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.