DENTON ISD

Junior ROTC students to honor veterans

The Junior ROTC programs at Denton, Guyer and Ryan high schools each will host ceremonies to honor U.S. military veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

n Denton High School will hold a Veterans Day program at 9 a.m. in the school auditorium. There will be a musical presentation, and the DHS Air Force Junior ROTC will present the colors.

n The Guyer Air Force Junior ROTC color guard will have a flag ceremony at 8:30 a.m. in front of the school. Guyer cadets will march in mass formation and set the colors at half-staff to honor fallen military personnel. Tributes will be read, and a Guyer student will perform the national anthem. Cadets will close the ceremony by organizing in single-file and personally thanking all veterans present.

n The Ryan Air Force Junior ROTC will have three flag ceremonies throughout the day to honor U.S. veterans. A flag-raising ceremony will take place at Ryan at 8:30 a.m. in front of the school; trumpeters from the Ryan band will play taps, and members of the school choir will sing the national anthem. The Ryan color guard will present the colors at Ginnings Elementary School at 9 a.m. and will have a 2 p.m. flag-raising ceremony at Labinal Inc., 7701 S. Interstate 35E in Corinth.

All Denton County veterans are welcome to attend any of the ceremonies. Family, friends, co-workers and school district staff are encouraged to attend and show support for veterans and the Junior ROTC groups.

Trustees to dedicate renovated field house

Denton school district trustees will dedicate the renovated field house at Denton High School to longtime football coach Jim Bateman prior to Friday’s game against Little Elm.

The facility will be dedicated as the Jim Bateman Athletic Fieldhouse at a 6:30 p.m. ceremony before the game at Bronco Stadium.

The school board will host a reception prior to the dedication ceremony at 5:45 p.m. in the Bronco Team Room of the field house. All Bateman family guests and former Broncos players are welcome to attend the free activities.

For more information, contact Sharon Cox, DISD communications director, at 940-369-0006 or scox@dentonisd.org .

Special education workshop scheduled

The Denton school district’s special education department will host a workshop on guardianship for disabled students at the DISD Professional Development Center, 1212 Bolivar St., from 7 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12.

The workshop will feature guest speaker Missy Rainey from the Denton County probate court and an attorney will also answer legal questions.

Workshop admission is free and open to all parents.

For more information, contact Earline Jackson, transition specialist for the DISD special education department, at 940-369-0560 or ejackson@dentonisd.org .

Guyer High School

Theater department to stage ‘Peter Pan’

The Guyer High School theater arts department will present Peter Pan in the campus auditorium Friday, Saturday and Nov. 12-14.

School officials said the award-winning department is going to great lengths to stage a large-scale, Broadway-style production.

Guyer students and staff raised money to bring in Flying by Foy, the Las Vegas-based company that designed the flight sequences for the original Broadway production of Peter Pan.

Students created a two-story pirate ship, detailed nursery and an intricate Neverland, giving the set a professional feel.

“This is really special to me because I have the opportunity to fly, sing, dance and be around amazing friends I will have for a lifetime,” said senior Josylynn Reid, who plays Peter Pan. “Peter Pan is like a dream. We had the chance to perform to all of the first-graders in the Denton ISD. This may be, for some of them, the only piece of theater they see their entire lives.”

Scheduled showtimes are: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 2 p.m. Nov. 14.

The theater department also plans to host a party, “Tink’s Tea,” at 12:30 p.m. before each Saturday matinee. Tea and cakes will be served, and children will be able to meet Tinker Bell, Peter Pan and other characters as well as color their favorite scenes and get their faces painted. Tickets to “Tink’s Tea” cost $5.

Tickets to Peter Pan cost $8 and can be purchased at Guyer prior to the show or at the auditorium box office on the day of performance.

For more information, call Eleshia Crotwell, director of theater arts at Guyer, at 940-369-1156.

Orchestra ranked first in Class 4A by TMEA

The Guyer Rhapsody Orchestra has earned a top-10 overall state ranking and the No. 1 ranking in Class 4A from the Texas Music Educators Association.

Guyer competed in TMEA’s annual Honor Orchestra Competition, which was judged Oct. 23-24 in Austin. Guyer was the only Class 4A orchestra to advance to the finals.

The state’s top 31 high school orchestras submitted entries to be judged, with each group playing three-song sets. Guyer’s program included “Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell, “The Chrysanthemum” by Giacomo Puccini and the “Jig” from Gustav Holst’s St. Paul Suite.

The Rhapsody Orchestra is led by director Michelle Brians and assistant director Jeremy Atkins.

For more information, call 940-369-0076.

Denton High School

Exxon Mobil gives grant for two programs

Denton High School has received a $750 grant from Exxon Mobil Corp. for its Partners in Art and Partners in PE programs.

The grant is sponsored by Exxon On the Run, located at 700 S. Interstate 35E in Denton, as part of the Exxon Mobil Educational Alliance Program. The program provides 2,400 company-funded educational grants to be distributed by local Exxon or Mobil On the Run convenience stores as an investment in their communities.

“Denton High School works hard to make learning interesting and fun for its students,” said Bill Douglas, Exxon On the Run store owner.

Douglas worked with Denton High School officials to secure the award and determine where the funds would best be used.

For more information, contact Renee Koontz at rkoontz@dentonisd.org or 940-369-2000.

Ryan Elementary School

Annual carnival Friday

W.S. Ryan Elementary is scheduled to host its annual “Wrangler Round Up” carnival from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday behind the school, located at 201 W. Ryan Road.

The event is sponsored each year by the Ryan PTA to get students and their families more involved in school while raising funds for campus and teacher needs. The “Wrangler Round Up” raised funds last year for library materials, science kits, field trips and more.

The carnival will feature bounce houses, a petting zoo, a rock climbing wall, pony rides, princess makeovers and other family activities.

The PTA will sponsor a raffle; prizes include a laptop computer, bicycle, digital camera and an MP3 player. The group also will host a silent auction featuring tickets to sporting events, entertainment and restaurant gift certificates, home decor items and art supplies.

Carnival admission is free. Tickets for rides, attractions and the raffle will be sold at a carnival booth.

For more information, call Gary Miller, Ryan Elementary principal, at 940-369-4600.

Ryan High School

Arts and craft show slated for Saturday

Ryan High School is scheduled to host its 23rd annual Great Holiday Shopping Arts and Craft Show from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the school, 5101 E. McKinney St.

The show will feature food, art and crafts from more than 100 local entrants as well as hourly door prizes. Admission is $1, but students and children get in free.

All proceeds from the show will be used to support Ryan’s Renaissance program, which is an academic incentive program that emphasizes good grades, attendance and character.

For more information, contact Jackie Jackson at 940-498-0322 or gljackson@charter.net.

PILOT POINT ISD

District rating boosted

Fitch Ratings recently upgraded the Pilot Point school district’s rating from “BBB” to “BBB+” on about $19 million in outstanding school building bonds.

Fitch reported that the outlook for the district is stable and that Pilot Point has made gains in a commitment to maintain financial stability after undergoing a difficult period.

Pilot Point was rated as having a “significant turnaround in the district’s health” during the 2008-09 fiscal year, primarily attributed to the adoption of balanced spending plans, a new management team and a 13-cent tax rate increase approved by voters in 2008.

IMMACULATE

CONCEPTION CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Trike-a-thon to benefit children’s hospital

Preschool and kindergarten students will learn about tricycle safety from Denton police while raising funds for children with terminal illnesses during the ninth annual St. Jude’s Trike-a-thon at Immaculate Conception Catholic School. The event is scheduled for 8:30 to 11 a.m. Friday.

Proceeds will benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Students will sell cupcakes in addition to obtaining pledges. Last year, the students raised $3,000 for the hospital.

For more information, call 940-381-1155.

Veterans event planned

The public is invited to Immaculate Conception’s annual “Tribute to Veterans” at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 a.m. Nov. 11 in the school gym.

The Knights of Columbus will present an honor guard and flag ceremony. The fifth-grade class will give the main program, outlining historic conflicts. The school’s choirs and orchestra will perform, and memorabilia will be on display.

Veterans are invited to the free tribute. Call the school at 940-381-1155 for more information.

TEXAS ACADEMY OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Four students advance in research contest

Four Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science students recently were named regional finalists in the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, for research ranging from new cancer treatments to making more effective prescription drugs.

TAMS students Sai Achi, Somak Das, Peter Hu and Sahil Khetpal were among the 14 Texas students and 96 students nationwide chosen as regional finalists. They were selected from a national pool of 1,348 students.

A total of 14 TAMS students had been named regional semifinalists.

Regional finalists will present their research projects at the University of Texas Nov. 13 and 14 in Austin. Finalists will present a poster display and give a 12-minute presentation to a panel of judges.

Each of six regions will produce a winning individual and winning team to compete in the national finals in December at New York University. The top individual and top team in the finals will receive $100,000 scholarships. Runners-up will receive scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Last year, TAMS student Wen Chyan brought home the top Siemens prize for his work engineering new polymer coatings for biomedical devices that could prevent bacterial infections resulting from hospital stays.