Cover story

Mansfield Independent School District’s POWER OF CHOICE INITIATIVE In Mansfield ISD, parents and students have the opportunity to choose the educational pathway that is the best fit for them. The Power of Choice allows MISD students of all ages to take advantage of specific programs that are tailored to their needs—even if it is located outside of their designated attendance zone.

Explore the different ways Mansfield ISD students are becoming college-and-career ready!

JERRY KNIGHT STEM ACADEMY The Jerry Knight STEM Academy is an advanced academic program designed to provide a rigorous and focused course of study emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Learners at the STEM Academy use 21st century skills—critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and communication—to solve real-world problems.

Every six weeks, students complete problem-based learning (PBL) projects that address issues happening at the time.

“Instead of just memorizing or learning facts, they are taking all of their skills and applying it to the problem they’re having to solve,” said Associate Principal Victoria Webster. “The projects integrate all of their curriculum so they can see how everything they are learning—from science to social studies—is relevant in their everyday lives.”

One of the projects the learners worked on involved creating a floating city to address population growth and lack of land. Another project on the docket is to design and create a model skate park for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan since it will be the first time skateboarding will be recognized as an Olympic sport.

Because collaboration and communication is a focus at the STEM Academy, classrooms have a flexible design with writable surfaces, movable furniture and mobile technology. The facility also features a high-tech fab lab where learners design and print 3D images, code robots and build complex circuits using Bluetooth and Arduino technology.

The STEM Academy is currently for sixth-graders, but it will expand to include seventh-graders in the fall of 2018 and eight-graders by the fall of 2019. When the students leave the academy, they will already have high school math and science credits.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MANSFIELD ISD’S POWER OF CHOICE,

visit www.mansfieldisd.org/choice

TWO-WAY DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS Young Spanish and English native speakers have the opportunity to learn two languages through cooperative learning and collaboration in Mansfield ISD’s two-way dual language programs. Students graduate from the program being bilingual, bi-literate and multicultural.

Two-way dual language is available at D.P. Morris Elementary School at the kindergarten level. Erma Nash Elementary School offers the program to kindergartners and first-graders.

LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES At the Martha Reid Leadership Academy, students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade start the day in a 20-minute leadership class learning the seven habits of leadership success. The traits are then used in all of their instructional classes. The campus also participates in community projects to teach the children that a big part of a leader’s job is to help others.

The Tarver-Rendon Elementary School of Agricultural Leadership teaches young learners in grades kindergarten through fourth grade what it means to be a leader through the knowledge of growing plants and raising animals.

The program consists of four components: student leader development, community partnerships, agricultural-embedded core curriculum and environmental sustainability. The school implemented a homegrown salad bar so that students have access to free fresh fruits and vegetables.

FRONTIER HIGH SCHOOL Frontier High School is a state-of-the-art, innovative high school campus that focuses on post-high school graduation preparatory programs. Students have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, industry-recognized certificate, professional licensure and college hours.

The school immerses 11th and 12th-graders in a unique setting where students engage in project-based activities, internship programs and career-specific objectives.

EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL The mission of the Tarrant County College (TCC) Southeast Early College High School at Timberview is to develop scholars, thoughtful leaders and productive citizens who graduate with a high school diploma and up to 60 hours of college credit and/or an associate degree.

Students in the program are saturated with a college-going culture in all courses and receive the resources possible to succeed in their choice of higher education.

Education Notebook

Mansfield ISD’s ‘Dr. V’ named among top superintendents Mansfield ISD Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, affectionately known as “Dr. V,” was a top-five finalist for Superintendent of the Year in the state of Texas.

The award, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), recognizes exemplary superintendents for excellence and achievement in educational leadership.

Dr. Vaszauskas won the regional award in July and was among the finalists who

were honored last month at the TASB awards ceremony in Dallas.

The state selection committee, which interviewed regional winners in late August, targeted such issues as advocacy efforts during the regular and special sessions and the importance of all staff members’ contributions to a district’s success. The committee also explored the ever-changing challenges facing education leaders as they focus on initiatives and

Eight AISD students named as National Merit semifinalists Eight Arlington ISD seniors were recently named semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Isaac James from Arlington High School, Wei-Chen Huang and Karen Yang from Lamar High School, and Calvin Birchall-Roman, Nicholas Chin, Brock Moore, Abram Qui and Brandon Swinney from Martin High School are among the AISD honorees.

The National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships available to those students who take the PSAT and meet published requirements.

Of the 1.5 million entrants, approximately 16,000 students are identified as semifinalists.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • November 2017 • arlingtontoday.com

programs that truly benefit students.

Dr. Vaszauskas serves approximately 34,500 students in Mansfield ISD and has 17 years of administrative experience. He has led the district for four years.

The committee cited his focus on a clear, simplified strategic plan to attain district goals. Also noted were his emphasis on district transparency for the community and communication with lawmakers.

Dr. Jim Vaszauskas

City initiative shows support of quality education in Arlington In an effort to help Arlington residents know that the Arlington City Council has made “Support Quality Education” a key priority for the work in the city, the council has created a Support Quality Education Newsletter that highlights education news and events of importance to local residents.

“Public education that produces graduates who are prepared for future success provides the foundation for a strong Arlington community,” Mayor Jeff Williams says.

To help bring awareness to the quality education in the city, the latest Support Quality Education Newsletter contains stories about the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and art and essay contests, the valuable work of the Mayor’s Youth Commis-

sion and Arlington Public Library educational programs that are beneficial to both youth and adults.

The newsletter notes how the city sponsors the MLK Youth Musical Extravaganza, the MLK Day of Service and the art and essay contests focused on the work of the late civil rights activist.

Based on this year’s theme of “Continuing the Dream: Moving Toward Unity, Justice and Peace,” students could win $500, $750 or $1,000 scholarships by submitting entries by 5 p.m. on Nov. 17.

The MLK Art Contest is open to junior high and high school students, and the MLK Essay Contest is open to high school seniors. Contest rules are on the website: arlington-tex.gov/mlk.

Grand Prairie ISD will host 7th annual GPISD Experience Photo: AISD

Arlington ISD enters partnership for districtwide Asthma 411 program The Arlington ISD has partnered with Cook Children’s, the UNT Health Science Center and JPS Health for the 2017-2018 school year to participate in the Asthma 411 program, a three-part program that includes access to rescue medication, enhanced school management and support/comprehensive prevention.

Cook Children’s has donated supplies so that each AISD campus will be well supplied in case of an asthma emergency.

Due to the potential for exacerbations of asthma, reactive airway or respiratory distress that could lead to serious injury or death, the Arlington ISD has had an emergency albuterol program for more than 10 years.

This program has allowed AISD nurses to have emergency albuterol to administer to a distressed student following the orders of our medical director to go along with activating the EMS system.

Under the Asthma 411 program, students who experience respiratory distress at school will have access to emergency albuterol, and, if they stabilize and are healthy enough to return to class, EMS will not be activated. If they do not stabilize, EMS will be activated. Nurses will follow the emergency orders of the AISD medical director in administering the emergency albuterol.

Parents will be called prior to administration except in situations where the student is in danger and seconds count.

Grand Prairie ISD, which was named the Outstanding Large District in Texas at the 2017 HEB Excellence in Education awards program last May, is hosting the 7th Annual GPISD Experience from 9 a.m.-noon on Nov. 11.

The event will be held at Dubiski Career High School (2990 South Highway 161 in Grand Prairie). Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the Kaleidoscope Schools and Programs of Choice available to GPISD students and their families.

Experience will feature a variety of activities and perks, including free hot dogs, concessions stands and food truck cuisine, carnival games, cosmetology services, a petting zoo, a trolley train, a DJ and more.

Grand Prairie ISD is an open enrollment district, which means any student in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex can apply to attend GPISD for free.

The event includes a variety of fun activities for the whole family.

For more: http://ow.ly/6KrZ30fVSSV.

GPISD has three National Merit semifinalists Three Grand Prairie ISD students have been named National Merit Semifinalists. The students are Katherine Cowden of Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, Edgar Hernandez

of Dubiski Career High School and Brandon Tran of South Grand Prairie High School.

They each are eligible to compete for one of 7,500 scholarships given nationwide.

Construction of the classroom addition at Ellis Elementary will provide two STEM labs and more.

Photo: AISD

Ellis classroom addition taking shape Construction of the new bond-funded classroom addition at Arlington ISD’s Ellis Elementary has gone vertical with masonry walls.

The addition will house two STEM labs, a strings room and music room.

Many other bond projects at Ellis

Elementary were completed last spring and summer, including the addition of a front-entrance security vestibule, a new gym floor and many other life-cycle and deficiency upgrades. Outside the building, parking was added, and the existing lot was resurfaced and restriped.

MISD has 6 National Merit semifinalists Six Mansfield ISD seniors are in the less than 1 percent of high school students in the U.S. to be named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists.

Ryan King and Nathan Haslam of Legacy High School, Kayla Nguyen and Hayley Ullman of Mansfield High School, Nicholas Vo of Lake Ridge High School and Jacob

Weaver of Summit High School were named semifinalists. The distinction is given by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation based on top scores on the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

In February, 15,000 of the semifinalists nationwide will be named finalists. arlingtontoday.com • November 2017 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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