Extra Credit

Arlington trustees appoint assistant principals

Before Arlington school trustees got down to the business of budgeting Thursday night, they had some happy news for several educators.

The board appointed several assistant principals.

Those were:

Kelly Freeman and Brent Pfaff at Arlington High School. Freeman, has taught resource math and vocational adjustment at Arlington High for the past three years. Pfaff has been an assistant principal at Ousley Junior High since 2002.

Ben Bholan and Andro Kemp at Bowie High School. Bholan has been an assistant principal at Boles Junior High since 2006. Kemp comes from the Forth Worth school district, where he was an administrator at the North Side Tier One Disciplinary Alternative Education Program.

Bradley Davis and Phylisa Lindsey at Lamar High School. Davis has been an assistant principal at Bailey Junior High for seven years. Lindsey has been an assistant principal at Barnett Junior High for the past three years.

Christopher Scroggins at Shackelford Junior High. Scroggins has been a PE teacher and coach at Arlington High School since 2003.

- Traci Shurley

Girls Inc. plans health fair in Arlington

Girls Inc. of Tarrant County is trying to get girls the information they need stay healthy.

The nonprofit will host a health fair from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at the Girls Inc. Center at 600 New York Ave. for girls 8 to 18.
"Building a Bridge to Better Health" will feature information from 15 health-related service providers, including dentists and skin specialists. For more information, call Melissa Oden at 817-275-2120, ext. 222.

- Traci Shurley

Two New Principals in Birdville

The Birdville school board recently approved the appointments of Timothy S. Drysdale as principal at Grace E. Hardeman Elementary and Patrick Guy as principal at Holiday Heights Elementary. Drysdale replaces Steve Ellis, who was named principal at North Ridge Middle School, and Guy replaces Donna Solley, who was named BISD’s director of curriculum and instruction.

 

(Guy)                         (Drysdale)

Remembering a superintendent

Most people knew Vernon Newsom as the soft-spoken superintendent who was always dressed prim and proper and could be found at Steven's Garden & Grill several times a week.

It was quite a surprise to many when he traded in those business suits for a leather vest and chaps. He bought a "trike" motorcycle and was ready to travel across the country with his wife Nadyne so the two could enjoy retirement together. This week the community was shocked to learn he was killed after a motorcycle accident in South Dakota that left his wife in critical condition.  

Students, friends and colleagues have shared memories here at the Mansfield school district's blog. Trustee Sandi Vatthauersent me this remembrance of Newsom: 

We are blessed in this district to have had Vernon Newsom as superintendent for so many years. He led this district with great foresight and professionalism. Mr. Newsom was one of this world’s truly good men; who worked tirelessly with integrity and dedication to educate the children of our community, while at the same time managing the growth of our district. The benefits of his leadership for the MISD children, teachers, staff and community will be felt and appreciated for years to come. I will greatly miss him and his insight. My prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

Arlington Superintendent Jerry McCullough told reporter Traci Shurley that Newsom's reputation was as solid outside of Mansfield as it was in the district. "He was highly respected among superintendents," said McCullough. "He was very personable. He just made people feel very comfortable and student achievement was very important to him."

I met Newsom when I began covering the district in 2004. As we drove around the district, he spoke with much pride as he pointed to land that would become Legacy High School and all the fancy doodads the new stadium and adjoining natatorium would have (I got the sense that the former coach was particularly proud of that work). I learned a lot about education from Newsom through the years.

Here are a few pictures from the Star-Telegram archives of Newsom. At top is Newsom presenting the Lady Tigers with the state girls' basketball championship trophy and game net in 2002. At right, Newsom was being lifted by fellow administrators during a 1998 team building activity.

At left, he was passing out ice cream treats to Charlotte Anderson Elementary teachers for achieving the state ranking of exemplary on year. This last picture at bottom right was taken by current superintendent Bob Morrison when the two traveled to China last summer during trip with educators from around the country.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Birdville Educator Participates in National Institute Program

Charlotte Solorio was among 80 educators nationwide who participated in an exclusive professional development event for Discover Educator Network members at the Headlands Institute in Sausalito, Calf. The Discovery Educator Network National Institute was hosted by Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications, whose networks include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. The network is a global learning community of educators who want to use technology to improve student achievement. Educators share resources, ideas and classroom-tested strategies for improving academic achievement.

                                                                    (Photo by Discovery Education)

North Texas teachers space out

This week's anniversary of the moon landing has many imagining what an adventure that must be.  

Well, some area teachers got a little taste of space this month at the 2009 Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy, which had 288 teachers from across the world attend an academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The teachers included Arlington teacher Betty Wright, who (Barnett Junior High); Euless resident Todd Ketcham(Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School in Irving) and Fort Worth resident Lauren Parker(formerly of Tannahill Intermediate in White Settlement).

The teachers went through astronaut training such as jet simulations, scenario-based missions and survival training and learned math and science activities that are space-inspired to take back to their classrooms.

The top right picture is of Ketcham during a simulated shuttle mission. At left is Wright in a gyroscope (the uber-fast, multi-axis spinning training machine). Below is Parker (at bottom right) with her team in a space station mock up.

-Eva-Maire Ayala

 

Mansfield graduate's artwork to travel the country

Mansfield schools apparently have no shortage of talented artists. Earlier this summer, we wrote about a recent graduate who placed in a national contest for a creatively decorated cow.

Now, another graduate's impressive artwork is being honored. A work by Kegan Eastham, a recent Legacy High School graduate, was one of 30 from across the U.S. selected to be part of the 2009-2010 AP Studio Art Exhibit (that's the amazing drawing at right, courtesy of MISD). The exhibit will travel the country, hitting Dallas in January, according to the district.

- Traci Shurley 

Fort Worth's connections to space

As today marks the 40th anniversary of first moon landing, Fort Worth school officials also tip their hats to our own space cowboys. Most notably is Alan Bean, a Paschal High School grad (pictured right) who was the fourth man to walk on the moon. Then there's Marc Hairston, a graduate of Southwest High School, who is a research scientist at the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. And least we forget actor Bill Paxton (Arlington Heights) who played astronaut Fred Haise in the movie Apollo 13. Click here for a glimpse of what Fort Worth was like in 1969.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Arlington ready to settle federal lawsuit

Arlington schools and the Indiana-based HOPE Foundation are ready to settle their federal court battle over money the district spent on educational materials from the nonprofit. Now, all the two sides need is approval from the school district's trustees.

Arlington sued the foundation last fall, claiming that HOPE did not properly disclose business dealings with former Arlington Superintendent Hector Montenegro. The lawsuit demanded repayment of $240,000 that school officials spent on books and other materials for HOPE's Failure is Not an Option instructional program.

HOPE has denied any wrongdoing.

In legal filings last week, the district asked a federal judge to stay its case against HOPE, which stands for Harnessing Optimism and Potential through Education. The filing says a settlement has been reached, pending trustees' approval. A special board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, with the lawsuit as its only agenda item during a closed session.

Montenegro was on the job at Arlington for just less than six months. He resigned after questions came up about his dealings with educational nonprofits, including HOPE, and his travel expenses.

- Traci Shurley

More information about new graduation requirements

The Texas Education Agency just posted a helpful FAQ about HB3. That's the legislation that made some substantial changes to high school graduation requirements in Texas, including eliminating a requirement that students in the recommended degree program take a health class.

Notably, one Texas district, Lufkin, has already said thanks but no thanks to some of those changes, the Lufkin Daily News reports.

- Traci Shurley