Fort Bend Lifestyles and Homes Magazine Jan 2010: Fort Bend County School News 1

Girl Scout Earns Gold Award by Helping Others Obtain GED Credits - Girl Scout Senior Anna Masters planned and taught a 10-week GED math class to earn the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve. Less than 5 percent of girls who join Girl Scouts earn this recognition.

As an active member of Girl Scouts, Anna has also earned her Silver Award and a canoeing certification from the American Red Cross.

At Clements High School, she is a member of National Honor Society, marching band and more. She has also acquired more than 100 hours of service volunteering in the community. Following graduation, Anna plans to attend the University of Oklahoma to study math and education.

Terry’s Teykl a Finalist for
National Football Coaches Award - Tim Teykl, head football coach at B.F. Terry High School in Lamar CISD, has been selected as a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association ’s Power of Influence Award.

This is the second time Teykl has been nominated by the Texas High School Coaches Association for this honor. This award is the AFCA ’s highest honor bestowed on a high school football coach.

“This is an award given to a high school head football coach based on the power of influence throughout their career, ” said Grant Teaff, AFCA executive director. “The criteria for receiving this award are not necessarily based on how many games are won. ”

Teykl was nominated for the award by Cliff Odenwald, director of athletics for the University Interscholastic League.

Rachel Fox Signs Letter of Intent to Play Softball at UT - Fort Bend Baptist Academy softball player Rachel Fox signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play softball in the fall of 2010 for the Division I University of Texas Longhorns.

The 5 foot, 4 inch senior pitcher led the FBBA Eagles (33-3) to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 4A state title in 2009. A three-time TAPPS Class 4A First Team All-State selection, Rachel finished last year with a 27-3 record and a 0.12 earned run average. She struck out 352 batters and walked just eight, allowing 60 hits in 179 innings. She held opponents to a .098 batting average, recording four no-hitters and two perfect games. At the plate, she went .453 with three home runs, 38 RBIs and a .632 batting percentage.

YIP Food Drive a Huge Success - The first Youth in Philanthropy Countywide Food Drive was held at the Plaza in Sugar Land Town Square. The event was a success with high school students from all around Fort Bend helping to collect non-perishable food items to benefit East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry, Katy Christian Ministries and Rosenberg-Richmond Helping Hands.

YIP student leadership teams from Fort Bend ISD, Calvary College Prep, Lamar CISD, Needville ISD and Stafford MSD, representing 18 different Fort Bend high schools, competed in a canned food sculpting competition and collected canned goods. Students also participated in face painting, bowling, ring toss, a moon walk and a balloon station. Attendees were encouraged to donate money and/or bags of groceries from Kroger ’s virtual store.

From Sugar Mill Elementary School are: (l-r, front row) students Lucas Tsokos, Turner Calabrese, Marcus Kinnard-Bing, Ty Cerny, Madison McCammon, Jake Landry; (back row) Ensign Christine Pointer, U. S. Coast Guard, who served as guest speaker; Beth Graham, principal at Sugar Mill Elementary; Marlene Feuerbach, Veterans Day committee co-chair; and 1st Class Petty Officer Stephen Calabrese, U.S. Coast Guard.

Fort Bend ISD Schools Proudly Salute U.S. Veterans - Fort Bend ISD students and staff joined individuals across the country in paying tribute to the brave men and women who are military veterans, as well as those who serve as active duty members of the armed forces and reservists.

Schools presented programs that featured drills and the posting of colors by high school JROTC units, displays of student-designed posters honoring veterans, dramatic readings, musical performances and guest speakers representing various branches of the U.S. military.

At Sugar Mill Elementary School, flags waved, patriotic music played and posters proclaimed the service of loved ones. The audience was treated to solos from Jeanette Rose Frick, who sang American Tears with the fifth grade. Julio Arriola sang the Star Spangled Banner and Proud To Be An American. Kempner AFJROTC cadets presented the colors at the program.

Cheerleaders Promote Breast Cancer Awareness - In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, local cheerleading squads held several activities to support the battle against breast cancer in its “Think Pink” campaign.

Under the direction of Coach Christine Graham and Karen Thompson, Clements High School; Dawne Sanders, First Colony Middle School; and Michelle Miller, Fort Settlement Middle School, the cheerleaders sold breast cancer awareness, pink-ribbon pins and participated in community and campus-wide activities. All proceeds support the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Travis High School Student Earns Perfect Score on SAT- Travis High School junior Nikita Kansra earned a perfect score of 2400 on her SAT Reasoning Test, scoring 800 points in all three sections of the test (including math, critical reading and writing).

This was her first attempt at taking the test. A natural leader, Nikita serves as a Hugh O ’Brien Youth Leadership Ambassador, a tutor for the Fort Bend Literacy Council, vice president of her school ’s Spanish National Honor Society and the Debate Club, a member of Youth Expanding Services (YES) and the Science Olympiad Team and treasurer of Mu Alpha Theta.

Lamar CHS Seeks Presenters for Career and College Day - Lamar Consolidated High School is seeking professionals to help with Career and College Day on Feb. 2 from 8 a.m.-noon. The primary objective of Career and College Day is to acquaint students with various career opportunities available to them.

The planning committee is seeking professionals in the following fields to facilitate information sessions for senior students: accounting, anthropology, architecture, broadcasting, computer programming, cosmetology, law enforcement, marketing, massage therapy, mechanical engineering, nursing, petroleum engineering, pharmacy, public relations, sports management, veterinary medicine and video programming.

Professionals are encouraged to discuss their career field, profession and the qualifications for the position they hold.

Lamar Consolidated HS is also seeking alumni to participate in an Alumni Forum, on the same day from 10 a.m.-noon. Former students are encouraged to share their experiences while at Lamar, provide counsel about the importance of education, discuss their career path and answer questions from students about “real-world” expectations.

Contact Kia Williams (kiwilliams@lcisd.org) or Robert Pate (rpate@lcisd.org) with your name and contact information by Jan. 8.

Fort Bend ISD Tobacco Free Art Contest Winners Honored - Six Fort Bend ISD middle school artists were honored for their winning entries in the 2009 Great American Smoke Out – Graphic Arts Contest during a reception at the new Houston Museum of Natural Science in Sugar Land.

The contest, hosted by the Tobacco Free Fort Bend Coalition, is an educational tool held annually to teach young people about the dangers of tobacco use and second hand smoke. Entries were judged on their artistic quality and ability to incorporate information regarding tobacco. Winning pieces will reproduced as a coloring book for elementary school students.

Student winners included Amita Batra, Mariah Booe, Tyler Colbert, Deasia Dell, Muhammad Zaky Irfan and Brian Minaya representing Baines, First Colony and Lake Olympia Middle Schools.

Girl Scouts Collect Cocoa for Houston Marine Moms - More than 300 soldiers will enjoy a cup of hot chocolate this winter as they serve in Iraq and Afghanistan thanks to the members of Girl Scout Troop 238 in New Territory. Troop 238 joined Fort Bend ISD in collecting items to donate to the Houston Marine Moms for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of National Make a Difference Day. Girl Scouts left fliers on houses earlier in the week and then went back and collected more than 300 items.