Neighborhood schools made a strong showing at the 19th annual Dallas Public Schools Math Olympiad. The Olympiad tests the mathematical achievements of students in grades four through 12 throughout the school district.
Lakewood Elementary’s Andrew Rogers placed first for the fifth grade, while Lakewood’s David Clore tied for sixth place in sixth grade competition. Lakewood ranked fourth, and Rogers Elementary ranked eighth in overall team score at the elementary school level.
At the middle school level, Spence Academy placed second and Long Middle School placed third in overall team score. From Spence, Kristina Semos placed first, Marvin Garner placed fourth and Julie Swinson placed sixth in seventh grade competition. Katie Gan placed second and Brandon Hepburn placed 10th for eighth grade.
From Long, John McDonald placed third and Jordan Munn placed fifth for seventh grade. Jennifer Lilly placed third and Brian Bobek placed ninth for eighth grade.
Woodrow Wilson High School placed fifth for overall team score at the high school level. Eric Cordova placed eighth for the ninth grade. For 10th grade, Erin Armstrong placed seventh, Dmitryi Mogilev placed eighth and Matthew Liebman placed ninth. David Hall placed sixth for 12th grade.
DISD Earns Historic Gains in TAAS Scores
DISD made the largest improvements in its history on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills this past spring.
In many grades, the gains in scores on reading, mathematics and writing ranged from 1.4 percent to an unprecedented 9.8 percent compared with 1994 results. Overall, minority groups also showed improvement, especially African-Americans and Hispanics.
In grades three through eight, reading scores went up across the board. Math scores improved in grades three through five, stayed the same in grades six and seven, and declined one percentage point in grade eight.
Writing scores increased in grades four and eight. Other grade levels did not take this portion of the test.
In our neighborhood, the fourth grade class at Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary scored 96 percent on the writing portion of the TAAS.
DISD Honors Neighborhood Asian Students
The Dallas Independent School District recently celebrated the achievements of neighborhood Asian students.
Several students were selected by DISD’s Asian American Advisory Committee to attend a ceremony in their honor at Alex W. Spence Academy. The students were nominated by teachers and counselors for outstanding work during the 1994/95 school year.
Neighborhood honorees include Angela Phou, Thong Koum and Koum Minh from Bonham Elementary; Sokhuntheavy Meach, Thao Nguyen, Sochenda Vann, Crystal Kao Perez, Leng Ngang, Jennifer Kim Nguyen, Christopher Vo, Meas Savann, Paullyca Dy, Santana Meach, Vestnar Yim and Kavin Mak from Fannin Elementary; Sokhann Pha and Anne-Marie Gan from Lakewood Elementary; Michael Lu from Lipscomb Elementary; Mario Chong from Mt. Auburn Elementary; Khanh Nguyen, Anh Nguyen, Billy Nguyen, My Lam, Nga Pham and Bich Truong from Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary; Shilpi Shikha from S.S. Conner Elementary; Bina Bhalchandra Palnitkar, Kim Ngang, Veasna Kok, Pavinee Khamphinuwat, Katherine N. Gan, Sinsu Thankachan, Justin D. Wong and Charmaine Rivera from Spence Academy; Ha Nguyen, Thiery Chea, Giao Huynh, Jimmy Le and Van K. Nguyen from Hill Middle School; and Sapingkhone Kettavong and Thao Tran Quang Nguyen from Woodrow Wilson High School.
The Bob Booker Scholarship was awarded to Minh Tan Huynh. Sponsors of the scholarship are Mr. and Mrs. Fred R. Meyer, Chat Van Pham and Duncan Reed Trading Co. Booker is a neighborhood resident who has been involved with the Asian Advisory Committee for eight years.
The Blue Dragon Explorer Post awarded a scholarship to Christine Nablo Ganaden. The Explorer Post is a service-oriented youth group in East Dallas. Melinda Cowart, who leads the post with husband Ron, was named the volunteer of the year by the Asian Advisory Committee.
Meadows Foundations Honors Lakehill for Student Volunteers
Lakehill Preparatory School, 2720 Hillside, is one of nine North Texas secondary schools to receive $5,000 from the Meadows Foundation. The money has been given to the school to honor its community service.
Meadows Foundation recognized 105 secondary schools from 26 school districts at its 12th annual Charitable School Projects awards luncheon last month. Lakehill was one of the smaller schools participating in the awards program, and the school logged more volunteer hours per student than any other school.
Each of Lakehill’s 70 students averaged 39.7 hours of service this past school year. The students focused on serving the elderly population in our neighborhood, delivering groceries, mowing lawns, making home repairs and holding holiday parties for senior citizens.
The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that provides funds to nearly 1,500 organizations.
News & Notes
ENCOURAGING PERFECT ATTENDANCE: Students with perfect attendance during the 1994-95 school year at Sanger Elementary were honored with an ice cream sundae party during the last week of classes by MEPC American Properties.
All students with perfect attendance in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth were entered in a drawing for a new bicycle. Fifth- and sixth-grade winners chose between a bicycle or Rollerblades.
Winners were pre-kindergartner Christopher Rollins, kindergartner Imir Thompson, first grader Morgan Ray, second grader Clifford Gardner, third grader Robin Ogbonna, fourth grader Nathaniel Martinez, fifth grader Michelle Coleman and sixth grader Justin Chambers.
Sanger’s perfect attendance program is sponsored annually by MEPC, which has adopted the school.
AN EXCELLENT TEACHER: Second-grade teacher Judy Williams Pape of William Lipscomb Elementary has received DISD’s 1995 Excellence in Teaching Award for pre-kindergarten through third grade. The school district chose one teacher in each of four grade levels for the award. Winners were selected for utilizing effective teaching practices, implementing imaginative approaches to learning, stimulating a love of learning, and demonstrating a dedication to their work and students. Each winner received a cash award and was honored by the Dallas Board of Education.
ST. JOHN’S ELECTS NEW LEADER: The Board of Trustees for St. John Episcopal School, 848 Harter, unanimously elected Ann Hergenrother to be the school’s new director. Hergenrother succeeds Grace H. Cook, who retired June 30 after 12 years as St. John’s director.
Hergenrother comes to St. John’s from St. Paul’s Episcopal School in New Orleans, where she was assistant head. She received her master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from Tulane University in 1988.
Under Cook’s leadership, St. John’s grew from approximately 225 to 480 students. Two building additions to the school were completed, and a middle school was added. St. John’s parents presented Cook and her husband, Jim, with airline tickets to Australia at a recent reception held in her honor.
STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL: On July 24, students attending schools on a year-round schedule return to class for the 1995-96 year. Year-round schools in our neighborhood include Rogers, Fannin and Bonham elementaries.
CORRECTION: Last month, the Advocate reported that Alex Sanger Elementary took second place in the Dallas Morning News’ Stock Market Game for the Cubs Region. Sanger placed second in the 1994 fall contest, not the recent 1995 spring contest. Milliken Middle School placed second for the Cubs Region this spring.
ZARAGOZA IN THE SUMMERTIME: Although school was out, Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary, 4550 Worth, kept between 700 and 800 students busy last month. In addition to regular summer school classes, Zaragoza offered a Summer Extravaganza that provided neighborhood and homeless children with daily activities. The extravaganza was sponsored by the Tejas Girl Scout Council, Dallas Parks and Recreation and the school. Zaragoza also held a Piano Camp, sponsored by Tobizena Williams and Nathan Cassidy, as well as an I CAN English program and TAAS tutoring.
