarrant, their original idea was to create a video to show on the jumbotron at the Timberview football game, but as his students became more excited about the project, it evolved into a masterful video message that would impact the Mansfield ISD community in a big way.

The video features students and staff from across the district, who stood united to send one strong message about Mansfield ISD – "We are Family."

Tarrant produced the video project, but gives a great deal of credit to his TV Studio Production Class, and one student in particular.

“Colin Tate has been awesome,” Tarrant said of the senior from Frontier High School. “He used to go to Timberview, so he still had a lot of really strong ties.”

As a Media Tech Teacher, Tarrant works to show students HOW to tell a story, but it is up to them to uncover the stories that will make a true impact on others. Tarrant admits that teaching such a specialized class certainly has its distinct challenges and rewards.

“There’s really no set way to do it – it’s not like math,” said Tarrant. “Certain kids might want to have a career as a news broadcaster and some might want to be a hot shot director and producer in California, but you just have to find a way with every single kid to find their niche.”

Tarrant works to identify the unique strengths in each of his students in hopes that he can help them channel their talent. His love for teaching does not go unnoticed by his students and fellow educators, especially Stephanie Mills, AV/Communication and Video/Production teacher. Mills was new to Mansfield ISD this school year and was quickly impressed by Tarrant's work ethic and commitment to the success of his students. As soon as she heard about The Impact Award, she submitted his name as a nominee.

“Over the first semester of school I saw how much passion Mr. Tarrant has instilled in his kids,” Mills said. “That really struck me being new here, how important it is that they bonded together in a time of tragedy. I just wanted him to be recognized and honored for it.”

Upon receiving the district’s very first Impact Award, Tarrant was overwhelmed and quickly used his special moment to give a shout out to his students.

“It makes me feel good that my students want to work hard for me and help their teacher look good some days,” he joked.

On behalf of the MISD Administration, congratulations to John Tarrant, our very first Impact Award Winner!
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The Impact Award was established to recognize individual staff members, departments, campuses or other 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.