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.

High School Seniors Make Finals at DECA Internationals

Congratulations to Frontier High School senior, Melany Gonzalez and her partner, Timberview High School senior, Andrew Bostic, for making the finals in Financial Analysis Team Decision Making, at the DECA International Career Development Conference. The conference was held in Anaheim CA, April 24-27, with over 15,000 student competitors from all over the world.

Their event included a rigorous financial exam as well as role-plays in front of judges from the finance industry . The team came in 1st place in Texas where they went on to represent  Ben Barber DECA, Frontier High School, Timberview High School, Mansfield ISD, and Texas. If you see Melany or Andrew, please congratulate them on a job well done.

The DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is the highlight of the DECA year. Fourteen thousand high school students, advisors, businesspersons and alumni gather for several days of DECA excitement. Most participants at ICDC compete in one of DECA's competitive events. The top competitors in each event are recognized for their outstanding achievements. In addition to the competitive events, many students and advisors participate in a variety of leadership and career advancing academies.

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.

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).

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.

Mansfield ISD Robotics Teams Win Big at Qualifier

Mansfield ISD Robotics, home of The Fighting Pickles, Crusading Cucumbers, and Vinegar Vikings, along with UT Arlington hosted a FIRST FTC Robotics Qualifier tournament last Saturday, February 11, 2012. The event was a great success! Everything went close to plan and we had a great crowd, including the Mansfield Mayor Pro Tem, Larry Broseh, his wife and grand-daughter. Every one of all ages thought it was very exciting and fun.

Our three robotics teams all performed beautifully and conducted themselves in a way that all of MISD can be proud of! Unlike many robotics organizations, our group is a completely extra-curricular activity. We have a great student leadership team in place and our teams are student run from designing the robot to planning community event.

Each of our teams won a judged award (and got the trophy to go with it) and they all qualified for the next level of competition, The SouthWest Regional Contest, which will be hosted at UT Arlington on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Here are the specific judged awards the teams won:

#127 Fighting Pickles - PTC Design Award
Basic Criteria: Robot incorporates industrial design elements in their robot solution which is aesthetic and functional and reflected in the submitted engineering notebook

#3768 Crusading Cucumbers - Connect Award
Basic Criteria: The team is the most connected to the local and engineering community through outreach and giving back

#5393 Vinegar Vikings - Motivate Award
Basic Criteria: The team shows great team spirit and enthusiasm throughout the competition and functions well as a team

The Vinegar Vikings, our newest team, was in 3rd place after the qualifying matches and captained an alliance in the semifinals. The Crusading Cucumbers was chosen as an alliance partner and went on to win the competition (and get the even bigger trophy associated with that).

The three sponsors, Susan Sevier, Robert Goodson, and Kashieka Popkin, all Ben Barber CTA teachers, are very proud to be part of this with these great kids!

The teams are working hard to prepare for the next level of competition. Come check us out Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:15 – 5:15 PM at the Ben Barber campus.

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Guest post from Susan Sevier, CS teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield ISD

Summit High School Musical: Big River

Via Lyndsey Simmons, Assistant Director of Theatre/Communication Applications at Mansfield Summit High School:

On January 26-29, Summit Theatre will open the musical Big River. This piece is a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and we will collaborate with both the Summit Band and the American Sign Language Department at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy.

Big River has a history of being produced on Broadway by deaf actors. This year, we decided to have our hearing student actors play the roles, and they will be shadowed by both professional and student interpreters from Ben Barber. The Summit Band will also be providing us, for the first time, with a live orchestra.

We are also showcasing out International Thespian Society National Qualifying student designs for costumes and set.

Make reservations for the show via email at summittickets@yahoo.com.

Eight-Period Schedule Update

A final decision on the proposed eight-period schedule for 2012-13 will be made by the administration after the Winter Break.
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) December 14, 2011

Due to the fact the district was cut $13 million this school year by the Texas Legislature and will be cut an additional $13 million next school year, we’ve made the decision to move to an eight-period day at the secondary level (for high school, middle school, intermediate school).

We provided a draft schedule earlier on our blog for the MISD community to review prior to the Thanksgiving break to begin the conversation on this new change for next year. We received some valid concerns and valuable input through the comments in addition to emails, calls, and discussions.

Here's the latest update on the proposed eight-period schedule. The updated schedule includes:

• 45-minute classes
• High School will start at 7:30 AM and end the day at 3:00 PM
• Middle Schools will start 8:45 AM and end their day at 4:10 PM
• Intermediate Schools will start at 8:30 AM and end their day at 3:55 PM
• Elementary Schools will start at 8:00 AM and end the day 3:30 PM

How does an eight-period schedule save $6-$10 million?
On the A/B block schedule, teachers teach six of eight classes. On the eight-period schedule, teachers will pick up one class to teach seven of eight classes. That extra class translates to 67.5 teaching positions or $4 million. Additionally, the students taking courses at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for 150 minutes on an eight-period schedule generates an additional $3 million in funding through the Career and Technology Education (CTE) Allotment. And finally, when MISD went to the eight-period hybrid schedule for middle and intermediate schools this year, it saved $3 million. We’ll realize that same $3 million in savings next year as well.

We’ve also heard some common academic concerns about changing schedules:

Instructional time - Currently, in a two-week period, high schools have eight classes (four on A days and four and B days). Each class lasts 90 minutes for a total of 450 instructional minutes per two-week period. On the eight-period schedule, the students have eight classes each day. Each class lasts 45 minutes for a total of 450 instructional minutes per two-week period.

Homework - On the A/B block schedule with classes every other day, students can potentially receive homework five days in a two-week period. With the eight-period schedule, schools will develop a homework schedule that enables teachers to assign homework five out of every 10 days in a two-week period. Example, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th periods would be able to give homework on odd days of the week and 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th periods on even days of the week. As you can see, that translates to five days of potential homework in the 10 school day period the same as A/B block.

Testing (Six Week Tests)

A/B block schedule allows time for four tests on A days and four tests on B days.

On the eight-period schedule 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th periods would test on odd days of the week; 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th period test on even days of the week.

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Updated Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - A Mansfield News-Mirror December 7 article on the eight-period schedule incorrectly references the next steps in the decision process. The Mansfield ISD school board will not vote on the schedule. The schedule is an administrative decision (not subject to board vote). For reference, the administrative decision on the schedule will be made after the December board meeting.

Updated Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - The MISD Board of Trustees heard a Presentation and held a discussion during the December Regular School Board Meeting. A final decision on the proposed eight-period schedule will be made by the administration after the Winter Break.

HOSA Students Prove the Value of a Vial

The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) of Ben Barber Career Tech Academy (BBCTA) have launched a service project that will allow them to give back to the community while offering a potentially life-saving resource.

The Vial of L.I.F.E. (Lifesaving Information for Emergencies) is a container that stores important medical information, which can be accessed by emergency personnel in the event of a crisis in a person’s home.

Gary Welborn, the Health Science Instructor at BBCTA heard about this project from multiple sources and saw a great opportunity to reach out to the citizens of the Mansfield ISD community.

“If a paramedic needs instant access to a patient’s medical history, the vial is easy to get to,” said Welborn. “It’s also very useful in the event that a patient is unconscious or unable to quickly remember all of the prescriptions they are taking.”

With the help of donations from the Meadows Foundation and Ray’s Pharmacy, the materials for the project were obtained at no cost. A $500 donation from the Meadows Foundation covered printing expenses and Ray’s Pharmacy provided the plastic vials. Students assisted with the graphic design aspects of the project as well as the assembly of the materials.

So, what exactly is inside these vials?

The outside of each plastic vial is marked with a red and white label which reads, “Vial of Life: Look Inside Refrigerator for Complete Medical Information.” There are two additional labels inside the vial; one to be placed on the door of the individual’s home and the other (which is adhered to a magnet) to be mounted on the refrigerator. Most importantly, a medical history sheet is folded inside the vial. Keeping the vial in the fridge allows paramedics to locate it quickly.

The HOSA students will assist with the distribution of the vials, offering them to their parents, grandparents and neighbors. Their goal is to get these vials into the hands of as many people that need them as possible.

“I plan to go around my neighborhood to offer the vials to people and tell them about the program,” said HOSA student Angela Tetteh. “It can really help save a life, so I believe it’s very important.”

How can I get a Vial of L.I.F.E. for myself?

The vials can be picked up from Mrs. Mullins in the front office of BBCTA (1120 W. Debbie Lane). For additional requests, contact Gary Welborn (garywelborn@misdmail.org or 817.299.1916).

Supplies are limited, so don’t wait!

How can I return the kindness of these students?

While the HOSA students are proud to present this resource to community members at no cost, they hope people will “pay it forward” and keep the chain of kindness going by offering a donation to the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life.” You can donate online or drop off your contribution to the BBCTA bookkeeper.

A donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Donations will be accepted through June 10, 2011.

Seven from Ben Barber Qualify for TSA State Contest

Midlothian, TX - Students from the Ben Barber chapter of the Technology Student Association (TSA) competed at the TSA Regional Contest on March 24 and 25. Students competed in projects such as Webmastering, Biotechnology, Technical Sketching, Engineering, Video Game Design, and many more.

Although Ben Barber TSA has been housed in many buildings over the years, it has always had the same purpose: To give all Mansfield ISD high school students the experiences and friendships that TSA has to offer.

Present at the TSA Regional Contest were two Texas TSA State Officers, Travis Welborn (State Reporter) and Justin Ehlert (State Secretary). Travis attends Mansfield High School and Justin Timberview High School, both in MISD. Travis and Justin work with the other state officers to prepare the annual leadership conference, update the state delegation through newsletters, and represented Texas at the national conference in Baltimore, Maryland this past summer.

Ben Barber TSA has had a rising number of students attend conferences each year, as well as competing at the national TSA conferences in Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Baltimore, Maryland. Ready to continue competing, members will be attending the Texas TSA State Contest at the Waco Convention Center in Waco, Texas May 5-7, 2011.

The following National Qualifying Events advanced to compete at the Texas TSA State Contest:

• 1st Biotechnology Design – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
• 1st Scientific Visualization (SciVis) – Travis Welborn, Justin Ehlert
• 1st Video Game Design – Justin Ehlert, Travis Welborn
• 2nd Desktop Publishing – Lynn Nguyen
• 2nd Prepared Presentation – Clancy Taylor
• 2nd Webmastering – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
• 3rd Engineering Design – Ryan Thompson, Christian Negratti
• 3rd Technical Sketching – Ryan Thompson
• State Qualifier – Ross Kelly
• State Qualifier – Ryan Thompson

Advisor Shyla Vire, who teaches Flash Based Game Design at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy and Concepts of Engineering at Mansfield High School, leads Ben Barber TSA. If you would like more information about TSA is, you can contact Mrs. Vire via email or visit the Ben Barber TSA website.

DECA Students Make History at State Competition

After a record-breaking outcome at the Regional competition in January, 26 DECA students from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy advanced to the 2011 Texas DECA State Career Development Conference (CDC) February 24 – 26 in Fort Worth, where they continued to make history for the district with nine wins and the election of Jordan Robinson for 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President.

As the first ever State Officer from the district, Robinson (pictured at right) will have many opportunities to represent Mansfield ISD and Texas DECA throughout the year. Robinson’s campaign tag line was, “Now that’s a plan,” with his platform focusing on a plan for Texas DECA. Robinson ran with 6 other extremely qualified candidates, but in the end, he was elected by 3,000 students attending the Texas DECA State Conference and Competition.

Ben Barber DECA will be well represented by a group of outstanding young men and women at the DECA International Competition in Orlando, Florida, April 29 - May 3, 2011.

Congratulations to the nine students advancing in the competition:
(Student, Event, Place, High School)

Maliz Mahop, MET Job, Interview Event, 1st Place, Timberview
Washima Huq, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Summit
Jordan Robinson, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Timberview
Anjola Coker, Free Enterprise, 1st Place, Mansfield
Joshlyn Willis, Principles of Business Administration, 1st Place, Summit
Kelli McQuesten, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Legacy
Maliz Mahop, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Timberview
Chad Lane, Internet Marketing, 2nd Place, Summit
Anjola Coker, Marketing Management, 2nd Place, Mansfield

Jordan Robinson – Elected 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President
Washima Huq – MARKETING EDUCATORS OF TEXAS $1,000.00 SCHOLARSHIP

Advisors: Cathy Dunn Slagle, Mark Roquemore, Mike Asato and Brooke Baker

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.

Robotics students inspire their sponsors

Guest post from Susan Sevier, CS teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield ISD

The Crusading Cucumbers from San Antonio contest

Well, we did it again. Mansfield ISD robotics swept Texas, taking the highest honors at the Alamo and SW Regional FIRST Robotics FTC (First Tech Challenge) contests in Texas.

The Crusading Cucumbers, team #3768, won the “Inspire,” on Thursday March 3, 2011 at the Alamo Regional Championship in San Antonio.

And the Fighting Pickles, team #127, won the same "Inspire" award at the SW Regional contest hosted by UTA two days later on Saturday March 5.

The Inspire award is the highest award FTC gives; it means the team embodies all the aspects FIRST perceives as the model team to promote STEM concepts.
(STEM refers to Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical concepts.)


Based on this accomplishment, both teams earned an automatic invite to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Lewis, Missouri in late April.

As if that isn’t enough, The Crusading Cucumbers, also captained the winning alliance team at the Alamo contest and won the whole competitive portion of the Alamo FTC competition. This would also earn them an automatic invite to the world contest, but it got passed on to our friendly alliance partner, The Dragons, team #3937 of South Lake Carroll.

In addition, at the SW contest an 11th grade Summit HS computer science student, Clark Navidad, got offered an internship from a Richardson/Plano area software company. A parent sponsor of a Plano, Jasper HS, team offered this internship based on Clark’s ability to problem solve, communicate and use critical thinking skills to fix all his teams programming problems under the stress of the contest constraints. It was truly impressive. Without Clark’s help the Plano robot would not have been able to compete. Other programming students, helped with at least six other teams at the contest, from updating firmware to setting up and explaining the programming environment.

Finally, while still at the contest, Fighting Pickles programmers, Clark Navidad and Mike Kojder, received word that they had advanced to the national level contests for Business Professionals of America. Clark Navidad will compete in C++ and Mike Kojder will compete in Java programming, at the BPA National contest in Washington DC.

The students were all amazing and the success is almost overwhelming. James Wilson and I were blown away by how all these students went about taking care of business throughout the contest. To say we are beaming with pride would be an understatement. We had teams lining up waiting for our assistance, and even the contest officials were coming to us for help on occasion. We were without a doubt the most spirited teams at each contest.

‘Bikes for Angels’ Program a Record-Breaking Success

The annual ‘Bikes for Angels’ program came to a close this week and the results were fantastic. After about six weeks of fundraising, $26,400 was used to purchase bikes for needy children in the metroplex.

The Auto-Tech students at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy worked diligently to build 603 bikes, which were delivered to thirty-five MISD campuses and fifteen additional organizations this week.

Not only was this year’s donation exceed the previous record by almost $5,000, it was enough to allow the program to fulfill each application received.

The students and staff involved have put a great deal of time and energy forth to make the 2010 ‘Bikes for Angels’ project such a huge success.

“We are so proud of these kids,” said Rick Curlee, Auto-Tech teacher from Ben Barber. “They have worked so hard to get this done and to help provide a better Christmas for hundreds of needy children.”