Nine East Dallas students from three different school took top honors in the recent MATHCOUNTS competition at Southern Methodist University.
The students, referred to as “mathletes”, worked individually and in teams to solve written math problems. More than 100 students from throughout Dallas County competed in the contest.
“This is like a track contest, but here, the kids get to show off their math skills,” says Bruce White, a member of the local chapter of the Texas Society of Engineers, which sponsors the contest.
East Dallas resident Sam Black, a seventh grader at St. Mark’s School of Texas, took first place in individual competition. Black also was a member of the St. Mark’s math team that won first place in team competition.
Second place in team competition went to the math team of Alex W. Spence Academy. Team members include Elizabeth Gan, David Antonio, Daniel Srebro and Quenby Swinson. Gan also placed fourth in the individual competition.
The team from J.L. Long Middle School placed third. Team members include Todd Gaspard, Erin Armstrong, Jeff Cook and Jeremy Liebman. In individual competition, Gaspard placed eighth; Armstrong, tenth; Cook, eleventh; and Liebman, 13th. Cook also placed 2nd in the oral competition, and Liebman scored “perfect” in the written exam, a score achieved by only 53 of 200,000 students nationwide who took the exam.
All three teams, along with the math team from St. Monica School, will compete in the state contest this month. Top state winners will advance to the national competition in Washington D.C., in May.
Woodrow Wilson Band Marches Without Incident in Cowboy Victory Parade
Members of the Woodrow Wilson High School band and drill team were honored to be chosen to march in the Dallas Cowboy Super Bowl Victory Parade Downtown before an unexpected crowd of 250,000 people.
Like the other bands chosen to perform, the Woodrow students had experienced parades before and thought they knew what to expect. “The first half of the parade was great,” says Woodrow band director Richard Hayden. “But toward the end, for a bout 300 yards, it was pretty scary.”
Near the end of the parade, Hayden says, the crowd started to close in on the band and drill team, and the students had to march single life.
“Fortunately, no one was grabbed or hurt,” Hayden says. “We had chaperones close by to protect the kids.”
Hayden says, however, that no police were nearby. Apparently, officers had been called to another area of the parade, Hayden says.
The band and drill team completed the march to City Hall Plaza, where they then packed up their instruments and left.
“We never saw any violence, but were all a little nervous,” Hayden says. “Overall, I’d say it was a neat experience for us, with a little blemish.”
“For the most part, the kids had a good time. However, I don’t think I will put them at that kind of risk again.”
Woodrow Continues Broadway Musical Legacy with “Annie”
One of the City’s best musical performances is coming to East Dallas. The Woodrow Wilson High School choral department will perform the Broadway musical hit “Annie” March 11-13 at 7:30 p.m., and March 14 at 2 p.m. in the school auditorium.
Musicals are a long-standing tradition of the high school. In 1958, Woodrow produced its first musical, “Oklahoma!”, under the direction of now-retired choir director Helen Eckelman. Woodrow was also the first DISD school to perform a complete Broadway musical.
“Woodrow is the only DISD school that consistently performs quality Broadway musicals each year,” says “Annie” director Marca Lee Bircher, the school’s choir/theater director. Bircher came to Woodrow in 1976. This is her 18th Woodrow musical.
The musicals are a culmination of efforts by students, parents and community volunteers, Bircher says.
“We have about 50 volunteers each year who spend countless hours building the set, designing the lights, designing and making the costumes, designing the logo and selling tickets,” Bircher says.
One long-time volunteer is Lakewood resident Ken Hanson, who has been a significant contributor with set design and construction. Another is Patricia Hardman, a former Woodrow teacher and choreographer of the musicals. Hardman now lives in California but returns to Dallas each year to choreograph the production, Bircher says.
“This is truly a labor of love,” she says.
Approximately 100 students will participate in this year’s musical. The lead characters include: Annie, Tate Henderson; Daddy Warbucks, G.P. Theriot; Rooster, Tony Mayes; Miss Hannigan, Erin Fite; Lilly, Melissa O’Neil; and Grace Farrell, Jennifer Perrone.
“Performing in these musicals is one of the most valuable things these students will take with them when they graduate,” Bircher says.
“This is a tremendous commitment of time and energy, and these kids are among the best at Woodrow,” she says.
Tickets can be purchased by calling Janelle Dunsworth at 824-7624. General admission are $6 in advance and $6.50 at the door. Reserved tickets, which can be purchased for Friday and Saturday performances only, are $7 in advance and $7.50 at the door. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $5 in advance.
Hanson Sets Stage Pace for Woodrow Musical
This time of year, Lakewood resident Ken Hanson spends much of his time at Woodrow Wilson High School. Like many Woodrow parents, Hanson volunteers his time and energy to help with the preparation for the school’s upcoming musical, “Annie.”
For more than 10 years, Hanson has been a significant contributor with the set design and construction of the musicals. Even though Hanson is retired and no longer has children who attend the high school, Hanson continues to devote his talents to the annual productions.
A professional artist by trade, Hanson’s background includes 34 years as an art director for KDFW-TV, where he did everything from commercials to courtroom sketches.
“He is one of the most gifted men I know,” says Marca Lee Bircher, director of the Woodrow musicals.
“He can do just about anything, and he is willing to help out in all areas. He is extremely generous with his time and energy.”
Hanson began working on musical sets at J.L. Long Middle School, where his children attended junior high. As they progressed to Woodrow, Hanson followed and began working on the musicals.
Of the numerous sets Hanson has built, he claims “42nd Street” as his favorite.
“It was one glitzy show,” Hanson says.
Another favorite was “Little Shop of Horrors”, last year’s production.
According to Bircher, many of Hanson’s sets have been recycled and reused for subsequent musicals.
“Like most parents, I was involved in my children’s school,” Hanson says. “Even though I’m retired, this is still something that I can do and enjoy doing.
“I enjoy the kids and the faculty,” Hanson says. “They (the faculty) are doing great things for these kids,” he says.
Fannin Students Find Reading Partners at St. Matthews Cathedral
Two days each week, 10 students from Fannin Elementary are treated to an afternoon of fun, snacks and, most importantly, reading at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Ross Avenue.
The Reading Partners program began at St. Matthews last April, thanks to special funding by the Lakewood Service League and willing volunteers.
The students, most of whom don’t read or speak English at home, are paired with a volunteer for an hour of reading. The reading partner helps the child with comprehension, vocabulary and emphasizes reading for fun.
The tutors for the program include St. Matthew’s parishioners, community volunteers and several SMU students.
The spring session is underway, with a waiting list of students wanting to join. More volunteers are needed in order to meet the needs of those students on the waiting list.
If you are interested in volunteering as a reading partner, contact Holly Greef at 821-5032 or Reading Partners coordinator Trevina Height at 368-4783.
Rogers Students Benefit from After-School Program
Approximately 100 students attending Dan D. Rogers Elementary reside in the Glen Hills Apartments on Abrams Road, just north of Northwest Highway. These students are bused to the school in the morning and returned to the complex immediately following the end of the school day.
Many of the students are latch-key children, meaning they have no supervision at home after school.
To remedy the situation, the apartment complex, along with volunteers from Ridgewood Recreation Center and Wilshire Baptist Church, are providing the students with off-campus, after-school activities.
The complex has donated the use of an apartment for after-school, student and parent activities. Ridgewood provides arts, crafts and cooking classes two afternoons a week, and volunteers from Wilshire provide homework and tutoring programs one evening each week. Also, a DISD ombudsman holds ongoing parenting meetings at the complex.
Ridgewood United Methodist Church recently joined this community-wide effort to provide other Rogers students with one afternoon of homework assistance.
“The Dan D. Rogers community wants all of our area students to be successful,” says assistant principal Lucy Livingston.
“Our community realizes this takes a cooperative effort. We have a wonderful community advisory committee that has the ability to assess our needs, find the solutions and act.”
St. John’s Students Advance to County Spelling Bee
Three students from St. John’s Episcopal School were among the top winners in the annual Episcopal School Spelling Bee held recently at the Episcopal School of Dallas.
Seventh-grader Dexter Cook placed first, seventh-grader James Westfall placed third, and sixth-grader Elizabeth Hesteande placed fifth. Other students representing St. John’s were Jenee Oxley and Jonathan Melton.
Cook will compete in the Dallas County Private School Spelling Bee this month. Winners of the event will compete in the Dallas Morning News Regional Spelling Bee.
St. John’s Selects Honor Roll
St. John’s Episcopal School recently honored students named to the Honor Roll. The following students have a grade point average of 90+ for all subjects.
Eighth grade: Travis Allison, Evan Brott, Kate Brown, Jenna Brummet, Jenny Cherryhomes, Matthew Christensen, Kendy Colson, Leslie Conant, Sarah Davis, Maria Dimoulakis, Amy Farris, Katharine Glick, Kate Major, Michelle Mayer, Michelle Murphree, Jonathan Payne, Alison Sherman, Sky Switser and Lauren Wood.
Seventh grade: Elizabeth Berrett, Shawn Brown, Aaron Case, Robert Cline, Mishty Deb, Janet Dempsey, Hillary Dunn, Emily Johnson, Hilary Johnson, Reagan Karlos, Luke Kirkpatrick, Justin Langran, Meredith Mandle, Jennifer Mendershausen, Jay Pendleton, Ginny Richardson, Brent Sumner, James Westfall III and Katherine Witmer.
Sixth grade: Mackenzie Banta, Ben Black, Ryan Crocker-Watkins, Todd Headden, David Hendler, Elizabeth Hesteande, Daria Kaboli, Jonathan Melton, Rebecca Newsome, Jenee Oxley, E.G. Perkins, Barry Rend, John Rundell, Kelly Stephenson, Megan Teter, J. Thompson, Samantha Thomson, Bobby Tunks, Annalee Voss, Bart Watson and Christian Westbrook.
St. Thomas Aquinas Hosts Chilean Students
Ten boys from Chile, ranging in age from 10-14, recently visited the St. Thomas Aquinas School during a nationwide Catholic School’s Week.
The students’ day began with an exhibition basketball game against St. Thomas, their first game in the United States. For the remainder of the day, each Chilean student paired up with a St. Thomas student and gained some first-hand knowledge about the school.
“The buddy system with the Chilean students allowed our St. Thomas students an opportunity to experience cultural diversity,” says principal David Ross.
“They also witnessed first-hand how challenging it would be to visit a foreign country.”
The Chilean students are spending their six-week summer vacation in Dallas. The program, Chilean Summer Camp, was started by the Highlands High School in Irving with the Legionnaires of Christ.
Each student stays with a host family and visits other Catholic schools in the Dallas area.
Zion Lutheran Takes Honors at Spelling Bee
The following students participated in the Lutheran School Spelling Bee held recently:
Fifth grade: Kate Scherer, Marianne Stanton, Amy Zentmeyer
Sixth grade: Jon Allmon (2nd place), Noelle Gaspard, Morgan Packard.
Seventh grade: Greg Adams (6th place), Elizabeth Fuller (4th place).
Eighth grade: Tricia Hamilton (fourth place), Sarah Hicks (6th place) Jimmy Stanton (2nd place, 3rd in district).
The 7th and 8th grade Zion team are the 1993 team champions.
Long Orchestra Students Bring Home Top Awards
J.L. Long Middle School orchestra students brought home a record 18 first-place ribbons during recent DISD Solo and Ensemble Competition held at W.T. White High School. The Long students also earned six second-place ribbons and one third-place ribbon.
First place in violin solo went to Maria Balderas, Quanah Gordon, Cynthia Soto, Alma Ruiz, Patty Salazar, La Toya Richardson and Carmen Moreno.
First place in viola went to Christi Lopez, Blanca Campos and Sarah Mitchell.
First place cello solos were won by Eliza Vega, Marlena Solis, Ana Sotello and Luiz Mendoza.
