alief shadowPoints of Pride

Kerr High School received a check for $25,000 for placing second in the State Farm Celebrate My Drive contest. The check was presented to the Student Council members who helped promote this event and then broadcast on the afternoon announcements.

Cummings Elementary received a donation of 17 guitars from Music Doing Good in Schools, Inc. The organization is also working with 32 students in an after-school performing arts program, where they are learning singing, dancing and acting. They will perform their musical production, Mostly Blues, on May 16, 2014 at the Hobby Center.

Collins Elementary provided a Thanksgiving plate for more than 300 people at the Star of Hope Mission on Thanksgiving Day. The campus Penny Drop donation raised $540 towards this effort.

Career and Technical Education Coordinator Kimberly Crow and Public Relations Specialist Craig Eichhorn are members of the 2013 graduating class of the West Houston Leadership Institute. Sponsored by the Houston West Chamber of Commerce, its purpose is to train and develop leadership in the West Houston community.

Smith Elementary Math Specialist Dr. Justin Burris’s article was published in the November 2013 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. The article, “Virtual Place Value,” compares how third graders think mathematically when using virtual versus concrete base-ten blocks to learn place-value concepts.

Fine Arts News:

* Hastings High School student Steven Gu placed second chair in the Texas Music Educator Association’s (TMEA) Region 23 Symphony Orchestra and placed 8th in the entire state of Texas. He will be participating in the TMEA Symphony Orchestra at the upcoming convention in February.

* Hastings Speech and Theatre Festival:

* The Killough Middle School Speech and Theatre team received the first place Sweepstakes trophy. Papa Afrane received the Best Actor Award, and Michelle Giron was named Best Actress.

* Albright Middle School received the second place Sweepstakes.

* The Taylor High School Speech & Debate Team had a first place win in Varsity Prose (Adeteju Adeniji), third place win in Varsity Foreign Extemp (Aditi Busgeeth), and a third place win in Humorous Interpretation (Adeniji), at the James E. Taylor High School Invitational Forensics Tournament.

Athletic News:

* Congratulations to Alief ISD’s Scholar Athletes for November:

* Sade Olonade is a senior representing the Hastings basketball program. She is a two-year varsity letterman and is also a member of the track team, photography program and DECA.

* Benjamin Ikwuagwu is presently a senior representing the Elsik football program. Ikwuagwu is a two-year starter for the football team as an offensive tackle and has also lettered for two years in tennis. He has received All State accolades in choir and is the President of the Senior Class. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Math National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, HOSA, Leo and Student Council.