Update for the Alief ISD Education Foundation’s Pay It Forward campaign: The campuses with the highest percentage of staff participation are Crossroads, Bush Elementary, Collins Elementary, Budewig Intermediate, Taylor High School and Elsik Ninth Grade Center. We will be looking forward to adding more schools to this list.

More than 260 Alief ISD staff members are receiving the Perfect Attendance Award. The award is based on attendance during the 2013-14 school year. In terms of the highest number of staff with perfect attendance for campuses and departments, Elsik High School and the Nutrition Department came out on top.

Kerr High School sent 25 choir students to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State district competition. Out of the 25 students who sang, 21 passed with high ranks. Approximately 500 students from Region 23 (Katy ISD, Houston ISD and Alief ISD) attended this audition, and region auditions will be on November 1. The following students made the top 10 in their section:

* Soprano 1 – Jennifer Haro, 5th chair
* Soprano 2 – Charlie Grisson, 10th chair
* Tenor 1 – Hoang Nguyen, 6th chair
* Tenor 1 – Khuong Nguyen, 7th chair
* Tenor 2 – Hasan Nguyen, 8th chair

Alief ISD students and staff will be starring in two City Lights Theater productions. Martin Elementary student Jacob Garcia will be starring as Fyero in the youth production of Wicked. Taylor High School student Tepanga Fontenot, Kerr High School student Melissa Ramos, Hicks Elementary assistant principal Lizette Zeren, Hastings High School teacher Olga Scisco, Horn Elementary counselor Tamikia Reed and Collins Elementary SEMS Clerk Marsha Alston will also be starring in The Addams Family The Musical. Both productions will be directed and choreographed by Taylor High School SEMS Clerk Monroe Moore.

Elsik High School head football coach and campus athletic director Bill Barron was named the Houston Texans Coach of the Week for the Rams’ performance during Week 4. Weekly winners receive certificates signed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Texans coach Bill O’Brien, a Coach of the Week hat and a $1,000 grant to their respective football programs. Under his 19 years of leadership, the Mighty Rams have competed in the state playoffs more than a dozen times.

Landis Elementary Principal Chris Pichon was selected to lead a workshop at the Annual Advancing Improvement in Education Conference. The workshop is entitled Collaborative Leadership for Equity in Urban Schools.

O’Donnell Middle School orchestra instructor Dr. Rick Spitz is currently performing with the Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) Orchestra in its current production of Victor Victoria.