SCHOOLS
LAMAR ELEMENTARY PRE-K HOSTS HOLIDAY SHOW
Lamar Pre-K students performed in their yearly holiday event and put on quite a show. It was standing room only for this event, which drew close to 200 in the crowd.
ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
ANNOUNCES SCHOLARHIP CONCERT
Native Texan singer-songwriter Radney Foster will once again entertain concert-goers in San Antonio for the sixth annual concert benefiting the St. Luke’s Episcopal School’s John R. Foster Scholarship Fund. The star-studded concert will take place on April 13 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Foster will be joined by Grammy Award-winning soloist Darius Rucker (former lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish), and the concert will also feature fellow Texan country talent Kelly Willis.
Concert proceeds help to provide a full-tuition, three-year scholarship for a middle school student who exhibits a record of academic achievement and a “servant’s heart.” Radney Foster has organized the annual concert event since 2010 in honor of his father, whose Episcopal education forged deep commitments to lifelong learning, service to others and worship in the Anglican tradition.
The concert is open to the community; tickets can be purchased through the Tobin Center website at www.tobincenter.org. To learn more about St. Luke’s Episcopal School’s John R. Foster Scholarship, visit www.sles-sa.org/giving/foster-scholarship.cfm.
ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL SERVES
LOCAL COMMUNITY DURING HOLIDAYS
St. Luke’s Episcopal School partnered with Good Samaritan Community Services and San Antonio’s Salvation Army over the recent holiday season. Students participated in gift and food drives as they served the local community. Service learning is a cornerstone of the St. Luke’s Episcopal School student experience. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and School sponsored 200 children in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree gift drive. The congregation and students collected 30 bikes, 15 scooters, 15,000 LEGO pieces and countless toys and clothing items for children in need.
In addition to the gift drive, St. Luke’s middle school students packed weekend snack bags for children at the Good Samaritan Center as a part of their Silver & Black Give Back Team Up Challenge project. The snack bags were delivered to children who may rely on free or reduced price meals when school is in session. Students also packed and delivered goodie bags of tissue, lip balm and other cold weather necessities to senior citizens at an Alamo Heights retirement facility.
AHISD JANUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 4
Return to school
All schools and district offices return to regular schedules.
January 18
Martin Luther King holiday AND Walk
All schools and district offices closed for the holiday.
Woodridge Elementary joins citizens of San Antonio in MLK Walk downtown.
January 20
Texas school coalition Presentation
on School Finance
State Capitol, Austin, 9:30 – 11 am.
The Texas School Coalition brings together public school districts interested in improving the state school finance laws for all districts, focusing specifically on all Chapter 41 districts, also known as revenue-contributing districts.
ALAMO HEIGHTS SOCCER COACH
INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
Alamo Heights High School Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Bruce Fink was inducted into the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame for his lifetime commitment to students.
TEXAS A&M AWARDS
Texas A&M University named Alamo Heights ISD as the Outstanding School District in Texas. The district was recognized on Nov.11 in College Station.
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Alamo Heights High School students who have been recognized and honored for their academic achievements by the National Merit Scholarship Program include National Merit Semi-Finalists: Edward Kershner and Benjamin Kurzban; National Merit Commended: Sarah Berton, Christopher Friedrichs, Edward Kershner, Benjamin Kurzban, Chase Miller, Matthew Parker, Noah Perloff, Derek Stone and Casey Young; National Hispanic Scholars: Valeria Cortez, Benjamin Kurzban, Rosalia O’Brien, Christian Olson, Hannah Ortega, Nikolas Rodriguez, Ricardo Tamez and Casey Young.
AHISD TO INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM
DISTRICT ALSO CONSIDERING A NEW BOND
BY EDMOND ORTIZ
Several initiatives in the Alamo Heights Independent School District are paving the way toward how the district could better serve its students’ and teachers’ needs and toward a new bond program.
The district recently convened an education advisory council, made up of 40 people who met together over four days in the fall to develop a profile of an AHISD learner. “The document describes the characteristics and attributes we’d like to have our students possess when they leave the school district,” said Dr. Kevin Brown, AHISD superintendent. The profile also suggests what local students need in order to be able to succeed today in college, in the workforce, and to be what Brown called “generally well-rounded people.”
The profile urges educators to help students to communicate and collaborate and think critically and creatively in different ways, as well as to employ life skills. The profile also encourages students to engage socially and globally. Brown said the district has much room for improvement in the way it uses technology to support student education. A long-term district-wide technology plan was presented to the AHISD school board in December.
The school district’s last bond program, in 2010, not only funded improvements and expansion at current facilities, but it supported enhancing the district’s tech infrastructure. Because AHISD wound up underspending on 2010 bond projects, it has enough room and money to support tech infrastructure from that bond through 2016.
Starting with the 2016-2017 school year, AHISD will introduce a pilot program in which 15 select classrooms throughout the district will be reorganized. Brown explained that every district classroom currently features a teacher with a laptop computer and a handful of computers for all students in that room to use. In the pilot program, there would be smart boards for educators, and students would be encouraged to bring their laptop or tablet to school. This, Brown said, could make it easier for an educator to achieve his or her objective in the classroom and for students to take greater responsibility for using technology properly to do their schoolwork.
“It’s not about technology, it’s about the learning process and simplifying things,” the superintendent added.
Another part of the school district’s long-range vision is the realization of a strategic plan that was launched more than seven years ago. It involved 49 initiatives, all of which have been completed. “But we’re not one to rest on our laurels. This profile of a learner informs us and will help is to develop a profile of a teacher, which will help us as a learning organization to best support our educators,” Brown said.
All of this collaboration among district employees, leaders and community members now has achieved critical mass around the formation of a bond/facilities planning committee. The committee has more than 30 people, including Brown, a few junior and high school students, PTO representatives, teachers, administrators and three trustees.
The bond committee had met three times as of early December, assessing the needs of each current district facility. Brown said those needs range from more classroom space to infrastructure issues and technology. “We are looking at a lot of things, such as updating furniture and making classrooms more learner-centered,” he added. “Our buildings are older but well-maintained. But they’re not as updated as we’d like them to be.”
The superintendent added that the bond committee has also been looking at possible eco-friendly/sustainable features, such as xeriscaping. But as of mid-December, the district had not yet revealed preliminary costs associated with any new bond proposals.
AHISD has until Feb. 19 to call a bond election for the May 7 election. Members of the Alamo Heights ISD Facilities Planning Committee have met to review needs of each district facility ahead of a possible bond proposal in 2016.
ALAMO HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL
ROCKETRY PROGRAM HONORED
Alamo Heights High School’s Rocketry program was honored by SystemsGo on December 17 with the Diamond Goddard Award for success with their annual rocket builds and launches, including the expansion of the program at AHHS. Additionally, the program was featured in Texas School Business Magazine’s annual Bragging Rights issue as an outstanding program in Texas.
MACARTHUR STUDENTS HELP
LAUNCH SA WORKS PROGRAM
San Antonio Works initiative launched a new website that links high school juniors and seniors with local businesses. Students can apply for paid and unpaid internships, apprenticeships and job- shadowing opportunities. SA Works launched the internship website at MacArthur High School December 9. Students created profiles and will be able to search positions with participating employers in San Antonio and Bexar County.
The initiative is sponsored by H-E-B. Students can sign up now at www.sanantonioworks.org to create an account and to search upcoming events.
