Denton ISD

Students planning murder mystery dinner

The students of the LaGrone Advanced Technology Complex are sponsoring their last murder mystery dinner of the school year at 7 p.m. Thursday at the complex, 1504 Long Road, next to C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.

Tickets are $20 for one person or $35 for two. The menu includes fruit and yogurt salad, grilled chicken breast, diced potatoes and asparagus stalks.

Criminal justice students wrote the plot. Culinary art students will prepare the meal, instructed by Paul Niles and Robert Sayne. The media technology class, instructed by Chris Vochoska, will do the technical production. Advertising design students are preparing the program, with Dena Moss as the instructor.

For more information, call 940-369-4850.

Benefit golf tournament planned for May 5

The second annual “Pay-It-Forward” Golf Tournament will start at 9 a.m. Monday, May 5, at the Oakmont Country Club in Corinth. The tournament benefits students in Denton school district who are blind and visually im­paired. Registration for the four-person scramble tournament, which includes breakfast and lunch, is $100 per person or $350 for a team of four.

Funds raised from this tournament will provide opportunities that would not otherwise be available to students, said coordinator Lisa Hanson, with the district’s special education department.

The tournament, with the theme “Fies­ta on the Fairway,” in­cludes several individual contests.

Proceeds will be used to send children and staff to a one-week developmental sports camp, which provides comprehensive one-on-one instructional situations for each child. Funds also will be used to purchase disability-specific sports equipment for the visually impaired students.

“Because children with visual impairments have been shown to have lower levels of health-related physical fitness than their peers, the sports camp plays a vital role in reinforcing each child’s self-esteem and confidence in his or her ability to master specific sports, recreational and social activities,” Han­son said in a news release.

Campers participate in physical activities including judo, track and field, goal ball, beep baseball, tandem biking, swimming, gymnastics, fishing, kayaking, showdown and bowling.

The tournament is a collaborative effort between Denton ISD Program for Students who are Visually Impaired, Denton ISD Adapted Physical Education Department and the Denton Public School Foundation.

For more information, call 940-369-4098.

Teachers of the Year honored by board

Members of the Teachers Com­munications Committee of the Denton school district have named 28 outstanding educators as Jostens Teachers of the Year.

These teachers were honored at a special presentation by the board of trustees at a reception and open house Tuesday in the Professional Development Cen­ter, 1212 Bolivar St.

Jostens was added to the name of the award after company officials asked to honor all the schools’ Teachers of the Year by donating a gold ring to each honoree, a donation valued at more than $20,000.

Another company, San Bay Studios, has created a special T-shirt to give to all the Teachers of the Year.

The elementary teachers of the year are: Borman fourth-grade teacher Michelle Trietsch; Evers fourth-grade teacher Angela Cope; Ginnings fourth-grade teacher Carrie Layton; Hawk physical education teacher Paul­ette Layfield; Hodge Reading Recovery teacher Marcella But­ler; Houston P.E. teacher Anita Reeves; Lee third-grade teacher Janie Phillips; McNair special education teacher Cindy Greer; Nelson first-grade teacher Katie Brown; Paloma Creek fourth-grade teacher Mark Moseley; Pecan Creek fourth-grade teacher Natalie Mead; Providence fifth-grade teacher Kim Kirkland; E.P. Rayzor art teacher Heather White; Newton Rayzor fifth-grade teacher Debbie Naylor; Rivera fifth-grade teacher Angie Feldman; W.S. Ryan second-grade teacher Elisha Bomar; Savannah kindergarten teacher Cyndi Morgan; and Wilson first-grade teacher Felicita “Jenny” Aloyo. At the Ann Windle School for Young Children, the honor went to pre-kindergarten teacher Erika Zellers.

The secondary teachers of the year include: Calhoun Middle School resource language arts teacher Stacy Archer; Crownover Middle School eighth-grade business education teacher Danna Taylor; McMath Middle School eighth-grade teacher Mary Helen Schlesinger; Navo Middle School sixth-grade reading teacher Rebecca Baker; Strickland Mid­dle School special education teacher Rene Thompson; Denton High School English as a second language teacher William Slade; Guyer High School print librarian Doug Woods; Ryan High School math teacher Shanna Hardesty; and J.D. Sparks social studies teacher Jennifer Wyman.

Agencies to attend May 1 transition fair

The Denton school district’s Special Education Department is planning its annual Agency Transition Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at the Advanced Technology Complex, 1504 Long Road.

There will be a hot dog dinner from 5 to 6 p.m., giving parents and staff an opportunity to view the booths and mingle. Re­pre­sentatives from many agencies will be present to answer questions and share information.

The fair, which includes several informational workshops, is open to the public, and is especially geared toward parents of children of all ages with special needs.

Agencies represented will in­clude Social Security, Asso­cia­tion for Independent Living, Ready Start, People’s Clinic, Den­ton Coun­ty Mental Health/Men­tal Retardation, Denton Dyna­mos, WorkForce, Denton County Trans­portation Authority, The Alliance, CCD Counseling and Family Tree Program, Denton County Federation of Families, Probate Court, Life Planning for Special Needs Students and others.

For more information, call 940-369-0135.

Fifth-grade meeting scheduled for May 5

Fifth-grade parents will have an opportunity to learn about their child’s upcoming middle school experience from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 5, at the Denton school district’s Fifth-Grade Parent Night.

Parents can meet the principal, learn about elective choices and the team concept, and discuss the transition to middle school. Events will be conducted at each middle school campus. For students who will be attending the new Harpool Middle School, parents will meet at E.P. Rayzor Elementary School, 377 Rayzor Road in Lantana.

Parents can contact their child’s future middle school for more information: Calhoun, 940-369-2400; Crownover, 940-369-4700; McMath, 940-369-3300; Navo, 972-347-7500; and Strick­land, 940-369-4200.

Denton High School

Junior ROTC scores high on evaluation

Denton High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program was recently evaluated as “exceeds standards.” Col. Michael Dash and Sgt. David Ashcraft, who lead the program, were responsible for preparing their students for the award.

Evers Park Elementary

School plans carnival for Cinco de Mayo

Students and staff at Evers Park Elementary School are celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a carnival from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the school, 3300 Evers Parkway.

There will be carnival games, a Mexican dinner, silent auction items and T-shirts for sale. For entertainment, the Evers Park Choir, Navo Steppers and Wilson Ballet Folklorico will perform.

For more information, call 940-369-2600.

E.P. Rayzor Elementary

Students to be on Junior Master Gardener site

The students at E.P. Rayzor Elementary will be featured on the Junior Master Gardeners Web site for May. The first-, second- and fifth-grade classes will be featured for the accomplishments they have made as a Junior Master Gardeners campus.

Last fall, E.P. Rayzor registered to be the first Junior Master Gardeners School in the Denton school district. All grade levels participated in the outdoor learning raised beds built by the fifth-grade science classes.

Parents, Denton County Mas­ter Gardener volunteers and the Outdoor Learning Committee organized the raised-bed project so the fifth-graders could build the beds during science class. The third-grade team im­plemented environmental and plant growth and development activities into the core curriculum.

Teachers Lisa Hanley and Debbie Parrish worked with their students and the school alongside Master Gardeners and Outdoor Learning Committee chairwoman Sheryl Rycklebusch to provide an environmental science connection through the Junior Master Gardeners curriculum.

The Junior Master Gardeners, an international youth gardening program, was directed locally by Jenny Estes and fellow Denton County Master Gardeners.

For more information, visit www.jmgkids.us.

Savannah Elementary

Savannah students observing Earth Day

Students at Savannah Ele­men­tary School have been conducting various activities to observe Earth Day, culminating with an assembly at 1:45 p.m. Friday.

The assembly includes a recycled fashion show, “From Junk to Funk.” Rex, the city’s recycling mascot, will present certificates to winners of the school’s coloring and arts and crafts contests.

For more information, call 972-347-7400.

Strickland Middle School

Students collect 1,000 canned goods

Strickland Middle School students recently collected 1,019 food items and donated them to Vision Ministries.

Vision Ministries feeds struggling families and the homeless in Denton. Some teachers helped the food drive by offering extra credit, free homework passes, or “bonus bucks” for a can of food. The library allowed students to bring a can to replace 50 cents worth of library fines.

The collection was part of the Rachel’s Challenge program.

Liberty Christian School

Liberty Christian places in interscholastic contest

Liberty Christian School hosted almost 1,000 students in the District 2-AA Private Schools Interscholastic Association contest on March 29.

Students competed in a variety of categories, and Liberty placed third in the overall standings.

The following students ad­vanced to the association’s state meet: Ji Young Choi, Matthew Hulke, Emily Volk, Tiffany Lu, Chris Svatik, Will Kembel, Katie Dail, Erin Eubanks, Daniel Fife, Jacob Elliott, Cole Carrick, Ian Harber, Madie Hagen, Emmy Edwards, Jack Porter, Rugby Scruggs and Steven Murphy.

Liberty students take second with one-act play

Liberty Christian School junior high students took second place with their one-act play, James and the Giant Peach, at the Private Schools Interscholastic Association district contest at Liberty Christian School.

Other awards included Will Kembel, Best Actor at the meet; Hayley Shultze, Rising Star; Clara Burr-Lonnon, Rising Star; Garrett Dennis, All-Star Cast; and Daniel Fife, All-Star Cast honorable mention.

High school students enter essay contest

Liberty Christian high school students recently learned the results of their submissions to the America’s Foundation Essay Program.

Elected officials and dignitaries attended the awards ceremony April 14. Sen. Jane Nelson gave the welcoming address, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Denton County Commissioner Andy Eads. Denton County Judge Mary Horn told the story of her son, a Liberty graduate, who is serving in Iraq. U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess then addressed the students, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also addressed the students in a videotaped message.

Four students from each grade were selected to receive awards sponsored by area businesses. The winners were awarded a cash prize, with the winning seniors each receiving $1,000. Following the awards, state Rep. Tan Parker challenged the students to get involved with their government.

The topic of the essays was the responsibility of the U.S. Sup­reme Court.

The following students won aw­ards: freshmen Eliza­beth Doug­lass, Savannah Ewing, Tiff­any Sheffield and Jared Sut­ter; sophomores Kailey Claborn, Melissa Lacy, Hannah Terry and Courtney Zanetti; juniors Re­bec­ca Evans, Jared Gilli­land, Molly Joyce and Katie Willis; and seniors Michael Hamel, Megan Snead, Joshua Talbot and Alissa Teo.

The essay program was founded by Peyton and Jana Inge of Cross Texas Realty.