'ROADTRIP NATION' BRINGS STEM LEADERS TO ... - Harlandale ISD

Week of October 16, 2017

‘ROADTRIP NATION’ BRINGS STEM LEADERS TO HHS AND MHS p.2

Future Aggies enjoy a fun-filled day at Harlandale High School - p.4

LMS wears orange to show support for student fighting Leukemia - p.5

Rayburn Elementary celebrates second annual trunk-or-treat event- p.6

‘ROADTRIP NATION’ BRINGS STEM LEADERS TO HHS AND MHS so just getting them exposed to that as a viable career option – especially the girls – is why I’m here today,” Wilkerson said. “There are so many negative stereotypes surrounding engineers, so I’m letting them know that I’m a female, and I’m an engineer, so they can see for themselves and maybe consider it as a possible career path.” They both encouraged every student to find their passion, keep going and don’t give up. Senior student at HHS Michelle Buckner enjoyed the presentation and felt motivated to find a career where she can make a difference.

“Roadies” from the PBS documentary series “Roadtrip Nation” made a stop at Harlandale HS and McCollum HS this week to inspire seniors to define their own roads in life. As part of their nation-wide education tour, “Roadtrip Nation” gave a dynamic and interactive presentation to the students. During the event, the “Roadies” interviewed two inspiring women who shared their obstacles, life lessons and advice while they followed their dream and succeeded in a STEM career. At HHS, students heard from retired Lt. Coronel Olga Custodio, who made history when she became the first female U.S. military pilot and the first Latina commercial airline captain.

“There are times when you doubt yourself,” Custodio told the students. “But, you have to break that barrier and noise that says you can’t make it.” She added, “My mantra is ‘Querer es poder’ which means where there is a will, there is a way.” Natasha Wilkerson, Communities in Schools of San Antonio STEM project director, was interviewed at MHS and made sure to let everyone know that both boys and girls can aspire to become an engineer or pursue any career in a STEMrelated field. “A lot of the students in this community have not met an engineer or scientist,

“My passion is helping others, and I hope I can travel to different countries to reduce racial and social barriers in education,” she said. After each presentation, the students were surprised as they were led to the parking lot to enter the iconic green RV, which includes signatures, quotes and advice written all over the walls and roof from the many leaders and celebrities interviewed from the PBS television show. “RoadTrip Nation” has been traveling around the country for 16 years interviewing people from various backgrounds about their careers and how they determined their paths in life. The Harlandale ISD events will air on PBS next season.

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FUTURE AGGIES ENJOY A FUN-FILLED DAY AT HARLANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

Texas A&M College Station turned Indianland into Aggieland on Oct. 14 for Aggie Day in SA.

Aggie Day in SA brings representatives from the university to speak to students and parents from across the city about admission, financial aid, residence life and majors. This is the second year in a row that Texas A&M College Station hosted this event at Harlandale High School. Michael Garza, regional advisor of Texas A&M College Station, and his team knew that Harlandale High School would be the perfect location to host their event, yet information as I can on how to become an Aggie, because this university has the best animal science again. program around.” Aparicio said, “And I’m glad that “We had our record turnout at Harlandale High School Aggie Day in SA helps me achieve that goal!” last year so it’s like that saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’,” Garza said. “I grew up on this side of town, so Aggie Day in SA is an ongoing tradition that Texas A&M I have a close relationship to the Southside and this College Station has continued for 14 years. is where most of our students who we want to go to A&M live, so we want to be in their neighborhood so “Whether you want to go to A&M or not, they talk about information that you can use to help you prepare they are able to attend Aggie Day in SA. “ for college.” Aparicio exclaimed. “They give you tips on Among the many students that attended, Harlandale how to apply to college and how to get ready for such HS Senior, Sabrina Aparicio was thrilled to know that a huge step in your life and it’s totally worth it!” her dream school would be returning to her campus. Thank you Texas A&M College Station for another great “I have been really dedicated to getting as much turnout and an awesome day!

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LMS WEARS ORANGE TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR STUDENT FIGHTING LEUKEMIA

Leal Middle School’s new student organization IMPACT encouraged everyone on campus to wear orange this week in honor of one of their own classmates who is currently battling leukemia. LMS eighth grader Emanii Younasoughlou was recently diagnosed with the disease and is being treated for an eventual bone marrow transplant. IMPACT student leaders Erick Perez, Ashley Espinoza and Ericka Solis created the “Orange Hearts for Emanii” campaign at school to increase leukemia awareness and show support for their friend. “We wanted to bring attention to leukemia and support Emanii at the

same time,” Erick said. “Emanii isn’t able to come to school and see everyone, so it was important for us to find a way for Emanii to still be here at school even though she’s not here,” Ashley added. A large number of students and teachers wore bright orange T-shirts and ribbons with positive messages as orange represents the color for leukemia awareness. There are also banners with the message “Orange Hearts for Emanii” located in the LMS cafeteria and hallways. “We made announcements all week, so it’s nice to see everyone wearing orange,” Ericka said.

This campaign is one of the first projects sponsored by IMPACT. “We just started the organization with 18 students,” LMS teacher Ms. Olivia Robinson said. “IMPACT leaders also serve as mentors, student advocates and role models on our campus.” Sponsored by Ms. Robinson and Ms. Sarah McGill, IMPACT will focus on building leadership and teamwork skills, as well as plan and implement a variety of activities on campus, throughout the school year.

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RAYBURN ELEMENTARY CELEBRATES SECOND ANNUAL TRUNK-OR-TREAT EVENT Little ghosts, superheroes and princesses invaded the Rayburn Elementary parking lot for the school’s second annual trunk-or-treat event on Oct. 19.

“It’s wonderful to see all the kids dressed up, especially when they’re our former students,” Ms. Brown said. “It’s a fun, safe event for families to dress up and bring the kids to celebrate.”

More than 30 cars showed off their most “spooktacular” trunks where kids trick-or-treated with their parents.

Parents, students and teachers donned their best costumes as they made a stop at every car.

From scary Halloween-themed trunks to colorful decorations, the kids had fun with their friends and families as they hopped from car-to-car to get their treats.

Some of the most popular costumes were Power Rangers, clowns, witches and famous icons, including a girl dressed up as Selena.

Ms. Michelle Brown and Ms. Susan Narendorf, who have been teaching at Rayburn ES for more than 30 years together, welcomed every family to the event. They were ready as they had the first visible decorated trunk filled with candy.

“The event was a success last year,” Ms. Brown said. “So, we are happy to continue the tradition this year.”

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VESTAL ELEMENTARY HOSTS STEM FAMILY NIGHT gave parents a firsthand view of the classroom technology their children are using.

Kids participated in building projects, spin games, science experiments and technology games. They also learned about wild animals and were even able to pet real snakes. Vestal Elementary teachers and Principal Marianela GonzalezSanchez kept the theme going as they all dressed up as wild animals and plants. “It’s a great turnout, and the kids Students and parents enjoyed a Antonio Public Library, Snapology, are learning and having fun,” night full of science, technology, Laser Quest, VIA and the HISD STEM Principal Gozalez-Sanchez said. engineering and mathematics department. (STEM) at Vestal Elementary on After visiting at least six learning Oct. 18. Students were invited to enter a fun stations, the kids and parents “bat cave” to meet Batman, who earned a refreshing snow cone. With a wild animal theme, the night then led them to the exit where featured more than 20 interactive they were able to begin “exploring” stations provided by the San the other different stations. It also

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READING COMES TO LIFE AT GILLETTE ELEMENTARY Gillette Elementary teachers and students dressed as their favorite book characters to celebrate Reading Night on Oct. 19.

in hands on reading activities. The first five students to complete certain reading challenges won bundles of books.

The event served as the school’s first informative meeting and kicked-off the first of many events for students and parents.

Parents were also informed of their child’s reading level and goal. Some of the students seized the opportunity to take AR tests while others created their own special bookmarks.

“Our goal is to facilitate an interactive approach to partnering with parents and other adult family members to inspire the love of reading in children,” Gillette Elementary Academic Dean Julia Gimbel said. The Gillette choir headlined the event followed by a brief discussion about the importance of reading. Students were then able to visit several classrooms throughout the campus to take part

Once the students participated in an array of activities, they were treated to tasty refreshments. Future themed events include Story Tellers Night, Build a Book, Camp Fire, Treasure Hunt, Reading Under the Stars, Poetry and an Art Show. “We believe the events can provide parents an opportunity to meet other

parents as we show them and our students the importance of reading and writing,” Gimbel added. Gillette Elementary Principal Ms. Lorena Jasso is also excited about the events lined up for the school year. “Gillette has an amazing library with about 13,000 books and with each book our students are able to explore other worlds, other lives, and different facts and overall gain new knowledge,” Jasso said. “We strive to create readers who will one day rule the world.” She added that Gillette Librarian Ms. Lori Laguna is instrumental in offering these opportunities and parents are key in fostering the love for literacy. Way to go, Gillette Elementary!

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GT STUDENTS THANK BUS DRIVERS

The Harlandale ISD GT department teamed up with the transportation department to give our district bus drivers a token of appreciation in honor of National Bus Safety Week. As bus drivers returned from their morning routes, they were surprised with handwritten letters from GT students, thank you cards and a bag with treats along with a

Chick-Fil-A sandwhich.

The bus drivers were grateful to see the colorful cards and “In appreciation of our bus treats when they arrived. drivers this week, we had our students write a personalized “I feel very much appreciated letter thanking them for and I am very thankful for all their kind smile, and most of this,” Harlandale ISD Bus importantly, our students Driver Vicente Moreno said. emphasized their gratefulness for the bus drivers in Thank you for keeping our getting them safely to their students and staff safe, HISD destination and back to their bus drivers! home campus,” GT Specialist Sonia Cuellar said.

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JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT VISITS HARLANDALE ISD

win-win for everyone because they have future educators who need hands-on experience to deliver the curriculum to these students who are ready, willing and eager to learn. Sabrina Trejo, a sophomore at Palo Alto College, has known she has wanted to be a teacher since the third grade, and with this program, she’s not only learning as much as she can about her field, but is also gaining real-life experience in the classroom. “Teaching is just a part of me, I love helping my peers and children learn something new.” Trejo said. “Junior Achievement gives you the opportunity to figure out which teaching methods work best for you with different students and different grade levels.”

Students of the Alamo Community Colleges spent a day at Morrill Elementary getting hands-on experience through the Junior Achievement Program on Oct. 13. These aspiring educators had the opportunity to create lesson plans bring them into the classroom and be the teacher for the day. Morrill Elementary Teacher Alma Holcomb was overwhelmed with joy when she heard Junior Achievement would be coming to her campus as she was a part of this program when she was in college. “It was a wonderful experience and I really enjoyed it,” Holcomb said. “In JA, I taught at the third-grade level and I’ve been hooked on teaching ever since, this program truly changed my life!”

Junior Achievement is a community based volunteer program with the mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Bernadette Byrd, the director of programs at Junior Achievement, said that what the program is trying to do is connect what students are learning in school to the future world of work. “We teach our volunteers our curriculum, which is revolved around work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy,” Byrd said. “Everything is TEKS correlated, age appropriate, fun and of course, handson.”

Last year in San Antonio alone, Junior Achievement reached over 63,500 students. “We are proud to say that we do a lot with a little bit of people and we expect that number to grow even more this year!” Byrd exclaimed. Junior Achievement will be taking over many Harlandale Elementary Schools in the coming weeks, such as: Gillette, Carroll Bell, Gilbert, Bellaire and Stonewall Flanders. If you are interested in becoming a part of The Junior Achievement Program please contact [email protected] and give back to your community today.

Byrd also states that the partnership with Palo Alto College and Harlandale ISD is a

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H HS BAN D W I NS ‘OU T S T AN DI NG COLOR GUARD’ The Harlandale High School Band recently won “Outstanding Color Guard” in Division 5A at the East Central Marching Festival.

“The award was a great way to begin our competitive season!” Harlandale High School Band Director Juan Carlos Rodriguez exclaimed. “They have been ranking consistently in the top three of all the competitions leading up to this Saturday’s UIL.” HHS Band’s color guard earned the top spot beating out six schools in Class 5A. “The color guard is a very hard working group of individuals,” Mr. Rodriguez added. “I am extremely proud of their accomplishments at this contest. Every time we perform, they always get complimented on their showmanship.” The color guard also earned first place in their division at the Seguin Marching Festival. Congratulations, Harlandale High School Band!

HARLANDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ‘CHALK IT UP’ Harlandale Middle School students let their creativity run wild during the 14th annual “Artpace Chalk It Up” event on Oct. 14. The free festival of contemporary art transforms Downtown Houston Street into a colorful gallery, showcasing young emerging artists. HMS students Alexis Mauricio, Dieu Anh Le Vu, Jazirae Trujillo, Alaura Mermella, Isabella Pintor and Katherine Barcenez from the Positive Experiences in Art, Culture and Environment (PEACE) Club participated in the event along with HMS teachers Amy Jones and Leora Uribe. “These six young ladies worked hard on their design, collaborating, trouble-shooting and supporting each other,” Ms. Uribe said. Together, they decided to incorporate the word “spirit” to the original design. “The students discussed the play on words to refer to the school’s spirit and also in reference to the Halloween season,” Ms. Uribe added. The students enjoyed participating in this year’s “Chalk It Up” and hope to return next year.

HISD TAKES PART IN SAWS’ PARTNERS IN CONSERVATION APPRECIATION NIGHT Harlandale ISD was well represented at the San Antonio Water System’s “Partners in Conservation” appreciation social for educators held at the Briscoe Western Art Museum on Oct. 19. The event featured trivia games with prizes and an orientation on this year’s Lego robotics competitions for students from the city and surrounding areas. This year’s theme is hydrodynamics. SAWS partnered up with the robotics group organizing this year’s competitions to include water as a featured aspect of the research and competition field. The evening included a tour of the very first pumping station to ever drill into the Edwards Aquifer, which is located at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. The pump was drilled by J.T. Brackenridge back in 1891. The original contract that Brackenridge signed with the City to drill the artesian well was also there for viewing. A big thank you to Meghan Guerrero, Andriana Aguilar-La Point and Heather Aguillon for attending the event and representing Harlandale ISD as a proponent for water conservation as educators.

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SPEAKERS AIM TO EMPOWER HARLANDALE ALTERNATIVE CENTER STUDENTS

Six dynamic speakers will visit the Harlandale Alternative Center (HAC) this fall to inspire students to find their academic and career path. For HAC Student Transition Coordinator Steven Sippel, it was important to invite these speakers because they offer students a real-life view into different career choices that they may not know exist. “Students at HAC are oftentimes kids that don’t have the same opportunities to access community members in different career fields as others do,” Mr. Sippel said. “As a campus serving at-risk students, we are encouraged to think outside the box and provide experiences and opportunities that they may not have in the larger campus setting.” The students heard from Susan Pope, director of the Southwest Research Institute’s Space Instrumentation Department in the Space Science and Engineering, on Oct. 13 and learned about a

range of projects her team is working on. “Our kids were able to get a first-hand look at CYGNSS cyclone satellite data from Hurricane Harvey – data that only a few people in the United States had seen up until last Friday! – and were exposed to a number of other space-related projects they were currently collaborating with the European Space Agency and NASA,” Mr. Sippel explained. Pope also discussed careers in engineering and space science, how students could get started in those fields, and the challenges, successes and mindset she experienced as a woman coming up through college into a scientific field populated primarily by men. With her story and experience, she offered students a different outlook on career choices that are available to them. “It shows our kids that there are opportunities out there with all kinds of backgrounds and interests,” Mr. Sippel added. “HAC is

a school that emphasizes new beginnings and alternate pathways to success, and our speakers will give a lot of this to our kids! Ultimately, anything we do on the HAC campus is designed to improve the lives and social and academic outcomes of our students.” Future speakers include the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. They will talk about the operations against counterfeiting in South Texas, cyber intelligence and language translation operations against foreign intrusion, as well as career opportunities for students and how many high school classes can get them started along that path. Overall, the mission of the Alternative Center is to instill confidence and self-worth by teaching meaningful social and coping skills with our students in order to develop quality learners and contributing community members.

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