High Achievement Includes Athletics and Fine Arts Too

Since I started Focus Points, each post ties to our singular goal:  "high achievement for all students."   As we talk about high achievement to students, families, business leaders and community groups, we emphasize that high achievement in C-FB ISD is found in the three A's:  Academics, Arts and Athletics.

At each School Board meeting or work-study session, the team makes presentations focusing on student achievement data or student programs. At our June meeting, the athletic and fine arts departments gave their annual presentations. So you can see all the exciting news that Coach Renee Putter, Athletics Director, and Mr. Jim McDaniel, Fine Arts Executive Director, outlined,  I have included their PowerPoint presentations below.


2010-2011 a Banner Year


Fine Arts School Board Presentation 2011

We also recognized athletes and fine art students who excelled on the state and national levels.  You can see the photos from the School Board recognition below.

What an exceptional year for our athletic and fine arts departments!  We are extremely proud of the trophies, medals, and awards that our students, coaches and directors brought home to their respective schools and C-FB ISD.

However, what our students learned from their experiences is more important.  The College Board tells us that universities are interested in not only how students do inside the academic classroom but also outside as well.  That's why, we believe that comprehensive athletic and fine arts offerings are valuable to C-FB ISD's overall instructional program.

Other research tells us that participation in such groups creates a sense of team spirit and belonging, personal pride, an understanding of the value of fair play, an increased sense of honesty and trustworthiness. All of these traits dovetail into our district's seven character values: respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation and citizenship.

We also know that such involvement increases creativity, problem-solving, and the motivation to learn.  Every characteristic or trait mentioned is vital to being a successful, productive citizen of our community, state and nation.

While we value the success of our students in all athletic and fine arts endeavors, we salute the 22 Academic All-State Athletes and the 174 senior athletes who were offered the $6,188,499 in scholarships.  We also recognize the Fine Art seniors who received $10,168,415 in scholarship offers.  We wish them the best as they continue their education with these scholarships.

We have had much success this school year in many areas -- especially in athletics and fine arts. Thank you for your effort, your dedication, your commitment to purpose, and your support of our district's goal of high achievement.

Well done, Class of 2011

As C-FB ISD superintendent, I have the opportunity to participate in many activities during the school year. Some of the most enjoyable events are those involving the senior classes of our high schools.

Newman Smith Valedictorian
Kathy Chan,
Dr. Burns

Newman Smith Salutatorian
Fabiola Davila

Each high school hosts a Senior Honors Breakfast to announce the Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Later in the spring, we have Senior Walks where scholarships, special awards and other tributes are announced. And finally, the big day arrives: Graduation.




 

I along with the Board of Trustees watch with parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and educators as our high school seniors walk across the stage and receive their high school diplomas. What an exciting day! There are many stories of dedication and effort in the Class of 2011.

Dr. Burns,

Turner Valedictorian Arafel Bruce,

Principal Georgeanne Warnock

Turner Salutatorian Ann Lee

Although our 1,732 seniors have just finished their public education, their learning is just beginning. It doesn't matter whether they are off to college, to work or to serve their country, they will always be learning. Research tells us that this generation will not just change jobs but will change careers as many as five to six times during their lifetimes.

As our district goal indicates "high achievement for all students," we need to celebrate the work of this year's class. This class has earned just over $27.1 million in scholarships. We also want to thank the local community for giving more than $800,000 in scholarships. We value the support of our local stakeholders in our school district.

Ranchview Salutatorian Jenny Lee

Ranchview principal David Hicks,

Valedictorian Jessica Chun,

Dr. Burns

We also want to recognize the 39 graduates who are entering the armed services, and the nine who have received appointments to one of the military academies. We appreciate the thousands and thousands of men and women who are inspired to serve our country. We wish these C-FB ISD graduates well as they join the others who protect and serve our country.

Dr. Burns,
Creekview Valedictorian Elizabeth Campbell,
Principal Joe LaPuma

Creekview Salutatorian Jerry So

While we salute all of our 2011 graduates, we recognize the valedictorians and salutatorians of our five high schools. They have "risen to the top." What is so amazing about these 10 scholars is they just don't hit the books 24/7. They are involved in their schools and their communities. They live the quote of Mahatma Gandhi, "The future depends upon what we do in the    present."

ECHS Salutatorian Eric Stecker

Dr. Burns,
ECHS Valedictorian Janice Altamirano,
Principal Rosie Oliveira

You may not realize this, but we have a fifth high school, Early College High School (ECHS). ECHS is part of the Brookhaven College campus. ECHS opened in 2006 and is an educational choice open to C-FB ISD students who are entering the ninth grade. Part of the Texas High School Project, ECHS helps students earn two years of college credit tuition-free while earning a high school diploma. This year, 29 ECHS students graduated from Brookhaven College the same year they received their high school diploma from C-FB ISD. We also had ECHS students earn college credits but not completing an associate degree.

Tony Wagner, the Harvard-based education expert, often says that we are living in knowledge economy. We in C-FB ISD have only goal: “high achievement for all students.” And, we hope that we have instilled in our graduates a passion for learning, and the importance of continuous improvement. If we have done that, the graduates of 2011 will never cease to grow and learn.

Thank You, C-FB ISD Educational Team & Volunteers

We have had an extremely successful school year filled with many achievements and accomplishments. The Board of Trustees and I thank you for your hard work and determination; that is why we hosted the first Innovation Celebration at the Historic Downtown Carrollton Square in mid-May. 





We wanted C-FB ISD team members to know how we much appreciate your commitment to the district’s goal of high achievement for all students. And, we wanted our volunteers to know how much we value the time that they give to our school district.  You are making this community a great place to work and live.

We had fun visiting with the C-FB ISD educational family and the business owners of downtown Carrollton.  We also had a great afternoon of entertainment, and we enjoyed the ice cream provided by our partner Blue Bell Ice Cream.  Our younger guests showed their artistic talents with sidewalk chalk.

Thank you to the following student performers and their directors:

• Ranchview Band
• Creekview Chevals
• Tom Landry Step Team
• R. L. Turner Show Choir
• Blalack Step Team
• Newman Smith Jazz Band

Students from R. L. Turner High School's METSA (Math, Engineering, Technology and Science Academy) came out to demonstrate their projects.

We thank our partners who helped with the event:

Thanks to the Downtown Carrollton businesses for supporting our event. 

Thank you, DART for providing transportation on the Green Line and the exciting information about transportation.



Thank you, Blue Bell Ice Cream for the delicious treats.

Journalist/historian Henry B. Adams was correct when he wrote: “A teacher affects eternity he can never tell, where his influence stops.”  At the heart of any effective public school system are classroom teachers. Teaching is the most valuable profession that an individual can chose.

Regardless of their roles or assignments, every staff member helps with student achievement. Without them, we could not meet the four strategic objectives that help us meet our goal of high student achievement of all students.

In C-FB ISD, volunteers assist us in many ways.  They support our schools by working in the libraries, in the classrooms, or on special projects.  In our secondary schools, our parents and family members run special booster organizations for our fine arts and athletic programs. 

Parents, family members and friends take an active role in PTA and PTSA along side our staff.  The business partners who come in to support our schools  as well as service clubs give our students such a boost academically and socially.

The Board of Trustees and I thank the C-FB ISD educational team and volunteers for a great 2010-2011 school year.  Thank you for joining us at our first Celebration in Downtown Carrollton.  We are in the process of planning next year's event.  We will have the details for you when you get back to school in August.

To see more of our first Celebration, click here: Innovation Celebration Photos on Flickr
To see video testimonials from the Celebration, click here: Innovation Day Celebration Testimonials

We wish everyone in C-FB ISD a great summer!