Extra Credit

Northwest teacher dies

   Extra counselors were sent to Northwest High School today to meet with students and staff grieving the sudden death of a 50-year-old social studies teacher in the school's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math academy.

 District spokeswoman Lesley Weaver said Joseph Palermo, who had been with the district sincee 1997, had attended a program last night during which STEM students revealed their project, building a 21st century society, to the community.

  Shortly after returning home, Palermo became ill and was taken to a hospital where he died, Weaver said. The cause of death has not been released, she said.

  Weaver said extra counselors were sent to Northwest where they first informed Palermo's students and other staff in the STEM academy and then the entire student body. She said a memorial service is being planned but won't be finalized until Palermo's out-of-state relatives arrive.

-Martha Deller  

 

No change in pay from last year for most Texas teachers

The paychecks for most Texas teachers remain "virtually unchanged" from 2010-2011, according to a survey report released on Friday.

The average teacher salary is $48,666 for 2011-2012. Last year, that figure was $48,639, according to the survey by the Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators.

Locally, the average salary is $50,344 for teachers in the state Education Service Center's Region 11 in Fort Worth. Teachers in Houston's Region 4 reported a slightly higher average salary of $50,742.

Moreover, 47 percent of Texas school districts had salary freezes for this year, the report says.

"The largest Texas districts, those with more than 10,000 students, were most likely to freeze salaries (83 percent), affecting well over 70 percent of all teachers in the state," according to a report of survey highlights.

Jessamy Brown

Keller ISD officials plan to tap savings for 12-13 budget

Last night, Keller district officials held the first budget workshop for the 2012-13 plan. Officials discussed taking $14.7 million from district savings to cover a deficit. More details are in today's Star-Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/26/3691598/keller-school-district-expects.html 

-- Sandra Engelland

Students star in video thanking school board for work to run district

Gift bags, children's artwork and heartfelt speeches from administrators are all part of the annual School Board Recognition Month festivities underway.

This year, some Texas schools are turning to technology to help say thank you to the elected officials who volunteer their time to oversee the running of local school districts.

At last night's Birdville school board meeting, for example, trustees saw a video starring the Green Valley Elementary School student body.

Led by campus music specialist Michele McIntire, the children serendaded the board with a special rendition of "We Love You School Board."

It's sung to the tune of "We Love You Conrad" from "Bye Bye Birdie" (which Birdville High School tied for best musical at the 2010 Betty Lynn Buckley Awards).

First verse:
We love you school board, oh yes we do
We love you school board, and we’ll be true
For all you do for us, thank you
Oh school board, we love you

 

--Jessamy Brown

 

Texas Highway 26 shuts off Grapevine-Colleyville school offices, stadium

A word of advice to those venturing to Grapevine-Colleyville school district's administration building, Mustang-Panther Stadium or its fieldhouse: Think "Mustang Drive" instead of Texas 26

Ongoing road construction on Texas 26 has closed the main entrance to those facilities, so anyone with business in the district offices, the school boardroom or the stadium will have to proceed along Texas 26 to the entrance nearest the fieldhouse.

This left a lot of folks dodging traffic cones and traversing the stadium parking lot to get to this week's school board meeting.

School officials have advised students, parents and the public that the best policy might be to forget about Texas 26 entirely for awhile and choose the Mustang Drive entrances, which are all open and unobstructed.

__Shirley Jinkins 

Classes to continue at Paschal despite power outage, parents can pick up students

UPDATE 10:35 a.m.: School officials said they will release students to parents, who must physically arrive at the school to do so as phones and internet connections are down. Parents must do so even for students who drive so that the release may be signed, officials said. However, officials said they "strongly advise" parents not to do so to allow the instructional day to continue.

Oncor officials said crews are working to replace wires damaged when a car hit a power pole this morning. Such a repair could take about three hours, they said.

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Power outage at Paschal High School

So far, officials said classes will not be canceled for the rest of the day.

Emergency power is being used for some areas and natural light from windows is being used when they can in classrooms, Fort Worth school district spokesman Clint Bond said.

"Lunch will be brought in that was prepared elsewhere, and the temperatures are supposed to be warm today," Bond said. "It's inconvenient, but we're trying to make the best of a challenging situation."

Officials said a car hit a power pole in the neighborhood, causing the power to to go out at the school about 7:40 this morning. District officials did not have an estimate as to when the power would be restored.

Meteorologist Jason Dunn, with the National Weather Service, said today's temperatures should be in the 60s with a high of 68.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Dallas ISD votes to close 11 schools amid budget struggles

Last night Dallas trustees voted to close 9 elementaries and two middle schools in hopes of saving about about $11.5 million to help make up for cuts in state funding.

For years, consultants have recommended that the Fort Worth school district close schools as well to better maximize its resources, but no immediate steps have been made to do so. But Fort Worth officials may want to take note as to how our neighbors to the east handled it. As the Dallas Observer reports, "it got ugly."

In 2009, former Fort Worth superintendent Melody Johnson discussed various criteria to consider for closing schools here besides enrollment -- such as academic performance, access to alternative schools, cost of operation, program offerings, building conditions and location. The issue comes up from time to time during budget discussions, but no set plan has yet to be brought forward.

--Eva-Marie Ayala

Keller trustees extend superintendent's contract

Keller ISD trustees voted 5-1 in a special meeting Thursday night to extend Superintendent James Veitenheimer's contract through the 2014-15 school year and agreed to give him the same percentage raise next year that they give other employees.

A year ago, no employees were given contract extensions or raises as the district anticipated severe budget cuts and eliminated about 200 jobs. For 2012-13, officials have discussed giving raises as high as 3 percent but have made no definitive plans.

Veitenheimer was hired in 2004.

-- Sandra Engelland

Arlington Heights High School football coach headed to Richland High School

Birdville school district trustees on Thursday voted to hire George "Ged" Kates as the new head football coach/athletic director at Richland High School in North Richland Hills.

He is currently head coach at Arlington Heights High School in the Fort Worth school district.

Kates, who also teaches government at Arlington Heights, is replacing Gene Wier, who announced plans to resign in December, according to a Birdville news release.

UPDATE: More in a Star-Telegram report by Nico Van Thyn.

Jessamy Brown

We're number....54! Fort Worth lags in study of literacy rates

Fort Worth ranks 54th in an annual study of literacy resources.

Neighboring Arlington fared worse, coming in at 64th of 75 cities ranked in the report by Dr. John Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University.

The study focuses on these six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

The Star-Telegram's Steve Campbell reports here.

--Jessamy Brown

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/26/3689783/texas-cities-come-up-short-in.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/26/3689783/texas-cities-come-up-short-in.html#storylink=cpy

 

Fort Worth ISD auctioning off surplus band uniforms, desks and ... a sick bed? Uh, anyone else remember the swine flu closure of 2009?

Tomorrow is the last day to bid on 122 items the Fort Worth school district is selling in a surplus auction. So far top bids include $675 for a 1995 white Ford pickup, $495 for a commercial table saw, $10 for 80 clocks and one time control center, and $85 for 720 band uniform pieces -- including 122 jackets, 110 pairs of pants, 142 plumes, 130 sashes and other items. (The green and gold picture seems to indicate these are from Western Hills High School).

And if you can beat the current $5 top bid, you can score used sick bed, shown here. Note to winning bidder on that one: you might want to invest in some disinfectant. Just saying.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Keller ISD Superintendent's view on STAAR

At his monthly Brown Bag Lunch today at Liberty Elementary, Keller Superintendent James Veitenheimer weighed in on the new State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). "I've been in education for about 30 years and we've never been as uncertain about anything as we are about STAARs and End of Course exams and how they will impact your kids."

On the third Thursday of each month during the school year, Veitenheimer invites parents and community members to join him at lunch time and ask whatever questions they have on their minds, often leading to pretty compelling discussion. The meetings go from noon to 1 p.m. and are held in the school library.  Next month, "Dr. V.'s Brown Bag Lunch" will be at Trinity Meadows Intermediate on Feb. 23. 

Animated film by Richland High grad up for Academy Award

A film co-directed by a Richland High School graduate is one of five animated short films competing for an Academy Award.

Brandon Oldenburg is a 1991 graduate of the campus in North Richland Hills, Birdville school district officials said Wednesday. 

The film, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," is up for best animated short in the 2011 Oscars, according to a news release from Moonbot Studios, based in Shreveport, La. The other director is William Joyce, an author and illustrator.

Their project now has an iPad app and a forthcoming hardcover book.

The film has already won several awards, including best animated short as well as the audience award at the Austin Film Festival. The Academy Awards are on Feb. 26.

 

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

--Jessamy Brown

Photo courtesy of H3O Communications

Keller trustees to vote on superintendent contract

Keller district officials will meet Thursday night to discuss the 2012-13 budget and to vote on Superintendent James Veitenheimer's contract. Last year, Veitenheimer received a positive evaluation but asked trustees to refrain from extending his contract. He said he wanted to show solidarity with his staff because of anticipated state cuts and an expected a reduction in force. No administrators have received raises in the last two years, but early talks seem to indicate that raises will be on the table despite the district's continuing financial struggles.

The new rules of the lunch room

Today the USDA announced the final rules setting new nutritional standards for school lunches.

The overhaul -- the most significant for school lunches in 15 years -- includes ensuring that students are offered fruits and vegetables each day of the school week, increasing whole grain-rich foods, offering only low-fat or non-fat milk and limiting calories based on the the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed last year aimed at revamping school lunches. Click here for more details on the USDA rules. Ah, man. Now I'm craving the fresh-baked yeast rolls from my old elementary school cafeteria. Mmmmmm.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fun video from the Fort Worth school district

Check out this awesome video find from FWISD. It features Ed Spears, the business support services manager, touting the Fort Worth school district's in-house printing services to save money. Sounds like an bland topic, but Spears really spices it up here. Enjoy. 

-Eva-Marie Ayala

(Photo: Here's Spears at far left from a 2008 Star-Telegram story about how his family relocated to the area after Hurricane Katrina)

UNT research could help military fight wars against drugs and terror

A researcher at the University of North Texas is developing a small-scale forensic workstation for use in military field labs. Dr. Guido Verbeck's work aims to give the U.S. military an advantage in the wars against drugs and terror.

Verbeck is using grant money from the Department of Defense Battlefield Forensic Program to develop the station, which combines the ability to manipulate tiny (nanoscale) samples with mass spectrometry. Scientists will be able to collect and analyze chemical samples in the ridges of a fingerprint with one tool, according a press release issued by UNT.

The goal is to create a portable tool that will save military investigator time and money while being accurate. Most samples have to be sent to another lab for analysis, which takes more time.

"Each substance and individual produces unique chemical signatures, and by analyzing samples investigators may be able to tell who's touched an explosive device or drug stockpile because the chemistry is connected. This ability will help draw connections between suspects and cases that might not otherwise be identified," Verbeck said in the press release.

To find out more, check out the full press release. 

-Diane Smith

Arlington teachers express discontent in survey

Almost two-thirds of Arlington school district teachers who responded to a survey from the United Educators Association believe that the district is headed in the wrong direction and nearly half would not recommend the district as a good place to work.

The survey findings, presented to the school board last week, included more than 1,400 respondents from among all 4,100 district teachers, who were e-mailed a link to the survey website.

"Forty-four percent don't want to go to school tomorrow. That is horrible," UEA Executive Director Larry Shaw told the board last Thursday, referring to one of the questions on the survey. "This district should be ashamed."

Shaw said many teachers work in fear for their jobs, saying some principals apply too much pressure on them to improve students' test scores. "There are more sticks than there are carrots," he said.

However, teachers responded positively -- by more than a 2-1 margin -- to the survey statement "My principal is supportive." Shaw said he does believe that a large number of principals are protective of their teachers.

Robert Cadwallader has more here

Burleson students win all-state spots in Small Bands competition

Cody Hileman, at right, and Eric Neeley, lower left, of Burleson's Centennial High School band have been named to the Association of Texas Small School Bands' 2012 All-State Band. 

They participated in competitive auditions at the region and area levels. it is the second time that Neeley has made the All-State squad.

They were among 240 winners out of 1,360 students to compete last weekend at the area level.

Hileman and Neeley will perform in the All-State concert Feb. 11 in the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio.

The Association of Texas Small School Bands is a group of 1,000 band directors of from Class 1A, 2A and 3A high schools in Texas. Centennial's director Michael Cox is a member of the group.

 

 

 

 

_Shirley Jinkins

VIDEO: Fort Worth superintendent finalist discusses priorities for schools

Shortly after being named the lone finalist to lead the 83,000-student district, longtime educator Walter Dansby shared what his priorities are for the Fort Worth school district. Topping the list is tackling financial challenges and academic struggles.

 

--Eva-Marie Ayala

UPDATE: FWISD trustees have picked lone finalist for superintendent

Trustees have picked one finalist to be the next superintendent of Fort Worth schools but they won't reveal the candidate's name until Tuesday's school board meeting.

After meeting for nearly an hour an a half today, trustees emerged from a closed door meeting to say that they have one candidate, who is from Texas and familiar with Fort Worth. However, they would not release other details.

"We all feel that we have the best fit for the district," school board vice president Juan Rangel said. Trustees would not say if interim superintendent Walter Dansby, a longtime Fort Worth educator who grew up in the Stop Six area, was the candidate.

The school board interviewed six candidates for the superintendent post, including Dansby. Trustees were to interview the final two candidates today -- both of which were from Texas -- but one candidate could not make the interviews because of a meeting in Washington, D.C., trustee Christene Moss said. 

Moss said it was important to her to have a superintendent familiar with Texas-specific issues because of complex school finance struggles and the state's accountability system, which is being revamped. "Texas just has its own style of doing things," she said.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth trustees choose lone finalist for superintendent

UPDATE: Trustees have picked one finalist to be the next superintendent of Fort Worth schools but they won't reveal the candidate's name until Tuesday's school board meeting.

After meeting for nearly an hour an a half today, trustees emerged from a closed door meeting to say that they have one candidate, who is from Texas and familiar with Fort Worth. However, they would not release other details.

"We all feel that we have the best fit for the district," school board vice president Juan Rangel said. Trustees would not say if interim superintendent Walter Dansby, a longtime Fort Worth educator who grew up in the Stop Six area, was the candidate.

The school board interviewed six candidates for the superintendent post, including Dansby. Trustees were to interview the final two candidates today -- both of which were from Texas -- but one candidate could not make the interviews because of a meeting in Washington, D.C., trustee Christene Moss said. 

Moss said it was important to her to have a superintendent familiar with Texas-specific issues because of complex school finance struggles and the state's accountability system, which is being revamped. "Texas just has it's own style of doing things," she said.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth trustees hold interviews for final 2 superintendent candidates

School trustees just kicked off their second round of interviews with the two remaining candidates for the Fort Worth superintendent post.

Board members won't say who the two are, but a man who looked a lot like interim superintendent Walter Dansby was seen entering the downtown building where the interviews are being held.

Trustees have only said in recent days that both candidates have experience running urban school districts and one has a more recent academic background than the other.

Dansby has spent his career in Fort Worth serving as a teacher, coach and principal. He was an area director of instruction in 1995 and then was promoted to an associate superintendent overseeing instruction, special investigations, athletics, student affairs and other areas in 1999. He became deputy superintendent in 2001 and his most recent duties included overseeing the 2007 bond program.

Dansby was named interim in June after longtime superintendent Melody Johnson resigned.

Board vice president Juan Rangel said he was unsure how long interviews would be today or when a final candidate would be named.

UTA professor working on system to predict earthquake likelihood

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Glen Mattioli, UTA professor of environmental and earth sciences, is helping organize the Continuously Operating Caribbean GPS Observational Network, or COCONet, a National Science Foundation-funded project. More than 60 high-precision Global Positioning System stations will be added to the Caribbean and Caribbean-border nations, including Haiti.

"In order to be able to look at individual faults you need to know how the Caribbean plate is moving relative to its neighbors because that's the motion that drives the entire system," Mattioli said in a news release. "We know there are going to be earthquakes. The question we're trying to get a handle on is which regions are more likely to rupture in the future and what the magnitude will be."

Mattioli and his wife, UTA College of Science Dean Pamela Jansma, have been researching tectonic plate movement in the Caribbean region for two decades. Check out this video of UTA professors talking about their research into earthquakes.

 

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-Diane Smith

UNT System names founding dean for new law school

 

 

U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson is the founding dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law, according to a news release issued Wednesday. He begins the post effective April 2013. The law school is expected to open in August 2014. 

"Our extensive search brought us into contact with many highly regarded legal educators," said Chancellor Lee F. Jackson. "But Judge Furgeson, besides possessing a fine legal mind, brings the kind of broad range of practical experience we were looking for. He's a distinguished judge well known throughout Texas, a respected litigator, and he shares our vision of providing students with an affordable high-quality legal education."

Gov. Rick Perry signed a Senate Bill in June 2009 that authorized the creation of the new law school. It will be located in downtown Dallas at the Old Municipal Building, which was the building where Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald.

The UNT system is touting the facility as the first public law school in the North Texas region. To find out more, check out the news release.

-Diane Smith

Grapevine-Colleyville and Mansfield cheerleading squads win firsts at contest

Cheerleaders from Grapevine High, Colleyville Middle and Mansfield High jumped and flipped their way into first place wins at the national cheerleading competition in Dallas over the weekend.

Results from the Garland-based National Cheerleaders Association here.

Grapevine High School took first place in the intermediate/medium high school category, besting 22 other teams from as far as New Jersey, Arkansas and Idaho.

From the same school district, Colleyville Middle School won first place in the large advanced junior high/middle school category, with an award for innovative choreography.

Mansfield High School won the intermediate junior varsity/freshmen category, with specialty awards for innovative choreography and best use of jumps and best use of partner stunts.

Keller High School took second place in medium advanced high school, with an award for best use of tumbling. A team from the school also took third place in the novice junior varsity/freshmen, with awards for superior showmanship and best use of tumbling.

 

Jessamy Brown

UTA basketball moves off Texas Hall stage soon

The clock is running out for UTA basketball at Texas Hall.

There are only two more games left at the venue which features teams playing on a raised performance stage (Spectators sit in a kind of bemused wonder while hoping the ball doesn't fall off). The last game is set for Jan. 21 against Stephen F. Austin.

Texas Hall will no longer be home court for UTA as the basketball and volleyball programs move to the new $78 million College Park Center.  The massive multipurpose facility - the new home for the men's and women's basketball programs as well as women's volleyball - is set to open Feb. 1. The center will also host conferences, concerts and area high school graduations. UTA finishes out the season at the new center.

College Park Center is part of College Park District, a 20-acre development that includes the College Park retail/living area, which is still under construction. Once it is completed in August, people will be able to eat and shop while waiting for a game or concert to begin next door. Also nearby is The Green at College Park, a space that filters runoff while serving as a recreation or gathering area.

Check out the picture below. It features Texas Hall stage complete with a basketball practice session.

 

(Photo from Star-Telegram archives)

-Diane Smith

Water fountain fire causes school evacuation. No one hurt

ARLINGTON — A fire at water fountain at Young Junior High School caused students and staff to evacuate the school on Friday.

The fire occurred shortly before 11:15 a.m. and students and staff returned to school about 15 minutes later, according to a fire department spokesman. No one was injured in the fire.

There was a power outage at the school and when power was restored it caused a short or an arc and started the fire in the water fountain, said Lt. Darrel Whitfield, Arlington fire department spokesman.

A crew working on a construction project near the school, located in the 3200 block of Woodside Drive, caused the outage, according to an Arlington school district official. Restoring the power caused a fan motor in the water fountain to overheat which set a paper label on the water fountain on fire, the official said.

By the time fire department personnel arrived the fire had either been extinguished or had burned itself out, Whitfield said.

Firefighters pulled the water fountain off the wall and checked the wall to determine if the fire had spread, and also set fans at both ends of the hallway to ventilate the area, Whitfield said. — Mitch Mitchell

Fort Worth trustees begin interviewing superintendent candidates

It was a short-and-sweet open session when the Fort Worth School board met this morning just outside a bank of elevators at a private downtown building. They soon headed up to a ninth-floor conference room where they planned to interview six candidates for the superintendent post today and tomorrow. One of them is interim superintendent Walter Dansby.

The search process -- like many in Texas -- has been rather secretive despite officials publicly saying that they wanted to be as transparent as possible. Trustees did have a public meeting to get input on the next superintendent, but search firm consultants also met with key city and community stakeholders in closed-door meetings.

Trustees were split when a reporter (uh, me) tried to stand outside the ninth-floor business offices where the interviews were being held. Trustee Ann Sutherland said the reporter couldn't be on the floor because she would learn who the candidates are. Vice President Juan Rangel and trustees Carlos Vasquez had said she could stay.

But a few minutes later, a security officer escorted her off the floor saying the tenants did not want the newspaper reporter on that floor. The downtown building has multiple entrances and access to floors through an attached parking garage. The school board complex where trustees generally meet has fewer entrances and is on a single floor.

Before the meeting Rangel said confidentiality is a must in a superintendent search with only a lone finalist generally named.

"That's been this board's procedure since I've been on the board because many applicants tend to be sitting superintendents who have a job, and we want to make sure we get the best candidates," Rangel said.

Recently other major urban districts have released more than one finalist to the public -- including Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Louisville area. This week officials at the East Baton Rouge Parrish released the names of 43 applicants vying for that superintendent job. (Interesting side note, applicants include Dallas ISD board president/Texas CAN! Academies administrator Lew Blackburn, who attended Fort Worth schools in the Kirkpatrick area for a bit when he was younger.)

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Southlake Carroll cheerleaders to showcase skills before national championship

Cheerleaders want need support, too! Cheerleaders from Carroll Senior High School are inviting the community to a "Show Off" event Thursday evening as they get ready for this weekend's national championship in Dallas.

The ladies posted a Facebook video asking their Southlake neighbors to check out a sneak peek behind months of work.

Squads from several Tarrant County area high schools will compete in the National Cheerleaders Association Senior and Junior High School National Championship at the Dallas Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday.

Teams include Keller High, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw's Boswell and Saginaw Highs, Arlington Seguin High, Arlington HIgh, Keller Central High, Mansfield High, Arlington Martin High, Kennedale High, Grapevine High and Southlake Carroll High. Students from Cross Timbers and Colleyville Middle Schools from Grapevine-Colleyville school district are also signed up.

Parents and supporters of the Carroll cheerleaders formed a new Dragon Cheer booster club this year. Tonight's varsity event starts at 6 p.m. at the Carroll Senior High School gym, 1501 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake.

Southlake Carroll Cheerleaders from Nickolas Grisham on Vimeo.

 Jessamy Brown

 

 

Southlake Carroll football fan pays $1,075 for photo of good luck fox

Billed as the "ultimate Christmas gift for your Dragon," a picture of a fox dashing across the field during Southlake Carroll's winning state semifinal sold for $1,075 in an Ebay auction Wednesday. (Shipping was free).

Proceeds from the picture, donated by Southlake sports photographer Bob Beauvais and autographed by quarterback Kenny Hill and head coach Hal Wasson, will go to charity.

This morning, the folks at www.carrolldragons.com told fans to watch for another auction starting today, this time of a full-sized Dragon football helmet covered in Swarovski crystals.

UPDATE: the Dragon logo helmet auction has begun, with a starting bid figure of $1,500. Bidding ends Saturday at 8 p.m., and if the buyer pays immediately, it can be picked up Christmas Eve.

UPDATE 2: The auction drew a single bidder, who won the helmet after placing a bid for the asking price of $1,500 just two minutes before the auction closed on Christmas Eve, records show. 

Here's a pic from the listing:

Dragon fans are tapping into social media and online sites to continue celebrating their eighth state football title while school is on winter break.

Shortly after the championship game last week, Southlake Carroll ISD Athletics posted Facebook pictures of the trophies at the base of a Christmas tree. The caption: "Merry Christmas, Dragons."

A pic uploaded Tuesday shows team captains designing their Texas football championship rings. Another post says the Dragon Den spirit shop sold out of state champion t-shirts and athletic boosters made a rush order for more, due in on Friday afternoon. The black shirt lists the years Carroll took state titles with the slogan: "History Repeats Itself."

Jessamy Brown

$760 and counting: Southlake Carroll football fans bid on photo of lucky fox

Southlake Carroll schools' mascot is a fire-breathing dragon, but right now, they're crazy about a fox.

It all started when a small fox darted onto the field just as Carroll's quarterback Kenny Hill was making the winning touchdown in the last moments of the Texas Class 5A Division I state semifinals on Dec. 10.

Fans took the appearance of the fox at SMU's Ford Stadium as a lucky sign. Fans brought fox replicas to the state championship at Cowboys Stadium the next week. And a photo of the moment, showing Hill crossing paths with the fox, was put up for auction on Ebay. The framed print is autographed by Hill, a junior, and coach Hal Wasson, who is nicknamed the Silver Fox.

It's a hot ticket. By late Wednesday afternoon, with about five hours left, bidders had driven the price from $100 to $760. The week-long auction ends Wednesday evening. The money will go to Christ's Haven for Children, a Keller-based charity.

The Dragons went on to win the state championship on Dec. 17, prevailing over Fort Bend Hightower 36 to 29. It is the eighth state titles for Carroll Senior High School.

Jessamy Brown

 

Note: the picture to the right isn't the one being auctioned. It shows one Southlake fan's enthusiam for the good-luck fox.                                                                         

TCC is investigating Nov. 8 lecture and events that stirred recent controversy

Allegations of threats and discrimination – that have characterized a controversy surrounding a Nov.8 lecture on Islam – will be part of a Tarrant County College investigation that is expected to include interviews of students in the class.

Professor Paul Derengowski’s Great Religions of the World class on TCC’s Southeast Campus grabbed headlines after a Nov. 8 lecture on Islam ended with two Muslim students questioning his source material. Other students in the class have reported feeling threatened by the events that unfolded. One of the Muslim students, Randa Bedair, apparently sent an email to students stating she felt Derengowski’s teachings were bias.

The controversy resulted in Derengowski’s Nov. 15 resignation.

Now, TCC is under community scrutiny to find out exactly what happened.

“It’s regrettable and we are doing the best we can to gather all the facts,” said Bill Greenhill, president of TCC’s Board of Trustees.

Greenhill said the administration is looking at various issues that have surfaced, including what type of threats or disturbance took place in the class, was there any discrimination involved, and was the professor’s syllabus appropriate for the class.

Greenhill said the investigation will include questioning all the students about the Nov. 8 incident – a process that will take place when finals are out of the way.

“We are not going to pounce on anybody’s rights,” Greenhill said. “We have to figure out what the facts are.”

-Diane Smith

 

Fort Worth high school student recalls holiday trip to China

Climbing the Great Wall of China, seeing pandas at the Beijing zoo and sharing a meal with a Kung Fu
Master were just some of the highlights of a recent trip for 36 Trimble Tech High School students.

During the Thanksgiving break last month, the group traveled to China for an educational field trip, the fourth abroad for the school, said geography teacher Dustin Alexander. Student Fernanda Ramon recently shared her experiences on the trip. Here's her recap:

Our first day shocked our systems, both mental and physical. None of us had ever been that cold in our lives. Tiananmen Square had three huge buildings and seas of people walking about, being tourists like us. Our favorite part of the first day was indeed the Forbidden City. The wind was beating down on us and the cold freezing our faces, but being in another country made us immune to everything.

The Summer Palace was beautiful, but a summer palace indeed since during the fall the wind was cold and water freezing. We were the center of attention for a while as the local people got to watch 48 awkward Americans try to practice Tai Chi. The Long Corridor was full of vendors who tried to sell us panda hats for two dollars while we tried to bargain for one.

Everybody’s favorite spot was the Great Wall of China. Halfway to the Wall, we stopped at the Pearl Store and the jewelry was crazy expensive, but we all thought our mothers were worth it. Our first view of the wall was a sight to see for we didn’t care that it was small, because we were about to climb one of the Seven Wonders of the World.We had two hours to climb and could go either direction on the wall. Before climbing, some of the girls and I decided to have a photo op, all of a sudden we became the tourist attraction for many others as they came up to take pictures with us, too. We found it hilarious and rather flattering.

My friends and I picked the side that had less people and later decided it really was the wrong decision. This was because the climb was steep. We climbed, taking lots of pictures on the way. As we climbed, there were parts where we did not climb, but crawled as our hands and feet were at the same distance from the ground. Getting to the top was the best feeling in the world, because honestly, we felt on top of the world.  Being there was like being in a place where technology and problems didn’t exist, where the world only spun to change the day into a night of stars, and where the sky went on forever only making you see beauty and feel peace. 

Former councilman continues to express frustration over Fort Worth schools redistricting

Fort Worth schools trustees wanted to honor a nine-member committee for its work on redistricting. But chair Bert Williams, a former city councilman, used it as another opportunity to express how upset he was over the whole process.

Only one other committee member -- former Fort Worth school board president Mollie Lasater -- attended tonight's meeting for the recognition. Williams said others did not want to attend.

"They were very disappointed in the process," Williams said. "They felt they had wasted their time."

The committee spent months working on options to redraw voting boundaries from eight to nine single-member districts. A plan had been brought forward by the committee and taken to the public for input. After that, the committee made its final recommendation to the board.

However, trustees narrowly voted 5-4 to adopt a plan brought forward by an attorney how represented Hispanic groups in the last redistricting lawsuit against the Fort Worth school district. Trustees in favor of that plan had said it was basically the same as the committee's recommendation but gave Hispanics a more fair chance at representation.

Critics of the plan that was adopted had said trustees played politics and did not listen to resident concerns about wanting to be represented by a board member who also represented their neighborhood schools.

Earlier in the process, former board president William Koehler resigned from the committee after Bert Williams had brought forward a plan that the entire committee had not yet voted on as a whole. Williams had said at the time that last-minute changes had to be made when it was discovered that two trustees -- Christene Moss and Tobi Jackson -- would have been in the same district. Williams said then that all committee members had been notified of the changes before bringing that plan forward to trustees.

--Eva-Marie Ayala

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Dogs run down children on Arlington school playground

Second-graders at Bryant Elementary School in Arlington were chased down by neighborhood dogs who came to play on Friday afternoon, according to school officials.

Five of the children suffered skinned knees, elbows and a possible bite when they fled once the dogs became too aggressive. The children were treated onsite at the school for their injuries. A note was sent home to parents.

The dogs, who were already known by Arlington Animal Control officers who have picked them up before, are being held in 10-day quarantine, said district spokesperson Amy Casas.

Campus officials at Bryant are in the process of filing a Dangerous Dog affidavit.

_Shirley Jinkins

Texas specialty license plate approved for Keller High School

Texas officials have approved a specialty license plate for Keller High School, one of five designs that got the nod Thursday from the state's department of motor vehicles board.

Officials from MyPlates, the plate's vendor, said in a Thursday news release that plans are to have the Keller plates available for sale online by February. The plates cost $55 per year and personalization costs extra.

The Keller High plates project was spearheaded by a campus booster club, a Keller school district spokesman said.

Other plates approved: The Glory Gang, a non-profit organization that raises money for underprivileged children, Keller High School, Michigan State University, University of Louisiana and University of South Carolina.

The Southlake-based Carroll school district was the first Texas school district to get a specialty license plate in 2010, which features its trademarked Dragon logo.

Jessamy Brown

 

Fort Worth school board president resigns

Fort Worth school board president Raymond G. Dickerson announced he is resigning effective on Thursday, citing health reasons, a Wednesday news release said.

Dickerson, a retired bank executive, was elected to the school board in June 2008.

Under school board policy, trustees can decide whether to choose a president among current board members, appoint a person from the outside or hold a special election. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 13. However, special meeting is already planned for Monday, Dec. 12, to meet with a superintendent search firm, a school district spokesman said.

Read more in the Star-Telegram.

Jessamy Brown

UTA to match Moritz family $500,000 gift

The University of Texas at Arlington announced Tuesday the creation of a $1 million endowment to support a new chair of geriatric nursing research. The endowment is possible through a commitment from the Moritz family of $500,000. That gift will be matched through UTA's Maverick Match program, which uses natural gas royalties to boost donations.

The gift establishes the first endowed faculty chair in the College of Nursing, which has more than tripled its enrollment over the last three years.

"This is a phenomenal commitment," said Elizabeth Poster, dean of the College of Nursing, in a press release. "This gift will help us attract the kind of prominent scholar who can help move our research agenda forward and help inspire our students to see themselves as scientists and scholars for the future."

Earlier this year, the Moritz family, of Moritz Dealerships, gave UTA a $750,000 gift for College Park Center, a new multi-purpose facility in the final phase of construction. That contribution will be recognized with the naming of "Moritz Plaza," an open area on the north side of the new arena.

-Diane Smith

Fort Worth schools clarify rules banning Santa, gifts in class

The Fort Worth school district "loves Santa."

Officials posted a note on the district's website this morning seeking to clarify its position on Santa Claus after the Star-Telegram reported on updated guidelines that say Santa is not allowed to visit classes.

Interim Superintendent Walter Dansby said that Santa is welcome on campus: "He can be in the lobby. He can be in the cafeteria. He can be in the auditorium. He can be in the school, outside the school, around the school. But he cannot visit the classroom while the teacher is teaching."

Principals were told by the district's chief of schools on Tuesday that, "No instructional time may be devoted to classroom visits by characters associated with holidays (Santa Claus, Easter bunnies, Cupids, etc.). PTAs or parent groups may choose to sponsor such activities, but they shall not occur during the instructional day." 

The district today also said that students can exchange presents and holiday cards before and after class, in the hallway and in the lunchroom, but not during classroom instruction.

A spokesman on Thursday had said that students were allowed to hand out presents and cards for celebrations such as Christmas and Valentine's Day before school, after school or during lunch.

The issue has drawn criticism from parents.

But the school district said Friday: "Fort Worth ISD loves Santa Claus and continues to support his universal message of generosity and kindness."

-- Jessamy Brown

Say, "Cheese!"

When Gerry Guevara heard from his son that former Mexican president Vicente Fox was coming to North Texas, he made plans to see him. Guevara's son is a student at TCU and Fox spoke to students there  about global leadership.

Guevara and his family, who moved to Texas from California, but they have Mexican family ties and Fox is a point of pride.

"I think Vicente Fox has been one of those leaders who transcends party lines," Guevara said.

The family drove from Plano to catch a glimpse of the world leader in Fort Worth.

Fox took note a posed for a quick photo.

"I think it's amazing," Guevara said of the Fox visit. "It's a great opportunity for the students to get involved on the world stage."

 -Diane Smith