Posted October 10, 2007

CSHS Announces Commended Students

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named 23 Carroll Dragons as Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The CISD students earning this honor are:

• Ali Ansari
• Joshua Archer
• Christian P. Armstrong
• Nisha Athickal
• Meredith S. Benge
• Victoria L. Bliss
• Lauren E. Brooks
• Caitlin M. Crowley
• Timothy M. Falkenberg
• Paige E. Golestan
• Nick Harrison
• David K. Lee
• Adam Lucas
• Victoria Mueller
• Katherine E. Nelson
• Katharine A. Prince
• Thomas K. Roach
• Patrick C. Scanlan
• Mark W. Schmiedel
• Julia H. Schneider
• Edward Q. Shaffer
• Ashwin Venkataraman
• Lauren C. Walden
• Forrest C. Wilkinson

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2008 competition for Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2008 competition by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test.

School eNews Online reported last month that nine CISD students were named National Merit Semifinalists and will continue in the competition. Finalists will be announced in February.

For a complete list of National Merit Scholar honorees, click here.

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Dragon Fans Celebrate Homecoming 2007

This year's Homecoming celebrations begin tonight with the annual Homecoming Parade. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. in Southlake Town Square. The theme is New York: A Night In The City. Dozens of Dragon-spirited floats will make their way through the heart of Southlake.

Homecoming nominees will be announced at the conclusion of the parade at the gazebo. Winners from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes will be crowned. The senior winners will be announced during Friday night's football game against the Haltom Buffalos at Dragon Stadium. Kick off is 7:30 p.m.

Congratulations to the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior class nominees: Freshman Homecoming Court: Chris Houser, Jason Christensen, Forrest Chevaillier, Allison Sherman, Abby Miller and Nikki Checkley; Sophomore Homecoming Court: Cade Foster, Austin "Woody" Wood, Parker Burns, Hailey Thorn, Chandler Carlson and Amanda Presmyk; Junior Homecoming Court: Alex Adam, Weston Keunstler, Kyle Padron, Courtney Park, Kristen Duckworth and Emily Ruiz.

The Class of 2008 is represented by Senior Homecoming Court nominees: Rachel Howell, Jeniel Jacobson, Sarah Marshall, Kiah Weaver, Riley Dodge, Sean Kelly, Tre Newton and Derek Tomlin.

Pictured above are this year's Senior Homecoming Court nominees. The King and Queen will be crowned during Friday night's halftime presentation at the Carroll Dragon football game at Dragon Stadium.

The annual Homecoming Dance will wrap up this year's celebration. This event takes place Saturday, October 13 from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Student Activity Center of Carroll Senior High School.

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Official Connect-ED Implementation Planned

Carroll School officials are pleased to announce the official implementation of a new parent notification system called Connect-ED. This system will allow CISD to send personalized voice messages to a family's home, work or cell phones, and also by E-mail. CISD will be able to reach everyone in the district within minutes.

The Connect-ED system is currently designed to utilize the primary home phone number for each student. The system automatically takes out duplicate numbers for children living in the same household. It is CISD's intent to use this system primarily for emergency situations and safety alerts. Specifically, the district will use the system to call families directly regarding bad weather closings/delays, school evacuations/lockdowns or in an emergency situation at a specific school. On occasion, families may also receive a message about an important upcoming event like TAKS testing, Curriculum Night, Open House or a CISD election. There will also be some limited use of the system by campuses informing parents of special notices and/or events.

Important Call Delivery Information:

1. When an emergency or safety message call comes from Carroll ISD's Connect-ED notification service, the recipient's caller ID will display the following number – 817-949-5190. CISD parents and staff can begin to recognize this call as coming from CISD's automated Connect-ED service.
2. If a Connect-ED call is made directly from a campus principal, the caller ID will display the main telephone number of that particular school.
3. If the recipient of the call is not home or unavailable, the system will leave a message on a voice mail system or answering machine. If the recipient does not have an answering machine or voice mailbox, the system will continue to call back the home number every 15 minutes for up to two hours after the initial message is sent.
4. When listening to a message in person, please be aware that background noise could cause the system to “stop and start.” It is carefully calibrated to determine whether a person or an answering machine/voicemail has been reached, and background noise may affect the delivery. If possible, move to a quiet area or press the “mute” button on the phone as the message plays.
5. If a recipient misses any part of a message, the caller can stay on the line and press the * (star) key to hear the entire message again.
6. To reply to a call from CISD, a recipient simply dials 817-949-5190 to leave a name, telephone and detailed message. If necessary, a member of the CISD Administrative team will contact the caller as soon as possible.
7. To reply to a call directly from a campus, simply call the main number in the office at that school.

Carroll ISD plans to send the first district-wide message at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 29. This will be a general announcement notifying CISD parents/staff of the system's official implementation. Questions should be directed to the dedicated Connect-ED messaging phone line at 817-949-5190.

Changes to phone numbers and/or contact information should be directed to the CISD Communications & Marketing Department at 817-949-7080.

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School Board Will Meet October 15

The Carroll School Board will meet on Monday, October 15 in the Auditorium of Johnson Elementary School, 1301 N. Carroll Avenue in Southlake. The meeting will begin with an executive session, followed by the 6:30 p.m. open meeting.

A complete agenda will be posted to the CISD website 72 hours before the meeting.

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AP Booster Club Drawing Slated October 13

The Carroll Advanced Placement Booster Club is pleased to announce its Weekend With The Arts fundraiser. In partnership with Sewell Automotive Companies, there will be a drawing on Saturday, October 13 for two lucky winners.

Each winner will receive a weekend package consisting of:

• The weekend use of a Sewell Cadillac vehicle
• Two tickets to a Bass Hall performance

The winner may choose any weekend prior to June 30, 2008 for the use of the vehicle. Cadillac choices include the Escalade, STS or CTS. The winner will choose from a variety of Bass Hall Performances to attend.

Tickets for this fundraiser will be on sale at the Homecoming football game Friday, October 12. All proceeds from the fundraiser will support Carroll AP students and teachers.

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Volleyball Team Sponsors PINK OUT October 23

Please join us Tuesday, October 23 at Carroll Senior High School to support your Lady Dragon Volleyball teams and raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. Those fans wearing pink will be admitted to the game free! Donations will be accepted throughout the night and prizes will be awarded as well. All proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure.

The junior varsity Dragons will play at 5:30 p.m. The varsity game will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Dragons will face Keller in a district match-up.

PINK OUT 2007 Flier

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SPACE Hosts Guest Speaker October 25

On Thursday, October 25th, Southlake Parents for Academic Excellence (SPACE) will proudly host Dr. Robert Schultz. Topics will include the socio-emotional needs of gifted students and will outline support practices. This free event is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. at the Johnson Elementary School Auditorium, 1301 N. Carroll Blvd.

Dr. Shultz is Associate Professor of Gifted Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Toledo where he teaches coursework in gifted education, curriculum development and theory, qualitative research methodology and middle grades philosophy, and teaching methods to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students. He consults internationally on these issues and currently serves as the Curriculum Director for The Davidson Academy in Reno , Nevada ---a public high school for highly/profoundly gifted students that has been featured in ABC Nightline and in Time Magazine. He is the past chair of the Conceptual Foundations Division of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and serves as a Contributing Editor to Roeper Review and Gifted Child Today.

Dr. Schultz is co-author (with Dr. Jim Delisle, a past SPACE guest speaker) of Smart Talk: What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted and More Than A Test Score: Teens Talk About Being Gifted, Talented, or Otherwise Extra-Ordinary (both available at Free Spirit Publishing) which focus on sharing the voices of gifted children and adolescents concerning their experiences living with the label: gifted and talented.

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Barnes & Noble Bookfair To Benefit Quest Program

Stop by Barnes & Noble Booksellers of Southlake for an event benefiting Carroll ISD's Gifted and Talented Program, Quest.

Shop at Barnes & Noble anytime November 2-4 and simply present the voucher (link below) at the time of purchase and a percentage of the net sale will be donated to the Quest program.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair flier and voucher

Barnes & Noble is located in Southlake Town Square at 1430 Plaza Place.

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Football Game Moved At Grapevine's Request

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials requested that the Grapevine Mustang vs. Carroll Dragon football game be moved to a Thursday night to accommodate a television deal between GCISD and Fox Sports Southwest.

Because of the TV broadcast, the game will be moved up one day to Thursday, November 1. Kick off time is 7:30 p.m. The game will be played at GCISD's Mustang-Panther Stadium and complimentary shuttles will run from Dragon Stadium that evening for Carroll fans.

The freshman and junior varsity games that were originally scheduled to take place November 1 have been moved to Wednesday, October 31. The locations of these games remain the same.

This is Grapevine-Colleyville ISD's television broadcast agreement, however, Carroll will receive a 30-second promotional slot during the broadcast.

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2007 Major Mania To Include First-Ever Career Expo

Carroll ISD's Guidance and Counseling Department is teaming up with the Southlake Chamber of Commerce for the 2007 Major Mania & Career Expo.

This is the fourth annual Major Mania event, but the first ever to feature a new Career Expo sponsored by the Chamber's Strategic Alliance.

This event takes place Wednesday, November 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Carroll High School, 800 White Chapel Boulevard.

With this year’s addition of the Career Expo, students will have a chance to visit with businessmen and women representing a wide range of career fields. All Carroll ISD students interested in learning more from Chamber business leaders are invited to attend the Career Expo from 5:30 to 7:40 p.m.

Major Mania is geared specifically toward high school students and offers a variety of sessions during three, 20-minute time slots. Topics will include degree and career options, salary ranges, high school preparation, university expectations and real-world advice. Other activities include a general session with keynote speakers, drawings to give away scholarships, courtesy of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce, and refreshments.

Major Mania serves as a valuable opportunity for students and their parents to obtain pertinent information that will aid in making decisions regarding college majors and future careers. Leading university professors and local business representatives will be on hand throughout the evening to answer questions and offer advice to students.

In addition to Major Mania and the Career Expo, Carroll Senior High School will host a College Fair on November 7 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. where students can visit with college representatives to learn what individual universities have to offer.

2007 Major Mania & Career Expo flier

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OurGreatCity.com Seeking Student Essays For "Green" Contest

OurGreatCity.com is hosting a contest for K-6 Carroll students called "Dragons Thinking Green." One student from each elementary and intermediate campus will be chosen based on submitted essays on the topic of how they can help their city become more environmentally friendly or "greener."

OurGreatCity.com website owners Chris & Terri Schrobilgen want to hear what students have to say about being personally committed to changing their impact on the environment and what steps the community can take to enhance quality of life, save money and protect the environment. The Schrobilgens are looking for ideas and ways that families have implemented a "green lifestyle" in their homes.

Essays should be 500 words or less and may be submitted beginning Friday, October 12. Look for a special contest link to be added to the front page of OurGreatCity.com this week. The deadline to participate is Friday, November 30. Contest winners will be announced in January and each winner receives a $250 savings bond. All essay submissions will be posted to OurGreatCity.com.

For more information regarding the contest, contact website owners Chris and Terri at chris@ourgreatcity.com or terri@ourgreatcity.com.

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CSHS Continues To Host Campus Chats

The following is a list of upcoming Campus Chats taking place at Carroll Senior High School. Chats are from 1 to 1:40 p.m. in the CSHS Guidance Center.

• October 11: University of Texas
• October 12: Tufts University
• October 16: Kansas State
• October 18: University of Texas – Arlington
• October 19: Hofstra University, New York
• October 22: Duke University
• November 13: Texas Woman's University

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Save The Date: Veterans' Day Assemblies

Several Carroll ISD campuses are making plans to celebrate Veterans' Day next month. Below is information about celebrations taking place at two CISD schools. Additional details from other campuses will be released in the coming weeks.

Mark your calendar for Dawson Middle School's Veterans' Day assembly Tuesday, November 6. DMS students or parents who have family members or friends who have previously, or are currently, serving in the military are invited to attend this special assembly. Performances will be made by the DMS band and choir as well as essays read by select students and special recognitions and honors. Stay tuned for more details as this event approaches.

The campus of Carroll High School will host its annual outdoor celebration Monday, November 12 at 10 a.m. Activities will include performances by the band and choir, student speakers and a keynote speaker. The festivities will conclude with lunch for the visiting veterans provided by the PTSO.

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DMS Theatre Arts Presents The Women Of Troy

Dawson Middle School's Theatre Arts Department is proud to present The Women Of Troy October 17 and 18. Show times are at 7 and 8:30 p.m. both evenings in the DMS Black Box Theatre, 400 S. Kimball Avenue.

Adult tickets prices are $3 and students are $2. All CISD staff members receive free admission. For more information, call 817-949-5556.

DMS Theatre Arts - The Women Of Troy flier

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Dragons Smoke Competition At Swim Meet

The Dragon swim team competed in the 2nd Annual Dragon Hunt Invitational Swim Meet October 6. This event included the area's best teams. In total, there were over 400 swimmers from 11 schools. The following is a list of results:

Girls' team scores:
Carroll 921.5
Keller 346
Georgetown 301.5
Grapevine 268
Colleyville 242
Rockwall 198
Northwest 189
Keller Central 177
Aledo 139
Rockwall-Heath 86
Granbury 44

Boys' team scores:
Carroll 763
Keller 328
Georgetown 309
Rockwall 303
Northwest 258.5
Aledo 204
Granbury 175.5
Grapevine 167
Colleyville 138
Rockwall-Heath 119
Keller Central 110

The Dragons won all eight relays. Results are listed below.
400 Medley Relay girls Claire Singley, Chelsea Dunlap, Laura Huning, Leah Cowperthwaite 4:09.76
400 Medley Relay boys Drew Mays, Drew Glenn, Wil Singley, Andrew Goss 3:47.21
200 Medley Relay girls Rachael Ausdenmoore, Cassidy Lapp, Paige Devine, Isla Jacobson 1:56.10
200 Medley Relay boys Michael Pichler, Connor Nolan, Ian Rea, Hayden Clark 1:43.30
200 Free Relay girls Taylor Cole, Ausdenmoore, L. Cowperthwaite, Lapp 1:43.41
200 Free Relay boys Clark, Goss, Rea, Pichler 1:33.97
400 Free Relay girls Caitlin Baran, Singley, Huning, Dunlap 3:44.87
400 Free Relay boys Connor Adams, Wil Singley, Garrett Bland, Connor Stuewe 3:28.98

The Lady Dragons won 7 of 12 individual events. The top three finishers for the Dragons included the following athletes:
Leah Cowperthwaite 1st 200 free 1:57.36 & 1st 50 free 25.52
Laura Huning 1st 200 fly 2:13.43 & 3rd 100 free 56.66
Chelsea Dunlap 2nd 200 IM 2:14.23 & 2nd 100 breast 1:08.68
Cassidy Lapp 3rd 200 IM 2:18.48 & 3rd 100 breast 1:10,60
Rachael Ausdenmoore 2nd 100 IM 1:04.14 & 2nd 100 back 1:03.41
Claire Singley 1st 100 IM 1:02.55 & 1st 200 back 2:12.26
Paige Devine 3rd 100 IM 1:06.83 & 2nd 100 fly 1:02.95
Katie Hitchcock 2nd 50 free 26.49
Brooke Morris 3rd 50 free 26.88
Taylor Cole 1st 500 free 5:28.88
Kristi Nguyenphu 200 back 2:20.63
Sammi Taylor 100 back 1:04.78
Kelsey Rebelez 2nd 200 breast 2:36.37
Caitlin Baran 1st 200 breast 2:23.92

The Dragon boys won 8 of 12 individual events. The top three finishers for the Dragons included the following athletes:
Drew Mays 1st 200 free 1:48.79 & 1st 200 back 1:58.41
Ian Rea 2nd 100 free 50.56 & 2nd 100 fly 54.70
Michael Pichler 3rd 100 free 52.01 & 3rd 100 back 58.75
Connor Nolen 1st 200 IM 2:00.51 & 2nd 500 free 4:50.55
Hayden Clark 2nd 100 IM 1:01.27
Garrett Bland 3rd 100 IM 1:02.09
Wil Singley 1st 50 free 21.47 (All-American consideration) & 1st 500 free 4:41.25
Andrew Goss 1st 200 fly 2:05.03
Drew Glenn 1st 200 breast 2:22.21
Connor Adams 1st 100 breast 1:08.27

The Dragons will swim next at the Grapevine "SwimmersCan" Sprint Invitational Meet at the Grapevine/Colleyville Natatorium Saturday, October 20. The meet begins at 10 a.m.

The next home meet for the Dragons will also include divers and will be Thursday, October 25 against Jesuit boys and Ursuline girls.

Kevin Murphy coaches the Dragon swim team.

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Tennis Team Earns Another Victory

The Dragon tennis team won its third straight district title October 9 by defeating Keller Central 19-0. The team finished district 7-0 and are still ranked number four in the state.

The Dragons will play Coppell High School at home Tuesday, October 16 at 4 p.m. The match should last about four hours. Free pizza for fans will be provided while supplies last. Make plans to come out and support the Dragon tennis team and watch some of the best high school tennis in the state.

Norman Smith and Corey Aldridge coach the Dragon tennis team.

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Our Newest Baby Dragon

Congratulations to Tim Hayes (Dawson Middle School) and his wife Lyndee (Carroll High School) on the birth of their daughter. Cora was born October 2 weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounces and was 20 inches long.

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With Sympathy

Our sympathy is extended to Jay Bach (Carroll High School) on the recent death of his brother.

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Posted To The Website

The following documents were recently posted to the Carroll ISD website:

• School Health Advisory Committee: October 19 meeting agenda

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Barnes & Noble Hosting Educators Event

Barnes & Noble Booksellers of Southlake is hosting an Educators event Saturday, October 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Educators can save 25% off of purchases during this special, one-day offer.

Tasty refreshments will be provided as well as a chance to win prizes. Punch cards will be punched at all five stations and participants wil receive great giveaways for classroom materials. Also sign up for a chance to win a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card, a school visit from Rick Riordan, author or the Percy Jackson and Olympians series, and many other exciting prizes like: Apples to Apples Board Game, Shut-the-Box Board Game, Children's Dictionaries, Children's Books, Totes and more.

Southlake Document Destruction Event Is Saturday

The Southlake Department of Public Safety and Brinks Secure Data Solutions are hosting a free document destruction event Saturday, October 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event takes place in the north parking lot of Carroll High School, 800 N. White Chapel Boulevard.

The community is invited to bring documents in boxes to shred that could be susceptible to identity theft. Suggested items include outdated personal records, credit card invoices, medical billing, bank records and documents containing account numbers, social security numbers or finance-related information.

For more information, contact Southlake DPS at 817-748-8137 or see the attached flier below.

Southlake DPS - Document Destruction Event

CHS Student Featured As Part Of Singing Group

Carroll High School freshman Sydney Capello has been a member of the singing group Girls4LIfe for four years. This group of four girls come from families with histories of breast cancer. The group began as an idea conceived by a breast cancer survivor who brought them together as young girls to sing for a cure.

Since forming, this talented group of young women has earned exposure across the country. Most recently, they were featured on WFAA's Good Morning Texas. To view the story, visit the following link: www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/gmt/schedule/stories/New_Story_1.14d6dba58.html

Girls4Life opened for the Jonas Brothers on the Chevy Stage at the State Fair October 8 and Senator Nelson personally invited Girls4Life to attend a bill signing ceremony with Lance Armstrong and Governor Rick Perry at UT Southwestern on Wednesday, June 12. Girls4Life will join Senator Nelson and the Lance Armstrong Foundation - Livestrong, The American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Kill Cancer and the Texas Medical Association to kick off the effort to pass the referendum. The legislation establishes the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which will operate with up to $300 million per year, taking a giant leap forward in the effort to fight cancer in Texas. On October 27, the girls will perform for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Three Day on the campus of Southern Methodist University beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For information about Girls4Life, visit their website at www.girls4life.org.

Public Is Invited To Family Star Party Night

Join the Bob Jones Nature Center and the Fort Worth Astronomical Society for a Family Star Party Night on Friday, October 19 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Bob Jones Park Amphitheater. Numerous telescopes will be available to observe objects like the bright planet Jupiter and its moons just after sunset and the distant planets of Neptune and Uranus later in the evening. Over a dozen enormous gaseous nebulas in the October sky will offer a great opportunity to explore these incredible objects if the light conditions are optimal.   The moon will be in its first quarter and will offer some beautiful viewing of the Moon's craters as they cast long shadows across the Moon's surface.  Participants will also get to see double stars with contrasting colors appearing as brilliant diamonds against a black velvet background.  If conditions are perfect, even the comet C/2007 F1, which is passing by low in the northwest sky just after sunset, could be a treasured find for participants.

Bring the whole family, lawn chairs, water and insect spray and enjoy the astronomy of the Southlake evening sky. Be prepared to turn off your vehicle headlights as you enter and leave the viewing area. Signs will direct you to the correct parking area. Photos and additional information available on request – cjgaither@mac.com , BJNC.org or at www.fortworthastro.com 

Girl Scouts Project To Benefit Grace

Girl Scout Troop #4089 at Durham Elementary is holding a Halloween candy drive the two days following Halloween, Thursday, November 1 and Friday, November 2 during morning dismissal from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. at DES.  Families will have the opportunity to donate wrapped Halloween candy.  The candy will be distributed through GRACE's food pantry and in holiday food baskets.

Bob Jones’ Grandson To Tell Family’s Remarkable Story

The Southlake Historical Society invites the community to meet Dr. Bobby Jones, grandson of Bob Jones, at an event taking place Monday, November 5 at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel in Southlake Town Square, 1400 Plaza Place.

Most area residents have heard of Bob Jones Park and the Bob Jones Nature Center, but many have never heard the remarkable saga of the Bob Jones family - a saga that began in the 1850s, just a few years after Texas became part of the Union.

Jones was the son of a white man and a slave woman. His wife, Almeada, was the daughter of a slave woman and the “cattle king of the West,” John Chisum. Together, Bob and Almeada built a legacy of family, hard work, education and love of the land.

Dr. Jones will tell of his grandfather’s journey as a boy to North Texas in the 1860s; his working the Denton Creek bottomlands until the family homestead included 1,000 acres of farming and ranch land that stretched between Roanoke and present-day Southlake. Other chapters include the US Army Corps of Engineers and its use of eminent domain in the creation of Lake Grapevine; the importance of education and the choices that were made about going to school in Texas in the 1950s; and how the Jones’ little family diner, one of Southlake’s earliest businesses, was also Texas’ first integrated cafe.

Please join us for an evening with Dr. Bobby Jones, the second in a keynote speaker series presented by the Southlake Historical Society. Following Dr. Jones’ presentation will be a drawing for several antique items to kick off the Society’s upcoming Spring 2008 Not Your Grandmother’s Historical Society Antique Market and Appraisal Festival. Among the donated items to be awarded from the drawing will be a set of 1930s circa Art Deco dessert forks, sets of marbles from the 1940s and Red Wing pottery from the 1950s.

Due to limited seating, reservations for this community-wide event are requested. Simply E-mail your name and the number in your party to boardmember@southlakehistory.com or call Connie Cooley at 817-223-9606. Dr. Jones’ program is free and everyone is welcome. RSVP by Monday, October 29.

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