Extra Credit

Texas freshman give math TAKS question a low mark

Call it the math question that went viral.

Texas ninth-grade students took the math TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) Thursday. A Facebook page popped up Thursday night:  5 ♠ (-8) = (x+y) (x-y) WhAT?!? {math taks}. Freshman across Texas pondered the question. It caused many trouble, but others found the question too easy. Some students explained how they reached their answer step by step. 

 "I actually understood this.....," wrote one student from Houston.

"i missed it," posted a Colleyville student.

"i still don't understand the problem...haha!," a Justin student wrote.

Students from Keller, Colleyville, Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Haltom City, Coppell and Frisco were among the 3,369 fans of the page as of 4:30 p.m. (BTW, the page got busier when school let out Friday).

One Fort Worth ninth-grade student explained that the spade in the question represented a math operation.

DeEtta Culbertson, a spokeswoman with the Texas Education Agency in Austin, said the state will remove the question from the test databank for future tests. As for the chatter online: "We can't stop kids from talking."

_Diane Smith

TWU to offer new doctoral degree

Texas Woman's University is the first university in Texas to offer a doctoral degree in Women's Studies. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the new doctoral degree Thursday, according to a press release. More information is available here.

Diane Smith

UT Arlington Commencement 2010

UT Arlington's Class of 2010 will be honored during Maverick Celebration on May 7. The celebration, formerly known as Graduation Celebration, will feature a keynote address by Dallas Morning News columnist William McKenzie. McKenzie is a 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner. You can find more information about Maverick Celebration here.

Fort Worth Council of PTA celebrates centennial

In 1910, families gathered in what was Fort Worth High School to bring the parent groups from six schools together. That was the beginning of the Fort Worth ISD Council of PTAs, which now includes more than 70 campuses to help the district of nearly 80,000 students.

During the council's recognition at Tuesday's school board meeting, members presented Superintendent Melody Johnson with a National PTA honorary lifetime membership, the highest award the group can give to a person. Council president Darlene Shue credited Johnson for advancing the district and taking Fort Worth schools into the 21st Century through innovative education programs and technology.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Parents in ESL classes praise program, ask board to keep courses

A handful of parents enrolled in the district's English as a Second Language program spoke to the board about how the classes have helped improve their lives. They said the courses allow them to help their children with homework and become more involved in schools. "It's not only a benefit for us, it's a benefit for everyone," said Lucille Ortiz, who takes courses at the Forest Oak Family Resource Center. They urged the board to keep funding the program.

Superintendent Melody Johnson told the group the program is not at risk. As the district prepares to finalize next school year's budget, Johnson said rumors have been circulating that the program will be cut, which is not true. Last year, the district did cut much of its local funding to adult education programs and eliminated some related to vocational courses to makeup for a shortfall. The district then began paying for ESL and GED courses through state grants. That will not change as long as state funding is available, Johnson said. The district does not pay for testing related to for ESL or GED courses for adult education.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Arlington looking for citizens for finance committee

Want to help the Arlington school district figure out ways to save money? Here's your chance.

The Arlington school board is taking applications for the Citizens Advisory Committee-Financial Futures Committee, a citizens committee that will provide them with input on the proposed budget for 2010-2011 school year.

Trustees have set an initial application deadline of May 3, but will take applications until all appointments to the committee have been made. The board will appoint members on May 6. The committee is expected to begin meeting May 17 and meet up to five times before presenting their work to the board on June 17. Apply at the district website.

- Traci Shurley

Froggie Day

Volunteers recently held a Froggie Day for students from the KinderFrogs School at TCU. The KinderFrogs School is part of TCU's College of Education. The program serves children with disabilities. Froggie Day consisted of fun, games and smiles.

 

Earth Day Art

"Neither Outside In Nor Inside Out"

 Photo by Rhonda Boaz/UNT

UNT recently held "eARTh Day: A Celebration of Environmental Music, Writing, Art and Film" The pieces created will be on display in the atrium of UNT's Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building until May 8. The creations were a lesson in arts many possibilities, according to the university.

"The common thought is it has to be a painting or sculpture, but art is everywhere. Good art asks more questions than gives answers," said Susan Cheal, the associate professor of studio art who instructs students in the Hybrid Forms art class from UNT's College of Visual Arts and Design.

Photo by Rhonda Boaz/UNT

"The idea of the loom began with the simple desire to learn to weave and to do so inexpensively. It quickly evolved into an ongoing record or portrait of myself based on the trash left behind through my daily consumption.  Originally created for a dollar store assignment, the moving loom is constructed out of cheap everyday objects, objects which inevitably end up in a junkyard.  By using dollar store items as components to my loom, I've changed them from becoming refuse, to being able to produce a useful product.  The first foot of the tapestry is created with materials leftover from the construction of the loom itself. I hope to inspire thoughts on sustainability, the individuals contribution to landfills, and alternative uses for objects designed for planned obsolescence."

 _ Artist Amy Chandler, who created the shopping cart/loom piece

This house is made of mohair fleece and wheatgrass that is germinating and growing with a spinning wheel, showing a desire to get back to the basics.

Photo by Rhonda Boaz/UNT

_Diane Smith

Haltom High students hosting multicultural celebration

Nearly 1,000 Haltom High School students are expected to gather this weekend where students will celebrate the diverse culture at the campus.

At Buffalo Nation Celebration III on Saturday, students of various ethnic groups will set up in rooms to display clothing and pictures, and even serve food. Plans are to have several rooms showcasing students' cultural backgrounds, including African American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Hispanic and African cultures, said Haltom High assistant principal Leonard Cousins.

There are students representing 14 ethnicities at Haltom High School, Cousins said.

Students will also be provided information about college, career and technology options, military service and health information. They will also hear from motivational speaker Jerry Tello. Later, a basketball game between faculty and students is scheduled, with halftime performances by campus cheerleaders, a step team and other campus organizations, a Birdville school district news release said.

Jessamy Brown

Service for Crowley High teen killed in car wreck set for Saturday in Tulsa

Memorial services for Germain Harris II, a Crowley High School sophomore who died in a car wreck last week, have been scheduled for this weekend in Oklahoma, where he grew up.

Here are the details: 11 a.m. on Sat., April 24, at Antioch Baptist Church, 110 E. 56th St. North, Tulsa, Okla.

Bigelow Funeral Directors will have a public viewing of his body tomorrow, 1414 N. Norfolk Ave., Tulsa, Okla.

Friends and family are collecting donations to restore Harris' blue 1969 El Camino, which he bought two years ago with plans to save money and restore it.

The fund is called the "GH2 69 El Camino Restoration Fund," and is set up through Bank of Oklahoma.

Nearly 400 friends and mourners gathered on Monday at the Arby's on Altamesa Boulevard in Fort Worth where the April 15 accident took place for a candlelight ceremony to remember Harris, said the teen's mother, Tiffany Taylor.

Jessamy Brown