Northwest News: District receives prestigious honor, schools release early Jan. 27

Jan. 19, 2017

Northwest ISD chosen as one of the top five largest school districts in Texas

H-E-B has named Northwest ISD a finalist in its 16 th annual Excellence in Education Awards program, placing it in the top five schools in the program's large school district category.

The Excellence in Education Awards, the largest monetary professional awards program for educators in Texas, annually recognizes the top educators, academic administrators, school boards and school districts in the state. These professionals and entities are chosen to spotlight best practices and celebrate the passion and creativity of Texas educators.

This year's Excellence in Education Awards recognizes Northwest ISD alongside Allen ISD, Brownsville ISD, Grand Prairie ISD and Socorro ISD for the top award among large school districts. For inclusion in the awards program, H-E-B relies on customers, employees and community members for nominees. Those nominees are then invited to complete an application highlighting their educational philosophies and achievements for consideration.

For more information about the honor, click here.

Profile of an Educator: Melissa Cordero

Melissa Cordero, a math and AVID teacher at Medlin Middle School, is known for her ability to connect to students and teaches with passion. Mrs. Cordero's favorite aspect of education is when she sees a student reach an "ah-ha!" moment, grasping a new way to reach a solution.

Students say Mrs. Cordero's ability to engage is one of her best attributes. She keeps classes fun, they say, and makes the classroom exciting with her enthusiasm. Mrs. Cordero is a great example of a Northwest ISD teacher.

Click the image above to see our newest "Profile of an Educator" video spotlighting Mrs. Cordero, or click here.

Jan. 27 is a student early-release day

Friday, Jan. 27, will serve as an early-release day for all Northwest ISD students. On this day, elementary schools will release at 11:40 a.m., middle schools will release at 12:50 p.m., high schools will release at 12:40 p.m., and Steele Accelerated High School and the Special Programs Center will release at 12:50 p.m.

To view the full 2016-17 Northwest ISD academic calendar, click here.

Incoming freshmen invited to high school showcase events on Jan. 23

All incoming freshmen are invited to their respective high schools' showcases on Monday, Jan. 23, where they can learn about campus programs and opportunities as well as high school in general.

Each high school - Byron Nelson, Eaton, Northwest and Steele Accelerated - will host its showcase in the evening, where students can learn about academic courses and extracurricular activities. A 30-minute parent/guardian information meeting will be held at two times at each meeting, with the latter session serving as a repeat for anyone unable to attend the first session.

In addition to general information about campus programs and opportunities, school faculty will provide students and families with information for course selection for the coming academic year. Current students involved in academies, extracurricular programs and other unique services will also be on hand to share their experiences.

Byron Nelson will hold its showcase from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Eaton will host its showcase from 6-8 p.m., Northwest will hold its showcase from 6-7:30 p.m. and Steele will host its showcase from 6-7:30 p.m. A showcase's first parent and guardian information meeting will be held at the start of the event, and the repeat session will be held roughly 30-45 minutes before the showcase ends.

Though the event is primarily aimed at freshmen, any current Northwest ISD student or guardian is also welcome to attend. For more information, please contact a high school's front office directly. Byron Nelson can be reached at 817-698-5600, Eaton can be reached at 817-698-7300, Northwest can be reached at 817-215-0200 and Steele can be reached at 817-698-5800.

2017 High School Showcases

Byron Nelson High School

5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23

Eaton High School

6-8 p.m.Monday, Jan. 23

Northwest High School

6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23

Steele Accelerated High School

6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23

NHSTV named top student-run live show in Southwest U.S. for second straight year

Student Television Network has named NHSTV, Northwest High School's student-run television station, as the Best Daily Live Show in the Southwest Region, the second consecutive time the station has been named top in its U.S. region.

NHSTV received the honor as part of the 2016-17 Broadcast Excellence Awards, beating other high school stations from across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. As a result of the honor, NHSTV will now compete against winners from the other five U.S. regions in the STN competition to determine which show is the best in the country. The national champion will be announced at the STN Convention on March 29 in Anaheim, California, during the STN Excellence Awards Show.

Jeremy Rawe, NHSTV news director and facilitator of Northwest ISD's Academy of Media Arts & Technology housed at Northwest High School, said the award serves as acknowledgment of his students' hard work.

"I am extremely proud of our students and for being recognized as the best daily live broadcast in the four states in our region for the second straight year," he said. "Our students continue to excel and work hard to create the best live broadcast each and every day."

For more information about the 2016-17 STN Excellence Awards, click here. To watch episodes of NHSTV, click here.

Byron Nelson, Eaton, Northwest each place two to all-state music groups

Northwest ISD's three comprehensive high schools - Byron Nelson, Eaton and Northwest - each placed two students on Texas Music Educator Association's all-state groups, showcasing the district's fine arts talents among multiple musical categories.

From Byron Nelson High School, senior Joseph Caskey was named to the All-State Choir as a first-chair bass. Byron Nelson was also represented on the All-State Symphony Orchestra, with senior Gini Choi named to the group for violin. Byron Nelson's choir is directed by John Sikon with the assistance of Katherine Engle; its orchestra is directed by Gary Keller with the assistance of Sessalie Shapley.

In just its second year open, Eaton High School placed two students to TMEA all-state groups: junior Hunter Kuhlman was named to the All-State Jazz Ensemble 2 for bass trombone, while freshman Micah Northam was named to the All-State Symphonic Band for French horn. Eaton's bands are directed by Paul Elder with the assistance of Matt Moore and Jason Williams.

Northwest High School junior Cynthia Kaniki was named to the All-State Treble Choir as an Alto 2, and Jonathan Sneed was named to the All-State Tenor-Bass Choir as a Tenor 1. Northwest's choir is directed by Kaitlyn Carty with the assistance of Corrie Donovan.

TMEA's all-state groups represent the top honor for high school music students in the state. Students must first audition and make their respective discipline's all-region group, then they must audition and make the all-area group. Those who qualify at the top of their area are named all-state musicians. Auditions vary by discipline, with band and choir musicians required to perform in front of judges, while orchestra students record a single performance for judging under the supervision of TMEA organizers.

Students selected to TMEA all-state groups will perform at the association's annual convention in San Antonio in February.

Business academy sends 54 students to state career competition

Northwest ISD's Academy of Business Management & Entrepreneurship will send 54 students to the Texas DECA's State Career Development Conference following the budding business professionals' qualifications for the competition at the District 7 conference.

Texas DECA conferences see students taking part in a variety of career-oriented events across marketing, finance, hospitality and management as well as related fields. DECA competitions are based on co-curricular education that is presented as an integral part of classroom instruction. Students must qualify for the state conference from earlier DECA district conferences; in the business academy's case, the District 7 conference was held Jan. 14 at Haltom High School.

The business academy, housed in Eaton High School, significantly increased its amount of students going to the state DECA conference this year from its inaugural year in 2015-16, when it sent 17 students. This year's Texas DECA State Career Development Conference takes place from Feb. 23-25 in San Antonio.

Antonio Banos leads the business academy as the facilitator and an instructor with the assistance of Estie Cuellar and Cathy Slagle. For more information about the academy, visit www.bmeacademy.org.