Enjoy graduations following a great school year

May 26, 2017

Advertisement

Enjoy graduations following our great school year

Thank you for another great school year! The 2016-17 academic year saw tremendous success for Northwest ISD across a wide range of areas, including academics, athletics and fine arts. And as with every year, we will are now congratulating our high school seniors with one of the most important accomplishments of all: graduation.

Steele Accelerated High School graduated its students yesterday, and Byron Nelson and Northwest high schools will graduate their students on Tuesday. Both ceremonies will take place at the University of North Texas Coliseum, located at 600 Ave. D in Denton. Byron Nelson students will graduate at 3 p.m., followed by Northwest students at 7 p.m.

For those unable to make it, live streams of each ceremony will be available here.

Track and field athletes earn three medals, two championships at state meet

Allyn Tyer_ Caden McDonald and Sanaa Barnes

A student-athlete from each comprehensive Northwest ISD high school - Byron Nelson, Eaton and Northwest - earned a medal at the UIL Track & Field State Meet, with two being crowned state champions.

Byron Nelson senior Sanaa Barnes earned gold in the 6A girls high jump, earning the medal with a jump of 5 feet, 8 inches. After graduation, Sanaa will compete for Villanova in both volleyball and track and field.

Northwest senior Caden McDonald also earned a state championship, finishing first in the 5A boys discus throw with a toss of 190 feet, 6 inches. He will compete for San Diego State University in football after graduating.

Eaton junior Allyn Tyer earned a bronze medal in the 5A girls pole vault with a height of 12 feet in a close competition. Allyn is Eaton's sole state medalist in track and field thus far - the school has only been open for two years and currently lacks a senior class.

Elementary schools celebrate reading advances in Speeding to Read competition

A Cox student celebrates a reading victory with famous drivers

Three Northwest ISD elementary schools - Cox, Hatfield and Justin - recently read thousands of books as part of Texas Motor Speedway's annual Speeding to Read competition, with students and teachers notching several awards at the event's recent prize ceremony.

Northwest ISD's schools were joined by seven schools from other area districts in the competition, and the 10 schools combined to read nearly 700,000 books during the 2016-17 academic year. Students set lofty book-reading goals in their classes for the competition, and each Northwest ISD school surpassed 65 percent of its student enrollment meeting or exceeding those individual goals.

To see the full list of winners and campus leaders from each school, click here. To see photos from the recent prize ceremony, click here.

Meet Northwest ISD's newest trustee, Steve Sprowls

Steve Sprowls was officially sworn in as Northwest ISD's newest school board member at the board 's most recent meeting on Monday, May 22. Serving the community as Place 5 on the school board, Mr. Sprowls considers himself a mentor for the district's 22,200 students.

"As the kid of a single mom, I had many mentors growing up," Sprowls explained. "I enjoy the aspect of volunteerism, and I am most excited about giving back to the students in my role as a school board member."

Mr. Sprowls started as a volunteer at Kay Granger Elementary School in its inaugural year, 2007, as a member of the school 's Watch DOG - Dads of Great Students - program and later became its program coordinator. He has participated in the district's Leadership NISD and Community Ambassador training, both programs in which his campus principal nominated him for his desire to stay connected and engaged with various topics in Northwest ISD's 14 communities.

His wife is a fourth-grade teacher at Granger Elementary, and his children have attended Granger as well as Tidwell Middle School and Byron Nelson High School. He has served on the PTA for both schools, is a Titan Dad at Tidwell Middle School and is involved with the School Health Advisory Council.

"I am so appreciative from the support I have received from the community," Sprowls said. "I want to bring a parental voice to the board, and I am a strong advocate for teachers. Being married to a teacher, I understand the work that goes into this profession and I stand amazed. I am eager to collaborate with my fellow school board members to continue to work to make our district the best and most sought-after in the nation."

When Mr. Sprowls is not actively volunteering in Northwest ISD, he is a pilot for Southwest Airlines and enjoys participating in obstacle course races and endurance events.

Advertisement

Roanoke Elementary uses 'buddy benches' to build friendships

Two Roanoke students sit on a buddy bench

No one wants to feel left out, and thanks to a service project at Roanoke Elementary School, students can help classmates who may need a friend.

During the 2015-16 school year, second-grade students considered their options for a service project that would foster friendships at the school. After debating their choices, students worked with their teachers to bring "buddy benches" to the school's two playgrounds. The students saw the fruits of their labor this school year when the benches were installed.

To read the full story about Roanoke Elementary's buddy benches, which were created by Northwest High School's welding students, click here.

Junior Chef Academy summer camp registration now available

Have a child interested in cooking? Aramark, Northwest ISD's food service provider, will host its Junior Chef Academy summer camp from June 19-22 for students in fourth grade or above.

The camp will take place at Pike Middle School, with classes lasting from 9 a.m. to noon. Students will learn basic cooking skills and get hands-on cooking experience, each day cooking an entree and a snack. At the end of the academy, each student will receive a cookbook with all featured recipes.

Registration is $50 per student, and registration can be completed online. All registration will close on Friday, June 9.

For more information about the camp or to register a child, click here.

Hatfield GATES students win national agricultural and STEM competition

Hatfield_s national Purple Plow Challenge winners

Hatfield Elementary School's GATES - Gifted and Talented Educational Services - fifth-grade students recently won a national agricultural competition, earning their class a 3D printer and money for future projects.

The students won the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's Purple Plow Challenge in the H2Grow Maker Space category. Through the challenge, students from across the U.S. in fifth to eighth grade designed sustainable living environments for aquatic life while growing food.

Hatfield's students achieved their goal of growing a sustainable food source fertilized by fish waste, learning about aquaponics by growing vegetables with their pet fish.

As prizes for their victory, the GATES class won the aforementioned 3D printer as well as funds to use for future STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - projects. Each student also received a medal for the team victory.

Student winners include Lauren Blankenship, Samuel Clark, Dillon Delaney, Alejandro Gomez, Emma Hallock, Joshua Hanna, Lauren Merritt, Victoria Reyes, Teagan Siekierski, Jordyn Stutler and Daniel Tork. They were led by Rebecca Davis, gifted and talented specialist at Hatfield.

Texas Rangers hosting Northwest ISD Night on June 2, tickets available now

Northwest ISD and the Texas Rangers will host a special community night for the school district's students, staff and families, and tickets to the night's game are now on sale.

The Texas Rangers will host Northwest ISD Night on Friday, June 2, when the team faces the Houston Astros beginning at 7:05 p.m. An exclusive voucher to receive a free Texas Rangers baseball cap branded with one of Northwest ISD's three comprehensive high schools (Byron Nelson, Eaton or Northwest) will be provided to the first 300 registrants for each school. Additionally, all Northwest ISD students registered as part of the community night will receive a free whiffle ball set.

Prior to the game's start, the Rangers will also celebrate Northwest ISD education through a special video recording and announced information.

All tickets purchased for the event will receive a discounted price. For more information about the event and to see photos of the commemorative hats, click here to download a PDF flyer. To purchase tickets in one of the nine seating areas included for the event, visit www.texasrangers.com/schools.

Community folder provides news and updates about third-party events

Northwest ISD's community folder, located at www.nisdtx.org/communityfolder, provides district families with information about events and services in the area that are hosted by third parties (and not Northwest ISD).

These events include camps, sporting offerings, local business services and more. Simply click the "Approved Flyers" link (click the "+" icon on smartphones and mobile devices) to view all the current or upcoming events and services. Local organizations and businesses can also provide information on this website to offer their flyers for distribution in the community folder.