2012marksthefirstyearforNorthwestISDtograduateseniorsfromthreehighschools.OnJune5,parents,friends,and facultywatchedas383ByronNelsonHighSchoolse-

niorsand463NorthwestHigh School seniorscrossedthestageattheUniversityofNorthTexasColiseuminDenton. Byron Nelson HighSchoolvaledictorianRe-becca Ryan reflects ontheBobcat’sfirstgradu-atingclass.“It’sanhon-or tobenamed thefirstvaledictorian for ByronNelson High School,”Ryan says. “We really

builtthisschooltogetherthepastfouryears,andIfeelclosetoallthestudents.I’mtrulyhonored.” JamesM.SteeleAcceleratedHighSchoolhelditscom-mencement ceremony honoring 25 graduates on June 4.Steelewasestablishedforstudentswithadesiretoacceler-atetheirdegreeplan,andsinceopeningitsdoorstwoyears

ago,thecampushasgraduatedmorethan75students. SeniorsfromthethreeNorthwestISDhighschoolcam-pusesearnedacombinedtotalofmorethan$14millioninscholarships. NorthwestISD’svisionistobethebestandmostsought-afterschooldis-

trict whereevery stu-dentisfutureready: readyfor college,ready forthe globalworkp lace,and readyfor personalsuccess. Congratulationstotheclassof2012 for completing an importantsteptowardthefutureandforcon-tinuing the journey to pursue life-longlearning.

NISD Celebrates Class of 2012, Grads Earn $14M in Scholarships

NorthwestISDPromotesTalentedStafftoLeadThreeSchoolsTheNorthwestISDadministrationandBoardofTrusteesnamedprincipalsforthreeschools:

NorthwestHighSchool,MedlinMiddleSchool,andJ.C.ThompsonElementarySchool

Northwest High School JasonChildress,thenewprincipalofNorthwestHighSchoolisveryfamiliarwithNISD expectations. Hecurrently serves as an as-sistant principal at NISD’sByronNelsonHighSchool,and he was the eighth-gradeleadscienceteacheratNISD’sChisholmTrailMid-dleSchool. He has also taught and

coachedinSangerandintheCarrollschooldistrictwherehewasrecognizedforteachingexcellenceandwonthreestatechampi-onshipsasafootballcoach. “Ilookforwardtodevelopingrelationshipswiththestaffandcommunity,andIcan’twaittobeginbuildingonthealreadystrongfoundationthat’sinplace,”saidChildress.

Medlin Middle School EricDrewerywilltakethehelmatMedlinMiddleSchoolwherehehasservedasanassistantprincipalsince2008.“Iknowthestaff,theparentsandmostimportantly,Iknowthestudents,”saidDrewery.“Thiswillbeasmoothtransi-tionforeveryone.” HehaspreviouslyworkedinKatyISDandStaffordMu-nicipal School District. Drewery has abackgroundinsocialworkandcoun-seling.J.C. Thompson Elementary School Prior to her assistant principal po-sitions, Leigh Anne Romer was theCampus Instructional Teacher at

Medlin Middle School where she had alsoworkedasaspecialeducationteacher.ShealsotaughtinDallasforsevenyears. “Ilookforwardtobuildingstrongpart-nershipswitheachmemberoftheThompsonlearningcommunity,”saidRomer.

BNHS valedictorian Rebecca Ryan (left) will attend Villanova University, and salutato-rian Rachel Fusselman (right) will attend Austin College in the fall.

NISD School Board President Mel Fuller presents Steele Accelerated High School top graduate Micah Larsen her diploma.

Superintendent Karen G. Rue, Ed.D. congratulates Northwest High School valedictorian An-thony Cava. Cava will attend Carleton College in Minnesota.

Leigh Anne Romer Principal

J.C. Thompson Elementary School

Jason Childress Principal

Northwest High School

Eric DreweryPrincipal

Medlin Middle School

Three NISD schools have been

recognized as Pearson NationalModel Schools: Chisholm Trail Mid-dle School, Seven Hills Elementary,andClaraLoveElementary. This program recognizes schoolsthat have successfully implementedschool-wideimprovementeffortstore-duce theachievementgapandmakehighacademicstandardsa reality forallstudents.

Schools designated as NationalModelSchoolsserveastopexamplesforschoolsacrossthecountry.

NISD Leads Nation in Technology, Named Among Top 10 Digital School Districts

As the recipient of numeroustechnology awards, Northwest ISDis considered an innovative leaderacrossthenationinitsusesoftech-nology, providing students with col-lege-andcareer-readyopportunities.

Northwest ISD recently placedseventh in the large student popu-lation district category for the Digi-tal School Districts Survey Awards.Thestudyexaminesanddocumentsschool boards and districts’ onlinepresence,interactivetechnologyap-plications with school board mem-bers, administrators and teachers,aswellastheiraccesstoinformationsuchasschoolboardmeetings,pol-icies, and technology use in class-rooms.

NISD was recognized at a re-ceptioninBostonduringtheNationalSchool Boards Association AnnualConference.

NISD Schools Lead by ExampleThree NISD Schools Recognized as National Model Schools

Gene Pike Middle School Named Texas “School to Watch”

NISD Student Wins Chevy Camaro

NorthwestHighSchoolfreshmanMattBoydwona2012ChevyCamaroattheannualStriveNDriveCarGive-away. Boyd’sticketwasoneof25drawnfromthehopper.Theother24studentsreceivednewDellInspirionlaptops.Stu-dentsearnedticketsthroughouttheyearforacademicsuccessandgoodatten-dance.Fromthe237,811ticketsissued,3,936studentsqualifiedforthedrawing.

The2012NISDStriveNDriveCarGiveawaywasmadepossiblethroughacooperativerelationshipbetweenMoritzChevrolet,Dell,IESI,andtheNISDPart-nersinEducationprogram.

Executives from Pearson’s national office traveled to NISD to present three schools with the coveted National Model School flag and plaque. NISD’s Chisholm Trail is the first middle school in the nation to receive this designation.

District officials, campus leaders, and students are pictured holding the Texas “Schools to Watch” banner at Gene Pike Middle School. The campus celebrat-ed being a 2012 “Schools to Watch” with a special assembly in May.

GenePikeMiddleSchoolisoneofsix middle schools in Texas named a“SchooltoWatch.”PikeMiddleSchoolwas selected forits academic ex-cellence, beingresponsive to theneeds and inter-ests of students,anda commitmentto helping all stu-dents achieve athighlevels.

As a “School toWatch,” Pike Mid-dle School wasfeaturedat thean-nual Texas Middle

School Association (TMSA) in Marchand will be recognized in June at theNationalSchoolstoWatchConference

inWashington,D.C. Texas currentlyhas 17 "Schools toWatch,” and GenePike and ChisholmTrailmiddle schoolsbelongtothispresti-giousgroup. NISDofficialsat-tribute this honorto focusing on ac-ademic growth andachievement of stu-dents.

Northwest High School freshman Matt Boyd gives a thumbs-up in his brand new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro at the 2012 Northwest ISD Strive N Drive Car Giveaway.

24 Students Win Dell Insprion Laptops

Techno Expo Proves Successful

InMarch,thedistricthostedthesecondannualTechnoExpoprovid-ingmore than 600 students an op-portunitytoshowcasetheirtechnolo-gyskillsandinnovativedesigns.

Fromdigitalvideotowebsitede-sign,selectedstudentworkwaspre-sentedtothecommunityduringmorethan250breakoutsessions. Inad-dition,30teacherspresentedmodellessons and showed examples ofstudentworkintheclassroom.

Kay Granger Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Roy Peacock demonstrates his use of netSchool, NISD’s online classroom manage-ment system.

Northwest ISD Recognizes 600 Students at Board of Trustee Awards

Top Educators Honored at Inspire CelebrationMeredithCunninghamfromJ.C.ThompsonElementarySchoolwasnamed

ElementaryTeacherof theYearandAmyJoWagner fromByronNelsonHighSchoolwasnamedSecondaryTeacheroftheYearatthedistrict’ssecondannualInspireCelebrationinApril.CunninghamandWagnerwillcompeteinthestate

TeacheroftheYearcon-testthissummer.

“Iwouldchallengeanyonetotrytofindbet-ter teachers anywhereintheUnitedStates,be-causethat’showtalentedand dedicated you are,”SuperintendentKarenG.Rue,Ed.D.saidtoanau-dienceofabout200peo-pleatthecelebration.

TheInspirerecog-nition program was de-signed torecognizeandcelebrate dedicatededucatorsandsupportstaff for the importantcontributions they make

tothestudentsandcommunityofNISD.ExemplarEducatorswereselectedfrom23campusesbasedontheirleadership,motivationandeffectiveness i n t h eclassroom.

“I am so proud ofthese23ExemplarEd-ucators and the worktheydo,whichsetsanex-ampleforusandinspiresus all,” said AssistantSuperintendent for Cur-riculum and InstructionEdwardChevallier.

Northwest ISDalsorecognized its threeEmployees of the Year,retirees, and 25-yearand 30-year serviceawardrecipients.

Northwest ISD Recognizes 600 Students at Board of Trustee Awards TheNorthwestISDBoardofTrustees

honored the district’s top students fortheir achievements in regional, state,nationalandinternationalcompetitionsonMay24.Morethan600studentsre-ceivedawardsfortheirefforts.

NISD Board Member Daryl Laney,D.C.,presentsNorthwestHighSchoolstudent Megan Graves with a Trust-ee Award of Excellence medallion.Graves was selected as anAll StateChoirmemberthisyearandisthefirstfemalefreshmantomaketheAllStateChoiratNorthwestHighSchool.

ByronNelsonHighSchoolSpeechandDebateCoachBrianSimpsonispicturedwithMattMarxer(left)andEricPool(right)attheannualBoardofTrusteeAwards.Poolistheper-suasivespeakingstatechampion,andMarxeristhestatechampionintheLincolnDouglasDebate.TheBNHSdebateteamwonthe4Astatechampi-onshipinMay.

Secondary Teacher of the Year Amy Jo Wagner (left) poses with Superintendent Karen G. Rue, Ed.D. and Elementary Teacher of the Year Meredith Cunningham (right) at the annual Inspire Celebration.

Teachers of the Year Meredith Cunningham and Amy Jo Wagner (front row) are pictured with Exemplar Educators representing 23 campuses in Northwest ISD.

NISD employs more than 1,800 talented staff mem-bers and the Employees of the Year are selected for a number of criteria after being nominated by their peers or supervisors. Pictured from left to right are NISD School Board Secretary Mark Schluter, Sup-port Services Employee of the Year Jami Alford, Instructional Support Employee of the Year Mario Rondon, Administrative Support Employee of the Year Julie Meek, and Superinten-dent Karen G. Rue, Ed.D.

“SonofaBiscuit!”-It’stheca-sual dining restaurant concept fea-turing breakfast foods that has therestaurantnationtalking.Teamsfrom47 states and territories participatedin the National ProStart InvitationalCulinary Arts and Restaurant Man-agement competition this spring inMaryland,andtheByronNelsonHighSchool restaurantmanagement teamwasnamedNationalChampions.

NathanHall,AgronMena,andTren-ton Shank designed a hypotheticalrestaurant, “Son of a Biscuit,” whichservesonlybreakfastandlunch.Thisunique menu with fair prices wouldfeatureitemslikesoutherneggsben-edict,fitasafiddleomelets,andcin-namon son of a biscuit. The teamdeveloped a written proposal, visualdisplay,andaverbalpresentationtoapanelofjudges.Theteamhasalreadyreceivednumerousscholarshipoffersranging from a few thousand dollarsto $45,000 from New England Culi-naryInstituteandafullscholarshipat

anyLeCordonBleuinNorthAmerica.The young restaurateurs will appearinAustintoberecognizedbytheTex-as Restaurant Association Board ofDirectors this summer andwill traveltoWashington,D.C. inJune tomeetelectedofficialsand tour thenation’scapital.

Facilitator Steve DeShazo hasbeennamedthe2012EducatoroftheYearbytheDallasChapteroftheTex-asChefsAssociation. InAugust, hewillberecognizedduringthechapter’sannualawardsluncheoninTyler.

TheAcademyofCulinaryArtsandHospitalityisoneoffourcareeracad-emiesofferedinNorthwestISD.TheAcademy of Culinary Arts and Hos-pitality and the Academy of MedicalProfessionsareofferedatByronNel-sonHighSchool,while theAcademyof Science, Technology Engineering,Mathematics andAcademy ofMediaArts and Technology are housed atNorthwestHighSchool.Afifthacade-myfocusingoncosmetologywillopen

atNISD’sJamesM.SteeleAccelerat-edHigh School inAugust. The dis-trict’snewestacademyisavailableforincomingninthandtenth-gradersandis currently seeking applicants. Formore information, go to www.nisdtx.org/cosmetology.

NISD Opens 5th Middle School in August, 3 Elementary Schools Receive Additions

Wilson Middle School NISD’s newest campus, Truett Wilson

Middle School, will open in the SenderaRanch development to relieve growth atChisholmTrailMiddleSchool.The district’sfifthmiddleschool,namedafterformerNISDsuperintendent Truett Wilson, is just over184,400 square feet and features state-of-the-artclassrooms,collaborativeinstructional

areas,alargecourtyard,threegymnasiums,andafull-sizedfootballfieldwithartificialturfandatrack.

Themascotandschoolcolors–purpleandblack–werechosenfromcommitteesmadeupofincomingWilsonMiddleSchoolstudentsandparents.

“I’m lookingforwardto theopportunity tobeapartofaneighborhood and community school,” said Principal MikeBlankenship.Theconstructionisnearcompletion,andWilsonMiddleSchoolisonscheduletoopeninAugust.

Elementary School Additions Duringthenextfouryears,nineelementaryschoolswill

receivebuildingadditions toaccommodate thegrowingen-rollmentthroughoutNISD.

InOctober 2011, theNorthwest ISDBoard ofTrusteesre-established the optimal capacity of elementary schoolswith450students to650,andelementaryschoolswith650studentsto850,beginningthisschoolyear.

BuildingadditionsatBeck,Granger,andRoanokebeganthisspring.Eachbuildingadditionincludesnewclassrooms,and the additions atRoanoke andGranger include expan-sions to thecafeteria,gymnasium,andplayground,aswellasnewfineartsclassroomsandstoragespace.Completionis expected before the start of the 2012-2013 school year.GrangerandRoanokeelementaryschoolswillstartthenewschool year with student capacity at 850, and the SamuelBeck Elementary School student capacity will grow to 650students.

Designatedfundsforelementaryschools18and19havebeen re-established for construction at these nine elemen-taryschools,saving thedistrictover$3million inoperatingfunds.

WithplansforanewelementaryschoolintheRoanokearea,NISDplanstopurchasepropertynearLitseyRoadby2013.

NISD Academy Students Win National Championship

Byron Nelson High School Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality students (from left to right) Trenton Shank, Agron Mena, and Nathan Hall are pictured at the National ProStart Invitational Culi-nary Arts and Restaurant Management competition.

Wilson Middle School, the district’s fifth middle school campus, will open in August with approximately 615 students.

Granger Recognized as Top Volunteer Campus for 2nd Consecutive Year

GrangerElementarySchoolhasbeennamedtheNorth-westISDPartnersinEducation(PIE)CampusoftheYearfor thesecondconsecutiveyear.Thecampus loggedap-proximately 12,280 volunteer hours fromAugust 2011 toMarch2012.

“WevaluethetimeandservicespentinourbuildingbytheGrangerElementaryvolunteers,”saidPrincipalKimmieEtheredge. “When I see thevolunteerswitness thesuc-cessofourstudents–thatiswhatit’sallabout.”

Thecurrentestimateforthevalueofavolunteerhouris$21.91,accordingtoIndependentSector,thenation’slarg-estnon-partisancoalitionofnonprofitorganizations. Thevolunteers of Granger Elementary have contributed theequivalentofroughly$269,054.80toNorthwestISD.

“InNorthwestISD,wehavetheopportunitytogrowcom-munitiesthroughvolunteerism,”saidSuperintendentKarenG.Rue,Ed.D.“IamsoproudoftheeffortsofGrangerEle-mentary.Theyhavetrulyraisedthebarandarecontinuingtobeagreatexampleforotherstofollow.”

TheNISDPartners in Education program values thesupportof theNorthwest ISDcommunity. NISDprovidesnumerousopportunitiestoengageparentsandthecommu-nityintheeducationofchildren.Currently,thedistricthas

morethan8,500approvedvolunteers. ForthoseinterestedinbecomingavolunteerinNorth-

west ISD, please visit www.nisdtx.org/volunteercheck tocompletetherequiredbackgroundcheck.

NISD officials commend the following organizations for their commitment to NISD students through a formal partnership with the school district:

NISD ‘Tools For School’ Supply Drive Underway

The NISDPartners inEducation pro-gram is onceagain helpingto ensure thatall NISD stu-dentshavethetoolstheyneedtobesuccess-fulbyholdingtheannualschoolsup-ply drive now through July 9.Here’showyoucanhelp:

• Purchase and deliver suppliestoanyoftheNISDdrop-offlocations.

•Organizeaschoolsupplydriveatyourcompany/organization.

•Makeatax-deductibledonationtopurchasebackpacksandsupplies.

•Volunteertohelppackback-packsandsuppliesJuly9-19,ordistributetoschoolsinearlyAugust.

Gotowww.nisdtx.org/toolsforschool toviewalistofneededsuppliesanddrop-offlocations.

1stAmericanPensionServicesAllianceCommunityFellowshipAuroraBaptistChurchAXAAdvisorsBabe’sBankofTexasBARAChurchBarnes&NobleBelkC&NFireSystemsCherylStewartStateFarmChick-fil-AatAllianceTownCenterChili’sCiCi’sPizzaColdwaterCreektheSpaCommunityStorehouseCousin’sBBQCrossTimbersChurchofKellerCrossroadsUMCDaVinciMedicalGroupDevonEnergyDFWMarriottatChampionsCircleFellowshipUnitedMethodistChurchFirstInvestorsCorp.FordWellnessCenterFuzzy’sTacoShopRoanoke

HoraceMannJuniorAchievementoftheChisholmTrailLakeCitiesChurchofChristLantzyChildren’sDentistryMacChurchhillAcuraMercedes-BenzFinancialServicesMiCocinaMoritzChevroletNorthgateChurchNorthwestMetroportChamberofCommerceNorthwestRetiredSchoolEmployeeAssociationPapaMurphey’sPizzaPeggyNelsonProsperityBank •RoanokeFoodPantryRoanokeMemorialLadiesAuxiliaryPost5074SeniorPortraitsPhotographySonnyBryan’sSt.PeterLutheranChurchTeachers’BenefitConsultantsTexasMotorSpeedwayTheSolanaClubVerizonWirelessPremiumRetailerWal-MartofDecaturWal-MartofRoanokeYogurtStory

2011-2012 Partners in Education

Volunteers from Kay Granger Elementary School received the “Circle of Teamwork” trophy for their dedication and efforts this school year. Pictured from left to right are Principal Kimmie Etheredge, Volunteer Coordinator Alisha Birch, PTA President Melody Cooley, Superintendent Karen G. Rue, Ed.D., and Partners in Education Specialist Phil Beckman.

NISD Launches Mobile Website

Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 1590

76161

POBox77070|FortWorth,TX76177www.nisdtx.org|817-215-0000

Northwest ISD is pleased to announce the launch of its mobile website. The condensed version of the district’s website offers convenient access to news, events, back-to-school information, and parent access to student grades and courses. To visit the site, navigate to www.nisdtx.org on your mobile device, or scan with your smartphone to check it out.

NISD Contracts with Champions for After-School Childcare at Elementary Schools

BeginninginAugust,allon-site,after-schoolchild-careinNorthwestISDwillbeprovidedbyChampionsExtendedLearning.Championshasbeentheon-sitechildcareproviderforsevenelementaryschoolsinNISD,andanagreementwiththeschooldistrictnowextendstheirprogramtoall16elementaryschools.Championswilloperateitsafter-schoolprogramonschooldaysfrom2:45to6:30p.m.andonotherdesignatedstudentholidays.Theymayalsoofferbefore-schoolcareifthereisaneedataparticularcampus.Formoreinformation,gotowww.discover-champions.comorcall1-800-350-5034.