Extra Credit

Another REAL garden in Arlington

At Foster Elementary, some 230 students, parents, school staffers and others recently gathered to brainstorm for a new REAL garden.

REAL, or Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning, will glean ideas from the student sketches and cobble together a plan for the garden, which will serve as a source of fresh fruits and veggies and an outdoor classroom.

Groundbreaking is set for the spring, tentatively on March 26.

Read more here.

- Patrick M. Walker

Educators group to host parent workshops on Saturday

The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) is hosting a day of workshops for area parents as part of the group's 38th annual conference.

One workshop at the Parent Day Summit will cover what's new in special education and how to understand and monitor your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Other workshops will cover topics such as parents' rights under No Child Left Behind, how to be engaged at school, Texas academic standards and student and family health issues.

Keynote speaker is Zollie Stevenson Jr., former director of student achievement and school accountability programs at the U.S. Department of Education, responsible for Title I and Title III programs. He is now an associate professor of educational leadership at Bowie State University in Maryland.

About 350 people are pre-registered for the event, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Onsite registration begins at 8 a.m. Cost is $90 (includes lunch). The Summit was organized by NABSE board member Anthony White Sr., a retired administrator for Newark public schools who is now chief executive officer of Parental Involvement Exchange.

Jessamy Brown

Fort Worth principal puckers up to a pig

Kirkpatrick Elementary principal Hilda Caballero very popular with her students, likely more so today than  any other.

Caballero shared a special smooch with a live pot-bellied pig this morning after winning a popularity contest in a United Way fund drive. Students at the school were able to select for their favorite school administrator by donating coins as votes. The administrator with the most votes (Caballero) won the chance to kiss the pig.

“Our students and staff will be here to make sure I do it right,” she said before the kiss. “But it is for a good cause.”

Here Caballero is pictured kissing Pebbles, the pig, who is being held by her owner, first grade teacher Ben Arreguin. At right, inclusion teacher Tonya Shearman is assisting with Pebbles.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Former first graders recreate class photo with teacher 55 years later

This weekend a group of former Meadowbrook Elementary students had a special field trip back to their school. They toured the campus, reconnected with classmates and posed for an updated class picture all in the honor of their favorite teacher Patricia Hill.

 

Hill said she was humbled that they organized a reunion just for her.

 

"The pinnacle of my teaching career was being named retiring teacher of the year in 1991," she said. "But now, this is the greatest recognition ever done for me."

Of the 30 students in the original 1955 photo, 22 were contacted and 19 were able to make it. Unfortunately, some could not be found and some had passed away, organizers said.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Composer Jake Heggie is UNT's artist-in-residence

 Jake Heggie, composer of Moby-Dick, is serving as artist-in-residence at the University of North Texas Institute for the Advancement of the Arts this academic year. Heggie is on commission to compose a major work for orchestra, chorus and soloist. The UNT Symphony Orchestra and Grand Chorus will premiere the composition in April 2012. Heggie is also coaching composition and voice students during his residency.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Reynolds/UNT



Today kicks off prefiling for Texas Lege, education bills in the mix

And they're off! Okay, so today is a little more low key than the races, but the political battles will surely be something to watch this session as legislators work to address growing needs with a biennium shortfall ranging anywhere from $20 billion to $25 billion. (Yes, that's with a "B.")

Legislators began prefiling bills today for the 82nd session that begins in January. So far, some of the education-related bills include: Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) seeking to reemphasize her legislation last session that prohibits districts from having minimum grading policies (which some Houston area districts filed suit over and lost); Rep. Mark Shelton (R-Fort Worth) wanting to give colleges the option to limit the number of courses students can drop; and Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) pushing to give school districts more local control in funding decisions through a rollback rate bill.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Poly student in national math, science and tech contest this weekened

Polytechnic senior Ignacio Ramirez Moreno (at left) is teaming up with some Austin students on a project they hope will lead to a more cost-effective way to monitor electrical grids.

This weekend is the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology held at the University of Texas. Moreno is working with high school students Alexandra Ilic and Kevin Tian on a project that uses the power domination   graph theory to find measure the performance of electrical networks. (Yeah, I didn't know what graph theory was either. This site describes it pretty well as a branch of math that looks how objects are connected to each other.)

Teams are competing for a scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 scholarship. Finalists will compete next month in Washington, D.C.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth students' veggies to be cooked up for fund raiser

The young gardeners at I.M. Terrell and Van Zandt-Guinn elementary schools have been busy tending to  their organic goods. Now their mustard greens, beets and red and green leaf lettuces will be used for a Nov. 12 fund raiser at GRACE Restaurant to help benefit REAL School Gardens.

GRACE chef Blaine Staniford and owner Adam Jones visited the schools this week to tour the gardens and talk to students about healthy eating. At right are Terrell students showing off their garden. Below is Staniford preparing a healthy snack for Van Zandt-Guinn.

REAL School Gardens is a local non-profit that works with 74 campuses across the area to create gardens. Earlier this month, the group received the local organization award for its outstanding service by the North American Association for Environmental Education. Tracy Hollis, program facilitator for the Grand Prairie school district's
Natural Science Education Center, won the NAAEE's award for outstanding service by an individual.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Area high school bands at state contest awaiting results

Birdville High School band performed early this morning at the Alamodome, which their director said went well. They then had a rehearsal at a local high school and are taking a rest in a room inside the dome as schools await the results of preliminary competition, which will be announced after the last band at about 5:45 p.m.

Keller's band is watching the contest in the stands. At left is Haltom High School's bassoon player performing a solo earlier today. Click here for a photo gallery from the state contest.
It is a warm sunny day in San Antonio.

-Jessamy Brown

Students can take part in virtual college fair

High school students can connect with college advisors during CollegeWeekLive, a virtual college fair that takes place this week. During CollegeWeekLive FALL, students and parents from 135 countries can get information about the college admissions process. The free two-day event takes place Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST. The event is promoted as a cost-saving way for prospective college students to visit colleges and universities (They never have to leave their home). 

Texas Christain University, Texas A&M, University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University will be among hundreds of colleges represented at the virtual fair. Parents can meet with college admissions and financial aid representatives from any location in the world.

Students who register by Nov. 4 and log in to attend CollegeWeekLive FALL have a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship.

Diane Smith