“Woodrow is for people who want to work,” says Amy Jones, Woodrow Wilson’s 1995 valedictorian.
And work Jones has. She has maintained a 97 grade point average while being involved in activities such as Student Council, the National Honor Society, the performance choir Variations, swim team (co-captain), drill team (captain) and French Club (vice president).
And this is just a small sampling of what Jones has accomplished. She recently earned the Camp Fire WoHeLo award, the highest honor given by the organization for community service.
She also received the President’s Youth Service Award for her volunteerism and was a finalist for the Fina-Dallas Morning News All-State Scholar Athlete Team, which earned her a $500 scholarship.
“Being active allows me to meet different people,” Jones says. “It makes you a well-rounded person.”
Her hard work paid off. She was valedictorian for the Class of 1995 and gave the commencement speech for her graduating class.
Next year, Jones will attend Texas A&M University. She received a $2,000-a-year scholarship from A&M. She wants to study either architecture or business.
“You make school what you want it to be,” Jones says. “I’ve received a good education.”
Jones is the daughter of Dr. Elwood and Ann Jones.
One-Act Play Finishes Third at State
Members of Woodrow Wilson’s one-act play cast were Nhaila Hendrickse, Liz Milbank, Cristi Becerra, Kara Pendergrass, Kelly Grand jean, Knox Peden, Ryan Looper, Xandy Smith, Alex Felicette, Maclain Looper, Zach Redington, Stephen Bert, Brantley Aufill, John Pedigo and Dana Duryee. Yolanda Gomez was the alternate. Crew members were Jason Hill, Molly Symns, Kelley Theriot and Stephanie Cagley.
Peden received an all-star cast award for his role as Pa Ubu, and Grandjean received an honorable mention award for her role as Ma Ubu.
News & Notes
OUTSTANDING SEVENTH GRADERS: Seventh graders from Alex W. Spence and J.L. Long middle schools were recognized at the state and national level by the Duke University Talent Identification Program for scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test and/or the American College Test. Both tests are designed for juniors and seniors in high school to take for college admissions.
Long students who were recognized at the state level were Dora Blount, Amanda Claxton, Nicolas Grunbaum, Marc Huber, Stephen Milbank and Jordan Munn. From Spence, the students included Michael Clemons, Brian Copp, Frank Edwards, Marvin Garner, Erica Montes, Elizabeth Rabe and Justin Wong. Those who made the national level were Spence students William Armstrong, Lorien Holloway, Travis McPhail, Kristina Semos and Julie Swinson.
STUDENTS PLAY THE STOCK MARKET: A team of five students from Alex Sanger Elementary School took second place in the Dallas Morning News’ Stock Market Game for the Cubs Region. Student teams were given a hypothetical $100,000 to invest in the stock market for 10 weeks. The Sanger team increased its portfolio by $13,403. Team members were Anita Moreno, Melissa Knight, Jacques Wyatt, Elizabeth Hodges and Sally Reese. Their teacher was Dawn Prather, and their stock broker was Bill Rea of Compass Bank.
SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS: Four students at J.L. Long Middle School received awards at the Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Nicole Vega received an honorable mention in junior biochemistry. Nico Grunbaum received third place in junior botany. Greta Griffith received an honorable mention in junior earth and space, and Hillary Boortz received third place in junior math.
STONEWALL’S TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Heather Wood was selected Stonewall Jackson Elementary’s Teacher of the Year by staff at the school. Wood has been educating the deaf for 14 years. Since 1984, she has taught multi-handicapped classes, as well as fifth and sixth grade for the Dallas Regional Day School for the Deaf. She was honored by DISD with other teachers of the year at an ice cream social last month.
INVOLVING DADS: Stonewall Jackson Elementary is organizing a Dad’s Club. The club is designed to get dads more involved in their children’s education and offer a chance for dads to meet each other. For information, call John Smith at 826-0334 or Paul Dunagan at 821-8394.
STONEWALL ELECTS PTA: Stonewall Jackson Elementary recently elected its 1995/96 PTA officers. They are President Cindy Hess, Vice President Paul Wildberger, Treasurer Charlie Shirley, Historian Dinah Gespard, Parliamentarian Betty Cejka, Recording Secretary Libby Graves and Corresponding Secretary Karen K. Stone.
BONHAM COMPUTER WHIZZES: James B. Bonham Elementary won several awards at the recent 1995 DISD Computer Olympiad. On the written computer literacy test, Ivan Sarinana placed fourth. In the keyboarding competition, Jose Luis Sanchez placed third, Jorge Delgado placed fourth and Sarinana placed fifth. Johanna Bayona placed first in the word processing competition and placed third for overall score. Sanchez placed seventh in overall score and Sarinana placed eighth.
Bonham was one of the most successful of the 64 DISD elementary schools that entered the Olympiad.
AN AWARD-WINNING WRITER: Lipscomb Elementary student Amanda Bailey, daughter of David and Cindy Bailey, won the Reading Rainbow’s writing contest for students in kindergarten through third grade. Amanda placed first for the third grade. Her entry, “Lunch Box Blues,” has been forwarded to national competition. This year, Amanda also won first place at Lipscomb’s Science Fair.
ZARAGOZA DANCERS PERFORM ON TV: For Cinco de Mayo, the Zaragoza Folklorico Dancers of Zaragoza Elementary performed on Channel 8’s Good Morning Texas. Teacher Debbie Guerra took the dancers to Fair Park for a 90-second live broadcast.
TAAS SCORES IMPROVE: Tenth graders in DISD scored higher on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills last year than in 1994, according to the district. In 1995, seven percent more students passed writing than in 1994, six percent more passed math, and the percentage of passing was the same in reading. The TAAS test is used to accredit schools and assess their performance.
