Woods’ KudosSanchez-Lopez receives state award

Elizabeth Sanchez-Lopez, Supervisor of Dance and Theater, has been selected to receive

the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA).

Founded in 1980, TDEA is dedicated to the advancement of dance education throughout the state of Texas, and committed to providing a professional learning community where innovative ideas in the field of dance are celebrated. Sanchez-Lopez is being recognized for her commitment to the field of dance education. The award will be presented during the organization’s annual convention held in Houston in January.

Johnson takes over YOSA groupBrenda Johnson, orchestra teacher at Hector Garcia MS, will serve as the next conductor of the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio (YOSA) Sinfonietta Strings, succeeding Lisa MCutchan, O’Connor HS orchestra teacher, who served in that capacity for the last 11 years. YOSA cites itself as the premier orchestral experience for youth citywide and has been nurturing young musicians since 1949.

Northside Independent School District, San Antonio TX 78238-1606

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November 19, 2014

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Learning Tree students help feed thousandsWhat is a Thanksgiving dinner without cranberries? Thanks to students from the NISD Learning Tree after school program there will be enough cranberries for the 25,000 guests expected at the 35th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner this year.

The students accepted the challenge to be the sole provider of cranberries for the annual event. According to Patricia Jimenez, daughter of the late Raul Jimenez, it takes 4,688 pounds (or 75,008 ounces) of cranberry sauce to feed that many people. The students’ ultimate goal was to collect 6,500 cans of cranberries during the month of October.

When all the cans were counted, a whopping 10,400 cans had been collected. In the canned drive contest, Wanke ES took home first place in the large program category by collecting 948 cans, and Thornton ES took home first place in the small program category by collecting 802 cans.

In addition, the students made placemats and centerpieces that will decorate the tables at the Convention Center where the citywide dinner takes place each year.

Pictured are kindergarten students from Wanke ES (from l-r, front row) Robert Harding, Cameron Catterson, Amy Feng, Liam Smith, Madeline DeLeon (in the box), Sebastian Churchwell, Gabriela Schmit, and Olivia Revilla; and (back row) Varun Rajaram, Elijah Melendez, Kayla Maldonado (teacher), Evelyn Rodriguez, Ronin Rice, and James Pina-Medugno.

No bullies allowed at Raba ESWhen one initially hears about the NBA, they may think basketball or the Spurs. But at Raba ES, NBA means No Bullies Allowed.

The NBA Club, sponsored by Laurie Olive, student leadership facilitator and Reading Specialist at the school, meets weekly with club members to discuss anti-bullying tactics. The third through fifth grade anti-bully advocates are role models at the school.

The club plans to implement three community services projects this year: a campus beautification day, a Food Bank drive, and a

diaper/baby formula drive for The Children’s Shelter.

Pictured is Jackie Redding, a Prevention Counselor from NISD Safe Schools program, who came to talk to the NBA Club. Also pictured is fourth grader Orchid Pena and third grader Rachel Myers (back to camera).

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Boone students enjoy blast from the past

Students, staff, and parents at Boone ES celebrated the 50th day of school by dressing up and playing fifties-themed games in the gym. Activities included a Sock Hop, Hula Hoop contest, Car Hop Relay Race, and a Limbo Line.

Pictured are (from l-r, front row) Claire Hartfiel, Nicole Compton, and Abby Hartfiel; and (back row) Michelle Hartfiel.

Aaron Barker is the 2014 Pillar of Fairness. He was a student at Neff MS and graduated from Marshall HS. He is

probably best known as the voice of Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Read the full story on page 3 to learn more about him, and click here to hear what he thinks about being a Pillar of Northside.

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Clark HS German students bring history to life with Berlin wall replicaAlmost 25 years to the day since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Clark HS German students commemorated the occasion by constructing a replica of the Berlin Wall and participating in a day-long celebration of German culture, language, and music.

German teacher Marion Torres’ students worked for weeks on projects highlighting the history of Germany, using iPads and laptops that they presented to classes rotating through the library.

The partial replica of the Berlin Wall was constructed with cardboard, to divide the hallway into East Germany and West Germany, and included art, poetry and facts about the Wall.

Pictured with Torres is Jeffrey Wood, a senior.

To view more pictures from this event, click here.

Student inspires NASA veteran to visit campusJames Garza, a senior and president of the Astronomy Club at Warren HS, was instrumental in arranging for a special guest speaker to visit their campus recently.

The journey for this guest speaker to come to Warren HS took about three years. When Garza was a sophomore, he was given an assignment in his Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class to interview an individual from the profession of his choice. Dreaming of a career with NASA since he was three years old, Garza sent an email through the NASA website asking to be put into contact with a NASA employee to interview for his assignment.

After several weeks and some disappointments, Norman Chaffee responded and was interviewed by Garza. (Norman Chaffee, a veteran of more than 50 years’ experience in the aerospace industry at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, worked on Apollo 11 alongside Neil Armstrong.) Chaffee also invited Garza to participate in the NASA Johnson Space Settlement Program Competition in Houston, which he has now done for the past two years and plans to do again in 2015. The competition is part of a unique STEM program for middle and high school students.

Because of this established relationship, Chafee was invited to speak to students at Warren HS. His presentation included several “show and tell” items including an Apollo steering rocket, astronaut glove, and robotic hand. “Chaffee’s presentation is the result of a young man’s determination to help pave the way for future students interested in space and the veteran’s willingness to spark a tradition for Warren HS students in STEM studies,” says Principal David Empson.

Pictured (from l-r) are Garza and Chaffee.

OF THE WEEKGet ready for holiday cooking The HoneyBaked Ham Company is offering NISD employees a 15 percent discount on any purchase, excluding lunch and catering items, at participating HoneyBaked retail stores and online through Dec. 31, 2014. Click here for information and enjoy.

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Meet the 2014 Pillar of Fairness

Aaron Barker’s musical career began at the age of six, when his mother gave him his first guitar. He always had

music around him, joining a “variety band” at the age of 13. His musical career took him from a rock-n-roll band serving our military to getting his first self-written single on country music radio when “Baby Blue” was recorded by icon George Strait.

Today, with multiple hit songs under his belt, he remains as humble and genuine as the little boy who yearned to play music.

Throughout his days at Northside, he was a member of his school bands and was mentored by band directors Leland Shultz at Neff MS and Bob Lewis at Marshall HS.

Today, he is still writing and performing his songs. His voice is recognizable to most Texans as the voice of Blue Bell Ice Cream. He currently lives just south of Nashville with his wife, Theresa.

In this and previous issues of INW, you met this year’s Pillars of Character, each a successful Northside HS graduate with a story to tell. To learn more about the NISD Pillars, both past and present, click here.

Students retire 60 United States flagsCub Scout Pack 601 meets at Braun Station ES, and recently almost 70 cub scouts (mostly Braun Station ES students) gathered for a very somber and patriotic reason – to conduct a retirement ceremony for more than 60 United States flags.

The purpose of the 30-minute ceremony was to teach the scouts that there is a proper and dignified way to dispose of United States flags that are no longer fit to serve the nation.

The scouts began collecting flags last spring receiving them from the around the community and from the Dixie Flag Company. Grommets from the flags were distributed to the veterans who attended the school’s Veterans Day.

When a flag is retired, the stripes are cut with scissors (not torn) and placed in the fire. The blue star field is not cut into smaller pieces as it “represents the union of the 50 states and the union should never be broken,” according to a scouting website.

Robert Klekar, Braun Station ES music teacher and cubmaster, helped facilitate the event. Pictured from bottom left are Douglas Klekar, Aiden Stephens, Cubmaster Robert Klekar, Michael Esparza, Tyler Nelson, Keegan Zachos, Joshua Cooper, Ian Tomlinson, and Bruan Braden.

District’s energy programs net big savingsAt the November Board of Trustees meeting, representatives from CPS Energy presented the Board with a big check – both literally and figuratively. In fact, the almost $1.5 million check is the latest rebate from the energy giant for Northside’s energy conservation programs. Northside taxpayers have received a total of $3,656,153.07 in rebates from CPS Energy.

Northside has a long history of energy conservation dating back

to the 1990’s. As a leader in energy conservation, the District partnered with CPS Energy to pilot the first lighting retrofit project in San Antonio at Marshall High School, receiving a $95,000 rebate from CPS Energy.

Since then, the District has completed 93 projects for both lighting and chillers, including the first new construction rebate for a San Antonio school. That was for Los Reyes Elementary School when it opened in 2012.

In this latest rebate check, CPS Energy presented the District with a check for $1,478,513.61.

Pictured are (from l-r) Carlos Soriano, Director of Customer Solutions and Delivery for CPS Energy; Allen Goldapp, NISD’s Energy Manager; Clayton Kruse, Manager of Energy Solutions for CPS Energy; and Leroy San Miguel, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations.